Su Jie had been thinking about his future all along. In the past, he wanted to study and go to university, but after getting into martial arts, he felt that it could be a lifelong career. However, he didn’t want to become a professional fighter, as that would essentially limit the development of martial arts.
In his view, the purpose of martial arts was to explore the limits of life and the human body.
So he still wanted to go to university and pursue research in life sciences.
Up to now, his idea had not wavered.
But he felt that attending university was somewhat of a waste of time, because he could finish the courses in just a few months. In fact, he had already studied three years’ worth of high school curriculum by buying textbooks and workbooks during his first year. In the first semester of high school, he tackled mock college entrance exams and scored very high—meeting the top-tier cutoff was never an issue.
Later, in his sophomore year, he followed a steady study routine and put a lot of effort into English; his spoken language was fluent enough to converse quickly with foreigners and even translate. He originally thought that was the pace of learning, but after practicing martial arts and coming into contact with many profound subjects, he began to feel that time was precious and couldn’t be wasted.
To ordinary people, high school studies were extremely intense—almost suffocating. However, Su Jie felt that the workload was too relaxed; it would need to be at least ten times more intense for him to barely cope.
Learning is a kind of training too, and having gone through super agent training, Su Jie naturally thought that this level of study was child’s play—a complete waste of time.
“I’ll find a time to talk about this with my teachers, the principal, and my parents. Even if they don’t agree, I have other ways,” Su Jie finally decided in his heart.
Before long, he easily found his mom’s office.
This university was a national key institution with a great reputation. His mom was a university professor and a minor administrator with her own office.
“Mom, I brought you some food,” he said as he pushed the door open. Sure enough, his mom was inside, though she was in the middle of a conversation.
Su Jie’s mom was named Xu Ying. Although she was in her forties, she looked like she was under thirty. Her skin was well maintained, and she always wore a neat uniform that made her look less like a university professor and more like a corporate professional.
Every gesture and word from Xu Ying exuded a refined elegance, making it clear that her family background was extraordinary.
Suddenly, someone pushed the door open, and the man who had been talking with Xu Ying frowned slightly.
He was a middle-aged man dressed in casual clothes. At first glance he seemed unremarkable, but upon closer inspection one would notice that every piece of his outfit was extremely valuable—the subtle details of his collar and cuffs fit his physique perfectly, crafted with exquisite workmanship that clearly came from a master designer.
What appeared to be ordinary clothing, when worn by him, became the finishing touch that brought his look to life, exuding vigor and spirit.
“Xiao Ying, please give my suggestion some thought and let me know your reply.” The middle-aged man stood up, looked at Su Jie and appraised him with a couple of glances. A peculiar glimmer flashed in his eyes as he added, “This is your son; he’s grown so tall. Not bad, not bad.”
After saying that, he walked out.
“Mom, why do you look so pale? Who was that man?” Su Jie asked as he took the food out of the insulated box.
“Someone I used to know—none of your business,” Xu Ying replied absentmindedly. Then, suddenly fixing her gaze on Su Jie, she said, “You definitely haven’t been at an English summer camp these past two months. So, what on earth have you been doing?”
“I went to Minglun Martial Arts Academy and signed up for a short-term martial arts training course. Training in martial arts helped me grow taller.” Su Jie said with a playful grin. He felt very relaxed talking to his mom—unlike his dad, who used to beat him whenever he misbehaved as a child.
Fortunately, as Su Jie’s studies improved, the beatings became much less frequent. In fact, every time he was about to get hit, his mom would step in. His dad, Su Shilin, always listened to Xu Ying; whatever she said, he followed.
Over the years, Su Jie had noticed that his dad always obeyed his mom, not quite like a couple but more like an assistant—or even a servant.
“Your dad told you not to learn all this fighting and brawling, yet you’re still at it,” Xu Ying said, slightly irritated.
“Mom, please don’t get worked up. Just listen to me,” Su Jie quickly explained. “I’m actually learning this for my older sister. The boss at her company is chasing after her, but he’s a real scumbag. Even though my sister wouldn’t believe me, I collected evidence—and ended up getting beaten and humiliated by his bodyguard. Otherwise, what would I do? Besides, that guy Qian Zheng at school always scores first in exams. His family runs a chain of large-scale combat fitness centers; his physical education scores are much higher than mine, and his smarts are superior too. Of course, I need to train in martial arts to see if I can surpass him.”
“Why have you never told me about this?” Xu Ying said while eating. “Exercising is good, but you could just as well go to the gym or run. Your dad is just worried that if you practice martial arts, you’ll get overly aggressive and cause trouble. He practiced this himself before—anyone who learns combat tends to get overly inflated, oblivious to their limits, and always looking for a fight.”
Su Jie thought about it, and he realized he had indeed gone through that phase. Fortunately, at Minglun Martial Arts Academy he was never short of opponents. At first he sparred with Qiaosi, and later participated in small ring matches, venting all his belligerence on the arena. As his character matured and his martial arts deepened, he became remarkably calm and composed—there was no trace of aggression left, only a dedication to studying and contemplating martial arts.
That was also one of the reasons he didn’t want to become a professional fighter.
“Mom, if I want to take a leave of absence from school, will you agree?” Su Jie asked tentatively.
“What?”
Smack!
Xu Ying slammed her chopsticks onto the table, splattering soup everywhere. “Say that again,” she ordered.
“Mom, mom, calm down, calm down,” Su Jie quickly said as he wiped the table clean, peppering her with compliments. He knew that when his mom got angry, it was all bark and no bite—very different from his dad, Su Shilin, who believed in “beat first, talk later.”
“You go back and tell your dad that once he agrees, I will agree too.” Xu Ying sipped her tea, her temper easing a bit. She ate quickly and silently, not bothering to respond to Su Jie.
“Mom, take it slow—don’t choke, chew carefully.” Su Jie kept smiling. His mom was gentle and reasonable, and he was confident he could win her over. Once she agreed, even if his dad objected, there’d be no other option.
But Xu Ying continued to ignore him.
“Mom, it’s not that I don’t want to study anymore; I just think the traditional way of learning is such a waste of time. I could take the college entrance exam right now and guarantee a spot at a top university. Why waste my time in high school then?” Su Jie earnestly explained. “Some geniuses go to college at fourteen, and their test scores are off the charts.”
“So, are you saying you consider yourself a genius?” Xu Ying almost laughed through her anger.
“Something like that,” Su Jie replied unashamedly. “Mom, let me prove it. Give me a few sets of really challenging mock exams, and I promise I’ll score high.”
Su Jie was already among the top students, so his claim wasn’t just hot air.
“What do you plan to do if you take a leave from school? Do you have any plans?” Xu Ying asked calmly.
“I want to return to Minglun Martial Arts Academy to do research—not to practice martial arts, but to study. I’m really interested in life sciences, psychology, anatomy, and medicine. I plan to study these subjects in college. During my time at Minglun, I was introduced to this field by a Cambridge medical doctor who taught me some things.” Su Jie then brought up Uncle Mang.
At Minglun Martial Arts Academy, Uncle Mang worked as a masseur, but before losing his sight he had been a doctoral graduate of Cambridge University’s Medical School—a title sure to impress Mom.
Sure enough, Xu Ying was momentarily stunned. “Getting into Cambridge Medical School is extremely tough. Only top-tier talent in the global medical community can qualify to do research. Why would someone like that end up at a small martial arts school?”
“I don’t know. Besides, Minglun isn’t small at all—international superstar Liu Zihao is from there. They even selected me to join his Liu Family team, but I turned it down.” Su Jie mentioned this casually.
“Liu Zihao?” Xu Ying studied her son again. “What on earth have you been taking these past two months? You’ve grown so tall, and your body seems much more solid—no professional body-sculpting trainer could have gotten you to this level.”
‘Well, what’s a body-sculpting trainer compared to my coach—he’s none other than Odell, the world’s most mysterious god-maker from the Typhon Training Camp.’ Su Jie thought inwardly with a hint of sarcasm but kept his thoughts to himself.
“School starts with your senior year, the most important year. If you want to take a leave of absence, you’ll need the approval of your homeroom teacher, the dean, and the principal, right?” Xu Ying mused. “I’m still pretty open-minded. If you can really score high on a set of challenging mock exams, I’ll let you take a year off to pursue what you want. Then you can sit for the college entrance exam in June next year. How does that sound?”
“Alright, it’s settled then,” Su Jie agreed sycophantically. “I knew you were the best mom—so educated and open-minded, unlike Dad, that rough old brute. Later tonight when we get home, if Dad beats me up, Mom, you’ve got to protect me.”
“That remains to be seen,” Xu Ying rolled her eyes at him and continued eating. After the meal, watching Su Jie swiftly tidy up, she felt quite pleased. “He’s gotten a lot more handsome, and his bearing now suits high society—Minglun Martial Arts Academy is truly miraculous,” she thought.
Anyone who had known Su Jie just two months ago would be astonished by his current appearance and vigor—either thinking he had undergone plastic surgery or some extreme muscle-enhancing transformation. It was nothing short of a complete metamorphosis.
With his mom softening her stance, Su Jie felt elated and walked with a light step. Leaving the office, he carried a thermos as he passed by the playground, his mind preoccupied with perfecting his martial arts stances.
He even marveled at the military bearing of the flag-guarding soldiers, their posture exuding an unwavering resolve—as if they would stand firm even in the face of landslides or tsunamis.
Whew!
Just then, a basketball suddenly flew toward him, barreling at the back of his head.
It turned out that a group of college students and instructors, engaged in military training, were playing a basketball game on the playground, and the ball had gone completely out of control.
As the ball was about to hit him, it was as if Su Jie had an extra set of eyes on the back of his head. Without a second thought—and still holding the thermos in one hand—he spun around sharply, instinctively unleashing the “Hoe Strike” technique. With a fierce single-handed strike, he smashed the basketball.
The ball, hit with such force, collapsed inward and then exploded with a bang.
The basketball was utterly shattered.
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