Entering the training room, Chen Chuan saw Chen Xiaojin dressed in a training suit, working out diligently.
After not seeing him for a year, Chen Xiaojin had grown noticeably taller.
What he was practicing at the moment was precisely the method of channeling jin that Chen Chuan had asked Lu Fang to teach him before departing.
This was a sanshou stance routine tailored specifically for him. During training, all he needed to do was coordinate his breathing with the exertion of force. Going through the full set of fifty-six distinct force-exerting movements would effectively train every part of his body and stimulate every piece of mutated tissue he possessed.
In fact, as long as nutrition and recovery kept pace, this method of channeling jin was theoretically sufficient to train him all the way to the Third Limit.
Once this foundation was solidly laid, even if he practiced other techniques, he could expand outward from this base, adapting them into something that suited him rather than being led astray by other styles.
Without proper guidance, most fighters would stumble through a clumsy, bumpy trial-and-error process, repeatedly groping and adjusting until they found the path best suited to them.
There was no helping it; not everyone could receive pointers from a martial artist.
Chen Chuan watched for a while. Chen Xiaojin was clearly very hardworking, executing every move with earnest dedication, without cutting a single corner.
He appeared to be at the Second Limit already. But to break through to the Third Limit, following his current pace and assuming everything went smoothly, would take around two to three years at the fastest.
As for whether he could become a martial artist, that would come down to luck.
Chen Chuan hoped Chen Xiaojin could achieve it. Back then, if Chen Bitong had truly wanted to climb higher, he could have done so, but he had given it up. He had chosen instead to win an opportunity for more fighters to rise.
As his only surviving son, Chen Xiaojin deserved these rewards, and he must receive them.
Now that Chen Chuan was here, even if Chen Xiaojin truly reached that stage, he would not need to sign agreements with the government or corporations.
As the dense series of sounds in the ring ceased, Chen Xiaojin finally finished another set of jin-channeling drills, panting heavily as sweat poured from him like rain.
Just then, he sensed something and turned his head to look. Catching sight of Chen Chuan standing there, his eyes went wide in disbelief, and he cried out in joyful surprise:
"Teacher!"
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Don't stop. Keep going."
"Yes!"
Chen Xiaojin nodded vigorously. Seeing that Chen Chuan didn't object to the form of address, he beamed with joy, visibly brimming with newfound drive.
After Chen Xiaojin completed another three consecutive sets, Chen Chuan saw that he had reached his limit and said, "Take a break."
He picked up a bottle of water from a nearby rack and tossed it over. Chen Xiaojin caught it cleanly, walked to the side, and first wiped his sweat with a towel while steadying his breath. Then, leaning against a rest pillar, he took out a tablet and swallowed it down with water.
The medicine had minimal side effects and could help him quickly recover his stamina, easing fatigue in his muscles and mutated tissue.
If circumstances permitted, one could hire a dedicated physical therapist or masseur. However, he had no income yet. Although his status as a martyr's dependent exempted him from tuition, training required money in far too many areas, so he had to pinch pennies wherever he could.
Chen Chuan asked, "Adjusting well?"
"Very well!" Chen Xiaojin replied.
He said earnestly, "Teacher, the path my brother and sister walked, I'll walk it too. I'll prove it to him."
Chen Chuan knew that Chen Xiaojin had always refused to accept Chen Bitong's poor opinion of his natural talent and wanted to prove him wrong. Now, however, he probably harbored another goal as well: to become a martial artist and bring Chen Bitong back.
Whatever had become of Chen Bitong, Chen Chuan, as Chen Xiaojin's teacher, would search for him alongside him.
"I've just assessed your fundamentals. At your current stage, you pass, but to achieve what you desire, it's far from enough. Sign up for my class next, and I'll formally begin instructing you."
He would open a private class for Chen Xiaojin as a Wuyi instructor; as for teaching other students, he didn't have the time for that right now.
"Yes!"
A smile broke across Chen Xiaojin's face. This meant Chen Chuan was officially accepting him as a student.
"Teacher, Wuyi Academy recently organized an internal exchange tournament across several center cities. I was wondering if I could take part."
Hearing this, Chen Chuan immediately searched for information. It was co-hosted by several Wuyi Academies that had already connected to the Skyline, while other Wuyi Academies interested in joining the Skyline were participating as well.
This was a clever move, indirectly showcasing some of the Skyline's achievements.
However...
He looked closer and saw that several Center City Wuyi Academies where local council factions held strong influence had also applied to join. That was quite intriguing; it appeared both sides intended to use this tournament to prove a point.
After a moment's thought, he said, "You can participate. The art of fighting lies in exchange. Do you have a target in mind?"
He had just checked the rules. In theory, all Wuyi students were eligible to participate, but they had to pass an assessment by the selection panel. For newly enrolled students, however, they were currently allowed to freely choose their examiner.
"I do."
Chen Xiaojin quickly pulled up a file and said, "Teacher, these are the fighters in charge of our assessment. Right now, the spots for the other examiners are full, leaving only this one. If I want to enter the tournament, I have to defeat him."
Chen Chuan looked at the profile. It showed a burly man over two meters tall who stood like an iron tower.
He pulled up previous assessment footage of this person. Standing rooted in place, the man had sent a student flying with just a single punch, and up to now, he had never needed to throw a second.
Because passing through him was excessively difficult, with only a single attempt permitted and a high risk of injury, most students had opted for other examiners. Consequently, only his assessment slots still had openings.
To put it plainly, the gap in strength between Chen Xiaojin and this man was overwhelmingly large on paper; winning seemed nearly impossible.
Yet Chen Chuan felt it was worth a shot. For one thing, he didn't believe it was entirely hopeless; furthermore, even a loss would serve as valuable training, since having a clear objective provided a massive boost to one's progress.
After a brief deliberation, he immediately instructed Hongfu to draw on simulation resources and create a construct of the examiner named Yun Kui on the spot.
Although Hongfu lacked detailed data on the man, Chen Chuan, as a martial artist of the Dongxuan View, could deduce roughly eighty to ninety percent of his mutated tissue distribution and signature techniques merely by observing his physique and a few force-exertion movements.
Thus, any gaps could be supplied and supplemented from his end.
Soon, formed through the simulation resources, Yun Kui materialized before the two of them.
Chen Xiaojin's breathing quickened slightly. As the figure appeared before him, he instantly felt the oppressive aura radiating from that colossal build, alongside an eager urge to test himself.
Chen Chuan said, "Next, I'll use your physical data to fight him once. Watch closely."
With that, another "Chen Xiaojin" appeared in the arena, standing face-to-face with Yun Kui. After exchanging traditional combat salutes, the simulated Chen Xiaojin dashed forward almost immediately. Yun Kui stood motionless, exactly as shown in the recording, and threw a punch straight out.
Yet when their fists collided, Yun Kui's massive frame shuddered involuntarily, and he was abruptly knocked backward several steps.
The simulated Chen Xiaojin, meanwhile, landed with steady footing.
"That's..." Chen Xiaojin's eyes lit up.
Chen Chuan said, "That was based entirely on your own physical parameters. When jin is applied properly, it can produce what seems like impossible miracles—especially when directed with precision.
"The disparity between you might look immense, but when you can focus the power of all your mutated tissues into a single focal point, you can overpower him.
"The way to exert that force is contained within the jin-channeling method I had taught to you before. Think it over, then step up and try it yourself."
Chen Xiaojin pondered for a moment, took several deep breaths, and stepped into the ring.
Drawing on the techniques Chen Chuan had taught him and modeling his movements on the demonstration just now, he leaped forward, exhaled, and drove his fist out!
Opposite him, Yun Kui threw a punch as well. With a resounding bang, the moment their knuckles met, an overwhelming torrent of force surged into Chen Xiaojin's body. His vision went black, and he was hurled through the air, crashing down hard onto the crash mats behind him.
His consciousness seemed to black out for a second. When he came to, his arm was trembling violently, and his entire skeletal frame felt as if it had been shattered by the blow. For a long while, he couldn't get up.
Chen Chuan walked over and said to him, "If this had been the official assessment, you would already be disqualified.
"You were a fraction too slow in marshaling your jin, yet rushed the punch too eagerly. That prevented your power from fully deploying, which is why you were so easily overwhelmed. Remember: you must clash against him with your single strongest point, or you won't stand the slightest chance.
"I'll show you an adjustment method. Combined with medicine, it will help you recover quickly. Pay attention to your breathing..."
"Yes!"
Chen Xiaojin gritted his teeth and stood up. He adjusted according to the breathing method Chen Chuan taught him and swallowed another pill.
After a while, he regained his composure and stepped forward to try again. Unsurprisingly, he was hammered back by another punch, thrown even harder and farther than before.
Chen Chuan said, "This time you gathered your power too quickly. When his punch arrived, your peak jin had already passed, essentially offering yourself up to be hit.
"You can drill the mechanics of exertion, but timing the combat opportunity is something only you can master."
"Yes, Teacher!"
Chen Xiaojin stubbornly got to his feet, made adjustments, and charged forward once more.
Over the next several hours, he was knocked down again and again, only to rise each time. Faced with such a beating, an ordinary person would have succumbed to shattered confidence and self-doubt long ago, yet he showed not the slightest hint of backing down.
Chen Chuan nodded inwardly. In terms of seizing combat opportunities, Chen Xiaojin indeed lacked a touch of natural gift, but his resilience was extraordinary. That was his greatest strength, and a formidable advantage.
By the fiftieth-odd attempt, Chen Xiaojin finally succeeded in driving Yun Kui back several paces. He then tried several more times, succeeding on every attempt. This filled him with intense exhilaration, and the mutated tissues within his body began responding to him in turn.
A fighter's joy and thrill upon overcoming an opponent fostered better transformation of their mutated tissue. Conversely, frequent failures could cause the mutated tissue to become sluggish and dormant, hindering the fighter's development.
Yet Chen Xiaojin's redeeming quality was that setbacks could never make him give up. His mental fortitude was among the rarest Chen Chuan had ever encountered. This was wonderful, for it meant repeated failures would not dampen his spirit—diligence truly could compensate for a lack of talent in his case.
Chen Chuan felt that when time permitted, he might even write an article discussing this topic.
Chen Chuan said, "Well done. But this is only the beginning. Your opponent is merely a simulation; he hasn't shown his full strength, and he only used the simplest of punches. From what I can tell, his greatest strength lies in a grappling technique he has mastered."
As Chen Chuan spoke, Chen Xiaojin watched another simulated scenario play out in the arena.
The projection showed Chen Xiaojin leaping forward to drive Yun Kui back with a punch. But this time, Yun Kui took only a single step back before anchoring himself, then lunged forward in a flash. Seizing Chen Xiaojin while he was still airborne, the man slammed him violently into the ground. With a sickening crack, Chen Xiaojin's neck snapped, leaving him collapsed limp on the floor.
Chapter 1344