Chapter 7: Block, Chop, Block, Chop (1)
The Minlun Martial Arts School had many decent, well-to-do training venues that one could rent for a fee, much like the gym.
After dinner, the duo rested for an hour in their respective dorm. Then, both Su Jie and Josh arrived at an empty training arena and began their training.
This was the first time Su Jie had ever been in an arena. He was a bit nervous and kept comforting himself, slowly saying, "This is just training," He blew a breath, "You"re wearing three layers of protective gear. Su Jie, you"re safe."
His head, chest, and thighs were all covered in a protective leather gear. Inside the gear was a sponge which could offset the major impact force from the opposing party. More importantly, Su Jie covered himself in three layers of protective gear--he was wrapped like a dumpling or a mummy.
Fortunately, the protective gear was light. Even after wearing the gear, he didn"t feel much weight. It was still possible for him to jump and run, so it didn"t really affect his overall movement.
"Am I supposed to dodge your attack next?" Su Jie asked.
"Yes!" Josh nodded. "I"m simulating a street fight. In a street fight, ordinary people would run around and not fight you head on. It makes it harder for you to hit that person, which then turns into a rat game, something completely different from an arena. Now, imagine a vicious bandit attacking you."
Bang!
Before Su Jie could react, he was. .h.i.t on the head.
"Ouch!" Su Jie"s eyes flashed with a golden light. His feet were unsteady, and soon, he lost complete balance as he fell straight to the ground. Were it not for the three layers of protection above his head, he would have already fainted.
He could not see how Josh had done it. His brain and eyes could not react to the immense speed of it.
"So this is an expert? It"s exactly the same as that d.a.m.ned person!" As he thought of this, a trace of courage appeared on his countenance. He immediately stood up.
"Alright," Josh clapped his hands, "Shall we continue?"
Josh originally wanted to go and a.s.sist Su Jie; he didn"t expect Su Jie would stand up on his on.
"Come." Su Jie observed Josh"s movements, like an eagle preying on its next prey.
He thought Josh would punch straight across, but he didn"t expect it to be a fake. His real attack was to turn around and kick his chest, sending him flying.
Su Jie fell to the ground once again.
The third layer of protective gear Su Jie had on was indeed robust. Su Jie felt his chest tighten as he took a few deep breaths before stabilizing himself. Once again, he observed Josh"s movements.
Just like that, Su Jie was knocked down nonstop and got up from the ground again and again. After more than ten rounds of falling, he had gained some experience. As long as he did not think of a counterattack, and instead had the mindset of opening the distance between him and Josh, the chances of being beaten up would take a bit longer as he had a chance to escape Josh"s field.
"I see now… If we were to fight on the streets where there are open areas, it wouldn"t be that easy for the other party to catch me. However, there is limited s.p.a.ce to escape in the arena, so I have to be on guard and high on alert else I"ll be in a locked, dead-end position." Gradually, Su Jie gained slight experience.
To Josh, Su Jie was like a sandbag that could escape his eyes at any moment. The training was much more practical and meaningful than a non-moving practice target.
The combination of his punches and kicks gave Josh a hearty thrill.
Gradually, his training had also reached its peak.
The two took a break every five minutes for every two hours spent. Su Jie did not know how many punches and kicks he had received, but one thing he did know, he had gained a lot of insight from this alone. He felt like he was no longer afraid of the opponent"s attack.
Shua!
Josh punched again, straight ahead.
The punch wasn"t heavy. It"d be a joke to say that it was. Because the two had been sparring for so long, Josh"s punch slacked a bit, but he didn"t put too much thought into it.
Finally, Su Jie felt that he could now withstand his punch.
An idea suddenly flashed through his mind as he thought of the posture from the hoeing and digging.
It was as if he was holding a hoe. Instinctively, he raised his hand, bent over, separated himself from Josh"s punch, and then proceeded to dig.
He hoed down fiercely with both his hands.
Pow!
With this hoeing and digging technique, it actually hit Josh in the chest.
Shocked, Josh instinctively retreated, one foot stepping forward. After he sent Su Jie flying, he too flew a full five steps.
Although he had been struck, he was not injured in the slightest. Su Jie"s punch contained no penetrative power.
"I actually hit you!" Su Jie crawled up. He was not injured. The three layers of protective gear did its job well.
Su Jie beamed a smile. "So this is how this hoe was used. I finally know now. Couch Gu Yang told us the technique, but we have to figure out for ourselves how to utilize that technique."
"Not bad, not bad!" Josh nodded and breathed heavily. "Let"s go back to the dorm and sleep."
It was only nine o"clock, but his body was drained from fatigue, tired to the point that he felt like he was going to die. Same could be said for Su Jie. He didn"t have the time to write on his diary as he fell asleep on the bed right away.
A loud snoring sound could be heard.
Su Jie slept until six in the morning and woke up feeling refreshed.