“His father killed many of our people. I was called in to deal with him. But in fact, he and I have been long-time friends in spirit,” Odell said. “I was only playing around, really. Then I happened to find you, so I wanted to test your skills. You didn’t disappoint me. In less than a year, you’ve already become a warrior. Though still immature in places, the form is there. And you’ve broken away from my teaching, heading toward a higher path.”

“I’ve been studying Coach’s advanced technique—the ‘Thirteen Protectors’ Golden Bell Iron Shirt Dragon-Tiger Vajra Qi Gong,’” Su Jie let out a breath of relief.

“Oh? That set of external training.” Odell thought for a moment. “It’s not easy to master. It includes psychological suggestion, vocalization, strike absorption, control of skeletal and muscular systems, and even keeping the rhythm of internal organs. I created it by combining anti-impact training from around the world, refined through advanced AI big data analysis. The biggest inspiration was from Chinese hard qigong, so I gave it this name. After I perfected it, I intended to teach it to some world-class fighters, but none of them could keep it up. Yet you’ve managed to practice it with real effect. That’s rare.”

“Coach, you’re not going to do anything to us, are you?” Su Jie still felt a trace of wariness.

Because Odell might be in the same organization as Feng Hengyi—part of an evil faction.

“Are you afraid?” Odell stared into Su Jie’s eyes.

“I wasn’t afraid just now. But now I am,” Su Jie admitted.

“Perfect answer.” Odell clapped his hands. “I’m leaving. There’s nothing more I can teach you. You have to strengthen your own mental qualities and make the final breakthrough.”

“No, no, no…” Su Jie quickly waved his hands. “I still have so many questions. Last time, one month wasn’t enough—you only gave me the foundation, and it’s too tiring to explore everything alone. By the way, could you explain that sidestepping ‘space step’ you used to dodge the dagger just now? I didn’t see it clearly.”

“There’s a flash drive with my video materials.” Odell tossed him a USB stick. “Watch it when you get back. That step actually exists in the ‘Hoe-Head’ move—you just don’t know how to vary it. I simply improved it with experimental data. Ancient Martial Art was powerful, but lacked precision. Modern biomechanics, powered by big data, has gone far beyond the ancients. Only in psychological training do we still lag behind.”

“Coach, after all this searching, have you found supernatural power?” Su Jie asked.

“Not yet,” Odell replied. “But I think I’m close. I’ve seen evidence of its existence. Even if I explained it, you wouldn’t understand. I’ll be waiting ahead for you. Don’t fall behind.”

With that, he left quickly.

Su Jie, seeing him go, rushed to revive Zhang Manman and Zhang Jinchuan. After massaging them for a while, the two indeed woke up.

They were unharmed. Su Jie trusted in Odell’s extraordinary skill—the strongest “god-maker” in the world.

“Su Jie, are you okay?” Zhang Manman saw his face covered in blood. “Where are we?”

“Did you drive that man off?” Zhang Jinchuan, the quickest to recover, glanced around and realized they were still in the same place. His mind snapped back into gear, and he looked at Su Jie suspiciously.

He couldn’t help it. With his skill, he couldn’t last even one round against that ‘masked panda.’ Su Jie should be no different. How could he possibly have driven the man away?

“That man was my former coach. He was just joking with me,” Su Jie said. “The blood on my face came from hitting a rock. Nothing serious.”

He wrapped the wound simply.

“Your former coach?” Zhang Jinchuan was even more puzzled. “What kind of coach is that strong? I’ve seen many masters, but never anyone like that. Even the strongest world champion fighter couldn’t drop me with a single move.”

“Alright,” Zhang Manman cut in. “Since we’re fine, let’s leave here quickly. There’s too much chaos in a warzone.”

Zhang Jinchuan didn’t press further. The three moved the barricade aside, restarted the van, and continued forward.

The road was smoother this time, with no real obstacles. But Zhang Manman’s mind was clearly elsewhere—brooding. Zhang Jinchuan was lost in thought as well. Su Jie knew what weighed on her: she feared her father might face a formidable enemy.

Whether it was Odell or Zhang Manman’s father Zhang Hongqing, both were terrifying. Super-soldiers with sky-high solo combat ability were disasters wherever they appeared. Su Jie remembered when armed criminals in China once evaded capture despite tens of thousands of armed police combing the mountains. Even though they were eventually shot, the resources spent were immense. And those criminals only had basic counter-surveillance and some fitness training.

The destructive power of true “super-soldiers” was on another level. Skilled in disguise, exceptional physical endurance, sharp counter-surveillance, superb marksmanship, agile minds, and unshakable nerves—such agents were terrifying.

Even though Su Jie was now strong, able to fight in rings and brawls, against such enemies—say, an assassin with poison blow darts—he might not escape death.

This realization only hardened his conviction.

Killing techniques are not Martial Art.

Martial Art might include killing moves, but those were never the core—only side branches.

Stimulated by Odell, Su Jie felt he had advanced again. Especially when he thought his companions Zhang Manman and Zhang Jinchuan had “died,” he had exploded with the full intent of the ‘Hoe-Head’ strike. It was beyond anything he’d ever achieved, reaching a new peak.

If he tried again now, he probably couldn’t replicate it.

‘If I could bring out that punch every time, my mental strength might break through its shackles and truly reach the ‘living-dead’ state,’ Su Jie pondered. But no matter how much he tried to re-enter that mindset, he couldn’t.

“I must still lack accumulation. This time I faced real danger, bullets flying, and that gave me one authentic experience. But perhaps it’s still not enough.” He thought. “No matter. There will be more chances. When I go back, I’ll carefully digest this, let it settle, and wait for it to mature.”

After all, he was still a student, with college entrance exams awaiting him.

This trip had been both a mission and a journey. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novelꞁire.net

He had lived through experiences that enriched his life. His martial progress was leaps ahead of what it would’ve been had he trained alone in seclusion.

For the first time, he truly understood the saying: “Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.”

As they neared the border, Zhang Manman stashed guns, ammo, grenades, and knives in the van, waiting for pickup. Sure enough, members of the Zhang family arrived to receive them, even taking the “Hungry Wolves” into custody.

“These men all carry sizable bounties. Once we’re back, the money will be wired to you,” Zhang Manman said. “Now let’s change clothes for the airport.”

The three changed outfits. Su Jie put on a simple tracksuit, Zhang Jinchuan a suit and tie, instantly charming and eye-catching.

Before long, they reached the airport, boarded with passports, and got on an international flight.

It wasn’t a bad plane, though their seats weren’t together. Zhang Jinchuan was in the back, Zhang Manman in the middle, and Su Jie in the front. It was going to be a long trip—over ten hours, with stops in several foreign countries.

Once seated, Su Jie finally relaxed. His head wound had already healed well, thanks to disinfectant, medicine, and his strong constitution. Surface injuries always healed faster on him than on others.

“At last, going home. No matter how great the outside world is, it’s never as good as home.” Su Jie’s mood was light. Thinking of all he’d been through, it felt dreamlike. In just ten hours, he’d be back in his country. He couldn’t help but feel happy.

But suddenly, another thought struck him: “What if something cliché happens? Hijackers on board, or terrorists taking over?”

In movies and novels, whenever the protagonist boarded a plane, something always went wrong.

At that thought, he immediately stood up, pretending to head for the restroom, and walked toward the back of the plane. As he moved, his eyes scanned each passenger, memorizing their faces, builds, and spirits, comparing them against his knowledge of physiognomy to see if any looked suspicious.

After careful observation, he found nothing unusual.

“Sir, the lavatory is closed fifteen minutes before and after takeoff,” a foreign flight attendant said to Su Jie in English.

“My apologies.” Su Jie hadn’t really needed the restroom anyway. He returned to his seat, scanning again.

‘My physiognomy isn’t sharp enough. If only Masters Malao were here—their skills are a hundred times sharper than mine. They could even read foreigners at a glance. I can’t.’

Su Jie cursed his lack of mastery.

Books are useless when you truly need them.

During exams, you regret not studying harder. In the ring, when beaten, you regret not training harder.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Jinchuan, seated behind, quietly asked. He knew Su Jie didn’t actually need the restroom.

“Right, your physiognomy is better than mine. You’ve seen more people, studied longer. Take a look—any criminals or terrorists here? Better to be sure before takeoff.” Su Jie said.

“Why would you think that?” Zhang Jinchuan was taken aback.

“No reason. Just being cautious. The thought popped into my head when I relaxed. Everything’s gone too smoothly. I don’t want us to die just when we think we’re safe.”

“A sudden premonition?” Zhang Jinchuan’s face grew serious. He too began scanning. “You may be right. I hadn’t thought that far, assuming it was over. Actually, your physiognomy knowledge isn’t beneath mine. But this is an experiential science. You need practice. In business, recruiting talent, spotting reliable people, that’s what trained my eye. You lack that kind of experience.”

Zhang Jinchuan had interviewed and selected thousands, even tens of thousands of people to build his company of hundreds. Naturally, his experience outstripped Su Jie’s.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep