Combat Technique

Boom!

The massive fist shot out and stopped abruptly. Before Chen Chong could react, it was already halted an inch from the tip of his nose.

A gust of wind hit him in the face, forcing Chen Chong to squint. The short hair on his head whipped backward like tough grass in a gale.

Once the gust had passed, Chen Chong managed to open his eyes and turn to look behind him.

The Waiting Room behind him was already a complete mess, with chairs and racks scattered everywhere.

Chen Chong stared in shock.

"Did you see it clearly?"

Coach Yu asked calmly.

Chen Chong shook his head.

He had seen Coach Yu's punch just now. It was the opening straight punch of the Combat Drill.

He had practiced it many times and could almost do it with his eyes closed.

But if he tried, he could never achieve the same effect as Coach Yu.

The problem was, Coach Yu hadn't thrown the punch with a higher level of strength. Chen Chong had clearly felt that the force behind it was about the same as his own!

The difference seemed to lie in how the force was used. But Chen Chong didn't quite understand what that meant.

Coach Yu explained:

"That's Combat Technique. It teaches you to send your force out instead of drawing it back. Only Combat Technique can produce that effect.

"You can think of Combat Technique as an advanced version of Combat Drill—but that doesn't mean it's necessarily superior. The two sets of techniques serve different purposes, though Combat Technique is admittedly a little harder to pick up.

"Combat Technique is a variation built on the foundation of Combat Drill. Every move in the former has a corresponding move in the latter. The difference is that Combat Technique trains more precise movements and focuses more on applying and changing your force—in other words, actual combat. That's the fundamental difference between it and Combat Drill."

Chen Chong nodded.

"I think I understand. Could I say that Combat Drill directs force inward to train yourself, while Combat Technique directs it outward, toward your enemy?"

A sharp glint flashed in Coach Yu's eyes.

"That's a very apt description."

He looked at Chen Chong, and the flicker of emotion deep in his eyes vanished in an instant.

"Since you've fully grasped the core difference between Combat Drill and Combat Technique, the rest should be easy. I think you'll pick it up quickly."

Before Chen Chong could say anything, Coach Yu took up a stance right there in the Waiting Room and began demonstrating.

"Let the fist follow the shoulder. Drive the force through the center of the fist. Release!"

"Power rises from the ground, turns through the waist and hips, and gathers at the fingertips..."

Coach Yu demonstrated the Combat Technique, which looked quite similar to Combat Drill, as he explained it.

His movements were slow, but every step was remarkably precise. Each pause was a pause, and each movement was a movement. He was practically a living textbook.

Chen Chong watched Coach Yu closely, paying particular attention to the differences from Combat Drill and focusing on how he applied his force. He committed each movement to memory, using Coach Yu's explanations to help him.

After demonstrating the first sequence, Coach Yu asked how much Chen Chong had remembered. Chen Chong immediately asked several questions about key points, and Coach Yu understood at once how far he had progressed.

Very quickly.

After giving Chen Chong a long, searching look, Coach Yu demonstrated the sequence a second time, though he had initially intended to show it only once. Then came a third time...

The hour flew by while Chen Chong practiced with complete concentration.

Coach Yu demonstrated Combat Technique three times, then had Chen Chong practice it himself. After a brief silence, he said:

"That's more or less it. It's getting late, so we should head back. I'll explain some of the details tomorrow afternoon."

With that, he turned and left the Waiting Room.

Chen Chong didn't hurry after him. He first went over the sequence in his head.

He had basically memorized the key points of Combat Technique. After all, Coach Yu had demonstrated it three times himself. How could anyone be too slow to memorize a routine after seeing it three times?

Besides, this technique had been developed from Combat Drill. Since he had practiced Combat Drill until he knew it by heart, that would naturally help him get the hang of Combat Technique.

He threw two punches into the air. The sound of them cutting through the air was noticeably different, and Chen Chong nodded.

"The power is completely different. It really is meant to injure the enemy."

He let out a breath and smiled faintly.

A new technique. He liked it.

He slipped his hands into his pockets, securing the stack of hundred-yuan bills, then left and met up with Wang Li, who had been waiting at a distance. Together, they went out through the bar's back entrance and got into the business van that had been waiting there.

The next day at one in the afternoon.

Coach Yu walked into the Training Room right on time. Chen Chong was already there waiting.

The other fighters saw them, and word quickly spread throughout the first floor.

"Coach Yu's back, but Chen Chong's the only one he called in for a lesson."

"Giving Chen Chong private tutoring? Why him?"

"You haven't heard? Chen Chong took down Li Jun last night."

"What? Did he beat Li Jun to death too?"

"Not to death, but he'll be laid up for a while. And I heard Li Jun rolled down the stairs on his own..."

"Huh? Rolled down on his own? Li Jun the Killer?"

"No way. Is Chen Chong really that incredible?"

In the Training Room, Coach Yu glanced over Chen Chong's condition and raised an eyebrow.

"Your injuries won't get in the way?"

"They won't interfere with training."

Aside from his regular meals, Chen Chong had taken some extra Nutrient Paste last night and today. His injuries had healed quickly.

Coach Yu merely looked at him without saying more, then had Chen Chong start practicing Combat Technique.

The Training Room filled with the sound of rushing wind, punctuated now and then by Coach Yu's brief comments.

Today, he didn't demonstrate. He mainly had Chen Chong practice on his own.

Coach Yu was extremely conscientious when he taught. He wouldn't go to such lengths for an ordinary student, but Chen Chong learned too quickly. Theoretical concepts never seemed to stump him, so all that remained was practice—and time.

Chen Chong already had the framework of Combat Technique in place. Coach Yu only needed to correct a few minor errors and the deviations caused by inexperience, then explain the key points according to his progress. By the end of the afternoon, Chen Chong was practicing Combat Technique along the right path. During the final hour, Coach Yu remained silent the entire time.

When the lesson ended, he gave Chen Chong a rare word of praise.

"Good work."

And just like that, the Combat Technique lessons were over.

After Coach Yu left, Chen Chong stayed in his Main Training Hall and practiced for a while longer. If he wanted a spacious area with all the right equipment, Coach Yu's Training Room was the best place.

He had gotten the hang of the technique. All that remained was to keep practicing and improving.

Most martial arts could be divided into three stages, just like the Breathing Method: beginner, proficient, and Great Mastery.

Chen Chong had only reached the first stage of Combat Technique, but Coach Yu thought he would soon move on to the next. As for the third stage, that would depend on a bit of luck.

Even now, though, Chen Chong had already felt the benefits of Combat Technique.

Having learned Combat Technique, he had gained a basic understanding of how to apply his force. Though he still couldn't reproduce the punch Coach Yu had thrown last night, at least he now knew how it could be done.

Combat Technique and Combat Drill also complemented each other. His Combat Drill had improved again, too, which would certainly make his training more efficient.

That would help him reach the next level faster. By Chen Chong's own estimate, he should be able to complete Bone Tempering within a month.

With supplements like Nutrient Paste, he might do it even faster.

However, Earth Dragon Meat would still be needed to help him overcome the final hurdle. He didn't know if the kitchen would have any by then.

There was no need to worry about that yet. He had other things to do for now.

As he walked out of the Fighter Dormitory, Chen Chong glanced at the number before him and reached into the inner pocket of his shirt.

How much progress could ten thousand yuan buy him?