Both Teacher Xu on the stage and the students below had seen it clearly. Qiu Xin's move had only been a demonstration; by rights, he should have cushioned Chen Chuan's fall gently. Yet that final slam had been completely merciless.
Even though the stage had a sprung surface, being hurled down with such force could easily cause a concussion at best, and severe injury if things went wrong.
They realized something was amiss, but seeing Chen Chuan rise to his feet so quickly, they assumed it was some kind of defensive technique and breathed sighs of relief. A few even applauded. Only Guan Xinyin remained still, her gaze fixed gravely on the two figures on the stage.
Qiu Xin slowly turned around. He looked at Chen Chuan with a mix of bafflement and cold sharpness. "Earlier, you said you wanted some pointers, right? Whatever you don't understand, I'd be happy to instruct you."
Chen Chuan offered a faint smile. "Sounds good."
Teacher Xu glanced between the two of them but said nothing.
Chen Chuan loosened his wrists and shoulders slightly, then stepped forward. As the two drew closer, tension gripped the students below.
Qiu Xin spread his arms and feet, leaning slightly forward, his eyes locked onto Chen Chuan. The two were roughly the same height, but Qiu Xin was clearly broader, with a distinct weight advantage.
Chen Chuan could tell that Qiu Xin was brimming with confidence. This stance was designed to defend using his jin, seize his opponent the moment an attack landed, and then settle the match through a grappling takedown.
Anyone hailing from the Grappling Division had to master Wrapped Robe Jin. On top of that, there was Combat Grapple Jin for offensive maneuvers—once an enemy was grabbed, the jin would penetrate straight into their body. That was precisely the force Chen Chuan had just absorbed.
In the past, he would have had to rely on catching such an opponent off guard. Now, there was no need. Stepping forward, the sole of his shoe scuffing against the stage floor, he launched a kick.
Qiu Xin seemed to have anticipated it. He shifted sideways, his hands positioning one high and one low with remarkable speed. Below the stage, Guan Xinyin recognized the maneuver as capstan hands; once an attack was deflected, a reverse twist could instantly trap the opponent's limb.
And against someone specializing in grappling or joint-locks, having a limb trapped was extraordinarily dangerous.
Chen Chuan threw the kick without committing his full power. Instead, his body pivoted, and his leg whipped upward into a lightning-fast change-of-line kick.
However, Qiu Xin had already prepared to weather the blow head-on. With his vitals shielded behind his capstan hands, he stayed calm and planted his feet. What he did not anticipate was that the moment Chen Chuan's shin met his arm, a sudden jolt of force surged through and penetrated deep into his body.
*Jin?!*
Qiu Xin was startled. He had looked into Chen Chuan beforehand. The boy had only been enrolled for two months—how could he have already mastered a jin technique?
There was no time to ponder it. Jin could only be countered with jin. He hastily rallied his power to resist; otherwise, the impact would knock him off balance, and losing his stance would put him at an immense disadvantage.
Chen Chuan threw another kick. It did not look especially fast, yet it carried the exact same jin. Still struggling to steady himself from the previous clash, Qiu Xin felt another wave of force crash in. He had no choice but to muster his jin once more to resist, hoping merely to weather the storm before launching a counterattack.
To his shock, that strike was immediately followed by another, and then another—an unrelenting barrage of kicks driving straight toward him.
Chen Chuan was not kicking with extreme speed; the Class B students below could follow every movement clearly. Yet every single strike landed precisely when Qiu Xin was catching his breath, forcing him to expend his jin to resist while leaving him unable to do anything else.
To the onlookers, Qiu Xin looked like a wooden post rooted in place, standing there waiting to be kicked, offering no retaliation whatsoever. Given that this was supposed to be a demonstration, it seemed plausible enough, yet it struck everyone as undeniably bizarre.
Xu Wei and Guan Xinyin, however, were staring intently at the two. They could see clearly that Qiu Xin was utterly pinned by Chen Chuan's jin, left with no alternative but to endure it.
Such a contest became a pure clash of foundations—a test of who could endure longer and withstand more punishment.
Although Chen Chuan held the upper hand, the outcome remained uncertain. If Chen Chuan ran out of stamina first, the counterattack would immediately swing in Qiu Xin's favor.
At this moment, Qiu Xin was suffering intensely. Every release of jin placed a heavy burden on the internal organs; deploying it five or six times in a single fight was usually considered a substantial amount.
Even then, those bursts were normally spaced out, allowing time to gather power and recover. Unleashing it in such a rapid, unbroken sequence was literally risking his life.
Yet having come here determined to put Chen Chuan in his place, he no longer cared about the cost. He gritted his teeth and held on, waiting for the moment Chen Chuan gave out.
Relying on the years of training he had over Chen Chuan, he was confident he could win a battle of attrition. But as he repeatedly forced his jin to meet each blow, his vision began to darken. His breath turned ragged, veins bulged on his forehead, and tearing pain shot through his body, his head feeling as though it were about to split open.
Chen Chuan's gaze, by contrast, remained calm from start to finish. Every strike maintained a steady rhythm, accompanied only by the rhythmic thud of kick after kick.
After barely a dozen strikes, just as Chen Chuan raised his leg for another kick, Qiu Xin's eyes rolled back. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his breath faded to near nothingness, and his body remained frozen in place, locked in his defensive stance.
Chen Chuan slowly lowered his foot back to the floor. Turning to Xu Wei, he said, "Teacher Xu, Assistant Qiu appears to be unwell. I believe he needs medical attention."
Teacher Xu immediately shouted down to the floor, "Medics!" The waiting medical staff rushed onto the stage at once.
Chen Chuan slipped a hand into his pocket and casually walked down from the stage. Behind him, perhaps jarred by the footsteps of the medics bounding up, Qiu Xin's body toppled backward, crashing flat against the platform, his limbs twitching weakly.
Under the awe-struck and admiring gazes of the Class B students, Chen Chuan maintained a calm expression as he walked along the aisle and out of the training hall.
Seated nearby, Guan Xinyin hesitated for a moment before following him outside. Once they reached the open corridor, she called out, "Chen Chuan. Student Chen."
Chen Chuan stopped and looked back. She walked up and extended her hand. "Student Chen, I've heard Wei Dong mention you."
Chen Chuan shook her hand. "Hello, Student Guan."
Guan Xinyin said, "That Qiu Xin has been working as an assistant for various visiting teachers lately. I heard he's on good terms with Zhong Wu—he was the senior who guided him into the academy.
"I guessed earlier that he might target you. I originally planned to step onto the stage in your place, partly to see whether his grappling or my external conditioning was superior. Opportunities like that are rare, after all. But looking at it now, it seems I was worrying over nothing."
Chen Chuan replied politely, "Thank you nonetheless."
In truth, he had known about Qiu Xin before arriving; a line written on the invitation had pointed it out, likely penned by the instructor who issued it. But having just mastered his jin technique, he had been looking for someone to test his skills against, so rather than avoiding the class, he had come directly.
Guan Xinyin looked at Chen Chuan and said, "Student Chen, mastering a jin technique after just two months at the academy is impressive. No wonder Wei Dong refused to admit I was stronger than you, no matter how many times I beat him up. It seems he was right. Would you be open to sparring sometime?"
"Sure," Chen Chuan said. Although Guan Xinyin trained in external conditioning, she undoubtedly studied complementary disciplines as well. Having an opponent to spar with was something he welcomed.
"Not right now, though," Guan Xinyin admitted candidly. "As I am, I'm certainly no match for you. Once I master jin, I'll challenge you to a match."
Chen Chuan smiled faintly. "Then I wish you a swift breakthrough with your jin technique."
***
Meanwhile, after leaving the dormitory, Cheng Zitong spent some time organizing paperwork. By the afternoon, he arrived outside the Admissions Preparation Office and knocked on the door. Master Gao looked up from inside and asked, "What is it? Another development?"
Cheng Zitong stepped in, took a seat across from him, and handed over a document. "My student has already mastered the Zhouyuan Jin technique. I'm here to file the paperwork so I can register him shortly. Well? Fast enough for you?"
Master Gao said, "A little over two months. That is very fast indeed."
Cheng Zitong scoffed, "I knew it. You all think that because it's just Zhouyuan Jin, it has no real future. What's wrong with Zhouyuan Jin? My student will definitely make good use of it."
Master Gao asked, "You have that much faith in him?"
Cheng Zitong said, "Are you joking? Both my student and I belong to the intuitive school. If we didn't have confidence, how could we even train?"
Master Gao looked at him. "Good, as long as you have confidence."
Cheng Zitong knew him too well. Hearing that tone, he sat up slightly straighter and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Master Gao said, "Since you're here today, I'll let you know. As you're aware, we initially planned to have He Xiaoxing serve as your student's instructor. It was only because he refused to return that you were assigned to fill in temporarily.
"I've been calling He Xiaoxing repeatedly over the past few weeks, but he never gave a firm answer. However, upon hearing that your student chose the Zhouyuan Jin technique, his attitude shifted somewhat. He might come back to take a look. If he decides to take Chen Chuan as his student..." He trailed off, merely eyeing Cheng Zitong.
Cheng Zitong fell silent. After a pause, he said, "He Xiaoxing has real skill. He's better suited to be a teacher than I am. If he's willing to instruct Chen Chuan, I'll gladly step aside for someone more capable."
Master Gao asked, "What, you won't fight for him?"
"Fight for what?"
Cheng Zitong shook his head. He picked up his briefcase, waved a hand, and said, "I'm leaving." With that, he walked out.
Master Gao watched him go, lost in thought for a long while before resuming his paperwork.
Chapter 67