Limit-Breaking Rippling Force

Chen Chuan noticed that Coach Gu's breathing had not changed at all from the moment he stepped onto the stage. That meant he had likely been maintaining the Breathing Method for a long time. And as a coach, he most likely possessed force. Chen Chuan would have to be careful.

Coach Gu clasped his fists in greeting.

Chen Chuan returned the gesture.

After lowering his hands, Coach Gu gave him a reminder. "Watch out, kid."

As he spoke, he reached a hand forward as if parting grass. He dipped his head, and his body darted ahead. Everyone could clearly see the movement, yet he instantly arrived near Chen Chuan. This was nothing like the style of Show General Fist, and it caught everyone off guard.

Chen Chuan saw that Coach Gu's hands constantly shifted between feints and real attacks, while his body swayed left and right. Chen Chuan could not tell where the attack would land, so he could only set his stance and respond to change with constancy.

Coach Gu's hands shifted again. Suddenly, he dropped into a bow stance and drove a fist straight down the centerline. Chen Chuan sank his weight and met it with the Piercing Cover Hand from the Great Unrestrained Hands. This move concealed defense within offense, allowing him to counterattack while blocking.

But the instant their hands touched, he suddenly felt an explosively powerful force surge from Coach Gu's fist. In that moment, even his heels were blasted off the ground.

He knew things were bad, but Coach Gu did not stop. Taking advantage of Chen Chuan's unrooted footing, he suddenly leaped and spun into a kick on the spot!

Chen Chuan crossed his arms and tightened his abdomen. Though he blocked the kick, he was still sent flying sideways and finally crashed into the ropes behind him.

After landing, Coach Gu held the side-kick posture for a moment before slowly lowering his foot. Cheers and shouts immediately erupted around them.

Honestly, it had been a long time since they had seen Coach Gu fight so seriously. Usually, anyone who came to spar would be knocked down by the veteran fighters in just a few punches and kicks. Coach Gu rarely needed to step in himself.

Chen Chuan straightened up from the ropes. Although he had been kicked back right from the start, his spirits rose instead, because he could tell—that had been force!

He had found the right person!

This was the kind of opponent he wanted to face.

But...

He glanced at the "Second Self" beside him. Large portions of it had become blurred. He had not expected a single kick to absorb so much damage. There was only a little over a minute left of overlap time now, and based on past experience, that strike would leave it with no more than forty or fifty seconds.

If he took a few more hits, there would be no point in continuing, and he might even get injured. It seemed that against this opponent, he had to end the fight as quickly as possible.

Seeing Chen Chuan easily straighten himself, Coach Gu's expression did not change, but inwardly he was far less calm than he appeared.

Right from the start, he had used the Rippling Force secretly passed down in Show General Fist. Anyone unfamiliar with it would immediately go numb all over after taking the hit, their muscles and bones slackening. As for that kick afterward, it might have looked like it merely sent someone flying, but it was actually meant to let the force produce a second impact.

He had thought Chen Chuan would lose most of his fighting ability after just one exchange. Yet Chen Chuan now seemed completely unharmed. It did not look like he had used force to resist it. Rather, it looked as though he had simply endured it with his body.

Troublesome.

He did not really want to encounter opponents with exceptionally outstanding physical qualities. Force was not only a weapon but also a tool of Combat Cultivation. It was useful, but overusing it also burdened the body.

What was more troublesome was that his opponent now knew about his force and would surely be on guard. It would not be so easy to land another hit. If he could not hit his opponent, he would only be wasting stamina.

He inhaled, then exhaled. His body rose and fell once. He tapped the ground with the ball of his front foot and assumed a stance. In that instant, the ring floor actually sank slightly.

Chen Chuan did not wait in place. If you won't come to me, I'll go to you. He stepped forward directly, and guided by the Breathing Method, quickly closed the distance.

Watching him rush in, Coach Gu raised a knee as if to strike at his face. Chen Chuan was prepared; one hand lifted slightly, ready to change directions at any time. But then Coach Gu suddenly stomped his raised foot down hard. As his sole hit the floor, ripples actually spread across the ring's surface.

Chen Chuan immediately felt the ground beneath his feet rise and fall, and his body turned unsteady.

Senior Apprentice Yan could see the problem with his center of gravity being affected, and Coach Gu could see it too. This time, Coach Gu had transmitted the force of his Rippling Force directly into the ground.

Then he leaned forward and rushed in, grabbing Chen Chuan's right arm above the elbow. He pivoted on his feet, his back nearly pressing against Chen Chuan's chest. All he needed to do was bend and thrust, and he could execute a solid shoulder throw! Chen Chuan sensed something wrong and quickly pushed at Coach Gu's waist with his left hand, trying to free his captured right arm in time. But at that moment, Coach Gu suddenly shifted his center of gravity and fell backward along the force of Chen Chuan's pull.

If he were pressed to the ground like this, Coach Gu could roll straight over him and crush him beneath his body. An ordinary person could easily suffer broken tendons and shattered bones. Realizing this, Chen Chuan tightened the arm he had not yet pulled free, wrapped it around Coach Gu, and twisted his waist with force, trying to flip Coach Gu down first.

But Coach Gu reacted quickly as well. He spun along the direction of force from Chen Chuan's arm while swiftly retreating, instantly breaking contact with him.

At the very end, Chen Chuan was pushed away using his own force and staggered back several steps. The two returned to their earlier standoff.

These exchanges required both sides to react in an instant. Countering and being countered, each had come within a hair's breadth of being thrown down. The people below applauded and cheered, thoroughly thrilled.

Coach Gu was also impressed. The power and reactions Chen Chuan displayed were not something someone his age should possess. He had actually managed to forcibly reverse a situation that had been unfavorable to him.

But Chen Chuan knew his own circumstances. He had relied entirely on the Second Self's comprehensive boost to his physical abilities just now. Otherwise, he would have been thrown to the ground at the beginning. And once on the ground, it would become the realm of throws and grappling. Not to mention that Coach Gu possessed force. Even with the Second Self, the outcome would have been difficult to predict.

If they competed in technique, there was no way he could match the other man's seasoned skill. So why compete in punches and kicks? He should have pressed forward with fierce attacks and fully exploited the Second Self's advantage of fearing no injury.

At that moment, it seemed as though he understood something. He said, "I realized I made a mistake."

"What?" Coach Gu was somewhat confused.

Chen Chuan abruptly gathered all the stray thoughts in his mind and smiled. For some reason, Coach Gu suddenly felt a sense of danger.

A scraping sound came from beneath Chen Chuan's feet, and he shot forward. At the same time, the Second Self instantly overlapped with him as one. To the people below, it seemed as though a streaking afterimage had swept across the ring.

"This..."

Coach Gu was startled. Such speed? He knew he could not retreat now. If he did, Chen Chuan might catch him in a step or two. Then, unable to set his stance properly, he would be at his opponent's mercy. He no longer had time to raise a leg, so he could only thrust a palm forward.

Chen Chuan neither dodged nor avoided it. He met it head-on and raised an arm to block, trying to brush aside the hand in his way. But at the instant they touched, he immediately felt the exact same force as before surge toward him. Clearly, his opponent had activated his force in time.

But this time, Chen Chuan flipped his wrist and used the Hooking Capture Hand, locking tightly onto Coach Gu's arm. He let that force crash into his body without retreating even half a step.

Coach Gu's pupils contracted.

The next moment, Chen Chuan used his superior strength to pull Coach Gu's arm outward. He stepped diagonally forward and drove a horizontal elbow into his chest. Propelled by the power of Limit Breaking Strike, he unleashed the "Opening Door Elbow" from the Great Unrestrained Hands! Seeing the danger, Coach Gu let out a sharp "Hai!" at the critical moment. He did not evade. Instead, he pulled the arm being dragged backward, exerting opposing force. Using his hand as a handle and his body as a hammer, he channeled his force and actively slammed his chest forward.

The next instant, a dull boom rang out from the ring as both men jolted at the same time.

The people below watched tensely, but the two men remained in their original positions without making another move.

"Let's stop here," Coach Gu said calmly as he looked at Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan nodded.

They withdrew their hands at the same time, each straightening up as they looked at one another.

"Excellent!"

A cheer rose from below, followed by thunderous applause.

Chen Chuan clasped his fists toward Coach Gu and said sincerely, "I gained a lot today. Thank you, Coach Gu."

He found it somewhat regrettable. Even after using Limit Breaking Strike, he still had not been able to defeat Coach Gu. This man was truly formidable.

But after facing such an opponent head-on, he now roughly understood the level of someone who possessed force. He still needed to continue strengthening his training after returning.

Coach Gu returned the gesture and said with a smile, "You're too polite. Show General Fist Gym welcomes all visitors. Outstanding young people like you are always welcome to come by."

Chen Chuan's eyes lit up. "All right."

Seeing how happily Chen Chuan agreed, the corner of Coach Gu's mouth twitched slightly.

When Chen Chuan stepped down from the ring, he discovered that a large crowd had gathered around it at some point, filling most of the gym. Seeing him come down, they automatically opened a path for him.

Someone in the crowd waved at him. "Hey! Classmate!"

Chen Chuan looked over and immediately recognized Liang Tong, the student from the neighboring class who had given him the flyer. He smiled and nodded to him, then walked straight out of the gym.

After Chen Chuan left, Coach Gu said, "All right, break it up. Go train properly."

Hearing him, the crowd gradually dispersed in twos and threes. But their excitement had not faded, and they continued discussing the match animatedly.

Just as Coach Gu was about to step down, Liang Tong excitedly ran up. "Coach Gu, Coach Gu, that guy is my classmate! I think he got into Wu University."

Coach Gu looked at him, gave an acknowledging sound, and said, "You go look around on your own first." Then, leaving the baffled Liang Tong behind, he returned to his own lounge alone.

After closing the door, the sternness finally vanished from his face. Clutching his chest, he grimaced in pain. He took off his shirt and revealed a large dark bruise across his chest.

He took a bottle of medicinal wine from the cabinet and began rubbing it on, hissing in pain as he did.

"That kid's punches are really heavy. At least two ribs are broken. No, three..."

He knew very well that if he had not used the technique of opposing force at the final moment to prevent Chen Chuan from fully exerting his strength, even his internal organs might have been injured.

"But that punch didn't seem to be force. It seemed like pure strength, with some special technique added..."

"Hiss... Luckily it wasn't force. If that strength learned force too, wouldn't that be insane? Wouldn't I have been punched to death today?"

As he thought, he muttered to himself, "From Wu University? Who knows how many years he's been studying. Those academy students really are formidable... Next time? You'd better not come next time."

By then, Chen Chuan had already walked outside the gym. Seeing that the Second Self had almost entirely blurred away, he knew that after that final clash—having endured two consecutive impacts of force while also suffering damage from his own Limit Breaking Strike—there were now less than ten seconds of overlap time left.

He replayed the battle in his mind. Coach Gu truly deserved to be a gym coach; his responses had been extremely seasoned. If he got the chance, he would have to seek more guidance from him.

It was the end of a busy day. Cars and pedestrians flowed through the streets, everything bathed in the golden-red light of the setting sun. He exhaled, quickened his steps, and soon disappeared into the bustling crowd.