When Chen Chuan saw Lu Ke's punch coming, he instinctively lowered both hands to block. But it was a feint. Lu Ke's prepared follow-up strike came smashing in as he advanced. His movements were fluid and fast. Although Chen Chuan leaned back, a fist still slammed into his headgear, forcing him to take two steps back.
Lu Ke stopped, feigning concern. "Young Master Chen, are you alright? My punches might have been a bit heavy."
Chen Chuan looked at him and smiled. "I'm fine."
Yu Gang stood with his arms crossed, saying nothing. He could see through Lu Ke's little trick. Real combat was no place for courtesies; a minor ploy like that was nothing.
Lu Ke had tried everything to land a hit on Chen Chuan. Besides his lingering resentment and wanting to vent, it was also a tactical move. He wanted to provoke Chen Chuan and make him lose his cool. Then, the rest of the fight would be much easier.
But he soon discovered that Chen Chuan wasn't angered by the hit, nor did he become timid. He was just as calm as when he first stepped up. This reaction, contrary to his expectations, made Lu Ke a bit more cautious.
Chen Chuan had no real fighting experience, so he could only move based on his own understanding. Recalling what Yu Gang had taught him, he guarded against Lu Ke's attacks while slowly closing the distance, constantly using his lead hand to test the range and disrupt his opponent.
Once he felt he was within a suitable range, he tried throwing a straight punch with force. However, Lu Ke not only dodged it with ease but also returned a hook. Fortunately, Chen Chuan was mindful enough to raise his guard in time, preventing the blow from landing.
Normally, Lu Ke should have seized the opportunity to throw several more punches and press his advantage. But instead of doing that, he rapidly retreated as if wary of something.
Over the past several days, Lu Ke had learned that Chen Chuan's strikes were unpredictable—sometimes light and ordinary, other times explosive and powerful, with a corresponding increase in speed. He couldn't figure out the pattern, so he didn't dare get hit at all.
Since Lu Ke wouldn't engage, Chen Chuan took the initiative.
He tried to close in and attack, but Lu Ke's footwork was nimble. The moment he showed any sign of striking, Lu Ke would quickly move away. Sometimes, when he felt Chen Chuan got too close, he would throw a quick push kick to create distance. He also kept kicking at the back of Chen Chuan's knees and would occasionally launch a surprise attack at his face.
Aside from the first two punches, Lu Ke did his best to maintain distance between them. Relying on his proficient legwork and swift movement, he kept Chen Chuan at a medium-to-long range where the latter couldn't reach him.
His strategy was practical. A newcomer to fighting usually has poor stamina. Under intense pressure, a few minutes of constant movement would leave them exhausted. He wouldn't even have to do much. Once Chen Chuan's stamina was gone, Lu Ke would have a greater advantage in the next two rounds.
Chen Chuan tried many times but found he couldn't launch an effective attack. He knew this was due to his lack of skill and experience, which had put him on the defensive.
Under normal circumstances, he was bound to lose.
But he wanted to win.
'If this were a life-or-death battle, or a situation like the school's re-examination, I'd naturally use my Second Self without hesitation.'
'But this is just a spar. A purely superficial victory is meaningless; it would be a wasted training opportunity. So not only do I have to win, I have to win without using my Second Self.'
Lu Ke wasn't without flaws. Although his personal defense was tight, he lacked sufficient pressure, which gave Chen Chuan an opportunity to think of a counter-strategy. After observing for a while, he actually found a potential opening.
Lu Ke had a habit. Whenever he was in the open center of the room, he would move around quickly. But as he neared a wall or a pillar, he would almost always throw a front kick to push Chen Chuan away.
'In that case, maybe I can try something...'
Chen Chuan didn't rush, nor did he impatiently reveal his intentions. Instead, he patiently waited for an opportunity.
The two circled each other, trading offense and defense. Two minutes passed quickly, and the end of the first round was drawing near.
While dodging, Lu Ke observed Chen Chuan. He noticed that, even now, the other man showed no signs of fatigue. He didn't seem like a novice at all.
Then it hit him.
'Damn it, it's the Breathing Technique!'
The constant operation of the Breathing Technique greatly enhanced all aspects of Chen Chuan's physical condition. Even though Lu Ke had trained for a long time, Chen Chuan could still match him with this. It was foreseeable that surpassing him was only a matter of time.
At this thought, a deep wave of envy and jealousy washed over him. Catalyzed by this emotion, he lost some of his usual composure.
Chen Chuan immediately sensed it. There seemed to be a subtle shift in Lu Ke's mindset. He didn't know why, but he knew the opportunity he'd been waiting for had arrived.
He watched his surroundings. The moment Lu Ke neared a pillar again, he suddenly surged forward. Coordinated with his Breathing Technique, he preemptively tensed his abdominal muscles, fixed his gaze on Lu Ke, and swept his hands down to catch!
As expected, Lu Ke threw a kick, which seemed to land right in Chen Chuan's grasp. Because he was prepared, even though the kick landed on his abdomen, he wasn't significantly injured. As he retreated with the force of the blow, he pulled on Lu Ke's leg, trying to make him lose his balance.
Lu Ke was startled when his leg was caught. He did have some experience, after all. As Chen Chuan pulled his leg back, he threw a punch at Chen Chuan's face.
Chen Chuan had originally planned to break Lu Ke's balance before striking. But a real fight was completely different from practice; there was no opportunity to execute a move perfectly. He was a beat too slow, and Lu Ke's fist reached him first. He quickly ducked his head, letting the punch land on the forehead guard of his headgear. Though his head rattled, it didn't cause him any real harm.
At this point, he no longer insisted on striking. Pinning Lu Ke's leg under his arm, he extended his own foot, attempting to hook his opponent's other supporting leg. Since he hadn't learned how to attack a downed opponent, he was operating under the assumption that getting a takedown would count as a win.
However, he soon discovered that a move that was easy in practice was much harder in a real confrontation. The pulling and struggling between them made the motion clumsy. His extended foot fell just short of Lu Ke's heel, only brushing against it. Still, it startled Lu Ke, who instinctively hopped back on one leg to avoid the trip.
But that hop created a momentary pause. Chen Chuan felt the resisting force from Lu Ke's body suddenly weaken. Without thinking, he stepped forward and executed a Pan Tuo Palm from the Great Scattering Hand!
This was a strike that traveled upward, using the heel of the palm to hit the opponent. It shot straight through the gap in Lu Ke's guard and connected with his chin.
Reeling from the heavy blow, Lu Ke's head snapped back. Even with the jaw guard, he felt dizzy and stumbled.
"Stop!"
Yu Gang called out.
Hearing the command, Chen Chuan immediately stopped. Lu Ke staggered back, shaking his head. He leaned a hand against a pillar, taking a long moment to recover.
Yu Gang waited until Lu Ke had recovered before calling both of them over again.
He looked at Lu Ke first and critiqued, "Your skill and experience are clearly better than Chen Chuan's. But after landing a hit at the start, you thought you had the advantage. Then you got scared of being hit back, so you just kept dodging, trying to wear out his stamina. Setting aside whether that strategy was right or wrong, your movements became repetitive. You only used a few moves, with no feints or variations. I'm not surprised at all that he found an opening. You're lucky Chen Chuan doesn't know how to use the Orthodox Scattering Hand and that you're both wearing gloves. Otherwise, imagine what the consequences would have been."
Lu Ke's expression changed slightly.
In the Orthodox Scattering Hand, the Pan Tuo Palm is most often followed by the Curtain-Ripping Hand. After the initial strike, the five fingers would follow through with force, either tearing off the opponent's face or crushing their throat. It was an exceptionally vicious move. Although Yu Gang hadn't taught it to him, Lu Ke knew of it.
Yu Gang then turned to Chen Chuan. "Chen Chuan, at the very beginning, when you bowed to each other, given your starting positions, there was no way Lu Ke's first punch could have hit you. Your defense was completely unnecessary, and that's what gave him his opening. This is due to your lack of experience, but it also shows you weren't paying close enough attention to your surroundings. You need to learn from this. In the future, you must at least be able to judge distances properly."
Chen Chuan nodded, humbly accepting the criticism.
Yu Gang continued, "But I also have to praise you. Even though you were at a disadvantage from the start, you never stopped looking for an opportunity. You were very proactive. Most importantly, you won. So for this first round, I'm giving you two points."
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