Sparring

Holding the saber in his hand, Chen Chuan cupped his fist in return. "Senior Zheng, please advise me." Beside them, Instructor Zheng reminded him, "Trainee Chen, in a moment, you are only allowed to parry. No striking back, no dodging. Stand right where you are and use the method I taught you to deflect and neutralize force. Once you have a firm grasp of these techniques, we will move on to the next stage." Zheng Tongtong gave the thick-backed saber in her hand a nimble twirl. "Classmate Chen, please draw your blade." Chen Chuan reached out and gripped the hilt, slowly drawing the Xuejun Saber. As the gleaming edge was exposed bit by bit, a chill seemed to seep across the entire training field. "Oh? A mutated weapon?" Instructor Zheng was momentarily taken aback. Those were rare nowadays—not many still possessed that craft. Furthermore... His expression grew somewhat serious. The cold gleam on the blade gave him an indescribable sense of threat. He could tell at once that more than a few experts had fallen beneath this weapon. Zheng Tongtong waited until the Xuejun Saber was fully unsheathed and Chen Chuan had assumed his stance before speaking. "Junior Chen, watch out!" With that, she leaped forward and brought her blade down in an overhead chop. Her movements were exceptionally nimble, bouncing right over like an inflated rubber ball. Remembering Instructor Zheng's instructions, Chen Chuan did not dodge. Instead, he mobilized his mutated tissue using the technique Instructor Zheng had taught him and raised the Xuejun Saber horizontally to meet the strike. *Clang!* A surge of powerful force traveled through the blade. His footing sank, and the specialized flooring dipped beneath him as the force continued to press down for a brief moment before finally dissipating. Zheng Tongtong did not follow up with another attack. Instead, she retreated several paces, giving Chen Chuan time to adapt and reflect. It was obvious this was far from her first time guiding a sparring partner through drills; she was thoroughly experienced. Chen Chuan recognized her kindness. He reflected on the clash. Although he had neutralized the force from that blow, his redirection had been too slow. Under the precondition that he couldn't dodge, if Zheng Tongtong had delivered a second strike, he would have been knocked off his feet on the spot, throwing his entire defensive posture into disarray. He needed to speed up the deflection and neutralization process as much as possible. Once he had figured it out, he gave Zheng Tongtong a nod. Zheng Tongtong's initial chop had only been a test to gauge his endurance so she would know what level to calibrate her strikes to. Now having a clear idea, she stepped up and delivered another chop. *Clang!* Chen Chuan caught it steadily. This time, his feet didn't sink at the same time; the distribution of force was balanced reasonably, faintly carrying the posture for a counterattack. Zheng Tongtong praised him, "Nicely caught, Junior!" She had originally planned to hold back some of her strength, yet Chen Chuan had taken the strike squarely. Although his neutralization and deflection of jin were not yet fully seasoned, they were textbook and executed properly. She said, "Junior Chen, your foundation is very solid. I won't hold back now." With that, she raised her blade and slashed down again. This time, it didn't end with a single strike—she unleashed over a hundred chops in succession! Every single chop maintained the exact same posture, matching in distance and force without the slightest variation. Each subsequent blow followed precisely at the moment Chen Chuan finished neutralizing the previous strike, leaving him no room for a breather and demonstrating an exceptionally firm foundation and mastery. Under such oppressive chopping, Chen Chuan had no choice but to do everything in his power to mobilize his mutated tissue to neutralize and deflect the force. Though he was barely able to keep up during the first dozen strikes, under Zheng Tongtong's masterful sparring guidance, he rapidly adapted to and grasped the deflection techniques. By the time they reached the final dozens of strikes, he was handling them with ease. Instructor Zheng watched from the side the entire time. Only when Zheng Tongtong had delivered over a thousand consecutive chops and Chen Chuan had completely adapted to the onslaught did he speak up: "That's enough. Take a break." Zheng Tongtong immediately retreated to her previous position. Despite sustaining such high-intensity chopping, her breathing remained remarkably steady and her demeanor completely relaxed, showing that such exertion was nothing to her. Chen Chuan adjusted his breathing and looked up at Zheng Tongtong, nodding to express his gratitude. She was truly extraordinary. Setting aside her combat capability, he had never seen such a high level of sparring guidance before. He only needed to focus on doing his absolute best without worrying about anything else, because his opponent would naturally provide the appropriate response, coaxing out his peak performance. If he had practiced on his own, reaching that final state would have taken an entire day even under the most optimistic estimate. Yet it had all been compressed into those thousand-plus chops just now. He could feel that the technique of neutralizing and deflecting jin had seemingly been committed to memory by the mutated tissue in his body. This was the inevitable response born of external stimulus combined with conscious intent. No wonder fighters were willing to spend huge sums to hire top-tier private trainers. It truly made a difference. A good sparring partner was of tremendous help to a fighter. Instructor Zheng said, "Trainee Chen, next I'll have Tongtong increase the difficulty. Get ready." He called out to his daughter, "Tongtong." Zheng Tongtong signaled her understanding and warned Chen Chuan, "Junior Chen, I'm increasing the power of my chops this time. Watch out!" Chen Chuan replied that he was ready and squared his stance. Seeing that he was prepared, Zheng Tongtong brought her blade down again without holding back. The surge of force trailing the strike was clearly far stronger than before. Seeing it coming, Chen Chuan did not simply wait for the blade to fall. Instead, he lifted his hand slightly, pressing the spine of the Xuejun Saber upward against the descending blow. When the blades met, there was none of the jarring collision from earlier. The force of the strike merely pressed him down slightly, as if the blade had not been chopped down, but gently laid against his own. Instructor Zheng observed and was very pleased with this move. Technique meant utilizing every advantageous condition to mitigate disadvantageous factors. When the opponent changed their force, you naturally had to find a new way to break through. This response was proactive, yet it remained within the parameters he had set. Very good. No wonder Chen Chuan had received an 'Upper-Superior' rating for combat decision-making in his entrance evaluation. It was precisely because Instructor Zheng valued this quality that he had decided to teach him with earnest dedication. Technique and physical fitness could be honed through practice and other means, but such innate combat talent was something very few possessed, and virtually impossible to cultivate after the fact. As a qualified sparring partner, upon seeing Chen Chuan take the initiative to adapt, Zheng Tongtong correspondingly increased the difficulty of her drills. Her attacks were no longer restricted to straight overhead chops; she switched to horizontal slashes from the left and right, which were much harder to block. Chen Chuan struggled a bit at first, but quickly adjusted. Once he had adapted for the most part, Zheng Tongtong altered her moves to diagonal upward sweeps, followed by thrusts, and then sweeping slices... Every time Chen Chuan adapted and kept up, she changed her attack pattern. Once Chen Chuan proved capable of handling all of these, she transitioned seamlessly into various blade combinations without leaving the slightest gap between them, chaining them together with tight precision. Under this fast-paced guidance and drilling, Chen Chuan's mastery of the force-deflection technique progressed steadily. Instructor Zheng spoke up: "Let's stop here for now. We'll continue in the afternoon." Hearing the instruction, Zheng Tongtong cleanly sheathed her saber. Chen Chuan checked the time and realized it was already eleven-thirty. Without him noticing, an entire morning had slipped by. Instructor Zheng said, "Tongtong, go get things ready." "All right!" Zheng Tongtong turned and walked out. After swinging her saber for hours, she wasn't out of breath in the slightest, nor had she broken a sweat. Clearly, her jin and breathing technique had reached a remarkably sophisticated level. Instructor Zheng walked over to Chen Chuan and looked him up and down. Seeing that he showed no signs of fatigue either, his eyes still bright and spirited, the instructor nodded in satisfaction. "Trainee Chen, your foundation is very solid. Well done. Based on your performance, we'll dial up the intensity this afternoon and focus on jin." Chen Chuan drew a breath. "Understood, Instructor Zheng." He knew full well that up to this point, the training had still been relatively simple. As the attacker, Zheng Tongtong had only varied her blade techniques so far without employing any variations in jin. The latter was the real test. Instructor Zheng pointed out a few more details for him to keep in mind. Just then, an aroma of roasting meat drifted over from the front courtyard. He smiled. "Let's get something to eat first. Follow me." He led Chen Chuan to the front courtyard, where a barbecue grill had been set up. Zheng Tongtong was threading sliced meat onto skewers. Instructor Zheng said, "Sharpening the axe doesn't delay the woodcutter. Good food provides motivation, making practice far more effective. In my opinion, every academy—whether teaching the arts or martial disciplines—should line their classrooms with barbecue grills. Do well, and you get to eat; slack off, and you watch others feast. I guarantee every student would be howling to study." Zheng Tongtong couldn't help chiming in, "Dad, that's just your personal preference." Instructor Zheng countered, "How could this just be my personal preference? The finest things in the world are eating and sleeping. For us fighters, only by eating well and sleeping well do we have the strength to fight others." He walked over, grabbed a finished skewer, and tossed it to Chen Chuan. "Give it a try." Chen Chuan caught it and took a bite, his eyes widening in mild surprise. The texture was extraordinary—crisp on the outside, tender and smooth on the inside, bursting with rich juice when bitten into. A warm sensation spread through him with every mouthful, rapidly restoring his depleted stamina. It even gave him a feeling similar to consuming nutritional paste. Instructor Zheng said with a smile, "This isn't ordinary mutton. It's high-cliff sheep raised in special regions and procured through Zhantong United's channels, provided specifically for us fighters. You could say it's a benefit the Disposal Bureau provides to instructors and students." Chen Chuan considered this. Compared to supplying expensive medicine, providing high-quality ingredients incurred relatively low costs while delivering immense pleasure and satisfaction. Such arrangements by the Disposal Bureau were an easy way to foster a sense of belonging—truly cost-effective goodwill. As for Zhantong United, he had never heard of the company before. Checking his boundary credential, he learned that its business specialized in all manner of niche items and rare curiosities. No matter how novel or uncommon something was, as long as one could afford the price, the company had channels to acquire it. After Chen Chuan finished the skewer, Zheng Tongtong handed him a dozen more freshly grilled ones. He thanked her and took them. Instructor Zheng said, "To fully absorb the nutrients inside, you need intense physical exertion. This meat will be more than enough to fuel your afternoon training. "The jin I taught you—you've achieved an initial grasp, but it isn't truly yours yet. "Just as every person has their own habits, every person has their own unique jin. So in this afternoon's training, you must find the jin that belongs to you!"