“This is extremely similar to the killer move Bear Shakes the Tree.”

Su Jie had learned the traditional martial arts Eighteen Freehand Techniques from Gu Yang, one of which was called Bear Shakes the Tree. It mimicked a bear standing upright and walking, swaying yet extremely stable, capable of hugging a tree and shaking it violently, even uprooting it—a display of immense strength.

Now, in the split second of Tang Jin’s advance, although he was using boxing, both his power and intent resembled that of a bear. It was evident that martial arts were interconnected.

Tang Jin shook and moved rapidly, seemingly finding the best point of force and the ideal striking position. Suddenly, he feinted with a straight punch before launching a swift and unpredictable uppercut to Su Jie’s ribs.

However, Su Jie had already anticipated Tang Jin’s true intentions through his gaze. He dodged continuously, clamping his ribs tight.

Sure enough, Tang Jin’s uppercut struck his ribs.

But unexpectedly, though the punch seemed ferocious, it only lightly grazed him before sharply changing direction—like a race car drifting—toward Su Jie’s abdomen.

Bang!

Su Jie’s abdomen took a direct hit, his entire body bending like a shrimp from the impact.

If it were anyone else, getting punched in the abdomen by a professional fighter would have caused instant spasms, rendering them unable to stand and completely losing their combat capability. However, Su Jie’s Iron Body Training was formidable. The moment his abdomen was struck, his muscles automatically collapsed inward, subtly relaxing at just the right moment so that the punch’s force didn’t fully land on him. This maneuver reduced at least seventy to eighty percent of the impact.

This was something he had previously struggled to achieve, but after undergoing electric stimulation training, his neurons had gained increasingly precise control over his muscles.

Still, this didn’t seem to help much in a boxing match.

As Su Jie’s abdomen took the hit, Tang Jin exploded with a rapid flurry of jabs and hooks, violently pounding his head. At this point, no defense was effective—the speed was simply too fast. Techniques and forms became meaningless; only instincts remained.

If not for the boxing rules, Su Jie could have used his legs or knees to block the assault. But now, he had no choice but to endure it.

Covering his head, he took at least ten head punches in less than two seconds before he collapsed to the ground. Rolling twice, he struggled to get back up.

He had lost.

“Your endurance is that strong?” Tang Jin had assumed Su Jie wouldn’t be able to rise, yet the latter did, still seemingly capable of fighting.

“Let’s stop here,” Tang Jin said, waving his hand.

“Master Tang, you fooled me with your eyes. This isn’t something from boxing, is it?” Su Jie stood up, his whole body aching, especially his head, which felt slightly off. Tang Jin’s punches were too fierce, and the speed of his combos was beyond what Su Jie had expected. He hadn’t even lasted five seconds.

In an instant, Su Jie realized where he had erred—he had focused on observing Tang Jin’s eyes and assumed his ribs would be the target. He hadn’t expected to be deceived by that very gaze, which led to his abdomen getting hit, exposing a weakness and causing his complete downfall.

However, he did not grow frustrated over his loss. His words remained polite, and his attitude humble and respectful, demonstrating his cultivated demeanor.

Seeing this, Tang Jin was slightly impressed. He nodded subtly, acknowledging the young man. “You’re right. This isn’t just boxing; it’s the Eight Methods of Eye Techniques from Shaolin martial arts.”

“Shaolin martial arts? Eight Methods of Eye Techniques?” This was Su Jie’s first time hearing of it. In fact, Odell should have known about it, but Su Jie had spent too little time training under him and had not learned such advanced concepts.

“The Eight Methods of Eye Techniques consist of: Bright, Dark, Solid, Fierce, Sweeping, Wavy, Luring, and Begging,” Tang Jin explained. “The Bright Eye technique means focusing your eyes and concentrating on the opponent’s every move, reacting instantly. The Dark Eye technique involves pretending not to look at the opponent—your gaze appears scattered, making them think you are distracted, but in reality, you’re secretly observing their weaknesses and launching a sudden attack. The Solid Eye technique is about maintaining a dignified and unshaken gaze, exuding confidence so that the opponent feels your strength and hesitates to attack.”

“What about Fierce, Sweeping, Wavy, Luring, and Begging?” Su Jie was intrigued—he hadn’t realized eye techniques could be so versatile.

“Fierce is the Glare of the Wrathful Vajra—like a beast hunting prey, it intimidates the opponent. Sweeping involves scanning up, down, left, and right, making the opponent think you’re about to strike various areas, forcing them into a defensive dilemma. Wavy means using peripheral vision to monitor the surroundings, swiftly seizing advantageous positions for a sudden strike. Luring is a deceptive trick—I just used this technique against you. I intentionally glanced at your ribs to make you believe that was my target, but in truth, I aimed for your abdomen. As for Begging, it’s about feigning weakness—pretending to be timid or vulnerable to lure the opponent into underestimating you, only to strike unexpectedly.”

“That makes a lot of sense!” Su Jie nodded repeatedly, feeling like he had learned a great deal.

“Coach, you two barely fought for five seconds, and all we saw was a chaotic exchange of punches. Who knew there was so much behind it?”

Three young women approached. They hadn’t been able to grasp the deeper meaning behind the fight—only that Su Jie, who looked impressive when hitting the sandbag, was still completely outmatched in an actual bout against the professional coach, Tang Jin.

One of them, a tall girl standing at about 1.78 meters, curiously asked, “Coach, did you also learn Shaolin martial arts? Just now, you mentioned something about eye techniques being part of Shaolin martial arts?”

“First, focus on learning boxing properly.” Tang Jin kept a stern face. “Your movie in three months has a lot of boxing scenes. If you don’t train well, the filming of those scenes will suffer, and I won’t take the blame. Your agency is paying me to be your coach, so I must do my job responsibly.”

“Understood, Coach.” The three girls earnestly practiced their punches, each strike carrying considerable force.

“Let’s talk.” Tang Jin patted Su Jie on the shoulder.

The two sat down to the side, and Tang Jin asked, “Your boxing skills are impressive. You’ve actually reached a certain level, but what you’re lacking is real combat experience—not the kind from the ring, nor even street fights, but something closer to battlefield conditions. Of course, underground fights could also serve the same purpose. That is the best way to temper your mind and will.”

This wasn’t the first time someone had told Su Jie this.

But as a high school student, where would he find such an opportunity? He could only listen in silence.

“What do you think is the most important quality for a martial artist?” Tang Jin asked again.

“It should be character,” Su Jie had pondered this question before. “That’s what allows someone to go further in life. Take, for example, the former boxing champion Tyson. For a time, he ruled the boxing world, and no opponent could stand against him. But after his coach passed away, he spiraled downward, neglected training, and led a reckless lifestyle, getting himself into all sorts of trouble. He ruined his career, and his skills and physical condition deteriorated significantly. He could have gone much further. That’s why traditional martial arts emphasize virtue before skill. With good character, one can face any challenge with composure.”

“You’re absolutely right.” Tang Jin slapped his thigh. “Would you be interested in becoming a professional boxer? I can train you into a world champion. Forget about learning other sports—boxing is the most profitable sport in the world. The money you make from kickboxing or MMA doesn’t even come close to one percent of what you can earn in boxing.”

“I’ll think about it.” Su Jie had already mapped out his life plan, so he politely declined.

“No worries, you’re still young, but time waits for no one. If you change your mind in the next two years, you can contact me anytime.” Tang Jin handed Su Jie a business card before getting up to continue training the three girls.

Su Jie observed Tang Jin’s training and striking techniques for a while and ended up learning a few more things from it.

Just then, Zhang Manman approached. “Su Jie, how was it?”

“Great. Live ammunition shooting was pretty fun,” Su Jie replied. “This whole day of training must have cost quite a bit. Let me settle the bill.”

He now had nearly 200,000 yuan in his account, giving him some financial confidence. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to spend so freely.

“No need.” Zhang Manman smiled. “The owner of Heart-Cleansing Manor is my uncle. He’s covering the cost this time. Come on, let’s head back to school.”

Su Jie nodded and left the manor with Zhang Manman. As usual, a car was waiting to take them straight back to school.

By the time they returned, it was already late.

After grabbing dinner at the cafeteria, Su Jie headed to the small arena training grounds to see if he could find a match.

Luck was on his side this time—he actually got a slot.

Because of the ongoing regional martial arts school league, many participants were too exhausted to join the small arena matches after competing all day. Since there were still several more days of competition ahead, most people chose to rest.

Even so, the small arena still had a sizable audience. It was a staple of Minglun Martial Arts Academy, having signed deals with multiple live-streaming platforms and video sites. Matches were broadcasted every evening from 7:30 to 10:00.

It was said that the annual broadcasting contract brought in a significant amount of money.

Su Jie stepped into the ring like a ferocious tiger. His first opponent was a boxer, but with just two feints and a sudden lunge, Su Jie knocked him to the ground.

His second opponent was a towering MMA fighter, well over 1.9 meters tall, with an incredibly long reach. Fighters like him were the most troublesome, as they could keep their opponents at a distance while landing strikes freely.

However, Su Jie simply circled him for a moment. Then, in a split second, he lunged forward, pinning the man to the ground.

In the following matches, Su Jie didn’t make a move until the perfect moment—whenever he did, his opponents were instantly taken down. At this point, he truly seemed to have transformed into a thousand-pound tiger.

That morning, he had been defeated by Feng Hengyi with just two punches. After practicing live-fire shooting at Heart-Cleansing Manor in the afternoon, he had finally grasped the concept of “a mind like gunpowder, fists like bullets.” His explosive power had increased significantly. He still used his “Hoe Strike” technique, but compared to before, both his speed and strength had improved dramatically.

He won match after match, as if he had entered a state of flow—or perhaps, he was just aggressively raking in money.

After all, each victory earned him between 1,000 and 2,000 yuan. If he could win ten matches in a single night, he could pocket 20,000 yuan. With summer break coming to an end, he would soon have to return home and transfer back to his old school. Before that, he wanted to gain as much combat experience as possible and earn as much money as he could.

While Su Jie was dominating the small arena, in a building within Minglun Martial Arts Academy, international superstar Liu Zihao was hosting a private dinner.

His guest was none other than Feng Hengyi, the man who had defeated Su Jie with two punches.

Strangely, the two dined at separate tables, each having their own set of meals.

Liu Zihao’s meal consisted of chicken breast, beef, seven or eight types of fresh vegetables, dairy products, and a medicinal soup that carried a noticeable herbal aroma. Additionally, several bottles containing trace element supplements were lined up beside him.

Feng Hengyi’s table also had beef, along with several rare seafood dishes. However, they were all prepared very plainly, without much seasoning. His vegetable selection was even more diverse than Liu Zihao’s. He also had several bottles filled with what appeared to be specialized drinks.

“Hengyi, want to try Minglun Martial Arts Academy’s premium health meal? The Nie family’s private nourishing dishes are quite good,” Liu Zihao said while eating.

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