Shu Han looked at Chen Chuan standing before him—tall, handsome, and clear-eyed. He couldn't help muttering inwardly that the kid was certainly good-looking.
He gave a word of caution: "Junior Chen, be careful. My specialty is close-quarters infighting, and I've mastered techniques you haven't learned yet."
Chen Chuan nodded. This was his first time meeting Shu Han, and he couldn't tell whether the man was sharing information to mislead him or speaking the plain truth. But regardless of what kind of opponent he faced, he would simply fight at his own pace.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "I don't have any particular specialty. My physical conditioning is just a bit better, I suppose."
"Physical conditioning?"
Shu Han nodded with unexpected seriousness.
He actually believed that. According to the news he had received, Zhong Wu's brain had allegedly been beaten into near-mush. He was only staying alive right now hooked up to medication. The school kept him alive to avoid bad publicity, but he was virtually a vegetable, with no hope of ever waking up.
Given Zhong Wu's massive build, for Chen Chuan to inflict that much damage barehanded was impossible without serious power and skill.
With their words exchanged, the two cupped their fists in salute, stepped back a few paces, and prepared to begin.
Shu Han cared about his dignity; as an upperclassman, he naturally wouldn't take the offensive right away. He extended one hand, assuming a formal invitation stance, and waited in place.
Chen Chuan didn't stand on ceremony either. If you won't come, I'll go to you. He strode forward.
Shu Han was not particularly tall. Seeing Chen Chuan bearing down straight toward him, he immediately felt a wave of oppressive pressure. If he dodged, Chen Chuan could easily follow up. Even though there was plenty of room to maneuver, evading right from the start would look disgraceful, and as a senior, he had face to maintain. So instead of retreating, he coiled his frame and surged a step forward.
Chen Chuan saw Shu Han's figure blur. In the blink of an eye, the man was right in front of him. The transition felt jarringly abrupt, as though Shu Han hadn't needed to exert any force to cross the distance. Chen Chuan instantly realized his opponent was using some kind of advanced technique.
In combat, one formed an instinctive anticipation of where strikes would land and where the opponent would be. If the opponent vanished from that expected position, one's entire rhythm could fall apart.
In this situation, Shu Han was very likely looking to grapple or throw him. The standard response would be to leap backward and drop one's center of gravity—but that might be exactly what the man wanted him to do.
So Chen Chuan did the opposite. Instead of retreating, he pressed forward. His feet hammered the floor in rapid succession, driving his center of gravity forward as he lunged with explosive force. An unpleasant, piercing screech of friction tore across the floorboards as he executed Mountain Strike from Greater Sanshou!
This technique leveraged the attacker's physical advantages, using a headlong charge to forcibly smash through the opponent's stance. As the saying went, sheer strength overcame all skill. No matter how exquisite a technique was, it ultimately depended on force; without power behind it, no technique could work.
Shu Han had indeed planned to wait for Chen Chuan's reaction. As long as Chen Chuan was deceived by his movement and shifted his weight backward, Shu Han could pull his arms back, making Chen Chuan's force strike empty air. From there, he could effortlessly take hold of Chen Chuan's head and end the bout instantly.
Yet at that moment, Shu Han realized something was terribly wrong. He felt an irresistible force crashing toward him. He couldn't hold his ground at all and was knocked flying sideways through the air. But as he landed, he smoothly rolled with the momentum and bounced back to his feet, appearing completely uninjured.
Shen Shao called out, "Little Shu, you lost! If Student Chen had kept pressing just now, you wouldn't have won."
Shu Han remained silent for a moment before admitting frankly, "Yes, Student Chen, you won."
Chen Chuan shook his head. "Senior held back."
These were not empty pleasantries. He had noticed a minuscule motion Shu Han made right at the end before immediately checking it. He guessed it was likely an injurious finisher that Shu Han held back because this was merely a friendly spar.
This victory was only a victory under sparring conditions. In a life-or-death battle, the outcome would not have been settled so cleanly.
Shu Han's tone became much more polite. "Junior, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll take you."
"Hey, I haven't eaten either! Take me with you!" Shen Shao clamored.
Shu Han retorted, "You've got legs, don't you? Why do you need someone to take you?"
Shen Shao replied with a cheeky grin, "When someone rejected you, you still tried again. So why can't you take me just because I have legs?"
Shu Han immediately felt his fists itch again.
Chen Chuan smiled inwardly. He accompanied the two into the elevator and rode it downstairs. On the way, he explained why he hadn't shown up that morning. Hearing that he had been sent on an external mission, the two exchanged surprised glances. Neither said anything aloud, but both gave him meaningful looks.
Wuyi's grand dining hall was located on the southwest side of the academy. This was because Class B students were the most numerous, and their academic quarters were all in the old building district.
Regarding the food supply, aside from recommended students who had their own private chefs, Class A and Class B students ate in the same facility, though clear divisions remained inside the dining hall.
After entering, the three walked straight into the dining lane reserved for Class A students.
Just then, the grand dining hall's public address system chimed to life, and a gentle, soothing female voice broadcasted:
"Longde Foods abandons the inherent rigidity and constraints of conventional sustenance, breaking traditional concepts to deliver a brand-new expression and interpretation. Longde's philosophy is a return to food in its most elemental state..."
"Our products primarily utilize energy-rich algae, featuring high quality, dense nutritional content, and effortless digestion and absorption, providing balanced nutrition and all essential substances required by the human body..."
Chen Chuan saw that some students in the hall looked entirely numb. A few who were clearly freshmen sighed and groaned, "Here it goes again," while the majority acted as though they heard nothing at all.
"...Longde Foods employs rigorous sterilization protocols and entirely hermetic packaging, completely eliminating the contamination risks inherent to external environments. Traditional dietary safety concerns are fully resolved. Longde Foods can be preserved under extreme temperatures for over one hundred and fifty years..."
Shen Shao chuckled. "First time hearing it? It's easy for us Class A students—we only have to hear it once per meal. Over in the Class B section, it plays on an endless loop. You can't even step away unless you pay out of pocket to order and come eat on our side."
Chen Chuan reflected on this and found it understandable. Hearing it once was fine, but enduring it every day was sheer brainwashing. Still, knowing the school's nutritional paste was supplied free of charge by this company, running daily advertisements wasn't entirely unreasonable.
Reaching the dining area, the three picked an edge booth with four seats. Shu Han pulled a clipboard menu with an attached pen from beneath the table and slid it over. "Order whatever you'd like. Everything listed on the sheet is provided free of charge. If you want custom dishes, the kitchen can make them, but those cost extra."
Chen Chuan didn't hold back. He took the pen and checked off several items; he wasn't a picky eater and could eat anything. Once Shu Han and Shen Shao finished making their selections, they tore the order slips from the clipboard and handed them directly to an attendant passing by.
Chen Chuan glanced around, noticing that despite it being lunchtime, the area didn't seem particularly crowded.
Shen Shao smiled and said, "Junior Chen, don't be fooled by the more than two thousand new students this semester. Fewer than two hundred actually passed the re-examination. And that's already far more than in previous years! How many usually made it back then? In lean years, forty or fifty; in good years, seventy or eighty at most. The number doubled this year, and word has it, that has something to do with you."
Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised. "Me?"
Shen Shao leaned forward slightly, staring at him. "Because of you. Did you know? Once word got out that you took down Zhong Wu that day, many of the senior evaluators didn't dare go too hard anymore. They were terrified that if they pushed too far, another person like you would pop up and beat them half to death or cripple them."
Chapter 40