Chapter 57: Sparring

Chapter 57: Sparring

In the training ground, ten zhang square in both directions, Li Jun and Gu Jia stood facing each other, while Qi Zhu stood quietly to the side, hands folded over her abdomen.

Gu Jia asked with a smile, "How do you want to play this?"

"You're the superior; your call."

"Then bare-handed brawling. Injuries allowed, no killing?"

"Works for me."

Their dialogue was crisp and decisive, utterly devoid of hesitation.

The moment Li Jun's voice fell, Gu Jia's short, stocky frame launched forward like a cannonball. Three zhang of distance were crossed in two steps; his right fist, utterly devoid of flourish, hammered straight toward Li Jun's face.

Fist wind howled, yet Li Jun's expression remained calm as a still lake. His feet rooted into the ground, and he met the attack head-on with a straight punch of his own.

A single, unadorned clash of fists collided with a dull, heavy thud.

Four eyes locked. In that instant, both men saw a fleeting flash of surprise in the other's gaze, followed immediately by a surging, soaring battle intent.

Testing the other's strength with a straight jab was merely an appetizer. In the very next breath, Li Jun and Gu Jia tacitly chose to go all-out on the offensive.

Li Jun's five fingers, clenched into a fist, suddenly snapped open. Like a giant python striking, they clamped onto Gu Jia's fist, then yanked with explosive force, dragging Gu Jia toward him. His left fist shot out from his waist, blasting toward the other man's chest.

Though the initiative had been seized, Gu Jia's reaction was terrifyingly fast. The instant the fist tip nearly kissed his chest, he flipped his hand and locked onto Li Jun's wrist.

Simultaneously, his right foot drove viciously toward the side of Li Jun's popliteal fossa. Li Jun's footwork was equally unyielding; his left knee drove forward, crashing hard against the incoming leg.

Four arms locked, two feet braced. It was clearly a deadlocked grappling match, yet the corners of both men's mouths curled into cold, simultaneous smiles.

One's flesh and blood swelled with power; the other's mechanical heart surged in resonance.

Amidst human roars and mechanical whirs, Gu Jia and Li Jun kicked out at each other almost at the exact same instant!

*Boom!*

The two entangled figures violently separated, flying backward.

Li Jun backflipped in midair, trying to dissipate the crushing force pressing on his chest, but upon landing, he still slid back three chi uncontrollably.

The searing pain in his chest had yet to fade when a new pressure of wind bore down on him from the front; Li Jun couldn't help but frown deeply.

Same kick to the chest. The regenerative capacity of the Weapon Path's Mechanical Heart was evidently superior to the Martial Path's Human Heart.

A faint hum emanated from Gu Jia's body. His every movement resembled a humanoid tyrannosaurus; the surging power pressed down on Li Jun until he could barely breathe.

*Thud!*

Caught off guard, Li Jun took a punch to the flank. Though his skin, tendons, and bones possessed immense toughness after being tempered by the Golden Bell Shield.

The vast power on Gu Jia's fist still tore a gap in his tight defense.

"Damn it, what kind of Mechanical Heart does this Gu Jia have? How is his strength this massive!"

Li Jun gritted his teeth against the agony, unfolding his movement technique to retreat, trying to create breathing room.

But just as his figure was about to flow away, Gu Jia's hands shot out like lightning, unexpectedly seizing Li Jun's right shoulder and wrist in a vice grip!

"Supervisor Li, you've lost."

Gu Jia had never practiced martial arts, but he had killed people—many people. Many of them had been seized by the joints and then torn limb from limb by his raw strength.

Right now, with Li Jun's right arm caught, the only way to break free was to shed his tail like a gecko—sacrifice the arm to survive!

"This was just the warm-up, Director. Why the panic?"

Gu Jia's thick, short eyebrows suddenly twitched. In his vision, Li Jun suddenly threw a left punch at an awkward, twisted angle.

A punch generated with such leverage posed absolutely no threat to him; even taking it head-on would be no great issue.

But the next second, Gu Jia was stunned to realize that Li Jun's target wasn't him at all—it was his own captured right arm!

Fist striking the crook of the arm, like twanging a bow. Elbow driving into the heart, leaking killing intent!

The major tendons in Li Jun's right arm tensed inch by inch, emitting a sound like a vibrating bowstring, blasting Gu Jia's ten locked fingers wide open. The freed right arm bent at the elbow and drove forward!

Baji Quan: Rising Elbow Strike!

Though the method of unleashing this Rising Elbow was unconventional, its ferocity lacked not a fraction.

Gu Jia's pupils suddenly dilated outward. Even he could scarcely endure a wounded Mechanical Heart; his body involuntarily flew backward in a violent retreat.

Li Jun's right arm hung limp at his side; clearly, the earlier fist-smash had injured his arm badly as well.

Yet despite this, the battle intent on him showed not the slightest sign of waning; on the contrary, it surged higher, clamorous and rising.

Li Jun bowed his body and rushed in. His Bagua Swimming Body Step, usually renowned for its ethereal agility, now stomped out a domineering, unyielding hardness. In the blink of an eye, he plastered himself before Gu Jia.

A lateral step, a sideways turn, shoulders drawn in, abdomen tucked; his entire body's power condensed into a single point, exploding with the terrifying might of a great river bursting its banks at point-blank range.

Baji Quan: Iron Mountain Lean!

Gu Jia, having yet to fully dissipate the force of the Rising Elbow, now had absolutely no chance to dodge.

Nowhere to dodge? Then there was no need to dodge.

Gu Jia's gaze hardened like iron. The Mechanical Heart in his chest spun to its peak in an instant. He chose to tank Li Jun's Iron Mountain Lean head-on, his right fist smashing directly into Li Jun's temple!

*Thud! Thud!*

Two figures flew horizontally in opposite directions.

......................

"Said we'd just spar a bit. Why are your hands so heavy, kid?"

Gu Jia's lips were pale. Though he had rested for nearly half a shichen, he still felt a phantom ache in his Mechanical Heart.

"Yours weren't light either."

Li Jun covered his still-swollen cheek; blood still lingered in his left eye.

The two men sat cross-legged, gazing at each other, then burst into laughter simultaneously, each laugh carrying its own distinct flavor.

After a moment of silence, Gu Jia suddenly asked, "How did you advance to Martial Eight in such a short time? Tell me about it."

Li Jun's face darkened. "Nothing special. Anyone who survives as many life-and-death battles as I have without dying would advance this fast too."

A half-smile played on Gu Jia's face. "Sounds like you're blaming the Corporation."

"Wouldn't dare." Li Jun pressed his lips into a hard line, forcing out the two words stiffly.

Gu Jia's expression turned severe. "Li Jun, Young Master Yong has actually shown you tremendous favor. Otherwise, do you think you could have killed Qian Jindong and still be sitting here safely complaining to me?"

"Do you know what price Young Master Yong paid to keep you safe?"

Li Jun's face cycled through expressions like a revolving lantern. His fists clenched tight, a picture of indignant resentment, then shifting to a look of overwhelmed gratitude, finally lowering his head in guilt. "I was wrong."

Gu Jia took it all in, the corner of his mouth slowly curving into a smile. "Good that you know. The Corporation needs capable people right now. You must not disappoint Young Master Yong's patronage."

"Rest assured, Director. I will work myself to the bone, sparing no effort for the Corporation."

Gu Jia nodded, then beckoned with a hand.

Qi Zhu, who had been waiting at the side, walked over carrying a massive combination-lock case, its dimensions identical to the one Gu Jia had brought to Ghost Street that day.

Seeing the confusion in Li Jun's eyes, Qi Zhu explained, "Martial cultivation counts as a scarce profession these days. A lot of things are hard to come by."

“These were all hand-picked by the Minister in the Group Warehousing Division specifically for you, Supervisor—the very best suited to your needs at present.”

Qi Zhu added, by way of afterthought, “Naturally, they don’t come free.”

Planning to move money from left pocket to right, earning back those few precious notes I hold?

Li Jun sneered inwardly, yet his face bloomed with delighted surprise. “The Minister’s care for his subordinates is truly beyond reproach!”