Chapter 55: One-Hit KO

Shu Han almost laughed in exasperation. “You’re underestimating me, huh? Fine. We’ll fight here.”

He returned to his original position.

Chen Chuan put a hand into his pocket while watching Shu Han. He appeared relaxed but was actually thinking, I have to show absolute strength today to make Shu Han give up.

After their last sparring session, he had gotten a gist of Shu Han’s specialty. He was agile and skilled at using feints to trick his opponents into making mistakes. If they were in a proper training room, Shu Han could move about to dodge Chen Chuan’s attacks, and they could have something of a proper spar, but that would be a waste of time.

That was why Chen Chuan chose his room to “accidentally” fight in an environment where Shu Han could not use his strengths.

Shu Han removed his coat and threw it to the side. His face turned solemn. He had gained a grasp of Chen Chuan’s strength the day after their spar and knew that Chen Chuan was no easy opponent. But he had not been lying that he had not shown his true strength that day.

After the spar, he had reviewed the fight and thought about how he could have had a higher chance of winning. Chen Chuan had only been in the university for a little over ten days, so he couldn’t have gotten much stronger since then.

Shen Shao gave the two of them a look before he moved to the back. He also pulled the chair and stool away as he said, “I’ll move these. You don’t want them to get broken.”

Chen Chuan remained relaxed. “Throw the first punch, Shu Han. If I go first, you might not even get the chance to strike.”

Shu Han’s ire burned, but this was not his first fight. He had received his fair share of provocations, so he knew how to quell his anger. “Be careful, Chen Chuan,” he warned.

He took a step forward, then another to test the waters. Every move was slow, almost as if he was shuffling forward, but when he took his third step, he lunged forward and arrived in front of Chen Chuan in a flash.

He had done the same thing last time, not because this was the only tactic he knew, but because if Zhong Wu’s brains were reduced to mush, it meant that Chen Chuan’s kicks were really powerful. He needed to get into Chen Chuan’s personal space. That would not only benefit him, but also limit Chen Chuan’s ability to kick.

While Shu Han was part of the Sanshou Department, he trained in takedowns and grappling too. Once he got close, he had plenty of ways to attack. As a senior in Martial Valor University, he had also practiced refined force. He had not used it last time to not hurt Chen Chuan, but this time, he did not intend to hold back.

Chen Chuan pushed his palm forward from his solar plexus.

That palm arrived in front of Shu Han so fast that he was shocked. Fortunately, shifting about in small spaces was his specialty. When he closed in, he was prepared to adapt to whatever Chen Chuan threw at him, so he instinctively tried to dodge.

But if Chen Chuan showed great strength the last time they sparred, this time, he showed unprecedented speed. Before Shu Han could avoid the attack, he placed his hand on his chest.

Chen Chuan did not make use of a lot of muscles in this attack. The strike only utilized his arm, so it was not strong and would not cause much harm, but it still made Shu Han freeze. His rhythm was ruined. If he wanted to move again, he would need to readjust, but that would lead to an opening.

After the push, Chen Chuan did not move his arm. Instead, he grabbed Shu Han by the front of his shirt and lifted him easily.

The Major Sanshou Chen Chuan had learned from Yu Gang used the base and middle parts of his fingers for attacks, while Principal Sanshou even made him train the tips of his fingers, along with the tips of his toes. With the additional power from his second self, Chen Chuan could attack faster than Shu Han could react, so he instantly caught him.

When Shu Han felt his feet leaving the floor, he knew that things were about to be bad for him. He tensed up his core and grabbed Chen Chuan’s arm with his hands and legs. If he could seize it and stop it from moving, even if he could not grab the acupoints between the tendons, he could use his weight to bring Chen Chuan down to the floor and use a chokehold to lock down his joints. This way, he could turn the tides.

But Chen Chuan did not give him the chance. He let go of the fabric and brought his arm up a tiny bit to gain space to generate power. Then, he curled his fingers into a fist and struck Shu Han’s chest with a tap.

“The Air Shattering Strike?” Shen Shao was shocked.

Chen Chuan had indeed imitated the motions of the Air Shattering Strike, but he had not reached the point where he could use the Primordial Force to generate power, so his attack lacked strength. But he managed to hit Shu Han during a break in his breathing, and from a tricky angle to boot, so Shu Han’s breathing stuttered and his body went limp. At the same time, Chen Chuan grabbed Shu Han’s collar and pinned him to the floor.

Shu Han’s back landed on the floor with a loud thud, but he was not hurt. After he registered what had happened, he kicked the floor to shift backward until he was a distance away from Chen Chuan, then pushed himself back to his feet.

Chen Chuan slowly straightened as well.

After Shu Han got up, he did not try to attack Chen Chuan again. He just stood there in silence.

Shen Shao looked like he had a wealth of things to say.

A moment passed before Shu Han said dejectedly, “I lost.”

He knew all too well that after that push, Chen Chuan had basically won, because he had far too many ways to attack. Besides, Chen Chuan had held back when he pinned Shu Han against the floor, or he would have completely lost all his strength to fight back, and Chen Chuan could have beaten him up however he wanted.

“You should leave now,” Chen Chuan said.

“Okay, sure,” Shen Shao said hurriedly and dragged Shu Han out.

“I won’t be seeing you out.”

He hadn’t moved from his spot during the fight and had only used one hand. That was not because he was far stronger than Shu Han, but because he could tell that Shu Han unleashed the full force and momentum of his attacks through his charging speed and outstanding agility. Once he destroyed that momentum, Shu Han had a hard time trying to attack again.

So, Chen Chuan had used an even faster speed to stop him and win.

But this strategy was specifically tailored for Shu Han based on Chen Chuan already knowing his specialty. He would not have been able to fight like this if he had not met his opponent before and did not know him.

He was still far from getting a grasp of the Primordial Force, but once he began practicing Principal Sanshou, his mutated tissue began to grow in the direction of the tips of his fingers, and he could generate power far more easily than before. The spar was a verification of the results of his training, and it made him even more eager to grow stronger. So, he threw himself back into training.

***

Shu Han was silent the whole way back.

Chen Chuan had taken him down in a single move. The last time, he could say that he lost because he did not fight with all his strength, but this time, the winner was once again decided the moment they clashed fists. He had no excuse to soften the blow of his defeat. His defeat was a testament of the difference between their strengths.

Shen Shao put his hand on Shu Han’s shoulder to comfort him. “I know that losing feels terrible, but some people are just born different. Why are you trying to compete against the naturally gifted? We can’t compare to them.”

Shu Han looked up. “You’re right. Most people can’t compare. Aside from him, I haven’t come across many others as gifted as he is. He has only just joined the university, but he’s already so strong. It’s precisely because he’s so gifted that I can’t just watch him fall to ruin.”

Shen Shao scratched his head. “Seriously. What does this have to do with you? Why can’t you just get over this?”

“Because he saved me. Without him, I wouldn’t be alive today. I’m not strong enough to do what he wanted, and I’m not good enough to practice powerful refined forces. But right now, someone powerful enough has shown up, and he can do what he wanted. He even managed to do it during his follow-up exam. Yet he’s wasting his gift. I just can’t watch it. My conscience won’t allow it,” Shu Han said firmly.

“Wait, no. You can’t just force people into doing what you want. No one likes that. Not that you could do it, but what are you planning to do? Kidnap him and force him to do what he wanted? Can’t you just give it a rest?” Shen Shao let out a resigned sigh.

“I’ll convince him to change his mind. If I can’t, someone else will.” Shu Han then walked forward with an expression of determination.

“Gosh, you’re all so stubborn.” Shen Shao shook his head and followed him.