Shu Han was nearly laughed to exasperation by Chen Chuan's words. "I really am being looked down on, aren't I? Fine, right here then." He turned around, walked back, and returned to his original spot.
Chen Chuan looked at Shu Han, keeping one hand slipped into his pocket, his stance appearing entirely casual. In his mind, he knew he had to display absolute dominance today to make this senior give up for good.
Ever since their previous clash, he had developed a solid grasp of this senior's style. Shu Han was remarkably agile and skilled at baiting opponents with feints. If they were in an open area and he focused solely on darting about and dodging, they might still have a protracted contest, but that would simply be a waste of time.
That was why Chen Chuan had chosen this space, casually preparing an arena ill-suited for the other man to maneuver in, yet vastly more advantageous to himself.
Shu Han shed his jacket and tossed it aside, his expression solemn. After getting a sense of Chen Chuan's strength the other day, he knew this junior was no pushover. Still, just as he had said, he hadn't fully unleashed his abilities back then.
Moreover, he had analyzed the fight afterward, considering how to approach it to maximize his chances of winning. It had only been ten-odd days since Chen Chuan enrolled, so his strength shouldn't have changed drastically.
Shen Shao looked between the two of them and backed away slightly. He helped by moving aside some of the surrounding chairs and stools, saying, "Let me clear these out of the way first so nothing gets broken."
Chen Chuan maintained his relaxed posture and said, "Senior Shu, you should make the first move this time. If I attack first, I'm afraid you won't have a chance."
A spark of anger was subtly stoked in Shu Han's heart, but this was hardly his first time fighting, and he had weathered plenty of verbal provocations in the past, so he kept it under control for now. He warned, "Junior, then you'd better watch out."
With that, he attempted to close the distance. He took a slow step forward, then probed with a second. Just as he appeared to be inching forward hesitantly, on the third step, his silhouette suddenly blurred. He bounded forward in a startling leap, instantly closing right in on Chen Chuan.
He had used this same move last time. It wasn't that he only knew one trick, but rather because Chen Chuan had kicked Zhong Wu's head into paste, proving beyond doubt that Chen Chuan possessed terrifying leg techniques. Shu Han had to penetrate the inner ring; doing so not only played to his own strengths, but also smothered Chen Chuan's ability to unleash kicking techniques.
After all, although he belonged to the Sanshou Division, he had also cross-trained in grappling, throws, and clinches. Once the distance was closed, opportunities would be everywhere. As a third-year student at Wuyi, he had likewise developed jin. Last time, he had held back to avoid injuring Chen Chuan, but this time, he had no intention of pulling his punches.
Watching his movements, Chen Chuan suddenly extended a hand and shoved outward from the centerline!
Seeing that hand shoot out with shocking speed, arriving right in front of him in an instant, Shu Han was taken aback. Fortunately, maneuvering in tight quarters was precisely his forte, and he had already intended to adapt the moment his opponent acted, so he immediately moved to evade.
Yet if Chen Chuan had demonstrated sufficiently formidable strength in their last clash, this time he displayed a speed never before imagined. Before Shu Han could dodge, that hand was already pressed against his chest.
This strike recruited very little muscle mass, relying purely on single-handed exertion. The force could not be considered great and caused no real harm, but this single contact brought Shu Han to an abrupt halt. His fluid chain of movement was instantly shattered. If he wanted to move again, he had to readjust, and that opened a window of vulnerability.
After that single push, Chen Chuan's arm remained still, but his five fingers clamped shut, gripping the clothes at Shu Han's chest. With a slight exertion of force, he lifted the entire man clean off the ground!
The Greater Sanshou Chen Chuan had studied previously only engaged the root and mid sections of the limbs, but Orthodox Sanshou trained the terminal segments, including the fingers, right alongside them. Enhanced by the Second Self, the speed of his strike surpassed Shu Han's reaction time, allowing him to seize him in one go.
Feeling his feet leave the ground, Shu Han immediately knew he was in trouble. Exerting his waist, he reached his hands and legs around to climb onto Chen Chuan's arm. If he could latch on, even if he failed to pin any pressure points or sinews, he could use his body weight to bring Chen Chuan down to the floor, then transition into a joint lock to overturn the situation.
Chen Chuan gave him no such opening. He released Shu Han's collar, drew his arm back slightly in a minute range of motion to gain a brief pocket of leverage, and then snapped his claw into a fist. Driving it downward, he landed a thumping strike straight into Shu Han's chest!
Shen Shao gasped in shock. "Air-Shattering Mallet?"
Chen Chuan's strike indeed mimicked the form of the Air-Shattering Mallet. Since he couldn't yet produce the force generation of Hunyuan Jin, its power was modest, yet it landed with uncanny precision right on the cadence of Shu Han's breath. It left the latter suffocated, draining the strength from his movements. At the same time, Chen Chuan caught Shu Han's collar again and slammed him straight into the floor!
With a heavy thud, Shu Han's back smacked flat against the ground. Yet he seemed to have suffered no real injury. Once he gathered his wits, he kicked his legs repeatedly to scurry backward, only standing up once he had put distance between himself and Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan slowly straightened his posture as well.
After getting to his feet, Shu Han made no attempt to attack again, standing there in absolute silence.
Shen Shao looked as though he wanted to speak, but held his tongue.
After a moment, Shu Han said somewhat dejectedly, "I lost."
He knew very well that Chen Chuan had essentially won after that initial shove, as there were countless ways to follow up against him from that position. Moreover, Chen Chuan had held back on the final slam; otherwise, Shu Han would certainly have lost all capacity to resist, leaving him at Chen Chuan's complete mercy.
Chen Chuan said, "The two of you may leave."
Shen Shao hurriedly said, "Right, of course." With that, he stepped forward, grabbed Shu Han, and pulled him toward the door.
Chen Chuan said, "I won't see you out."
Throughout the entire bout, Chen Chuan had remained rooted to the spot and had used only a single hand. It wasn't that the gap in their strength was truly that vast, but rather that he had discerned how Shu Han relied on the speed of his rush and superior agility to mount his offensive momentum. Once that momentum was disrupted, the follow-up collapsed.
Therefore, Chen Chuan had simply used a superior level of speed to stifle him, thereby securing victory.
However, such targeted execution was predicated on already knowing the opponent's characteristics. Against an unfamiliar opponent he knew nothing about, it would not have yielded such an effect.
Although he was still far from mastering the Zhouyuan Jin technique, practicing Orthodox Sanshou had allowed mutated tissue to spread toward the terminal segments such as the palms and fingers, making his force generation far smoother and more natural than before. This served as a test of the fruits of his previous training, leaving him looking forward all the more to his future growth. Thus, he quickly threw himself back into his training with complete devotion.
***
Meanwhile, as the two walked out of the dormitory building, Shu Han remained silent the entire way.
He had been defeated by Chen Chuan virtually in a single move. Last time, he could still tell himself that he hadn't used his full strength, but this time, the outcome had been decided almost at the very first contact. He could find no excuse to console himself; it was a stark, undeniable gap in capability.
Shen Shao rested a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "I know that feels terrible, but some people are just born different from the rest of us. What's the point of comparing yourself to those 'natural talents'? There's just no competing with them."
"You're right."
Shu Han suddenly lifted his head and said, "The talent he possesses is something few can match. Aside from Senior, I've truly seen few people as gifted as him. He's only been enrolled for a few days and he's already this formidable. But the higher his talent, the less I can stand by and watch him sink into ruin."
"Listen to yourself." Shen Shao scratched his head. "What does that have to do with you? Why can't you just let this go?"
Shu Han said resolutely, "Senior saved my life. Without him, I wouldn't be here today. I lack the ability to accomplish what Senior wanted to do, nor do I qualify to cultivate a good jin technique. But now I see someone who can accomplish what Senior wanted, someone who does have the qualifications, yet he's squandering his talent right there. I truly can't just stand by and watch. I won't be able to live with myself."
"Come on," Shen Shao said helplessly. "Forced things never turn out right. If he doesn't want to, can you tie him up and make him do it? You can't do that either, so why not save yourself the grief?"
"I'll convince him. If I can't, there are others." With that, Shu Han strode forward with a face full of determination.
"Sigh, every single one of them is stubborn as a mule." Shen Shao shook his head and followed after him.
Chapter 55