Exchange a Few Moves

Chen Chong lowered his guard, walked to the door, and opened it. He looked up at the tall woman in surprise.

She had short, choppy hair and sharp, severe features. Her black down jacket and gray sweatpants gave her a distinctly androgynous look.

She stood more than a head taller than Chen Chong, and her legs were so long that they reminded him of the supermodels in those magazines.

She wasn't exactly pretty, but she looked clean-cut and simple.

And dangerous.

With both hands in her pockets, she saw Chen Chong open the door and said without preamble:

"Are you free? Let's spar."

Chen Chong raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Because I want to fight you, and you need someone to train with."

Her eyes gleamed.

Chen Chong thought it over for a moment, then stepped aside.

"Come in."

Bang!

The woman slammed the door shut, then unzipped her down jacket with a whoosh. She took it off and casually tossed it over a dummy stand, revealing a gray-and-white sports bra.

The bra hugged her figure. Female fighters generally had great physiques, and hers was especially striking.

Her exposed skin was very fair. Her waist traced a beautiful but decidedly strong curve, and the muscles on her pale abdomen bulged, displaying the explosive power of a leopard.

Without a second thought, the woman lifted one long leg and rested it on the pull-up bar Chen Chong used, then began stretching. She acted as though Chen Chong wasn't there, working the muscles all over her body. Some of the stretches put her private parts almost directly on display, while others revealed her incredible flexibility.

Chen Chong studied her thoughtfully.

She was in excellent shape. With a body like that, her punches should have tremendous power.

After a while, the woman exhaled and straightened up.

"I'm ready."

"Come on."

Chen Chong raised his guard, one hand high and one low, the higher one extended while the lower one protected his abdomen. At a glance, it looked much like the stance he'd used for Combat Drill.

But a closer look revealed that his shoulders were broader and his posture more relaxed. His hands were spaced a little farther apart, both vertically and horizontally. This not only gave him more power when he struck but seemed to double the area he controlled.

To Chen Chong's surprise, the woman didn't take the standard opening stance for grappling. She stood tall, her feet neither squared nor staggered, and held a standard boxing guard. Her posture was simple and precise.

Chen Chong had been here long enough to recognize her, of course. Wang Li told him plenty of things he might otherwise have missed.

Pei Li was Peng Wei's partner—or rather, Peng Wei's big sister. Her grappling was exceptional, and she was unquestionably one of the top three fighters in the building.

Even though she hadn't opened with grappling, Chen Chong had no intention of letting his guard down. Being good at grappling didn't mean she was bad at everything else. You could tell a lot about a fighter's skill just from their stance.

Pei Li looked equally serious. She'd noticed that Chen Chong's guard seemed a little different from an ordinary one.

But it didn't dampen her fighting spirit. She tested him with a couple of steps, then took a decisive step forward and threw a side kick, launching the first attack!

Whoosh!

Before her leg even reached him, a fierce rush of air had already swept past Chen Chong's ear.

Chen Chong instantly gauged the kick's power. It was easily strong enough to snap a steel pipe—and incredibly fast!

Those extraordinarily long legs seemed to create an optical illusion. She looked as if she'd only just lifted her thigh, but once her foot picked up speed, it moved faster and hit harder than most. In the blink of an eye, it was already at Chen Chong's ear.

Those supermodel legs weren't just good-looking. They gave her a dangerous advantage.

Chen Chong had two choices. He could take the kick head-on and counter, catching her off guard and ending the match quickly.

Or he could dodge. Now that he had mastered Combat Technique, he had the footwork to do so.

But the first choice would defeat the purpose of sparring, and for some reason, Chen Chong had a feeling it wouldn't bring him victory anyway.

The faint premonition was strange, but he had no time to dwell on it.

He made his decision instinctively.

It all happened in a flash in his mind. In reality, Pei Li raised her leg for a side kick, and Chen Chong reacted.

He shifted his footing, gathering his weight onto one leg as his center of gravity moved from one side to the other. Then he suddenly retreated, leaning his upper body back just enough to slip beyond the kick's range.

Smack!

Her leg cracked through the air above Chen Chong's head, and a gust ruffled his hair.

Chen Chong narrowed his eyes. He now had a firsthand understanding of how dangerous Pei Li was.

But it was only polite to return a blow. He used the momentum of his retreat to take two steps straight to the wall, planted a foot against it, and sprang back toward Pei Li, launching a flying kick at her head!

His kick was no less imposing than Pei Li's side kick, and he had timed it to strike just as she drew her leg back, leaving her little room to dodge.

As Chen Chong came at her, Pei Li leaned her upper body back. Her supple waist bent at an almost impossible angle, and she used the motion to flick a silent kick toward him in midair.

Chen Chong slapped downward, blocking the sneaky kick at the cost of jarring his hand. But the impact sent him flying toward a pile of equipment beside the Iron Man Dummy. With a crash, he sent dumbbells rolling in every direction.

Pei Li twisted at the waist and straightened up, her legs tensing as she prepared to press her advantage. But when she turned, she saw that Chen Chong had already leaped out of the mess as if nothing had happened—and was charging at her first!

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

They closed to fighting range in an instant. Their fists flew back and forth, leaving a blur between them as they traded blows at breakneck speed.

Close-quarters fighting moved so fast that dozens of exchanges passed almost in the blink of an eye. Both of them held their breath and threw everything they had into it—punches, holds, every technique at their disposal, without holding back.

This kind of close-range struggle was perilous. Even a moment's delay meant only one outcome.

Pei Li was taller than Chen Chong and had longer arms, giving her certain advantages. But she was still a woman, and she gradually realized that she was a notch weaker than him.

Chen Chong's skill and technique were on par with those of this notorious woman. His Combat Technique in particular gave him the upper hand in their exchanges. His direct attacks were ferocious, and as the fight went on, he steadily gained control.

Pei Li couldn't hold the advantage, and her punches soon began to weaken. It wasn't that she'd run out of stamina so quickly, nor that her fighting spirit was weak—neither of those things was possible for someone who'd survived this long.

She was simply beginning to realize that Chen Chong had an unshakable presence, as if any attack that landed on him sank into the sea without a trace.

He wasn't taking her blows with his body, but the cold indifference he radiated toward his opponent left Pei Li feeling powerless. Even the most fearless fighter instinctively feared an opponent's fists, yet Pei Li couldn't sense that fear in Chen Chong. She kept feeling that even if her punches broke through his guard, they wouldn't matter.

The worst part was that Pei Li's own body could still feel pain, and it was afraid of being hurt. That was instinct, especially when she was already at a disadvantage.

As the exchange wore on, their contrasting temperaments affected the fight more and more. Pei Li grew increasingly hesitant, while Chen Chong's fists rained down like a storm, hemming the tall woman into a small space where she struggled like a lone boat tossed in a tempest.

A moment later, another punch struck Pei Li's shoulder. She bit her lip, holding back a groan. She retaliated with a kick, refusing to be outdone, and hit Chen Chong—but could only watch helplessly as he remained completely composed.

She abruptly stepped back and gritted her teeth.

"I'm done! There's no fun fighting you. It's like hitting an iron post. At least an iron post makes a sound."

Even Pei Li, a seasoned fighter, felt intimidated—almost hopeless—facing an opponent like him.

"Giving up?"

Chen Chong raised an eyebrow.

Pei Li was just as straightforward.

"I give up. I can't beat you."

In terms of overall ability, the two of them were actually quite evenly matched. Pei Li had clearly mastered some kind of Combat Technique, and her boxing was excellent; her skill level was high, too. If Chen Chong hadn't improved so much lately, he might have had to use the same strategy he'd used to beat Li Jun.

But now, even without deliberately relying on his own abilities, his fighting skills alone put him at least on the same level as these top Official Fighters.

It was a gratifying improvement from before.

Chen Chong slowly lowered his fists and asked:

"What about your grappling?"

Pei Li shook her head.

"If I use it, the fight will be decided one way or the other. Someone could even get seriously hurt. There's no need."

Hearing what she meant, Chen Chong looked her up and down, eager to try.

"I want to see it."

But when Pei Li saw his expression and heard his tone, she seemed to misunderstand. Her face immediately darkened. She said coldly:

"Are you sure?"

Chen Chong nodded seriously.

"I'm sure."

Pei Li's expression turned completely cold, and her aura changed entirely.

"Then I'll give you what you want."