The Way of Restraint

Chapter 186: Assisting Breakthrough

Liu Long was at a crucial moment of enlightenment.

He was constantly making hand gestures, various Taoist grip techniques. His body’s energy seemed to merge with the Great Wall of Yanshan. He seemed to have found some kind of spiritual anchor, identifying himself with the Great Wall.

Awooo!

Su Jie roared fiercely, matching Liu Long’s comprehension.

He activated his “Thirteen Protectors Qigong.”

Because this skill contained many Qi cultivation and mind-training techniques from Buddhism and Taoism.

These skills would definitely be of great help to Liu Long as well.

Sure enough, under Su Jie’s dragon roar and tiger howl, Liu Long looked over and gradually began to comprehend at the deepest level.

Su Jie’s hard qigong progressed rapidly. After entering the “Living Dead” realm, he could wield any skill with ease, understanding its most essential mysteries.

He unleashed a full-body strike, accompanied by a long roar that echoed the surrounding mountains. It seemed as if the Great Wall of Yanshan itself had come alive, responding with its own roar.

This Great Wall, existing since the Qin and Han dynasties, was resurrected from the dust of history, displaying a completely new appearance and taking flight once more.

Listening to the roar and watching Su Jie’s strikes, Liu Long suddenly felt an ancient, desolate aura wash over him.

A giant dragon from the ancient, primordial era gradually emerged from the mist and entered his body.

“Between mountains and seas, history and reality, humanity and the universe…” Liu Long sighed, “Humans are primarily driven by emotions; the surrounding environment can greatly influence one’s heart.”

Suddenly, he too let out a long roar, echoing Su Jie’s.

Their shouts grew louder and louder, carrying far and wide, resounding throughout the mountains.

Gradually, Liu Long entered a completely different state.

Su Jie slowly stopped, watching Liu Long’s hands flailing, his body leaping and thrashing, as if he were performing a shamanistic dance. He knew this might be a training method.

In Muay Thai, there’s also a similar “Master-Master Dance.”

Every Muay Thai fighter performs this dance before a match, accompanied by unique Muay Thai music, to enhance their momentum and strengthen their meditation, making them feel as if they’re possessed by a war god, invincible.

The Muay Thai “Master-Master Dance” is also a kind of prayer ritual, mysterious and unpredictable, somewhat similar to the Chinese “invitation of gods” or “divine attack.”

As a Muay Thai fighter, the first thing to learn is this dance.

Now, Liu Long’s dance carries the flavor of Taoist rain-praying rituals. Although Su Jie hadn’t seen it before, he immediately recognized its style.

The movements embody cultural characteristics.

For example, Taoist martial arts are gentle and soothing; even intense movements erupt like thunder, followed by gentle rain, everything aligning with the natural order.

Buddhist martial arts, on the other hand, are fierce, brave, decisive, and thorough, like the majestic power of a dragon or elephant, with boundless strength and explosive energy.

The two styles are vastly different. Liu Long’s dance was a rain-praying ritual, an ancient Taoist ceremony.

Now, inspired by Su Jie’s hard qigong, he had completely immersed himself in the atmosphere of the Great Wall.

Several hours passed, and darkness fell, yet Liu Long continued dancing.

Su Jie remained calm, watching his transformation.

Suddenly, Liu Long let out another long howl, the wind and clouds surged, and a fine drizzle began to fall.

Of course, this wasn’t due to Liu Long’s prayers; it was simply a coincidence of overcast skies and rain.

“I understand,” Liu Long shuddered, jolting awake, already soaked to the bone.

“One autumn rain brings a chill; let’s go back,” Su Jie said, knowing Liu Long had truly grasped the meaning.

The two immediately descended the mountain and drove back.

Liu Long’s battle with Muay Thai champion Bangalorn was imminent.

After this, Liu Long stopped training with Su Jie and instead secluded himself in a small room to meditate and contemplate. Su Jie knew he was making final mental adjustments for the ultimate battle of his professional career.

He and Muay Thai champion Bangalorn were destined rivals. If he could decisively defeat his opponent in this final fight, it would add the most glorious chapter to his career, or rather, bring it to a perfect close.

Su Jie returned to school to continue training, learning various subjects, and mentoring his three roommates.

Another month passed.

It was December.

Liu Long flew to America, to Las Vegas as usual, for his epic battle with Muay Thai king Bangalorn.

Su Jie didn’t watch the live broadcast; he was mentally rehearsing the scene.

“Boss, why aren’t you watching Liu Long vs. Bangalorn’s live stream? It’s in the early morning, how about we get a break? We’ll stay up all night to watch it,” Tan Dashi asked Su Jie before going to bed that night.

Lin Tang and Wang Shun were also itching to watch, readily agreeing.

They had been training at Liu Long’s club for over two months, significantly improving their skills. Under Su Jie’s rigorous, grueling training regimen, with no weekends off, they gradually persevered and began to adapt.

But they were still far from finding joy in it.

They hadn’t truly settled down.

Once they truly settled down, they wouldn’t regress.

Their current adherence to the schedule and increased training was entirely due to Su Jie’s example and guidance.

Without Su Jie, they would have slacked off and gradually abandoned their routine. In Buddhism, this is called “regression.”

Many soldiers are like this. They train every day for years in the military, developing excellent skills. But after retirement, they become complacent, gain weight rapidly, and experience a significant decline in physical fitness—they haven’t been able to cross the threshold from “concentration” to “stillness.”

This is the most crucial step in life; once crossed, it marks the beginning of the transformation from an ordinary person to a “sage.”

Su Jie wanted to help these three brothers complete this transformation. Thinking this way, he seemed to instantly enter a state of “stillness,” needing no supervision or encouragement.

“No,” Su Jie ordered directly, “Go to sleep now. No matter what happens, it’s a no-brainer. Maintain your regular sleep schedule and exercise routine. Sleep!”

The three had no choice but to lie down.

Under Su Jie’s training, they were completely obedient, just like soldiers following orders.

The next morning at 4 a.m., in a rush, Tan Dashi turned on his phone, glanced at the news in three seconds, and said to Su Jie, who was washing up, “Boss, guess who won yesterday’s match?”

“Of course, Liu Long won. The match was three rounds. Liu Long lost the first round, then won the next two, ultimately knocking out Ban Jialong,” Su Jie said.

“Boss, you must have secretly watched the match last night, otherwise how would you know so much?” Tan Dashi asked in surprise. 

“These things can be estimated,” Su Jie said. “Don’t watch their matches now; we have a designated time to watch the news each day. I’ll explain their moves to you later.”

Su Jie led the three of them into their daily training.

December in City B was already bitterly cold; water froze instantly, and the wind howled outside. Even the school pond was covered in a thick layer of ice, and people would freeze solid after walking outside for a short while.

Especially at 4 a.m., it was unbearable to be away from the heating.

But Su Jie still led the three of them outside for their daily activities.

“It’s cold,” Tan Dashi shivered, even in his thick down jacket. He looked at Su Jie, who was still in his thin sportswear, looking like a mountain forged from metal in the cold wind.

He could even feel a wave of heat from within five steps of Su Jie.

He wondered what kind of constitution Su Jie had.

“The canned food you’ve been eating since winter started is a training supplement for some special forces soldiers in Siberia. They trained in temperatures below -50 degrees Celsius without getting cold, so this little bit of cold is nothing. Besides, you’ve applied anti-freeze oil to your skin; your bodies will absolutely not have any problems, they’ll only get stronger. Start training!” Su Jie was ruthless, urging them to hone their physiques in the freezing cold.

“Liu Long defeated Bangalorn, using Chinese Kung Fu to defeat Muay Thai, returning in triumph.”

In the sports department office of Mingxia Group, Xia Yi was watching the news on the screen.

She watched the video of Liu Long defeating Bangalorn over and over again, various high-definition slow-motion replays.

“Liu Long announced that he will donate half of the prize money, copyright fees, various sponsorship rewards, and even gambling revenue to Dian Dao Martial Arts to establish a training fund.”

Xia Yi looked at another news item.

She fell into deep thought. 

“Xiaoyi, you’re watching the match too?” Just then, a young man approached. “I can’t believe Liu Long actually defeated Bangalorn, and it was a stunning comeback! Before the match, nobody thought Liu Long would win, especially since Bangalorn has been on fire lately, defeating several top-ten ranked fighters in the world. I heard that before the match, Liu Long went all in, betting his entire fortune on himself. Bangalorn also bet his entire fortune on underground betting platforms, saying he’d become a monk if he lost. This match was truly spectacular; many professionals said they haven’t seen such a thrilling match in at least twenty years.”

“Brother, how much money did Liu Long make this time?” Xia Yi asked.

“Actually, the prize money wasn’t much. The key was the high odds from the underground betting market, with payouts reaching 1 to 5. So Liu Long went all in, betting on himself and made a killing. That money must be at least several hundred million.” The young man was Xia Yi’s brother, Xia Ping. “He really went all in. If he lost, he’d be completely ruined.”

“The one who’s ruined now is Bangalorn. I saw on the news he’s returned to Thailand and officially become a monk at a temple. Anyway, he has nothing left, so it doesn’t matter.” Xia Yi shook her head.

“They’re really crazy.” Xia Ping clicked his tongue twice.

“This is nothing. In the past, in Japan, people would commit seppuku if they didn’t win a martial arts competition.” Xia Yi said, “Brother, what’s the background of this Daoist martial arts?”