Surprise God Fist

Surprise God Fist

Chen Chuan suddenly sensed an extreme danger bearing down on him. His pupils dilated sharply, and a jolt like electricity ran up his spine. Everything around him seemed to slow.

Before his body could truly react, Yu Gang's fist stopped just short of touching his skin.

Yu Gang said slowly, "Remember this feeling. Remember how your body reacted just now. Later, use the Breathing Method to try and stir your blood and qi to that level. Once you become familiar with it, you'll be able to deliver a strike stronger than your usual attacks."

Chen Chuan gradually steadied his breathing and heartbeat. Only then did he notice that his back felt slightly sticky, as though he had broken out in sweat. Even though he knew he could use his Second Self to transfer the damage, and Yu Gang would not truly hit him, his body had still reacted instinctively. And Yu Gang's fist had been so fast that even if he merged with his Second Self, he would not have been able to evade it.

He slowly let out a breath. "I'll remember it." Then he looked up and asked, "Mr. Yu, what is this move called?"

Yu Gang said, "Old Martial calls it the 'Surprise God Fist.' It startles the God of Self, as well as the gods of others. New Martial calls it the 'Limit Breaking Strike.' It isn't limited to a straight punch and can be delivered in any form. But remember, when practicing, never swing with full force at empty air. There must be something in front of you to strike, or you may train yourself into a dislocation. Whether you can master this move depends entirely on you. I'm only responsible for telling you the trick. All right, go practice on your own. Remember to close the door."

Chen Chuan answered, then walked out and pulled the door shut. Yu Gang added from inside, "Also, the money for any sandbags you break goes on your tab."

Chen Chuan paused. "All right, Mr. Yu." Exchanging money for a powerful technique did not feel like a loss to him. If anything, he had profited.

He went downstairs to the first floor and stopped directly before a training dummy, quietly reliving the feeling from before.

This move was not trained from shallow to deep, from weak to strong. It erupted suddenly by startling one's own self.

He had only just experienced it, when the memory was at its clearest. This was the perfect time to try it.

But simply remembering the feeling was useless. He had to use the Breathing Method to forcefully drive his blood and qi, delivering the strike at any cost.

He stared at the dummy for a while, then suddenly kicked out. The dummy shook violently.

He slowly lowered his leg. Although he had found the right feeling just now, forcing his blood and qi through the Breathing Method had been difficult, as if he had encountered a layer of resistance.

This move was triggered when a person faced urgent danger between life and death. Since he was not truly in danger now, his body instinctively resisted doing this.

He could not help recalling that night when Mr. Wen had made the patrol officers attempt to stand on one leg. Just as then, what he now needed to fight was himself.

He decided to try once more.

He first stood still in place. After a while, a flush suddenly surged over his face and neck. He stepped forward, stamped heavily on the ground, and thrust out with a Coiling Palm Thrust. With a dull boom, the heavy dummy actually jolted upward from his strike, even drawing the attention of Lu Ke in the distance.

He stepped back and exhaled. It still felt as though he was just a little short.

But as long as he became proficient enough at directing his breath, and paired it with his will, he would definitely be able to break through that barrier.

Just as he wanted to try again, Yu Gang's voice came over. "Don't practice that move too much each day. Not only will it place all sorts of burdens on your body, it may also interfere with your normal attacks. Stop for now. Better to fail at mastering it than rush things."

Chen Chuan could not say that he was not actually afraid of injury, but since Yu Gang had said so, he could only set it aside for now and decided to look for another chance to try it after returning home.

Lu Ke, meanwhile, felt that Chen Chuan's strike seemed more powerful than any he had thrown before. He ran over to inspect the dummy, then looked up. "It's fine."

Yu Gang said expressionlessly, "If it breaks, make him pay for it."

Lu Ke scratched his head.

Chen Chuan did not dwell on it after that and decided to continue with his regular training. Yet after practicing for only a while, he felt faint aches throughout his body, and his condition seemed worse than usual.

This was probably due to strained muscle damage and the burden on his internal organs.

Even when merged with his Second Self, injuries of this nature—internal damage caused by himself—would not be actively transferred by the Second Self. This was because his will was unique, and everything within had to be directed by himself.

Now that he had noticed it, his body quickly relaxed again as his thoughts shifted.

After all the afternoon training was over, he packed up a little, bade Yu Gang and Lu Ke farewell, and left Fist Home.

On the way back, he kept trying to regulate his breathing as he ran. In truth, he had repeatedly attempted it during breaks that afternoon as well. After some time had passed, he guided it again and suddenly seemed to touch upon something. It felt as if he were only one punch away from delivering that strike.

But he needed a suitable target now, and perhaps he should take advantage of his current state to try it several more times. Should he turn back? That would not be appropriate. Yu Gang would not agree.

Then he suddenly remembered that there was a Xiu Jiang Boxing Club not far ahead. It was not the one whose flyer he had received that day, but they should all be more or less the same, and it was not far away.

No sooner had he thought of it than he acted, quickly running in that direction.

In just five or six minutes, he found the boxing club. It was located midway along the only commercial street in West City, with a huge sign bearing the words "Xiu Jiang" hanging outside. Neon lights flashed around all four sides, making it extremely eye-catching.

But this was still the old district of West City. The roads were old, pedestrians and vehicles were usually packed together, and the place was filled with the noisy clamor of bells and horns.

He entered through the club's front entrance. Just inside was a staircase leading up. On the second floor, past a lightbox screen, was a spacious training hall. Bright industrial lamps hung overhead, the walls looked unfinished, and the floor was very clean. Large posters of various cool fighting poses were plastered up everywhere. At the moment, more than a dozen people were doing fitness training, while several others in matching Cultivation Suits held protective gear and practiced exchanges with one another.

A young man in his twenties was sitting on a tire, gnawing on a chicken drumstick. Seeing an unfamiliar face, he hurriedly swallowed the meat in his mouth, wiped his hands, and looked up. "Hey, buddy, here to learn boxing?"

Chen Chuan said, "I saw a flyer for your Xiu Jiang Boxing Club. I heard you let people try it out first, so I came to take a look."

The young man said, "Sure. You can look around first. I'm Liang Fang, though everyone here calls me Little Liang. But if you want to use any equipment, let me know. Don't get me wrong—I'm worried you might get hurt using it on your own. Someone has to keep an eye on you."

Chen Chuan looked around and pointed at a sandbag off to the side. "Can I use that?"

Little Liang said generously, "Use it however you like."

Chen Chuan was about to walk over when he paused. "By the way, if I accidentally damage it, I'll compensate you."

Little Liang stared at him as if he had heard a joke. "Buddy, we're a legitimate boxing gym, not one of those places that scams people. Let me put it this way: hit the sandbag however you want. We're open for business to satisfy our customers. As long as you're not deliberately here to cause trouble, we'll accept it even if you really break it."

Chen Chuan nodded. "Then thank you." With that, he walked into a corner and threw several testing punches at an unused sandbag.

Little Liang watched for a few moments but did not think much of it. Their Xiu Jiang Boxing Club had fairly decent business. Many nearby office workers and students came here to practice boxing, and in the evenings, people even came to watch sparring matches held inside the gym.

They did not reject people like Chen Chuan, who clearly seemed to be here merely out of curiosity and for the excitement. Even if he did not train with them, he could at least add to the atmosphere. Besides, if he came often enough, he might become a real customer.

More customers would be arriving soon, so he needed to fill his stomach first. He went back to gnawing on his chicken drumstick.

Standing before the sandbag, Chen Chuan repeatedly adjusted his breathing and closed his eyes to experience that feeling. When he felt that state emerge once more, his eyes suddenly snapped open, and he slammed a punch into it! Half an hour later.

"Damn it, someone must've poked it with something. Don't let me catch them!" Little Liang cursed under his breath.

A small patch of the sandbag before him was damaged. It did not look very noticeable from the outside, and if someone had not later seen sand leaking out while punching it, it would have been difficult to notice.

At that moment, one of the club's coaches happened to pass by. Hearing him, the coach glanced over in surprise. He had not thought much of such a trivial matter, but when his gaze swept over the sand beneath the bag, he suddenly felt something was off and walked over.

Little Liang spotted him and hurriedly greeted him. "Coach Gu."

Coach Gu reached out and pulled the other side of the sandbag around. There, on the back of it, was a fist-sized hole cracked open in a shattered pattern. The sand was leaking out from there.

"What the..."

Little Liang was somewhat stunned. One look told him the force had exploded from the inside, and he immediately realized it could not have been punctured by something.

Coach Gu looked at the hole, his expression turning more serious. Usually, only someone who had trained up their internal force could deliver such a strike. But why would they do this? It did not seem like a provocation, either.

He asked, "Who used this sandbag?"

Little Liang thought for a moment, then slapped his forehead. "I remember the first person to use it seemed to be a pretty handsome young guy who looked like a student. He even asked if the sandbag could be damaged. Right, it must've been him!"

Coach Gu thought, A student... could he be from Wu University? He said, "If that person comes again, remember to notify me." Then he added, "Be polite to him."

Little Liang answered affirmatively. "Coach Gu, don't you know me? I'm polite to everyone, aren't I?"

By this time, Chen Chuan had already returned home. He was still somewhat excited, because he had finally succeeded in attempting the Limit Breaking Strike.

He also realized why he had mastered it so quickly. In his understanding, he could use his Second Self with almost no cost. This was not hypnosis or self-deception, but an actual fact. Together with an entire afternoon of uninterrupted practice, it had finally allowed his will to be carried out through his body.

Unfortunately, unlike Yu Gang, he had failed to break the boxing gym's sandbag. It was probably because their sandbags were of better quality, and his own strength was still lacking. It seemed he would need to train harder from now on.