“Manman, this trip back to the country isn’t just about learning martial arts, is it?”
In a quiet tea room within the manor, the middle-aged man with silver hair, Uncle Fu, said to Zhang Manman while sipping on fragrant tea. “Your father wants to return to the country and develop here; after all, home is where the heart is. He’s mentioned it to me many times. But now he doesn’t know what industry to focus on. Our line of work in real estate is already a sunset industry, and there doesn’t seem to be any good direction for transformation.”
“Real estate really isn’t working anymore. Ten or twenty years ago, it was golden everywhere, but now the trends are in online games, film and television culture, artificial intelligence, video streaming, and blockchain technology. I’ve been back for quite a while, and I’ve been investigating and researching. I’ve found that the only promising industries in the future are two categories: high technology and cultural entertainment. Beyond that, health and wellness is still a viable option, like what Uncle Fu is doing now. It’s essentially entertainment combined with health and wellness, but it’s aimed at the upper-middle class, not the low-end market.”
Zhang Manman spoke with confidence.
“It seems you’ve put in a lot of effort. You went to Minglun Martial Academy not just to train, but to study the integration of martial schools and the film industry, right? And by the way, is your father looking to recruit Gu Yang?” Uncle Fu asked.
“Gu Yang was the leader of the ‘Judge’ mercenary squad back in the day. Ten years ago, he retired and suddenly returned to the country, choosing to be a small martial arts instructor. I don’t know what happened, but his connections are vast, his skills are exceptional, and he’s familiar with the rules of many dangerous places. He’s a valuable talent. If he could assist my father, it would definitely take our Zhang family business to the next level. But from what I see, he seems to have decided to live a peaceful second half of his life.” Zhang Manman replied.
“After experiencing so many storms, wanting a quiet life now isn’t a bad choice,” Uncle Fu said, shaking his head. “What’s most important now is to discover young talent. By the way, Manman, what’s the deal with the classmate you brought today?”
“He’s a real talent—excellent martial arts, high intelligence. Not just a talent, but a genius,” Zhang Manman spoke highly of Su Jie.
“Oh? I’ve never heard you praise anyone like this before,” Uncle Fu said, intrigued.
“Boss,” at this moment, a voice came from outside.
“Come in,” Uncle Fu nodded.
A man dressed in a black suit, with a fierce aura, walked in and spoke to Uncle Fu. A look of surprise appeared on Uncle Fu’s face. “Manman, it seems this classmate you brought is indeed impressive.”
“What happened?” Zhang Manman asked, confused.
“Come with me.”
Uncle Fu led Zhang Manman to a monitoring room and had someone play back the footage of Su Jie hitting the sandbag. His strikes were so powerful that it seemed as though he had multiple arms, eventually splitting the sandbag in half.
Even an ordinary person could see that such explosive power, if it hit a person, would likely tear them apart.
“Such explosive power… Even national-level professional athletes don’t possess this, unless they’re world-class professional fighters,” Uncle Fu sighed. “Which martial arts family does he come from? Or has he undergone specialized training since childhood?”
“Neither. You might find it hard to believe, but he’s someone who’s only been training for two months. Two months ago, he was just a student with slightly better physical fitness, at most an excellent student in physical education,” Zhang Manman said. “Of course, he uses a chopping force, striking from top to bottom with a dragging power. This is more destructive than the straight punches, hooks, or jabs in boxing. Actually, if he used a straight punch, he wouldn’t have been able to break the sandbag. But his strength and explosive power are truly impressive. More importantly, he’s young and has a lot of potential to be tapped into.”
“He’s not very old, is he? He looks to be in his teens,” Uncle Fu asked.
“He’s 16, in his second year of high school,” Zhang Manman nodded. “And his grades are excellent. He’s already mastered the correct study methods and is very disciplined. From him, I see the quality of integration between knowledge and action.”
“Integration between knowledge and action?” Uncle Fu didn’t believe it. “That’s the high standard of conduct proposed by Wang Yangming. It’s not so easy to achieve.”
“Just wait and see. Anyway, he’s a real talent,” Zhang Manman said. “By the way, Uncle Fu, when my projects are ready in the country, I’ll need your help.”
“Naturally. We’re family, why be so polite? Your father and I have been through thick and thin together. Without him, I would have died long ago at the hands of foreign gangs,” Uncle Fu waved his hand. “When I discussed coming back to the country with your father, he was cautious and played it safe, which caused him to miss out on many opportunities. Over the past twenty years, the country has truly been filled with money—if you’re bold enough, you just have to bend down and pick it up. But now, making money isn’t as easy as it once was. The chaos is settling, and the major players have already positioned themselves.”
“There’s still room to carve out opportunities,” Zhang Manman nodded. “But it’s definitely a lot harder now.”
“The Minglun Martial Academy model is actually quite good. They’ve recently teamed up with the Feng family to do AI human body training, along with the martial arts film base. I think there are great opportunities there,” Uncle Fu said. “How’s your research going?”
“The Feng family has big ambitions, and they do control some of the core technologies of artificial intelligence. But if we poach the core research team, the ‘Morning Dawn Studio’, they will lose their biggest advantage immediately,” Uncle Fu gave Zhang Manman some advice.
“Morning Dawn Studio?” Zhang Manman seemed to have gathered some useful information. “In that case, Uncle Fu must have had some plans already, even having core data about this aspect.”
“Of course. The Feng family has been in the internet business, so they have plenty of cash. Over the years, they’ve taken a lot of my territory, causing significant losses to my business. I’ve definitely targeted them. This time, I’ll give you some core personnel data from the Feng family as a gift for your father’s development back home. How does that sound?” Uncle Fu clapped his hands, and someone quickly brought over a stack of paper documents.
“Don’t blame Uncle Fu for being cautious. Take a look at it, memorize it, and then I’ll take it back and burn it. We won’t need to transmit it over the network,” Uncle Fu said, staring at Zhang Manman.
Zhang Manman flipped through the documents, carefully inspecting each page. She took a full hour to finish before suddenly closing the file and returning it to Uncle Fu.
“It looks like you’ve really received some special training, like an intelligence agent. You memorized all the data in just an hour,” Uncle Fu remarked. “It seems your father was right to send you back to collect business information.”
“Uncle Fu is too kind. This matter isn’t as simple as it looks.” Zhang Manman seemed to have engraved the data into her mind. “But right now, I’m alone and can’t do everything on my own. I need to recruit people, find reliable hands, and form a team.”
“So, you’re interested in Su Jie? And Gu Yang?” Uncle Fu frowned. “Su Jie is fine; after all, he’s just a young man and can be swayed. But Gu Yang is a man of great experience, someone who has already seen it all. What makes you think you can move him? Though, if you can, he’s not only a top-tier expert but also the best manager. Years ago, when he became the leader of the Judgment mercenaries, he turned the team from a third-rate group into an elite one. However, he later withdrew from the world due to some disillusionment.”
“I’ll give it a try. Talents are rare. After all, it’s easy to find a thousand soldiers, but a general is hard to come by,” Zhang Manman said. “Besides, there are many details I’ll need Uncle Fu’s help with in the future.”
“That’s no problem. Just contact me directly if you need anything,” Uncle Fu said with a beaming smile.
He had actually done a little test earlier and discovered that his old friend’s daughter was indeed an elite.
At the sports hall, the boxing coach stepped forward. “Young man, what martial art are you practicing? Your downward strike has such great power.”
“This is a farming-style move, called the Hoe Strike,” Su Jie thought for a moment.
He hadn’t systematically studied traditional martial arts. Though the Hoe Strike move was a core strike in the traditional “Heart Intent Fist” system, there were many other techniques in Heart Intent Fist (Xin Yi Ba) that he hadn’t learned. He only practiced this one move, refining it repeatedly.
Aside from that, his physical training, breathing techniques, eating habits, and sleep were all from Odell’s teachings.
Additionally, Gu Yang had taught him a few unarmed combat moves, and he had nearly a hundred matches’ worth of experience from the ring. Of course, he also trained in modern combat techniques like wrestling, boxing, Muay Thai, and kickboxing.
He combined all these martial arts into this single move, the “Hoe Strike.” With just a small adjustment, there were countless variations, but at the core, it remained unchanged—a hoe. It was this purity that gave it such immense power.
“Impressive,” the boxing coach said. “Young man, how about we have a match?”
“What’s your name, teacher?” Su Jie asked politely, knowing that the coaches here were formidable figures. Boxing had many advantages, especially its practicality in real combat. The moves were simple, but simplicity made it easy to learn yet hard to master.
Boxing only had straight punches, hooks, and jabs, without using legs. It was strong in both combat competitions and street fights, but the moves were considered ungraceful, with no aesthetic appeal, which is why it hadn’t been widely accepted.
“Tan Jin,” the boxing coach replied. Though he was in his early thirties, in the world of combat sports, especially in fighting disciplines, he could be considered an experienced veteran.
“I’d love to learn something from you,” Su Jie said. He had just begun to grasp the subtleties of a punch like gunpowder and bullets. Punching a sandbag wasn’t enough; a match would help him progress faster.
The two put on their gloves and stepped into the ring.
Three female boxers watched with great interest, though their gaze was mostly focused on Su Jie.
The three girls had beautiful, athletic, and curvaceous bodies. They seemed to have trained in dance, as their movements were elegant and showed signs of professional training. Su Jie even thought they might be celebrities.
However, he wasn’t interested in entertainment or celebrity news, so he didn’t recognize any stars—except for the internationally renowned Liu Zihao, of course.
But anyone who could be here must surely be wealthy or influential.
“We’ll use the boxing rules. Just a friendly spar, no heavy blows,” Tan Jin said, bouncing lightly, as if his feet were spring-loaded, constantly on the move.
Su Jie simply stood still, his eyes locked on Tan Jin’s.
The eyes are the window to the soul. Many thoughts are revealed through the eyes—fear, pleading, murderous intent, hatred, and more. A sensitive person can read others’ intentions just by looking into their eyes.
Suddenly, Tan Jin’s eyes widened, as if a fierce tiger was about to pounce. In the next instant, his eyes sharpened like an eagle staring down its prey from the sky.
Su Jie noticed the shift in Tan Jin’s gaze and casually glanced at his ribs, where the next attack would likely target—a hook aimed at his side.
In less than a second, just from three changes in Tan Jin’s gaze, Su Jie had gathered this much information.
Whoosh!
Tan Jin made the first move.
His body swayed like a snake, moving from side to side. This was a typical boxing move, designed to find an opening in the enemy’s defense while avoiding being locked onto. At the same time, it allowed him to adjust his optimal point of force and striking position.
In the midst of this, Su Jie felt as if Tan Jin were a raging bear, charging forward, swinging his shoulders, his movements filled with immense power.
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