Exchange a Few Moves

Chen Chong stopped his stance, walked to the door to open it, and then looked up at the tall woman with some surprise.

The woman had choppy hair and sharp, cold facial features; she wore a black down jacket and gray sweatpants, giving her a very androgynous look.

She was more than a head taller than Chen Chong, and the proportions of her legs were so exaggerated that they reminded Chen Chong of the supermodels in those Combat Drill videos.

She couldn't be called pretty, but she looked clean and simple.

And dangerous.

With her hands tucked into her pockets, her first words upon seeing Chen Chong open the door were:

"Free? Let's spar."

Chen Chong raised an eyebrow:

"Why?"

"Because I want to fight you, and you need a training partner."

The woman's gaze was scorching.

Chen Chong pondered for a moment, then stepped aside:

"Come in."

Bang!

The woman slammed the door shut, unzipped her down jacket with a whoosh, tossed it onto the wooden rack nearby, and revealed her upper body, clad only in a gray-white sports bra.

The sports bra was pulled taut; female fighters usually had great physiques, but hers was particularly explosive.

Her exposed skin was fair, her waist carved out beautiful but far from delicate curves, and her pale abdomen was covered in bulging muscles, showcasing the leopard-like explosive power she possessed.

The woman didn't hesitate at all. She lifted a long leg, rested it on the pull-up bar Chen Chong used, and began to stretch. She acted as if Chen Chong didn't exist, stretching muscles all over her body; some movements were almost exposing her privacy directly to him, while others displayed her incredible flexibility.

Chen Chong sized her up thoughtfully.

Her physical fitness was formidable; if such a body threw a punch, the explosive power would surely be immense.

After a while, the woman exhaled and stood straight:

"I'm ready."

"Come on."

Chen Chong held his guard, one hand high and one low—the lead hand extended and the rear hand protecting his abdomen—looking much like the starting stance of the Combat Drill.

But if one looked closely, they would notice Chen Chong's shoulders were broader, his posture more relaxed, and the distance between his hands was slightly wider than before. Not only did this provide an advantage for generating power, but the area he controlled seemed to have doubled in an instant.

To Chen Chong's surprise, the woman didn't adopt a standard grappling stance. She stood tall, feet in a neutral position, and held a standard boxing guard, her posture concise and precise.

Chen Chong had been here for many days, so he naturally recognized who she was. Even things he didn't pay attention to, Wang Li would tell him.

Pei Li, partner to Peng Wei, or rather, the big sister figure to Peng Wei. Her grappling was exceptional, and her strength was undoubtedly in the top three of the Small Building.

However, even though she didn't start with a grappling stance, Chen Chong didn't intend to let his guard down. Exceptional grappling didn't mean she was lacking elsewhere; one could tell a lot about a fighter's level just by their stance.

Pei Li also wore a serious expression; she noticed that Chen Chong's guard seemed somewhat different from the ordinary.

But this didn't affect her fighting spirit. She tested the air with a few steps, then proactively lunged forward with a side kick, initiating the attack!

Whoosh!

Before the leg even arrived, the sharp pressure of the wind had already reached Chen Chong's ears.

Chen Chong instantly judged the power of this kick—it was definitely enough to snap a steel pipe, and it was exceptionally fast!

Those supermodel-length legs seemed to create a visual illusion; it looked like she had only just lifted her thigh, but once the toe accelerated, it was faster and more powerful than anyone else's, reaching Chen Chong's ear in the blink of an eye.

Beyond just looking good, those long legs possessed such a dangerous advantage.

Chen Chong had two choices: one was to take the hit head-on and counterattack, which would surely catch her off guard and lead to a quick victory; the second was to dodge quickly, as he now possessed the footwork from his mastery of combat techniques.

But the former held no meaning for a spar, and Chen Chong had an inexplicable feeling that it wouldn't lead to victory.

This faint premonition was strange, but he had no time to think.

Subconsciously, he made his decision.

Everything happened in a flash within his mind; in reality, the moment Pei Li lifted her leg for the side kick, Chen Chong reacted.

He shifted his feet, instantly concentrating his shifting center of gravity onto one leg, then retreated violently. With his upper body leaning back, he just barely dodged the range of Pei Li's side kick.

Slap!

The whip kick exploded right above Chen Chong's head, a gust of air ruffling his hair.

Chen Chong narrowed his eyes, gaining a visceral understanding of how dangerous Pei Li was.

However, courtesy demands reciprocity. Using the momentum of his retreat, Chen Chong took two steps to the wall, kicked off it heavily, and rebounded, launching a flying kick toward Pei Li's head!

This kick was no less imposing than Pei Li's side kick, and it perfectly caught the gap just as she retracted her leg, leaving her little room to dodge.

Seeing Chen Chong kick toward her, Pei Li tipped her upper body, her lithe waist bending at an angle that looked almost broken, and she took the opportunity to lift her toe, silently kicking toward Chen Chong in mid-air.

Chen Chong slammed his hand downward, sacrificing the web of his thumb to the impact to block the insidious kick. However, the force accelerated his flight toward a pile of equipment near the Iron Man Dummy, where he crashed into a rack of dumbbells with a loud boom, sending them rolling in every direction.

Pei Li twisted her waist to square herself, her legs coiling with power as she prepared to press her advantage. Yet, as she turned, she discovered that Chen Chong was already leaping up from the wreckage as if nothing had happened, charging straight at her!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two instantly entered the range of close-quarters combat. Their fists flew back and forth, forming a blur between them as they traded blows at a blistering pace.

The rhythm of their infighting was incredibly fast; dozens of exchanges occurred in the blink of an eye. Both held their breath, unleashing every technique they possessed—striking, grappling, everything—without reservation.

Such close-quarters brawling was perilous; to be even a beat slow meant only one outcome.

Pei Li had the advantage of height and reach over Chen Chong, but as a woman, she gradually realized her strength was a notch below his.

Meanwhile, Chen Chong's level and technique were in no way inferior to this notorious woman. His combat arts, in particular, allowed him to seize the initiative in their exchanges. His frontal assault was ferocious, and as time wore on, he steadily gained the upper hand.

Pei Li failed to hold her ground, and her punches soon began to weaken. It wasn't that her stamina was failing, nor was her fighting spirit weak—for someone who had survived this long, such a thing didn't exist.

It was simply that she slowly realized Chen Chong possessed an immovable quality, as if any attack landed on him like a stone cast into the sea.

Even though he didn't take her blows head-on with his body, the cold indifference he radiated from within made Pei Li feel powerless. Logically, even the most thick-skinned Official Fighter would instinctively fear an opponent's strikes, but she sensed no such thing from Chen Chong. She felt, inexplicably, that even if she managed to break through his guard, it would be utterly useless.

The fatal issue was that Pei Li's own body still felt pain and feared it—an instinctive reaction, especially since she was already on the defensive.

Back and forth they went, their fighting temperaments further influencing the flow of battle. Pei Li became increasingly restricted, while Chen Chong's fists raged like a rainstorm, trapping the tall woman in a small space where she struggled bitterly, like a lone boat tossed in a tempest.

A moment later, Pei Li took another punch to the shoulder and bit her lip, suppressing a groan. Her retaliatory kick landed on Chen Chong, but she could only watch in frustration as he remained completely composed.

She abruptly stepped back, gritting her teeth:

"I'm done! You're no fun to fight—it's like hitting an Iron Man Dummy. At least the dummy makes a sound."

Even with her wealth of combat experience, fighting such an opponent left her feeling apprehensive, bordering on despair.

"Giving up?"

Chen Chong raised an eyebrow.

Pei Li was blunt:

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

In reality, their strength was nearly identical. It was clear that Pei Li had also mastered a form of combat art; her striking was highly sophisticated and her level was not low. If Chen Chong hadn't significantly improved his strength recently, he might have only been able to win by using the same tactics he used against Li Jun.

But now, even without intentionally using his special abilities, his combat technique alone placed him on the same level as these top-tier Official Fighters.

Compared to before, it was a progress truly worth celebrating.

Chen Chong slowly lowered his fists and asked:

"What about your grappling?"

Pei Li shook her head:

"If I use that, it decides the winner, or even leads to death or injury. It's unnecessary."

Hearing this, Chen Chong looked her up and down, eager to try:

"I want to test it."

To his surprise, Pei Li seemed to misunderstand his expression and tone, and her face instantly darkened. She said coldly:

"Are you sure?"

Chen Chong nodded earnestly:

"Sure."

Pei Li's expression turned completely indifferent, and her aura shifted into something entirely different from before:

"Then I will grant your wish."