Top Floor

On the way back, Chen Chuan tried clenching his fist as he ran. Though he had no way to verify it with an alarm clock right now, he dared say with certainty that after this battle with Ding Shuo, the overlap time between the Second Self and himself had definitely increased.

And he had a feeling that this increase would certainly be substantial—very likely greater than after defeating Dan Xiong.

But the reason was not simply that he had beaten Ding Shuo.

Rather, after overlapping with the Second Self and throwing everything into his punches at Ding Shuo, he had battered his opponent until all he could do was defend. That exhilarating sensation of unleashing his strength to the fullest, of striking without restraint or misgiving—that was what truly ignited his emotions and drove the Second Self into further overlap.

But he also had to consider a problem. Ding Shuo's background was unknown, yet he had mastered force more profound than the Breathing Method and possessed formidable resistance to blows. If he encountered someone like that in the entrance reexamination, how was he supposed to win? Using force against force ought to be the right approach, but from what Yu Gang had revealed, force stood far above the Breathing Method. It was likely beyond what he could grasp at his current stage.

How should he deal with it?

After thinking it over, he decided to ask Yu Gang for advice tomorrow. There had to be a way around this.

"Forty-one, forty-two, forty-three..."

On the balcony of an apartment building somewhere, the young Wei Dong was doing handstand push-ups on the railing, counting nonstop under his breath. When he saw Chen Chuan running past below, he muttered, "Back early today?"

These days, he trained on the balcony morning and evening, seeing Chen Chuan pass through the long alley below every day. He had long grown accustomed to it. Watching Chen Chuan's back disappear, he came back to himself. "Right, what number was I at just now..."

"..."

"Forget it. I'll start counting over..."

Chen Chuan ran all the way home in one breath. Since it was still early, he washed up, changed into clean clothes, and put on the formal student outfit he had worn for the entrance exam.

Most of his predecessor's pocket money had gone toward books and movies. The clothes he usually wore were sturdy and durable, but their styles were terribly outdated. Only this outfit was passable, and it suited his current identity.

He left Yu Wan a note, then wheeled his bike out the door.

After cycling onto the main road, he pedaled onward through the gentle evening breeze. Utility poles along both sides of the road continually slipped backward. Against the deep blue gradient sky, wispy gold-red clouds like burning silk drifted at the horizon, magnificent and dazzling.

This graduation gathering had been arranged at the Duyi Hotel, near Central Square in the city center. Twenty-seven stories tall, it was also the second-tallest building in Yangzhi City.

Though it was not yet time for dinner, by the time he arrived, quite a few vehicles were already parked in the hotel lot.

He twisted the handlebars and turned, leaving his bicycle in the bike shed at Central Square across from the hotel before walking across the street.

When he reached the hotel entrance, he glanced upward. Today's graduation gathering was being held on the rooftop terrace. Reserving a place there was not only expensive, but also required a certain amount of influence.

But not everyone at Municipal No. 1 High School came from ordinary families. A small number had exceptionally good family backgrounds, with considerable influence at home. Some of those students were responsible for organizing this gathering.

He entered through the revolving doors and crossed the lobby under the smiling guidance of a beautiful female greeter, then entered a lattice-door elevator with several others.

The hotel was clearly doing excellent business. The elevator stopped and started repeatedly through the first dozen floors, with well-dressed men and women constantly entering and leaving. Most of them could not help giving him an extra look when they saw him enter.

Though he wore only a student uniform, he was fairly tall. After more than a month of continuous high-intensity training, he looked exceptionally spirited. His features were well-proportioned, his gaze clear, and his figure notably balanced, making for a very pleasing impression.

After they passed the twentieth floor, there were gradually fewer people. The elevator continued upward as he watched the floor numbers on the rolling display flip one by one. At the twenty-seventh floor, the elevator car jolted and finally stopped, its lattice doors slowly sliding apart with a clattering sound.

Beyond the elevator was a spacious safety corridor, with several elevator doors lined up on either side. Two female greeters waited by the closed doors directly ahead. When they saw him approach, they smiled and handed him a register to sign, then opened the corridor doors for him.

Chen Chuan stepped over the high concrete threshold and outside onto the rooftop terrace. At once, an evening breeze swept over him, stirring the ends of his hair.

This area covered several thousand square meters, filled with rows of open canopies sheltering neatly arranged tables and chairs. The gathering was buffet-style. Servers pushing food carts were setting out tableware and preparing drinks and food.

He had come fairly early, yet quite a few Municipal No. 1 High School students had already arrived before him, scattered about in small groups and chatting.

This gathering was not just for his class. The students from the other five classes were also assembled here. Comparing them with his predecessor's memories, he recognized some faces he had known before, though he could not recall their names.

He walked a few steps to the side, reached the railing, and looked out. The view from the rooftop was undoubtedly broad; standing here, he could take in the buildings of more than half the city at a glance.

Not far to the north stood Yangzhi City's tallest building, Mo Lan Company's High Ridge Tower. Its deep blue glass curtain walls and lofty, streamlined structure stood alone in one corner, utterly out of place amid the surrounding buildings.

Behind the tower, slightly farther north, Zhang Mountain could be seen in the distance, while the silhouette of Jiao Mountain to the east was also clearly visible.

At that moment, a majestic evening glow poured down through broken clouds, dyeing the buildings it passed in rich gradations of color. Below, vehicles and crowds alike were bathed in twilight where light and shadow mingled.

Then he heard waves of startled exclamations behind him, along with applause and cheers. Looking toward the noise, he saw a cluster of students gathered around someone in the middle, who was moving his fists and feet in a flurry, rising and falling with leaps.

His interest was immediately piqued. He walked over and saw a lean, long-limbed boy in a Cultivation Suit demonstrating techniques. His movements centered on kicks, with the occasional spinning leap and sweeping strike. He shouted in rhythm with his motions, looking immensely imposing.

A nearby student introduced him with an air of pride. "Senior Sheng Hai is already a member of the Xiu Jiang Boxing Club. He started training in his first year of middle school, so it's been four years now."

Before the exam, Chen Chuan had also looked into some local boxing clubs and training centers in Yangzhi City. Show General Fist had originally been introduced from overseas. Later, domestic fighting experts added new techniques and applications, making it more refined. It was considered a fairly flourishing school at present.

Because the boxing clubs were excellent at promotion, they had now spread across the country and become highly well-known. Since Show General Fist's movements were sharp and stylish, many students practiced it.

He had seen classmates demonstrate this style at school before. Back then, he had merely watched for the spectacle and thought the movements looked good. But seeing it now, he felt differently.

Most of these flowing movements existed only to create visual impact. In a real fight, unless there was an enormous gap between the two sides, they generally could not be used.

He understood one principle: the foundation of any fighting lay in the body; techniques were merely specific applications. Under normal circumstances, it was the person who was strong, not the techniques or the school.

He watched attentively for a while. This student named Sheng Hai had decent strength, good coordination, and movements with a strong sense of rhythm. Regardless of how he performed in actual combat, he had clearly trained for quite some time and put in real effort.

Sheng Hai continued for a while before stopping. Though he had been moving for some time, he was not even breathing hard and had barely broken a sweat.

He smiled and said, "Every year, people from the city and the prefecture come to our Xiu Jiang Boxing Club to select suitable fighters for combat events and Arena Competitions. Film companies also regularly come to choose action actors. You know Xi Mu Bing, right? The big action star? He came from our Xiu Jiang Boxing Club. Joining our club gives you a lot of opportunities."

"Exactly," said a student beside him who seemed to be with him. "If you train well, you can even go out and open a boxing club. Our club owner joined as a student himself and eventually became the owner."

As he spoke, he immediately pulled out a stack of flyers from his shoulder bag and handed them around to the surrounding students. "Take a look, everyone. If you're interested, you can come find us, or go directly to the club and try it out. The first week of instruction is free."

At that moment, a student suddenly asked, "How does the Xiu Jiang Boxing Club compare to Wu University?"

The student merely gave an awkward dry laugh.

One student let out a scoff. "Can they even be compared? My dad said the security consultants at his bureau are all Wu University students, and the city government buys its security equipment from Wu University every year. What does a boxing club amount to?"

A female student chimed in as well. "My mom said there are lots of little hoodlums in boxing clubs, and plenty of gang members too. Better to stay away from places like that. If you want to learn fighting, you might as well go to a proper training center and hire a trainer to teach you at home. A full course only costs a few hundred."

After they said that, the other students were too embarrassed to take the flyers. Even those who found it awkward to refuse face-to-face would secretly throw them away afterward.

Once the surrounding students dispersed, Sheng Hai and the male student had only walked a few steps when a gust of wind blew over, carrying one flyer into the air before someone stepped on it.

The male student said angrily, "How can they do that?"

Sheng Hai seemed to have seen this before and was not very angry. He patted the other's shoulder. "Forget it. Let's go."

"Okay." After thinking it over, the male student still walked over and bent down to pick up the flyer. Just then, his vision darkened. He looked up to see a tall, well-built boy standing before him, and he froze Unbidden.

Chen Chuan held out his hand. "Student, can I have one of those flyers?"

"Huh? Sure, sure!" The male student was delighted. He handed him a flyer, then said warmly, "My name is Liang Tong. If you come to the boxing club and there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."

Chen Chuan took the flyer and looked it over. "I heard the first week is free. What do you teach?"

Liang Tong said, "Mostly some basic techniques."

"What if someone already has a little foundation?"

Liang Tong replied without hesitation, "That's fine too. Many of the students who come to our club already have some foundation. Some have even learned at other boxing clubs before. We'll arrange for club members to spar with them, so they can directly experience and understand Show General Fist." He thought for a moment, then added, "Of course, if you just want a sparring partner, that's fine too."

Chen Chuan said, "As long as the fee is right, is that it?"

Liang Tong gave a chuckle.

Chen Chuan smiled as well. "Thanks, Student Liang."

"It's nothing." Liang Tong remembered something else and reminded him, "The flyer has the address. The boxing clubs differ from district to district. If you come to our district, you can get a discount by bringing the flyer."

Chen Chuan said all right, waved to the two of them, and left.

Sheng Hai had not said anything earlier. Now he asked, "Is that student from your Municipal No. 1 High School too?"

Liang Tong said, "Probably. I've seen him before. I think he's from Class Four, but I can't remember his name."

Sheng Hai looked at Chen Chuan's receding back and said with certainty, "That classmate of yours has probably trained before."

"Really? I don't know. It's normal if he has, isn't it?" Liang Tong did not find it strange. Boxing clubs and training centers were everywhere in the Great Shun Republic. It was nothing unusual for a student to have trained in fists and kicks. Weren't Sheng Hai and he himself the same?

But what Sheng Hai meant by trained was not that simple. When Chen Chuan had stood before him just now, he had given off an indescribable feeling. Sheng Hai had sensed that only from veteran fighters and several coaches at the boxing club.