The Way of Restraint

The match between Su Jie and Greenland was very fast. In just five or six seconds, Su Jie had completed the unbeatable “hanging neck” grappling finishing position.

Exactly as Su Jie had said—it did not exceed ten seconds.

When Su Jie emerged from the fighting room, Xia Yi followed him out. She seemed to have fulfilled some kind of wish—neither very happy nor very disappointed. It was the emptiness after wild joy that comes when a wish is fulfilled, not knowing what to do next.

No regrets left in life.

Sensing her emotional state, Su Jie could not help but smile: “What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy that I defeated Greenland?”

“Very happy,” Xia Yi nodded. “Now I truly believe you have the strength to defeat Solomo. If this undefeated king of fighting were to be defeated by a Chinese person, I can imagine what kind of sensation it would cause.”

“Actually, it’s not necessary for me personally, but for Mingxia Sports, the significance would be extraordinary,” Su Jie said. “You might be able to use this to quickly open up overseas markets.”

“This is a huge fortune. If someone could truly sweep all fighting events, their net worth would be incomparable to any current celebrity,” Xia Yi said. “Our Mingxia sports department wants to cooperate with your Diandao Martial Arts. What do you think?”

“Absolutely possible. You can discuss this matter with Hua Xing,” Su Jie said. “I do indeed have a specialized training system that can greatly elevate the fighting level of your fighters.”

“We can discuss the specifics in detail later,” Xia Yi said. At this moment, she had developed an immense interest in Su Jie.

After Su Jie defeated the “god” in her heart, he had taken that place—Su Jie was now the “god” in her heart.

While Su Jie and Xia Yi were talking, Huang Mulan, who had been waiting outside, immediately walked over, her face full of astonishment: “Finished so quickly? What was the result? Could it be… did Mr. Greenland lose?”

Seeing Su Jie completely unharmed, showing no signs of injury, calm as ever, she had already guessed something.

She had fought Su Jie before but had not been able to determine who was better, because Su Jie had gone easy on her.

But now, if Su Jie could defeat Greenland, then his strength would truly need to be reassessed.

Xia Yi said nothing, bound by the confidentiality agreement. She only cautioned Huang Mulan: “No one saw today’s match except me. Act as if it never happened.”

“Understood.” Huang Mulan was also a business elite and understood many things.

Zhang Jinchuan finished his discussion with Xia Shang as well, very satisfied. Coming down in the elevator and seeing the expressions on Su Jie, Xia Yi, and Huang Mulan, a look of suspicion crossed his face. Then, as if calculating something, he patted Su Jie on the shoulder: “The world’s second isn’t much in front of you. And fighting doesn’t represent true strength. If you’re interested, I really could arrange for you to fight the world’s first, Solomo.”

“Too much of a waste of time,” Su Jie said. “Solomo won’t fight an unknown. Greenland only agreed because he’s close to retirement and looking for ways to make more money. If I wanted to fight Solomo, I would first have to enter various competitions and produce results. Even if I won every single match, it would take at least two years to reach the world’s top position. Only then could I fight Solomo. Wasting two years preparing for various matches would be throwing away my most precious youth.”

Su Jie was now eighteen years old. Two years later, he would be twenty.

These two years were a critical period for his cultivation, contemplation, and research. He absolutely could not be distracted by competitions.

Moreover, competitions would require him to seek publicity and give various commercial interviews. The time wasted would be too great. For someone like Su Jie, who raced against every second in pursuit of life’s essence, this would be killing his own life.

Furthermore, fighting in the ring could no longer provide any stimulation to Su Jie’s spirit.

Therefore, he would absolutely not take the path of sports competition.

He had already formulated his life plan long ago: scientific research—studying human body science, studying psychology, studying environmental science—the synthesis of life sciences.

The wonder of the human body, the depth of the psyche—these were his motivations for exploration.

In truth, he was a scientist.

Seeing Su Jie refuse, showing no intention of entering the sports world, a clear look of regret appeared on Xia Yi’s face. She was like a great director who had spotted a girl with immense potential, beautiful as a celestial being, wanting to pull her into the entertainment industry, certain she could make her a big star—only for the girl to resolutely refuse.

“Let’s go.” Su Jie waved his hand and left with Zhang Jinchuan.

After giving a few instructions to Huang Mulan, Xia Yi immediately went upstairs to her father Xia Shang’s office.

“What? You spent two million US dollars just to see a result?” Xia Shang did not scold his daughter.

“Su Jie is practically a superhuman. Coach Greenland was no match for him. He was choked out by the hanging neck technique in less than five seconds, though he wasn’t seriously injured. Su Jie held back. I suspect that even the world’s number one, Solomo, might not truly be able to defeat him,” Xia Yi said.

“Did you manage to sign him?” Xia Shang asked.

“No. He said he wants to be a scientist and has no interest in becoming a star in sports fighting,” Xia Yi shook her head, still regretful.

“Everyone has their own aspirations—you cannot force it,” Xia Shang said. “I saw long ago that he would not subordinate himself to others. But you can befriend him. Building a good relationship with him will be beneficial.”

“That’s what I think too,” Xia Yi nodded. “Dad, then I’ll go now.”

“Wait.” Xia Shang had Xia Yi sit down. “Let me ask you something. If you were to start your own venture, what industry would you choose? Not in the country—developing overseas.”

“This… I haven’t thought it through yet,” Xia Yi said, not understanding why Xia Shang was asking.

“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” Xia Shang said. “Mingxia Group has now reached such a scale that its direction of development is no longer something I can control. This ship is too big. I cannot steer it—I can only go with the current. There are too many demons and monsters on board. Who knows what will happen in the future? While there’s still time, take some money and resources and start your own venture. If the ship sinks one day, you’ll have a backup plan. Do you understand my meaning?”

“I understand.” Xia Yi was not some spoiled, wilful rich young lady. On the contrary, she loved to learn, could endure hardship, was quite proficient in business, knew how to build social networks, and was well-liked in the company.

“Then go prepare. Give me a plan in one month. List the resources and funds you need in a report for me to review,” Xia Shang said.

“No problem,” Xia Yi nodded. She had been doing just fine in the company, but when Xia Shang told her to start her own venture, she had no complaints whatsoever—on the contrary, she was somewhat excited.

She could very well understand Xia Shang’s difficulties.

Mingxia Group was too large, touching every industry. It was no longer something one person could manage. Xia Shang was the emperor within it, but among the many executives, there were loyal ministers and treacherous ones too. No matter how sharp his judgment, distinguishing loyalty from treachery was not always possible.

Moreover, the larger the group, the greater the danger. History was filled with countless examples of decline following peak prosperity.

“Go.” Xia Shang waved his hand.

At Q University, Su Jie sat in a study room. Before him was a laptop computer—a model that could not be purchased on the market, specially produced for research in Larich’s laboratory, with performance many times superior to commercially available computers. Su Jie used it to store various materials and his own research insights, to transmit his data to Larich, and to receive feedback.

After returning, Su Jie had recorded his research. Today’s fight with Greenland was very meaningful, because he had discovered that the psychological state of this world’s second-ranked fighter was very peculiar—he possessed a dual personality. In daily life, he had a money-oriented personality; during fighting, he became a thoroughgoing beast personality.

In fact, there were examples like this in traditional martial arts.

It was called “divine striking,” also known as “inviting the gods to possess the body”—a method used by old-society charlatans to dress up as gods and ghosts, fooling the common people.

But this was actually an extremely powerful psychological suggestion.

Imagining oneself possessed by some “god” could indeed produce an effect of greatly increased strength in a short period, though it could also easily cause mental disorder.

This was also an example of how psychological suggestion affects the human body’s physical capabilities.

Addressing today’s events and this research topic, Su Jie wrote an essay on his laptop.

Just as Su Jie was writing and analyzing, a man entered the study room. Scanning the room, he locked onto Su Jie, came to his desk, sat down, and asked, “You are Su Jie, correct?”

“Tai Chi? Yang style? You are Teacher Xue’s senior fellow apprentice?” Su Jie continued writing his essay without looking at the man, asking directly, “I am Su Jie.”

“How do you know? I don’t think I’ve ever met you,” the man said, greatly surprised.

“When you entered, your steps were light and agile, your body soft, very relaxed and loose. Your Tai Chi skill comes from the same lineage as Teacher Xue’s. You are not very old, so you cannot be her senior in age. Besides that, there are small details in your posture that suggest you were taught by the same master,” Su Jie continued writing his essay.

“You are very knowledgeable about Tai Chi. Junior apprentice sister Xue says your Tai Chi jin has reached the level of a grandmaster, possibly even surpassing Chen Xinjin, the head of Hunyuan Tai Chi,” the man said, a trace of disbelief in his voice. “Are you her disciple? I have never heard of you before. Would you be interested in playing some Tai Chi push-hands with me?”

“Sure.” Su Jie closed his laptop and extended one hand. “I will push with you.”

“Here? Isn’t that inconvenient?” the man said. “Follow me. Let’s go to the gym.”

“Push-hands can be done anywhere. Within a square inch, victory or defeat can be decided, even life or death,” Su Jie said. Suddenly, he grabbed and directly seized the man’s wrist. Then, with a slight shake, the man’s entire body lost control.

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