Xu Jingming didn't know that his master, Liu Hai, had recommended him to the list. He had handed over his job at the gym. Once the Jiangnan provincial team's training was over, he could return to his hometown, Mingyue City.
In the afternoon, Xu Jingming was training in a special room at the gym. He held a solid steel rod that had a diameter of four centimeters and a length of 3.2 meters with both hands. The rod's head swung from time and time again—completing a curved trajectory up, down, left, right… The trajectories that the rod drew were only a part of a circle.
This steel rod was a rod with a solid stainless steel core commonly used in industrial applications; it weighed 32 kilograms. It was very unsuitable for combat, but it was suitable for strength training and force delivery of the entire body.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Xu Jingming put down the steel rod and picked up a towel to wipe his sweat. He looked at the name on the screen and said, "White, answer the video call."
A projection appeared in midair—it was a young man.
"Shuo!" Xu Jingming smiled happily. "What a rare occasion for you to call me."
The young man in front of him was Yang Qingshuo—Xu Jingming's best friend. They attended the same university and were both on the school's martial arts team. Teammates back then were arranged to be in the same dormitory, and he and Yang Qingshuo shared the same bunk bed.
In his freshman year, Xu Jingming became the champion of the National University Martial Arts Tournament, and Yang Qingshuo came in seventh!
Xu Jingming joined the national team in his freshman year, and Yang Qingshuo was selected to join the national team in his sophomore year.
The friends who shared a bunk bed joined the national team together and stayed with the national team for several years. They practiced martial arts together every day and lived in the same dorm room, so it was easy to imagine their close relationship. They weren't biological brothers, but they were closer than biological brothers.
"Can't I just call?" Yang Qingshuo smiled bashfully.
Yang Qingshuo was a very reserved and shy person—those who were familiar with him knew this very well.
"Shuo, you seem to have put on quite a bit of weight?" Xu Jingming was surprised. Yang Qingshuo used to be very handsome and thin, but he had put on a lot of weight and looked a little chubby. The twinkle in his eyes also wasn't as sharp as before.
"My child will be attending primary school this year; it's normal for me to put on weight," Yang Qingshuo said.
"Right, your child is already capable of doing chores, but I'm not married yet. As for you, you registered your marriage the moment you reached legal age. How awkward was it for the bunch of us old friends?" Xu Jingming teased. Who would've thought that the youngest and shiest of the national team, Yang Qingshuo, would be the first to get married?
Yang Qingshuo smiled and didn't say anything.
"Why did you call me today?" Xu Jingming asked with a smile. Many of his good friends from university and the national team had separated and were scattered all over the country, but it was very normal to call each other once a year or two.
"Yes, there's something." Yang Qingshuo hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother Xu, something cropped up, and I need to borrow some money."
Borrow money? Xu Jingming felt a knot in his heart.
He didn't care about the money; he was worried about Shuo. Shuo used to be the national team's linchpin, and he joined the Sports Bureau in Jibei Province after his retirement. His income is quite good too. Why would he be forced to borrow money?
"Did something happen?" Xu Jingming asked.
"My mother is in the hospital, and the prescription drugs that aren't covered by insurance cost quite a lot," Yang Qingshuo said.
"How much do you need?" Xu Jingming asked.
"A million," Yang Qingshuo said. "It might take me a year to pay you back."
Xu Jingming nodded. "Okay, I'll transfer to you right away."
He began thinking about it. Shuo was also the national team's linchpin back then and had entered the World Martial Arts Tournament once. Although he was eliminated in the preliminaries, the prize money he received was only the most basic—one million—and the appearance fee for the tournament wasn't high, he could save up a few million after a few years of hard work. For him to borrow money from me means that he is in trouble.
Xu Jingming was mentally prepared to not have the money be returned when lending money to others. He wouldn't be so generous if normal friends wanted to borrow money from him, but Yang Qingshuo was his best friend since childhood!
Xu Jingming tapped the projection screen as he spoke and entered his finances platform. His stocks, insurance, savings—everything was listed clearly, and he quickly finished the transfer.
"Has it reached you?" Xu Jingming asked.
"Got it." Yang Qingshuo was thrilled when he received the money. It was torturous to be short of money. "Brother Xu, thanks."
"Shuo, I'll be going on a business trip to the capital today. I'll find you when I pass by Jinmen," Xu Jingming said. "Give me your address; I'll look for you."
"Today?" Yang Qingshuo was surprised. "When are you arriving?"
"Probably around five," Xu Jingming said after calculating the time.
"I'll still be at work. I'll give you the company's address." Yang Qingshuo gave him an address.
Xu Jingming saw the address—Katy Gym—and was a little surprised. "You left Jibei Sports Bureau?"
"Yeah, I left." Yang Qingshuo nodded. "Brother Xu, I have class. We'll talk later."
"Alright, let's have a good chat when we meet," Xu Jingming said. He waved his hand gently, and the projection in front of him turned into specks of light that disappeared.
Xu Jingming's smile disappeared as he stood there silently. "Shuo doesn't look right. He even left the Sports Bureau and went to a gym. It's not even a famous gym. He was once the national team's linchpin, yet he's at a gym?"
They were professional gladiators. How much of what they had learned in their careers be utilized at a gym?
I'll see what's up at Jinmen. Xu Jingming immediately bought a high-speed rail ticket. The high-speed rail traveled at speeds of up to 600 kilometers per hour, so he could arrive in Jinmen in two hours.
He had lied about going on a business trip to Beijing. Xu Jingming was worried about his good friend, so he specially made a trip to Jinmen to meet Yang Qingshuo.
...
By hailing a ride online that was dispatched by an AI system, he arrived at the high-speed rail station in 15 minutes.
Soon, Xu Jingming took the high-speed rail and went straight to Jinmen City in the north.
At 4:53 pm, he arrived at the entrance of Katy Gym in Jinmen City.
I'm here. Xu Jingming looked up at the gym—which occupied a rather large area—and walked in.
The female staff at the front desk smiled and said, "Welcome."
"My surname is Xu; I'm looking for Yang Qingshuo," Xu Jingming said. "I've made an appointment with him."
"Oh, you're looking for Coach Yang? Please have a seat over here." The female staff member at the front desk was very enthusiastic. She brought Xu Jingming to the reception area before pouring him a glass of water.
...
At this moment, on the third floor of Katy Gym, Yang Qingshuo was giving a class to a group of female members.
The female members were panting after completing the boxing routine.
"Alright, let's take a two-minute break," Yang Qingshuo said.
"Coach Yang, I heard you participated in the World Martial Arts Tournament?" a female member asked curiously. They had applied for the class because of his participation in the World Martial Arts Tournament.
"I heard that martial arts competitions are divided into C division, B division, A division, and the most prestigious World Martial Arts Tournament. Only those ranked in the top 32 are qualified to participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament!"
"Every year, only the world's 32 strongest martial artists are allowed to participate. Coach Yang, have you participated?" The female members were very curious.
"I've participated in the 26th World Martial Arts Tournament," Yang Qingshuo nodded and said with a smile. This was also now the highlight of his resume when finding a job.
"Wow."
"Coach Yang, can you teach us self-defense?"
"That's right, Coach Yang. We weak women are too weak to resist against those men who are up to no good. Do you have any defensive techniques that can be easily learned and used against strong men?" the female members asked.
"Easily learned? A weak woman can use it to handle a strong man's attacks?" Yang Qingshuo thought for a moment and smiled. "Alright, I'll teach you a more practical move."
The female members immediately listened carefully.
"Follow my instructions. Retract one leg and stand on one leg," Yang Qingshuo said.
All the female members stood on one leg, and they did this with verve. They only occasionally lost their balance and firmly landed their other foot.
"Jump while standing on one leg," Yang Qingshuo said as he demonstrated a light single-leg jump.
The female members wore soft-heeled gym shoes and jumped easily on one foot.
"Isn't it simple?" Yang Qingshuo asked.
"I jump rope a thousand times a day. Of course, it's simple to do a single-leg jump." The female members were very relaxed, including the slightly obese female members.
Who couldn't jump a few times?
"Your weight is generally around 50 kilograms," Yang Qingshuo said.
"I'm far from 50 kilograms," said a fat woman with a laugh.
"In other words, everyone's single-leg strength can easily deliver more than 50 kilograms of force, and you can even jump," Yang Qingshuo said. "Jumping up with one leg can easily exert a force of 100 kilograms."
The female members nodded.
"Now, raise your leg and stomp," Yang Qingshuang said. "Jump with one leg and stomp down! Raise your leg and stomp forward. It's the same muscle strength as stomping on the ground."
Yang Qingshuo instructed.
"Exerting strength that's the same as kicking the ground?" The female members raised their legs and kicked the sandbag in front of them.
With a bang, the sandbag shook.
All the female members were extremely surprised. "My fists and wrists hurt from hitting this sandbag previously. My feet hurt from kicking the sandbag as well, and it didn't even budge. I managed to move it this time?"
"Kicking the sandbag like I'm kicking the ground?"
"There's so much strength in it?"
For the first time, the female members found kicking the sandbag very easy and quite powerful.
"This is called a straight kick. You don't have to practice much a day; just 20 times. After a month, your strength will flow smoothly. Even for women, it's easy to deliver 100 to 150 kilograms of force with one foot," Yang Qingshuo said. "But this isn't something I want to teach."
"Watch carefully. When you lift your leg, don't use the entire bottom of your feet. Use the front of your foot—near your toes!" Yang Qingshuo casually kicked out, and his front foot stabbed into the sandbag like a steel rod.
The sandbag produced a deep, dull sound.
"If you wear sports shoes or high heels, you can use the tip of your foot to exert at least 100 to 150 kilograms of force. The penetrative force is much stronger when transmitted using the tip of your foot," Yang Qingshuang said.
"I understand. With the same strength, the pressure will be greater when the area of contact is small," a female member said. "Compared to the entire foot, the pressure from the tip of the foot might be ten times greater."
"Yes, the pressure is much higher." Yang Qingshuo smiled and said, "This move has the profundity of Poking Foot traditional martial arts. Although your feet aren't as hard as those of professional gladiators, everyone usually wears shoes that have soles that are harder than the feet of professional gladiators! At least 100 to 150 kilograms of force when used against someone… Just striking the other party's thigh will leave them in excruciating pain."
"If I kick a man's groin…" A female member's eyes lit up.
Yang Qingshuo immediately said, "Do this for self-defense only—when you are in real danger. This isn't some ordinary Groin Kicking Kick. Even if it doesn't land at the vital spot, an ordinary man won't even be able to withstand it when struck in the abdomen."
This was, in fact, a simplified version of Poking Foot!
"Human legs walk every day. Ordinary people can walk for a few hours, but nobody in the world strolls upside down with their hands for hours," Yang Qingshuang said. "The strength of a person's leg is naturally greater than the strength of their arms. Even if it's a woman, her legs can match the strength of a strongman's arm."
"Can I match the strength of those strongmen's arms? They have arms that are thicker than my thighs," a female member said.
"You can stand on one leg for a few minutes and can even jump," Yang Qingshuo said. "How many of those strongmen can carry more than 50 kilograms with one hand for a few minutes?"
"Don't underestimate the strength of your legs. Strongmen may have thick arms, but in terms of muscle efficiency, they can't compare to the muscles of female thighs," Yang Qingshuo said confidently.
He was a professional martial artist, so he knew the potential of one's leg muscles. Humans were bipedal animals, so their legs were innately much stronger than their arms.
The strength that women could exert with their legs could easily deal with untrained men.
"Coach Yang, a customer with the surname Xu is looking for you," a gym staff member shouted.
Yang Qingshuo immediately understood that Xu Jingming had arrived.