Poaching Talent

It was already eleven in the morning.

The gym owner, Liu Zhendong, suddenly approached with two men in black suits.

"That's Jiang Ran."

The two men in suits looked Jiang Ran up and down.

Liu Zhendong continued introducing him. "Jiang Ran is one of our gym's star coaches. He knows a great deal about Freestyle Fighting, Jiu-Jitsu, Taekwondo... A lot of our members joined because of him."

One of the suited men extended his hand to Jiang Ran, his expression unreadable.

"Hello."

Jiang Ran looked at the hand held out to him but didn't immediately take it.

Instead, he glanced at Liu Zhendong beside him.

The gym owner immediately stepped in with a smile to smooth things over. "Jiang Ran, let me introduce you. These two are from the Skylight Group."

"The Skylight Group wants to hire you to oversee combat training for their security department," Liu Zhendong continued. "This is a great opportunity."

Only then did Jiang Ran reach out and shake hands with the suited man, who introduced himself as Mr. Zhang.

At the same time, he used his Psychological Profiling ability on the two men.

First, there was the pressure of the handshake.

The man had a firm grip, and thick calluses covered the web of his thumb and his knuckles.

They had formed from years of gripping a particular kind of tool.

Firearms? Or blades?

Jiang Ran's gaze quickly swept over the man's wrist.

A faint white scar marked it, as if left by a graze from shrapnel.

Both men stood with their feet naturally shoulder-width apart, their weight slightly forward.

Their bodies remained poised to exert force at any moment.

It was an instinct formed by years in dangerous environments.

It was clear...

Neither man was an ordinary corporate security guard.

They were likely mercenaries, or former private military contractors.

"Would Coach Jiang be interested in sparring?"

Just as Jiang Ran let go, Mr. Zhang suddenly spoke.

Jiang Ran looked at the two men and shook his head.

"Not interested." His voice was just as calm. "I'm not interested in working for your company, either."

Liu Zhendong's expression changed at once.

He hurried over, pulled Jiang Ran aside, and lowered his voice. "Don't rush to turn them down. Do you know how much they're offering you a month?"

Jiang Ran looked at him calmly.

Liu Zhendong held up three fingers and said urgently, "Three hundred thousand a month! And they're willing to pay you three months' salary upfront as a signing bonus! Where else could you make that kind of money as a coach?"

Three hundred thousand.

Jiang Ran's brows furrowed slightly.

That figure was well beyond the norm.

Even as the gym's most popular coach, even with the ability to compete professionally, a monthly salary of three hundred thousand was outrageous.

Top professional athletes might earn that much for a single appearance.

But only after winning an important competition.

For an ordinary combat coach, even an outstanding one, fifty or sixty thousand a month was already the industry ceiling.

What kind of company would offer so much to hire a combat coach?

Unless...

Several possibilities flashed through Jiang Ran's mind.

Well, I'd only just thought yesterday that the conglomerates and other powers might take action against the Abyssal Void.

I didn't expect someone to come looking for me today.

"Jiang Ran, I'm not trying to hurt you," Liu Zhendong said. Seeing Jiang Ran's silence, he assumed he was wavering and hurried to press his advantage. "I looked into the Skylight Group for you. They have deep connections and a lot of business overseas.

"They genuinely want to hire you. With an offer like this, what difference does it make who you teach?"

Jiang Ran listened with some helplessness and was about to find an excuse to refuse.

Just then, another voice came from behind them.

"Excuse me, is Coach Jiang Ran here?"

Jiang Ran and Liu Zhendong turned around at the same time.

Another man in a suit had appeared at the entrance to the training area.

He stood beside the two men from the Skylight Group, smiling as his eyes immediately settled on Jiang Ran.

Liu Zhendong froze for a moment, then asked instinctively, "And you are...?"

"Hello." The man smiled as he stepped forward, pulled a business card from his inner pocket, and offered it with both hands. "I'm Liang Hui from Voyage Company. I've come to discuss a possible partnership with Coach Jiang and Gym Owner Liu."

Voyage Company.

At the name, the expressions of everyone present shifted slightly.

In Feng City, you could be ignorant of plenty of things, but you couldn't afford not to know Voyage Company.

Founded in shipping, the company had expanded over decades to cover real estate, finance, technology, and many other sectors. It was a true local powerhouse.

Liang Hui turned to Jiang Ran, his smile growing warmer. "Coach Jiang, our company is currently setting up an in-house training department to teach senior executives about security awareness and self-defense.

"We've heard you're one of the best coaches in Feng City, so we came to visit you in person."

He paused, then continued, "We'd be willing to offer a one-month trial period at a salary of one million a month.

"If we work well together, we can discuss a formal employment contract after three months. The guaranteed annual salary would be at least fifteen million, plus performance bonuses."

One million.

The entire training area fell silent for several seconds when he named the figure.

Even the members training nearby stopped and stared in astonishment.

Liu Zhendong stood there with his mouth open, unable to speak.

Jiang Ran showed no particular reaction. He simply looked at Liang Hui, then glanced at the two men from the Skylight Group.

The two men exchanged a look. Without saying a word, they turned and left.

No argument, no bargaining. They simply walked away.

Clearly, the Skylight Group didn't think it wise to compete head-on with Voyage Company.

At least, not openly.

After the two men disappeared through the entrance, Liang Hui turned back to Jiang Ran, his smile unchanged. "Coach Jiang, what do you think?"

Jiang Ran was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "Are you one of Old Chen's people?"

Liang Hui's smile deepened, and he nodded. "Yes. Mr. Chen asked me to speak with you."

At that, Jiang Ran's last doubt vanished.

No wonder.

One conglomerate approaching him could be explained by his growing reputation.

But two at once, with the second offering terms that completely dwarfed the first?

That was unlikely to be a coincidence.

Other than Old Chen, whom he'd met just the night before, Jiang Ran couldn't think of anyone else.

What he hadn't expected, though, was that Old Chen was with Voyage Group.

Jiang Ran thought it over for a while, then nodded.

"All right."

Liang Hui wasn't surprised. He turned to Liu Zhendong. "Gym Owner Liu, Voyage Group is also interested in investing in the martial arts and fitness industry, including upgrades to facilities and equipment."

Liu Zhendong's eyes lit up instantly.

"Really?" His voice rose with excitement.

"Of course." Liang Hui smiled. "We can discuss the details at our leisure."

Jiang Ran watched Liu Zhendong practically drag Liang Hui away.

He shook his head helplessly.

He took out his phone, opened WeChat, and found Old Chen's chat.

"Working hours?"

A few seconds later, Old Chen replied, "It's at the new training center next to Xiao Meng Club. You were going to Meng's place this afternoon, right? Come by when you're done. Someone will be there anytime."

Jiang Ran sent an OK emoji and put away his phone.

One in the afternoon.

After a quick lunch in the gym cafeteria, Jiang Ran found Liu Zhendong still in his office, discussing things with Liang Hui.

"Gym Owner Liu, I might not be back for a while," Jiang Ran said.

Liu Zhendong was in a good mood and nodded repeatedly. "Sure, sure. You take care of your business. You'll keep getting paid here, so don't worry!"

Jiang Ran said nothing more. He nodded and left the gym.

On the way to the club in a taxi, he leaned back in the rear seat and rested with his eyes closed.

Psychology had reached its maximum level, earning him five Profession points.

But unlocking the three Martial Monk skills had used them all.

Now he needed to raise the levels of his other Professions as quickly as possible to earn more Profession points.

The car stopped outside a compound in the eastern suburbs.

Jiang Ran paid and got out. As he walked toward the entrance, Meng Xi hurried out to meet him.

"You're finally here!" Meng Xi visibly relaxed when she saw him.

Jiang Ran was taken aback. He followed her into the compound. "What's wrong?"

As they walked, Meng Xi explained helplessly, "After I put out the word last night that you were coming back to work here, the number of people signing up for classes exploded..."

Jiang Ran found that a little amusing. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"It is, but..." Meng Xi hesitated. By then, the two of them had reached the club entrance.

"That young lady came asking about you, too."

Jiang Ran's heart stirred. "Li Xintong?"

"Who else?" Meng Xi rolled her eyes. "As soon as she heard you were coming back, she signed up."

Jiang Ran shrugged helplessly.

Li Xintong was a top student at Feng City University.

Her family had deep connections, though Jiang Ran had never asked what they did.

She was fiercely competitive.

Back when Jiang Ran had coached at the club, she had been one of his students.

Normally, a coach taught and a student learned. There was no reason to compete.

But Li Xintong didn't see it that way.

Every lesson, she challenged Jiang Ran to a contest, from stationary-target shooting to Moving Target Shooting, from Compound Bow Shooting to Traditional Bow Shooting. She insisted on proving who was better.

Of course, Jiang Ran won every time.

After that, she started following him around. Whenever Jiang Ran was at the club, she would show up and insist on competing.

Later, Jiang Ran's archery skills reached a certain level.

Since Li Xintong's constant challenges were starting to interfere with his work, he quit.

He hadn't expected to run into her again.

Jiang Ran shook his head and walked into the club lobby.

Meng Xi soon brought him a contract.

Jiang Ran quickly skimmed through the terms. After confirming everything was in order, he signed his name.

Then he looked at the panel in the upper-right corner of his vision.

[Profession: Archery Coach Lv.6 (198/400)]

[Profession Basic Skill: Compound Bow Shooting Lv.7 (432/700)]

[Traditional Bow Shooting Lv.5 (210/500)]

[Moving Target Shooting Lv.4 (156/400)]

[Profession Core Skill: Prediction Lv.3 (112/300)]