The Way of Restraint

Chapter 133: Moments of Anger

“You’re looking for death!”

Xiong Zhiguang finally heard clearly.

He had come to provoke Su Jie. After Su Jie defeated Zhou Chun, he gained a bit of fame in the circle. Xiong Zhiguang intended to use the excuse of coming to beat Su Jie up, film it, and upload it to the circle or online, thereby ruining Su Jie’s club.

He had planned to be aggressive, thinking that as long as Su Jie showed any sign of weakness, even if a fight didn’t break out, it could serve as proof of cowardice. But he didn’t expect Su Jie to be even more arrogant than him.

Killing intent surged from deep within him, and accompanying the words “you’re looking for death” was a punch.

The punch came like a bullet, smashing in front of Su Jie, but suddenly curved, like a snake turning back, transforming into a horizontal elbow strike that sealed off all of Su Jie’s retreat routes, whether forward, backward, or sideways. It was fierce and deadly, a guaranteed kill.

This was the “straight punch covering elbow” in Muay Thai. Don’t be fooled by the gradual punching and retraction; the power was immense, using all of one’s strength to press forward. The elbow struck like a knife, capable of slicing off a person’s skull.

A punch is a bullet, an elbow is a cannonball. Better to take ten punches than one elbow.

This is a martial arts saying; generally speaking, elbow strikes are not allowed in free fighting.

The simpler the martial art, the harder it is to practice, and the more practical it becomes.

At the moment Xiong Zhiguang struck, Su Jie also moved.

He didn’t retreat, squat down, or dodge; he stood firm on his legs.

When the punch came, he didn’t move. When the punch curved into an elbow, his palm had already shot out.

It was still a “Hoe Strike” technique.

The palm was as fast as lightning, almost invisible to the naked eye; unless filmed with a high-speed camera and slowed down tenfold, one wouldn’t be able to see the speed of Su Jie’s “Hoe Strike” technique.

Since returning from the war-torn lands, Su Jie’s skill had become increasingly formidable, especially when facing the disguised panda-masked man, Odell; this technique had reached a new level.

At this moment, he seized the tiny gap, striking hard, a technique that could rival dodging bullets—dangerous yet masterful, breaking through Xiong Zhiguang’s “root”.

Clap!

A crisp sound echoed.

It was the sound of a slap.

A handprint appeared on Xiong Zhiguang’s entire face, from top to bottom.

He was knocked down by the slap, rolling away in a panic, fearing that Su Jie would pursue him again.

When he stood up, Su Jie seemed to have not moved at all, merely nodding: “Not bad, you actually managed to take a slap from me. But this time, you struck first, and I was just defending myself. Brother Hua Xing, was the video recorded?”

“It’s recorded and is being uploaded to various groups right now,” Hua Xing nodded.

“According to the principle of self-defense, your punch just now was already a criminal act. I intercepted your elbow strike and slapped your face in self-defense, which is justified. However, now that you’re rolling on the ground to escape, you’ve already ceased your criminal behavior, and I cannot pursue you. Otherwise, we would both be engaging in mutual fighting,” Su Jie said slowly, “So you don’t need to worry about what I’ll do next.”

Hearing this, Xiong Zhiguang was so furious he nearly spat blood.

If Su Jie had merely mocked him or said something harsh, he wouldn’t have been this angry.

But Su Jie didn’t say anything harsh; instead, he lectured him on the laws of self-defense. This only fueled his rage further.

Yet he didn’t strike again, managing to restrain himself.

“Fine, Su Jie, you actually attacked me first. I won’t fight you here,” Xiong Zhiguang said. “If you have the ability, let’s see who’s better in the competition. Our Feng Lei Fighting will sign up for the Haoyu Cup. If you have the ability, defeat me there; a sneak attack doesn’t count as skill. We’re leaving.”

He immediately took his people away from there.

“What a pity,” Hua Xing quickly came up. “I’ve already uploaded the video of you slapping Xiong Zhiguang’s face to many groups; many people have become active. Unfortunately, Xiong Zhiguang used to be famous, but now he’s just another face in the crowd. Even if you slapped him, it doesn’t have the same impact as defeating Zhou Chun. However, you can participate in the Haoyu Cup; if you can defeat some famous figures there, our club can officially expand.”

While speaking, Hua Xing showed Su Jie the news online.

Su Jie looked at it and indeed found many big news stories from the fighting world.

“Haoyu Group invests heavily in the sports fighting circle, partnering with Minglun Martial Arts Academy to host the Haoyu Cup fighting competition, which will be divided into individual and team events. Individual competition points will count towards the team, and the individual champion will receive a prize of ten million…”

“Is Haoyu trying to monopolize the fighting market? Entering the sports industry?”

“Haoyu invests billions to establish a sports department, making a huge splash.”

“The first Haoyu Cup competition is about to be held, with broadcasting rights sold for a sky-high price. Currently, the number one fighter in the country, Liu Long, has announced his participation.”

“The competition will take place in October.”

Many news outlets reported this information.

“Haoyu indeed has major moves,” Su Jie nodded. “They are aiming to make a big splash. Right now, the fighting world has brands like the Heishan Cup, Jingwu Cup, and Hero Cup, all doing fairly well, considered the best in the industry. Other second-tier brands, like Wulin Club and Kung Fu Tide, have more than a dozen events, some losing money, some making profits. In reality, none of these brands have truly made a name for themselves. Haoyu’s establishment of a sports department has a simple goal: to eliminate all these brands, dominate the fighting circle, and become the highest event, capable of influencing the rules. This market is quite large and can cultivate numerous fighting celebrities.”

“Haoyu has invested in Minglun Martial Arts Academy, swallowed Starshine Club, and established various clubs everywhere, poaching talent. It’s as if they want to unify the martial arts world,” Hua Xing said. “I believe you can win the first championship, disrupt Haoyu’s plans, and conveniently win a huge prize.”

“Liu Long is also going; I’m afraid it will be difficult for me to win. The competition is in October, by which time I will be in college. There’s still about half a year left, and my training is far from enough,” Su Jie thought for a moment.

He was well aware of Liu Long’s strength. If it came down to life and death in reality, after experiencing the war, Su Jie might not fear him. However, under the rules of the arena, it would still be hard to match him.

If Su Jie had two or three years of training time to gain experience, he would definitely surpass him. Right now, he was perhaps a bit too anxious.

From the time he learned martial arts until now, although he had experienced many things and encountered many fortuitous events, it had not yet been a year, and he had too little accumulation to soar to great heights.

“Since it’s hosted by Haoyu, I definitely have to go. Haoyu is holding this competition to promote someone and simultaneously seize the dominant position in the fighting circle. I think even Liu Long might encounter very tough challenges,” Song Qiong suddenly said.

“Liu Long is extremely formidable even in unregulated fights. It’s said that once during an overseas competition, while accompanying a friend to a bar, he encountered robbers. He fought against more than ten people with his bare hands, and even though they had weapons, he knocked several of them out,” Mu Qiang said. “He’s even more powerful in the arena; basically, no one in the country can compete with him. It’s said he seems to be on the verge of breaking through to a certain realm. Once he breaks through, he could even challenge many world-class experts for the title of world fighting champion.”

“Liu Long is indeed strong, but there are those stronger than him,” Su Jie recalled Feng Hengyi. “Of course, I’ll participate. If I can encounter Liu Long in the arena, even if I lose, I can still gain experience from interacting with a master.”

“You’re too humble,” Mu Qiang said. “I believe you really have a chance to fight him. Your advantage is your youth; you’re much younger than him.”

“This place is quite interesting,” Song Qiong said. “Get me a card; I’ll come here often to practice.”

“Me too,” Mu Qiang nodded. “If I have the chance, I’ll bring my Japanese brothers here too.”

Outside, on a bus, Xiong Zhiguang and a group of people from the Feng Lei Fighting were on it.

Xiong Zhiguang had a clear handprint on his face. He took out a blood circulation ointment and kept applying and rubbing it on his face. Slowly, the handprint began to fade; the ointment’s effect was simply miraculous.

If Su Jie were here, he would find that the “ointment” Xiong Zhiguang was applying was the same kind he practiced with, said to be developed by the Tifeng Training Camp.

“Boss, what do we do now?” a burly man asked Xiong Zhiguang. “The plan has failed.”

“I didn’t expect Su Jie’s strength to improve so dramatically,” Xiong Zhiguang said, unfazed by his loss. “He defeated Zhou Chun just a few months ago. I analyzed his videos, and the techniques were calculated by artificial intelligence; my chances of winning were quite high. But even artificial intelligence didn’t account for how quickly he progressed.”

Su Jie had his sister Su Muchen’s artificial intelligence analysis module, and Xiong Zhiguang clearly had one too, and it was even more advanced. He had come prepared, believing he could defeat Su Jie through intelligent analysis. He thought that after suppressing him, he could ruin this club’s reputation and business.

Unfortunately, he failed.

“Although Feng Lei has received investment from Haoyu, Feng Hengyi has many such investments. It’s a competitive environment; this is raising a poisonous insect,” Xiong Zhiguang understood clearly. “If I had defeated Su Jie this time and sent out the video, it would have attracted many high-end clients. But now that I’ve failed, I need to think of a way.”

Becoming famous in the fighting and martial arts world is too easy.

That’s simply by defeating a master.

Defeating a famous figure, even if you’re an unknown person, can instantly elevate your reputation.

To be fair, martial arts fighting has never emphasized qualifications or connections; it only values strength, making it purer than any other circle.

The bus stopped in front of the Feng Lei Fighting in the suburbs.

As Xiong Zhiguang got off, he saw a luxury car parked in front of the club. The door opened, and out stepped Zhou Chun.

“Xiong Zhiguang, you also lost to that little trash,” Zhou Chun’s tone was much deeper. “I told you, this opportunity isn’t so easy to seize. You want to become famous in one go; it’s not that simple. That little trash is stepping on my fame; you want to step on his to gain fame, what does that make me?”