The Way of Restraint

“Mr. Su Jie, what’s your take on this?” Larry asked.

Su Jie never spoke during their business discussions. As a bodyguard and researcher, he did what he was supposed to do and stayed out of other matters — interfering would only invite his boss’s displeasure.

But since Larry had asked him directly, he still needed to share his thoughts.

“Honey Badger is worth pursuing for deeper cooperation, but we should maintain contact with Typhon as well. The lesson I gave their senior security personnel today can actually serve as a bargaining chip — we can use it to demand better terms from them. Also, we should share today’s data and footage with others to put pressure on Typhon Security. Of course, you could also consider acquiring or establishing a security company for in-house training — that would be a strategic defensive measure against Typhon…” Su Jie laid out several of his ideas, each point detailed and methodical.

Larry listened quietly until he finished, then nodded and let Cass elaborate: “In fact, our boss has invested in many robotics teams to develop security robots. Robots are more reliable than humans.”

“Current technology hasn’t reached that point yet,” Su Jie said. He knew that while medical robotic arms were now more precise than any human surgeon, and breakthroughs had been made in various AI domains, creating humanoid robots was still far off. Even autonomous driving hadn’t replaced human drivers yet.

“In ten years, who knows?” Cass said.

“Su Jie, how would you like to stay and do research here?” Larry extended an invitation. “My labs have the best scientists as your mentors, the most advanced equipment for your research, and massive datasets to support your validation. These are things China lacks.”

Larry had discerned that Su Jie wasn’t just an exceptionally capable bodyguard who could ensure his safety — he also performed outstandingly in research. He genuinely wanted to keep Su Jie.

The bodyguard contract Su Jie had signed with him wasn’t an indenture — he still had his freedom. After all, Su Jie had become Larry’s bodyguard to earn extra money and help Zhang Manman in her power struggle within the family, not to trap himself here permanently.

He still had to return home to complete his studies. At the very least, he needed to finish four years of university and get his diploma. As an academic prodigy, failing to obtain a degree from Q University would be far too embarrassing.

To be fair, Larry’s labs were a dream destination for countless scientists — top-tier compensation, world-class equipment. With Su Jie’s learning foundation, he could produce results in three to five years. But no matter how much he researched, the成果 would still belong to Larry, to a foreign country. There was a significant chance that what he developed could be used against his own people.

What Su Jie really wanted was to learn the technology, then return home to conduct research, keep the info  in China, and help Chinese technology surpass that of other nations.

Seeing Larry’s offer, he suddenly thought of the many scientists from earlier generations who had broken through countless barriers to return and serve their motherland.

“Mr. Larry, thank you for your kind offer, but I really must return home to complete my studies. According to our contract, I can come here during my academic breaks to participate in your research. Beyond that, if you have any major emergency security needs, I’ll request leave to come and handle your protection,” Su Jie said, declining Larry’s recruitment.

Larry shook his head, knowing that fully recruiting someone with Su Jie’s abilities would be very difficult.

The more capable a person, the harder they were to recruit — he had seen this too many times.

Seeing that Larry had no further issues, Su Jie returned to his training while continuing his research.

He wouldn’t be staying much longer. Once the break ended, he had to go back to school. So he needed to make the most of his time here — learning as much as possible while using the advanced facilities to elevate his physical abilities to the next level.

The training environment here was excellent. At the very least, he could simulate combat and even have security personnel shoot live ammunition at him, building truly solid psychological resilience.

After his battle with Zhang Hongqing, Su Jie had also identified his shortcomings. In matters of weaponry and concealed projectiles, he was still inexperienced. The only aspects worthy of praise were his observation of terrain and his understanding of feng shui and physiognomy.

The reason he had managed to escape was his mastery of terrain — his ability to use the high walls and the rope dart in his hand to ascend quickly.

Every time he replayed that scene in his mind, calculating carefully and combining it with his current situation, he made a point of paying attention to terrain utilization wherever he went.

Gradually, he felt himself becoming intimately integrated with his environment — indistinguishable from it.

Everywhere he went, he felt like a fish in water.

He was beginning to grasp some of the subtle intricacies of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity — the Three Powers.

After another ten-plus days of training, his mental state grew increasingly harmonious with his surroundings. Wherever he stood, the terrain, the airflow, the potential developments on all sides — all of it flickered through his mind like flashes of insight. Even with his eyes closed, nothing posed an obstacle to him.

In other words, every time he arrived somewhere, Su Jie felt as if he had lived there for decades — he knew exactly what was in every corner.

He knew that his level of “Clarity” had deepened once again.

Though he hadn’t yet reached the stage of “Enlightenment,” at the very least his foundation had become even more substantial, laying the groundwork for his next breakthrough.

That day, Su Jie slowly withdrew from his training. His entire body felt comfortable — like crystal, translucent and pure, without a single impurity. With the slightest movement, his entire surroundings were reflected within him. Heaven, Earth, and Humanity were one.

This was purely a spiritual sensation, yet it was indescribably pleasurable — more exhilarating than any hallucinogenic drug.

One of Larry’s life sciences laboratory projects studied the effects of hallucinogenic drugs on the human body. Most hallucinogens, while temporarily enhancing certain functions, ultimately caused brain toxicity, nerve damage, and severe long-term consequences.

That said, with proper dosage control, some hallucinogens could appropriately excite the body and release depressed emotions, thereby promoting physical health. In theory, caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol all fell into this category, not to mention the many types of performance-enhancing drugs used in sports competitions.

What Su Jie was doing now, however, was using emotional self-regulation to strengthen his body.

This was also Larry’s most important research topic — after all, Larry himself was a senior member of the Spiritual Assembly.

During these days, Su Jie had obtained a wealth of research data and case studies from the lab. For example: what endocrine changes occurred during meditation; how various bodily indicators changed over time; the effect of emotions on physical performance.

Also, which meditation techniques worked best, and how one should discard distractions to fully enter one’s own spiritual world.

“Between the illusory and the real — spirit and matter…” Su Jie pondered these questions. In essence, any form of meditation was about constructing one’s own spiritual world and expanding it to merge with reality. The bridge connecting spirit and reality was the physical body.

This line of research was more profound than any other scientific discipline.

Countless philosophers had studied it since ancient times. Now, a great many life sciences researchers were also exploring it in depth — and Su Jie had joined their ranks.

He discovered that through this research, he had greatly deepened his understanding of martial arts.

The martial arts he had learned before seemed too shallow in comparison — lacking true precision.

Which part of the human brain governed memory? Which governed movement? Which governed hormone secretion?

The secrets contained within the brain were vast, and even modern scientific methods couldn’t fully comprehend them. Su Jie recorded all his research insights from these days, intending to develop his own unique training methods later and to see whether Odell’s training methods could be improved.

In fact, Larry’s research even included methods of promoting brain development through drug injection.

But Su Jie didn’t pursue that. Regarding the human brain, he preferred to maintain a cautious attitude.

He knew that in both Typhon Training Camp and Honey Badger Training Camp, many people had undergone joint replacements — artificial joints replacing the originals to increase load-bearing capacity and prevent wear, with no apparent downside to their health. Especially in high-intensity training: muscle damage could recover, but joint damage was largely irreversible and necessitated replacement.

Fortunately, Su Jie’s overall physical indicators were extremely robust.

Larry had actually categorized human physical indicators: patients were “debilitated”; sub-healthy individuals were “weak”; regular exercisers were “normal”; athletes were “strong”; advanced fighters were “super strong”; and Su Jie’s current level was classified as “transcendent.”

This type of physical indicator surpassed ordinary humanity.

Larry had never studied such a person before — this was another reason he valued Su Jie so highly.

The greatest benefit Su Jie had gained during these days was the thorough physical examination made possible by Larry’s advanced technology. Some latent injuries had been repaired through minimally invasive surgery, preserving his body in its most perfect state.

This would greatly benefit his future cultivation and progress.

“Su Jie, there’s an old man outside looking for you. He says his name is Zhang Nianquan.”

Just as Su Jie was analyzing his research, Cass sent him a message.

“Zhang Nianquan?” Su Jie’s mind stirred. He already knew this was the Zhang family’s highest-ranking elder — an antique of 115 years old. He didn’t know why the man had come looking for him, but undoubtedly, meeting him would be beneficial.

He went down to the reception area on the ground floor and saw a tall old man with a staff — a pure steel dragon-headed cane.

The old man had white hair and a white beard. He looked like a white lion, which made Su Jie think of the lions beneath the Bodhisattva’s throne.

This man’s level of attainment was extremely profound.

Su Jie’s first impression was that this Zhang family elder was extraordinary. Though his vitality had declined, he wasn’t about to die anytime soon — he could probably live another ten years.

Ten years from now, he’d be 125 — that would be legendary longevity.

“Great-grandfather, hello.” Su Jie walked over to greet him.

Zhang Nianquan had already seen Su Jie approaching. His gaze never left Su Jie’s body, as if he was trying to see through this eighteen-year-old “Living Dead.”

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