Red Scale II

A little over ten minutes later.

Hu Qi arrived at his destination.

It was an intersection with a heavy flow of pedestrians.

Red Scale Fighting Club.

Its black signboard bore seven flamboyant red characters, like dragons soaring and phoenixes dancing.

Hu Qi parked his car. As he approached, he saw a huge colorful recruitment advertisement pasted on one side of the wall.

He glanced over it and saw phrases such as "summer vacation period," "huge discounts," "fighting," "strengthen the body," and "sign up together, second person half price."

At the entrance, groups of two or three students occasionally passed by him with their arms slung over one another's shoulders. They wore black Martial Arts Uniforms embroidered with red scale patterns on the back, chatting and laughing as they entered.

Hu Qi paused at the entrance for a moment, then walked straight inside.

The instant he entered, a cool breeze washed over him.

The scorching heat was instantly shut out beyond the doors. It was like soft silk brushing across his skin, making every pore relax and open.

At that moment, the central air conditioning above the lobby was pouring out white chilled air.

The lobby was spacious. In the glass display cabinets to the left hung medals, group photographs, various competition certificates, and the like.

On the wall to the right was an illustration of a fighter wearing a red mask, his muscles knotted all over his body, broad-backed and narrow-waisted.

Just looking at it brought a fierce aura rushing toward him.

Hu Qi merely gave it a glance before walking straight to the counter.

"Welcome, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Inside the reception desk sat a round-faced young woman in her twenties, with a high ponytail and black-rimmed glasses, her head lowered as she fiddled with something.

Hearing the sound, she looked up and saw Hu Qi entering.

A professional smile immediately appeared on her face as she asked him.

Her smile was warm, and coupled with her adorable face with its slight baby fat, it was easy to feel favorably toward her.

Hu Qi explained why he had come.

The round-faced woman was clearly experienced with such situations and immediately recommended several packages to him.

"Our club's coaches are all experts who have at least obtained Silver Fist Certification. We can guarantee that every student who comes here will learn genuine Combat Technique."

"And it happens to be the summer promotion right now, so the discounts are substantial. If you're interested, sir, we can give you three free classes. You can try them out first, and if you think they're good, it won't be too late to sign up."

Hearing this, Hu Qi's expression shifted slightly.

Over the past two days, through his research, he had also learned about the Xiya Federation's official classification of fighting.

It was divided into four levels and twelve ranks. From lowest to highest, they were: Preparatory Class, Bronze Fist Class, Silver Fist Class, and Gold Fist level.

Each level was further divided into ranks 1 through 3.

Every rank differed in strength.

However, those classifications were not very intuitive. The clearest measure was the force of a single-arm strike at each level.

Preparatory Class (Ranks 1–3).

Strength: 60, 70, and 80 kg.

There was a difference of 10 kg between each rank.

This level could be considered amateur hobbyists.

Bronze Fist Class (Ranks 1–3).

Striking force: 90 kg, 110 kg, and 130 kg.

There was a difference of 20 kg between each rank.

This was considered professional level, and one could obtain an official certificate issued by the Federation.

Silver Fist Class (Ranks 1–3).

Striking force: 150 kg, 180 kg, and 210 kg.

There was a difference of 30 kg between each rank.

This was true professional level. No matter where they went, they could be considered genuine experts.

Gold Fist level (Ranks 1–3).

Strength: 240 kg, 290 kg, and 340 kg respectively.

This stage was the most outrageous, with a difference of 50 kg between each rank. This was true champion level.

Only genuine fighting masters could possibly reach it.

If what she said was true, then this club was definitely quite capable.

Of course, Hu Qi did not entirely believe her.

After all, he had experienced countless sales pitches like this in his previous life.

The most famous one was: "Interested in swimming and fitness? The membership is full of cute girls..."

And after going in, there really were beautiful women.

But they were all part of the atmosphere team hired by the owner.

Usually, they only came by occasionally to work out, show their faces, shoot videos, and serve as promotion.

After half a month, they would vanish completely, leaving a bunch of grown men staring at one another with wide eyes.

"Then please help me book a trial class first." Hu Qi had already made up his mind and spoke with a smile.

"Of course. There happens to be a trial class for new students tomorrow. You can come then."

The round-faced woman replied with a smile.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Chen Wu. You can call me Coach Chen. I'll be teaching you Combat Technique for the next three classes, and I hope you'll all gain something from them."

In the vast, brightly lit, clean, and orderly space, the orange-yellow flooring shimmered softly beneath the lights.

A burly middle-aged man in his thirties, dressed in a black-and-red Martial Arts Uniform, stood at the front.

What drew attention was the small knife scar beside his right cheek, which added a touch of ferocity to his plain features.

His voice was loud and clear, allowing all twenty-plus people below to hear him distinctly.

Naturally, Hu Qi was among the crowd as well. Because of his height, he stood relatively far toward the back.

Young people surrounded him, mostly men, with only a handful of women.

That was normal. Fighting was too violent and easily led to injuries.

If girls had that kind of time and money, they might as well learn dancing; it was better for shaping the body.

Chen Wu swept his gaze across everyone.

"Before we begin, I have a question. I'd like to hear your answers!"

"What do you think fighting is?"

As soon as he finished speaking.

Someone immediately raised his hand. He was a delicate-looking young man who appeared to be no more than eighteen or nineteen.

After Chen Wu nodded to indicate that he could speak, he immediately said,

"Fighting can make our bodies stronger, allowing us to protect ourselves better when we encounter danger."

"That's right. What's your name?"

Chen Wu nodded.

"My name is Song Jian, Coach!"

The young man—Song Jian—looked delighted when Chen Wu asked for his name.

He immediately answered in a loud voice.

"Mm. Student Song Jian is right, but that's only part of it. It isn't the whole picture."

Chen Wu said gravely.

"The specific origins of fighting can be traced back thousands of years, to that era when people drank blood and ate raw flesh, when they cleared land with blades and sowed seeds with fire.

Combat Technique was created from the skills our ancestors used to fight wild beasts. Only after a long period of continuous evolution did it become the Combat Technique we see today.

But no matter what, the ultimate purpose behind its creation was survival and killing enemies!"

As his words fell, his gaze swept across the crowd once more, meeting their eyes.

Everyone felt an oppressive pressure, and even their breathing slowed.

Seeing this, the stern expression on his face dissolved, replaced by a faint smile.

"Of course, I'm not saying this so that after learning Combat Technique, you'll go bully the weak. I'm simply introducing what Combat Technique means.

After all, no matter how high one's kung fu, one still fears a kitchen knife, right? Don't go causing trouble with the Combat Technique I teach you, then come running back to blame me for it."

After Chen Wu said that, everyone immediately burst into laughter.

Thanks to big boss Mo You Yao Qi for the 500 Qidian Coins donation, Wu for the 100 Qidian Coins donation, reader 20211013202454914 for the 500 Qidian Coins donation, big boss Zhu Shao Shao for the 100 Qidian Coins donation, big boss Hu Yuan for the 600 Qidian Coins donation, big boss Desire Is Merciless for the 600 Qidian Coins donation, May Rainbow for the 500 Qidian Coins donation, Tomorrow Who Plays Naruto for the 500 Qidian Coins donation, and Breaking Waves Bacteria for the 100 Qidian Coins donation.

Also, thanks to all the bosses for the monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you.

(Hand-typed, there may be errors. Please forgive me, haha.)