The onlookers couldn't help letting out a collective groan that gathered into a synchronized sigh across the arena.
Yet there was nothing to be done; the outcome could not have been clearer. Chen Chuan's hand had already gripped a vital spot like the neck. Had he used real force, he could have snapped Ren Qiao's cervical vertebrae in an instant.
This was an indisputable defeat.
They were all exasperated by his poor showing. At least the previous two rounds had seen real exchanges of blows, but what on earth happened just now? They hadn't even traded hits, had they?
*Your fundamentals are so solid, and everyone usually praises you for being steady and reliable. How could you make such an amateurish blunder all on your own?*
*And what Trainee Chen used at the very end looked like seizing jin? If you say he knows grappling throws and saber techniques, that's understandable—one needs to practice both bare-handed and armed combat. But how does he know seizing techniques too?*
They were utterly baffled.
Chen Chuan had declined the background information Cheng Shang offered about the challengers, and naturally, his own information was not disclosed to them either. What both sides knew about each other was shrouded in fog.
However, a jin technique like Zhouyuan Jin was not widely known. Only those who had truly practiced it knew how it was applied; outsiders looking in through a veil wouldn't necessarily understand even if told.
Watching Ren Qiao's dejected figure leave the ring, Chen Chuan reflected that what he had used was actually the method Instructor Zheng had demonstrated to him not long ago: guiding an opponent's moves to throw them off balance.
Had it not been for Ren Qiao's lack of combat experience, coupled with his heavy wariness toward Chen Chuan and excessive psychological baggage, it would never have produced such an effect.
In fact, had he fought relaxed, Chen Chuan truly might not have taken him down in a single move.
At that moment, the short-haired woman was utterly helpless. Her boundary credential flashed as she transferred two hundred yuan to Ni Xixi's account and tossed the silver coin she had held back to her, sighing resignedly, "Looks like I'll have to pinch pennies again this month."
Ni Xixi rolled her eyes. "Come on, Sister Bai. Wouldn't teaching just one more student cover all of that?"
Sister Bai shook her head. "I don't teach just any student."
With Ren Qiao suffering another defeat, most people realized that Chen Chuan was by no means simple. Dealing with an opponent like this required a strategy, not just a surge of hot blood and an impulsive charge. In an unexpected encounter, one had no choice, but now that they had time to think, they naturally wanted to take advantage of it. Thus, for the moment, no one rushed forward.
Meanwhile, outside the combat arena, quite a few people were streaming in one after another.
Because this was merely an internal exchange without a fixed timetable, and to spare everyone's pride, outsiders were not invited. Everyone who arrived today was an acquaintance from the traditional martial arts lineages.
These people were not bound by blood, but by their lineage traditions. Even between biological father and son, if philosophies clashed or talent was deemed insufficient, the son would be discarded without hesitation, giving the opportunity to others—to disciples who better matched their ideals and possessed greater talent.
A car pulled up in the square outside. The brother and sister whom Chen Chuan had run into at the Haijing Grounds stepped out. The young man checked his watch, then glanced inside.
"Xiao Jing, looks like we're a bit late after all. The exchange matches inside have already started. Come on, let's head in."
"Mm!"
Leading the young girl inside, the young man happened to see Ren Qiao sitting dejectedly to one side, surrounded by a few acquaintances speaking to him. Next to them sat two others who had only just caught their breath—plainly having lost their matches as well.
He glanced at his watch again. *Wait, I remember the time correctly. I'm only a few minutes late. How have you already fought several rounds?*
"Brother, look..."
Xiao Jing tugged at the young man and pointed at Chen Chuan standing in the ring. "That older brother is the one we ran into that day at the Haijing Grounds."
The young man nodded. He had recognized him upon entering as well, marveling, "Center City is so huge, yet we run into each other twice in a row. It really is quite a coincidence."
However...
He looked at Chen Chuan in his Wuyi uniform. The winner was this guy? Was this young man really that strong? Did he just defeat several people in a row all by himself?
Ni Xixi said at that moment, "Brother Chen, looks like you still don't need a rest?"
Chen Chuan thought to himself, *If I said I was tired and wanted a break now, wouldn't that seem even more insulting?* So he nodded and said, "I should be able to continue."
Yet even though his words were tactful, the surrounding youths still felt looked down upon, eyeing him with a mix of helplessness and irritation.
Ni Xixi looked to the side. "Who's next?"
Liu Yin pondered for a moment, then stepped forward. "I will." With that, he strode into the sparring area. As he walked out, the noise in the arena died down noticeably.
Xiao Jing's eyes brightened. "It's Big Brother Liu Yin!"
The young man said, "Oh? Liu Yin is stepping up this soon? Looks like this young man has put quite a bit of pressure on them."
Liu Yin was undoubtedly the most outstanding among this generation. Back when the young man was Liu Yin's age, he couldn't have matched him; even now, if they were to fight in earnest, it was hard to say who would win or lose.
"Big Brother Liu Yin will definitely win, right?" Xiao Jing asked, looking up in admiration at Liu Yin.
The young man pondered and said, "In a duel, there is no guaranteed victory. Fundamentals, mindset, and performance on the spot are all indispensable. A winner today might not win tomorrow."
He looked ahead. "Between fighters like them, the gap is actually very small. Victory and defeat are hard to call; sometimes it might even come down to a bit of luck."
"Luck?"
"Mm, like positioning." The young man smiled. "There's a superstitious saying that the one standing on the west side—which is to our left—is more likely to lose."
"But Big Brother Liu Yin is standing on the west side right now."
"That's why it's just a superstition, haha."
Taking his stance before Chen Chuan, Liu Yin said, "Trainee Chen, by stepping up now, I'm actually taking advantage of you. I hope you don't mind."
No matter how quickly Chen Chuan had ended the earlier bouts, Liu Yin had watched everything up to now and gained an understanding of his opponent. This was an undeniable advantage, and strictly speaking, it truly was unfair.
Yet he preferred a fair fight; otherwise, victory would be meaningless. So he added, "In unarmed combat, my specialty is sanshou. My sense of danger has always been sharp, and I can almost always spot an opponent's flaws. Please be careful."
The short-haired woman said, "Aside from his solid fundamentals, Liu Yin can always spot the right tactical openings in time. That's something none of the others can match."
Ni Xixi teased, "Sister Bai, you'd better hold your tongue, or you might just jinx Liu Yin."
The short-haired woman shot her an annoyed look, but promptly closed her mouth.
Just then, Ni Xixi frowned and walked over to the side, seemingly having received a message.
Chen Chuan noticed that once this man stepped forward, everyone else went silent. He was likely the most prominent among these lineage disciples.
He observed Liu Yin closely. The man possessed a sound will and steady mindset, with well-coordinated rhythm in his movements and virtually no obvious flaws or shortcomings. He was not someone who could be taken down in a single move like the previous challengers.
After cupping their fists in formal greeting, both took a short step back. Yet Liu Yin remained still—not out of hesitation or fear, but clearly unwilling to take advantage of Chen Chuan by pressing an early attack.
Since he was being courteous, Chen Chuan didn't stand on ceremony either. He closed in slowly, and once within range, he accelerated abruptly, driving a punch toward Liu Yin's face.
Liu Yin chose not to block. Shifting his footwork and leaning his upper body slightly back, he dodged to the side. His movements were swift and his center of gravity adjusted sensibly; though he hadn't yet counterattacked, both hands were already positioned in the ideal posture to strike back.
The crowd let out a breath of relief, and someone even cheered. Liu Yin hadn't been knocked down in a single blow, after all—the pressure on the rest of them had been growing suffocating.
Chen Chuan took note. The man moved naturally and prudently. To win while keeping his own output low, he would need to find flaws and openings through motion. It seemed this round would require maneuvering first.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a message from Ni Xixi arrived via his boundary credential: *Brother Chen, something's come up at the Bureau. If you can wrap this up, finish it as quickly as possible.*
Hearing this, Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow. In that case, he had no choice but to adjust his strategy. Releasing his restraint over his mutated tissue in an instant, his forward step suddenly exploded with speed.
An ordinary fighter would never have been able to adapt to such an abrupt tempo shift and would likely have panicked on the spot. Liu Yin, however, remained calm. Rather than dodging, he raised his guard and leaned his body forward, actively closing the distance.
Watching from the sidelines, Sister Bai couldn't help praising the move. It was the right choice: dodging was futile—could anyone dodge faster than an incoming charge? In such a situation, trying to flee only made it easier to get knocked down.
By pressing forward proactively, he could use the collision to suppress Chen Chuan's momentum. Chen Chuan's sudden burst of speed couldn't have come without a cost—most of his mutated tissue had to be engaged, which meant there was no need to fear throws or seizures either. Being wary and merely backing away was useless; when the time came to close in, one had to close in. Crashing directly into the chest often yielded better results.
Sure enough, Chen Chuan did not alter his move. In a flash, arms and shoulders slammed together. Because both men were driving forward with full force, a heavy thud erupted, the sound making the onlookers' chests tighten.
In Liu Yin's estimation, the force of the collision would momentarily stall both of them. His jin technique was Shuhe Jin, which allowed him to adjust and coordinate faster than ordinary fighters, so he could recover first and capitalize on that slight edge to seize control.
Yet he never expected that while the impact knocked him back two steps, Chen Chuan stood rooted to the spot without budging. Then, as though completely unaffected, Chen Chuan stepped forward, reached out, and snapped his hand onto Liu Yin's wrist with a sharp crack.
Liu Yin's eyes narrowed. Knowing well that his opponent possessed formidable grappling and seizing skills, if jin penetrated his body, the fight would be over. Left with no choice, he could only channel his jin and prepare to surge into close quarters along with any pull Chen Chuan might exert.
Yet Chen Chuan did not employ the expected maneuver. Instead, he channeled his jin and surged forward as well, causing them to collide a second time. Another dull thud echoed through the arena.
Chen Chuan stood firm like a boulder, unmoving. Liu Yin, however, felt a wave of suffocation in his chest, his hands and feet trembling faintly, his stance faltering beneath him.
Before he could recover, Chen Chuan's figure enlarged before his eyes. With a heavy impact, Chen Chuan's shoulder slammed into his chest. This time, Liu Yin flew backward, hitting the floor and skidding back into the crowd until onlookers caught him amid startled cries.
Chen Chuan slowly straightened up. Standing in the center of the ring, he looked ahead, cupped his fists toward where Liu Yin had fallen, and said, "Thank you for the match."
Silence fell over the arena.
A few breaths later, Ni Xixi stepped forward, clapping her hands. "All right, let's call it a day. Brother Chen has business to attend to and needs to leave. We'll find another opportunity next time." She gestured to Chen Chuan and walked out first.
The crowd remained silent. Liu Yin was universally recognized as the strongest among them, yet even Liu Yin had been defeated. There seemed to be no point in continuing today.
Chen Chuan smoothed his clothes, nodded to everyone, and walked to the doorway to pick up the Xuejun Saber. Just as he was about to head outside, a voice called out behind him: "Young brother, who taught you your martial arts?"
Chen Chuan paused and turned his head. Seeing that the one who asked was the man he had met once before, he glanced back at everyone inside and said steadily, "Instructor Cheng Zitong, from Yangzhi Wuyi."
With that, he turned and strode out the door. Moments later, the sound of a sports car speeding away echoed from outside.
Chapter 282