Asking for Moves

After the girl left, Ding Jiao immediately sprang over from behind and patted Chen Chuan, saying exaggeratedly, "Chen Chuan, Brother Chuan, how come you kept so quiet? So you were waiting to set off such a huge firecracker! You're even more exciting than I am! Wu University—this is Wu University!"

Chen Chuan shook his head. "I haven't passed the retest yet."

Ding Jiao said loudly, "Even if you haven't passed the retest, you still got in! From now on, when I say one of my buddies goes to Wu University, who would dare disrespect that?"

The classmates also became much more enthusiastic. People kept coming up to ask Chen Chuan for his contact information, but he politely declined, saying that he would soon be moving out of Uncle's home and that it was inconvenient to give out his contact information for now.

He needed to intensify his training next. He truly had no time to waste on social obligations.

Even the classmate who had been fawning over Han Shu earlier eagerly came over to speak with him and never returned to the original table afterward.

Han Shu sat alone in his seat. After hesitating for a long while, he finally stood up and approached with a somewhat stiff expression. "Chen Chuan, I never expected you to get into Wu University. Congratulations. Let's keep in touch often from now on."

Chen Chuan shook his head. "Let's not stay in touch for the time being. We can talk about it later."

Han Shu believed Chen Chuan was targeting him. He secretly gritted his teeth, but could only force out an awkward smile. "All right, all right."

After dealing with several waves of classmates who came over one after another, Chen Chuan finally got to eat in peace. After training, his appetite had become enormous. As soon as a plate of food was served, he cleanly devoured it within a few breaths, leaving Ding Jiao stunned.

Chen Chuan had a feeling that the conversion efficiency of the food he normally ate was very low. It could not meet the needs of his training.

No wonder Yu Gang had said that Nutrient Paste was the mainstream at Wu University. It could replenish the necessary nutrition without wasting too much time eating. Its drawback was that it had little flavor, and eating too much of it became tiresome, but Chen Chuan did not care about that.

The gathering lasted until around seven or eight in the evening before it more or less came to an end. Aside from the classmates who lived near the city center and had prepared some more activities, those who lived a little farther away decided to head back early. After nine at night was when gang members were most active, and coupled with various strange Urban Legends, it was never very safe.

After Chen Chuan and Ding Jiao said goodbye to their many classmates outside the hotel, the two walked out together. Ding Jiao said, "I came on a Two-Wheeled Vehicle. I modified it myself, and it's seriously awesome. Want me to give you a ride?"

Chen Chuan said, "I rode my bicycle, and home isn't far. You'd have to make a detour to take me back. You should head home early tonight."

"All right." Ding Jiao was still extremely excited. Patting him, he said, "Brother, how did you end up getting into Wu University? That's Wu University! Once you pass the retest, you have to treat us to a meal no matter what. Let me show off in front of the other guys too."

Chen Chuan smiled and agreed. After parting with Ding Jiao, he crossed the street and went to the bike shed to retrieve the bicycle he had left there. He looked back once more at the lights outside the hotel and the classmates gradually dispersing, then pushed off and rode toward home.

There were already few pedestrians and vehicles at this hour, and the roads were wide open. In less than twenty minutes, he arrived home. Entering the front courtyard, he saw a cigarette ember flickering. A figure was sitting on the rear rack of a bicycle, smoking. He said, "Uncle?"

Nian Fuli gave a grunt. "I read the note you left. Tell me, what happened?"

Chen Chuan had mentioned Mr. Qi in the note he left during the day because he felt the matter might have consequences. After parking his bicycle, he explained what had happened in the courtyard.

After hearing him out, Nian Fuli took several deep drags, stubbed out his cigarette, and said, "It's fine. You can continue learning from Yu Gang. Don't ask about anything else. If that Mr. Qi shows up again, just avoid him. Yu Gang will block him for you."

"All right, Uncle. I'll head back to my room first."

"Go on." After Chen Chuan left, Yu Wan came out holding a piece of clothing. Nian Fuli said, "That kid's much better than before."

Yu Wan said, "You always say that. Chan'er has always been good. He's just more sensible now."

Nian Fuli stood up, gripping the handlebars with one hand. "All right, Xiao Wu is holding things down at the station. I need to get back quickly. Those Resistance Organization people have started causing trouble again lately. They really won't let anyone have any peace."

Yu Wan hurriedly handed him the clothing. "Take this with you. The night air is cold."

Nian Fuli took it and stuffed it into the front basket, then waved a hand. "Go back inside. Don't stand out here." With that, he pushed his bicycle out of the front courtyard.

After Yu Wan heard him leave the alley, she stepped forward to lock the door, checked it once more, and only then returned inside.

Although Chen Chuan had entered the inner room, he could still clearly hear the conversation between the two in the front courtyard. He guessed that Aunt had read the note, called Nian Fuli back, and even deliberately waited for him for quite some time.

His footsteps paused slightly. Only after he heard Yu Wan return inside and bolt the door did he go back to his own room. He changed out of his outer clothes, took a set of clothes to the bathroom for a shower, then returned and read for a while. When it was about time, he turned off the light and went to sleep.

The next day, he left early and ran all the way to Fist Home. As soon as he entered, he saw Lu Ke stretching his body. He greeted him, "Morning, Little Brother Lu. Nothing happened yesterday, right?"

Lu Ke shook his head, hesitated, then said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"I know Master didn't actually want to accept Mr. Qi's recruitment. If you hadn't stepped forward then, Master would have had no choice but to agree."

Chen Chuan said frankly, "I had my reasons for doing it. Besides, Mr. Yu still agreed to their terms in the end. I didn't play much of a role."

"That's different!" Lu Ke emphasized. "Anyway, you were willing to stand up for Master yesterday, so I have to thank you."

Seeing how earnest he was, Chen Chuan nodded and asked, "Is Mr. Yu upstairs?"

"Master is here. Just go up."

Chen Chuan said okay and went up to the second floor. Reaching the end of the balcony corridor, he knocked on the door. "Mr. Yu, it's me, Chen Chuan."

With a creak, the door was pulled open from inside, revealing Yu Gang's burly figure. He said, "Come in."

After Chen Chuan entered, he first handed him the fifty yuan he had prepared, then said, "Mr. Yu, I'd like to ask you a question."

Yu Gang gestured for him to sit. "Sit. What do you want to ask?"

Chen Chuan waited until he had sat down before taking a seat himself. "Mr. Yu, are there many people who know how to use force?"

Yu Gang gave a thoughtful sound. "Not many, but not few either. If the Breathing Method is something people can master through rigorous training, then out of ten people who know the Breathing Method, perhaps not even one can use force. Complete force, especially, is extremely difficult to master. Sometimes fighters have no choice but to learn some Small Force that is easier to grasp."

"Like Ding Shuo yesterday?"

"Ding Shuo may not be incapable of mastering it. Perhaps he was eager to build his own fighting system and learned Small Force first in order to quickly develop combat ability, intending to improve it gradually later. This is more common among fighters outside the academic school."

Chen Chuan asked again, "Then, Mr. Yu, during my admission retest, is it possible that I'll encounter upperclassmen who have mastered force?"

Yu Gang said slowly, "Such students have not appeared often in past assessments, but the possibility cannot be ruled out."

Chen Chuan straightened up and asked humbly, "Then how should an applicant defeat such an opponent? Mr. Yu said that some students who had trained since childhood still had not mastered the Breathing Method before entering the school. They seem to have no chance of winning against an upperclassman like that."

Yu Gang said, "Knocking down your opponent in the retest is the safest route. You pass immediately. But after all, it uses a scoring system. If you face a student who has mastered force, the academy will score accordingly. If you don't want a high score, applicants can even wear protective gear. And don't regard people who can use force as unreachable. At the end of the day, it's only a fighting tool. It has flaws and weaknesses, and there are ways to counter it."

Although Chen Chuan did not know Wu University's exact judging standards, a low score was not what he sought. So he continued asking, "Mr. Yu, if I encounter a tough opponent like Ding Shuo during the retest, how should I win?"

Yu Gang said, "Although the Breathing Method can improve resistance to blows, the key lies entirely in breathing. If the breathing cannot be maintained, that resistance will decline along with it.

"And before force has been mastered to a sufficiently high level, every use of it also requires the cooperation of the Breathing Method. So if you can break or disrupt your opponent's breathing rhythm, even if you only make them briefly lose the ability to maintain the Breathing Method, then you'll have an opportunity."

Break the rhythm...

Yu Gang said, "Don't make it too complicated. In a fight, most people who are knocked down are struck by their opponent at the instant they launch an attack. So as long as you hit the target first at the moment the other side releases their force, you can disrupt their breathing rhythm and even knock them down in a single blow.

"But this requires extremely fast reactions and precise strikes in the moment. It is generally hard to achieve, but I believe it is not impossible with your talent."

At this point, he stressed, "Actually, the proper way to knock down an enemy is still through powerful strikes. As long as your strikes are strong enough, there's no need to consider anything else. That is the right path."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "Mr. Yu, it seems I still can't do that."

Yu Gang said, "It's not entirely impossible. It only depends on the price you are willing to pay. The human body is not incapable of exerting greater strength; it is merely restricted by its self-protection mechanisms. I can teach you a method that uses the Breathing Method to temporarily bring out greater speed and strength. You can regard it as immature 'force.' The price is that your body will also suffer corresponding damage."

Chen Chuan's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Because of the Second Self, he did not need to care too much about such injuries. He said seriously, "Please teach me, Mr. Yu."

Yu Gang stood and walked over to a sandbag chained to the wall. In a deep voice, he said, "Watch."

He lowered his center of gravity slightly, suddenly let out a low shout, and threw a punch. It looked like an utterly simple punch, yet it blasted straight through the sandbag with a bang. As he withdrew his fist, shredded stuffing and sand spilled out from within.

Chen Chuan could not help thinking, if that punch landed on a person... But just as he thought that, Yu Gang suddenly turned and threw a punch straight at his face!