Chapter 78: The Rise
Chapter 78: The Rise
As Chen Chuan and Cai Si were talking, the man called "Old Wu" approached them and said to Cai Si, "Fourth Brother, we've found out that the woman who attacked you is from Scarface's gang. We sent a letter to try and calm them down, but they were still uneasy, so they sent her out to keep an eye on any movements outside."
"She was wandering around and seemed to have seen one of our people heading upstairs. She wanted to call Scarface to inform them, but we had already cut off the phone lines, so she could only cause some trouble to attract their attention. Luckily, Wei Ge acted decisively, and our actions were swift, preventing her from succeeding."
Cai Si thought about the situation and felt a sense of relief. "It was indeed a close call. If Scarface had escaped earlier..." He glanced at Chen Chuan and smiled, "But with you here, Chen Chuan, he wouldn't have gotten away."
Old Wu looked at Chen Chuan, feeling the same sense of agreement.
Chen Chuan shook his head and said, "Fourth Brother, without the others, I couldn't have stopped him."
This statement was partly true and partly false. The reason he could execute the attack so smoothly was that he had already observed Scarface beforehand. If a fighter can obtain information about their opponent in advance, they can employ more targeted methods.
If they had no prior knowledge, it might have taken a tough battle to figure out their opponent's style. But with his "Second Self," Chen Chuan had a higher error tolerance than most, so his chances of victory remained high.
On Wei Chang'an's side, after handling some matters, he immediately returned to find Chen Chuan and said, "I had planned to treat you to another meal, but there's still a lot of aftermath to deal with, especially finding the whereabouts of Fang Dawei's group quickly. There might not be time for that now, so we'll talk once we have accurate results."
Chen Chuan smiled and said, "You go ahead and take care of your business, Wei Ge. We can have that meal for later."
Wei Chang'an nodded and said, "The follow-up might require your help, though."
Chen Chuan replied, "Just give me a call when the time comes."
Wei Chang'an called over Cai Si and threw him the car keys, saying, "Fourth Brother, Old Wu is here to keep an eye on things. You drive my car and send our guest back."
Cai Si immediately took the keys and said, "Understood."
Chen Chuan said, "It's alright, Wei Ge. I can make my own way back."
But Wei Chang'an insisted, placing a hand on Chen Chuan's shoulder and shaking his head. "This time, listen to me." He patted Chen Chuan's shoulder firmly.
After this incident, Wei Chang'an no longer saw Chen Chuan as a junior to be taken care of, but rather as an equal partner, and given Chen Chuan's demonstrated strength, he might even be considered a higher-ranking member.
Seeing Wei Chang'an's insistence, Chen Chuan didn't argue and nodded, "Alright."
Cai Si immediately went to where the car was parked, drove it to the cleared-out intersection, and picked up Chen Chuan. They headed back to the academy.
The capture operation had started at 10:00, and when Chen Chuan returned, it was not yet 12:00. After parting ways with Cai Si, he went to the dormitory's public phone and called Cheng Zitong to inform him that the mission was successfully completed and that he was back.
With people coming and going around him, Chen Chuan couldn't discuss many details and only briefly described the situation before hanging up. It was mealtime, so he headed to the cafeteria for lunch and then returned to the dormitory.
After defeating Scarface, Chen Chuan felt that the overlap time with his "Second Self" had increased. He hadn't returned the watch he had borrowed from his aunt's husband, so he used it to time the seconds and found that the overlap time had increased by at least five minutes, bringing the total overlap time to over 20 minutes.
This amount of time would be more than sufficient for a simple fight between two martial artists.
However, Chen Chuan knew that he might face more complex situations in the future, perhaps even multiple battles in a day. If his "Second Self" couldn't provide assistance, his combat power would drop significantly, which could be a matter of life and death. So, for him, this amount of time was still far from enough, and he needed to keep improving.
During this mission, Chen Chuan also realized the importance of a weapons permit. If he had a suitable weapon, the whole operation might have been much simpler. However, there were strict restrictions on carrying weapons, especially for students of Wu Yi.
Among those present, only Wei Chang'an had a weapons permit. The others either had to play it safe or were not effective enough to make use of weapons.
Without mastering a combat technique, even with a weapon, they posed little threat to someone like Scarface, who could withstand gunshots.
Of course, there were individuals who secretly carried weapons, as it was impossible to monitor everyone all the time. But in an official pursuit like this, openly using weapons was out of the question.
He thought for a moment, walked into the bedroom, took out the Snow Lady Sword, and headed to the public training ground outside.
He stood in position, placed the scabbard flat, and slightly pressed his left thumb against the hilt, revealing a gleaming blade. With a quick flex of his thumb, the entire sword shot out, and he stepped forward, reaching with his right hand to grasp the hilt. He swung the sword forward, took a step with his back foot, and held the hilt with both hands, slashing and thrusting. His movements were swift and steady, and the blade emitted a sharp glow under the lights.
Twisting his waist, he turned and sheathed the sword over his shoulder. After retreating a couple of steps, he lunged forward with a series of slashes and thrusts. As he executed these moves, the training ground filled with the aura of the blade, and its cold light flickered.
Although he hadn't owned the sword for long, and Cheng Zitong had only taught him some basic techniques, he practiced daily. Regardless of whether it was sword or fist techniques, physical fitness was key. Now, his performance was both swift and steady, lacking only real combat experience.
He had some questions for Cheng Zitong, but the teacher seemed busy lately, so he decided to wait.
Meanwhile, at the North Peak Flower Garden Villa, Xiao Ran was sparring with a partner.
After the smooth start of the practice, his progress in recent days had been remarkable. The partner, who was slightly stronger, was now overwhelmed and knocked down with a heavy kick to the abdomen, leaving him in agony.
Xiao Ran pouted, "Not good enough." He waved his hand, and the maid, accustomed to such scenes, immediately ordered the servants to carry the defeated partner away.
Xiao Ran approached a coach and asked, "Coach Feng, how do I look now?"
Coach Feng, hired for a hefty sum, was different from the school coaches. He was available 24/7, dedicated solely to Xiao Ran's training.
"Your progress is impressive, Xiao Ran. In about 60 to 70 days, you should be ready to start practicing Hunyuan Techniques."
Xiao Ran's eyes widened as he read the words.
"That long?" Xiao Ran asked, suddenly curious. "There's a student at school who, even before learning Hunyuan Techniques, could defeat over a dozen seniors using only breathing methods. What level is that person at? Can I do it?"
Coach Feng paused, then replied, "You're referring to a student with innate talent. Those without talent cannot compare to those with it."
"Talent," Xiao Ran said, feeling a rare sense of envy. This was something innate, unattainable through wealth or power.
Coach Feng reassured him, "There's no need to compare yourself to them. Civilians rely solely on their bodies. Aside from that, they have nothing else. Whether it's talent or natural ability, they are limited. The path to improvement requires countless resources, but you were born with these advantages."
"But I don't have talent..." Xiao Ran still felt a sense of longing.
"It's not impossible," Coach Feng said. "There's a method to quickly bridge the gap between you and those with innate talent."
Xiao Ran's eyes lit up. "What method?"
"Implants," Coach Feng replied.
"Implants?" Xiao Ran asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "My family's bodyguards have those, and they're not that impressive. The limitations are significant, and aren't they damaging to the body? They always remind me that my body is precious."
"The implants available on the market, whether civilian or military, are generations behind," Coach Feng explained. "In the Central City, the side effects of high-end implants are minimal. Some technologies can achieve perfect compatibility with the body. As long as you can afford it, you can easily surpass the years of hard work put in by those fighters."
"Central City..." Xiao Ran's eyes shone with longing. Even with his influential background, establishing himself in Central City wasn't easy without a recommendation from the academy.
Suddenly, he remembered something and asked, "Weren't there supposed to be teachers from Central City visiting the school every year? It's been over two months, and they still haven't arrived?"
Coach Feng slowly replied, "Actually, the person is already here, guiding a student's training."
"Who? Who are they guiding?" Xiao Ran asked, wide-eyed.
Coach Feng shook his head. "I don't know yet, but it should be a senior student among the recommended ones. Whether a junior student catches their attention depends on both their displayed potential and the teacher's mood."
...
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(End of Chapter)
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