Chapter 13: The Limits of Life and Death Skills
Chapter 13: The Limits of Life and Death Skills
Chen Chuan observed his opponent, knowing this wasn't their usual training session. To avoid injury and secure victory, he decided to tap into the power of his "Second Self."
Thanks to his recent progress, Chen Chuan's fusion time had increased, now lasting around fifty-five seconds.
This duration wasn't set in stone, as any strike he received would reduce the fusion time as the Second Self mitigated the damage and pain.
He needed to end the fight quickly. The longer it dragged on, the lower his chances of winning.
At this moment, Chen Chuan had already formulated a tactic in his mind.
Ding Shuo locked eyes with Chen Chuan, and he could sense from Chen Chuan's breath that he, too, had mastered the Breath Technique. Ding Shuo playfully tapped his fist against Chen Chuan's.
Finally, a worthy opponent had arrived, and he could showcase his skills before Mr. Qi.
After their mutual bow of respect, Chen Chuan took the initiative, stepping forward and throwing a punch towards Chen Chuan's face.
Chen Chuan didn't dodge; instead, he countered with a powerful High Whip Kick, just as he had done to defeat Bian Feng during the entrance exams.
With the activation of his Second Self, Chen Chuan's kick was lightning-fast, catching Ding Shuo off guard. Ding Shuo, remembering to protect his head, quickly tensed his arm muscles, but the force of the kick was too strong. He stumbled a few steps to the side, shaking off the impact.
Seizing the opportunity, Chen Chuan immediately followed up with another kick, creating a powerful gust of wind. Ding Shuo, once again, had to halt his attack and was forced to the side, looking a bit disheveled.
The spectators felt a sense of deja vu, as if they were watching a replay of Ding Shuo's earlier fight with Lu Ke, but with the roles reversed.
Mr. Qi, surprised, turned to the middle-aged strongman behind him and said, "This young man is quite impressive."
The strongman replied, "His footwork and force exertion are decent, but still a bit rough and uncoordinated. His muscles haven't fully adapted, indicating he hasn't been training for long. However, he possesses great strength, speed, and reflexes, and he knows the basic Breath Technique. He's a natural talent as long as his stamina holds up. It'll be challenging for Ding Shuo to win."
Mr. Qi smiled and said, "Oh? He's quite talented, then. I'm not too worried about Ding Shuo losing this fight."
Ding Shuo disliked being on the defensive and attempted to counter several times, but to no avail. Once, he accidentally left himself open, and Chen Chuan kicked him in the ribs, causing him to wince in pain. Ding Shuo realized he couldn't match Chen Chuan's strength head-on and decided to focus on defense, waiting for Chen Chuan to expose a weakness or tire out before counterattacking.
Chen Chuan, after a series of kicks, noticed Ding Shuo's attention was primarily on defending against his leg attacks. Sensing the right moment, Chen Chuan lifted his knee as if preparing for another kick. Ding Shuo instinctively raised his guard, but Chen Chuan suddenly lowered his stance, reaching forward with both hands in a grappling motion.
Ding Shuo felt a chill, realizing Chen Chuan's rapid kicks were meant to create a sense of pattern recognition, and his true intention was to execute a takedown. It was too late for Ding Shuo to lower his center of gravity, but to his surprise, Chen Chuan's movements seemed slightly off, causing a slight delay in his rhythm.
An opportunity!
Sometimes, physical reactions are faster than conscious thought, so instead of retreating to lower his center of gravity, Ding Shuo chose to knee Chen Chuan's head directly.
However, Chen Chuan charged forward, meeting Ding Shuo's knee with his forehead. The powerful knee strike could have ended the fight, but with the Second Self mitigating the damage, Chen Chuan's body didn't even flinch. As he had anticipated the counter, his rear hand unleashed a powerful punch, connecting solidly with Ding Shuo's face.
Ding Shuo grunted in pain, his vision blurring, and he felt his nose sting. If not for his well-trained neck muscles and the resilience from the Breath Technique, he might have been knocked out by that punch.
After landing the punch, Chen Chuan didn't pause, instead, driving forward with a knee strike aimed at Ding Shuo's neck while attempting to wrap his arms around Ding Shuo's neck.
Ding Shuo's vision was blurry, and he couldn't see clearly, but his experience warned him of the impending danger. He felt his hairs stand on end, and with a grunt, he exhaled a short, powerful breath from his chest, causing a burst of air to seemingly explode around him.
Before Chen Chuan could complete his grab, he felt an immense force push his hands apart, as if they were being pried open by a powerful force. Yu Gang, witnessing this, thought to himself, "Burst Force...?"
With his hands forced apart, Chen Chuan lost his balance, and his knee strike lost its effectiveness. He paused momentarily.
Ding Shuo, having executed his move, seemed unable to immediately launch another attack. He appeared cautious, fearing Chen Chuan's advance, and quickly retreated to create distance between them.
Ding Shuo took a few deep breaths to regain his composure, then glanced at Chen Chuan, who stood not far away. After taking a punch, Chen Chuan seemed unaffected, which surprised Ding Shuo. He touched his nose, feeling fresh blood flowing, and a surge of annoyance filled him.
In truth, Chen Chuan was more embarrassed about losing face in front of Mr. Qi than he was about the pain.
He glanced at Ding Shuo, surprised by the latter's peculiar method of exerting force. Especially considering that he had put all his might into that previous punch, if it had landed on Lu Ke, he would've surely been knocked down. Yet, this man, aside from a slightly bruised face, seemed to suffer no other effects, remaining as lively as ever. Even the nosebleed stopped within moments, an impressive recovery and resilience.
Chen Chuan's thoughts raced, pondering his next move.
Although his Second Self was mostly in sync during the attack, it had lasted for about fifteen seconds, and the damage he received from that strike likely reduced the sync time by another five or six seconds. This meant he had already lost a third of his usable time.
Given this man's toughness, Chen Chuan doubted that even landing a few more successful hits would incapacitate him.
Fortunately, this wasn't a combat arena or a life-or-death battle. To win, he didn't necessarily have to knock out his opponent. Perhaps there was a condition he could exploit...
He quickly devised a strategy and took a deep breath.
Ding Shuo immediately became alert. When a person with breath control experiences a change in their breathing and their stamina remains abundant, it's highly likely that they're about to unleash a burst of power.
Chen Chuan took a step forward and suddenly charged, his speed astonishingly fast. He seemed to be in the distance, but in an instant, he was right in front, his kicks and punches raining down like a fierce storm.
Ding Shuo hurriedly dodged and blocked, feeling the blows raining on him like raindrops, yet he gritted his teeth and endured.
If one paid close attention, they'd notice that the red marks on his skin from the strikes faded away within a breath or two.
Mr. Qi watched intently. Even though he wasn't skilled in combat, he could tell that the turning point of the fight would likely come after Chen Chuan's current onslaught.
After another ten seconds of continuous offense, Chen Chuan landed a straight punch. This time, the force seemed weak, but as he retracted his hand, he grabbed Ding Shuo's wrist and pulled, dragging the latter's entire body.
Those who understood martial arts would recognize this as a 'Grasp and Pull' technique from Major Free Fighting, specifically designed to disrupt an opponent's center of gravity and pull them off-balance.
Ding Shuo tried to counter by exerting force to shake off the grasp, but Chen Chuan's previous strikes were all a setup to create this opportunity. During the struggle, Chen Chuan stepped forward, reached out, and executed a Palm Lift, slamming the base of his palm into Ding Shuo's chin. However, Ding Shuo's reaction was indeed swift; just before being struck, he pressed his four fingers down on Chen Chuan's elbow joint, hindering the full release of his power. Nonetheless, the residual force from the palm strike still caused Ding Shuo's head to jerk upward.
Chen Chuan suddenly took a step back, withdrawing his hand with fingers closed, lightly brushing past Ding Shuo's throat. He then voluntarily retreated to a more distant position and lowered his stance, turning his gaze towards Mr. Qi and the others.
Ding Shuo, seeing this, was taken aback and said with dissatisfaction, "What's this? It's not over yet!"
The middle-aged man whispered something into Mr. Qi's ear, who nodded slightly. Then, he turned to Yu Gang and said, "Mr. Yu, we've lost."
Ding Shuo was stunned. He glanced at the middle-aged man, suppressing his anger, and said in a raised voice, "It's not over? How did we lose?"
The middle-aged man spoke in a calm tone, "That last move by the young man was 'Curtain Tear' from Standard Free Fighting. If he had exerted force at that moment, your throat would've been torn. So, he won.\n\n\nChen Chuan, having heard this, felt a slight relief, knowing he had won the bet.\n\nGiven Ding Shuo's resilience, it would be difficult to win by brute force. However, since they had agreed beforehand to stop at first contact, there was room for maneuver.\n\nWhat constitutes 'first contact'? It's when a lethal technique touches a vital area but is retracted in time.\n\nFollowing this rule, regardless of whether he truly mastered a lethal technique, as long as he touched these vital areas under reasonable circumstances, it could be considered 'first contact.'\n\nHowever, this also depended on whether Mr. Qi and the others would honor their word or simply pay lip service. If they refused to acknowledge it, there was nothing Chen Chuan could do. Regardless, it was worth a try.\n\nFortunately, it seemed like these people had some sense of honor.\n\nYu Gang pondered for a moment, then walked forward under everyone's gaze, stopping in front of Mr. Qi. He bowed and said, "Mr. Qi, give me six months. After I settle some matters, if you still welcome us then, I'll join your gang."\n\n(End of Chapter)
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