Three Minutes

Chen Chong and Peng Wei stood facing each other in the center of the training room, while the noisy crowd of fighters retreated as far as they could to clear a space for them.

Roughly seventy percent of the Thunder Dragon Official Fighter residents in the building were present.

Peng Wei looked at Chen Chong and said in a deep voice:

"I practice grappling, which has high lethality. If you can't hold on later, admit defeat immediately. Don't push yourself."

Chen Chong looked at him with some surprise, not expecting him to be so forthright, and nodded:

"Understood, same to you."

"..."

Peng Wei narrowed his eyes and said nothing more.

As a fighter acting as a temporary referee shouted "Start," both men entered their state.

Chen Chong assumed the standard stance of the Yu Style Combat Drill.

His hands were held in a guard before his chest, ready for high or low strikes; his feet tapped the floor alternately, ready to attack or defend.

Peng Wei, on the other hand, was distinctly different. Despite being significantly taller, he crouched lower, his long arms slightly extended as if ready to pounce at any moment.

The two faced each other, maintaining a fixed distance as they began to shift their positions slowly.

After a moment of probing, Peng Wei nodded slightly. Seeing no obvious openings in Chen Chong's stance, he stepped forward to close the distance, his arms reaching toward Chen Chong's waist!

Chen Chong's breathing shifted, following a strange rhythm. The blood throughout his body accelerated instantly, and both his strength and reaction speed surged.

He precisely captured the trajectory of Peng Wei's hands. Opening his guard, he slapped his opponent's forearms with lightning speed, instantly batting away those ape-like arms!

Peng Wei was startled. He hadn't expected his opening move to be parried so easily, leaving his chest wide open.

Seeing Chen Chong's palm strike coming, he remained unfazed, a sharp glint in his eyes.

Opponents unfamiliar with him would think his arm grappling was his main strength and try to avoid it; however, those who had fought him knew his python-like legs were also a lethal weapon.

Though his upper-body attack had been neutralized, his left leg was already at Chen Chong's feet.

He only needed a light sweep to disrupt his balance, and once on the ground, the fight would be his.

Wang Li couldn't help but cheer as he watched Chen Chong nonchalantly neutralize the arm attack and strike into the opening with a palm;

However, the other fighters, seeing Chen Chong let Peng Wei's leg get close without any defense, assumed the outcome was decided and wore expressions of "is that all?"

Feeling the whistling wind near his chest, Peng Wei actually smiled.

Once his leg swept through, that palm strike would be sent who knows where—after all, legs are much longer than arms, not to mention his advantage in physique.

Looking into Chen Chong's eyes, he widened his own and shouted: "Down!"

He lowered his body, his left leg hooking sharply at Chen Chong's right heel, while his right leg exerted force, preparing to lunge forward and win the fight in one go!

Smack!

With a crisp sound, Peng Wei's face took a solid slap. He fell backward onto the ground, clutching his nose.

Chen Chong stood where he was, not having moved an inch. He looked at Peng Wei with some surprise, watching him collide with his palm, then looked down at his own feet, lost in thought.

It was as if the air had been sucked out of the room.

The clamor of the training room ceased instantly.

The fighters stared in disbelief at the standing Chen Chong and the prone Peng Wei, unable to grasp what had just happened.

How did Peng Wei fail to sweep Chen Chong, and instead use his own face to "bump" into Chen Chong's palm?

Even Peng Wei himself was dazed and confused.

He felt clearly that his leg had hooked Chen Chong's ankle firmly. With his honed technique and sudden burst of power, even someone stronger than him should have stumbled and lost their balance.

Yet Chen Chong remained as motionless as a mountain, his strength disappearing like a stone into the sea;

Instead, his own subconscious crouch and lunge had turned Chen Chong's chest-level palm strike into a solid slap, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

What happened?

After a moment of reaction, seeing Chen Chong looking at him calmly, a flush of embarrassment rose to his face:

"That doesn't count! Again! I wasn't using my Breathing Method just now, and you actually used that technique secretly! It's unfair, rematch!"

The fighters nearby wore expressions of sudden realization.

So that was it. Chen Chong had actually used a Breathing Method. No wonder Peng Wei couldn't shake him—that was the reason—

Wait!

Chen Chong just used a Breathing Method?

The expressions of the fighters changed instantly.

Among the audience present, not one had "mastered" a Breathing Method, yet this newcomer had already grasped such a skill?

No wonder he could kill Zhang Yao... Their expressions turned grave, and the way they looked at Chen Chong shifted quietly.

Peng Wei rolled to his feet, his expression also turning solemn.

Although he was one of the few Official Fighters who had mastered this technique, it was precisely because of this that he knew how difficult it was and how immense its power could be.

Based on this alone, he was convinced that Chen Chong was superior to Zhang Yao.

However, at this point, whether he was convinced or not, the fight had to continue. Seeing that Chen Chong had no objections, his attitude became even more serious than before:

"Let's go again."

"Come on."

Chen Chong nodded and held his guard in front of his chest.

Peng Wei crouched lower, his hands poised in a state of flux. His center of gravity rose and fell, as if he could lunge at any moment, yet he also seemed capable of waiting for a long time. His breathing became more rhythmic, but within that calmness lay immense energy, capable of mobilizing his entire body's potential in an instant.

The two circled each other more slowly than before, yet the atmosphere between them grew more stagnant, causing the watching fighters to involuntarily slow their own breathing.

Peng Wei was the one to suddenly launch an attack.

His eyes flashed, and he stepped forward abruptly, like a leopard pouncing from the brush, his speed far surpassing his previous efforts!

Chen Chong felt a chill, but he was well-prepared. With a sharp exhale, his speed surged to match, barely batting away the arms wrapping around him and following up with a palm strike. At the same time, seeing his opponent's footwork, he lifted his leg in advance to prevent Peng Wei from disrupting his balance.

Peng Wei did indeed sweep his leg over with even greater force than before, but he struck empty air. Yet, his eyes lit up; he was not discouraged in the slightest.

This is the moment!

He had not underestimated Chen Chong, and anticipating that he would likely prevent another ankle sweep, he had prepared a series of follow-up moves. Whether Chen Chong dodged or retreated, he had a plan.

And now, with Chen Chong briefly standing on one leg like a golden rooster, it was the perfect opportunity!

Peng Wei crouched, lowered his head, and accelerated his sturdy leg, sweeping upward to kick directly at the sole of Chen Chong's shoe. This was a move to borrow force to strike; if Chen Chong lost his balance even slightly, he would be sent flying, and then...

Slap.

Peng Wei's face took another palm strike, and he tumbled to the ground.

Chen Chong slowly retracted his hand and set his right foot down, feeling a bit regretful.

It was a pity that his speed and technique were still lacking, as he hadn't managed to dodge the opponent's sweep.

Though with his Devour Form, it wouldn't be a big deal even if he had been hit.

Still, Chen Chong wanted to refine his technical skills; after all, a little more strength meant a little more confidence.

After several real-world encounters, he realized that while the Combat Drill was versatile and good for both fighting and training, it lacked distinct characteristics and didn't provide any major advantages. He would have to slowly explore his own combat methods.

Winning wasn't difficult, but an opponent skilled in ground fighting was quite unique; the principle was simply not to be knocked to the floor.

But what if I do fall into that kind of predicament? Chen Chong began to ponder.

After all, if his Breathing Method hadn't reached a high level of mastery, he would have barely kept up with his opponent's speed and strength, and he would have been knocked down. Even with his Devour Form, he likely would have lost.

As several inspirations flashed through his mind, Chen Chong nodded slowly. He had gained quite a bit of insight from this battle, and he should be more confident next time.

However, in the entire training room, aside from Chen Chong standing in the middle and thinking, everyone else—whether it was the prone Peng Wei or the watching fighters—wore a blank expression. Even Wang Li looked stunned.

Just now, had they fought once or twice?

Why did it feel like they had seen this second bout not long ago?

Yes, just two minutes ago...

The other fighters couldn't fathom how Peng Wei, one of the top-ranked fighters among them, could have been slapped in the exact same way. They had never noticed him having such a fetish before.

Didn't he use his Breathing Method too?

Could it be that his mastery of the Breathing Method was far inferior to this Chen Chong?

That conclusion was too terrifying; they would rather believe that Peng Wei had a strange fetish.

Peng Wei, meanwhile, was completely bewildered.

He didn't understand how his pride-and-joy techniques had become utterly useless against Chen Chong.

The structure of the human body was just so, and physical balance was just that.

After doing this and that, shouldn't he have been on the ground long ago, waiting to be handled?

But he just wouldn't fall!

Is he a roly-poly toy?

"That's awesome, Chen Chong!"

A cheer broke the silence of the training room; it was Wang Li, who could finally hold it in no longer and let out a roar.

This sound was like disturbing a ghost in an ancient tomb, and the quiet fighters all turned their heads in unison to look at Wang Li.

However, Wang Li wasn't afraid this time; instead, he puffed out his chest and clapped excitedly:

"Brother Chong is awesome! From now on, when my Brother Chong speaks, who agrees and who disagrees?"

Chen Chong shook his head and walked toward the stairs outside:

"Alright, let's go eat some buns; they should be heated up by now."

The fighters turned their heads in unison once more to the clock hanging on the wall of the training room, and then fell silent simultaneously.

From the moment Chen Chong entered the training room to the moment he opened the door and left.

Exactly three minutes.