Young Man, You're Going for the Kill

"Director Huang, I want to join Tianli Fighting Gym to compete."

Huang Tianli paused, stunned. This wasn't someone sent by the government, and he wanted to enter a fighting tournament? Looking at his thin, frail frame, he didn't look like a fighter at all.

"Which club were you with before? What tournaments have you participated in?"

Zhang Shuai shook his head calmly. "I haven't competed in any clubs."

Huang Tianli felt a bit annoyed. A rookie with zero experience wanting to jump into a fight? He clearly didn't value his own life.

"Have you studied combat?"

"No."

"Then have you practiced any martial arts? Like Baji Quan, Xingyi Quan, Jeet Kune Do, Karate, or something similar?"

"I've practiced Big Dipper Long Fist. Does that count?"

Huang Tianli grew irritated. Big Dipper Long Fist? Wasn't that just a set of exercises similar to radio calisthenics? What was the point of that? Was this kid messing with him?

"Young man, fighting isn't as simple as you imagine. You can't enter a tournament without experience. I suggest you train for a few months first. If you really want to make a living at this, you can sign up at my gym. If you show talent and perform well, you might actually have a chance to step into the ring in the future."

The director was a businessman through and through, managing to solicit business for his gym while rejecting him. But how could Zhang Shuai sign up for training? He was a man destined for immortality! Even if he hadn't started cultivating yet, his strength was far beyond that of an ordinary person. No matter how world-class a champion was, could they withstand a single punch from him?

Zhang Shuai let his gaze wander around the office, finally landing on an ashtray on the desk. It was a round, copper ashtray.

Without a word, he picked it up and waved it in front of Huang Tianli.

"Director Huang, how much is this ashtray?"

Huang Tianli was slightly taken aback, not understanding the meaning behind the question, but he answered casually.

"It's not worth much, maybe ten yuan or so... Hey, what are you doing?"

Zhang Shuai held the ashtray in one hand and squeezed it hard, suddenly crushing it into a metal ball.

"How about that, Director Huang? With strength like this, should I be qualified to compete now?"

Huang Tianli was shocked. How much force was that? Even if it was a hollow brass ashtray, crushing it into a ball was simply outrageous.

Taking the copper ball from Zhang Shuai's hand, Huang Tianli felt it was unbelievable. If the ashtray hadn't been from his own office, he would have suspected it was a prop Zhang Shuai had brought along. This kid was truly a talent!

"Follow me to the third-floor arena. I want to test your reaction speed. Even if you have strength, fighting isn't just about power; you need top-tier combat awareness and reflexes!"

Zhang Shuai followed Huang Tianli to the third floor, where a regulation-sized fighting ring was set up, complete with protective mats and safety netting.

Huang Tianli took off his shoes and stepped into the center of the ring. "Young man, take off your shoes and come in. I'll give you some pointers on technique. If you truly have talent, I'll sign you immediately."

"Director Huang, are you going to spar personally? It would be troublesome if I hurt you. For your own safety, you should probably find one of the gym's coaches."

Huang Tianli laughed in anger. What a bold claim! Hurt him? He really dared to say it!

"If you can hurt me, you can consider yourself a master in the circle. Although I'm a bit older now, I won two Gold Belts in the World Fighting Championship in my youth. I'm not as weak as you think. However, you need to hold back. You have a lot of strength, so let's just spar on technique—don't use your full power."

Zhang Shuai was surprised. He hadn't expected Huang Tianli to have won Gold Belts in the World Fighting Championship. Truly, one shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

The two stood in the center of the ring and put on their gloves. Huang Tianli began to warm up, bouncing on his toes, throwing a few punches, and kicking the air. Just watching his warm-up, one could tell he was a professional.

"Come on, let's start!"

With that, Huang Tianli moved with agility, lunging toward Zhang Shuai and throwing a fierce left hook at his head. The movement was swift and vicious.

Zhang Shuai twisted his body and took a step back, dodging the blow. Huang Tianli lunged again, closing the distance and throwing a punch straight at Zhang Shuai's chest.

Although Huang Tianli's attacks were powerful and looked fierce, to Zhang Shuai, the movements were incredibly slow and full of openings. He dodged them with ease.

"Young man, don't just dodge! Let me see your punching speed!"

As he spoke, Huang Tianli closed in again, his massive fist aiming straight for Zhang Shuai's face.

However, before Huang Tianli's fist could even touch him, Zhang Shuai raised his hand. His fist struck first, landing squarely on Huang Tianli's chest.

In that instant, Huang Tianli felt as if he had been struck by a thousand-pound iron hammer. A sharp pain erupted in his chest, and he stumbled back several steps, crashing into the safety netting before sliding down to the floor. He saw stars, his chest felt tight and breathless, and his mind went blank.

Seeing the director collapse in pain, Zhang Shuai was startled. Had he used too much force? This "world champion" was far too fragile; he had only used one percent of his strength!

Worried that he had caused trouble, Zhang Shuai hurried over to help him up. Seeing the director's pale face and the cold sweat on his forehead, Zhang Shuai began to panic.

"Director Huang, are you alright?"

After a long while, Huang Tianli finally regained his senses, though he still felt waves of pain in his chest. As he looked at Zhang Shuai, his eyes were filled with terror, as if he were looking at some kind of impossible monster.

It was no wonder Huang Tianli was horrified; Zhang Shuai's punching speed had been incredibly fast, and the force behind it was immense.

Although Huang Tianli was nearly forty and his physical condition wasn't what it used to be, he was still a former Gold Belt winner. He had seen all kinds of masters, but he had never encountered such terrifying explosive power in a young man. That wasn't a fist—it was more fearsome than a thousand-pound sledgehammer. An ordinary person might have lost half their life to that single blow.

"Cough, cough... let me catch my breath..."

Huang Tianli struggled to his feet, still feeling a piercing pain in his chest. Looking at Zhang Shuai, who was supporting him, he felt both ashamed and annoyed.

"Young man, we were just sparring, but you were throwing a lethal blow! If it had been anyone else, you might have killed them with that punch."

Zhang Shuai quickly explained, "Director Huang, you misunderstood. I really didn't use much force. I was trying my best to control it. I thought since you had won Gold Belts, you would be..."

Zhang Shuai stopped mid-sentence.

Although he hadn't finished his thought, Huang Tianli understood perfectly. He likely meant he hadn't expected him to be so fragile that he couldn't even take one punch.

At that moment, Huang Tianli's face turned green, and he opened his mouth, ready to curse.

"Holy crap... you... cough, cough..."

Anger surged, cutting off his breath, and Huang Tianli couldn't stop himself from coughing violently.

"Director Huang, are you alright? Do you need me to take you to the hospital to get checked out?"

Huang Tianli waved his hand, and after a long moment, he finally caught his breath. He looked at Zhang Shuai with a strange expression and asked, "What is your name?"

"Director Huang, my name is Zhang Shuai. You can just call me Xiao Zhang," Zhang Shuai replied.

"Have you really never studied martial arts? How could you have such explosive power?"

Zhang Shuai answered honestly, "I didn't have this much strength before. It was only after practicing the Big Dipper Long Fist that I suddenly felt my strength increase significantly."

Huang Tianli found it hard to believe. Wasn't the Big Dipper Long Fist just a set of exercises for fitness? How could it have such a miraculous effect? At that moment, Huang Tianli thought of the importance the state placed on the Big Dipper Long Fist, and recalled the meeting he attended at the Culture and Sports Bureau yesterday, where the leaders had emphasized it so heavily. An incredible thought began to take shape in his mind.

Could the Big Dipper Long Fist really possess such miraculous effects? Was that why the government was promoting it so tirelessly, even going so far as to send staff to be stationed at his fighting gym?