“I’m going to the underground fight tomorrow…” Zhou Chun’s heart suddenly tightened with anxiety.

He had recently arrived in Thailand, brought there by Feng Hengyi to witness the underground fights. The brutal bloodshed he saw made his heart race with terror. It was practically a savage coliseum. The unarmed combat was tolerable, but the weaponed matches were especially gruesome—fighters hacked to pieces were a common sight.

“Martial Arts is a killing art. No matter how many people try to pretty it up with talk of martial virtue, it doesn’t change the facts.” A cruel smile appeared on Feng Hengyi’s face. “I guarantee your skills will improve dramatically after you kill someone. If you’re too scared, I’ll kill you myself.”

“Yes, sir!” Zhou Chun didn’t even dare breathe heavily.

“Get out. Get your mindset straight. Technically, those underground fighters are no match for you. They’re just more vicious. Once you overcome your fear, killing them will be easy.” Feng Hengyi waved him off.

Zhou Chun hurried out. Every time he was around Feng Hengyi, he felt like he was walking on a razor’s edge.

After Zhou Chun left, a foreigner entered—it was Josh.

“Boss,” Josh greeted Feng Hengyi respectfully. Physically, he looked thinner than before, but the aura around him had undergone a complete transformation—like raw iron forged into a sharp blade.

“How is it? After these few months with me, feeling a huge improvement?” Feng Hengyi was all smiles with Josh, a sharp contrast to how he treated Zhou Chun.

“Yes, boss. I never imagined your training methods would be so advanced. My past seven or eight years of training were practically worthless in comparison.” Josh, still bald, wasn’t dressed like a Shaolin monk anymore but rather resembled a Thai ascetic.

“Do you feel confident about entering the underground fight tomorrow? I’ve arranged a weaponed match for you,” Feng Hengyi said.

“No problem, boss,” Josh replied without blinking. “These underground fights are bloody and brutal, sure, but their skill level is nowhere near professional. It’s far from what I imagined.”

“Oh? And how did you imagine underground fights would be?” Feng Hengyi asked.

“I thought the underground circuit would have the highest level fighters—people capable of dominating the pro leagues. I’ve heard that several top-tier fighters in the world have been through these illegal fights. But after visiting some in Europe, I found they were mostly staged and exaggerated in their bloodiness—no real life-or-death stakes. Here in Southeast Asia, they do fight for real, but the skill level isn’t all that impressive,” Josh explained.

“Exactly. Nobody chooses underground fights unless they’ve got no other options,” Feng Hengyi said. “If someone has real ability, why would they risk their life for such pitiful earnings? A single pro fight internationally pays thousands. Here, an underground match might earn a few hundred bucks. Child fighters in these circuits get a few bucks per match. Sure, the elite fighters may show up to these black-market bouts to experience real-life combat and push past their psychological limits—only then can their skills advance rapidly. Underground fighters may not have the same technical or physical prowess as professionals, but their viciousness and disregard for life far surpass them. Combine the two, and you’re unbeatable. Now do you understand why I brought you here?”

“I do,” Josh nodded.

“I have high hopes for you. You’re not like Zhou Chun,” Feng Hengyi said. “He’s just a mad dog I’ll use for dirty work—take the fall when needed, or get disposed of if he fails. You’re different. I want you as my right-hand man—my true partner.”

“Boss, aside from martial arts, I’m not good at much else,” Josh said, clearly uneasy.

“I know your family’s background is decent. You’ve got some influence in the UK, but you chose Martial Arts over inheriting the family business.” Feng Hengyi seemed to know everything about Josh. “Take a look at this file.”

He snapped his fingers.

A man resembling a Grey Wolf warrior walked in and handed a thick file to Josh.

As Josh flipped through it, his expression gradually changed. “Boss, how do you know so much? This isn’t just information about my family—it includes secrets about my rivals’ families too.”

“You thought I was just some rich kid from Haoyu Group?” Feng Hengyi clasped his hands behind his back. “Josh, Haoyu Group doesn’t even rank in the global top ten. It’s nothing. The real power behind me—my organization—is something beyond your imagination. Do you know what the D@rk Web is?”

“Yes. It’s that vast network outside the reach of search engines, often used by criminal groups for illicit transactions. Most of the deals are done in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Because of blockchain, the supply of these currencies is fixed—no one can tamper with it or issue new ones. That’s what keeps their value so high,” Josh replied, clearly not naive about such matters.

“Every country in the world has the power to print money. They print as much as they want—it’s entirely at human discretion,” Feng Hengyi said. “But with blockchain-based cryptocurrencies, the entire global financial system has been shaken.”

“But crypto is just numbers—it’s worthless,” Josh countered. “Government-issued currencies are backed by national power and gold reserves. Crypto is just another speculative bubble, like the tulip mania of old. A Ponzi scheme passing the risk to the next sucker.”

“You’re right. Cryptos are worthless—unless someone backs them.” A fanatical glint flickered in Feng Hengyi’s eyes. “Now, through the D@rk Web, these cryptos can buy real things—stuff you can’t find in the regular market. That gives them real currency power. In truth, B!tcoin was just a test product created by my organization. And most of the D@rk Web? That’s our trading platform. Join us—we already have the power to change the world. In the near future, we will overturn the existing global order.”

“Boss…” Joss fell silent.

“Give it some thought,” said Feng Hengyi. “The power behind me is beyond your imagination. Look at me—I’m not even eighteen, and yet the strength I possess is extraordinary. This isn’t something that can be achieved through martial arts training alone. To the organization behind me, your world is like the medieval era. Back then, could anyone have imagined that humans would one day soar into the sky, reach the moon, travel to Mars, or communicate across the globe?”

“Is it really that powerful?” Joss still looked skeptical.

“This is a login device, along with the website URL, account, and password,” Feng Hengyi said, pulling out a phone-like device. “It contains one Typhon Coin. On the D@rk Web, one Typhon Coin is worth ten Bitcoins. You can use it to buy all sorts of things, and those things will be delivered to your designated location one day. Of course, some major countries crack down hard on this sort of thing, so customs can be tricky. But in Southeast Asia, Africa, and even here in Europe, you can get delivery within seven days.”

“Go ahead, explore it for yourself,” Feng Hengyi said.

Joss took the login device and credentials and left.

Watching his retreating figure, Feng Hengyi muttered to himself, “Typhon Coins are amazing, but I don’t have many either. The person who probably has the most in the organization is Odell… But of all people, he had to leave the training camp to go on some so-called spiritual journey. What good is spiritual cultivation? Were the ancients so enlightened that they managed to fly into the sky?”

*****

Shssss!

At home, Su Jie poured a little oil into a pan. 

Suddenly, the flames shot up, but he remained calm, tossing in the prepared ingredients from a bowl. With a few swift motions of the spatula, the food flipped through the air and sizzled in the heat, each slice thoroughly exposed to the flame.

It was as if his spirit was immersed in the fire along with the ingredients, feeling the heat together.

Then, in a flash of instinct, the dish was ready. He plated it swiftly—the steam rising, the aroma rich and mouthwatering.

It was just a simple stir-fry of cabbage and pork, but it had everything—color, fragrance, and flavor. Each piece of food was perfectly cooked and vibrant.

“You brat, you’ve picked up my essence. From now on, you’re doing all the cooking at home. Your old man can finally take it easy,” said Su Shilin, grabbing a piece with his fingers and chewing happily. “Not bad at all. The key to stir-frying is controlling the heat. The food must be cooked evenly. And with the right heat, all the seasonings spread evenly over every piece. That’s the secret to divine cooking. That’s why the head chef in a hotel is the highest-level position. Stir-frying, deep-frying, roasting—it’s all about mastering fire. A chef who can wield fire to perfection—that’s a true god of the kitchen.”

“Dad, you’re using your hands again. That’s gross. I’m telling Mom,” Su Jie frowned in disgust.

“No, no, no!” Su Shilin jumped, instinctively glancing around. “You little devil, don’t scare me like that. I’ll eat this one—you make another plate for your mom.”

Su Jie had no choice but to watch his dad walk off with the dish, shaking his head and preparing another.

Life was leisurely for him now. Several months had passed, and school was on winter break.

Unknowingly, he had already completed the first semester of his final year of high school. He had calmed down, spending his days reading, training, and earning money by competing in guidance matches at the small Grand Ascent Combat Fitness Club. He aced every exam and had made a decent sum of money.

By now, his scattered accounts held around a million yuan.

It should’ve been more. From guidance matches alone, he earned 15,000 yuan a day—that’s 450,000 a month. A staggering amount. Maybe not quite at the level of top internet writers or streamers, but for a teenager, it was already a fortune. But he also spent heavily—buying premium fitness and health products from the Minglun Martial Arts Academy’s website, which didn’t come cheap.

Some specialty items he sourced through Uncle Mang.

Like the Nie Family’s secret medicinal salve—just a couple of ounces cost tens of thousands, and even if you had money, you couldn’t necessarily buy it.

As for the inner-strength tonic, Su Jie had tried several times to get it from Uncle Mang, but came up empty.

He had some stock left once, but one day it mysteriously vanished. He was sure his dad had drunk it all in secret, but his dad would never admit it. There was nothing Su Jie could do.

Since reaching peak proficiency in external training, his martial arts had hit a bottleneck. Despite daily intensive practice, aside from becoming more proficient and experienced, he hadn’t made any real breakthroughs.

It had been seven months since he first joined the Minglun Martial Arts Academy on July 1st.

With no real progress in martial arts—especially mentally—Su Jie wasn’t in a rush. He had woven his training into everyday life, beginning with learning to cook from his dad.

He could ignore everything else, but cooking was a must. Because in this world, the first thing a person must do… is eat.

Food comes first.

In this learning process, he gradually discovered that cooking, too, held unfathomable depths of mastery…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep