After Senior Brother Yan faced Chen Chuan again, he didn't become timid after one mistake; instead, he pressed forward once more.
After probing a few times, he suddenly turned sideways and threw a kick straight for the liver. After Chen Chuan blocked it in time, he immediately followed up with a spinning hook kick, sweeping toward his opponent's head and neck.
These two moves seemed identical to last time, but in reality, the first attack had been a feint followed by a real strike, while this time, both were real. Moreover, they were linked together so quickly there were almost no openings.
This time, Chen Chuan met the attack with a wing arm block, raising his other hand for a parry to neutralize both kicks in succession. Guided by his breathing, his upper body barely swayed. He didn't use his Second Self, relying entirely on his own strength.
Someone in the crowd recognized the technique and said in a low voice, "A Breathing Technique!"
If a fighter started practicing a Breathing Technique without a solid foundation, they would be burning through their own life force and potential. Most people couldn't withstand that. Those with a foundation only started practicing when they were a bit older.
Based on the general standard across the boxing halls, a fighter couldn't truly master it until they were around twenty.
But in their eyes, although Chen Chuan was quite tall, he was sixteen or seventeen at most. 'To have mastered a Breathing Technique at this age... is he a disciple meticulously groomed by some Boxing Club?'
After throwing those two kicks, Senior Brother Yan had a basic grasp of the situation. Chen Chuan's reactions were fast, he could seize opportunities, and he had also mastered a Breathing Technique. This made things very difficult for him. However, victory wasn't always determined by the strength of the two fighters alone.
He secretly glanced at Chen Chuan's feet. He had noticed something during his last two attacks: Chen Chuan hadn't dodged at all. One time he had met the attack head-on, the other he had opted for a hard block. And he hadn't followed up with a counter-attack either.
This confirmed it for him: his opponent hadn't adapted to the ring yet. The elasticity of the floor was affecting his center of gravity and power generation.
It might seem like a small difference, but in a real fight, the slightest deviation in power could affect one's entire performance. By exploiting this weakness, he could keep Chen Chuan on the defensive and control the rhythm of the fight.
If an opponent was constantly forced to defend without being able to attack, they would inevitably grow impatient. Striking then would undoubtedly offer a much higher chance of victory.
For the next half minute, Senior Brother Yan stayed on the offensive, while Chen Chuan only parried, barely counter-attacking. It looked as if he was trapped.
But in reality, his goal at this moment wasn't to knock out his opponent. He was observing, searching for the man's breathing rhythm. He remembered Yu Gang's words: if you disrupt an opponent's breathing rhythm, they can't smoothly use their Breathing Technique or their Power.
Although he didn't know if this Senior Brother Yan possessed Power, it didn't stop him from using the man as a training partner to practice and learn.
While Chen Chuan and Senior Brother Yan were sparring in the ring, Coach Gu and two young men walked in from outside.
If Chen Chuan had glanced over, he would have recognized the two young men as Shenghai and Liang Tong, whom he had met at his graduation party.
As they walked, Coach Gu said, "You two can feel free to look around. There are a lot of young people here, not much different from your place."
Shenghai quickly replied, "Thank you, Coach Gu."
Coach Gu smiled. "It's nothing. Although we belong to different branches, we're all members of the Xiujiang Boxing Club. In the old days, we would have been considered fellow disciples from the same school. In the future, the Boxing Club will have to rely on you young people to carry it forward... Hmm, it's pretty lively today. I haven't seen that young fella sparring with Xiaoyan before."
Liang Tong suddenly cried out in surprise.
Coach Gu looked at him and saw his gaze was fixed on the ring. He gestured toward it with his chin. "What is it? You know this young man?"
Liang Tong said, "I think he's a classmate who graduated from my high school. I even gave him a flyer for our Boxing Club."
"Is that so? No wonder he came to our Boxing Club."
Liang Tong was suddenly embarrassed and stammered, "No, Coach Gu, I..."
Coach Gu smiled and waved a hand. "No need to explain. We're open for business. As long as you're not here to cause trouble, all guests are welcome."
Just then, Xiaoliang also saw Coach Gu. He hurried over, sighing in relief. "Coach Gu, you're finally here."
Coach Gu asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiaoliang pointed to the ring. "That young man... he's the one. The one you told me to let you know about."
"Last time?"
Coach Gu thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered the incident with the punching bag. His expression grew serious as he looked at the ring. "You're saying this young man is the one who split the punching bag?"
"I think so. There's no one else it could be," Xiaoliang said, sounding a bit uncertain himself.
Coach Gu left the others and strode over until he was right below the ring. When the crowd saw it was him, they all greeted him and made way for him.
Coach Gu responded to each of them in turn, then stood still and observed for a while.
He noticed that Chen Chuan was passively parrying, sometimes having clear opportunities but failing to launch a counter-attack. At first glance, it seemed like a matter of skill, but he soon realized that wasn't the case.
Judging by his defense alone, Chen Chuan was flawless. His feet had barely moved, a clear sign that he was fighting with ease. And defense was much harder than offense.
'So why is he fighting so passively?'
'Is he trying to save his opponent's face? Hoping he'll just admit defeat? A boxing hall isn't a place for humility. You only earn respect by winning.'
But after observing for a while longer, he formed a vague guess based on Chen Chuan's subtle movements and gaze. 'Could that be it...?'
By now, Chen Chuan had gradually figured out Senior Brother Yan's attack rhythm, which was inextricably linked to his Breathing Technique. When Senior Brother Yan threw another kick, Chen Chuan no longer stood still. He suddenly took a large step to the right as his left hand swept out, brushing past his opponent's ribs.
Although Senior Brother Yan was on guard, his own momentum prevented him from reacting in time, and he failed to block the blow.
Chen Chuan's strike was fast, but he hadn't put his full power into it; in reality, it was just a graze. Yet, with that one seemingly light touch, Senior Brother Yan's power—which had felt like a unified whole—seemed to fracture. His breathing rhythm was instantly thrown into chaos, which in turn affected his movements. The technique he was executing fell apart halfway through, and his body faltered for a moment.
But Chen Chuan didn't stop. He seized the opportunity, following the momentum with a spinning elbow that smashed into the side of Senior Brother Yan's neck. The man didn't even make a sound as his body pitched forward, falling onto the ring with a THUD.
"Old Yan is down! Quick, help him down!"
"Splash some water on him! Splash some... What, no need? He splashed me last time!"
Just then, Coach Gu emerged from the crowd and came to the front. The clamor immediately subsided. He looked up at Chen Chuan in the ring and said, "Young man, which Boxing Club are you from?"
Chen Chuan shook his head. "I'm not from any Boxing Club. I just train on my own. I came here to spar and exchange pointers."
Seeing that he didn't state his origins, Coach Gu's expression relaxed a little. This meant Chen Chuan wasn't here to cause trouble; otherwise, he would have definitely announced his name and affiliation.
He said, "So it's for sparring and exchange. How about this, young man? I'll spar with you. What do you say?"
'This must be the Coach Gu that Xiaoliang mentioned,' Chen Chuan thought. He grew more serious and replied, "I could not ask for anything better!"
"Coach Gu is getting in there himself? Now that's an honor."
"Hey kid, you better be careful, or you'll be the one getting water splashed on you!"
Coach Gu went to the side, took off his jacket, changed into a Xiujiang Boxing Hall training uniform, and began to warm up.
Below the ring, Shenghai whispered to Liang Tong, "He's your classmate? Even Senior Brother Yan couldn't beat him. No wonder I thought there was something special about him last time."
Liang Tong was also a bit stunned. Senior Brother Yan was a veteran fighter; they had heard of him. He never expected him to be no match for Chen Chuan. He remembered that Chen Chuan had said he had a "little bit of a foundation." 'This is what he calls a little bit of a foundation?'
And now he was about to spar with Coach Gu.
It was hard to imagine. Someone he used to see often, someone he thought he knew, was suddenly competing on the same stage as a legendary figure he could only look up to. It all felt a bit unreal.
He thought for a moment more, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He said excitedly, "Right! I heard someone from Class 4 got into Wuda. That might be him!"
"From Wuda? No wonder, no wonder." Shenghai immediately understood.
Liang Tong said, "You know, I never heard he was this good back in school."
Shenghai remarked, "He must have been keeping a low profile."
He felt a new sense of admiration for Chen Chuan. To be able to take down Senior Brother Yan—that kind of skill wasn't built in a day or two.
At their age, who could resist showing off after learning how to fight? He himself had been like that, always wanting to look cool in front of the girls. But to learn all these skills and have none of his classmates know... that level of self-control was something else.
Coach Gu had more or less finished warming up his muscles and joints. He ducked under the ropes, stepped into the ring, and after a few steps, came to a stop opposite Chen Chuan.
...
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