âYou look pretty comfortable now, kid. Earning a high salary and training in such a nice facility. But letâs see how long you can keep up the scam. Hand over the money you conned and turn yourself in to the police. Admit youâre a fraud.â Zhou Chun walked toward Su Jie, and as the surrounding people sensed trouble, they quickly dispersed.
âZhou Chun, you were probably expelled from Minglun Martial Arts Academy after what happened last time. Then you turned to the Haoyu Group. If Iâm not mistaken, you became Feng Hengyiâs punching bag, which drastically boosted your skill level,â Su Jie replied calmly, hitting the mark with his guess.
It was likely Zhou Chun had come this time specifically to target him.
Because Su Jie wanted his sister, Su Muchen, to switch jobs, he had already become a thorn in the Feng familyâs side.
âYouâve got a death wish,â Zhou Chun narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. âLetâs see what that tramp Nie Shuang and Gu Yang have taught you. And that blind old manâcanât believe youâre doing so well here. But your good days are over.â
âBoss, youâre here,â
Just as Su Jie was about to respond, Manager Xu hurried to the door to greet someone.
The newcomer was flanked by assistants and secretaries. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and, though dressed in a suit, gave off a scholarly air.
This was Qian Youguo, the boss of Starshine Combat Fitness Club and Qian Zhengâs father. He single-handedly founded Starshine Combat Fitness Club and was quite wealthy. However, compared to the giant that was Haoyu Group, he still fell short.
He had taken this visit very seriously upon learning that Haoyu had sent someone to evaluate investment opportunities, choosing to show up in person.
Haoyuâs moves were always shrewd, entering markets ahead of the curve.
Qian Youguo had been paying close attention to Haoyu. When the company partnered with Minglun Martial Arts Academy, he knew they were stepping into the fitness and combat sports market.
With such a giant entering the field, the entire industry was about to be reshuffled. Clubs that werenât vigilant would likely get wiped out in the upcoming quake.
Qian Youguo wanted to seize this opportunity. If lucky, it could be his ticket to skyrocketing success.
Haoyu Group had many video platforms, entertainment resources, a film company, and self-media channelsânot to mention a massive advertising force. If they made a move, they could go nationwide in an instant.
âWhatâs going on?â
He had originally come to meet Zhou Chun but immediately sensed something was wrong.
Manager Xu whispered a quick explanation of what had just happened.
Qian Youguo immediately understood.
âMr. Zhou, sorry Iâm late. Letâs sit down and talk this over. This is all my sonâs faultâkids donât know any better, please donât take it to heart.â He tried to smooth things over. âManager Xu, take young Su to the finance department to settle his pay.â
That was a clear sign Su Jie was being dismissed.
Su Jie frowned but didnât take it to heart. He had only become a coach at Qian Zhengâs request; otherwise, he wouldnât have come at all. Since Qian Youguo said so, he didnât argue and prepared to leave.
âHold on, you little con artist! Think you can just walk away? Planning to scam people somewhere else?â Zhou Chun sneered. âMr. Qian, I canât let this slide. This punk needs a lesson. Scamming people at such a young ageâclearly his parents failed at raising him. Let me do it for them.â
âZhou Chun, how do you plan on educating me? A little match between us?â Su Jie stopped in his tracks when he heard Zhou Chun bring up his parents. âHow about we make a bet? We each put up 300,000 yuan. Weâll fight right here. Whoever loses has to hand over the prize money and admit in front of everyone that theyâre a fraud. Do you dare?â
âYouâve got guts, kid.â Zhou Chunâs grin turned vicious. â300,000? Thatâs too littleâmake it a million!â
âI donât have that much,â Su Jie raised an eyebrow. He only had 200,000 yuan on him. With Starshine Combat Fitness Clubâs payout, heâd have 300,000 at most.
Originally, he had saved up 200,000 from working at Minglun Martial Arts Academy. His sister Su Muchen had given him another 100,000, and Starshine Combat Fitness Clubâs monthly salary shouldâve brought him to 400,000. But over the past few months, heâd spent 100,000 on various nutritional supplements and premium secret formula herbal balms from the academyâs website.
âIâll lend it to you.â At that moment, Hua Xing stepped forward.
âHua Xing? You want to be the hero now? Iâll deal with you later!â Zhou Chunâs gaze was like a venomous snake. He wasnât polite to Hua Xing either. After all, Hua Xing had been his rival in the past, just a bit older. Now retired and working as a coach, Zhou Chun looked down on him even more.
Zhou Chun was an active athlete on the rise, ranked in the national top ten.
Meanwhile, Hua Xing had peaked at around the 30th rank during his prime.
âSu Jie, I believe in you.â Hua Xing patted Su Jie on the shoulder. âI donât know why he hates you, but heâs notorious for being petty and using dirty tricks during matches. Heâs never fought fair. Since getting in with the Haoyu Group, his skills have improved fast. But considering his age, heâs close to retirement. Thereâs no more room for growth, which means heâs hiding something. Be careful.â
After a few words of caution, he turned to Qian Youguo. âOld Qian, all the students are watching. This is turning into a match. We have the license to host competitionsâwhy not make it official?â
Qian Youguoâs eyes lit up. âMr. Zhou, what do you think?â
âSet it up,â Zhou Chun said. âConsider it part of my evaluation. If the event is well handled, I can submit a positive report to the company.â
Qian Youguo nodded and signaled to Manager Xu.
Manager Xu immediately began organizing things and returned shortly with a contract for both parties to sign.
As Zhou Chun signed it, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes like a snake ready to strike.
‘This guyâs born vicious. Heâs definitely planning to go all out on me,’ Su Jie instantly realized.
âPlease transfer the deposit to the designated account,â Manager Xu said.
Su Jie and Zhou Chun immediately started the transfer.
Hua Xing helped Su Jie borrow seven hundred thousand.
The match instantly drew a crowd.
The place was in an uproar. Fighters were always eager for action, and with a good show like this, how could they not join in? Some even started messaging their friends.
At that moment, Manager Xu quickly organized staff to isolate the area and strictly prohibited any photo or video recordings from being uploaded online. They even blocked the signal in the venueâit was clear they had a lot of experience organizing such events.
âThe match rules areââ Manager Xu had just begun to announce when Zhou Chun interrupted, âNo rules. No referee. It ends when one party is knocked down, loses the ability to fight, and begs for mercy.â
âBoss, thatâs against the rules,â Manager Xu hesitated.
âDo as he says,â Qian Youguo ordered. âJust assign more security. No filming, and donât let this spread online.â
âYou little con artist, dare to go through with this?â Zhou Chun casually shook out his limbs, took off his shirt, and began warming up. A vicious aura rushed forthâhe was planning to go all out and seriously injure Su Jie.
Su Jie didnât warm up. He simply stepped onto the platform. Neither of them wore any protective gear or gloves.
It wasnât according to regulations, but Zhou Chun insisted on doing it this way.
Su Jie didnât say a word. He just stared coldly at Zhou Chun.
Zhou Chun stepped onto the platform and looked into Su Jieâs eyes, which made him feel even more disgusted.
âThen letâs begin,â Manager Xu cautiously asked Zhou Chun.
At that moment, Su Jie slowly walked toward Zhou Chun. His steps were heavy, as if he was carrying a thousand pounds. This clearly wasnât standard footwork for a fighter.
Bang!
Zhou Chunâs body shifted. He suddenly lashed out with a kick aimed at Su Jieâs knee joint.
He was fastâlike a firecracker going off.
Su Jieâs lower leg was struck squarely.
The sound of muscle colliding echoed through the venueâeveryone heard the harsh impact.
In fighting, leg strikes are the most powerfulâespecially from a national-level expert like Zhou Chun.
That kick could snap a tree trunk as thick as a bowl. With such a solid hit, anyone wouldâve suffered a broken leg.
But Su Jie didnât move. He kept walking forward.
âDamn it! Courting death!â Zhou Chun didnât hesitate. As soon as the kick swept through, he snapped back and launched a straight punch aimed at Su Jieâs nose.
The punch shot forward like a military bayonet!
Su Jie kept advancing, closing the distance. The punch landed on his forehead with a loud *crack*.
Still, he didnât budge.
Whap whap whap!
In an instant, Zhou Chun launched a comboâone kick, two punches.
The kick hit Su Jieâs ribs. The punches landed on his neck and chest.
Still, nothing.
In just two or three seconds, Zhou Chun had thrown five attacks.
Two kicks, three punches.
Every strike landed, every kick targeted a vital spot.
But Su Jie was like an indestructible Buddha, unfazed by the barrage.
He stood like a boulder beneath a waterfall, unshaken by a thousand years of pounding. As tough as steel.
His body was tempered through external martial artsârage coursed through him. His bones were solid, blood boiling, hair like needles, body like a shield!
Zhou Chun quickly adjusted his tactics, preparing to strike with a finishing move.
Swish!
By now, Su Jie had already closed the distance. He ignored everythingâwhether blades or arrowsâunshaken. Charging forward, he raised his hand for a palm strike.
Hoe Strike! Heart-Intent Palm technique!
‘No matter what tricks you pull, I only have this one move.
Even if a thousand troops stand before me, I will still use this one move.
I care not for my life. Still, itâs this one move.
Within five stepsâeven in front of kings and noblesâthis one move remains.’
His heart blazed like an inferno. His spirit surged within the flames. All his essence, energy, and spirit became one with this strikeâferocious, dignified, ruthless, bold, unstoppable.
This single palm had transcended. The form wasnât importantâit was the momentum.
This momentum could move mountains and fill oceans!
This force could shake rivers and destroy demons!
Zhou Chun suddenly realizedâunder this strike, he had no way to retreat.
Su Jie had seized the critical offensive point, like a blade wedged into the center, cutting off all escape.
All Zhou Chun could do was watch as the palm came down, covering his entire face.
His whole face was swallowed by those five fingers.
As Su Jieâs hand covered his face, Zhou Chun suddenly feltâdarkness.
Then the palm struck down, and Zhou Chun felt like his face had collapsedâflattened!
He hit the ground. Lost consciousness.
Five seconds.
The fight was over.
For the first four seconds, Zhou Chun went berserk, treating Su Jie like a punching bag. In the last second, Su Jie countered with a single slapâand Zhou Chun dropped instantly.
âHeâll wake up soon. I held back and didnât cripple him,â Su Jie said to the stunned Manager Xu. âTransfer eight hundred thousand to my card. Give the rest to Teacher Hua Xing.â
With that, he stepped down from the platform, grabbed his backpack, and walked straight out of Starshine Club.
Even when Qian Youguo called out repeatedly behind him, Su Jie didnât look back.