Chapter 25: Combat
Chapter 25: Combat
After obtaining the data from Wu Yi Academy, Chen Chuan headed straight for the Fist House. Upon arrival, he found Yu Gang and briefed him on the day's events.
Yu Gang said, "So, you refused the sponsorship?"
Chen Chuan replied frankly, "Yes, Mr. Yu. I don't want to be bound by the so-called Aid Society."
Yu Gang said, "As long as you're sure. Show me the student data you got."
Chen Chuan took the data out of his satchel and handed it over. Yu Gang flipped through the pages and commented, "The content here isn't lacking, but it's very vague. It's hard to come up with a detailed and reasonable strategy based on this."
Chen Chuan nodded. Apart from the students' names, ages, heights, weights, and specialties, there wasn't much specific information.
Yu Gang said, "By refusing the sponsorship, you won't have any informational advantage. You'll have to rely on your own strength to face these students head-on."
Chen Chuan smiled indifferently, "Then let's see what happens."
In reality, after mastering the Shocking Divine Fist, he felt confident enough to take on the senior students who had mastered Power Techniques. Although he was still somewhat cautious mentally, for some reason, after yesterday's street brawl, the sense of awe he had for the senior students seemed to vanish.
Yu Gang seemed to sense his state and asked in a deep voice, "Kid, did you meet someone after you came back yesterday?"
Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised by Yu Gang's perceptiveness but had nothing to hide. He said, "I was attacked by some suspected gang members on my way back yesterday."
Yu Gang looked at him and said, "It seems you've seen some blood. That's not a bad thing."
He didn't delve into the specifics, as encounters with gang members were common in West City. People living here dealt with gang members almost every day. Besides, Chen Chuan was Mr. Nian LiFu's nephew, so there was no need for him to pry.
He said, "Regarding the re-examination, having the data allows for one strategy, and not having it requires another. My advice is that you need more real combat experience over the next month. You need to face opponents with different styles. Lu Ke is no longer sufficient as a sparring partner."
There was another method, which was to participate in the underground ring matches organized by the major gangs. There, he could encounter various opponents, but considering Chen Chuan's relationship to Mr. Nian LiFu, he didn't mention it.
Chen Chuan nodded. He first thought of the Show General Gym. The impression it left on him last time was decent, and it was close by, so he decided to try it out.
After lunch, he continued his basic training for the day and then left the Fist House early, running all the way to the Show General Martial Arts Society in West Gang District.
He arrived early, and the lights outside the gym were not yet on. Only a few trainees were inside, and the rest were Show General Gym fighters.
Xiao Liang was using resistance bands to practice his moves. Seeing Chen Chuan enter, he was initially surprised but then remembered something. Coach Gu had said to inform this young man if he came again. However, when he saw Chen Chuan, he wondered if he had mistaken the person. This young man looked good and didn't have the fierce demeanor of someone who had been in many fights.
He greeted him with a smile, "Young man, you haven't been here in a while? Want to start practicing?"
Chen Chuan came straight to the point, "I heard I can spar with the fighters here. Can I do that today?"
Xiao Liang felt a bit nervous and said, "Well... why don't you wait a bit? Our coach just went out..."
At that moment, a voice came from behind, "Why look for a coach? I'll give it a try."
A muscular man stood up from the mat and walked over.
He was around twenty-six or twenty-seven, with a rugged face and a well-built body. He had a white sweat towel around his neck and was staring intently at Chen Chuan as he walked.
Xiao Liang quickly said, "Young man, this is our gym's senior fighter, Senior Brother Yan."
Senior Brother Yan approached Chen Chuan. Initially, he thought Chen Chuan was one of those who had learned a bit and thought they were invincible, coming to challenge the gym. However, seeing Chen Chuan's calm demeanor, he said, "Interesting. How about we spar?"
Chen Chuan didn't discriminate against his opponents, and he also wanted to observe the strength of the experienced fighters at Show General Gym. He replied, "Sure."
"Do you want to use protective gear?"
Chen Chuan said, "No need."
"You're bold." Senior Brother Yan smiled, showing his teeth, "Just don't scream in pain later."
Chen Chuan chuckled, "It won't come to that."
"You're tough, I like your spirit." Senior Brother Yan gave him a thumbs up, wiped off his sweat towel, and went to warm up on the side.
Chen Chuan took off his outerwear, leaving only his shirt, and started stretching his lower body.
The warm-up routine followed the methods in the booklet given to him by Yu Gang, which wasn't exclusive to Wu University. The booklet had been out for over a decade and had long spread outside, so it was unknown how many people had adopted it. Therefore, those who wanted to study his style couldn't discern anything unique, and they could only wait for him to step onto the ring.
It wasn't yet time for the ring confrontation, but people loved watching a show. The previous sparring sessions had been repetitive with the same few people, but now with a new face, everyone's interest was piqued.
Those present gathered around, and even those training below came over to join the excitement. Some even brought melons, cutting them into slices and passing them around to everyone.
Someone shouted, "Senior Brother Yan, go easy on him, don't scare our little friend."
"Yeah, don't be like the last time when someone peed on the floor."
"You're just watching the show, right? Disgusting! Get lost."
"Hahahaha..." Laughter erupted around them. Training was tedious, and a bit of fun was a rare treat, so everyone let loose.
Senior Brother Yan shrugged and said, "He won't have that chance."
Once they were both sufficiently warmed up, they took turns stepping onto the ring.
It was Chen Chuan's first time on the ring, and he felt a slight springiness underfoot, making it a bit challenging to stabilize his center of gravity.
Senior Brother Yan noticed this immediately, narrowing his eyes without saying a word.
Since this wasn't an official competition, there was no need for a referee; how far the fight went depended entirely on the will of both parties.
Xiao Liang remembered the sandbag from that day and suddenly felt a bit uneasy. He shouted up, "Don't be too heavy-handed!"
Senior Brother Yan didn't realize he was mainly addressing Chen Chuan and impatiently replied, "I know."
Someone eagerly pulled the rope, and the ring bell rang.
Senior Brother Yan immediately applied pressure, his hands positioned one in front and one behind, but with the front lower and the back higher. His front foot constantly lifted and dropped, as if ready to kick at any moment.
Chen Chuan assumed the stance of Great Free Fighting, his center of gravity slightly sinking. Although it looked ordinary, as if anyone could pull off a few moves, once he settled into the stance, it exuded a sense of solidity.
Ordinary people couldn't see the difference, but many in the audience immediately noticed something unique. The laughter around them ceased, and everyone became more serious.
Senior Brother Yan also put aside his underestimation. Seeing Chen Chuan's stability, he didn't remain stationary. He lifted his front foot as if to kick, but it was a feint, and he spun, executing a back sweep kick.
In that instant when he took his first step, Chen Chuan's eyes flashed, and he suddenly stepped forward, using the "Grind Hand" technique from Great Free Fighting. He pressed it directly onto Senior Brother Yan's waist and hips, preventing his back sweep kick. Chen Chuan then pushed him down from mid-air, slamming him onto the ground with a loud thud.
If it weren't for facing a strong opponent or an unexpected danger, Chen Chuan wouldn't have used his Second Self for an extended period. Instead, he only activated it for a split second during his attack, making it both concealed and unexpected, while also conserving the duration of his Second Self.
Seeing Senior Brother Yan's pathetic state on the ground, someone in the audience booed and said, "Senior Brother Yan underestimated his opponent. He didn't even test the waters first, and without knowing his opponent's capabilities, he just went wild. He's looking down on his opponent."
"Yeah, if this were a real ring match, he'd be done for after being pinned to the ground like that."
In truth, they were just talking. The gym was a business, and it needed to attract attention. Fighters needed to be both skilled and visually appealing. If anyone went up there and didn't show off their skills in front of the crowd, they wouldn't dare greet others.
After scoring a hit, Chen Chuan didn't continue but immediately backed off.
This was just a sparring match, not a fight to the death, and it was on someone else's turf. Moreover, he still hoped to spar with the gym's coach, so he had to give them some face.
Senior Brother Yan quickly got up, showing no concern. Getting hit in ring fights was common, and if he couldn't control his emotions, he shouldn't have stepped onto the ring in the first place.
However, he knew that Chen Chuan had held back, and he didn't need to thank him. The best way to show respect was to demonstrate his strength and defeat his opponent once.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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