The Way of Restraint

Chapter 147: The True Essence of Martial Arts

“At first, I wanted to become stronger to resolve certain issues. But later, I realized that no matter how strong my Martial Arts were, they couldn’t solve everything. A person’s power is quite insignificant in this society. No matter how well I practiced Martial Arts, I couldn’t protect the things I wanted to safeguard. My mindset then changed. I wanted to explore and learn more knowledge, help more people, and also ensure that Martial Arts could be passed down. Most importantly, I hoped to find a spirit within Martial Arts that could truly bring peace to the heart, allowing everyone to benefit from it.”

After returning from the war-torn lands, Su Jie had thought a lot. While helping the elderly in the village with farming using Martial Arts, he received their admiration and gratitude, which deepened his reflections. 

As he worked the fields, watching the land being turned over and the weeds cleared away, he felt a sense of accomplishment from using the hoe that far surpassed the satisfaction of defeating a master with it. At that moment, he believed that even defeating the world’s number one with Martial Arts was less meaningful than using it to till an acre of land.

At this moment, his mindset underwent a tremendous transformation. 

“Alright, let’s not talk about Martial Arts; everyone has their own purpose for learning it,” Josh said. “Su Jie, I want to ask you another question.” 

“Go ahead,” Su Jie nodded. 

“What is national credit?” Josh asked. “Some countries in the world blindly issue currency, leading to inflation. But almost all countries face this issue. So does the nation still have credit? Why can’t we break free from this credit and establish a mechanism that is not controlled by people, an absolutely neutral one?” 

Hearing Josh’s question, Su Jie immediately thought of Feng Hengyi and the organization behind him, as well as the dark web, virtual currency, and so on. Josh had certainly passively accepted their ideology. 

“Josh, national credit is a spirit that has been condensed over thousands of years of culture,” Su Jie said, his tone becoming very serious. “Our country faced many hardships a century ago, and you know this history, but many people did not give up hope. Instead, they sacrificed themselves and ultimately completed the revival. National credit means that when it is in danger, we will unhesitatingly die for it. I know you have joined a certain organization, but ask yourself, when that organization is in danger, would you die for it? Is it worth dying for?” 

“Is it worth dying for?” Upon hearing this, Josh seemed struck by lightning, becoming completely stunned. 

“Is something not worth dying for worth following?” Josh muttered to himself. 

Suddenly, his gaze became resolute, and he stood up abruptly. “Su Jie, thank you. I understand now; something is not worth my death. But for Martial Arts, I can die for it.” 

“You understand?” Su Jie felt extremely happy in his heart, knowing that his words had moved Josh, leading him to make the decision to break away from Feng Hengyi and even the large organization behind it. 

“I understand,” Josh nodded. 

“But you might be in danger,” Su Jie thought of some unfortunate possibilities. 

“I know many secrets about Feng Hengyi and some matters regarding that evil organization. I have even undergone their training and committed many sinful acts; I was brainwashed by them. If it weren’t for you, I would still be lost in their dreams,” Josh said. “In the eyes of God, I am a sinner. I have betrayed the light and plunged into darkness; now it is time for me to cleanse my sins.” 

“Join me,” Su Jie extended his hand. “Josh, we are good friends; let’s face everything together.” 

Josh also extended his hand, shaking Su Jie’s firmly.

“Josh, I want to set up a team. In October, my Dian Dao Martial Arts Academy will participate in the Haoyu Cup. I’m a contestant, but I need at least two more people to join, though four or five would be better,” Su Jie said. “I already have two candidates in mind; you can be my fourth partner.”

“You want to participate in the Haoyu Cup?” Josh was taken aback. “Do you know why Haoyu is holding this competition?”

“I’m all ears,” Su Jie replied. He knew a bit, but since Josh was close to Feng Hengyi, he surely knew some secrets that Su Jie was unaware of.

“The Haoyu Group has established a sports department, and the head of this department is Feng Hengyi. He wants to make a big splash, so he needs to create a spectacle. By hosting a major competition where countless experts fight, it will generate significant influence. With high prize money as a lure, it becomes a massive hot event.”

Josh said, “Of course, that’s not the most important part. The key point is that this competition is purely prepared for Feng Hengyi himself. He plans to defeat all the domestic and international experts in this event, including the current number one in the country, Liu Long. Once he wins, his fame will skyrocket, and the sports department he manages will explode. He can promote his martial arts philosophy and turn his style into a globally recognized martial art, even rivaling established combat arts like karate and judo, which have been around for centuries. The commercial value in this is enormous.”

Josh sighed, “He wants to keep this competition going, turning it into the largest event brand in the world. Even the top martial artist in the world would need to compete in his event to gain recognition. The more participants there are, the more data he can gather from the competition. Currently, Haoyu’s short-term goal is to swallow up Minglun.”

“How can a single event swallow up Minglun Martial Arts Academy?” Su Jie asked.

“It’s simple. Minglun Martial Arts Academy will also have a team participating in this competition. He will suppress that team during the event, causing its members to embarrass themselves, which will significantly damage Minglun’s reputation. The school relies entirely on its reputation; once that is tarnished, the school essentially loses its soul.”

Josh continued, “Moreover, Feng Hengyi will manipulate international media to further lower the price for acquiring a controlling stake in Minglun Martial Arts Academy. Just think about it: after this competition, if Minglun’s team comes away empty-handed and is heavily criticized, won’t that deal a major blow to the academy’s reputation?”

“Feng Hengyi has many underhanded tactics,” Su Jie nodded.

“There are many other means as well,” Josh said. “But if you want to win the championship, you will ultimately have to defeat Feng Hengyi. If you don’t beat him, it will be meaningless. I can’t be sure about your martial arts skills, but my intuition tells me he’s even more terrifying.”

“Your intuition is spot on,” Su Jie said. “Although I’ve made some progress in my training, I definitely wouldn’t be a match for him. His foundation is too solid. Even though I’m trying to catch up, the time is too short to break through.”

“But in just a year, you’ve already surpassed me,” Josh thought to gain insights from Su Jie. To him, this was a miracle. 

If miracles could happen to Su Jie, they could happen to him as well. Because behind every miracle is science; as long as one analyzes the principles behind it, anyone can achieve it.

“I’ll share all my experiences with you,” Su Jie stood up and brushed off the dust from his pants. “Let’s spread the spirit of martial arts together. In modern society, martial arts shouldn’t be kept secret; they should be openly studied by everyone. But I’m curious, how have you been training under Feng Hengyi? Your progress is astonishingly fast!”

“First, there was physical training. Every day, I was given various health supplements produced by the Typhon Training Camp, followed by mechanical arm massages for relaxation, and a complete set of intelligent mechanical diagnostics to restore my physical strength, significantly increasing the training intensity. In addition, we practiced combat every day, engaging in life-and-death battles in underground boxing arenas in Southeast Asia, mimicking the gladiatorial training of ancient Rome. We had a group of fellow trainees, but during one chaotic slaughter in the arena, they all perished, leaving me as the sole survivor.” Josh’s brief words made Su Jie acutely aware of the brutality of the Typhon Training Camp. In this training camp, a large number of trainees would be eliminated through death, and those who survived were the elite. The mortality rate here was much higher than that of super agent training in various countries. It was a miracle that Josh managed to survive. No wonder he had improved so much.

“Do you practice a specific form of Martial Arts?” Su Jie asked.

“Yes, I have a set of joint exercises, breathing techniques, and meditation, which are meant to enhance physical fitness and cultivate the mind and body. Additionally, there is a specialized killing technique. Besides that, I have also taken courses on assassination methods like daggers and blow darts. Our curriculum basically includes physical training, practical combat, psychological training, assassination techniques, eavesdropping, and observation and reasoning classes,” Josh enumerated.

“What is the observation and reasoning class?” Su Jie inquired.

“It involves inferring a person’s lifestyle habits, past experiences, character, and preferences from their appearance, behavior, and speech, while also predicting their future development trends,” Josh explained.

“Isn’t that Physiognomy?” Su Jie realized. Students at police academies probably also had this course to identify criminals or to detect any latent criminal tendencies in people’s psyches. Master Ma was sometimes invited by criminal police to share his expertise on judging criminals based on their facial features. The ancient art of physiognomy could also assist in solving cases.

“I need to return to my country for a while to settle various matters at home,” Josh said. “Feng Hengyi still doesn’t know that I have betrayed him. I need to feign compliance for a while, and at the last moment, bring him to justice. However, he is very shrewd and has left no evidence behind. If I want to gather evidence against him, I might have to stay undercover for a while.”

“That’s too dangerous,” Su Jie thought. He wanted to take down the Feng Family but would never allow Josh to undertake such a risky ‘undercover’ mission.

“Feng Hengyi assigned me the task of getting close to you, earning your trust, and keeping track of your movements, then delivering a fatal blow at the most critical moment,” Josh said. “So my purpose for coming today is also this. But deep down, I was still hesitating. Until you said that one sentence, I realized he wasn’t worth my efforts. However, having betrayed him, he will definitely not let me go. This person is extremely ruthless, and he has a powerful backing; I must be cautious.”