Li Qingshan said it lightly, and for a moment Manager Zhou was stunned, turning to lead the way despite himself.
After only two steps, Cao Shaoyu's excited shout rang out.
"Yeah! A spar! If you don't accept it, you fight — that's the Martial Dao!"
The chubby kid clenched his fists and cheered.
Wait, what am I doing?
The thought struck, and Manager Zhou's steps jolted to a halt as he came to his senses.
He turned to face Li Qingshan, his eyes slowly widening.
"Are you Body Forging Layer 3 too?"
Short of that, he couldn't fathom what gave Li Qingshan the nerve to seek Yu Zhuo out.
"No." Li Qingshan shook his head.
"Bro Shan, you really mean to spar Yu Zhuo?"
Zhao Hongzhou put in dully, brows knitting.
He knew Li Qingshan's strength best — forget Layer 3, he hadn't even hit Layer 2!
"Relax. Realm doesn't equal combat power." Li Qingshan patted his shoulder.
Zhao Hongzhou nodded and said no more.
He didn't quite understand, but he trusted Li Qingshan.
Manager Zhou, however, was in no such easy mood, hopping with anxiety.
"Li Qingshan, the gap in speed and punch force is huge — you can't even take one of his punches, how will you fight?"
Yu Zhuo was domineering to begin with, and now Li Qingshan was delivering himself to the man's door — wasn't that asking for a beating?
"If I don't go to him, will he not come make trouble for me?"
Li Qingshan asked back calmly, then lifted the blade in his right hand and gestured:
"Manager Zhou, lead the way!"
"You — haah!"
The balding man wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to lead.
The best move, really, would have been to just refund Cao Shaoyu and send him off.
But Li Qingshan was clearly set on taking the contract.
The gym, third floor.
The hall was full of equipment, off-work city men and women working up a sweat.
Off to the side, in a glass-partitioned room, a dozen-odd women in yoga wear struck various poses.
Yu Zhuo, hands behind his back, strolled among them, now and then "lending a hand to instruct."
Amid the steady ripple of coy laughter, Yu Zhuo was thoroughly pleased with himself.
Body Forging Layer 3 was nothing special back in class, but here in the gym he was a bona fide expert.
Now his work was easy, the pay good, and no one in the place dared lightly pluck the tiger's whiskers.
"Brother Yu, someone poached your client!" A male trainer ran to the doorway, panting.
Yu Zhuo frowned and said in a low voice:
"What's going on? Who dares poach my client?"
"Someone called Li Qingshan — apparently this year's top Martial Dao Class freshman."
"Li Qingshan?" Yu Zhuo was a little surprised.
He'd heard the name Li Qingshan.
More precisely, after the placement test, the names of the top few had reached the second- and third-years.
But no upperclassman paid them any mind,
because they'd all been through it; talk again when you could last into the second year.
Yu Zhuo hadn't expected a junior he'd given no thought to would dare ride roughshod over him.
"Not just the poaching — that little fatso Cao Shaoyu is offering him 2,000 a session!"
A few more trainers gathered at the door, all talking at once:
"Right, Brother Yu only charges a thousand — a newbie dares take two thousand? Not afraid it'll burn his hands!"
"This Li Qingshan is clearly slapping Brother Yu in the face!"
"Interesting..."
A vicious grin hooked at Yu Zhuo's mouth, his knuckles cracking as he flexed them.
"Seems the 'top freshman' title is too grand and has gone to this little junior's head."
"Perfect — let me, his senior, help clear it for him."
"Oh? Seems the rumors were wrong — they've done my senior's reputation a disservice."
A soft laugh sounded as a group of four came in from beyond the hall.
The few trainers at the door stared dumbstruck and gave way of their own accord.
They'd rushed up to deliver the news, never imagining Li Qingshan would dare come to the door himself.
"I'd heard Senior Yu Zhuo was a domineering sort — who'd have thought the man himself was so warmhearted?"
A smile at his lips, Li Qingshan stopped in the doorway.
As the words fell, everyone around started, exchanging glances.
Yu Zhuo's high-handedness was an open secret to the whole gym, but Li Qingshan was the first to dare say it to his face!
A few trainers stole glances at Li Qingshan, a touch of admiration in their eyes.
Whatever his strength, at least this "top freshman" had nerve!
Beside them, Manager Zhou's face was flushed, his bald head beaded with sweat.
His eyes practically twitching, he shot frantic looks at Li Qingshan.
Was that necessary?
Saying it in private was one thing, but to let loose to his face — wasn't he afraid of being beaten to death in a minute?
"Li Qingshan, you actually dare come to my door?"
Yu Zhuo laughed in his fury, waving for the yoga women around him to disperse.
The dozen-odd women stopped at once and gathered to the side with practiced ease, eyes bright.
This was not the first such show; once again they'd get to see Coach Yu "throw his weight around."
"Top freshman?"
Yu Zhuo sneered, his gaze sharpening abruptly as it fixed on Li Qingshan.
"Just a Body Forging Layer 1 — who gave you the guts to provoke me?"
"Or do you think a 'top freshman' title is enough to let you beat the strong as the weak?"
"Wrong. I've never believed that 'the weak beating the strong' truly exists."
Li Qingshan cut in, earnest:
"And besides, you've got the strong and the weak mixed up."
"Between you and me — you're weak, I'm strong!"
The moment the words were out, everyone's expression turned strange.
Body Forging Layer 1: speed 11 meters per second, punch force 250 kilograms.
Body Forging Layer 3: 15 meters per second, 500 kilograms.
With a gap that wide, how did Li Qingshan dare say he was stronger than Yu Zhuo?
"So he's a madman!"
Yu Zhuo smiled with contempt, flexing his fingers, knuckles cracking.
"Then let's try it on the ring — let me see just where you're stronger than me."
"It's only one cut. No need for all that trouble."
Li Qingshan shook his head lightly, drew the blade, and said politely:
"Senior, are you ready?"
"Death wish!"
Yu Zhuo flew into a rage, kicked off his right foot, and lunged, his violent momentum like a tiger loosed from its cage.
Li Qingshan stood where he was, not moving an inch.
"Scared stiff?"
The thought flashed past, and a vicious grin curved Yu Zhuo's mouth as he clenched his right fist.
Ten-plus meters, crossed in an instant, and the heavy fist came smashing down.
Whoosh!
The fist met empty air, and his body stumbled with the miss.
"Where'd he go?"
Yu Zhuo stared blankly at the empty space before him, utterly bewildered.
Barely a second had passed — how could the man have vanished right before his eyes?
Just then,
he suddenly noticed the few onlooking trainers and Manager Zhou up front, all wide-eyed, staring in disbelief.
"At me? ...No — Li Qingshan's behind me!"
Yu Zhuo reacted fast and made to turn.
SQUELCH!
A bitter blade-wind swept past, tearing through his crotch.
Yu Zhuo's legs went cold in an instant, his groin weak, and he dropped to his knees.
The blade-wind was gone in a flash, but the cold of that instant was like a bone-piercing gale, boring in through his pores all the way to the bottom of his heart.
Yu Zhuo's hairs stood on end, his whole body trembling, his lips quivering.
A hair's breadth, and he'd have become a eunuch of some ancient dynasty!
Just a hair!
"Phew! Good thing it was just a hair!"
Li Qingshan let out a long breath, sheathed the blade, and said apologetically:
"Sorry, Senior. Force of habit — I almost couldn't pull it back."