Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 64 - 55: Decided in a Single Move

Shu Han almost laughed in anger at Chen Chuan’s words. "So you really are looking down on me," he said. "Fine. We’ll do it right here." He turned and walked back, stopping at his original spot.

Chen Chuan watched Shu Han, one hand tucked into his pocket. His stance looked completely casual. ’I have to show absolute strength today,’ he thought, ’to make this senior brother give up for good.’

Since their last fight, he’d more or less figured out the senior brother’s characteristics. His movements were extremely agile, and he was good at using feints to lure in his opponents. In an open area, if Shu Han just focused on evasive maneuvers, the fight could have dragged on, but that would be a waste of time.

That was why he’d chosen this location, subtly setting up a battlefield that didn’t play to his opponent’s strengths and was more advantageous for himself.

Shu Han took off his jacket and tossed it aside. His expression was solemn. He’d gotten a taste of Chen Chuan’s strength that day and knew this junior brother wasn’t easy to deal with. But, as he had said, he hadn’t used his full power back then.

He’d also reviewed the fight afterward, considering how he could fight to secure a better chance of winning. Chen Chuan had only been enrolled for a little over ten days; his strength shouldn’t have changed that much.

Shen Shao glanced between the two of them and backed away a little. He also helped move some of the nearby chairs and stools out of the way. "Let me just move these so they don’t get broken," he said.

Chen Chuan maintained his relaxed posture. "Senior Brother Shu, you should make the first move this time," he said. "If I go first, you probably won’t get a chance."

A flicker of anger was stoked in Shu Han’s heart, but this wasn’t his first fight, and he’d endured plenty of verbal taunts before. He managed to suppress it and warned, "Then be careful, Junior Brother."

After speaking, he began to press forward cautiously. He took one slow step, then tested a second. Just as it seemed he was still probing forward, slowly inching his way closer, on the third step, his figure blurred. He abruptly leaped forward, instantly closing the distance to Chen Chuan.

He’d used this same move last time. It wasn’t his only trick, but the fact that Chen Chuan had kicked Zhongwu’s head into a pulp was proof enough of his incredible kicking skill. Therefore, Shu Han had to rush into his inner circle. This would not only be advantageous for him but also make it difficult for Chen Chuan to use his leg techniques.

Although he was a member of the Freestyle Martial Arts Department, he also trained in grappling and Wrestling Takedowns. Once he closed the distance, opportunities would be everywhere. As a third-year Wuyi student, he had also cultivated Power. He hadn’t used it last time to avoid injuring Chen Chuan, but this time, he had no intention of holding back.

Watching his approach, Chen Chuan suddenly extended a hand and pushed out from his centerline!

Shu Han was startled by the hand’s incredible speed as it appeared right in front of him. Fortunately, maneuvering in tight spaces was his specialty, and he had already prepared to react to his opponent’s first move. He immediately tried to dodge.

But if Chen Chuan had displayed overwhelming strength in their last encounter, this time he revealed an unimaginable speed. Before Shu Han could even dodge, the hand was already pressed against his chest.

The strike didn’t recruit many muscles; it was purely generated by one hand, so the force wasn’t immense and caused no real damage. However, that single touch made Shu Han falter, shattering his fluid motion. To move again, he would have to readjust, creating an opening.

After the push, Chen Chuan’s arm remained still, but his five fingers clamped down, grabbing a fistful of Shu Han’s shirt. With a slight exertion of force, he lifted the man’s entire body off the ground!

The Great Scattering Hand Chen Chuan had learned before only involved the major and middle joints, but Orthodox Scattering Hand trained even the minor joints, like the fingers. And with the enhancement of his Second Self, the speed of his strike far exceeded Shu Han’s reaction time, allowing him to be seized in an instant.

Shu Han suddenly felt his feet leave the ground and knew this was bad. He flexed his waist and tried to grab onto Chen Chuan’s arm with his hands and feet. If he could lock on, even if he couldn’t hit any vital points, he could use his body weight to bring Chen Chuan down with him and apply a joint-locking Twisting Skill to turn the tables.

But Chen Chuan gave him no such opportunity. He released Shu Han’s collar, raised his arm by the slightest margin to create a brief space to generate force, then shifted his hand from a claw to a fist and hammered it down. BAM! It struck Shu Han’s chest!

Shen Shao cried out in surprise, "The Thunderous Sky Hammer?"

Chen Chuan’s move did indeed mimic the form of the Thunderous Sky Hammer, but he couldn’t yet generate the Mixed Element Force, so the power wasn’t great. However, it was cunningly aimed to strike at the exact rhythm of Shu Han’s breathing. It made his opponent’s chest tighten, and his movements became weak. At the same time, Chen Chuan once again grabbed Shu Han’s collar and slammed him straight to the ground!

THUD! Shu Han’s back was slammed flat on the ground. Yet he didn’t seem seriously injured. He came to his senses and kicked his feet repeatedly, scrambling backward until he’d put some distance between them before getting back up.

Chen Chuan also slowly straightened up.

After getting up, Shu Han didn’t try to attack again. He just stood there in silence.

Shen Shao looked like he wanted to say something but held his tongue.

After a moment, Shu Han said dejectedly, "I lost."

He knew very well that Chen Chuan had basically won after that first push. There were too many ways he could have been dealt with after that. Even the final slam to the ground was a show of mercy; otherwise, he definitely would have lost the ability to resist, and Chen could have finished him off however he pleased.

Chen Chuan said, "You two can leave now."

"Right, right," Shen Shao said hurriedly. He went up and started dragging Shu Han toward the door.

"I won’t see you out," Chen Chuan said.

Throughout the entire duel, he had remained standing in the same spot and had only used one hand. This wasn’t because the gap in their strength was that enormous. Rather, he had seen that Shu Han relied on his charging speed and exceptional agility to build his momentum. Once that momentum was broken, he couldn’t follow through.

So, he simply used his superior speed to stop him in his tracks, thereby securing victory.

But this kind of targeted performance was only possible because he already knew his opponent’s characteristics. It wouldn’t have been as effective against an unfamiliar opponent.

Although he was still far from mastering the Circulation Technique, after practicing Orthodox Scattering Hand, the Mutated Organization had begun to grow toward the minor joints in his palms and fingers. Generating force was now much smoother and more natural than before. This served as a test of his recent training, making him look forward to his future growth even more. He soon threw himself back into his training with his full focus.

Meanwhile, as the two of them walked out of the dormitory building, Shu Han was silent the entire time.

He had been defeated by Chen Chuan in what was practically a single move. Last time, he could have argued that he hadn’t used his full strength. This time, however, the outcome was decided almost the instant they engaged. He couldn’t find any excuse to console himself. This was a genuine gap in their power.

Shen Shao placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "I know it feels bad," he said, "but some people are just born different from us. How can you compare yourself to someone with that kind of ’natural talent’? There’s just no comparison."

"You’re right."

Shu Han suddenly looked up. "He has a talent that few people can match. Besides Senior Brother, I’ve really never seen anyone as gifted as him. He’s this strong after just a few days at the academy. But the more talented he is, the more I can’t just stand by and watch him waste away."

"I mean," Shen Shao said, scratching his hair, "what does that have to do with you? Why can’t you get over this?"

Shu Han said resolutely, "Senior Brother saved my life. Without him, I wouldn’t be here today. I’m not capable enough to do what he wanted to do, and I don’t qualify to practice a good Force Technique. But now I see someone who *can* do what Senior Brother wanted, someone who *does* have the qualifications, and he’s just wasting his talent. I really can’t just stand by and watch. My own conscience won’t let me."

"Look," Shen Shao said helplessly, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. If he’s not willing, are you going to tie him up and force him? That won’t work either. Can’t you just give it a rest?"

"I will convince him. If I can’t, there are others." With that, Shu Han walked away, his face set with determination.

"Sigh. You’re all so stubborn," Shen Shao said, shaking his head as he followed.

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