On the battlefield, there is no distinction between men and women, so this grappling competition completely ignored gender.
Thus, Zhang Shuya mentioned that those six female comrades could participate in the competition alongside a bunch of men; although it was unfair, that was simply the reality of the situation.
However, in Wang An's view, those female comrades had likely studied martial arts before they retired. While they might not necessarily be top-tier, they should have had the strength to hold their own in a fight.
But as soon as Zhang Shuya finished speaking, the six women collectively withdrew from the competition.
The main reason was that if they participated, they could only join the group consisting of other retired personnel, and those people were the strongest among all the trainees.
To put it bluntly, if they joined, they would have no chance of winning.
Excluding these six female trainees and removing the ten-plus trainees with concerning physical fitness, a total of 59 people remained for the selection matches.
Among these 59 people, there were 43 company defense guards like Wang An, accounting for more than half of all the trainees.
There were 10 retired personnel and only 6 graduates from the Guard Academy.
Consequently, the selection for the latter two groups was completed very quickly.
In the retired personnel group, the first place was unsurprisingly Li Baiyan, the runner-up in the regimental martial arts competition. Although he couldn't beat Sun Nian, his strength was actually quite formidable.
The second place was named Morigen, an Oroqen man who was said to have been a company-level martial arts champion.
The third place was Ji Yongsheng.
In the Guard Academy graduate group, the first place was Liu Yudong, the second was Zhang Qiang, and the third was Yu Zhanfei.
In fact, the people in these two groups reached a result after just a few simple exchanges. Because the trainees in these groups already knew each other, they all had a clear idea of who was strong and who was weak.
Especially the six Guard Academy graduates; they had been students of the same year, and some were even former classmates.
Therefore, the part that actually consumed time was the 43 "temporary workers" like Wang An.
Wang An didn't lack that bit of prize money, and besides, he still had to participate in the shooting competition, so he originally didn't want to join this grappling match. However, under Zhang Shuya's death stare, Wang An was forced to fight—and he had to do so very seriously.
There was no other way; although Wang An had practiced diligently for a month, he didn't believe he could beat Zhang Shuya.
The first round was a cut from 43 to 22, with one person receiving a bye. The person Wang An faced was a company defense guard surnamed Yang, who was slightly shorter than him.
After the two sides tentatively exchanged a few moves from the Eighteen Techniques of Grappling, Wang An discovered that this kid hadn't practiced martial arts nearly as hard as he had.
A month had passed, yet the opponent's arm and wrist strength were soft and limp, lacking any real power.
Consequently, Wang An used a single "Strange Python Flip" to knock the opponent to the ground, and the other man immediately conceded on the spot.
The second round was a cut from 22 to 11. After only two exchanges, Wang An couldn't help but frown inwardly.
Mainly, this was just too damn weak. He wondered how the opponent had practiced their martial arts over the past month.
Following a "Dragon Coiling the Jade Pillar" and then a "Poisonous Dragon Leaving the Cave," Wang An might have used too much force, as he instantly knocked the opponent flat on the ground, unable to get up.
To be honest, Wang An felt quite embarrassed at the time. They didn't have any grudge or hatred, yet he had beaten the man into such a state; it really wasn't great.
Helplessly, Wang An helped the man up, repeatedly apologizing. He spent a good while massaging the man's chest before the opponent finally said he was fine.
The third round was a cut from 11 to 6, with another person receiving a bye.
This time, Wang An learned his lesson and stopped using full strength.
Since he was a beginner in the Eighteen Techniques of Grappling, he didn't know exactly what kind of damage a single move would cause; he was genuinely afraid of breaking the other person.
However, the third opponent actually had some skill. He likely practiced very hard during this period, just like Wang An, and since he had probably done heavy manual labor in the past, he possessed a great deal of physical strength.
Thus, they traded blows for a long time before Wang An utilized "Crossing the Sea to Deceive the Heavens," striking the side of the opponent's neck. While the opponent was dazed and tilting his head, Wang An followed up with a "Single Palm Pushing the Monument," knocking him to the ground.
Wang An discovered that these Eighteen Techniques of Grappling were truly too ruthless; there were no superfluous movements, and every strike seemed aimed at a lethal point.
Fortunately, Wang An had become cautious before this match and didn't use too much force; otherwise, that "Crossing the Sea to Deceive the Heavens" move might have knocked the opponent unconscious.
By the fourth round—the cut from 6 to 3—Wang An finally felt pressure while fighting his opponent.
However, feeling pressure was normal, as it was impossible to reach this stage without genuine strength. Setting everything else aside, the sheer stamina required was not something an average person could endure.
Anyone who fights often knows that fighting is more exhausting than doing manual labor.
The person fighting Wang An this time was surnamed Bai. He had likely practiced a few moves in the past, and his ability to take hits was very strong.
After exchanging dozens of moves, Wang An only managed to land a few more hits due to his advantage in height and reach, and Wang An himself took a fair share of hits.
However, Wang An found that fighting this man surnamed Bai was extremely helpful for mastering the Eighteen Techniques of Grappling.
In truth, sparring is just like playing chess.
Playing against someone far stronger than yourself results in being crushed to the point of questioning your existence, offering no pleasure at all.
Playing against someone far weaker is boring and utterly meaningless.
Only when playing against an equal, where both sides trade blows back and forth, does it feel exhilarating, making you want to play more and more.
This was exactly Wang An's state; neither side would yield to the other. Of course, this was also the best way to rapidly improve.
By the time the other fighters had finished their battles, Wang An and the kid surnamed Bai were still fighting.
It must be said that this kid surnamed Bai had truly great stamina; despite fighting for so long, he showed no signs of fatigue.
Fortunately, Wang An was a contender who ran with dogs every day, so his stamina was equally impressive.
It was clear that the man surnamed Bai was also very interested in sparring with Wang An, so the two fought with great enthusiasm.
Ultimately, Zhang Shuya judged the match a draw and told them to rest for a while before facing the remaining two opponents.
While resting, Wang An learned that the other man's name was Bai Xiuwei. His grandfather had been a caravan escort in his early years, which was why he knew a few moves.
Unfortunately, when Bai Xiuwei was young, his grandfather had suffered many injuries in his youth. Before he could teach Bai Xiuwei much martial arts, he had passed away.
*** Thank you "Big Account Empire Emperor" for the reward, thank you, thank you! Wishing Big Brother great wealth every year and good luck every day!
(End of Chapter)