Under the watchful eyes of more than a hundred trainees, Jarunwang opened with a straight rear-hand punch aimed directly at Jason Luo's face. Seeing him start with a Boxing Technique, Jason was momentarily confused—Muay Thai didn't usually hold an advantage when it came to boxing.
That's strange… what's he planning?
Unsure of his opponent's intentions, Jason stayed cautious and didn't rush to counter. But just as Jarunwang's punch was about to land, he suddenly bent his arm, raised it, and snapped upward with a sharp elbow—aiming right for Jason's chin!
The change came so abruptly that it almost caught him off guard. Fortunately, Jason's slight height advantage and his careful guard allowed him to barely dodge the strike in time.
The trainees gasped in unison, and even Coach Datchai's expression shifted. Opening with a move that dangerous was far from appropriate for a sparring match. Still, since Jason had avoided the hit, Datchai didn't call a stop—but inwardly, he was already displeased with Jarunwang's recklessness.
Jason hadn't expected his opponent to be this aggressive right from the start. The seamless fluidity between punches and elbows instantly put him on high alert.
Once Jarunwang began attacking, his follow-ups came like a storm—relentless, one after another. Jason quickly realized that his style was completely different from Mad Bones, the Muay Thai fighter he'd faced before.
Mad Bones relied heavily on Leg Techniques, using elbows and knees only as support. Jarunwang, however, was the opposite—he thrived in close range, using elbows and knees as his main weapons. What made him especially tricky was how he hid them. He'd throw what looked like a punch, only to switch to an elbow the instant he got close. Or he'd start a low sweeping kick, then when Jason raised his knee to defend, he'd turn it into a knee strike to the midsection instead.
His attacks shifted so fast that they were nearly impossible to read.
Jason struggled to adapt, forced entirely onto the defensive with no room to counter.
He found himself circling around the mat under pressure, thinking grimly, This isn't going to work. I didn't come here to be a punching bag. He needed to find a way to fight back.
When Jarunwang charged again with a wide hook, Jason anticipated that he'd change into an elbow strike. He raised his arm to guard the side of his head, then fired a counter right hand.
But this time Jarunwang didn't switch. Halfway through his swing, he suddenly dropped his elbow and flicked his forearm upward—turning his hook into a diagonal uppercut!
Jason couldn't react in time. The punch connected cleanly with his headgear, the impact breaking his rhythm and forcing him back a step.
What a clever transition!
Instead of getting angry, Jason felt a surge of excitement. He'd just learned something. That downward elbow shift was ingenious—completely unexpected.
Jarunwang grinned, pleased with himself. Using pure Boxing Technique to rattle a professional boxer—it felt incredible.
Jason, too, was getting fired up. His opponent's unpredictable rhythm and constant feints were difficult to deal with, but Jason had fought enough matches to adapt under pressure.
Soon, he identified Jarunwang's weakness: distance. The elbow and knee transitions relied on being close. Once the range was opened up, those moves became useless.
Jason began stepping back deliberately, using his longer reach to his advantage. He kept the distance with sharp jabs and heavy rear punches. As expected, Jarunwang began struggling to get in.
But seeing Jason adjust, Jarunwang changed tactics. He started throwing rapid kicks—push kicks, side kicks, and low sweeps—to maintain pressure from afar.
Legs are longer than arms, Jason realized, frowning. Up close, Jarunwang played with tricky transitions; at range, he had the advantage with Leg Techniques. This guy's a handful.
Still, Jason wasn't the same as before. After fighting Mad Bones, he'd learned how to defend against kicks using knee lifts. Now, Leg Techniques didn't scare him anymore.
Leg attacks? Fine—then I'll crush your legs first.
He went with his tried-and-true strategy: smash the kicks.
Whenever Jarunwang swept low, Jason lifted his knee to block. Against roundhouse or side kicks, he hammered his opponent's legs with powerful counters.
After a few exchanges, Jarunwang began to hesitate. His roundhouse and side kicks grew rare; he mostly relied on push kicks to control the distance and disrupt Jason's jabs.
By now, Jason had adapted completely. The match evened out, and seeing that Jarunwang had run out of tricks, Jason decided it was time to go on the offensive.
He began circling his opponent, sidestepping continuously while probing his reactions. As expected, Jarunwang's usual punch-elbow combos didn't work well against lateral movement.
Spotting the flaw, Jason moved in with quick, shifting steps—feinting left, darting right—constantly changing angles. Jarunwang tried to keep up but fell behind the pace, his timing thrown completely off.
Jason seized every opportunity, landing punches on Jarunwang's sides and ribs with each flanking move. The protective gear absorbed most of the impact, but Jason was scoring clean hits one after another.
Now Jarunwang started to panic. Without the gear, those body shots could have seriously hurt him. Desperate, he lunged forward again, trying to force close combat.
But Jason had no intention of letting him in. He kept moving, backstepping while firing heavy intercepting punches—a hit-and-move strategy that turned the bout into a war of mobility.
The reason Jason had struggled earlier in close range was simple—the protective gloves and gear had blunted the power of his punches, while Jarunwang's elbows and knees, being exposed, weren't hindered at all. Under these conditions, true combat strength couldn't be fully tested.
As the fight balanced out, Jarunwang grew impatient. Seeing Jason keep his distance, he suddenly launched a flying knee, charging in recklessly. It was clear he was relying on his protective gear, completely dismissing Jason's power.
Jason's expression hardened. You want to get rough? Fine.
He stopped holding back and began punching with full power.
Even through the gloves and padding, the sheer weight of his punches made Jarunwang flinch. He hadn't expected a professional boxer's strikes to be that heavy.
The impact forced him backward, step by step. His stance wavered, and he could no longer execute his tricky elbow or knee combinations. His legs, hammered repeatedly, couldn't even stabilize his footing.
As Jason advanced with heavy blows, Jarunwang suddenly spun, throwing a sharp back elbow toward Jason's head!
It was his signature move.
The attack came out of nowhere. By the time Jason noticed, it was already too late—if that landed, he'd be seriously hurt.
At the last possible moment, Jason triggered Absolute Evasion.
Instantly, his body reacted on instinct. Before the watching trainees could even process what happened, Jason bent sharply backward—Jarunwang's elbow swept past, its tip grazing the air just in front of Jason's nose.
Gasps erupted throughout the gym. Even Coach Datchai was alarmed.
"Stop!" he barked. "What are you doing, Jarunwang? This is supposed to be a friendly exchange! How could you use such a dangerous move? What did I tell you before the match?"
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(40 Chapters Ahead)
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