Heavenly Origin Martial Arts Hall is a martial arts training institution certified by Dragon Country, with branches across the nation. Anyone interested in martial arts can learn at Heavenly Origin Martial Arts Hall.
Within the Heavenly Origin Martial Arts Hall, there are professional coaches who teach Dragon Country martial arts, taekwondo, judo, boxing, and various other combat sports.
The certification assessment at Heavenly Origin Martial Arts Hall is a recognition of a person's strength, categorized into low-level, middle-level, high-level, and special-level.
Ordinarily, even security guards must at least pass the low-level assessment of Heavenly Origin Martial Arts Hall.
And to pass the special-level assessment of Heavenly Origin Martial Arts Hall, one must have the strength to fight against more than ten people at once.
The certification of Heavenly Origin Martial Arts Hall is the absolute authority for the bodyguard profession. A person with a high-level certificate from Heavenly Origin Martial Arts Hall, if working as a bodyguard, has a starting annual salary of at least one million. With a special-level certificate, the starting salary is ten million.
Amidst the astonished looks of the crowd, Wan Tianhua's eyes flickered with a slyness as he revealed an expression of "surprise."
"Certificates are just false tokens. As long as you have money, you can easily get a middle-level one. What's important is not the certificate but the real strength within. Right, Shiyu?" Wan Tianhua said with a smile, looking at Lin Shiyu.
Lin Shiyu slightly furrowed her brows, unsure what this old fox was plotting, but nodded, "Mr. Wan makes sense."
Wan Tianhua laughed, "How about this? We're just dining here today, which is a bit boring. Why don't we add some entertaining programs to liven things up?"
"Great, what kind of program? Let's hear it, President Wan!" People around started clamoring.
"Xu Zhong, come here!" President Wan looked at the handsome crew-cut young man by his side.
The young man walked over to Wan Tianhua's side: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is my newly hired bodyguard Xu Zhong, who passed the special-level certification of Heavenly Origin Martial Arts Hall at just twenty-seven years old. He is the youngest disciple of Master Zhao of the Lin Tian City branch."
"What! He received the special-level certificate from Heavenly Origin Martial Arts Hall at the age of twenty-seven?"
"He's actually a disciple of Master Zhao, impressive indeed. Truly a case of a great teacher breeding a great student!" The crowd expressed their admiration.
Xu Zhong stood up straight among the group, standing out like a crane among chickens, his mouth curving upward, enjoying the adulation of those around him.
Wan Tianhua smiled, "Here's the thing. Since Ye Feng could become Shiyu's bodyguard, he must have exceptional skills. Why not let the two of them have a match today? It would give us businessmen a chance to appreciate the elegance of those who practice martial arts, what do you say?"
"What a great suggestion! We heard that Master Zhao has only taken three disciples in twenty years. We really want to see what makes young brother Xu Zhong outstanding!" People around were excited.
Upon hearing Wan Tianhua's words, Lin Shiyu's face immediately darkened.
At that moment, Zhang Lin walked over to Wan Tianhua and revealed a sly smile.
"Lin Shiyu, you and that pretty boy were pretty arrogant just now, weren't you? You're not scared now, are you? If you're scared, just admit it generously that the pretty boy is just a plaything you've kept. The bodyguard thing is just a facade. If you admit it, I'll have Brother Xu Zhong spare the pretty boy, how about that?" Zhang Lin provocatively taunted with glee.
Lin Shiyu wasn't worried that Ye Feng wouldn't be up to the task; her concern was that Ye Feng might not take action.
From her understanding of Ye Feng in the past two days, he might not even consider Xu Zhong worth his time.
"Alright, I agree!" Just then, Ye Feng spoke.
"However, President Wan, I have one condition," said Ye Feng calmly.
Hearing Ye Feng's words, Wan Tianhua was not the least bit concerned, "What condition, tell me."
Ye Feng looked at Zhang Lin: "If I win, I want that pheasant to kneel down and promise that from now on, every time she sees me and Lin Shiyu, she must keep her distance and not make a peep around us!"
"Son of a bitch, who are you calling a pheasant!" Zhang Lin instantly flew into a rage, like a street brawler charging towards Ye Feng.
But before she could take a few steps, she was stopped by Xu Zhong.
"Brother Xu Zhong, let me go! I'm going to teach that bastard a lesson!" Zhang Lin struggled with all her might.
Xu Zhong let out a suave laugh, picked up Zhang Lin, and placed her on a nearby sofa, asking gently, "Sister Zhang Lin, why get angry with a loser who's about to fall into the abyss? Right?"
When she heard Xu Zhong's supremely confident words, Zhang Lin was startled and calmed down.
Zhang Lin nodded, and Xu Zhong, pleased, tapped her nose lightly, "Sister Zhang Lin, you'll soon see how I deal with ants. Just sit on the sofa, relax, and enjoy the show. If you're thirsty, someone will bring you a cup of tea."
Zhang Lin's anger was extinguished in an instant, her eyes flirtatious, and she shyly nodded, "Hmm, Brother Xu Zhong, if you teach him a lesson for me, I'll be your girlfriend!"
Hearing Zhang Lin's words energized Xu Zhong as though he had been injected with adrenaline, full of pride and ambition.
"Bastard! Do you dare to face me in battle!"
With a loud roar, the sound resonated throughout the banquet hall, with the ears of those around ringing from the force of Xu Zhong's shout.
Ye Feng completely ignored Xu Zhong and instead turned to Wan Tianhua, "President Wan, you haven't agreed to my condition yet."
Wan Tianhua had never considered Xu Zhong could lose, "I agree!"
Lin Shiyu was somewhat worried, having never seen the real strength of someone who had passed Heavenly Origin Martial Arts Hall's special-level certification, "Ye Feng, are you sure you're okay?"
Ye Feng smiled lightly, "Just an ant. Even if his master were here, it would hardly make a difference..."
"This guy must be a country bumpkin from the mountains, totally unaware of the strength of someone who has passed the special-level certification of Heavenly Origin Martial Arts Hall!"
"Talking about brother Xu Zhong's master too! As if this guy is worthy of Master Zhao lifting a finger!"
The crowd plainly looked down on Ye Feng, considering him a clueless country bumpkin.
"Courting death!"
With a "Boom!" sound.
Just then, Xu Zhong stepped forward, stomping on the ground, and the marble tiles under his feet shattered, leaving several cracks spanning more than twenty centimeters.
"Hiss—" The crowd around gasped, "Wow, that's a marble floor tile! If that step landed on someone, even if it didn't kill them, they'd be half-dead for sure!"
"This kid is dead meat!"
Zhang Lin also shouted excitedly, "Xu Zhong is invincible, beat this little bastard to death!"
Xu Zhong's mouth curled upwards in confidence, "Little sister, don't worry. This kid will soon be like this floor tile, shattered to pieces!"
"Bang!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Zhong's right foot launched forward, pouncing like a starving tiger!
In the blink of an eye, he reached Ye Feng, and then a straight punch came shooting towards Ye Feng's face.
"Whoosh whoosh~~"
The wind from the punch roared, and the air blast surged.
Ye Feng remained calm, countering with a punch of his own.
"Presumptuous fool, die!"
Xu Zhong roared in fury as his punch collided with Ye Feng's.
"Crack~~"
The sound of bones breaking echoed.
"Ah~~~" Accompanied by a scream, Xu Zhong was sent flying backwards, crashing into the dining table behind him, which broke apart, spilling food and drinks all over the floor.
"My hand~~ My hand is broken!" Xu Zhong screamed in agony.
"How is this possible!" The whole place erupted in turmoil, and the crowd stood gaping, speechless with shock.
This was completely different from what everyone had expected. Xu Zhong had even crushed a floor tile under his feet.
But he was no match for Ye Feng at all. With just one punch, his arm was broken, his defeat complete.
President Wan frowned and ordered his men, "Take Xu Zhong to the hospital!"
Soon, Xu Zhong was taken away.
"Hahaha~~" Seeing Xu Zhong being taken away, Wan Tianhua burst out laughing, "Impressive! Impressive! Shiyu, Brother Ye Feng is truly a hidden dragon, who would have thought he could defeat Xu Zhong so easily. Everyone's gotten hungry watching the match, let's eat!"
With that, Wan Tianhua took his seat as if nothing had happened.
"Wan Tianhua, it seems you've forgotten something..." Ye Feng said, turning his gaze to Zhang Lin.
Zhang Lin started panicking and looked to Wan Tianhua with pleading eyes.
Wan Tianhua tried to persuade him, "Young Brother Ye, this was just a joke, don't take it too seriously. How about we give me face and let this go?"
"Face? Who the hell are you, and why should I give it to you?" Ye Feng asked, his face calm as he looked at Wan Tianhua.
"How dare you!" Wan Tianhua bellowed in anger. "Who am I, Young Feng? You can ask anyone here, what am I? I'll tell you, you don't get to play society like this! You think you're strong just because you have some martial arts skills? You're gravely mistaken. Your little abilities are worth nothing compared to money, compared to status!
Listen to me, pretend today didn't happen. Keep your tail between your legs, be a good obedient guy, be a dog for the Lin Family, and you'll have a good life. Opposing me, Wan Tianhua, you're not qualified!"
The Zhang Family, where Zhang Lin belongs, is one of the Wan Family's biggest partners. If Zhang Lin were made to kneel and apologize in front of so many people today, the Wan Family would lose face and couldn't cooperate with the Zhang Family anymore.
Lin Shiyu was also anxious, "Ye Feng, let it go, we haven't lost anything. Let's just leave it at that."
Ye Feng shook his head, "What's Wan Tianhua in the grand scheme of things? Even if it were both the Wan and Zhang Families, making them disappear from Lin Tian City is just a matter of minutes. I, Ye Feng, always keep my word!"
"Naive!" People stared at Ye Feng as if he were a freak.
Nobody knew where Ye Feng's confidence came from to be so arrogant.
Although Wan Tianhua wasn't the Wan Family Patriarch, he could represent the Wan Family. Even Lin Shiyu's grandfather, Sir Lin Zhen, wouldn't have been so bold to tear his face away from the Wan Family like this.
Ye Feng looked at Wan Tianhua, "I'll give you two options now. First, make this harlot kneel and ensure she'll stop jabbering. Second, erase the Wan and Zhang Families from Lin Tian City, and then have this harlot kneel and apologize!"
"What a big talker!" Wan Tianhua heartily angry, "Boy, I want to see how you're going to erase my Wan Family, and the Zhang Family from Lin Tian City! If you don't kneel and apologize for your arrogance today, don't even think about leaving here!"
As he finished speaking, dozens of security personnel from Wanhua Manor rushed in, surrounding Ye Feng and Lin Shiyu.
"This is bad!" Lin Shiyu immediately panicked, "Ye Feng, just apologize quickly, the Wan Family is not as simple as you think!"
At that moment, Lin Shiyu regretted deeply and was close to tears, thinking that she should not have brought Ye Feng with her today.
Ye Feng shook his head, "A bunch of ants, nothing to fear..."
Zhang Lin became smug, "Pretty boy, why can't you just quit while you're ahead? Since you insist on being aggressive, go to hell then!"
"Mr. Wan, Ye Feng has a special relationship with my grandfather. Please let me call him and decide after that, ok?" Lin Shiyu called out urgently.
Lin Shiyu knew that Ye Feng would never back down. How could he be an opponent to both the Wan and Zhang Families?
Lin Shiyu believed that now only her grandfather could save Ye Feng.
"Oh?" Wan Tianhua's face showed a hint of concern after hearing Lin Shiyu's words.
Everyone had heard that Sir Lin Zhen was critically ill, but just this morning, news spread throughout the higher echelons of Lin Tian City.
Sir Lin Zhen's illness had miraculously improved. Since Sir Lin Zhen was still around, they had to pay respects.
"Shiyu, I hope what you've said is true. If he really has a connection with Sir Lin Zhen, I hope Sir Lin Zhen can give me a reasonable explanation!" said Wan Tianhua.