Seeing Lu Ke's punch coming in, Chen Chuan instinctively pressed both hands downward to block. But it was only a feint; Lu Ke's prepared rear hand slammed forward in an instant as he surged ahead. His movements chained seamlessly together. Though Chen Chuan leaned back, the blow still struck him squarely on the chin guard, forcing him to fall back two steps with the momentum.
Lu Ke halted his attack and asked with feigned concern, "Are you all right, Young Master Chen? I might have hit a bit too hard."
Chen Chuan looked at him and smiled. "I'm fine."
Yu Gang stood with his arms crossed, saying nothing. He could see right through Lu Ke's petty scheming, but real combat was never a place for polite reasoning; little tricks like this counted for nothing.
Lu Ke had gone out of his way to land an opening hit on Chen Chuan not only because he held a grudge and wanted to vent some frustration, but also out of tactical calculation. He aimed to provoke Chen Chuan and disrupt his composure, making the rest of the fight far easier to handle.
Yet he soon realized that Chen Chuan showed neither anger at being struck nor any hesitation or fear. He was just as calm as when he had first stepped onto the floor. This reaction made Lu Ke more cautious instead.
Lacking genuine fighting experience, Chen Chuan could only execute moves according to his own understanding. Recalling the fundamentals Yu Gang had taught him, he guarded against Lu Ke's strikes while inching forward, constantly probing with his lead hand to gauge the distance and distract his opponent.
Once he felt he had closed to the right range, he drove out a straight punch. Lu Ke slipped it with ease and countered with a hook. Fortunately, Chen Chuan had stayed mindful of his defense and brought his guard up in time, denying Lu Ke the opening.
By all rights, Lu Ke should have pressed his advantage with a flurry of punches to seize the upper hand. Yet instead of following through, he backed off rapidly, as if wary of something.
Over the past many days, Lu Ke had noticed that Chen Chuan's strikes varied unpredictably in weight. Sometimes they were unremarkable, but at other times they packed explosive power—not only brimming with raw force, but surging in speed as well. Unable to decipher any pattern behind it, he dared not let himself take a single solid hit.
Since Lu Ke would not press in, Chen Chuan took the initiative and went after him.
Chen Chuan attempted to close the distance and strike, but Lu Ke's footwork was nimble. The moment he detected any sign of an incoming move, he circled away immediately. Whenever Chen Chuan drew too close, Lu Ke would snap out a push kick to drive him back, constantly chopping at the hollows behind his knees, and occasionally launching a sudden, opportunistic blow at his face.
Aside from those initial exchanges, Lu Ke did his best to maintain his distance. Relying on his polished kicks and brisk movement, he kept Chen Chuan trapped at mid-to-long range, ensuring the novice could never lay a finger on him.
His strategy was practical. Beginners to combat rarely possessed significant stamina reserves. Under the pressure of intense sparring, dodging and dancing around for just a few minutes would wear them out completely without him needing to do much. Once Chen Chuan's endurance gave out, Lu Ke would have an overwhelming advantage in the remaining two rounds.
Chen Chuan made numerous attempts, but failed to land a single effective blow. He understood that this passive situation stemmed entirely from his lack of technique and experience.
Under normal circumstances, he was bound to lose no matter what he did.
Yet he wanted to win.
Were this a life-or-death battle or the entrance retest, he would have tapped into his Second Self without hesitation.
However, this was merely a sparring session. Purely chasing a superficial victory held little meaning and would only squander an opportunity to train himself. He not only wanted to win, but to do so without relying on his Second Self.
Lu Ke was not without flaws. While his personal defense was tight, it lacked overwhelming pressure. That gave Chen Chuan the breathing room to formulate a countermeasure. After observing him for a while, Chen Chuan actually spotted a potential opening to break the stalemate.
Lu Ke had a habit: whenever Chen Chuan pressed the attack in the open center of the floor, Lu Ke would quickly step away; but whenever he drew near a wall or a pillar, he would almost invariably throw a front kick to push Chen Chuan away.
If that was the case, it might be worth a try...
Chen Chuan did not rush, nor did he rashly reveal his intentions. Instead, he bided his time, waiting patiently for the right moment.
The two traded advances and retreats, offense and defense. Two minutes passed in a flash, and the first round drew near its close.
As Lu Ke dodged, he kept an eye on Chen Chuan. To his astonishment, Chen Chuan showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever. This was completely unlike any beginner.
Then the realization struck him.
*Damn it, it's the breathing technique!*
Through the constant circulation of the breathing technique, Chen Chuan's physical attributes had improved across the board. Even though Lu Ke had trained for far longer, Chen Chuan had managed to catch up to him through this method—and predictably, surpassing him was only a matter of time.
At that thought, a deep wave of envy and jealousy welled up inside him. Fuelled by these bitter emotions, he began to lose the composure he should have kept.
Chen Chuan sensed the subtle shift in Lu Ke's mindset at once. He did not know the reason behind it, but he knew the moment he had been waiting for had arrived.
Tracking his surroundings, Chen Chuan surged forward the moment Lu Ke backed toward a pillar once more. Coordinated by his breathing technique, his abdominal muscles braced in anticipation. Fixing his gaze on Lu Ke, he dropped a hand and swept upward to scoop!
Just as expected, Lu Ke lashed out with a front kick. It was as if he had delivered his leg right into Chen Chuan's grasp. Chen Chuan snatched it firmly. Having braced in advance, the kick to his abdomen caused little damage. Riding the backward momentum, he yanked on Lu Ke's heel, trying to pull him off balance.
Shock coursed through Lu Ke when his leg was caught. Still, he possessed some real sparring experience; as Chen Chuan dragged his leg back, Lu Ke threw a punch straight at his face.
Chen Chuan had originally intended to break Lu Ke's balance before striking, but genuine combat was entirely different from cooperative drills—there was no leisure to execute a movement to completion. He was half a beat too slow, and Lu Ke's fist arrived first. Chen Chuan quickly tucked his head, taking the punch on his forehead headgear. Though his head rattled from the impact, it inflicted no real harm.
Abandoning the punch for now, Chen Chuan clamped Lu Ke's leg beneath his arm and swept his foot out below, attempting to hook Lu Ke's remaining supporting leg. As he had not yet learned ground fighting, he operated on the premise that taking his opponent down would count as a victory.
Yet he soon discovered that while this technique had been easy in drills, the chaotic wrestling of real combat created constant snags. His outstretched foot fell slightly short of Lu Ke's heel, grazing only the edge. Even so, it gave Lu Ke a fright, prompting him to hop backward on one leg by instinct to evade the trip.
That hop, however, created a momentary stall. Chen Chuan felt the opposing force abruptly slacken. Without a second thought, he stepped forward and unleashed the Tray-Lifting Palm from Greater Sanshou!
It was an upward strike delivered with the heel of the palm. Slicing directly through the gap between Lu Ke's hands, it caught him squarely on the chin.
Under the force of the heavy blow, Lu Ke's head snapped back. Even with his chin guard on, his mind spun in a dizzy haze, and his footing stumbled.
"Stop!"
Yu Gang called out.
At the sound of his voice, Chen Chuan halted immediately. Lu Ke staggered backward, shaking his head. Resting a hand against the pillar, he took a good while to regain his senses.
Yu Gang waited until Lu Ke had recovered before calling both of them over.
He looked first at Lu Ke and critiqued, "Your technique and experience are clearly superior to Chen Chuan's. Yet after landing that opening strike, you thought you held the upper hand, and fearing his counter, you spent the rest of the time evading to run him out of stamina. Setting aside whether your strategy was sound, your movements were limited to the same few tricks, devoid of any feints or variations. I'm not surprised in the least that he caught you. It's fortunate Chen Chuan hasn't learned the applications of Orthodox Sanshou and was wearing gloves; otherwise, consider what the consequences would have been."
Lu Ke's expression shifted slightly.
In Orthodox Sanshou, the Tray-Lifting Palm was most commonly followed by the Curtain-Tearing Hand. Upon striking an opponent, the fingers would dig in to rip the skin clean off their face or crush their windpipe outright. It was a vicious technique. Although Yu Gang had never taught it to him, Lu Ke knew of its existence.
Yu Gang then turned to Chen Chuan. "Chen Chuan, when the two of you bowed to exchange salutes at the start, given your relative positions, Lu Ke's opening punch could not have reached you under any circumstances. Defending was completely unnecessary, and doing so gave Lu Ke the opening for his follow-up. That comes down to your lack of experience, but it was also because you failed to observe your surroundings carefully. Take this lesson to heart. At the very least, learn to judge distance properly."
Chen Chuan nodded, accepting the criticism with humility.
Yu Gang continued, "Still, I must give you credit. Even after taking a hit right at the start, you never stopped looking for an opening and remained proactive. Most importantly, you won. So for this first round, I'm awarding you two points."
Chapter 10