Confrontation

After obtaining the materials from Wu Yi Academy, Chen Chuan headed straight to Fist Home. Once there, he found Yu Gang and told him about what had happened today.

Yu Gang said, "So you refused the sponsorship?"

Chen Chuan answered frankly, "Yes, Mr. Yu. I don't want to be bound by this so-called Mutual Aid Society."

Yu Gang said, "As long as you've made up your own mind. Let me see those student records you got."

Chen Chuan took the materials from his shoulder bag. Yu Gang accepted them and flipped through them page by page before commenting, "It's not that there's too little information here. It's that it's all very vague. It'll be difficult to make detailed, reasonable plans based on this."

Chen Chuan nodded. Other than the students' names, ages, heights, weights, and specialties, there was nothing particularly specific in the materials.

Yu Gang said, "If you don't accept sponsorship, you won't be able to gain any informational advantage. You'll have to rely on your own strength and go head-to-head with those students."

Chen Chuan merely smiled indifferently. "Then I'll go head-to-head with them."

In truth, after mastering the Surprise God Fist, he had gained the confidence to fight upperclassmen who had mastered force. He had originally still been somewhat cautious in his thinking, but for some reason, after yesterday's chaotic street fight, though nothing had seemingly changed, that sense of looking up to upperclassmen had suddenly vanished.

Yu Gang seemed to notice the change in him and asked in a low voice, "Kid, did you run into someone after you went back yesterday?"

Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised by Yu Gang's sharpness, but he had nothing to hide. "I was attacked on the road yesterday by some people who seemed to be gang members."

Yu Gang looked him over and said, "Looks like you've seen blood. That's good too."

He did not press for the details. Getting attacked by gang members here was hardly unusual. People living in West City dealt with gang members almost every day. Besides, Chen Chuan was Nian Fuli's nephew, so there was no need for him to ask too much.

He said, "Back to the retest. There's one way to fight when you have information, and another when you don't. My advice is that over the next month, you need more actual combat experience and exposure to opponents with different styles. Lu Ke is no longer enough to serve as your sparring partner in that regard.

"So you can visit some boxing gyms and challenge them under the pretense of friendly exchanges. Some fighters won't refuse a worthy opponent. But pick your clubs carefully. Some clubs won't see it that way. If you don't have a background, they'll only think about how to cripple you."

There was actually another option: the underground arenas run by the two major gangs. There, he could encounter all kinds of opponents. But considering that Chen Chuan was Nian Fuli's nephew, Yu Gang did not mention it.

Chen Chuan nodded. The first place that came to mind was Xiu Jiang Boxing Club. He had been left with a fairly good impression of the club last time, and it was close by, so he might as well try there first.

After noon, he continued with his basic training for the day, then left Fist Home early and ran all the way to Xiu Jiang Boxing Club in Xigang District.

He had arrived early. Even the lightbox outside had not been turned on yet. There were only a few trainees inside the venue; everyone else was a fighter from Xiu Jiang Boxing Club.

Little Liang was using resistance bands to practice his strikes. When he saw Chen Chuan enter, he froze for a moment, then seemed to recall something. Coach Gu had said that if this young man came again, he should be informed. But after looking at Chen Chuan, he began to wonder if he had the wrong person. This young man was good-looking and lacked the fierce air of someone who had fought for years.

He went over to greet him with a smile. "Hey, haven't seen you in a while. Here to train first?"

Chen Chuan got straight to the point. "I heard I can spar with the fighters here. Is that possible today?"

Little Liang's heart skipped a beat. He looked Chen Chuan over and cautiously said, "Then... how about you wait a bit? Our coach just went out..."

Just then, a voice called out, "Why look for a coach? I'll give it a try."

A burly man stood up from the mat and walked over.

He looked about twenty-six or twenty-seven. His features were rugged, his muscles solid, and a white sweat towel hung around his neck. As he walked, his eyes stayed fixed on Chen Chuan.

Little Liang hurriedly said, "This is one of our club's veteran fighters, Senior Apprentice Yan."

Senior Apprentice Yan walked up to Chen Chuan. At first, he had assumed Chen Chuan was the sort who had learned a little and thought himself impressive, someone trying to imitate others by coming to challenge the club. He had intended to put some pressure on him, but Chen Chuan looked calm, and not as though he were forcing himself to be calm. He said, "Interesting. How about you fight me?"

Chen Chuan was not picky about opponents. He also wanted to see the strength of a veteran fighter from Xiu Jiang Boxing Club first. "Sure."

"Using protective gear?"

"No need," Chen Chuan said.

"You've got guts." Senior Apprentice Yan grinned. "Don't start crying about pain later."

Chen Chuan smiled. "That won't happen."

"Got some backbone. I like guys like you." Senior Apprentice Yan gave him a thumbs-up, pulled off his sweat towel, and went to warm up nearby.

Chen Chuan took off his outerwear, leaving only his shirt on, and began loosening up.

His warm-up routine followed the method in the booklet Yu Gang had given him. It was not unique to Wu University. The booklet had been around for more than a decade and had long since spread outside, adopted by who knew how many people. So anyone hoping to discern his style from it could make nothing of it. They could only wait until he stepped into the ring.

It was not yet time for ring sparring, but people loved a show. The sparring matches before had always been between the same few people. Now that a new face had appeared, everyone was immediately interested.

Everyone present gathered around, and even those training below got up to join the spectacle. Some people even brought over several watermelons, cutting them into slices on the spot and passing them around.

Someone jeered, "Lao Yan, go easy on him. Don't scare our little friend."

"Yeah, don't be like that last guy. He pissed himself on the floor."

"You're eating watermelon. Isn't that disgusting? Get lost."

"Hahahaha..." A burst of laughter rose from the crowd. Training was dull and grueling, and rare amusement like this made everyone loosen up.

Senior Apprentice Yan curled his lip. "He won't get the chance."

Once the two had warmed up enough, they climbed into the ring one after the other.

It was Chen Chuan's first time in a ring. The floor beneath his feet had a slight spring to it, making it somewhat difficult to settle his center of gravity.

Senior Apprentice Yan noticed at once. He narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

Since this was not an official match, there was no need for a referee. How far they took it depended entirely on the two of them.

Remembering the punching bag from that day, Little Liang suddenly felt uneasy and shouted up at them, "Please, don't hit too hard!"

Senior Apprentice Yan did not realize he was mainly speaking to Chen Chuan and impatiently replied, "I know what I'm doing."

Someone eagerly pulled the rope, and the ring bell rang out with a clang.

Senior Apprentice Yan immediately pressed forward. His hands were also held one in front and one behind, but his front hand was low while his rear hand was high. The ball of his lead foot kept lifting and falling, as though he might throw out a kick at any moment.

Chen Chuan still assumed the stance of Great Unrestrained Hands, his center of gravity slightly lowered. It looked ordinary, as though anyone could imitate it for a few moves, but once properly set, it carried a solid, grounded feeling.

Ordinary people could not see the difference, but many present immediately sensed that something was different. The laughter around them stopped, and everyone grew more serious.

Senior Apprentice Yan also put away his contempt. Seeing that Chen Chuan was steady, he did not remain still. He lifted his lead foot and feinted a kick, but in reality spun around and launched a rear sweeping kick.

But at the instant he moved, Chen Chuan's eyes flashed. He suddenly stepped forward and rushed in, using the "Millstone Hand" from Great Unrestrained Hands. He pressed directly against Senior Apprentice Yan's waist and hip. The latter's rear sweep never came out before Chen Chuan slammed him down from midair with one motion. He hit the ground with a thud.

Unless he encountered a powerful enemy or sudden danger, Chen Chuan did not keep his Second Self merged for long. He only used it at the instant of striking. That way, it was both concealed and unexpected, while also conserving the time his Second Self could remain merged.

Seeing Senior Apprentice Yan sprawled on the ground in such an awkward state, someone below booed. "Lao Yan underestimated him. He rushed in without even probing first. He didn't know a thing about the other guy and just went for it. He looked down on his opponent too much."

"Exactly. If this were a real Arena Competition, getting pinned to the ground like that would've been the end of it."

In truth, they were only saying it casually. The boxing club was a business open to the public and needed to attract attention. The fighters had to be capable and entertaining. Whoever went up there, if they did not show off a little in front of everyone, they would be too embarrassed to even greet their opponent.

After succeeding, Chen Chuan did not continue his attack and immediately backed away.

This was a spar, not a fight to the death, and he was still on someone else's turf. Besides, he was hoping to fight the coaches at the club, so he had to leave them some face.

Senior Apprentice Yan rolled to his feet. He acted as though he did not care. Taking hits in ring fights was common. If one could not control one's emotions, there was no point getting into the ring.

But he knew that Chen Chuan had held back. There was no need to thank him, because the best way to return the favor was to show his own strength and knock his opponent down as well.