Sounds of punches, kicks and body collision echoed in the stadium. While watching the fight in Ring Seven, Lou Cheng unconsciously started thinking about his opponent. Amateur Fourth Pin. Baiyuan Martial Arts School. Specialized in arm boxing...
What are the features of arm boxing?
How big is a gap there between an Amateur Fourth Pin fighter and Brother Li Mao of Amateur Third Pin?
Can I prepare myself for his specialized moves?
...
The thoughts disturbed Lou Cheng from watching the fight. He took the closest seat in the audience stand and started to search for information about arm boxing on his mobile. He even watched a video where a fighter was using arm boxing in a fight to have a direct, solid understanding of his opponent despite a large amount of data it would consume.
"Arm boxing imitates moves of the monkey. Its footwork is very agile. In the video, the fighter appeared at the opponent's back right after their frontal engagement as if a ghost. His punches were thrown like a whip or a spear with abrupt explosive force throughout his body. Every strike sounded crispy and crystal..." Lou Cheng painted his opponent with his own understanding and planned his responses. "I have no chance regarding agility or flexibility. But a defensive fighter can't win. One mistake and I'll be hit. I don't know if I can handle one or two punches from him.
"Err... I only have a very brief understanding of him and his arm boxing. What does he know about me, besides my age, height, and study in Songcheng University?
"I haven't attended any Ranking Event or formal combat. Who knows what I'm working on and what I'm good at if I don't say? He-heh... This is a rather special advantage. Is it possible to make use of arm boxing's characteristics to set a trap for him? Considering he must be taking me lightly, he should be easily hooked..."
His strong points flashed across his mind one by one. Lou Cheng lost in contemplation with his mobile in hand. Gradually an idea came up and a plan was formed.
As his anxiety passed, his breath became calmer and slower. His feeling of unease and loss faded while expectation and eagerness grew.
"It might work.
"How could I give up without fighting?"
Lou Cheng suddenly rose with pride and enthusiasm. The haze and dark clouds above his head were gone. He could accept a defeat as long as he fought his best bravely. "This is the spirit and will of a real fighter!"
Back to Ring Seven, Round Three just finished and the two fighters of Round Four were trying to enrage each other by dirty swear words during the three-minute talk session. Lou Cheng looked around and noticed a group in black at the left side of the ring. Some of them had a down jacket on top of their martial arts suit and some were busy with the phone. One of them was very eye-catching as his arms were much longer than average.
"Long arms... Must be Liu Yinglong..." Lou Cheng observed thoughtfully. Liu Yinglong had also noticed him. He whispered to the bearded man, "Look, my opponent."
The bearded man looked over and laughed. "Just a young student. No wonder he comes all the way for some practical exercise."
Other members of Baiyuan Martial Arts School burst into laughter. Soon they all left for their ring except the bearded man, and a young girl concentrated on her mobile who had no fight until 2 pm.
Round Four lasted for a long time as the two fighters were well matched. After another ten minutes of stalemate, the tie was broken. The two were both out of breath.
With over 20 knockout matches lined up in the morning, no time could be wasted. The referee quickly took a sip of water and announced the start of Round Five, inviting the two fighters to enter the ring.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Lou Cheng could no longer hold back his panic, shivering from toes to teeth.
This is to be my first ever official martial arts fight!
Few spectators. No cheers!
He took a deep breath and concentrated his spirit and qi on one item to block most of the tension, leaving a reasonable amount to boost his adrenaline level which would push his body into the best form.
Leaving his jacket and all his belongings to the supervisor, Lou Cheng stepped into the ring after his number plate was checked. He stood at the referee's left-hand side, facing the long-armed Liu Yinglong.
"Three-minute talk time." The referee cut it right to the point and took this three-minute period to recover his strength to avoid slow reaction in case of accidental injuries during the coming fights. After ten rounds, he would change position with the supervisor.
"Talk time?" Lou Cheng's head was empty after the bow. "What should I say?"
If it were Talker, the opponent wouldn't have a chance to make a sound...
Not good at this psychological play, Lou Cheng stood there still, kind of cute and innocent.
Liu Yinglong smiled and spoke first,
"Don't be nervous. Take it as another daily practice."
The bearded man and the young girl on her mobile both laughed aloud. "Is Brother too used to mentoring junior members in school?"
Lou Cheng looked a bit embarrassed as if facing Brother Li Mao's instruction during the special training.
"Thank you." He responded politely.
Facing a rookie, Liu Yinglong saw no point in playing psychological warfare with words. He counted down quietly and adjusted his breathing to push his body to its best form.
In half meditation, Lou Cheng coordinated every muscle of his body to reach the most suitable state for exerting strength slowly.
Three minutes soon passed. The referee pressed his right hand.
"Fight!"
His voice was still in the air when Liu Yinglong stepped forward to take the initiative despite his higher rank. His right arm shook with strength streaming through his entire body, throwing a punch as if a javelin at Lou Cheng's chest, generating a crispy sound of wind.
To engage his raging charge, Lou Cheng got in the defensive position with his left arm blocking and right deflecting.
Bam! A dull sound came from their body contact. Lou Cheng felt heaviness on his body, realizing the opponent had slight superiority in physical strength.
Glad rather than surprised Lou Cheng felt as the slight superiority indicated the gap between them was not insuperable.
It meant the three-month training, strengthened by Jindan, had increased his physical strength to the Amateur Fourth Pin level!
For a split second, Liu Yinglong disappeared from Lou Cheng's sight and reached his back like a bounding ape, giving him to time to respond.
Liu Yinglong's softly hanging left arm was suddenly taut up like a whizzing whip. It cracked down towards Lou Cheng's neck, leaving a curve and crispy sound in the air.
A strike with his strength on top of the arm boxing's abrupt explosive force could easily crack a bone or even cause a coma or high paraplegia if the neck was the target. The referee held his breath, ready to interfere at any second.
Lou Cheng, as if he had foreseen this move, dodged with two strides forth without looking back. Liu Yinglong followed with corners of his mouth upward and threw another punch, attempting to corner Lou Cheng and force him out of the ring!
Lou Cheng slid left and Liu Yinglong followed closely. His right arm was again like a javelin thrown at Lou Cheng.
Right before the punch landed, his eyes froze as Lou Cheng suddenly straightened his back and pushed his spine, shifting his weight back to the right like a dragon rising out of the ford.
"Yin-Yang Stance!"
Lou Cheng's strongest point!
Playing on his footwork, Lou Cheng went to Liu Yinglong's back. He lowered his body and started to focus on a Brutal Blizzard and imagine the snow-capped land, whistling wind, and biting cold weather in his mind.
His mind concentrated on the chill as his strength chased the brutality. When his muscles were adjusted readily to launch one of the first eight moves of 24 Blizzard Strikes, the scene formed in his mind changed. A giant lightning bolt shot down from heaven, hitting a tree and starting a blazing prairie fire.
A numbing feeling hit his tailbone and a hot stream quickly flew through his body. Pushed by two different forces, a sense of swelling started to spread along his arms. Lou Cheng clinched his right hand into a fist and wielded it like a whip or a dagger, targeting at Liu Yinglong's neck. A whistling sound severed the air. Very similar to the last bout but the two fighters had switched their roles.
By the ring the young girl was still on her mobile, too concentrated to notice the change of tide. However, the bearded man who had been watching the match closely already smelled danger and stepped forward with his eyes locked on the two.
As soon as Liu Yinglong's powerful punch missed its target, he saw Lou Cheng disappear and almost at the same time heard the howling wind behind his back. Unable to dodge, he could barely take a step. His body tilted stiffly to save his neck from the brutal strike.
Bam!
Lou Cheng's punch landed solidly on Liu Yinglong's shoulder, pushing his entire body down with a sharp pain and the sound of bone cracking rising straight to his brain.
Liu Yinglong gritted his teeth as he swallowed the pain. He attempted to turn the table with an elbow hit but Lou Cheng gave him no opportunity. As his heart, calm and cold, gave continuous impetus to Brutal Blizzard, Lou Cheng turned sideways to parry the elbow hit and then smoothly lifted his right foot to launch another move of 24 Blizzard Strikes at the back of Liu Yinglong's knee.
Hit at the back of the knee, Liu Yinglong couldn't remain standing. As soon as he knelt down, Lou Cheng held his left arm behind his back, leaving his injured right arm alone, and kept him under control.
"Round Five. Lou Cheng won!" The referee called the result.
Upon hearing the result, the young girl raised her head away from her phone, seeing her senior brother kneeling on one knee held by the student of no rank.
What? What the heck?
What just happened?
She, full of confusion, turned to the bearded man, who appeared in a trance with his terrified eyes locked on Lou Cheng whose eyes were filled with coldness and craziness.
Brother lost the fight!
How is it possible?
A moment ago, he was winning. How did he lose the fight?
The opponent was a young student of no rank! Am I dreaming?
"Round Five. Lou Cheng won!"
When the referee's announcement reached Lou Cheng's ears, he felt unreal.
I defeated an Amateur Fourth Pin master...
Did I?
Everything seemed unreal until he let loose Liu Yinglong who then gazed at him with an odd expression on his face.
"You are very strong..."
"I am very strong?" Lou Cheng was instantly pulled back to reality.
I did just defeat an Amateur Fourth Pin master!
Everything went just as he has planned: exploit arm boxing's flexible footwork to hook the careless Liu Yinglong, leave his own back vulnerable deliberately to lure him to launch a reckless attack, hit him heavily with Yin-Yang Stance after he loses flexibility from the all-out attack, and then suppress him with Brutal Blizzard. If this plan didn't work, he would most likely be the one kneeling on the ground.
As Master said, most fights between two martial artists in the body refining stage or the Danqi stage, however long it lasted, all came down to one or two solid hits unless they were specialized in Iron Blouse or Golden Bell Cover. Normal bodies couldn't take bullets, nor could they stand solid punches or kicks. Some ancient martial arts book even claimed that between life and death was only one strike.
"Thanks for your instructions." Lou Cheng bowed to Liu Yinglong with a smile.
Watching the three of them walking away and frequently turning back with fear and surprise, Lou Cheng jumped out of Ring Seven. He got back his belongings and quietly squeezed into the crowd of fighters and spectators.
In a secluded corner, Lou Cheng let joy and excitement take over, smiling, jumping and throwing punches in the air.
"I won!"
"I did it!"
I defeated an Amateur Fourth Pin master!