Chapter 15: The Top Floor

On the way back, Chen Chuan tried clenching his fist while running. Although he couldn't use an alarm clock to test it at the moment, he was certain that after the battle with Ding Shuo, the overlapping time with his Second Self had definitely increased. Moreover, he had a feeling that this increase was significant, likely surpassing the time when he defeated Shan Xiong. However, the reason wasn't just as simple as winning against Ding Shuo. It was when he overlapped with his Second Self and threw a full-force punch at Ding Shuo, leaving his opponent with no choice but to defend, that the exhilaration of freely exerting his strength and attacking without restraint truly ignited his emotions, pushing the Second Self to further overlap. But he also had to consider a problem: Ding Shuo, whose background was unknown, mastered a force more profound than the breathing technique and possessed an incredibly strong resistance to strikes. If he encountered such a person during the entrance re-examination, how could he win? Using force to counter force should be the most correct method, but from the information revealed by Yu Gang, the level of force was far higher than the breathing technique, probably not something he could master at this stage. How to deal with it? After some thought, he decided to consult Yu Gang again tomorrow, as there must be a way. "Forty-one, forty-two, forty-three..." On a residential building somewhere, a young man named Wei Dong was doing handstand push-ups on the balcony railing, counting continuously. Seeing Chen Chuan running past below, he muttered, "Coming back early today?" These days, he had been exercising on the balcony morning and evening, always seeing Chen Chuan passing through the long alley below, and had gotten used to it. Watching Chen Chuan's back disappear, he came back to his senses, "Right, what number was I at..." "..." "Never mind, I'll start counting over..." Chen Chuan ran all the way back home in one breath. Taking advantage of the early time, he took a quick shower and changed into a clean set of clothes, still the student formal wear he wore during the entrance exam. Some of his predecessor's pocket money had been spent on books and movies, so the clothes he usually wore the most were sturdy and durable, with very old styles. Only this set was somewhat decent and suited his current status. He left a note for Yu Wan and then pushed his bike out the door. After riding onto the main road, he pedaled forward in the gentle evening breeze. The electric poles on both sides of the road moved backward continuously, and in the deep blue gradient sky, golden-red flocculent clouds floated at the horizon, stunningly beautiful.The graduation gathering was held at the "Duyi Hotel', located near the city center square, with twenty-seven floors, making it the second tallest building in Yangzhi City. Although it was not yet meal time, by the time he arrived, the hotel's parking lot was already filled with many vehicles. He turned the handlebars, made a turn, and parked his bicycle in the shed at the center square opposite the hotel, then walked across the street. When he reached the hotel's entrance, he looked up. Today's graduation gathering was on the rooftop terrace of the top floor. Booking a spot here was not only expensive but also required some connections. However, not all students at City First High School were from ordinary families; there were also a few with particularly good family backgrounds and considerable influence, and these were the students responsible for organizing the gathering. Entering through the rotating door, he passed through the lobby with a beautiful female greeter guiding him with a smile, and entered the grille elevator with several others. The hotel's business was evidently booming, with the elevator stopping and starting frequently for the first dozen floors, constantly letting in and out brightly dressed men and women, most of whom couldn't help but glance at him a few times upon entering the elevator. Although he was only wearing a student uniform, he was quite tall, and after more than a month of continuous high-intensity training, he looked very spirited. With his regular features, clear eyes, and a well-proportioned figure, he gave off a very pleasant visual impression. After passing the twentieth floor, the number of people gradually decreased, and the elevator continued to ascend. He watched the floor numbers on the roller turn one by one until it reached the twenty-seventh floor, where the elevator cabin shook slightly and finally stopped, the grille doors slowly sliding open with a clatter. Exiting the elevator, he entered a spacious safety corridor with several elevator doors lined up on both sides. In front of the door opposite, two female greeters were waiting. Seeing him approach, they smiled and handed him a sign-in book to sign, then pushed open the corridor door for him. Chen Chuan stepped over the high cement threshold and stepped outside, arriving at the rooftop terrace of the top floor, where a gust of evening wind immediately brushed past, lifting his hair. The area was probably several thousand square meters, filled with rows of open canopies, under which tables and chairs were neatly arranged. The gathering was in a buffet style, with waiters pushing food carts to set up tableware, prepare drinks, and arrange food. He arrived relatively early, but many students from First High had already arrived before him, scattered around in small groups talking. This gathering wasn't just for their class; students from the other five classes were also arranged here. Comparing with his predecessor's memories, some faces were familiar to him from the past, though he couldn't recall their names.He walked a few steps to the side, approaching the edge, and looked out. The view from the top floor was undoubtedly very broad. Standing here, he could take in the sight of most of the city's buildings. Not far to the north stood the tallest building in Yangzhi City, the Gaoling Building of Molan Company. Its deep blue glass curtain walls and the tall, streamlined body of the building stood alone, appearing out of place among the surrounding structures. Behind the building, slightly to the northwest, one could see the distant Zhangshan Mountain, and the shadow of Jiaoshan Mountain to the east was also clearly visible. At this moment, the magnificent sunset spilled through the scattered clouds, casting a rich gradient of colors as it passed over various buildings, while the vehicles and crowds below bathed in a blend of light and shadow from the evening glow. At this time, he heard a series of exclamations and applause coming from behind. He looked towards the source of the sound and saw a group of classmates gathered around, with one person demonstrating martial arts moves, accompanied by leaps and bounds. He immediately became interested and walked over. He saw a slender boy in training clothes performing moves, mainly kicks, with occasional spins and sweeps, shouting in coordination with his movements, looking very imposing. A classmate nearby proudly introduced, "Brother Sheng Hai is now a member of the Xiujiang Boxing Club. He started training in his first year of middle school and has been practicing for four years now." Chen Chuan had previously tried to learn about some local boxing clubs and training halls in Yangzhi City for the exam. Xiujiang Boxing originally came from abroad, but later, domestic martial artists added some new moves and techniques, making it more refined and currently a relatively flourishing style. Because the boxing club is very good at promotion, it is now widespread across the country and has high recognition. Due to the sharp and handsome movements of Xiujiang Boxing, many students practice it. He had seen classmates perform this boxing style at school before, and at that time, he just watched for fun, thinking the moves were quite good-looking. But now, looking at it again, he had a different feeling. S~eaʀᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Most of these continuous moves are just for visual impact. In actual combat, unless there's a significant gap between the two sides, they generally can't be used. He understood a principle: the foundation of any combat lies in the body, and the moves are just specific applications. So, under normal circumstances, it's the person who is strong, not the moves or the style. He watched for a while. This classmate named Sheng Hai had decent strength, good coordination, and a sense of rhythm in his movements. Regardless of actual combat effectiveness, he had definitely practiced for a considerable amount of time and put in a lot of effort.Sheng Hai continued for a while and then stopped. Despite having moved a lot, he wasn't panting and hadn't sweated much. He smiled and said, "Every year, people from the city and the prefecture come to our Xiujiang Boxing Gym to select suitable boxers for competitions and tournaments. Also, film companies often come to pick action actors. Do you know Xi Mubing? The big action star, he came from our Xiujiang Boxing Gym. Joining our boxing gym offers many opportunities." "That's right," a classmate who seemed to be with him added, "If you train well, you can even open your own boxing gym. Our gym's owner started as a student who joined the gym and then became the owner." As he spoke, he immediately took out some flyers from his bag and distributed them to the surrounding classmates, saying, "Take a look, classmates. If you're interested, you can come to us or directly go to the gym for a trial. The first week is free." At this moment, a student suddenly asked, "How does Xiujiang Boxing Gym compare to Wuda[-]?" The classmate just gave a dry laugh. A student chuckled and said, "How can they compare? My dad said that all the security consultants in their bureau are Wuda[-] students, and the city's annual security equipment is also purchased from Wuda[-]. What's a boxing gym?" A female classmate also chimed in, "My mom said there are many small-time thugs in boxing gyms, many who join gangs. It's better not to go to such places. If you want to learn combat, it's better to go to a proper training center or hire a trainer to come to your home. A set of courses only costs a few hundred." After hearing this, other classmates were embarrassed to take the flyers, and even if they didn't refuse on the spot, they would secretly throw them away later. When the surrounding classmates dispersed, Sheng Hai and the male classmate walked a few steps before a gust of wind blew over, and a flyer floated out, only to be stepped on by someone. The male classmate angrily said, "How could they do this?" Sheng Hai, who had probably seen this situation before, wasn't very angry and patted his shoulder, saying, "Forget it, let's go." "Oh." The male classmate thought for a moment, then bent down to pick up the flyer. At this moment, he felt a shadow fall over him, looked up, and saw a tall, upright boy walking up to him. He couldn't help but be stunned. Chen Chuan reached out and said, "Classmate, can you give me a flyer?" "Huh? Sure, sure!" The male classmate was very happy, handed him a flyer, and enthusiastically said, "My name is Liang Tong. If you're going to the boxing gym, you can ask me anything you're not clear about."Chen Chuan took the flyer and looked at it, then asked, "I heard there's a free week of training. What exactly do they teach?" Liang Tong said, "Mainly some basic moves." Chen Chuan said, "What if someone already has a bit of a foundation?" Liang Tong replied without hesitation, "That's fine too. Many who come to the boxing gym already have some foundation, and there are even those who have learned boxing at other gyms. We arrange for our gym members to spar with them, allowing them to intuitively understand Xiujiang Boxing." He thought for a moment and added, "Of course, if you're just looking for a sparring partner, that's possible too." Chen Chuan said, "As long as the fee is right, right?" Liang Tong chuckled. Chen Chuan also smiled and said, "Thanks, Liang." "No problem," Liang Tong replied, then remembered something and reminded him, "The address is on the flyer. The boxing gyms in each district are different. If you come to our district, showing the flyer can get you a discount." Chen Chuan said okay, then waved his hand and parted ways with the two. Sheng Hai, who had been silent until now, asked, "Is that classmate also from your high school?" Liang Tong said, "Probably, I've seen him before. He seems to be from class four, but I can't recall his name." Sheng Hai looked at Chen Chuan's retreating figure and said with certainty, "Your classmate must have trained before." Liang Tong said, "Really? I don't know, but it's pretty normal, isn't it?" He didn't find it strange. After all, in the Dashun Republic, boxing gyms are everywhere, and it's not unusual for a student to have trained in martial arts. Sheng Hai and he himself were examples of that. Sheng Hai thought to himself that what he meant by "trained' wasn't so simple. When Chen Chuan stood in front of him, there was an indescribable feeling, something he had only felt from senior boxers and a few coaches at the boxing gym.