C21 Xie Rui

Su Wei once again struggled to his feet and charged at Shi Yutang.

Instinctively, he extended his leg and executed a close-quarters combat technique Shi Yutang had demonstrated earlier!

As Su Wei's foot aimed a vicious kick at Shi Yutang's head, his other hand, following the inertia, began to arc.

If Shi Yutang managed to dodge the kick but failed to remain vigilant, Su Wei's fist would follow through, striking Shi Yutang's ribs with brutal force.

It was common knowledge that the ribs were incredibly sensitive due to the abundance of nerve endings, making them highly susceptible to pain.

A forceful blow could not only cause excruciating pain but also potentially knock the recipient unconscious!

Su Wei's kick swept through fiercely. Shi Yutang's head snapped back, yet his feet remained firmly planted.

Su Wei's heart leapt with anticipation. Shi Yutang, you're about to fall for it!

But was Shi Yutang truly oblivious to Su Wei's tactics?

A slight smile crept across Shi Yutang's face as he leaned back.

"After half an hour of taking hits, are you finally catching on?" he mused.

Shi Yutang inwardly mourned the hardships Su Wei was about to endure.

The next instant, Shi Yutang's body sprang back like a steel plate recoiling, returning at an even greater speed.

Before Su Wei's fist could close the distance to within a foot of Shi Yutang, Shi Yutang had already thrust out his right hand, delivering a powerful chop to Su Wei's neck.

With that single blow, Su Wei collapsed.

Looking down at Su Wei at his feet, Shi Yutang's smile widened.

"Heh, you're still too green to take me on!"

Saying this, Shi Yutang stooped down, hoisted Su Wei onto his back, and carried him back to the Soul Master department's activity room.

This time, Shi Yutang carefully placed Su Wei on a mat in the center of the hall, ensuring he wouldn't get hurt by accident in the spacious area.

An hour later, Su Wei's eyes fluttered open.

He had regained consciousness in half the time it had taken him initially.

The confusion in his eyes vanished in a mere two seconds as he snapped back to reality.

"You're awake? Let's go again!" Shi Yutang's voice once again reached Su Wei's ears.

...

"We've made it! This is the place, right?"

After finishing his evening training with Shi Yutang, Su Wei rushed to the Apex League Martial Club.

Looking up at the bustling entrance of the club, Su Wei was lost in thought. It was his first glimpse of the official facade of the Apex League Martial Club.

The five-meter-tall gate was both grand and imposing, with its black and gray decor emphasizing discipline and dominance.

"Head Hou Xuehai! I've arrived to report!"

Inside Hou Xuehai's office, Su Wei greeted the head and was then directed to the side of the arena, where the coach in the grey and black sweatshirt was waiting for him.

"Yo, it's you!" Xie Rui greeted Su Wei as if they were old acquaintances.

Su Wei found it odd but quickly realized why. Not everyone had the experience of sparring in the martial club where the opponent fell without any physical contact.

No wonder Xie Rui remembered him so vividly!

"Hey, bro, what's on the agenda this time? Are we continuing with training?"

...

As they became more acquainted, Su Wei discovered that Xie Rui wasn't a man oblivious to social graces; he was quite thoughtful.

He was genuinely kind-hearted and earnest, with a few quirks just waiting to be discovered.

"What, you want to spar with me?" Xie Rui asked, looking at Su Wei curiously.

"Today, I'll be training with the others. You can watch from the sidelines and help out with water and massages."

After giving Su Wei a glance, Xie Rui ascended to the arena alone. The Apex League Martial Club's arena was located on the basement level.

There were four arenas in total, and Xie Rui had taken his place on one of them.

At that moment, a middle-aged man with a corpulent figure and a protruding beer belly was already standing on the arena.

The Apex League Martial Club, founded by Feng, the World's Strongest, was known for its extreme training. Yet, it wasn't uncommon for ordinary civilians to join the club, get a membership, and train for fitness.

The Apex League Martial Club primarily generates revenue through the sale of their cultivation methods and the rental of their equipment.

In essence, think of it as a gym!

At the moment, a middle-aged man was selecting a regular boxing sparring partner. They moved back and forth across the arena, exchanging blows that never exceeded 50 kilograms in force. By the standards of this era, that was considered quite minimal.

As Xie Rui sparred in the arena, Su Wei sat on a nearby chair, watching the lackluster match unfold before him with a sigh. Was this what ordinary life was like?

Another coach seated beside Su Wei glanced at him and struck up a conversation.

"You're Su Wei, right? You're the one who entered Bullet Time while sparring with Xie Rui. You've got some talent."

"Don't be fooled by Xie Rui's appearance; he may seem to have trouble with his legs, but he's a true man."

"We were all special forces soldiers serving in the army. Once, after completing a border patrol mission, a herdsman's child fell into a river while playing alone."

"He was moments from death when we arrived on the scene. Xie Rui acted quickly and decisively to save him!"

"With his gear, he dove into the icy river waters of December and rescued the child in mere moments."

"That incident, however, took its toll. The winter's icy water numbed the pain, and it wasn't until we returned to camp that we discovered Xie Rui's leg had been impaled by a shard of ice."

"Such an injury would normally be trivial for someone of our caliber, but it was the location of the ice shard that was problematic."

"Do you know what the camp doctor said afterward?"

"He said Xie Rui was finished because the ice had pierced through the largest meridian in his leg."

"His Genuine Qi could no longer be contained; it leaked out faster than it could be replenished. From that day on, Xie Rui became an ordinary person, unable to practice cultivation."

The coach's eyes welled up with emotion as he recounted the story.

Su Wei, sensing the gravity of the moment, solemnly wiped the smile from his face.

"This is a man who deserves our utmost respect!"

"Afterward, Xie Rui had no choice but to leave the service; he no longer met the army's standards. Upon his return, we both joined the Apex League Martial Club as ordinary coaches."

"I'm a regular retiree, a bit on the older side, so I can't engage in overly strenuous exercise. But Coach Xie Rui, he's different. Even though he's lost his Soul Master abilities and can't battle anymore, we still retain our combat skills. That makes sparring with ordinary folks to strengthen and condition our bodies a breeze."

"The future really rests on the shoulders of your generation. Keep it up!"

"We humans are quite vulnerable when faced with the forces of nature. You see, a mere shard of ice can take down even the mightiest among us."

For a moment, Su Wei gazed at Coach Xie Rui in the arena. The figure that once seemed comical due to his exaggerated movements now appeared to grow in stature!

Life continued in this uneventful way for another week or so.

That evening, after finishing his close-quarters combat training with Shi Yutang, Su Wei was getting ready to head to his part-time practice session at the Apex League Martial Club.

Just then, Shi Yutang, watching Su Wei about to depart, remarked, "Su Wei, prepare yourself. Join me for a trip outside."