Martial Arts Master

Keeping his center of mass low, Chen Changhua made his way up with his zigzag snake steps as if a heavy truck was about to run over Fei Sanli.

The fight between Fei Sanli and Lin Que was diamond cutting diamond. Although his vital parts were missed and those punches he failed to dodge were not with full strength, Fei Sanli was still hit black and blue with his legs sore and body aching. Facing the much taller, heavier and stronger Chen Changhua, he dared not take it lightly. Considering his current body condition, he swiftly made a step to the left to avoid frontal conflict.

Similar to the round with Lin Que, Fei Sanli’s moves seemed predictable. As soon as he made his move, Chen Changhua instantly changed his footwork and picked up his speed, charging at the opponent like a heavy water buffalo with sharp horns. His overwhelming bearing and terrifying strength shook the ground under Fei Sanli.

With no knowledge of Yin-Yang Stance, Fei Sanli was unable to coordinate his body, withdraw his weight and fight off inertia in this position. However, it was not the first time he was cornered in such a situation during his years of martial arts practice. He shrank his body immediately and squatted down to avoid the bump. Meanwhile, his right hand stretched out toward Chen Changhua’s crotch, the most vulnerable part of every man.

Watching the fierce confrontation on big screens, many male students in the audience felt a chill down their crotch. It seemed like Chen Changhua’s vital part would be grabbed before they collided. If he attempted to overcome the inertia with a rush dodge, his footwork would be completely messed up.

“This one will hurt…”

“What to do?”

The audience was on edge. Fei Sanli was delighted with his quick reaction which would successfully turn the tide and put the rival into a very dangerous dilemma.

“Chen Changhua is too impatient and reckless!”

All of a sudden, his eyes dazzled as Chen Changhua’s feet were both off the ground.

Off the ground?

“Isn’t it the taboo move in the body refining stage? How can he keep his footwork and control his weight to prepare his body for attacks with both feet off the ground? Can Chen Changhua fly?”

As thoughts mingled in his head, Fei Sanli looked up to a black shadow falling to his head.

Chen Changhua was no Qu Hui and of course he couldn’t fly. To avoid Fei Sanli’s crotch-grasping movement, he jumped up and threw his entire body at Fei Sanli.

This unconventional move gave the already cornered Fei Sanli no chance to respond. Chen Changhua’s long and heavy body, strengthened by the inertia, was coming down like the Mount Tai.

Fei Sanli attempted to curl up and roll forward to avoid the attack, but it was too late. Chen Changhua fell on him heavily.

Pong!

The two were both down on all fours. Chen Changhua took this opportunity to grab the dazed Fei Sanli by the wrists and was about to strangle his lower body to prevent knee kicks. This basic technique of the casting and throwing genre pulled the fight into Chen Changhua’s field.

Fei Sanli would not sit still for his defeat. His legs struggled to break free and his hands flicked to fight the catch.

Cai Zongming in the auditorium, having his lips half open, murmured.

“Looks like a damn raping scene…”

Lou Cheng shoot at the mouth and whispered to himself,

“It is literally rubbing on the ground…”

Abruptly, Fei Sanli went for a headbutt at Chen Changhua’s nose to break away from this difficult position at all costs.

The experienced Chen Changhua stayed calm and got away from the headbutt by flipping over with strength from his waist and back. Lying under Fei Sanli, Chen Changhua then tightened his legs and started rolling.

The pair rolled on the ground where one attempted to control and the other tried hard to break free. There were collisions and catch moves here and there as the fight went on. Suddenly Chen Changhua let out a loud shout and threw a headbutt to give Fei Sanli a taste of his own medicine.

Bam!

As two heads smashed into each other, the two both felt dizzy accompanied by a sharp pain and tinnitus. There seemed golden stars jumping in front of their eyes. The scuffle came to a halt.

Chen Changhua on top of the exhausted Fei Sanli came back to consciousness first and tightly locked Fei Sanli’s hands behind his back. He pressed the opponent’s face to the ground.

“Chen Changhua won!” The referee observed the situation closely and announced the result.

“Terrific!”

“Chen Changhua! Chen Changhua! Chen Changhua!”

The audience burst into a thunderous hooray, filling up the entire stadium. Chen Changhua rose unsteadily to his feet. Dizziness was still there in his head but his eyes were filled with excitement and joy.

“I can do this!

“I’m here enjoying cheers and applause!

“I’m the manager of Songcheng University Martial Arts Club!”

“Wouldn’t that cause a concussion?” said Lou Cheng, touching his forehead.

Martial arts competition was not something for the show. It was so brutal that accidental injuries and death occurred every year.

Geezer Shi standing next to him answered leisurely, “It would, but nothing severe. Once you are in the ring, forget about injuries and death. Leave those to the referee.”

Lou Cheng took a deep breath and swallowed down his words. He was only a young student.

A dead silence hovered over the resting area of Guannan School. Coach Gu Zhen and Manager Gu Yue said no word.

They had one last combatant left. But the opponent seemed still capable…

“Ji Lan, he’s suffering from the concussion. Play skirmish fight to worsen his dizziness and seize any opportunity to knock him out!” Gu Zhen turned to the girl next to him.

Ji Lan, with short and thin hair, was very boyish. She pursed her lips and left her seat. Up the flight of stairs, she went when Fei Sanli staggered down with dizziness as if lines were circling in his eyes.

In the ring, Ji Lan approached and threw a kick at Chen Changhua, which was blocked. She drew back to create some distance and kept her footwork. She seemed better at kicks.

Sidekicks, low kicks and swing kicks, she moved agilely with her flexible footwork and great strength in her lower body, little by little pushing the giddy Chen Changhua into a frenzy.

Ji Lan suddenly dived forward and targeted Chen Changhua’s shin with her right foot, to which Chen Changhua appeared unable to respond.

As Ji Lan’s foot reached his shin, Chen Changhua abruptly grabbed her shoulders. His face was distorted with pain but his body pressed forward instead of leaning back.

Tightening his grasps and pressing his body, Chen Changhua, ignoring the possible injuries, attempted to pin Ji Lan down with the same trick and win another fight in his field of specialization.

A chill hit Ji Lan’s heart. Her legs span and strangled Chen Changhua’s upper body like a pair of scissors. She managed to use the power from her fall to throw her opponent out.

Pong!

They both fell to the ground, dizzy and close to fainting.

Taking advantage of Chen Changhua’s giddiness, Ji Lan played the Carp Jumping Move and advanced to lock his throat with her right hand.

“Ji Lan won!” announced the referee tersely.

Chen Changhua slowly stood up, shaking his head. As he wobbled down the flight of stairs, he murmured to their third combatant Li Mao, “The fall was heavy, consuming her a lot. Stay calm and you got this.”

Li Mao gazed into a distance nervously and nodded slightly to the information. Making no eye contact with Chen Changhua, he looked lost in the loud cheers of his name.

“Phew… That was close. I don’t think Ji Lan has much strength left,” commented Guo Qing to Lin Hua in the auditorium, with obvious joy on her face.

Lou Cheng shared the same view but sadly Yan Zheke was too busy leading the pep squad to talk to him on QQ.

Gazing at the ring, Lou Cheng sent his encouragement to brother Li Mao silently. His face turned pale when he noticed that Li Mao’s body was trembling.

Suddenly, Li Mao’s words flashed back,

“… Sigh… I can’t do it. I was so nervous that my body was shaking in the Amateur Ranking Event. Luckily my opponents were either very weak or more nervous than I was.”

“Damn it! I hope brother Li Mao won’t get too nervous!”

Lou Cheng could tell Li Mao’s abnormality, and so could Ji Lan. She clenched her teeth and made a bold decision—giving up her strong point skirmish fight and playing offensive!

“Give him no chance to calm down!”

She advanced and threw a sidekick!

Li Mao’s head was in a swim. In front of Ji Lan’s strikes, he didn’t know what to do or how to get out of this situation.

“I can’t let down the audience…

“I can’t disappoint the coach…

“I can’t waste Lin Que and Chen Changhua’s effort…”

The more he thought, the worse he felt. He could hardly breathe among the loud cheers of his name. His mind was a hell of emptiness.

He raised his arms into a defensive position by instinct but it was too late. Ji Lan’s kick landed on his chest, forcing him to stumble back.

The chest pain brought him back to reality. Li Mao imagined it to be a pair exercise. However, before he could stabilize his body, Ji Lan’s kicks came one after another.

Pong! Pong! Pong!

Li Mao received several kicks in a roll. He tried to block them but was still forced to move backward until he fell off the ring.

The scorching hot atmosphere in the stadium instantly dropped to the freezing point. They had got the key to victory and taken the absolute superiority. What happened in less than one minute? How was the tide turned?

Lin Que rose with his fists clenched tightly. Chen Changhua, expressionless, was wondering if he was still in a dream that suddenly turned into a nightmare.

Lou Cheng looked blankly with only one thought in his mind, “This year’s martial arts competition is over? Over in just a simple and unreal way? Over together with our two-month hard, painstaking training?”

That was the martial arts competition. The winner collected all the honors and cheers whereas the loser would soon be forgotten.

On the stand, Yan Zheke stood quietly with red eyes. Lin Hua, Guo Qing and other supporters from Songcheng University had the same facial expression.

No one could understand such pain and grief without experiencing the failure on the verge of success in person.

In Guannan School’s resting area, Gu Yue and other members were not prepared for this shocking result. It took them a good while to finally raise their hands and cry with joy and secret relief.

Lou Cheng returned to the locker room after helping the supervisors pack up dully. He was welcomed by the extreme depression and a dead silence.

The always distant and cold Lin Que stripped to the waist. Sitting on the metal bench with his head, completely wrapped up by that black-edged white suit, resting on his hands in front of his bare chest, he was silent like a stone statue. Chen Changhua, standing in a corner facing a distorted closet door with blood dripping down from his right hand, kept murmuring, “How is it possible? How?”

Li Mao was in the middle of the room, terrified, and kept his head low. His face was filled with pain, misery, and guilt. “It’s my fault. My fault… My fault…”

Guo Qing and Lin Hua had tears on their face, silently weeping.

The massive grief became an actual, physical substance, ramming into Lou Cheng with all its strength. He opened his mouth but was unable to speak.

“It’s my fault. It’s my fault… My fault…” Tears blurred his vision. He repeated his apology, helpless and wretched like a poor child.

A black shadow appeared by his feet.

He looked up and saw Geezer Shi’s hoary face with a few wrinkles.

“You think it’s your fault. Then make up for it next year,” said Geezer Shi gently.

Li Mao burst into tears and cried, “Yes, Coach!”

Lou Cheng’s eyes were wet. For a long, long time, he would not forget this moment.