The Way of Restraint

Chapter 163: A Gathering of Masters

Feng Hengyi wore a tight-fitting sportswear set, perfectly suited for combat, and appeared to be at his peak in terms of energy and spirit. If Su Jie were to observe him at this moment, he would notice that his “root” seemed to have completely disappeared, or perhaps been hidden.

But upon closer inspection, his entire being was the “root.”

There were no superfluous elements.

In martial arts, the “root” theory refers to a pillar, the support that maintains the body’s balance, coordination, energy concentration, and stability.

The thicker and stronger the “root” of a martial artist, the higher their cultivation level.

Just like a house, the thicker the pillars supporting it and the deeper the foundation, the less likely the house will collapse.

However, for a house, pillars are not everything.

Similarly, for a martial artist, the “root” is not everything.

But Feng Hengyi was different; his entire being had become the “root,” with nothing superfluous.

This kind of person is extremely terrifying; in the most crucial moments, he can be ruthless, even to the point of disregarding family ties. In other words, in his heart, there is nothing worth protecting, and no one worth loving.

Don’t be fooled by Feng Hengyi’s outward displays of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness; at his core, these emotions are completely absent—cold and ruthless.

His strength stems from this.

Before him was a large computer screen displaying a wealth of information: introductions to individuals and companies, as well as analyses of their influence and value.

He was hosting the Haoyu Cup Fighting Tournament.

To some extent, this was a business venture, but Feng Hengyi wanted to build a brand, testing the waters domestically before expanding globally.

“Zhou Chun, the competition starts tomorrow. Look at the roster; there are a few tough opponents. Besides Liu Long, there’s Song Gua from the Zhonglong Sports Fighting Club. Jiu Ding has also sent people. And your arch-rival has even brought in the Dian Dao Martial Arts Club. Are you confident facing him?” Feng Hengyi spoke to the people below while reviewing the information.

Standing beside him were several men, one of whom was Zhou Chun, and another was surprisingly Qian Zheng.

Su Jie’s high school classmate had now joined Feng Hengyi’s ranks.

“This time I’m going to kill him,” Zhou Chun declared fiercely, his face contorted in a menacing grimace.

“Alright, go and prepare,” Feng Hengyi waved his hand.

Watching Zhou Chun leave, Feng Hengyi sized up Qian Zheng: “You also got into Q University, and you’re Su Jie’s classmate. What do you think of him?”

“He used to have good grades, but last summer he came to Minglun Martial Arts Academy and suddenly had a breakthrough. He dominated me for a whole semester of senior year, and even my years of martial arts training were no match for him. Before the college entrance exam, I received your training and thought I could beat him, but I was still no match for him. This summer, I trained at your Southeast Asian boxing ring. Since he’s participating in this competition, I absolutely will not lose to him.” Qian Zheng clenched his fist.

He harbored a deep-seated competitive spirit towards Su Jie.

Since meeting Feng Hengyi, he realized how outdated Starshine’s fighting system had been.

Feng Hengyi trained him for only a month, and he felt it surpassed ten years of his previous fighting training.

In his mind, Feng Hengyi was far stronger than Su Jie. He had previously had Su Jie train him, but without much success, until he joined Feng Hengyi, after which his strength improved dramatically.

“I value you highly,” Feng Hengyi patted Qian Zheng’s shoulder. “I’m building my own team now, and I’m focusing on three people. One is Josh, that foreigner you’ve met. His family has some problems that need to be dealt with. I’ll have you two talk to them in a while. The other is Kang Gu, that deaf-mute. Although you’re strong, you’re not his match yet.”

“Boss, Kang Gu has a strong foundation; he’s obviously been trained by powerful figures. Could he be an undercover agent?” Qian Zheng asked. 

“Don’t worry, he’s not an undercover agent.” Feng Hengyi seemed to have everything figured out. “The person who trained Kang Gu is incredibly skilled, arguably one of the best in the world. If I’m not mistaken, Su Jie also received his training; otherwise, his sudden explosive growth wouldn’t be possible.”

“Boss, you also consider Su Jie an opponent?” Qian Zheng asked.

“An opponent?” A sneer appeared on Feng Hengyi’s lips. “He’s not worthy. My opponent is the person who trained him. Remember, if you can defeat Su Jie this time, I can give you better resources for cultivation, even allowing you access to a secret place. There’s the world’s best human kinesiology laboratory there. If you cultivate there, I guarantee you’ll be ten times stronger than you are now, instantly entering the world’s top industry.”

“I must do it. Defeating him is my wish. I must cross this threshold.” Qian Zheng clenched his fists.

“Go, get ready, adjust your mental state.” Feng Hengyi waved his hand.

After Qian Zheng left, another trusted aide approached: “Boss, this is the latest information from Feng Yuxuan’s side.”

“The Dragon Mask has appeared?” Feng Hengyi glanced at the information. His mind scanned like a computer, and he grasped all the information in seconds from the densely packed page with pictures: “And it’s related to Su Muchen?”

He tossed the information aside: “When the Dragon Mask was rampant in the underworld, I wasn’t even born yet. I didn’t believe what Old Man Mao said—that ‘removing power is calamity,’ and that those who possess the character ‘calamity’ are the nemesis of our Feng family. But now it seems somewhat interesting. But that’s all. It’s become interesting, and even more fun. It’ll be good to play with this toy.”

A sharp and cold glint appeared in Feng Hengyi’s eyes.

Like an ancient beast eyeing its prey.

*****

October 2nd.

Minglun Martial Arts Academy was packed with people.

The Haoyu Cup was being held here, attracting some news reporters who were covering and interviewing participants. Overall, it was quite a spectacle, given the high prize money and Haoyu’s strong promotion; it had certainly created a stir within the combat sports community.

“Haoyu always goes all out, throwing money at things,” Zhang Jinchuan remarked. He had changed into his Dian Dao Martial Arts uniform, giving Su Jie face this time by having him participate as a member of the Dian Dao Martial Arts Club.

Of course, he had his own calculations.

If he could win the championship, firstly, he would receive a huge prize; secondly, he could gain fame and promote his company; and thirdly, he could severely damage Haoyu’s reputation.

“The most important thing about this competition is that they’ve invited the fighting king, Liu Long, to participate,” Zhang Manman said. “Liu Long has his own club. If he wins the championship, he’ll not only earn forty million yuan, but also various broadcasting rights revenue sharing—it’s a huge sum. Many listed companies don’t even make that much profit in a year.”

“Liu Long is absolutely confident of winning the championship, but he probably didn’t expect Feng Hengyi,” Su Jie said. “That’s an insurmountable hurdle.”

“Lack of confidence is never a good thing,” Zhang Jinchuan said. “After returning from that trip, my martial art has improved somewhat, and I’m just about to test my skills against this kid.” 

“Let’s enter our identities. After verification, we can enter the arena,” Zhang Manman said. “This time, Haoyu is using AI for scoring and ranking, and the referees on the ring are all international combat sports experts, hired at great expense. The standards are comparable to international competitions.”

“I’ve checked, and there are over a hundred clubs participating this time, but the skill level is very high. However, some top domestic fighters didn’t come. Perhaps they didn’t want to be Liu Long’s sidekick, or maybe they wanted to observe whether the event was legitimate and whether there was any bias in the refereeing. Haoyu’s reputation isn’t very good,” Zhang Jinchuan said, still reviewing the data.

“The most important thing in a competition is legitimacy. If there’s bias in the refereeing, everyone can see it,” Su Jie said. “Haoyu Sports’ goal is very clear: to create a world-class event. This competition cost a lot of money. If something goes wrong, all that money will be wasted. They’re not that foolish, so even if someone else wins, they’ll just have to swallow their pride and bear it.”

As the three spoke, they took out their identity verification documents and entered the arena. The rules of this competition were the same as those of the small-scale ring matches at Minglun Martial Arts Academy, emphasizing speed and efficiency.

Hundreds of clubs and hundreds of participants gathered, representing at least a third of the elite fighters in the national combat sports scene, all of whom were professionals.

Because the registration fee was very expensive, clubs without sufficient strength wouldn’t come.

Dian Dao Martial Arts was actually a small club with little reputation.

However, some fighters recognized Su Jie.

Su Jie’s victory over Zhou Chun was a hot topic in the circle.

“Zhou Chun, that kid’s here too.” Someone said.

Zhou Chun was also waiting for his match in the arena.

The first few days were for qualifying and elimination rounds.

The competition was extremely intense, completely different from some large-scale events that required months of preparation, reflecting the fast-paced nature of modern competitions.

Next to Zhou Chun were two fighters, members of his club.

Sitting next to him was the Feng Lei Club, led by Xiong Zhiguang.

Both Zhou Chun and Xiong Zhiguang had been humiliated by Su Jie and harbored deep resentment towards him.

‘You better not give me a chance,’ Zhou Chun thought, wishing he could kill Su Jie immediately.

“Be careful,” Xiong Zhiguang said. “If you run into this kid, even if it means fouling or getting injured, make sure he’s badly hurt. The boss is watching.”

Feng Hengyi was also sitting in the competitors’ section. He was participating in this competition, representing Haoyu Sports Fighting Club.

The championship of this competition was originally intended for him.

Moreover, he didn’t take this competition seriously.

Su Jie also saw Feng Hengyi sitting in the distance, his face showing unprecedented seriousness. He had a feeling that he would definitely run into this person this time.

Click, click…

Just then, the sound of many cameras and flashes came from the doorway.

Zhang Jinchuan nudged Su Jie: “Liu Long is here.”

Su Jie looked over and, sure enough, there was a fighter being surrounded by reporters at the door—the current number one ranked fighter in the country.