https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-27-Breaking-Limits-and-Wave-Power/12979062/
Chapter 26: Striking the Gap
Chapter 26: Striking the Gap
Yan Senior Brother once again stood opposite Chen Chuan, not shrinking back due to a previous mistake, but instead pressing forward.
After a few tentative moves, he suddenly kicked sideways, aiming straight for the liver area. As Chen Chuan blocked it in time, he quickly followed up with a back sweep, targeting the opponent's head and neck.
These two attacks seemed similar to the previous ones, but in reality, the first was a feint, while this time, both were real strikes, and they were executed with extremely fast transitions, leaving almost no openings.
Chen Chuan first greeted the attack with his shoulder, then raised his other hand and clapped, consecutively deflecting the two kicks. Guided by his breath, his upper body barely swayed, and this time, without using his Second Self, he relied entirely on his own strength.
Someone in the audience noticed his technique and whispered, "Breath Regulation Technique!"
If a fighter starts practicing the Breath Regulation Technique without a solid foundation, they are essentially depleting their life force and potential. Most people can't endure this, and even those with a foundation usually wait until they're a bit older before beginning this practice.
Generally speaking, it's around the age of twenty when fighters in various gyms truly master this technique.
In their eyes, although Chen Chuan was tall, he looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old. It was hard to believe that someone of his age had already mastered the Breath Regulation Technique. They wondered which martial arts society had meticulously cultivated such a disciple.
After witnessing Chen Chuan's quick reactions and ability to seize opportunities, Yan Senior Brother realized that Chen Chuan's mastery of the Breath Regulation Technique made him a formidable opponent. However, sometimes the outcome of a fight isn't solely determined by the strength of the fighters.
He discreetly glanced at Chen Chuan's feet again. During the previous two attacks, he had noticed something: Chen Chuan hadn't attempted any evasive maneuvers. Instead, he had chosen to engage and then stand his ground, without pursuing a counterattack.
This confirmed that Chen Chuan was indeed not yet accustomed to the ring, and the lack of elasticity underfoot was affecting his balance and power generation.
Even a slight difference like this could potentially impact overall performance in actual combat. By exploiting this weakness, Yan Senior Brother could keep Chen Chuan at bay and control the rhythm of the fight.
If an opponent is forced into a purely defensive state without the ability to counterattack, they will inevitably become agitated. That's when striking will have a higher chance of success."
For the next half-minute, Yan Senior Brother kept up his offense, while Chen Chuan only defended without retaliating, seemingly trapped in a predicament.
However, his true intention at this moment was not to knock down his opponent. Instead, he was observing and searching for the other's breathing rhythm. He recalled Yu Gang's advice: disrupting an opponent's breathing rhythm would hinder their ability to smoothly execute techniques, whether it be the Breath Regulation Technique or Power Techniques.
Although Chen Chuan didn't know if Yan Senior Brother possessed Power Techniques, it didn't stop him from treating him as a sparring partner, allowing himself to explore and familiarize with the technique.
As Chen Chuan and Yan Senior Brother sparred on the stage, Coach Gu and two young men entered from outside.
If Chen Chuan had looked over, he would have recognized the two young men as Sheng Hai and Liang Tong, whom he had met at the graduation party.
Coach Gu said as he walked, "You two can look around here. There are many young people here, just like at your place."
Sheng Hai quickly thanked him, "Thank you, Coach Gu."
Coach Gu smiled, "It's nothing. Although we belong to different branches, we're all part of the Show General Martial Arts Society. In the old days, we would have been considered fellow disciples. The future of the martial arts society depends on young people like you..." He paused, then added, "It's quite lively today. I don't recall seeing the young man sparring with Xiao Yan before."
At that moment, Liang Tong exclaimed in surprise.
Coach Gu looked at him and, noticing his gaze fixed on the stage, nodded in that direction, saying, "What's the matter? Do you know this young man?"
Liang Tong replied, "He seems to be a classmate who graduated from our City First High School. I even gave him our martial arts society's promotional flyer."
"Is that so? No wonder he sought out our martial arts society."
Liang Tong suddenly felt embarrassed and hastily added, "No, Coach Gu, I..."
Coach Gu smiled and waved his hand, "No need to explain. We welcome all customers who come here peacefully. We're here to do business."
Xiao Liang also spotted Coach Gu and hurried over, relieved. "Coach Gu, you're finally here."
Coach Gu asked, "What's the matter?"
Xiao Liang pointed at the stage, "That young man... he's the one you asked me to tell you about last time."
"Last time?"
Coach Gu tried to recall, and then suddenly remembered the previous incident with the sandbag. His expression turned serious as he looked at the stage. "You mean this young man is the one who tore the sandbag last time?"
"
"It should be him, there's no one else." Xiao Liang was also a bit uncertain.
Coach Gu left a few people behind and strode over to the ring. When the crowd saw him, they all greeted him and made room for him.
Coach Gu responded to each one and then stood still, observing for a while.
He noticed that Chen Chuan was always on the defensive, and sometimes, despite having the opportunity, he didn't launch a counterattack. At first glance, it seemed like a skill issue, but he soon realized it wasn't the case.
Judging by his defense alone, Chen Chuan was as tight as a drum, and he barely moved his feet, clearly in complete control. Defense was much more difficult than offense.
So, why was he fighting so passively?
Was he giving face? Did he want his opponent to concede? The gym wasn't a place for courtesy; you only earned respect by defeating your opponent.
After observing for a while, he caught a glimpse of Chen Chuan's subtle movements and gaze, and he had a vague guess, thinking to himself, "Is that so...?"
At this moment, Chen Chuan had gradually figured out Yan Senior Brother's attack rhythm, which was closely linked to his breathing technique. When Yan Senior Brother kicked again, Chen Chuan didn't remain stationary but suddenly took a step to the right, simultaneously sweeping his left hand across Yan Senior Brother's side ribs.
Yan Senior Brother was somewhat prepared, but under the force of habit, he reacted too slowly and couldn't block the attack.
Chen Chuan's strike was relatively fast, but he didn't fully unleash his strength. In fact, it could only be considered a graze. But this seemingly light and airy strike seemed to create a gap in Yan Senior Brother's otherwise cohesive power, disrupting his breathing rhythm and affecting his movements. His technique was only half-completed, and his actions momentarily stalled.
Chen Chuan didn't stop. He seized the opportunity and, in a fluid motion, executed an elbow strike, slamming it into Yan Senior Brother's side neck. The latter didn't make a sound and fell forward, crashing onto the ring with a loud thud.
"Old Yan is down, quickly help him up!"
"Splash some water, splash some water... Is it necessary? He splashed me last time too!"
At this moment, Coach Gu emerged from the crowd and came to the front. The noise immediately quieted down. He addressed Chen Chuan on the ring, "Young man, which martial arts society are you from?"
Chen Chuan shook his head and said, "I'm not from any martial arts society. I just practice on my own and came here to spar and exchange skills."
Seeing that Chen Chuan didn't reveal his background, Coach Gu's expression relaxed a bit. This indicated that Chen Chuan wasn't here to cause trouble; otherwise, he would have declared his identity.
He said, "So, you're here to spar and exchange skills. How about this, young man, I'll spar with you. What do you say?"
Chen Chuan thought to himself that this must be the Coach Gu Xiao Liang had mentioned. He became more serious and replied, "I'd be delighted!"
"Coach Gu is going to spar? He's giving too much face."
"Young man, you'd better be careful. Don't get splashed with water too."
Coach Gu moved to the side, took off his jacket, and changed into a Show General Gym training uniform. He began warming up below the ring.
Below the ring, Sheng Hai spoke softly to Liang Tong, "Is he your classmate? Even Senior Brother Yan couldn't beat him. No wonder I felt he wasn't ordinary last time."
Liang Tong was also a bit dazed. Senior Brother Yan was a seasoned fighter, and they had heard of him. They never expected that he wouldn't be Chen Chuan's match. He remembered that last time, Chen Chuan had mentioned having some foundation, but was it really just a bit of foundation?
Moreover, Chen Chuan was about to spar with Coach Gu right now.
It was hard to imagine that someone he had often seen and thought he knew was now standing on the same stage as someone he had always considered unattainable. This made him feel like it wasn't real.
He thought for a moment, and suddenly his eyes lit up. Excitedly, he said, "That's right, I heard that someone from Class 4 entered Wu University. It must be him!"
"Wu University? No wonder, no wonder." Sheng Hai immediately understood.
Liang Tong said, "You know, I never heard of him being so powerful back in school."
Sheng Hai sighed and said, "He must have kept a low profile."
He suddenly felt a bit of admiration for Chen Chuan. Being able to knock down Senior Brother Yan wasn't something one could achieve in just a day or two.
At their age, who could resist showing off their martial arts skills to others after learning them? He was like that in the past, especially wanting to show off in front of female classmates. But even after learning a set of skills, his classmates were unaware, which showed remarkable self-control.
Coach Gu had finished his warm-up and climbed into the ring. After a few steps, he stood facing Chen Chuan.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
