After the young woman left, Ding Jiao immediately darted over from behind. He slapped Chen Chuan on the back and said dramatically, "Chen Chuan! Brother Chuan! I was wondering why you were so quiet. Turns out you were just waiting to drop a bombshell like this!" He was even more excited than Chen Chuan. "Wuda! That's Wuda we're talking about!"
Chen Chuan shook his head. "I still have to pass the final test."
Ding Jiao said loudly, "Even if you haven't passed the final test, you still got in! In the future, I can tell people my buddy is from Wuda. Who's gonna have a problem with that?"
At this point, his classmates had also become very enthusiastic. People started coming up to Chen Chuan one after another to ask for his contact information, but he politely declined. He used the excuse that he would be moving out of his uncle-in-law's house soon, so it wasn't a convenient time to share his details.
He needed to intensify his training next and really didn't have time to waste on such social obligations.
Even the classmate who had been flattering Han Shu earlier eagerly came over to talk to him, and he never returned to his original table afterward.
Han Shu sat alone at his seat, hesitating for a long time. Finally, he stood up and approached with a somewhat stiff expression. "Chen Chuan, I didn't expect you to get into Wuda. Congratulations. We should keep in touch."
Chen Chuan shook his head. "Let's not get in touch for now. We can talk about it some other time."
Han Shu thought Chen Chuan was targeting him and secretly gritted his teeth, but on the surface, he could only force an unnatural smile. "Okay, okay."
After dealing with several waves of approaching classmates, Chen Chuan could finally eat in peace. His appetite was huge now after all his training. A plate of food had just been brought over, but he polished it off within a few breaths, leaving Ding Jiao staring in stunned silence.
Chen Chuan had a feeling. 'The conversion efficiency of this normal food is too low. It can't possibly meet my training needs.'
'No wonder Yu Gang said that at Wuda, Nutrition Paste is the mainstream. It provides all the necessary nutrients without wasting too much time on eating. The only downside is that it has no flavor and gets tiresome if you eat too much of it.' But he didn't care about that.
The dinner party lasted until around seven or eight in the evening before winding down. Except for the classmates who lived near the city center and had planned more activities, those who lived a bit farther away decided to head home early. After 9 p.m. was when gang members were most active, and when you added in all the strange urban legends, it was generally unsafe.
After saying goodbye to their classmates at the hotel entrance, Chen Chuan and Ding Jiao started walking together. Ding Jiao said, "I came on my motorcycle. I modified it myself—it's a real beast. Want me to give you a ride home?"
Chen Chuan said, "I rode my bicycle, and my home isn't far. It'd be out of your way to give me a ride. You should just head home early tonight."
"Alright then." Ding Jiao was still buzzing with excitement. He clapped Chen Chuan on the shoulder. "I'm telling you, man, how did you get into Wuda? It's Wuda! When you pass the final test, you have to treat me to a meal, no matter what. Let me show off in front of my buddies."
Chen Chuan agreed with a smile. After parting ways with Ding Jiao, he crossed the street and went to the bike shed to retrieve the bicycle he had parked there. He glanced back one more time at the lights of the hotel entrance and his dispersing classmates, then pushed off with his foot and started riding home.
There weren't many pedestrians or vehicles at this hour, and the road was wide open. He was back home in less than twenty minutes. As he entered the front yard, he saw the glowing ember of a cigarette flash in the dark. A figure was sitting on the rear rack of a bicycle, smoking. "Uncle?" he asked.
Nian Fuli grunted in acknowledgment. "I saw the note you left. Tell me what happened."
Chen Chuan had felt the incident with Mr. Qi might have repercussions, so he had mentioned it briefly in the note he left during the day. He parked his bike first, then explained what had happened there in the yard.
After listening, Nian Fuli took a few hard drags on his cigarette before stubbing it out. "It's fine. You can keep learning from Yu Gang. Don't ask about anything else. If that Mr. Qi shows up again, just avoid him. Yu Gang will handle it for you."
Chen Chuan said, "Okay, Uncle. I'll head back to my room then."
"Go on," Nian Fuli said. After Chen Chuan had left, Yu Wan came out with a jacket in her hands. Nian Fuli commented, "The kid is much stronger than before."
Yu Wan said, "Oh, you. Chan'Er has always been a good boy. He's just more mature now."
Nian Fuli stood up, grabbing the bicycle's handlebars with one hand. "Alright, Xiaowu is covering for me at the bureau. I need to hurry back. Those resistance organizations are stirring up trouble again. They never give you a moment's peace."
Yu Wan quickly handed him the jacket. "Take this with you. The night air is cold."
Nian Fuli took it, stuffed it into the basket on the front of the bike, and waved a hand. "Go on back inside. Don't just stand out here." With that, he pushed the bike out of the front yard.
Yu Wan waited until the sounds of the bike faded down the alley before stepping forward to lock the gate. She checked it once more, then went back inside.
Although Chen Chuan had gone into the inner room, he could still clearly hear their conversation in the front yard. 'My aunt must have seen the note and called Nian Fuli to come back,' he guessed. 'And he clearly waited quite a while for me.'
He paused for a moment. Only when he heard Yu Wan return to the house and bolt the door did he walk back to his own room. He changed out of his clothes, grabbed a fresh set, and took a shower in the washroom. Afterward, he read a book for a while before turning off the light and going to sleep when it was about time.
「The next day」
He left early, jogging all the way to Quan's House. The moment he walked in, he saw Lu Ke stretching. "Morning, Brother Lu," he greeted. "Everything okay after yesterday?"
Lu Ke shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Thanks."
Chen Chuan asked, "For what?"
Lu Ke said, "I know Master didn't actually want to accept Mr. Qi's offer. If you hadn't stepped up then, Master would have been forced to agree."
Chen Chuan replied frankly, "I had my own reasons for doing it. Besides, Mr. Yu still ended up agreeing to their terms. I didn't really make much of a difference."
"It's not the same!" Lu Ke insisted. "In any case, you were willing to stand up for Master yesterday, so I have to thank you."
Seeing his earnest expression, Chen Chuan nodded and then asked, "Is Mr. Yu upstairs?"
Lu Ke replied, "Master's here. You can go straight up."
Chen Chuan said okay and went up to the second floor. He walked to the end of the balcony hallway and knocked on the door. "Mr. Yu, it's me, Chen Chuan."
CREAK. The door was pulled open from the inside, revealing Yu Gang's burly figure. "Come in," he said.
After entering, Chen Chuan first handed him the fifty yuan he had prepared. Then he said, "Mr. Yu, I'd like to ask you a question."
Yu Gang gestured for him to have a seat. "Go ahead. What do you want to ask?"
Chen Chuan waited for him to sit down first before taking a seat himself. "Mr. Yu, I want to ask, are there many people who can wield Power?"
Yu Gang hummed thoughtfully. "Yes and no. If the Breathing Technique is something that can be mastered through rigorous training, then for every ten people who know the Breathing Technique, you might not even find one who can use Power. This is especially true for complete Power, which is incredibly difficult to master. Sometimes, a fighter has no choice but to master some of the easier Small Forces."
Chen Chuan asked, "Like that guy yesterday, Ding Shuo?"
Yu Gang said, "It's not necessarily that Ding Shuo is incapable of mastering it. It's possible he was in a hurry to build his own fighting system. To quickly become combat-effective, he mastered a Small Force first, intending to perfect it later. This is a common situation among fighters who didn't come from the academies."
Chen Chuan asked again, "Then, Mr. Yu, during my final test for admission, is it possible I'll encounter an upper-year student who has mastered Power?"
Yu Gang said slowly, "Although such students haven't appeared often in past assessments, we can't rule out the possibility."
Chen Chuan sat up straight and asked humbly, "Then how is a candidate supposed to defeat an opponent like that? Mr. Yu, you said that some students, even those who've trained since they were young, still haven't mastered the Breathing Technique before entering the academy. Against an upper-year student like that, it seems they'd have no chance of winning."
Yu Gang replied, "In the final test, knocking out your opponent is the surest way to pass instantly. But it is a scoring system, after all. If you're up against a student who has mastered Power, the academy will use its discretion in scoring. If you're not aiming for a high score, a candidate can even wear protective gear. And don't think people who can use Power are unbeatable. At the end of the day, it's just another tool for fighting. It has its own flaws and weaknesses, and there are ways to counter it."
Chen Chuan didn't know Wuda's specific scoring criteria, but a low score was not what he was after. So he continued his inquiry, "Mr. Yu, if I encounter a durable opponent like Ding Shuo in the final test, how should I go about winning?"
Yu Gang explained, "While the Breathing Technique can increase one's Resistance to Impact, the crucial point is the breathing itself. If you can't maintain your breathing, your Resistance to Impact will drop accordingly. Moreover, when one's mastery of Power isn't at a high enough level, every use of it requires coordination with the Breathing Technique. So, if you can break or disrupt your opponent's breathing rhythm, even if you just make them lose their Breathing Technique for a moment, you'll have an opportunity."
Chen Chuan thought to himself, 'Break their rhythm...'
Yu Gang said, "Don't overcomplicate it. In a fight, most people who get knocked out are hit the very instant they launch their own attack. Therefore, if you can strike your target a step ahead, at the exact moment they unleash their Power, you can destroy their breathing rhythm and maybe even knock them out with a single blow. However, this requires extremely fast reflexes and precise strikes. It's generally very difficult to achieve, but I don't think it's impossible given your talent."
At this point, he added emphatically, "In truth, the most straightforward way to knock out an enemy is with a powerful strike. As long as your strike is strong enough, you don't need to worry about anything else. That is the proper way."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "Mr. Yu, I don't think I'm capable of that right now."
Yu Gang replied, "It's not completely impossible, it just depends on the price you're willing to pay. The human body is capable of exerting greater strength; it's just restricted by its self-preservation mechanisms. I can teach you a method to use the Breathing Technique to temporarily unleash greater speed and strength. You can think of it as an immature form of 'Power.' The price is that your body will suffer corresponding damage."
Hearing this, Chen Chuan's eyes lit up. Because of his Second Self, he didn't have to worry too much about such damage. He said earnestly, "Please teach me, Mr. Yu."
Yu Gang stood up and walked over to a punching bag that was chained to the wall. In a deep voice, he said, "Watch."
His center of gravity lowered slightly. He suddenly let out a low bellow and threw a punch. It looked like a simple, ordinary punch, but it THUMPED clean through the bag. As he withdrew his fist, shredded cotton stuffing and sand poured out of the hole.
Chen Chuan couldn't help but think, 'If that punch landed on a person...' But just as he had that thought, Yu Gang suddenly spun around and threw a punch straight at his face!
...
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