"While our Xia Country hasn't regulated martial arts training classes yet, go back where you came from."
"You can't even beat a high school student like me, and you dare call yourself a coach?"
Jiang Shu's voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to stir up a tempest in everyone's heart.
The students' eyes were dull, as if the idols of their faith had suddenly collapsed within them.
"You!"
Coach Park trembled all over. He desperately wanted to point at Jiang Shu and hurl abuse.
But the lingering sensation of suffocation around his neck was a constant reminder: this boy, who claimed to be merely a high school student... might actually kill someone!
In those terrifying seconds, he had truly felt he might die in Xia Country, die right here in this training class!
How could this somewhat frail-looking boy unleash such immense strength?
Is he a Martial Artist from Xia Country?
Could it be that Korean Taekwondo truly is inferior to Xia Country's martial arts?
No, impossible!
Korean Taekwondo boasts a century of history and has produced countless exceptional figures.
Xia Country only announced its martial arts last year!
It must be that I was careless!
When I attacked the little girl, I wasn't paying attention to this guy's move. Yes, that must be it!
Coach Park desperately tried to convince himself.
This training class absolutely must not disband!
If it did, his junior brother, still undergoing secret training abroad... would surely not spare him!
The mere thought of his junior brother sent an involuntary shiver down Coach Park's spine.
Although his junior brother had started two years later than him, he didn't just practice Taekwondo; he also trained in various fighting techniques from around the world.
Moreover, high-tech instruments regularly monitored his physical changes, enhancing his abilities steadily and scientifically.
Not only was his physique powerful and his speed agile, but his strength had also reached a terrifying seven to eight hundred catties!
He could shatter a sandbag with a single punch!
No matter how formidable this young man was, could he compare to his junior brother?
As long as I can keep the students in the training class, if this guy dares to return in two or three months, my junior brother will undoubtedly teach him a lesson!
"You... you launched a sneak attack! You have no martial virtue! I've been running a high fever for days, caught your Xia Country flu! My strength is diminished. If you're so capable, come back in two or three months."
"My junior brother will show you what true Taekwondo is, the true pinnacle of martial arts! Then, if you kowtow, apologize, and are willing to renounce Xia Country's martial arts... we, in our magnanimity, will agree to let you join Taekwondo."
Coach Park scrambled up from the ground and retreated several steps.
Only when he was a good seven or eight steps away from the high school student did he stand firm.
He found an excuse for himself and uttered a harsh threat.
"Are all people from your country always this arrogant?"
Jiang Shu regarded the coach, who was all bluster masking his fear, with a distinct lack of interest.
He had no desire to know who this coach's junior brother was.
Nor did he intend to return in two or three months.
If his sister hadn't been here, he wouldn't have set foot in such a training class.
He'd rather spend his time on stance training, aiming to achieve a full circulation of Qi and blood sooner.
As for the students of this training class, his single kick should have been proof enough.
If they had any sense, they'd know how to choose.
Without sparing the coach another glance, Jiang Shu turned to the astounded Jiang Yanyue and patted her shoulder. "What are you standing there stunned for? Let's go."
"Ah... oh."
For once not arguing with Jiang Shu, Jiang Yanyue's mind was a complete blank. She followed him closely, and before she knew it, they had already left the Gemini Building.
Beside her, Sang Zhirou looked utterly dazed.
Through her bewildered eyes, she had seen her best friend furiously berate the coach, watched the coach make his move, and then witnessed her best friend's brother send him flying with a single kick.
She looked up at Jiang Yanyue's brother, her mind reeling as if a typhoon had just swept through. Before coming to enroll, she had carefully watched the training class's advertisements and promotional videos, so she knew exactly how formidable Coach Park was.
He could effortlessly subdue three or four attackers simultaneously.
He could even break wooden planks with his bare hands and execute mid-air spinning kicks.
Yet this very man had been kicked to the ground by Jiang Yanyue's brother and lifted like a helpless chick.
He hadn't even been able to put up a fight!
Is this the true martial arts of Xia Country?
"I've checked out the martial arts training classes in Ji City before; basically, none of them have any real substance. You girls are still young. If you want to practice stances, doing it on your own is fine. The most important thing is to cultivate an interest. As for advancing, we can talk about that in a year or two."
"By then, Xia Country will surely have issued new regulations, and these kinds of martial arts training classes will naturally be driven out by superior ones."
Jiang Shu spoke as they walked.
He had visited this martial arts training class before and knew its predecessor was merely a Taekwondo club.
That was why, upon seeing the address Jiang Yanyue had sent, he had stopped his training and headed over.
"Alright, I need to get back to my training. You two go have fun, maybe do some shopping to relax. Let me know if you need more money."
"Umm... Brother..."
Jiang Yanyue looked up. Only now was she beginning to recover, her eyes filled with countless questions. She had imagined that her brother, after more than three months of martial arts training, would be stronger than an average high school student.
She thought he might be able to exchange a few blows with this flashy, superficial Taekwondo coach.
But definitely not this—subduing him with a single kick, lifting him with one hand!
This wasn't a movie!
This wasn't a staged performance!
This scene had unfolded, raw and undeniable, right before her eyes.
It completely overturned her understanding of reality.
To lift a person by the neck... just how much strength did that require?
And Jiang Shu, after doing something so monumental, still spoke calmly and walked with ease.
Clearly, he hadn't even used his full strength!
"If there's anything, we can talk about it when we get home. Since you're out, go have fun. Friendships made with classmates are precious and should be cherished."
Jiang Shu spoke with a touch of wistfulness, as if recalling something.
Then, he glanced around to get his bearings, located the nearby park, and strode off quickly in that direction.
Though he moved at a quick pace, within a single breath, he was already more than ten meters away from Jiang Yanyue and her friend.
"Yanyan... your brother is really good to you."
Watching Jiang Shu's retreating figure, Sang Zhirou couldn't help but whisper. For the longest time, all she had heard from her best friend were complaints about her brother.
This was the first time she had seen Jiang Yanyue's brother up close.
He seemed... somehow different from how Jiang Yanyue described him.
Now, even if she closed her eyes, Jiang Shu's handsome face would immediately materialize in her mind.
His slightly long hair brushed past his ears.
Though dressed very simply, his kick had been sharp and domineering.
His every word and action exuded maturity and a profound sense of security.
This comforting feeling... aside from her father, she had never experienced it from any other boy.
She quietly took a deep breath, truly feeling her heart pounding violently.
Its rhythm was as rapid as if she had just finished an 800-meter race.
"Umm..."
Jiang Yanyue, uncharacteristically not retorting about Jiang Shu, was still a bit dazed and simply nodded.
"Yanyan..."
"Hmm?"
"You know... I think... maybe I shouldn't enroll after all. Could... could you give me your brother's Weixun contact? If I have any martial arts questions in the future, I could ask... ask your brother."
"Your brother seems really amazing... much more reliable than those coaches at the training centers."
Sang Zhirou's voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum. She didn't know what to do with her hands; one moment they were in her pockets, wiping sweaty palms, the next they were out, nervously tugging at the hem of her clothes.
Ask for his contact info? For martial arts questions? Ask my brother?
Jiang Yanyue, still lost in the memories of the scene at the martial arts training class, suddenly snapped back to reality.
Her usually socially anxious best friend was proactively asking for her brother's Weixun?
Was the sun rising in the west today?
Something's not right! This isn't right at all!
Jiang Yanyue's eyes filled with suspicion as she looked at her best friend.
At that moment, Sang Zhirou had her head slightly lowered. As if sensing Jiang Yanyue's gaze, a blush like the morning glow crept up her face, faintly visible from the side.
Instantly, a daring thought flashed through Jiang Yanyue's mind.
No way.
I treat you like a sister, and you want to be my sister-in-law?
Little Mulberry, you've got some nerve!