Martial Arts Instructor

Bang, bang, bang...

On the competition stage inside the martial arts school, two figures were locked in combat. To call it a back-and-forth fight would be generous—in truth, Coach Xu was constantly attacking Xiao Hen, while Xiao Hen merely raised a hand to block whenever he felt like it.

Coach Xu wore a tight tank top, his muscles bulging. Every punch he threw carried a sharp gust of wind, heavy and forceful.

Yet Xiao Hen's expression never wavered. Each time, just before the fist could land, he stretched out his palm and caught it steadily. The immense impact couldn't even push Xiao Hen back half a step.

"How is this possible?"

Unable to break through after a long assault, Coach Xu grew frantic. He had already gone all out, using every ounce of strength, drenched in sweat, pulling out every trick he knew. Every fighting technique he'd learned from martial arts school was thrown into the mix—but his opponent just kept blocking, as if he could predict every move before it came.

"Impossible! Watch my kick!" Coach Xu crouched low, his spine and waist coordinating in a single explosive motion, shifting all his power downward into his leg. He swept it out, and a piercing gale howled across the entire stage.

"That's Coach Xu's leg technique—his strongest move!" one of the onlookers shouted, eyes gleaming with excitement. At that moment, CEO Chen walked in with her secretary and driver, unnoticed by the absorbed spectators, her face solemn as she watched the fight.

"Not bad legwork. But to beat me? You're still far off."

Xiao Hen shook his head, bending his left arm to block across his chest. Coach Xu's rear kick slammed its heel hard into Xiao Hen's forearm. With a slight push from Xiao Hen, Coach Xu was sent tumbling backward—the kick had been utterly useless.

After barely managing to steady himself, Coach Xu assumed a fighting stance, eyeing Xiao Hen warily, his eyelids twitching. "Where the hell did this guy come from? He's definitely not normal. His strength is way too high—I'm no match for him. I need to think of something!"

Before Coach Xu could come up with a plan, Xiao Hen grew impatient on the other side.

"You've been attacking the whole time. Now it's my turn. Get ready!" With that, Xiao Hen stepped forward, walking toward Coach Xu in the simplest, most ordinary way.

Coach Xu was startled. His opponent wasn't adopting any fearsome stance—just walking over casually. That meant either he was a complete novice who knew nothing about martial arts, or a grandmaster-level expert.

Someone who could withstand such fierce attacks was clearly no novice. So there was only one answer...

But Coach Xu didn't want to admit defeat. So what if he was a martial arts grandmaster? The guy looked only about twenty years old. A grandmaster at that age?

He refused to believe it. So he decided to test it.

To be fair, Coach Xu had been hired by Chen's Martial Arts School as an instructor for a reason—he had real skill. No one without ability could hold that position in a school like this.

Still, the gap between him and Xiao Hen was enormous.

Xiao Hen knew his own combat experience and fighting techniques weren't particularly advanced. He'd applied for this instructor position with several factors in mind: earning money was one, but more importantly, learning fighting skills was another.

Coach Xu might have far surpassed Xiao Hen in technique and experience, but in terms of physical fitness and combat instinct, he fell far short.

Xiao Hen's current Combat Power was thirty points. Coach Xu? At most four and a half. The gap was too vast to measure.

Xiao Hen tapped his foot, leaped forward, and was already in front of Coach Xu. He threw a light punch. Coach Xu crossed his arms to block, but felt a massive force slam into him. With a boom, he was sent flying.

Xiao Hen withdrew his hand and stood still. His powerful combat instinct let him control his strength—Coach Xu was unharmed.

"You, cough..."

Sure enough, Coach Xu only coughed a few times to clear the tightness in his chest, then stared at Xiao Hen in shock. He couldn't understand how someone so young, with no visible muscle, clearly not a regular exerciser, could possess such overwhelming power. It defied all logic.

"Good! Good!"

A round of applause rang out. Xiao Hen turned to see a beautiful long-haired woman looking at him with bright eyes, clapping and smiling.

"Hello, sir. I'm the owner of Chen's Martial Arts School and also the president of Chen's Group, Chen Xinyu. Nice to meet you!"

Chen Xinyu introduced herself with a smile.

"Oh, sorry. I'm here to challenge the school. My name is Xiao Hen." Xiao Hen rubbed his nose.

"Challenge?" Chen Xinyu's heart sank. Wasn't he here to apply for the instructor position? Had her brothers sent him to cause trouble?

"It's like this—I saw your school's hiring ad. I figured that since it's a martial arts instructor job, I'd need to show some real skill. So I thought I'd challenge the school first, to demonstrate my abilities. Yeah, that's it." Xiao Hen's eyes darted as he spoke off the cuff.

"Mr. Xiao, your strength is beyond question. I approve you for the instructor position. Let's discuss the details in my office." Chen Xinyu turned and led the way.

Xiao Hen glanced at Coach Xu, who was rubbing his arms, shrugged, and followed Chen Xinyu into the office. Looked like challenging the school had been the right move—he'd run straight into the big boss.

Once inside the office, Chen Xinyu gave a look, and the short-haired woman went out to brew two cups of coffee, then closed the door, leaving Xiao Hen and Chen Xinyu alone.

"Mr. Xiao Hen, have you studied martial arts before?" Chen Xinyu asked, a bit eagerly.

"What's the matter?" Xiao Hen frowned. "No formal training, no certificate—can't be an instructor here?"

He'd heard that these days, martial arts schools and even gyms required graduation certificates from martial arts academies for instructors. How was he supposed to have that?

"Of course not!" Chen Xinyu quickly said. "I just find it strange that someone as skilled as you, Mr. Xiao Hen, hasn't been heard of before. I'm very familiar with the top martial artists in Jiangcheng City, and none of them are you."

As the owner of a school in Jiangcheng, she naturally knew the city's strong fighters. None of them were a young powerhouse like Xiao Hen—she was sure of that.

"Oh, I see." Xiao Hen nodded in understanding. "I didn't graduate from a martial arts school or compete in any big tournaments. I've just been interested in martial arts since I was a kid, practicing on my own. Recently, I've made some progress, so I came to apply for the instructor job. That's all."

"I see..." Chen Xinyu lowered her gaze, knowing he probably wasn't telling the whole truth. But everyone had their secrets. She didn't want to pry—as long as this man had the strength to help her win the upcoming match, that was enough.

"Mr. Xiao Hen, the annual salary for an instructor here is 360,000—30,000 a month. Besides completing your teaching duties, you'll also need to participate in some martial arts competitions. I hope you understand." Chen Xinyu said.

Xiao Hen frowned. "I applied for this job because I heard the hours were flexible. If it's too strict, I'll pass."

Chen Xinyu couldn't afford to let him leave. She quickly said, "It's very flexible! Our instructors at Chen's Martial Arts School have a lot of freedom—just come in once or twice a week. And if you help us get a good result in the upcoming competition between schools, your schedule will be even looser. You could come just once a month!"

"That good?" Xiao Hen's eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly. "Alright, deal. Just tell me when the competition is, and I'll show up."

"Great. Let's look at the contract... If you have no objections, sign it."

"Mm, sure."

This chapter's a bit late—sorry to ask for votes... Sigh...