Who Else Wants to Come Up?

Jinling University, track and field grounds.

At that moment, silence hung over the entire ring. Everyone's attention was divided between Jun Wangchen standing on the platform and the young man in black below it.

What both groups had in common was the shock and disbelief in their eyes.

"N-no way. Our Taekwondo captain lost to that scrawny little guy who looks like a stiff breeze could knock him over?"

"The captain's a fifth-degree black belt! He's won the campus boxing championship several times, and that guy beat him with just a few vague, floaty moves?"

"Exactly! I seriously suspect he used some dirty trick!"

The young man in black's absurdly humiliating tumble off the ring sent the entire Taekwondo camp into an uproar.

As their captain, his formidable strength was beyond question. He had proposed today's exhibition match, and everyone had agreed to it.

They had all been confident that their captain would take Tai Chi Fist—that flashy but useless art—down a peg. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that he would lose to Jun Wangchen in such a dramatic fashion.

How could they not be stunned?

How could they not be shocked?

Unlike the doubts and disbelief sweeping through the Taekwondo camp, the Tai Chi Fist students were all grinning and cheering.

Although they were astonished that Jun Wangchen had defeated the young man in black, they were even more delighted by the satisfaction of seeing him avenge their humiliation.

"Stand upright, centered, relaxed, and at ease, supporting yourself in all directions. Guide your energy like a pearl through nine winding passages, reaching every minute corner. Let what breaks reconnect; let every back-and-forth contain a fold, every advance and retreat a transition. Become utterly soft, then utterly firm... To think Jun Wangchen has even mastered Collision Force. Incredible." As Huang Shihu watched the utterly composed Jun Wangchen on the platform, the gleam in his eyes grew brighter.

Tai Chi Fist took rooted sinking force as its foundation, Receiving Force as yin, and Collision Force as yang. With yin and yang united, it could fend off countless foes.

If Receiving Force aimed to neutralize an opponent's incoming power, then Collision Force aimed to return that power exactly as it came.

Only a Tai Chi Fist practitioner who had mastered both Receiving Force and Collision Force could truly use the art in actual combat.

Yet these two techniques were so elusive that most people who practiced Tai Chi Fist had only heard of them. How many could actually demonstrate them as Jun Wangchen had today?

Liu Sanquan narrowed his eyes in the Taekwondo camp. Unlike the other students, he did not attribute Jun Wangchen's victory entirely to trickery or luck. As Jinling University's Taekwondo instructor, he possessed considerable experience and a sharp eye. Anyone with any discernment could tell that Jun Wangchen's victory had not been a fluke, but the result of terrifying strength he had kept hidden.

Whether receiving the young man in black's punch or countering with a shoulder strike, Jun Wangchen had remained perfectly composed, treating his opponent's attacks as nothing worth worrying about. Only someone truly strong could possess such confidence. A man relying on cheap tricks could never manage it.

When the young man in black recovered from his fall, his first response was not to curse Jun Wangchen in fury. Instead, he stood there staring at him, his eyes filled with gravity and apprehension.

An expert. Jun Wangchen is definitely a Tai Chi Fist expert. He had once seen a Tai Chi grandmaster at an international martial arts exchange. A boxing champion had arrogantly and repeatedly mocked Chinese martial arts, only for that grandmaster to break four of his ribs. Only afterward had he learned that the man was a true expert who had mastered the essence of Tai Chi Fist.

The techniques and movements Jun Wangchen used today were practically identical to those of that grandmaster. Had he not seen the grandmaster's face with his own eyes, he would have believed Jun Wangchen was that very man.

On the platform, Jun Wangchen swept an indifferent glance over the Taekwondo camp and asked evenly, "Anyone else coming up? If so, hurry. I still need to get lunch."

Silence settled around the ring. The Taekwondo students exchanged glances, burning with anger.

"Damn it, you only beat our captain! What are you so smug about?"

"Exactly! Look how arrogant he is. It's disgusting!"

"Vice-captain, teach that punk a proper lesson!"

Jun Wangchen's remark was like a bomb, igniting the Taekwondo camp's fury.

"So arrogant. He needs to be taught a lesson!" The vice-captain, a young man in red, shot him an icy look and vaulted onto the platform.

The young man in black warned him gravely, "Be careful. He's not someone to underestimate!"

"Not someone to underestimate? I think you were just too weak and let him exploit an opening!" The young man in red glanced dismissively at him.

His strength was on par with the young man in black's. Had he cared more about status and personal gain, the position of Jinling University's Taekwondo captain would probably have been his long ago.

"You..." His kindness had been thrown back in his face. The young man in black stiffened, anger rising within him.

Liu Sanquan patted his shoulder, signaling him to say no more and simply watch the match patiently.

Facing the aggressive young man in red on the platform, Jun Wangchen kept his hands behind his back, his expression as still as an ancient well, as though nothing could disturb his composure.

"Bluffing!" The young man in red snorted. The dormant strength within him surged, and a powerful aura slowly radiated outward. Then he kicked off the ground, streaking toward Jun Wangchen like a flash of blue light, and unleashed a powerful sweeping hook with the force of an autumn wind stripping leaves.

"Guide energy with the mind, keeping it steady so it can gather within the bones. Move the body with energy, keeping it smooth and responsive so it follows the heart..." Even as the fist approached him, Jun Wangchen's mind remained still. His hands traced circles as though cradling a ball, moving in arcs and spirals, transitioning smoothly without hesitation. His movements flowed like drifting clouds and running water, gentle, even, and unhurried.

"Huh?" His fist landed on Jun Wangchen, but the young man in red let out a startled sound.

He discovered that punching Jun Wangchen was like punching empty air. His blow had no effect whatsoever.

Shocked, the young man in red nevertheless did not hesitate. He unleashed several more punches, apparently hoping to break through Jun Wangchen's strange technique with brute force.

At the center of the ring, fierce gusts whistled. The wind from his punches tousled Jun Wangchen's hair, leaving it slightly disheveled. Yet no matter how the young man in red attacked, Jun Wangchen remained planted like a pillar holding up the heavens, never moving even half an inch.

In that instant, Jun Wangchen exuded a majestic bearing, like a sovereign looking down upon all the world.

"Why is this happening?" After several punches landed without achieving anything, the young man in red began questioning everything he knew.

He was certain that every punch had struck Jun Wangchen squarely, yet not one had caused any actual harm. It was as though his opponent's body were covered by a shield that absorbed every attack.

Was he imagining things?

Was this a hallucination?

The young man in red could no longer tell.

Just then, Jun Wangchen, who had remained on the defensive, suddenly drew his hands inward and opened his fists into palms. Power surged silently. He tapped his toes against the ground several times, abruptly shifting his Tai Chi circle forward, then drove his palm toward the young man in red with his force following behind it.

To everyone below the platform, that palm strike looked slow—so slow that even someone with impaired mobility would have had time to dodge.

But to the young man in red on the platform, the force carried by that palm was blindingly fast. Before the palm even approached his body, its power struck him through the air.

Bam!

With a sudden thud, the young man in red flew backward as though he had been hit by a car. Like a kite with its string cut, he fell straight off the platform without showing the slightest sign of resistance.

The atmosphere around the ring froze. The Taekwondo students stared blankly at the young man in red below the platform, feeling as though they were dreaming.

The young man in red, whose strength rivaled their captain's, had also been sent flying out of the ring by Jun Wangchen in less than a minute.

If their captain's earlier defeat could be dismissed as a fluke, the vice-captain's defeat was not something luck alone could explain.

On the platform, Jun Wangchen swept his gaze over the Taekwondo camp, his expression unruffled. "Who else wants to come up?"

Silence fell over the entire crowd. The Tai Chi Fist students gazed at Jun Wangchen with eyes full of admiration.

Jun Wangchen's commanding presence now seemed beyond anyone's reach. With that single sentence, he had paid back every humiliation their Tai Chi Fist camp had suffered earlier.

Watching this, Zhang Zhengxiao felt utterly vindicated. He had thought Jun Wangchen had gone up there to get himself killed, never imagining that the guy was the real hidden expert.

Their captain, Chen Fan, also saw Jun Wangchen in a new light. After studying Tai Chi Fist for half a semester, he had never expected Jun Wangchen to possess such profound mastery. Appearances truly were deceiving.

The defeated young man in red looked deeply frustrated. He wanted another fight, but the moment he recalled his opponent's uncanny strength, his courage withered.

The young man in black seemed to have expected this outcome and showed no surprise. Still, another trace of apprehension entered his eyes as he looked at Jun Wangchen.

The Taekwondo camp was deathly silent. Whenever Jun Wangchen's gaze swept their way, they lowered their heads in fear, not daring to meet his eyes.

Even their captain and vice-captain, both fifth-degree black belts, had been defeated by Jun Wangchen. Those who had not even earned a black belt could forget about challenging him.

Jun Wangchen folded his arms across his chest and asked lightly, "No one else, then?"

The Taekwondo camp remained silent.

"Mr. Huang, you have an extraordinary student!" Suddenly, Liu Sanquan gave a wry smile, then stood and called out, "Our Taekwondo team concedes this exhibition match."

"Yes!" Only after those words rang out did the Tai Chi Fist students burst into excited cheers, unable to contain themselves.

In contrast, the Taekwondo students were utterly dispirited, unable to accept their defeat.

Liu Sanquan glanced at his students, stood tall, and shouted, "We were outmatched in this exhibition, and we accept our defeat wholeheartedly. But strong opponents aren't frightening. What's frightening is being weak without any desire to grow stronger. As long as you're willing to work hard, I believe you'll come back stronger next time. Do you have confidence?"

"Yes!" Although they bitterly resented losing, Liu Sanquan's encouragement struck a chord with the Taekwondo students.

After restoring their morale, Liu Sanquan gave Jun Wangchen a meaningful look, then led his students away from the track and field grounds.

The Tai Chi Fist students did not kick their opponents while they were down. Instead, they rushed onto the platform. The boys joined hands to hoist Jun Wangchen high, while the girls shouted together beside them, making for quite an entertaining scene.

"Hey, hey, miss, let go of my undies!"

"Hey, hey, you over there! Men and women shouldn't get so handsy!"

"Hey, hey, why are you guys drooling? I'm a clean freak! What? Why don't I shower? Damn it, because the water's dirty!"

Watching Jun Wangchen surrounded by students, Huang Shihu could not help smiling. "All right, all right, put Jun down. To celebrate today's victory, lunch is on me!"

"Long live our teacher!" At his words, everyone burst into cheers.

Good grief, you finally let go. Suspended in midair, Jun Wangchen inwardly sighed with relief.

"Huh? Oh, damn it! Why did you let go? I'm still in the air... Hey? Hey! Damn it!"