The Way of Restraint

Chapter 145: The Talent Drain is a Serious Concern

During this holiday, Su Jie had a more fulfilling experience than the last time. On June 13th, he retreated into the mountains, practicing the “Thirteen Protectors’ Golden Bell Iron Shirt Dragon-Tiger Vajra Qi Gong” and the “Magic Step.” He roamed the forests alone, carefree and at ease, finally mastering the horizontal training and achieving a profound understanding of the Magic Step.

By July, he encountered the top assassin “Punishment” Kong Dian, engaging in a back-and-forth battle that lasted over half a month, pushing Su Jie to make even greater progress. Such opponents were rare and hard to come by. No one would provoke a top assassin to have them come and assassinate themselves for the sake of training. A single misstep could lead to one’s demise.

After “Punishment” Kong Dian left, Su Jie followed Gu Yang to work in the countryside, completely forgetting about fighting. During this time, the martial arts he practiced were born from the labor of farming—plowing fields, digging soil, weeding, breaking branches, carrying loads, and so on—all of which allowed him to experience the true essence of his skills. He felt that the significance of martial arts applied to productive labor was far greater than that used for combat. 

After working, his mind became increasingly calm and meticulous. Moreover, while working in the village, he received unanimous praise from the elderly villagers, and their admiration made him feel quite comfortable. Indeed, many elders discussed afterward how they had never seen such a capable young person working in the fields. With him alone, the village hardly needed any other labor.

Surprisingly, Su Jie had genuinely come to enjoy farming. First, he could help others. Second, he contributed to society through his labor. Third, it strengthened his body and deepened his understanding of martial arts. Fourth, the impurities in his mind dissipated with his sweat. If it weren’t for the need to learn other things, Su Jie would have wanted to continue working indefinitely.

Practicing in the deep mountains, engaging in real combat, working in the countryside, learning from Gu Yang, and studying with Uncle Mang—these five major events constituted his summer schedule.

Uncle Mang conducted daily checks on his body, recording various data, especially through different tests to analyze how psychological quality affected physical quality. At the Minglun Martial Arts Academy, they also utilized some artificial intelligence in their computers for research, and Su Jie learned a lot from Uncle Mang.

“According to the latest research experiments, foreign scientists have discovered that using music to soothe mice with cancer cells affects their mood differently depending on the type of music, resulting in variations in the increase or decrease of cancer cells. In other words, music can regulate the mice’s mindset, thereby influencing their immune system,” Uncle Mang explained one day as he handed Su Jie a copy of some materials. (G: Not sure if it’s true so better not to believe it. This is a fantasy story.)

These materials contained various clinical data on psychological and physical qualities: “I think this might help with your horizontal training. Your horizontal training simulates various animals, nature, thunder, and strong winds to create psychological suggestions. It’s worth exploring which type of psychological suggestion enhances human immunity the most, or which combinations of suggestions are the most effective.”

Uncle Mang approached everything with a scientific attitude. Su Jie had already provided him with videos of the “Thirteen Protectors’ Golden Bell Iron Shirt Dragon-Tiger Vajra Qi Gong” for research. Uncle Mang searched through the vast database for scientific experiments, making comparisons and achieving some results. For example, when a person howls and expresses their emotions freely, what subtle substances are produced by the body’s endocrine system, leading to changes in certain areas.

These were all precise scientific data. “My set of hard Qi Gong was reportedly first discovered by Coach Odell, who combined various horizontal training methods. It underwent many clinical trials and was then modified by the artificial intelligence at the Typhon Training Camp using big data,” Su Jie asked Uncle Mang.

“It is precisely because of this that this set of martial arts can hardly be mastered by anyone other than a freak like you,” Uncle Mang said. “I want to find a practice method suitable for all ages, one that can restore people’s health functions, enhance immunity, and increase cancer survival rates.” Su Jie thought about it, and indeed, that was the case. The first posture of this hard Qi Gong was to imagine oneself as a dragon, soaring up fiercely, letting out a long roar that reached the clouds. Then, as the winds rose and swirled, the dragon twisted and turned, conquering the universe. 

The key to the movements, aside from the long roar originating from deep within the dantian, was that the entire body had to shoot upwards, continuously roaring. For those lacking sufficient Qi, it would be difficult to even manage the long roar. Besides that, the squatting, rising, and upward movements were extremely similar to the action of a hoe. Achieving this upward and downward motion needed to be as flexible as a dragon stretching; without three to five years of practice, it was nearly impossible. 

Even if one could perform the movements, the psychological suggestion posed a significant challenge. How could one imagine oneself as a giant dragon soaring into the sky, controlling the clouds and rain? This was a realm that only a few could comprehend. While there were standards for the movements to learn, there were no standards for psychological suggestion. 

Moreover, after embodying the dragon, one had to suddenly imagine oneself landing on a mountain peak, transforming into a fierce tiger, roaring through the forest, with the winds rising and all beasts trembling in fear. To perfectly express this imagery, beyond the standard movements, one’s expression had to be vivid, with an inner belief of being the king of beasts. This was the essence of the Dragon-Tiger Vajra Qi Gong. 

Many other movements followed the same principle. They were complex and varied; psychological suggestion not only had to be convincing but also required constant switching, with physical movements keeping pace and the force of strikes needing to be precise. Even the most gifted individuals practicing this could have a high chance of experiencing nervous breakdowns. 

Even if psychological suggestion could deceive oneself, if the suggestion was too deep and one failed to control the force of the strikes, it could harm one’s body. In other words, to master the “Thirteen Protectors’ Golden Bell Iron Shirt Dragon-Tiger Vajra Qi Gong,” one’s brain would need to rival certain functions of a supercomputer. Furthermore, one’s movements had to be executed with mechanical precision. 

Every strike’s force and accuracy had to be nearly as precise as that of a surgical operation; otherwise, it could damage delicate blood vessels and nerves. In other words, when Su Jie practiced this horizontal training, each strike was akin to the best surgeon performing surgery on himself. The difficulty was extraordinary. 

During the training, Uncle Mang felt that Su Jie was the top of the top, an unbeatable academic champion! “That Kang Gu has a pure heart; because he is deaf and mute, he is somewhat dull, but he learns very quickly. However, he is still far from Su Jie,” Uncle Mang thought. “Su Jie has managed to elevate his physical fitness to this level in just one year for a reason. If a person’s mindset can achieve this, then enhancing one’s quality and potential in a short time is not a myth, but real science.” 

If he hadn’t seen Su Jie’s example, even with Uncle Mang’s scientific mind, he wouldn’t have believed that someone could become a martial arts master in just one year. “Kang Gu has signed with the Feng Lei Fighting Club.” At that moment, Nie Shuang walked in again, announcing a shocking piece of news. 

“The Feng Lei Fighting Club? That’s the club invested and established by that kid Feng Hengyi, right?” Uncle Mang said. “Kang Gu didn’t sign with our Minglun Martial Arts Academy but went to sign with this club? I don’t see him as that kind of person.” 

“It’s simple. Feng Hengyi found him and promised to cure his deafness, allowing him to hear sounds and speak, turning him into a normal person,” Nie Shuang explained. 

“His deafness is an incurable disease; no major hospital can do anything about it,” Uncle Mang frowned. “No, perhaps the medical methods at the Typhon Training Camp could achieve this.”

“That’s right. If Feng Hengyi takes him to the Typhon Training Camp and successfully treats his deaf-mute condition, we could really recruit Kang Gu,” Uncle Mang sighed. “Our Minglun Martial Arts Academy lacks talent. It’s hard to come by a good seedling, and now someone else has snatched him away. Soon, we won’t have anyone to hold up the fort. Are we going to become an empty shell of a school?”

“I’ve been thinking about this too,” Nie Shuang said, looking at Su Jie. “Su Jie has also set up his own branch and developed Dian Dao Martial Arts. Zhang Jinchuan has established his own Li Kun Network and isn’t focused on this. Now, Liu Long isn’t even from our Minglun Martial Arts Academy. If this continues, what right do we have to call ourselves the best in the industry? Moreover, a lot of talent is being poached by Haoyu. If this goes on, we might really be swallowed whole by Haoyu.”

Su Jie listened, contemplating Haoyu’s schemes. Haoyu’s investment in Minglun Martial Arts Academy for collaboration seemed mutually beneficial, but secretly, they were poaching talent, gathering formulas, and collecting data. 

In a few years, when all the good coaches in the combat sports circle had signed contracts with Haoyu, and all the promising talents were under Haoyu’s banner, every champion in the fighting competitions would be from Haoyu. What would be left of Minglun Martial Arts Academy then? 

For a school, the most important thing is the quality of its faculty, followed by talented students. For instance, Minglun Martial Arts Academy has produced numerous national champions, which naturally places it at the top of the industry. If both of these aspects are lost, it will quickly become second or third-rate and eventually disappear.

Su Jie also realized that Kang Gu was the best seedling, and both Uncle Mang and Nie Shuang were nurturing him, but unfortunately, he had been taken away by Feng Hengyi. 

“Su Jie, for this Haoyu Cup, if you can win the championship, don’t forget to tell the media that you came from Minglun Martial Arts Academy,” Nie Shuang reminded him.

“That’s only the truth,” Su Jie replied, not one to forget his roots. “If it weren’t for Haoyu investing in Minglun Martial Arts Academy, my Dian Dao Martial Arts would have collaborated with you. Now, I’m actually worried about encountering a lot of trouble.”

“It’s a time of turmoil,” Nie Shuang said. “Alright, you still have some time before leaving school. While practicing, why not learn to cook with me?”

“That sounds great!” Su Jie exclaimed joyfully.

“Tomorrow at noon, in the kitchen of Nie’s Private Kitchen, I’ll wait for you. I can only teach you for two hours each day,” Nie Shuang said.

“I’ll definitely come,” Su Jie bowed in thanks and walked out. 

He looked forward to tomorrow. The reputation of Nie’s Private Kitchen in the culinary world was akin to Minglun Martial Arts Academy’s status in the fighting world. He had eaten there many times, and it was incredibly delicious. Not only did it please the palate, but it also left one feeling grateful for the experience of life after the meal. 

Buddhism teaches that life is suffering, but those who have tasted Nie’s Private Kitchen would feel that life is not suffering at all; it is simply a joy. 

After leaving Uncle Mang’s laboratory, Su Jie prepared to participate in a small arena competition to earn some money. At that moment, he saw someone walking towards him. 

It was Josh.