Outnumbered

The moment those words were spoken, the four men fanned out to either side. If they had only met a few days ago, they might have been more cautious and weighed whether getting into such a fight was worthwhile. But they all knew one another and had already practiced cooperating against formidable opponents. And the hypothetical enemy they had trained for was far stronger than Yu Lie. Besides, Yu Lie was a fanatical admirer of that very man. If he were allowed to join, he would indeed get in their way, so they were better off knocking him out early. Seeing them immediately retreat to the four corners and form a cordon around him, Yu Lie showed no tension at all. With a mocking smile and a flick of his finger, the coin in his hand shot out first, flying straight toward the opponent on his left. The man didn't move from his spot; he simply slapped his hand out to bat the coin away. However, the force behind it was formidable, momentarily pinning him in place for an instant. Yu Lie seized the opening, bursting forward toward the enemy directly in front of him. Yet even though one of them had been delayed, the men behind him and to his left charged at the same time. Rather than intercepting him directly, they kept their eyes fixed on his movements. Yu Lie acted as if he didn't even see them, driving a fist straight ahead. The man before him was exceptionally aggressive, showing no intention of retreating or defending against the incoming blow, and answered with a punch of his own. Yu Lie made no attempt to dodge. Instead, he accelerated forward, letting the punch slam squarely into his head while driving his own fist into the man's chest. In that brutal exchange, he pulverized most of the man's heart. The opponent collapsed almost on the spot. Though not dead, he was close enough to it, completely incapacitated on the spot. Meanwhile, a section of Yu Lie's brow where the punch had landed caved inward. At that moment, two cracking sounds rang out. His arm and back were struck simultaneously by the two attackers rushing in, breaking ribs and a shoulder blade. Baring his teeth, not only did his face show no sign of agony, but a maniacal grin broke out instead. Just as he had anticipated, their mindsets were still somewhat relaxed, and that strike hadn't carried their full strength. The moment the man in front dropped, he whipped around, lashing out with a kick toward the opponent directly behind him. Seeing this, the man did not evade in the least and countered with a kick of his own, while the man to the left flattened his fingers like a sword, thrusting toward Yu Lie's ear. The fourth man, who had been delayed by the coin, now charged from the right, kicking toward his ankle. The attacks from all three landed on their targets almost simultaneously. The man facing Yu Lie took a kick to the face, his features caving in as he went flying backward. Though Yu Lie was struck in the chest as well, it produced little effect this time, absorbed and blocked by the mutated tissue he had condensed there. On the side of his ear, the fingers that pierced into the ear canal only penetrated partway before they were squeezed tight by the mutated tissue within, though blood still trickled out. As for his ankle, a distinct cracking noise echoed from the joint, yet he remained standing firmly in place. The faces of the remaining two men shifted drastically. "You..." They suddenly realized that with the defensive capabilities Yu Lie possessed, he could have withstood their strikes with far less damage. Yet he had deliberately allowed them to hit him just now—it was clearly a ploy to draw them in to attack so he could finish them off quickly. Such behavior was utter madness. Yet the results were undeniable. In the blink of an eye, two of them were down. Regardless of what they thought, Yu Lie had no intention of stopping. Almost instantly, he lunged toward the next person, targeting the one directly in front. The man didn't lose his composure over the sudden shift in the tide, nor was he intimidated. Displaying remarkable calm, he raised both arms in a grappling stance, while the man on the flank struck in support, driving a finger toward the injured shoulder and back Yu Lie had sustained earlier. Yu Lie maintained his reckless, head-on charge without dodging. But as he drew near, a flicker of cunning crossed the eyes of the man in front; the hands that had seemed poised to grapple suddenly shifted from palms to fists, while the flanking attacker altered his thrusting motion, aiming instead to seize Yu Lie's lower back, kidneys, and spine. This shift was exceedingly subtle. Both men had adjusted their techniques simultaneously in mutual coordination. If Yu Lie failed to react in time, he could be brought down in a single move despite possessing far superior strength. At that instant, Yu Lie pushed off hard with his foot, caving in a section of the flooring. He accelerated forward, once again taking the punch head-on. The fist smashed into his face, nearly caving in half of his cheek, yet he held on to that frenzied grin. He crashed bodily into the man, wrapped his arms around him, and abruptly spun around. With that spin, he not only wrenched free of the fingers touching his spine, but the turn also tilted at an angle. Using that momentum, he coiled his spine like a dragon-snake, concentrating force into his forehead, and drove a vicious headbutt into the face of the man pinned against him. With a resounding crack, the man's entire face caved in. The last man felt a jolt of shock. Instead of advancing, he took several steps back. Yu Lie released his grip, letting the limp body slump to the floor. He spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, scattering shattered teeth across the floorboards, and wiped his mouth with his hand. Though it looked gruesome, it was a necessary price to pay. Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for him to defeat four coordinated opponents. Even if he managed to knock one down by displaying his full prowess, the others could have scattered and engaged him in hit-and-run tactics; he alone could never have run down all the rest. And the training session was set to begin shortly. Once time ran out, he wouldn't achieve his goal. Now that only one person remained, things were much simpler. Cracking sounds came from his body as the broken bones realigned, and even the collapsed dent on his head was pushed out by mutated tissue, slowly knitting together. The last man's expression shifted repeatedly before he finally said, "You win. I concede." "How could that be?" Yu Lie looked at him mockingly. "You get along so well with them. If they're all lying down while you stand here alone, that wouldn't be very fitting, would it?" The man's face darkened. With a flicker of his frame, he rapidly retreated toward the exit. He knew full well that alone, he was no match for Yu Lie, and there was no reason to stay here just to take a beating for nothing. His retreat was carefully calculated, leading directly toward Chen Chuan's position, clearly intending to use Chen Chuan as cover. Chen Chuan had not intended to intervene, but upon seeing the man's maneuver, he took a seemingly casual half-step to the side just as the man drew near. Rather than letting the man slip past him, that half-step cut off his path a fraction of a second ahead of time. Startled, the man instinctively shifted direction. But with that brief delay, Yu Lie had already caught up, reaching out and clapping a hand onto his shoulder. A fierce glint flashed in the man's eyes. Reaching up to grip Yu Lie's arm, he sank his stance, preparing to use a grappling jin to seize him directly. Yet as his jin penetrated, it was dissolved by a surging wave of even stronger jin. Not only did he fail to seize his target, but the invading counter-force reversed the hold on him. The man was horrified to discover that Yu Lie was equally skilled in grappling. After the prior exchanges, he had assumed Yu Lie specialized in freehand striking, but realizing this now was far too late. A wave of limpness washed over his entire body, and he dropped to his knees on the spot. Yu Lie slid his hands down the man's shoulders, grabbed both of his arms, and twisted inward. With two sharp cracks, the bones snapped cleanly. Yet he didn't stop there; reaching forward, he planted his hands on the man's crown and jaw. Panic seized the man. "Wait—" Crack! His neck snapped instantly, and he collapsed powerlessly to the floor. Although his cervical vertebrae were broken, given the physique of a third limit fighter, he would not die from this alone so long as his head remained attached and there were no other mortal wounds. But recovering from it would not be easy. Yu Lie clapped his hands and looked at the four men sprawled across the floor. He hadn't stated beforehand what would happen if they lost, but as long as he crippled them, it would take them several days at minimum to recuperate. And the slots in the training course naturally wouldn't be kept vacant; others would replace them. Once that happened, getting back in wouldn't be so simple. Having dealt with them, he looked up at Chen Chuan and said, "Oh, I almost forgot there's one more here. Captain Chen, isn't it? I've heard of your reputation. "You heard what I said earlier, sir. I believe only true elites should study under Teacher Chen. So I'd like to see for myself whether Captain Chen truly lives up to the rumors." Chen Chuan looked at him. "Major Yu, in your current condition, do you still wish to have a bout with me?" Even if the man's injuries could mend quickly, doing so still drained vital essence and stamina. Yu Lie opened his hands. "Doesn't matter. It won't affect my performance." He broke into a grin; in just this short span of time, his broken teeth had already grown back. "Besides, I don't imagine our fight will last very long, will it?" Chen Chuan agreed wholeheartedly with that statement. "Major Yu, if you feel up to it, let's have a try." Yu Lie burst into hearty laughter. Showing not the slightest hesitation, he strode forward swiftly, covered in blood. He had heard the rumors about Chen Chuan and knew the man was no easy mark, but the stronger the opponent, the more thrilled he became. Moreover, he had absolute confidence in himself. He believed he was the one with the greatest potential among this generation of youths, unmatched by anyone. As he defeated more and more of the younger generation, his confidence grew ever more steadfast, and his strength increased steadily. Now that he had also set foot on the path of mental training, that inner conviction was driving him forward along that very trajectory. Yet while he craved opponents, that did not mean he fought without strategy. In the battle just now, he had not utilized any mental power at all, saving it specifically for Chen Chuan. Now, he intended to unleash it. A faint gleam flickered in his eyes. Before his body even arrived, a surge of mental power crashed brutally toward Chen Chuan.