Boom!
Chen Chu and Xia Youhui clashed with all their might, resulting in a dull explosion when their fists and palms met. Both were pushed back several steps due to a potent counter-shock force.
"Stop, no more rounds," Xia Youhui, drenched in sweat, panted heavily, signaling an end to the fight.
Observing this, Chen Chu ceased his attacks and exhaled deeply.
At this point, both combatants were soaked with sweat, their skin flushed, and their bodies radiated heat, indicative of their raised adrenaline.
After regaining their composure, Xia Youhui remarked, "Ah Chu, it was just a friendly spar. Why were you so relentless?"
Initially, during their sparring session, they had maintained restraint and conserved their strength. However, as the intensity of the battle increased, their blood began to boil, leading Chen Chu to land increasingly heavy blows.
Xia Youhui naturally responded with equal vigor, escalating the fight to a fierce, unyielding contest.
Rubbing his reddened and swollen left cheek, Chen Chu grinned, "Isn't this a chess match? It happened spontaneously, and I ended up receiving over ten punches more than you, so I came out of it worse, right?"
"Can you really count like this? Just look at my face," Xia Youhui grumbled, pointing at his two puffy eye sockets.
Although Xia Youhui had landed more than ten punches on Chen Chu, the issue was that most of them had hit Chen Chu's back or shoulders, whereas Xia Youhui had received a blow to the face, making his situation seem worse.
At this juncture, not only Xia Youhui but also Luo Fei and the others who had been watching didn't anticipate the fight to take such a physical toll.
Concubine Luo approached Chen Chu, her curiosity piqued as she inspected his cheek, "Chen Chu, does it hurt?"
Chen Chu quipped, his eyes fixated on her innocent, beautiful visage, "What do you think? Would you like to give it a try?" He couldn't help but feel tempted by the thought of delivering a single punch to her lovely face.
Refusing hastily, Luo Fei shook her head, "No."
Xia Youhui's arm had swollen slightly from Li Wenwen's prod, and he winced in pain, evading her touch, "Don't touch it, it's painful."
Lin Xue retrieved a small bottle and said, "I have a bottle of specialized medicinal wine here. It can quickly reduce swelling and enhance blood circulation. You two can use it."
"Thank you, squad leader," Xia Youhui accepted the medicine and headed to the changing room with Chen Chu to apply it.
Observing the two leave, Li Wenwen stuck out her tongue and remarked, "I never expected that classmate Chen Chu, who appears so gentle, could get so intense during a fight."
Lu Haitao, who had remained silent, nodded, "Yes, Xia Youhui really took a beating."
Curiously, even though Chen Chu had been at a disadvantage and received more punches, everyone seemed to empathize with Xia Youhui's situation.
Lu Haitao suddenly felt fortunate that he had chosen to stop after a few punches during their previous encounter. Otherwise, he might have been in the same predicament as Xia Youhui. In that case, he couldn't fathom how he would have faced his classmates afterward.
Lin Xue suddenly posed a question, "Do you think if I invite Chen Chu to join our club again, he will refuse?"
Li Wenwen blinked her large eyes, inquisitive, "Squad leader, why are you inviting him?"
The others appeared somewhat surprised as well. As high school teenagers focused on maintaining their pride, it seemed improbable that Lin Xue would consider inviting Chen Chu again after being rebuffed once before.
Lin Xue responded thoughtfully, "Because he possesses immense courage and a strong fighting instinct. If he were to join our club, he'd make an excellent teammate."
Luo Fei interjected softly, "I think he'll still decline."
"Alright, let's pretend I never brought it up."
...
"Hiss! Ah Chu, go easy."
Inside the changing room, Chen Chu applied the medicinal lotion to Xia Youhui's shoulder. When he accidentally applied too much pressure, Xia Youhui winced in pain, causing Chen Chu to fall momentarily silent.
"A grown man like you is afraid of a little pain? Look at me, I'm not even flinching," Chen Chu said, casually wiping the ointment on his chest.
"Nonsense. I chose Xuanwu Thick Soil Formula precisely because I wanted to avoid pain," Xia Youhui responded, rolling his eyes. "And don't try to deny it. The force you used when applying the ointment to yourself was significantly gentler than when you applied it to me."
"How is that possible? Would I be that kind of person?" Chen Chu retorted with a smile, placing the emptied medicine bottle aside.
After applying the lotion, they moved their bodies once more. Their qi and blood flowed more smoothly, and the swelling in their bodies quickly subsided.
Chen Chu inquired, "Old Xia, what's your current arm strength?"
Understanding the unspoken question, Xia Youhui didn't hesitate to reply, "190 kilograms. The first level of Xuanwu Thick Soil Zhenjue can boost fist strength by 1.5 times."
"As I suspected," Chen Chu nodded.
His current arm strength measured just over 150 kilograms, and given the disparity in techniques, it was only natural that Xia Youhui had overwhelmed him.
Based on this assessment, it seemed that the strength of others who had practiced advanced exercises was roughly on par with Xia Youhui's. It would indeed be challenging to defeat them using a strategy of trading injuries for injuries, Chen Chu pondered.
Trading injuries for injuries was ultimately not the wisest approach. When one's overall attributes were suppressed, especially if the opponent was ruthless, it could result in a net loss for oneself.
"It was painful today, but also quite enjoyable, especially your performance, Ah Chu. I didn't expect your strength to have improved so much, and you held your ground admirably," Xia Youhui remarked, rubbing the corners of his eyes.
"Oh, come on, Lao Xia, you were no slouch either," Chen Chu reciprocated the compliments.
Xia Youhui was at a loss for words. "If I were better, I wouldn't have been beaten like this by you."
"But didn't you let me do that?" Chen Chu grinned.
"Do you really think I believe that?" Xia Youhui rolled his eyes.
At that moment, Chen Chu inquired, "Lao Xia, have you heard about what's been happening these past two days? I've noticed law enforcement officers patrolling the streets everywhere."
The streets had been teeming with such personnel yesterday and today, leaving Chen Chu curious about the reason behind it.
He turned to Xia Youhui for information, knowing that he was well-informed.
"It's nothing too serious. Word has it that two cults have emerged, and the authorities have been investigating and tracking them down in recent days."
"Cultists? The same kind that caused trouble in Ke Luoya?" Chen Chu's expression turned serious.
Observing his concern, Xia Youhui reassured him, "Don't worry, Ah Chu. We're not like Ke Luoya, a small country. Those guys will meet their end here if they come."
"Don't be fooled by the lack of visible cultivators in society. Our city boasts many masters, especially among the teachers at our school."
"Nevertheless, exercise extra caution in the coming days; it might be a bit more dangerous. If you don't have any urgent business at night, try to stay put," Xia Youhui cautioned before parting ways.
At 5 o'clock in the afternoon, Chen Chu waited until the redness and swelling on his face had subsided before leaving school. Along the way, he took out his mobile phone and searched for news related to Ke Luoya.
To his surprise, half a month had passed since his last update, and the situation there had escalated.
Almost half of Koroya now exhibited signs of rebels formed by practitioners, with some cultists mixed in.
These so-called "evil gods" were dangerous entities that had emerged in recent years, often found in small, underdeveloped countries in South Africa, where they frequently stirred up turmoil.
Consequently, every time they appeared, local authorities would swiftly eliminate them.