Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Accepting the Challenge

The people from Xianglong Taekwondo Academy looked utterly confident and incredibly arrogant. When they heard that someone from Jingwu Martial Arts Academy actually suggested calling the police, they burst into exaggerated laughter.

Some of the students’ parents also agreed with this notion, thinking that in TV shows and movies, no one ever calls the police in such situations.

Practitioners of martial arts, even if they can’t win, should still fight, right?

Who would call the police?

They began to question whether they were really dealing with a fraud.

Looking at the voucher in their hands for a three-session martial arts trial course that cost only 9.9 yuan, they started to feel that perhaps cheap things indeed aren’t good value and thought about getting a refund.

Seeing the people from Xianglong Taekwondo Academy advancing provocatively step by step, the disciples from Jingwu Martial Arts Academy found themselves in a bind. Just a while ago, they had been detained by the police for group fighting, and if they went in again, the closure of the academy wouldn’t be far off.

“Look at them, all a bunch of cowards. And they call themselves martial artists.”

At this moment, Li Xiang and his two companions arrived on the scene. The disciples stood aside to make way voluntarily. Miao Jun stepped forward and said, “The martial world is no longer about fighting and killing. The essence of martial arts is about stopping conflict. Our Jingwu Martial Arts Academy’s philosophy is to strengthen the body and protect oneself, not to provoke conflicts deliberately.”

Miao Jun, with his educational background, turned the situation around with his words while subtly mocking Xianglong Taekwondo Academy, suggesting they learn a few moves and then go around provoking trouble. From the parents’ perspective, the goal of their children learning martial arts is to strengthen their bodies and protect themselves, certainly not to cause conflicts.

“Well said.”

Most parents nodded in agreement with Miao Jun’s words. After all, their children enrolled at the academy to strengthen their bodies and build confidence, not to become aggressive.

In today’s society, the cost of fighting is too high.

That punch with twenty years of power—can you take it?

That statement should have been revised long ago.

That punch with twenty years of power—I can’t afford it.

Kids are precious nowadays, and parents fear their children might hurt others’ kids, leading to endless compensation claims.

The people from Xianglong Taekwondo Academy, seeing their carefully cultivated atmosphere being turned on its head by a single sentence, were at a loss, looking expectantly at their leader for a way out.

Wang Yong, as the head coach of Xianglong Taekwondo Academy, was here today at someone’s request. He hadn’t wanted to come in the first place. A newly opened martial arts academy with nothing to offer wasn’t worth his time as a local reputable academy, but it couldn’t be helped.

He couldn’t refuse this person. He originally intended to send a couple of disciples to handle it, but unexpectedly, Young Master Zhou specifically wanted him to come.

So he came.

Upon arriving, he was even more disappointed. This academy looked like it was just for show—with only a few legitimate training facilities. If it weren’t for those, one might as well say it’s a dance studio, and he would believe it.

But since he was here, he had to handle it nicely. Don’t blame him, blame yourselves for offending someone you shouldn’t have.

He stepped forward and said loudly, “As a famous martial arts academy in Jinling City, Xianglong Taekwondo Academy is committed to maintaining the healthy and stable development of our industry. We will never allow people of unknown origin to disrupt the market. Every year, there are too many so-called training institutions that make money under the guise of martial arts training and disappear, causing a very negative impact on our industry.”

The parents were swayed, seeing reason on both sides. Wang Yong’s words, in particular, resonated with many parents:

“Indeed, I recently purchased a gym membership card because it seemed like a good deal. But after just one visit, the place shut down and moved, taking all the equipment with it. They’ll likely open another gym elsewhere with the same equipment and disappear again.”

“Same here; I paid for my daughter’s dance class, and after a few lessons, it closed down. I went to the market supervision bureau, but they said it was a financial dispute and I should file a lawsuit. I don’t even know who the boss is, how can I sue?”

“Sigh, there are indeed too many scammers nowadays. It’s actually good to have people in the industry clean things up. It makes it harder for scammers to cheat people.”

“I don’t really care. After all, it was only 9.9 yuan, so the loss isn’t much even if it’s a scam. But if today’s match goes as planned, then it’s like I paid 9.9 yuan for a ticket to watch a live fight—quite a deal if you think about it.”

“Brother, I feel the same!”

Most parents bringing their children to martial arts classes are fathers, who grew up watching various martial arts and action films and have a martial arts dream in their hearts.

But due to childhood poverty and their parents’ lack of focus on extracurricular activities, only caring about academic studies, they were left with regrets.

Now, having their own children, they don’t want those past regrets to be repeated in their kids, so they bring them to join the class.

No one minds a good show.

Seeing the crowd resonate with his words, Wang Yong knew he had regained the upper hand. He looked toward the back of the crowd, where Young Master Zhou was standing at the door, leaning against the wall, watching the scene with interest.

His two henchmen were cheering him on, “Young Master Zhou, with Instructor Wang taking action personally this time, there should be no problem. Jingwu Martial Arts Academy will open and close soon after, and with so many parents as witnesses, how can they ever recruit students again?”

“Offending Young Master Zhou is already a lenient outcome.”

Young Master Zhou paid no mind to the flattery of his subordinates; instead, he was thinking that his previously dull life now seemed to have a spark of entertainment.

Seeing Wang Yong look at him, Young Master Zhou nodded in acknowledgment.

Receiving his signal, Wang Yong turned back and said loudly, “Our purpose today is clear—it’s to test your abilities. If you don’t dare to accept the challenge, then close down early and save the children from harm.”

“Here it comes, here it comes.”

Hearing Wang Yong issue the challenge, the audience was more excited than the academy’s disciples, choosing the best viewing spots. Even the little kids were thrilled, proving that the human fascination for spectacles is innate, written in our genes.

Li Xiang also saw Young Master Zhou standing among the crowd and exchanged glances with the Xianglong team, understanding the situation. The Drug Enforcement Bureau had a precise grasp of Zhou Yuelong’s personality—he indeed wouldn’t let matters rest easily—so he stepped forward and accepted the challenge:

“In that case, I accept your challenge. However, we must clarify some terms before the fight: fists and feet have no eyes; each party is responsible for their own injuries. Do you agree?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep