The teacher on the stage and the students below all saw it clearly. Qiu Xin’s move was supposed to be a demonstration, aning he should have lowered his partner gently. Instead, he didn’t hold back at all.
Even though the stage had a springy surface, a throw like that could easily knock soone unconscious—and that would be getting off easy. If things went wrong, it could cause serious injury.
They realized sothing was off. Fortunately, they saw Chen Chuan get up quickly and assud it was so kind of technique, so they all breathed a sigh of relief. So even applauded. Only Guan Xinyin remained still, her eyes fixed on the two n on stage with a serious and intent expression.
Qiu Xin slowly turned around. He looked at Chen Chuan, his eyes holding a mix of confusion and cold severity. "You said you wanted to ask for so pointers, didn’t you?" he said. "If there’s anything you don’t understand, I can guide you."
Chen Chuan smiled faintly. "That’s good."
Teacher Xu glanced between the two but said nothing.
Chen Chuan rolled his wrists and shoulders, then stepped forward. As the two drew closer, the students below grew tense.
Qiu Xin spread his arms wide and planted his feet apart, his body leaning slightly forward. His eyes were locked on Chen Chuan. They were about the sa height, but Qiu Xin was clearly larger and had a significant weight advantage.
Chen Chuan could see the confidence in Qiu Xin’s posture. It was a stance designed to use his Power defensively, allowing him to grab an opponent the mont they attacked and then settle the match with a Wrestling Takedown.
Fighters from the Wrestling Takedown Departnt all mastered Cloak Force, along with an offensive counterpart, Combat Wrestling Force. Once they grabbed an enemy, their Power would seep into the body. That was the very Power he had just endured.
In the past, he would have had to rely on the elent of surprise to deal with soone like this, but that was no longer necessary. As he moved forward, a scraping sound echoed across the stage floor, and he shot out a kick.
Qiu Xin seed to have anticipated this. He shifted his body to the side and raised his hands in a high-low block, his movents incredibly fast. Below the stage, Guan Xinyin recognized it as the Winch Hand technique. After blocking an attack, a simple reverse twist could lock the opponent’s limbs.
And for soone skilled in Wrestling Takedown or grappling to get a hold of even one limb was an extrely dangerous situation.
Chen Chuan didn’t put his full force into the kick. Instead, he spun his body and sent another kick upward—a lightning-fast switch kick.
However, Qiu Xin was prepared to take the hit head-on. All his vital points were covered by his Winch Hand technique, so he didn’t panic and remained still. What he wasn’t prepared for was the sudden surge of power that ca from Chen Chuan’s leg as it t his arm, a power that began to seep into his body.
’Power?’
Qiu Xin was startled. He had looked into Chen Chuan’s background beforehand. ’Could he really have mastered a Force Technique after only two months at the academy?’
But this was no ti for him to overthink it. Power could only be countered by Power. He had to hastily muster his own in response. Otherwise, the kick would have sent him stumbling back, and if his stance was broken, the situation would beco extrely unfavorable for him.
Just then, Chen Chuan kicked again. This kick didn’t look particularly fast, but it too carried Power. Qiu Xin had just scrambled to deal with the last one and was now pinned in place by the opposing Power. Feeling another wave of it coming, he could only mobilize his own Power to counter it again, hoping to just endure it and then launch a counterattack.
However, what he didn’t expect was that after this kick ca another, and then another. Chen Chuan was kicking at him relentlessly and without pause.
Chen Chuan’s kicks weren’t actually that fast; even the Class B students below could see them clearly. But each kick landed at the precise mont Qiu Xin was shifting his internal rhythm, forcing him to emit Power to counter but leaving him unable to do anything else.
So, in the eyes of the crowd, Qiu Xin looked like a training post, just standing there and taking Chen Chuan’s kicks without any counterattacks. But since this was a demonstration, maybe that was to be expected? It just looked a little strange.
Xu Wei and Guan Xinyin, however, were staring intently at the two. They could see that Qiu Xin was completely suppressed by Power, unable to make any other choice but to endure it head-on.
A contest like this was a battle of foundations, a test of who could last longer and who could endure more.
Although Chen Chuan currently held the initiative, the outco was still uncertain. If Chen Chuan’s stamina gave out before Qiu Xin’s, then it would be the latter’s turn to launch a counterattack.
Qiu Xin was in agony. Every emission of Power put a strain on his internal organs. In a typical fight, using it five or six tis was already a lot.
And that was when it was used sporadically, with ti to prepare. Using it so densely and without interruption was the equivalent of fighting for one’s life.
But since he had co here today and decided to make a move, he had long stopped caring about such things. He gritted his teeth and waited for the mont Chen Chuan could no longer hold on.
He was confident that his extra years of training would allow him to win this kind of head-to-head slugfest. But as he forced out his Power again and again to counter, his vision began to blacken, his breathing grew ragged, and veins bulged on his forehead. A tearing pain spread through his body, and his head felt like it was about to explode.
Chen Chuan’s expression, however, remained calm from beginning to end. He maintained a steady rhythm with every blow, the only sound being the repeated thud of his kicks.
After what seed like only a dozen or so kicks, just as he was about to launch another, he saw Qiu Xin’s eyes roll back into his head. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his breathing all but stopped. Only his body remained motionless, frozen in its stance.
He slowly drew his leg back and set it on the floor. Turning to Xu Wei, he said, "Teacher Xu, Assistant Qiu seems to be unwell. It looks like we’ll need to call the dics for him."
Teacher Xu imdiately shouted down to the side, "dics!" The dical staff, who had been waiting nearby, rushed onto the stage.
With one hand in his pocket, Chen Chuan slowly walked off the stage. Behind him, perhaps due to the vibrations from the dics rushing up, Qiu Xin’s body toppled backward, slamming onto the stage floor. His limbs twitched feebly.
As he stepped off the stage, he walked down the aisle toward the training hall’s exit, his expression placid under the awed and admiring gazes of the Class B students.
Guan Xinyin, who was still seated, thought for a mont, then followed him out. Once outside, she called out, "Chen Chuan! Chen!"
Chen Chuan turned to look at her. She walked up and extended her hand. "Chen," she said, "I’ve heard Weidong ntion you."
Chen Chuan shook her hand. "Guan. Hello."
Guan Xinyin said, "That guy, Qiu Xin, has been working as an assistant for the various guest teachers lately. I heard he’s always been on good terms with Zhongwu; he was the senior who showed him the ropes.
"I suspected he was targeting you just now. I was actually thinking of going up in your place, partly to see whose was stronger—his Wrestling Takedown or my Horizontal Training. After all, opportunities like that are rare. But now it seems I was worrying for nothing."
Chen Chuan replied politely, "Still, I appreciate the thought."
In fact, he already knew about Qiu Xin’s situation when he arrived. A line in the invitation letter had ntioned it, probably written by the teacher who sent it. It was just that after mastering his Force Technique, he was looking for soone to test his skills against, so he didn’t back down and ca straight here.
Guan Xinyin stared at Chen Chuan. "Chen, you mastered a Force Technique in just two months. That’s incredible. No wonder Weidong refused to admit I was stronger than you, even after I beat him so many tis. It seems he was right. I wonder if we could find so ti to spar?"
"Sure," Chen Chuan said. Although Guan Xinyin practiced Horizontal Training, she surely trained in other areas as well. He would never turn down an opponent willing to fight him.
"Not right now," Guan Xinyin admitted candidly. "As I am now, I’m definitely no match for you. I’ll challenge you to a match after I’ve mastered Power."
Chen Chuan smiled. "In that case, I hope you master your Force Technique soon."
anwhile, after leaving the dormitory, Cheng Zitong went to organize so docunts. In the afternoon, he arrived at the door of the Recruitnt and Preparation Departnt office and knocked. The person inside, Master Gao, saw it was him and said, "What is it? More progress?"
Cheng Zitong walked in, sat down across from him, and handed him a form. "My student has already mastered the Circulation Technique. I’m here to file the report so I can register him later. What do you think? Pretty fast, huh?"
"A little over two months," Master Gao said. "That is fast."
Cheng Zitong said, "I knew it. You all must think it’s ’just’ the Circulation Technique, that it has no future. So what if it’s the Circulation Technique? My student will definitely make good use of it."
"You have that much confidence in your student?" Master Gao asked.
"Are you kidding?" Cheng Zitong said. "My student and I are both of the Intuition School. How could we train without confidence?"
Master Gao looked at him. "It’s good that you’re confident."
Cheng Zitong knew him well. Hearing him say that, he involuntarily sat up a little straighter. "What do you an by that?"
Master Gao said, "Since you’re here today, I might as well tell you. As you know, we originally intended for He Xiaoxing to be your student’s teacher, but he was unwilling to co back, so we had you fill in temporarily.
"I’ve been calling He Xiaoxing for the past while, but he remained noncommittal. However, after hearing that your student chose the Circulation Technique, his attitude has shifted. He might co back to take a look. If he decides to take Chen Chuan on as his student..." He didn’t finish, rely glancing at Cheng Zitong.
Cheng Zitong fell silent. After a mont, he said, "He Xiaoxing is a capable man. He’s a more suitable teacher than I am. If he’s willing to teach Chen Chuan, I will step aside for soone more qualified."
"What, you’re not going to fight for it?" Master Gao said.
"What is there to fight for?"
Cheng Zitong shook his head. He picked up his briefcase and waved a hand. "I’m off." With that, he walked out.
Master Gao watched him leave and was lost in thought for a long while before returning to his paperwork.
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