In these three days, Su Jie continued to follow his established routine: attending school, conducting research, practicing martial arts, and contemplating his state of mind. In fact, having reached his current level of mastery and physical capability, the repetitive exercises and muscle memory were no longer significantly beneficial. His cardiovascular function, physical muscles, and bones had all reached a certain limit; as long as he engaged in some exercise daily to prevent deterioration, that was sufficient. Spending excessive time on training would only lead to wear and tear, which would be counterproductive.
What was most crucial at this moment was a breakthrough in his mind, emotional control, and the elevation of his state of being. To put it scientifically, it involved the psychological quality related to brain development. This is akin to the Buddhist concept of “enlightenment.” Liu Long divided the practice into seven characters: stability, tranquility, peace, severance, clarity, enlightenment, and emptiness. Although these seven characters may not be entirely accurate, they still hold significant scientific reasoning at this stage.
Su Jie was currently at the realm of the Living Dead, which corresponds to “clarity,” and more so to what is referred to in the Zhang family’s martial arts as “Divine Enlightenment.” Under this state, while physical development was indeed substantial and clearly surpassed that of ordinary individuals, there remained considerable limitations. To enhance physical capabilities further, one must elevate their state again. The next level would be “enlightenment.”
At the age of eighteen, if Su Jie reached the state of “enlightenment” now, his physical abilities would continue to grow rapidly until he turned twenty. As one ages, even if their state improves, the increase in physical capability is not as pronounced as during youth. Thus, time was of the essence. Su Jie did not allow himself a moment of relaxation.
During his time with the Zhang family, he had already contemplated the meaning behind “Confucius said by the river, ‘Life flows on like this, never ceasing.'”
Life is akin to rowing upstream; it continuously glides toward the abyss of death—a process that cannot be reversed. Now at eighteen, Su Jie could no longer return to being sixteen. Therefore, he cherished every moment, striving for gains in every second.
Ordinary top students set themselves learning tasks, requiring a certain amount of study each day or completing a specific number of tasks. However, Su Jie was not comparable to an ordinary top student; he demanded that he gain something every second. With each blink, he aimed to have insights or acquire new knowledge. Of course, this knowledge and understanding needed to be beneficial to life itself, rather than related to wealth, connections, or other mundane gains.
The path of cultivation lies in life itself. Anything unrelated to life should be regarded lightly or even abandoned. Unknowingly, Su Jie had embarked on the age-old quest for the pinnacle sought by sages and wise individuals. This was a lonely and solitary path that no one could truly understand; only he knew its flavor.
Having entered the realm of the Living Dead for over half a year, Su Jie began to push toward the state of “enlightenment.” Logically speaking, even reaching the state of “clarity” requires substantial life experience and mental fulfillment to see through the trials and tribulations of the world before one can comprehend life and death and understand worldly affairs. Yet there are exceptions; Su Jie was one such exception.
Su Jie understood that this was not merely an exception but an inevitable result of the development of the times. In ancient times, a person might spend their entire life acquiring knowledge; now, in this information age, a child might master it in just a few months. Life experiences were similar. In ancient times, individuals seeking education might have to travel hundreds of miles to study, copy books, or borrow texts. In contrast, modern individuals can simply click online and have vast amounts of knowledge at their fingertips; with a bit of intelligence, they can easily become self-taught.
This represents an enhancement in efficiency. Thus, it has led to young individuals like Su Jie becoming Living Dead. In the future, as knowledge acquisition accelerates even further, it is not impossible that even younger Living Dead may emerge—this is an inevitability of evolution.
On the morning of the third day, coincidentally a weekend, Su Jie and Zhang Jinchuan arrived at the headquarters of Mingxia Group.
*****
Mingxia Group was established in the south, but later also set up its headquarters in B City in the north. The contrast between the south and the north is significant, as B City is under the “Emperor’s feet,” making it easy to become politically disconnected without a headquarters.
The headquarters of Mingxia Group in B City is constructed with a rather sci-fi aesthetic.
Zhang Jinchuan entered and contacted Xia Yi, quickly being ushered inside.
In a quiet sports venue, the floor was covered with tatami mats, somewhat resembling a Japanese dojo, and it had a minimalist style. This was the reception area for Mingxia Sports. Zhang Jinchuan and Su Jie removed their shoes upon entering and were led by staff to a designated area to wait.
“The environment here is quite nice; it truly shows wealth and power. Look at this grass mat; it is made from a type of soft grass imported from Japan, crafted through many processes,” Zhang Jinchuan said, feeling very comfortable as he stood on the grass mat in his socks. The two sat on the floor, and after about half an hour, several people entered from outside. The leader was dressed in casual attire, of medium build, but exuded an air of nobility and authority. Most importantly, he radiated vitality, with a spark of brilliance flickering between his brows.
Of course, this brilliance was merely a metaphor; in reality, it represented a long history of invincibility, akin to divine assistance, where opponents fell one after another beneath him, creating a powerful momentum. There was nothing he could not conquer. Once this momentum was established, it transformed into brilliance. This remarkable figure in the business world was Xia Shang, who started from scratch, amassed wealth in the hundreds of billions, built a trillion-dollar business empire, and became a major player in the global internet scene.
Ordinary people rarely have the chance to meet such individuals, but Zhang Jinchuan had managed to connect with this influential figure.
Next to Xia Shang stood a foreigner, tall and thin, with deep-set eyes that appeared devoid of flesh. Upon closer inspection, one could see that his muscles were like thin sheets of steel affixed to his body; he resembled a steel warrior rather than a human. The foreigner was bald with a shiny head, as if he had mastered iron head techniques, which made him look somewhat intimidating.
Su Jie immediately recognized that this foreigner was Greenland, the second-ranked fighting champion in the world. He had immense fame and was at the peak of his career in Europe and America. Every fight he participated in earned him considerable sums; his matches were thrilling—short and decisive—never dragging on. He would unleash a storm of ferocious attacks, using a brutal beast style to demolish his opponents, leaving audiences exhilarated. However, Greenland spent money just as quickly as he earned it and had not saved much; this time he aimed to negotiate cooperation with Mingxia Group in hopes of securing substantial financial support.
Behind these two were two distinctly different teams. One consisted of Xia Yi from Mingxia Group, along with Zhu Qing, Huang Mulan, and two contracted professional fighters. Su Jie recognized one as Peng Haikun and the other as Ma Zhang. Both were top-ten fighters in the country with solid foundations and strong striking skills. In particular, Peng Haikun came from a martial arts family and seemed to be an expert in Tongbei boxing; he had also studied at Minglun Martial Arts Academy before becoming a contracted fighter for Mingxia Club to compete on their behalf.
Behind Greenland were two agents and three fighters, each arrogant and dismissive of Peng Haikun and Ma Zhang.
Upon seeing Xia Shang enter, Zhang Jinchuan quickly stood up to greet him.
Xia Shang recognized Zhang Jinchuan and appreciated this young man; he appeared very friendly and seemed to have heard something from Xia Yi that made him glance at Su Jie with more interest. However, Su Jie did not show any excitement at meeting such an important figure; instead, he politely greeted him alongside Zhang Jinchuan. To be honest, he had encountered many prominent individuals before; only true powerhouses like O’Dell could evoke any emotional response from him.
Xia Shang had seen countless people and immediately noticed that Su Jie possessed a subtly different aura compared to other young individuals.
****
“Jinchuan, this is Mr. Larry’s bodyguard, Su Jie, right?” Xia Shang walked over, and the group sat down in the venue, following Japanese customs for discussion.
“Yes, I have detailed the report in the email,” Zhang Jinchuan replied. “I wonder if Uncle Xia has seen it?”
Zhang Jinchuan’s address directly made their relationship closer, referring to Xia Shang as Uncle Xia, which an ordinary person would not dare to do. Moreover, Xia Shang seemed to have tacitly approved this, indicating he held Zhang Jinchuan in high regard.
“I have seen it. Some of your ideas are quite good, but some cannot be implemented at the moment,” Xia Shang nodded. “The main reason I called you here today is for matters related to sports. I know you also practice martial arts and have provided Xia Yi with quite a few constructive suggestions. You even defeated national-level professional players at the Haoyu Cup; even Liu Long thinks you are very strong. Would you be interested in competing later? I have prepared a small internal exchange match today.”
“Of course, I am interested,” Zhang Jinchuan nodded.
Su Jie listened to just a few sentences and already had a rough understanding of Xia Shang’s strategic thinking.
Originally, the sports department of Mingxia Group was not highly regarded, but Xia Shang personally came to meet with Greenland to discuss mainly to open up overseas markets.
The cultural differences between Europe and America and Chinese culture are significant; it is generally difficult for domestic companies to make headway abroad. However, sports fighting can spread well and quickly raise awareness. The languages, characters, and values of the two nations differ. But sports fighting is the same; whoever can fight can gain countless fans. Even those who can fight in movies can achieve this. Liu Zihao became popular both domestically and internationally because he is an action star and can indeed fight.
“Mr. Xia Shang, may I see the level of your club?” Greenland directly proposed the invitation for a match, which was actually part of a planned strategy; after an exchange match between both sides, they would negotiate cooperation.
“Xia Yi, you arrange it,” Xia Shang nodded in agreement.
“Peng Haikun, you will conduct the first exchange match,” Xia Yi instructed before whispering a few more words.
Peng Haikun walked to the center of the arena, stood ready, and awaited his opponent.
Greenland also signaled for one of his club’s fighters to come out; this fighter was of similar weight to Peng Haikun but had a notably imposing presence.
This fighter was a Caucasian, bare-chested with a thick mane of golden hair, and he beckoned to Peng Haikun with a finger, a gesture of provocation.