Holy Fist

Chapter 42: 042 Actual Combat Competition
 

In the crowd, Bai Xiao’s gaze swept over the other students in the elite class.

Everyone was brimming with confidence, eager to try, their eyes betraying a fighting spirit. The elite class students present were all selected from training classes of twenty to thirty people, and could be described as shining talents standing out from the rest. Talents possess their own confidence and pride, and rarely concede defeat easily.

Among them, Chu Ming was the most confident.

This young man, who seemed to have already mastered the art of Sandboxing, had a striking power of at least 170kg, and had already defeated the instructor of his class during the training period. The corners of his mouth slightly raised, his gaze looking at the others with disdain; his intense desire to win was unabashedly displayed. Finally, his eyes clashed with Bai Xiao’s.

“Later, I will give you a good lesson,” he said.

Chu Ming’s smile turned cold, his expression seemingly carrying a hint of provocation.

In the center of the field, Instructor Liu Yang took out his mobile phone from the black bag beside him. After browsing through it, he quickly found the list of the elite class.

“Next, students whose names I call will step forward.”

“You will spar in pairs.”

He paused briefly, then started reading from the list.

“Chu Ming, Yu Shuo.”

Immediately, from the seated crowd, two figures stood up swiftly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ɴονǤο.ᴄο

Chu Ming goes without saying. Yu Shuo was a young man of a height similar to Bai Xiao’s, not as muscular but still emanating a lean and tough bearing.

The two walked briskly to the center of the field.

Instructor Liu Yang handed them two pairs of boxing gloves, one red and one blue, but did not provide any other protective gear. He addressed everyone, “My Fierce Bird Sect is a martial arts school that advocates real combat, which is different from the rule-bound boxing and Sandboxing you’ve practiced before, aiming for more realism, even brutality. Therefore, in your training in the elite class, you will gradually give up protective gear and even gloves, fighting with bare hands… ”

“Those who get injured need not worry, as the Fierce Bird Sect has its own secret medicines for healing. As long as you’re not killed on the spot, there’s a way…”

As he spoke, he moved to one side.

“You two, start,” he said.

“Use your strongest skills to defeat your opponent!”

Bai Xiao’s gaze sharpened slightly. It seemed that this Fierce Bird Sect, true to its name, was incredibly fierce, focusing on simple and brutal combat.

They had just entered the elite class, and it was already time for the students to spar.

On the field, as Instructor Liu Yang’s countdown from three to one ended.

Chu Ming and Yu Shuo had already entered their combat state, each positioned on the left side and right side respectively, their sharp eyes locked on each other. Their muscles tensed, shuffling their feet back and forth, arms raised, like springs compressed.

With a thud, Chu Ming was the first to charge forward to attack.

He was fast, closing in on Yu Shuo in a breath’s time. Without hesitation, and with no dragging his feet, he threw a fierce Guan Fist.

The punch was aimed precisely at Yu Shuo’s side, at the ribs.

Yu Shuo sidestepped and retreated, trying to quickly dodge the blow, but Chu Ming continued with a Long Step forward, delivering another powerful Charging Fist. Yu Shuo gritted his teeth and, in retaliation, threw out a punch quickly.

It was as if both men had forsaken defense, rapidly exchanging blows.

However, Yu Shuo had not anticipated how heavy Chu Ming’s punches were! The red glove slammed into his chest, making his breath hitch, and he grunted. The force made him stagger backwards uncontrollably, stepping back three steps in succession.

Meanwhile, Yu Shuo’s punch to Chu Ming’s shoulder was casually deflected, causing no significant damage. Chu Ming persisted in moving forward, embodying the aggressive style of his school, and landed another five or six punches in succession.

Bang, bang, bang!

Yu Shuo blocked a few, but others landed.

He was pushed back step by step, nearly cornered to the edge of the field by Chu Ming.

“Okay, stop!”

Instructor Liu Yang shouted at the right moment.

Immediately, the fight halted. The two returned to the center of the field.

Yu Shuo’s face was etched with the frustration of defeat.

Chu Ming, however, remained quite calm, without any superfluous expressions.

“Chu Ming, win.”

Instructor Liu Yang added a mark on his phone, then took a deep look at Chu Ming. He had heard of this boy, who had defeated his instructor during the training course. His boxing skills were extremely good—indeed a promising seedling.

“Next pair…”

Following that, Chu Ming and Yu Shuo stepped down, and another two participants took their place.

These sparring matches were quickly decided, the victor and the vanquished often determined within two minutes—not the drawn-out battles spanning more than ten minutes one might imagine.

In the time that followed, Bai Xiao was also called forth to compete.

His opponent was Ye Ning, who practiced Sandboxing.

If the ranking in the elite class was based on physique, then Ye Ning would definitely be the weakest. In reality, his strength was also among the lowest in the class. Without even exerting himself, Bai Xiao easily defeated his opponent.

“Winner, Bai Xiao.”

Liu Yang looked down to make a note as time ticked by.

Because the initial time was somewhat spent on practicing the quiet ceremonial rites, the competition had only just begun, with each person having fought one match in pairs. The winners were Chu Ming, Bai Xiao, Kang Li, Zhou Bing, and Wang Heng.

“Two minutes left, don’t waste them.”

“Last match, Chu Ming against Zhou Bing.”

From within the crowd, Kang Li, Bai Xiao, and Wang Heng all looked up, their gazes shifting towards the action. Kang Li and Bai Xiao, needless to say, had been previously challenged by the provoking Chu Ming along with Zhou Bing. Wang Heng, on the other hand, had already been defeated by Chu Ming at White Bird Martial Arts Hall and naturally took an interest in this match.

In his memory, Zhou Bing’s boxing was very impressive.

Before stepping onto the stage, Zhou Bing nodded at Kang Li and Bai Xiao, his eyes brimming with combativeness. He was eager to test himself against Chu Ming, as Chu Ming’s earlier provocation had indeed been irritating. Although Zhou Bing’s power might not match Chu Ming’s, real combat required considering many factors, such as evasion, defense, and seizing the right moment.

He had been training in boxing for years, and his techniques were certainly not just for show.

With the final two minutes underway, the match began.

Zhou Bing’s dodging skills and punching angles were indeed exquisite, far superior to Yu Shuo’s, who had previously fought against Chu Ming. From Bai Xiao’s perspective, Zhou Bing’s boxing was nearing mastery and posed a significant threat.

However, in the continuous exchange, Chu Ming still gained the upper hand.

A flurry of combination punches forced Zhou Bing to retreat continuously.

Eventually, when the training time for the elite class came to an end,

Instructor Liu Yang announced Chu Ming as the victor.

Three-thirty in the afternoon, at the gymnasium, Area Three.

Instructor Liu Yang stood before everyone, his indifferent gaze sweeping over them.

“You all know where the changing room and the shower are, right? You should have been shown yesterday. Okay, that’s it for today, we’ll continue tomorrow…”

Then, he picked up his phone, glanced at it, and walked towards a side passage of the gymnasium. Clearly, there seemed to be some matter within the martial arts hall.

Meanwhile, the other members of the elite class dispersed as well.

Heading towards a changing room inside the gymnasium.

Zhou Bing, who had just been defeated, walked briskly as if he didn’t want to see Chu Ming’s face. Kang Li quickly walked out and also left the venue.

Bai Xiao looked at their departing figures with a profound gaze, then took a step towards the changing rooms. However, a young man directly blocked his path, his narrow eyes slightly squinting, lips curling up.

A voice tinged with a hint of cold sarcasm rose,

“I told you before, you guys, just aren’t good enough…”