Chapter 277: Progress
Chapter 277: Progress
The next morning, Chen Chuan woke up at 5 a.m., washed up, and got ready to leave. After getting dressed, he glanced towards the door, sensing something.
He adjusted his collar and found a familiar face waiting for him, Gao Qiu, the fighter from the Wilderness Sect.
Chen Chuan was surprised and asked, "Senior Gao?"
Gao Qiu's body showed no signs of bandages or injuries, except for the missing hand. His mental state seemed unchanged from the day before when he was on stage.
Gao Qiu spoke solemnly, "Chen Chuan, I got your address from the cruise management. I wanted to personally thank you. If it weren't for you yesterday, I would've died there."
As he spoke, he tossed something towards Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan caught it and unwrapped it to find a polished, smooth stone.
Gao Qiu said, "If you're interested in the Wilderness Sect's training, you can use this to find us. Everyone in the Wilderness Sect will welcome you."
Chen Chuan nodded, then glanced at Gao Qiu's empty right sleeve. Without any implants, the Wilderness Sect's combat effectiveness would likely be significantly reduced.
Noticing Chen Chuan's gaze, Gao Qiu remained composed and said, "I wanted to recover the shattered bones and reattach them, hoping they'd regrow. But it seems that's not possible now.
However, it doesn't matter. I fought with all my strength, and failure is also a form of wealth. I'll pass on this experience to the younger generation, ensuring its continuation. The Wilderness Sect isn't about any one individual; it's about all of us together. Remember, those who experience failure will find success."
Gao Qiu looked to the side and said, "It seems someone is looking for you. I'll take my leave. See you again, hopefully."
Chen Chuan turned and saw Lu Shiqi approaching from the end of the cabin corridor. Unlike Gao Qiu, Lu Shiqi's broken arm had fully recovered, either reattached or replaced.
The advantage of implants was evident here; some body parts could be surgically replaced or enhanced.
As Lu Shiqi and Gao Qiu passed each other, they nodded respectfully. Despite being opponents in the arena, there was no deep-seated animosity between them.
Lu Shiqi stopped in front of Chen Chuan and said, "Chen Chuan, I'm not good with words, but I'm here on behalf of the company to express our gratitude. In the company's words, you've saved the company's assets." He handed over a card, "This is the company's token of appreciation, and I hope you'll accept it."
Chen Chuan took the card and saw it was a gold card from the Lu Shiqi Financial Group. A direct monetary reward this time? Lu Shiqi's company seemed very practical with their gratitude.
Chen Chuan put the card in his pocket and said, "Then I'll accept it."
Lu Shiqi, seeing Chen Chuan accept the card, didn't say more. He nodded and turned to leave.")
Chen Chuan returned to his room and continued packing. At 6:30 a.m., the four of them departed from the Rhinoceros Horn Cruise Ship and headed to the port. Before they left, Pan Xiaode eagerly said, "Chen Chuan, we haven't had a proper match yet. How about we find a place now and settle this?"
Tan Zhi chimed in, "No need to be so friendly; we should definitely fight."
Pan Xiaode extended a fist, "As fighters, we communicate through our fists. Only after exchanging punches with friends can we truly develop a deep friendship."
Chen Chuan thought to himself, 'Next time, I'll have to use my fists.'
He sincerely said, "I'd like to fight with you, Pan Xiaode, but controlling the time might be challenging. I've already made plans with my teacher, and I can't keep him waiting. Let's reschedule for another day."
Pan Xiaode agreed, feeling that his skills were on par with Chen Chuan. If they fought, it would likely be a drawn-out match, possibly lasting an entire day. Indeed, time management would be difficult, and when sparring with Chen Chuan, Qi Huixin should be involved too, right? They'd need to find an appropriate time for that.
Pan Xiaode expressed his regret, "Then, we'll have to do it next time."
After parting ways with Pan Xiaode and Tan Zhi, Chen Chuan got into Tan Zhi's car. Instead of returning to the Xuan Gong Mansion, he asked Tan Zhi to drop him off at Teacher Zheng's residence.
Chen Chuan bid Tan Zhi farewell at the entrance and entered the house. Inside, he greeted Teacher Zheng, who smiled and said, "Your rest day went well, I assume?"
Chen Chuan replied, "It was full of surprises."
Teacher Zheng said, "That's good. You young folks should know when to be tense and when to relax, right? Alright, today's training will focus on that. Let's go."
Chen Chuan followed Teacher Zheng into the training room. After a brief warm-up, they saw that Zheng Tongtong was ready.
The previous two training sessions focused on blocking heavy and light blades, but this time, Zheng Tongtong held a blade in each hand, one light and the other heavy, though they appeared identical. Even with prior knowledge, distinguishing them would be challenging.
Normally, holding blades of different weights would slightly affect one's center of gravity and footsteps. However, Zheng Tongtong's movements showed no such signs.
This skill alone showcased her exceptional strength. If Chen Chuan could master this, Xiong Jianyi would never have been able to predict his next move by observing his rhythmic movements.
Zheng Tongtong brandished her two swords and asked, "Are you ready, junior?"
Chen Chuan lifted his sword and nodded, steadying himself.
Without another word, Zheng Tongtong lunged forward, wielding her swords in rapid succession towards Chen Chuan.
Initially, Zheng Tongtong's pace was slower as Chen Chuan could only block with one sword. But as he adapted, her tempo increased, filling the arena with a whirlwind of clashing blades and continuous clangs.
Soon, Chen Chuan realized the difficulty of his defense. Not only did he have to vary his strength, but he also had to adjust his stance. Just as he deflected a heavy sword strike, the light sword would slash swiftly, or if he barely blocked the light sword, he'd have to quickly adjust his strength to counter the next heavy blow.
He had to seamlessly switch between these two defense styles while maintaining a fast and accurate rhythm, especially since he couldn't dodge, making it even more challenging.
It took him two days to adapt to this new rhythm.
On the third day, Teacher Zheng called Chen Chuan over and taught him a breathing technique to regulate his strength.
He explained that he would stand by and strike with palm strikes, and every time he did, Chen Chuan had to defend against the light sword as if it were the heavy one and vice versa. When the strikes paused, Chen Chuan had to switch back to his normal defense style without any hesitation.
Chen Chuan didn't need to worry about the impact of reversing his strength, as Teacher Zheng would adjust her strength beforehand. If he did it correctly, there wouldn't be any issues.
In theory, adapting to the varying sword strikes was manageable, but when he had to coordinate with Teacher Zheng's palm strikes, it became extremely difficult as it disrupted his rhythm.
Sometimes the palm strikes were rapid, sometimes slow, sometimes intermittent, and sometimes relentless, all designed to disrupt Chen Chuan's breathing rhythm. One slight misstep could throw off his entire defense.
Despite this, Zheng Tongtong didn't make a single mistake, and her breathing adjustments were impeccable. She seemed to have mastered this technique.
It took Chen Chuan another two days to grasp the essence of this breathing technique and adapt to its variations.
But this was just the beginning. Teacher Zheng then changed the training method, instructing Chen Chuan to block her fist strikes with the stance for the heavy sword and her palm strikes with the stance for the light sword.
Through this rigorous training, Chen Chuan's defensive skills improved, but it was still just the foundation. At this point, all the attacks he faced were straightforward slashes.
On the sixth day, Teacher Zheng asked Zheng Tongtong to incorporate strength variations into her swordplay.
This was more challenging than dealing with the heavy and light swords because Chen Chuan couldn't predict the strength variations until the moment of contact, forcing him to adjust instantly. Zheng Tongtong's swords danced around, and her techniques were ever-changing, testing Chen Chuan's adaptability to the limit.
It took him three full days to barely keep up.
Satisfied with Chen Chuan's progress, Teacher Zheng said, "Your improvement is remarkable. Your defensive skills are now at a basic level. We'll end this month's training here, and next month, I'll teach you how to attack."
Chen Chuan nodded. Although he felt his altered body aching every day after training, the sense of daily growth was incredibly fulfilling.
He hadn't experienced this feeling of continuous improvement since he first started learning martial arts from Yu Gang.
Teacher Zheng's dedicated teaching and Zheng Tongtong's meticulous role as a sparring partner greatly contributed to his progress.
Chen Chuan expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Teacher Zheng, and thank you, Senior Zheng."
Teacher Zheng smiled, "You're welcome. When students learn well, teaching becomes enjoyable. You should also study and understand these techniques on your own; what I teach you is just the beginning."
Chen Chuan agreed, and after bidding farewell to Teacher Zheng and her daughter, he left their residence and headed to the train station. Before he could board the electric train, a message arrived from the Ji Pin Processing Bureau via the Boundary Vessel.
It informed him of the lumina exposure schedule for the next two days and asked him to choose a time. The Bureau would make the necessary arrangements.
Chen Chuan decided on the following day since the day after was a rest day. He quickly confirmed the time and sent it via the Boundary Vessel.
Just five minutes later, another voice message arrived, this time from Canglong Corporation. He connected, and a voice sounded in his ear:
"Hello, Mr. Chen. I'm Yin Fang, Assistant to Secretary Sun of Canglong Corporation. We received a lumina exposure application from the Processing Bureau with your name on it. Per Secretary Sun's instructions, we will provide you with an additional three hours of quota each month. The physical voucher has been mailed; please check your mail."
...
(End of Chapter)
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