“Liu Long is indeed formidable on the ring. I know my ring skills are inferior to his, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I can’t fight him. Competitions are unpredictable,” Su Jie often pondered the gap between himself and top domestic and international fighters.

Su Jie excelled in close combat. His fight with “The Punishment” Kong Dian was a true life-or-death struggle. Both used daggers and hidden weapons, exchanging blows, specifically targeting vital areas. In this level of combat, one had to be constantly alert, otherwise, death could be imminent.

Comparatively, ring fighting is more relaxed mentally, but the technical skill level is also higher because there are too many restrictions, limiting strikes to a limited area.

Changing the rules, not being able to utilize one’s strengths, is also a problem.

“However, your physical attributes are incredibly strong.” Shen Dao looked at Su Jie’s physique. During the fight, he had deeply experienced the power and resilience of this seemingly indestructible body. “If you undergo targeted ring fighting training, your chances of winning are very high. After all, Liu Long is already twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, and you are ten years younger than him—that’s an advantage.”

Eighteen years old is the age when the body is fully developed and at its strongest.

“You don’t seem to be very good at ring fighting?” Su Jie could tell that Shen Dao’s style was still based on combat. Having come from the military and retired to become a security company instructor, his techniques and fighting methods were quite different from those used in ring fighting. 

“Not bad,” Shen Dao nodded. “But I know many professional fighters with strong ring skills. I can call them over for targeted training, but only if you agree to be an instructor at Jiu Ding Security. How about it?”

“You can definitely teach these bodyguards,” Su Jie said doubtfully. “I might not be able to teach them as well as you.”

“I’m very curious about how you developed your physical abilities. You must have a special training method, and I want to learn the secrets of that method.” Shen Dao didn’t mince words, speaking directly.

“If it were any other martial art, I could share it with you, but this martial art has intellectual property rights.” Su Jie thought for a moment. “I need the instructor’s permission before we can study it together.”

Thirteen Protectors’ Golden Bell Iron Shirt Dragon-Tiger Vajra Qi Gong” was created by Odell. It sells for a very high price on the secret website of the Typhon Training Camp. Even Master Luo Weiji paid a high price to purchase it from there. “I see…” Shen Dao paused, “But do you have some kind of conflict with Haoyu?”

“More or less.” Su Jie asked, “What? Does Jiu Ding Security have any cooperation with them?”

“No cooperation, on the contrary, we are major competitors.” Shen Dao waved his hand, “Haoyu Group has also ventured into the security industry, starting to establish a presence overseas, taking away a lot of our business. Haoyu Security is managed by Feng Shoucheng’s suddenly appearing third son, Feng Hengyi. I’d never heard of him having such a son before.”

“Do you know his strength?” Su Jie asked tentatively.

“No.” Shen Dao shook his head, “So far, Jiu Ding Security hasn’t had a direct conflict with him, but I heard he’s only about twenty years old. How powerful could he be?”

“More powerful than me now.” Su Jie said, “I advise Jiu Ding Security to gather more information on him; you might find something unexpected.”

“More powerful than you?” Shen Dao didn’t believe it, but seeing Su Jie’s serious expression, he knew this kind of person wouldn’t lie, and his face immediately became solemn. “Did Jiu Ding Security send anyone to the Haoyu Cup?” Su Jie asked.

“Of course,” Shen Dao smiled. “Not only Jiu Ding Security, but even Song Gua from Zhonglong will be participating. I checked your information; Zhonglong invested in your Dian Dao Martial Arts Club, but Zhonglong also established its own club—Song Qiong’s brother, who’s also a friend of mine. You can exchange ideas with him sometime.”

“How about we wear boxing gloves or open-finger gloves and practice according to the rules of the ring?” Su Jie suggested.

“That works too.” Shen Dao had completely acknowledged Su Jie’s strength.

Su Jie spent the entire weekend sparring with Shen Dao.

This man was a rare master, a former first-place winner in the All-Army Martial Arts Tournament—a true “King of Soldiers.” Exchanging techniques and verifying martial arts with such a master was quite beneficial for Su Jie.

Shen Dao’s strength should be above “The Punishment” Kong Dian.

Back at school on Monday, he recorded his insights from the video exchanges and analyzed them using the intelligent module, hoping to further improve his arena skills.

However, he didn’t agree to Shen Dao’s suggestion of becoming an instructor at Jiu Ding Group.

Although Jiu Ding and Haoyu were business competitors and considered enemies, Su Jie wasn’t entirely clear on the internal workings of the company, and besides, he didn’t have much time to focus on other things while studying.

However, he couldn’t lose contact with Shen Dao; it might come in handy in the future.

Moreover, Shen Dao was only an instructor at Jiu Ding Security, not a true decision-maker. It would be beneath him to immediately agree to a request without the higher-ups’ intervention.

“Don’t get too close, don’t make enemies, maintain contact”—this was the rule Su Jie set for himself when dealing with Jiu Ding Group.

This also reflected the principles of interpersonal relationships in Feng Shui and physiognomy: different people require different approaches.

Some people should be treated with sincerity. Some should be kept at a respectful distance. Some should be treated with indifference. Some should be rejected with anger. Some should be dealt with decisively.

… Different people require different approaches.

For example, his three roommates could all become good friends, helping each other in the future, even forming a powerful force together.

September passed quickly.

Su Jie welcomed his first long vacation of university life.

Tan Dashi, Lin Tang, and Wang Shun also packed their things and went home.

Su Jie contacted Zhang Manman and Zhang Jinchuan, arranging a meeting at the small courtyard outside Minglun Martial Arts Academy, flying directly from City B to City D.

The group quickly arrived at Minglun Martial Arts Academy.

Odell’s small courtyard was still as quiet and elegant as ever, imbued with a Zen-like atmosphere, though some traces of Su Jie’s fight with the Punishment Kong Dian remained.

“Your courtyard is truly unique.” Zhang Jinchuan stood in the center of the courtyard, surveying the surrounding decor. “It’s ethereal and otherworldly, giving one a sense of profound tranquility. The person who decorated this courtyard must be a feng shui master; every plant, every tree, even the placement of the tables and chairs, is meticulously chosen. It gives me a feeling of harmony between humanity and nature.”

“Harmony between humanity and nature?” Su Jie exclaimed in surprise. “So it’s beyond the psychological realm of the living dead? The living dead, in the end, are merely subduing their own minds. But harmony between humanity and nature is when one’s mindset is completely in harmony with nature, reaching a level where there is no distinction between self and other. Some people in ancient times reached this state of mind, but how many modern people…” 

“Almost none.”

“Then we’ll have to ask, who designed this courtyard?” Zhang Jinchuan asked curiously. “I can’t see any flaws in the design, but I feel that it’s not truly and perfectly integrated with nature. This suggests that the designer hasn’t reached that level of harmony between man and nature, but is definitely among the world’s best, at least much better than me. Zhang Manman, what do you think?”

“I don’t know.” Zhang Manman suddenly remembered the attack by the panda-masked man. She and Zhang Jinchuan were instantly killed, but Su Jie was unharmed. That panda-masked man seemed comparable to her revered father, Zhang Hongqing.

She vaguely sensed that the panda-masked man and Su Jie had a close relationship. 

“Alright, let’s not talk about this.” Su Jie sat down in the courtyard and poured a glass of water for Zhang Manman and Zhang Jinchuan. “You two will participate in this Haoyu Cup competition under the name of my Dian Dao Martial Arts Club. Zhang Manman is in the women’s group, and we’re both in the men’s group. But according to the rules of this competition, the team championship can be calculated based on points. If Zhang Manman wins the women’s championship, and either of us wins the men’s championship, the team will be number one. The individual champion can get a prize of ten million, and if the team is number one, the club will get a prize of thirty million. Haoyu’s sports department, such as the Fenglei Club, is determined to win this competition. If necessary, Feng Hengyi will definitely intervene personally. Jinchuan, what do you think?” 

“This competition was forced upon us by Haoyu Group to promote its own sports projects. They used some new rules to attract attention, but the champion has already been decided.” Zhang Jinchuan seemed to have made great progress in his skills, his voice carrying a powerful influence: “However, we won’t let them have their way this time. They might use some underhanded tactics during the competition, and I’ll be keeping a close eye on them. Once I catch any unfairness, I’ll expose it completely.”

“Technically speaking, we actually have many tough nuts to crack,” Zhang Manman said. “Of course, Feng Hengyi is the biggest obstacle. I don’t think either of you are very confident.”

“I do hope to find a breakthrough point from him,” Zhang Jinchuan said without fear, displaying exceptional confidence. 

“Haoyu has been heavily promoting this competition; I’ve seen it everywhere online, with massive hype. They’re saying it’s restoring the true essence of combat sports and representing a major innovation in martial arts,” Su Jie said. “But actually, the response has been lukewarm; many enthusiasts are taking a wait-and-see approach.”

“Competitions only get more popular with hype. For example, Liu Long is participating this time. If he gets defeated, the news will definitely explode, and everyone will start paying attention,” Zhang Manman analyzed. “Originally, Liu Long didn’t have to participate in this competition, but the prize money is just too…substantial, and he is confident in his abilities.”

“Abroad, a ten million yuan championship prize isn’t much, but in China, it’s a huge sum for a combat sports athlete.” Zhang Jinchuan shook his head: “A veteran in the fighting world once said more than ten years ago that overseas combat sports athletes become stars after retirement, while in China they become security guards. This situation is somewhat better now, but it’s still far behind overseas.”

While Su Jie, Zhang Jinchuan, and Zhang Manman were discussing this, Feng Hengyi received the news at the Haoyu Sports Club, also located next to Minglun Martial Arts Academy.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep