Gao Mingchang's expression darkened. Chen Yuan's strength was not to be underestimated!
He had defeated Cao Yan with such ease. Even with his strength advantage, that was enough to show just how formidable Chen Yuan really was.
It had taken Gao Mingchang quite a bit of effort to defeat Cao Yan. He couldn't have made it look as easy as Chen Yuan had.
No wonder Chen Yuan dared to defy Yu Yan. He clearly had every confidence in himself, and considered first place already in the bag.
What bothered Gao Mingchang even more was that the two of them had finished their match in less than a minute. His plan to sit back and reap the benefits had fallen through completely.
"Next match: Xue Anping versus He Qing." Gu Ye's voice rang out at just the right moment.
The two groups' matches were being held in rotation, leaving time for the competitors to rest.
Sun Chengjie came over to Chen Yuan, admiration written all over his face. "Brother Chen, you're the pride of us all. You're Grade D-Upper, yet you defeated someone Grade C-Lower, and you won so easily. You've shown the full measure of a gentleman, too. Just look at Cao Yan—she's looking at you differently now."
Hearing this, Chen Yuan looked over, only to see Cao Yan turn her gaze away. He chided Sun Chengjie with a smile.
"Don't make things up. I was just following the rules."
Sun Chengjie chuckled. "Brother Chen, you don't get it. Rules are dead, but fists and feet have no eyes. How could anyone just decide to hold back? If you'd landed that punch, Cao Yan wouldn't have been able to compete again. She must be grateful to you. If you don't believe me, go ask to borrow some silver from her afterward."
He'd figured it out. Those two brats, Yu Yan and Gao Mingchang, both disliked Chen Yuan. Cao Yan was the only one he could build a good relationship with.
Otherwise, Brother Chen might have a hard time getting by in the Gu Family from now on.
Chen Yuan smiled and shook his head. "Whether she's grateful to me has nothing to do with me. Just watch their match. Or are you hoping to come in last?"
The two said no more and turned their attention to the competitors in the courtyard.
Although Xue Anping was a little stronger, He Qing didn't dare let his guard down or hold back in preparation for the fights to come.
He had to show the Gu Family his full strength. Even if he lost, he had to lose with style. That was the only way to avoid being eliminated!
The match went on for a full seven or eight minutes before Xue Anping seized on the moment He Qing's qi and blood faltered and his movements slowed. One strike was all it took to decide the winner.
Seeing this, Sun Chengjie breathed a sigh of relief.
He Qing's strength had been worn down so badly that Sun Chengjie had a good chance of winning the next match.
It might not be the most honorable victory, but luck was part of one's strength. There were always people who drew the short straw.
Unless your strength could overcome the disadvantage that luck brought, just like Chen Yuan in the other group.
A few more minutes passed, and it was time for the third match.
"Good luck, Brother Chen," Sun Chengjie said, pumping a fist.
Chen Yuan nodded and walked into the courtyard.
Gao Mingchang took his place opposite him, his gaze now calm.
During the break, he'd managed to get himself back in shape. Chen Yuan wasn't cowed by Yu Yan's pressure, and his skills were formidable. Now that the arrow was on the string, he had to let it fly. There was no chance to play any tricks.
There was only one option: face him head-on!
Strike ruthlessly when the moment came, and catch him off guard.
"Six Harmonies Mind Boxing, Chen Yuan." Chen Yuan cupped his hands in greeting, then assumed the Eagle Catch stance.
"Through-Arm Boxing, Gao Mingchang." Gao Mingchang returned the salute and took the opening stance of Through-Arm Boxing.
The instant the words left his mouth, his expression darkened and he launched the first attack.
Through-Arm Boxing emphasized "extending far to strike from afar." Power came from the waist and back, while both arms lashed out like whips—snapping, sharp, and fast.
He stamped down hard with his right foot. His whole body lunged like an ape reaching out, right hand thrust forward with all five fingers pressed together into a pointed fist. His arm extended to its limit, cutting through the air as it shot straight at Chen Yuan's face.
This technique was called Palm-Piercing Path-Finding. It used a long reach to overcome a shorter one, aiming to seize the initiative.
"Whoosh—"
Before the fist reached him, the wind from the blow was already in Chen Yuan's face.
Chen Yuan's gaze sharpened, but he didn't retreat.
With Six Harmonies Mind Boxing, you stepped straight through the center to seize position.
He stepped forward with his left foot, advancing halfway, and turned his body slightly. His left arm swept across his chest—Horizontal Fist, belonging to the Earth element of the Five Elements. It was made to neutralize forceful straight-line attacks.
"Smack!"
His forearm met Gao Mingchang's wrist with a sharp crack.
Gao Mingchang felt as if he'd punched a taut steel cable. His force was deflected to the side, and his whole arm slid outward against his will.
What a powerful horizontal force! Gao Mingchang's heart tightened, but he didn't panic.
He spun with the momentum, and his left arm lashed out like a whip. His five fingers closed together into a Bone-Piercing Fist, driving straight for Chen Yuan's ribs.
This technique, Shoulder-Flinging Wrist-Shaking, was a signature move of Through-Arm Boxing. It combined sharpness with speed and struck from a tricky angle.
Chen Yuan brought his right arm down from his chest—Splitting Fist, like an axe chopping wood, drilling upward before turning over and falling.
"Thump!"
Fist and arm collided, the dull impact like a drumbeat.
Gao Mingchang's Bone-Piercing Fist was forced aside, skimming past Chen Yuan's lapel.
Chen Yuan stepped in with the momentum, his right fist bursting through the center line—Half-Step Crushing Fist!
Gao Mingchang's pupils contracted. He hastily stepped back and raised his guard, crossing his arms and pressing down to block the path of the Crushing Fist.
Their arms collided. A spiraling, twisting force drilled through Gao Mingchang's forearm, numbing his hand and sending him staggering back three steps.
"What a domineering Crushing Fist!"
Gao Mingchang gritted his teeth and steadied himself, his heart seething with anger and alarm.
He'd already launched several attacks, yet each one had been suppressed. Chen Yuan's defense was as solid as a rock, and his counterattacks struck like thunder. Gao Mingchang couldn't find a single opening.
What made him even more anxious was that he still had to save his strength for the next match. He absolutely couldn't afford to get dragged into a battle of attrition with Chen Yuan.
His mind made up, Gao Mingchang stopped holding back.
He took a deep breath, powered his movements from his waist and back, and spun both arms like windmills, his palms blurring as he unleashed Throwing Palm, Slapping Palm, Splitting Palm, and Piercing Palm in rapid succession—the four signature techniques of Through-Arm Boxing.
His palms whipped up a roar of wind, the attacks linked together in an unbroken torrent, like a sudden storm.
Yet Chen Yuan moved calmly in and out amid the blur of palms.
His steps were short. His heels scraped along the ground as he shifted inch by inch, every step landing in the gap after Through-Arm Boxing's old force had run its course but before its new force could gather.
Splitting Fist broke Splitting Palm, Drill Fist broke Piercing Palm, Horizontal Fist intercepted Throwing Palm, and Crushing Fist met Slapping Palm. The Five Elements Boxing flowed effortlessly through his hands, each force generating or overcoming another, every move matched with its counter.
The longer they fought, the more shocked Gao Mingchang became.
He'd already thrown twenty or thirty attacks, yet Chen Yuan's breathing remained as steady as ever. He hadn't even broken a sweat.
Chen Yuan's expressionless face seemed to be asking: Is that all?
"Impossible! You're only Grade D-Upper. What gives you the right to keep me on the defensive?"
A flash of viciousness crossed Gao Mingchang's eyes.
He suddenly feinted with his right palm, chopping toward Chen Yuan's face. The moment Chen Yuan raised his arm to block, Gao Mingchang's left arm shot forward, stretching to its limit. He pushed Through-Arm Boxing's "extending far to strike from afar" principle to the extreme, fingers hooked like claws as they thrust straight for Chen Yuan's eyes!
"Whoosh—"
The move was vicious to the extreme, a surprise attack that went beyond the rules of a friendly match. It was clearly a poisonous move meant to blind him.
On the sidelines, Gu Ye and Huang Yan furrowed their brows.
If that strike landed, Chen Yuan would be finished.
Gao Mingchang had gone too far.
Sun Chengjie's heart clenched, and he tensed up for Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan's gaze suddenly turned cold.
At last, he retreated, but only half a step. His Rock-Solid Stance Technique kept him steady as a mountain, while the three points—head, hands, and feet—aligned to guard the center.
Then he raised his right arm and hooked upward from below, five fingers closing like iron tongs—Eagle Catch!
"Crack!"
Gao Mingchang's wrist was caught precisely, stopping just three inches from Chen Yuan's eyes.
His expression changed drastically. He tried to pull free, but Chen Yuan's fingers held fast like iron shackles.
"You—"
Before Gao Mingchang could finish, Chen Yuan's left fist, guarding his heart, was already moving.
The Drill Fist of Six Harmonies Mind Boxing belonged to the Water element. Like waves crashing against the shore, it spiraled upward as it bored through.
Chen Yuan pushed off with his left foot. Power surged up from his heel, and his waist and spine twisted into the strike. His left fist turned inward like a drill, its palm facing upward as it thrust up from below!
"Whoosh—"
His fist broke through the air with a muffled roar.
The spiraling force tore through the air with a sharp hiss.
Gao Mingchang wanted to dodge, but his right hand was locked in place and his center was wide open. Chen Yuan's punch had already hemmed him in—there was nowhere to escape.
"Thump!"
With a dull impact, the Drill Fist landed squarely on Gao Mingchang's lower abdomen.
Chen Yuan used a "close-in rolling" force with this punch.
The instant his fist touched Gao Mingchang's belly, the spiraling force didn't burst outward to knock him away. Instead, it drove inward in layer upon layer, boring straight into his internal organs.
Gao Mingchang's eyes bulged and his mouth gaped, but he couldn't even scream.
He felt a spiraling, twisting force bore through his belly like an electric drill, then explode deep in his abdomen.
It was as if an invisible hand had given his intestines a vicious twist. Stomach acid surged up his throat with a heave.
"Pfft—"
The punch sent him flying three feet into the air. He curled into a shrimp in midair before slamming into the blue-brick ground and kicking up a ring of dust.
He curled up on the ground, both hands clutching his lower abdomen, his face white as paper.
A fist-shaped mark stood out on his shirt over his lower abdomen, its spiral wrinkles as if twisted into the fabric by a drill. The cloth was slightly puckered, as though the force had twisted it out of shape.
He wanted to scream but couldn't make a sound. All he could do was lie there with his mouth open, twitching silently.
Every breath felt like a small knife stirring inside his abdomen, and cold sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead.
Silence fell over the courtyard.
Sun Chengjie let out a long breath. Looking at Gao Mingchang's twisted face as he lay on the ground, he felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
That'd teach him to go for Chen Yuan's eyes. Now he'd gotten what was coming to him!
Huang Yan hurried over and bent down to examine Gao Mingchang's injuries. His expression tightened—no obvious external injuries, but his internal organs had taken a blow.
He'd need at least ten days to half a month to recover.
He looked up and gave Chen Yuan a long, searching glance before announcing in a measured voice:
"The winner of this match is Chen Yuan."
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