Strike the Opening

After Senior Apprentice Yan stepped in front of Chen Chuan again, he did not hold back because of his previous mistake. Instead, he pressed forward once more.

After probing a few times, he suddenly turned sideways and kicked toward Chen Chuan's liver. When Chen Chuan blocked it in time, he immediately followed with a spinning back kick that swept toward his head and neck.

The two moves appeared identical to the previous exchange, but last time the first had been a feint and the second real. This time, both were genuine attacks, linked together so quickly that there was almost no opening.

This time, Chen Chuan met the attack with a forearm block, then raised his other hand and slapped aside the follow-up, defusing both kicks in succession. Guided by his breathing, his upper body barely swayed. He had not used his Second Self this time, relying entirely on his own strength.

Someone saw what was happening and murmured, "The Breathing Method!"

If a fighter began practicing the Breathing Method without a proper foundation, they would be burning through their life and potential. Ordinary people could not withstand it. Those with a foundation generally only began training it once they were a little older.

Under normal circumstances at most boxing clubs, fighters could not truly use it proficiently until around the age of twenty.

Yet Chen Chuan, though fairly tall, looked no older than sixteen or seventeen. To have mastered the Breathing Method at that age—was he some carefully nurtured disciple of a boxing club? After throwing those two kicks, Senior Apprentice Yan had basically grasped the situation. Chen Chuan reacted quickly, could seize opportunities, and had mastered the Breathing Method. That made things difficult for him. Still, victory and defeat did not always depend entirely on the two sides' strength.

He secretly glanced at Chen Chuan's feet again. During the last two attacks, he had noticed something: Chen Chuan had not dodged at all. Once, he had met the attack head-on; the other time, he had chosen to block it directly. Nor had he followed up with a counterattack.

That confirmed that his opponent had yet to adapt to the ring. The springiness beneath his feet affected both his balance and power generation.

It might seem like only a slight difference, but in actual combat, even a tiny deviation in strength could affect one's overall performance. If he made good use of this weakness, he could keep Chen Chuan on the outside and control the rhythm of the fight.

And if his opponent remained in a state where he could only defend and not attack, impatience would inevitably build. Striking then would undoubtedly give him better odds of winning.

For the next half minute, Senior Apprentice Yan continued attacking while Chen Chuan merely parried and blocked, rarely counterattacking. He appeared to have fallen into a difficult position.

But in truth, his goal was not to knock down his opponent. He was observing and searching for the man's breathing rhythm. He remembered Yu Gang's words: once an opponent's breathing rhythm was disrupted, neither the Breathing Method nor their force could be used smoothly.

Though he did not know whether Senior Apprentice Yan possessed force, that did not stop him from treating the man as a sparring partner and using him to explore and familiarize himself with it.

While Chen Chuan and Senior Apprentice Yan sparred on the ring, Coach Gu entered from outside with two young men.

Had Chen Chuan looked over, he would have recognized the two young men as Sheng Hai and Liang Tong, whom he had met at the graduation gathering.

As they walked, Coach Gu said, "You two can stay here a little longer, look around and get a feel for the place. There are plenty of young people here too, no different from your side."

"Thank you, Coach Gu," Sheng Hai said hurriedly.

Coach Gu smiled. "It's nothing. Though we belong to different branches, we're all members of the Xiu Jiang Boxing Club. In the Old Era, we would have counted as fellow disciples. The boxing club will need young people like you to hold it up in the future... Hmm, it's lively today. I haven't seen that young man sparring with Little Yan before."

Liang Tong suddenly cried out.

Coach Gu looked at him and saw that he was staring at the ring. He gestured there with his chin. "What? You know this young man?"

"He seems to be a classmate who graduated from our No. 1 High School. I even handed him a promotional flyer for our boxing club."

"Is that so? No wonder he came looking for our boxing club."

Liang Tong immediately looked embarrassed and hurriedly said, "No, Coach Gu, I..."

Coach Gu smiled and waved a hand. "No need to explain. We're open for business. As long as they aren't here to cause trouble, all customers are welcome."

Little Liang spotted Coach Gu then and immediately hurried over, visibly relieved. "Coach Gu, you're finally here."

"What is it?"

Little Liang pointed at the ring. "That young man, he's... he's the one you told me to let you know about last time."

"Last time?"

Coach Gu thought back, then suddenly recalled the punching bag incident. His expression grew more serious as he looked toward the ring. "You're saying this young man is the one who split the punching bag last time?"

"I think so. There wasn't anyone else," Little Liang said, somewhat uncertain.

Leaving the others behind, Coach Gu strode over to the ring. The crowd recognized him, greeting him one after another and making room for him.

Coach Gu responded to each of them, then stood still and watched for a while.

He found that Chen Chuan had been passively blocking the entire time. Sometimes, he clearly had an opportunity but did not launch a counterattack. At first glance, it looked like a matter of skill, but Coach Gu soon realized that was not the case.

Judging from his defense alone, Chen Chuan was watertight. His feet had barely moved, showing that he was handling things with ease. And defense was actually much harder than offense.

Then why was he fighting so passively?

Was he giving face? Did he want his opponent to admit defeat on his own? A boxing club was not a place that valued modesty and yielding. Only by defeating your opponent could you earn respect.

But after watching for a while, Coach Gu made a vague guess from Chen Chuan's subtle movements and gaze. Is that it...?

Chen Chuan had gradually figured out Senior Apprentice Yan's attack rhythm by then, and it was closely tied to the Breathing Method. When Senior Apprentice Yan kicked again, he did not remain planted in place. Instead, he suddenly stepped to the right, swinging his left hand at the same time and brushing it across the other man's side ribs.

Senior Apprentice Yan had been on guard, but his habitual motion and momentum left him unable to react in time. He failed to block it.

Chen Chuan's strike was fast, but its power had not fully erupted. In truth, it had only grazed him. Yet that seemingly light touch created a flaw somewhere in Senior Apprentice Yan's strength, which had previously functioned as one whole. His breathing rhythm immediately fell into disarray, affecting his movements. His technique broke off halfway through, and his body stalled for a beat.

Chen Chuan did not stop. Seizing the chance, he spun with the momentum and drove an elbow into Senior Apprentice Yan's neck. Without making a sound, the latter pitched forward and crashed onto the ring with a thud.

"Lao Yan's down! Hurry and help Lao Yan down!"

"Splash water on him, splash water... No need? He splashed water on me last time too!"

Coach Gu stepped out from the crowd and came to the front. The noise immediately died down. Looking at Chen Chuan on the ring, he asked, "Young man, which boxing club are you from?"

Chen Chuan shook his head. "I'm not from any boxing club. I just practice on my own. I came here to spar and exchange pointers."

Seeing that he did not reveal his background, Coach Gu relaxed somewhat. That meant Chen Chuan was not here to make trouble. Otherwise, he would have announced his own name and reputation.

"I see, you're here to spar and exchange pointers. How about this, young man? I'll fight you."

Chen Chuan thought that this must be the Coach Gu Little Liang had mentioned. He became more serious and replied, "I couldn't ask for more!"

"Coach Gu is going up himself? That's giving him too much face."

"Young man, you'd better be careful. Don't end up getting water splashed on you too."

Coach Gu went to one side, took off his coat, changed into a Xiu Jiang Boxing Club Cultivation Suit, and began warming up below the ring.

Below the ring, Sheng Hai quietly said to Liang Tong, "He's your classmate? Even Senior Apprentice Yan couldn't beat him. No wonder I thought he was no ordinary person last time."

Liang Tong was somewhat stunned as well. Senior Apprentice Yan was an experienced fighter; they had heard of him before. He had never expected him to be no match for Chen Chuan. He remembered Chen Chuan saying last time that he seemed to have a little foundation. This was what he called a little foundation?

And now he was about to spar with Coach Gu.

It was hard to imagine that someone he used to see often, someone he thought he knew, was suddenly competing on the same stage as people far beyond his reach. It all gave him an unreal feeling.

After thinking some more, his eyes suddenly lit up. Excitedly, he said, "Right! I heard someone from Class Four got into Wu University. Maybe it's him!"

"Wu University? No wonder, no wonder," Sheng Hai said, suddenly understanding.

Liang Tong said, "Now that you mention it, I never heard at school that he was particularly impressive."

"He must have been keeping a low profile," Sheng Hai said with feeling.

He suddenly admired Chen Chuan a little. Knocking down Senior Apprentice Yan was not something one could achieve in just a day or two of training.

At that age, after learning some fighting skills, who could resist showing off? He had been like that himself, especially wanting to look cool in front of female classmates. Yet Chen Chuan had acquired such ability without the people around him even knowing. That level of self-restraint was extraordinary.

Coach Gu had more or less loosened up by then. He ducked through the ring ropes and stepped onto the platform. After a few steps, he stopped opposite Chen Chuan.