Chapter 9: I Refuse

Years of training meant that his punch was something ordinary people simply couldn’t dodge, rapid and powerful. Even though he withheld thirty percent of his strength, it was still enough to knock an ordinary person to the ground, temporarily losing combat ability—it’s not something you can easily defend or dodge. Even in the octagon, Zhang Kui’s punch was so fierce that no one dared take it head-on. Lu Ren could clearly feel the gust of wind from the punch coming toward him. This guy! Lu Ren took a step back with his left leg to stabilize, then swung his right fist heavily forward. Seeing Lu Ren’s fist, Zhang Kui made no attempt to dodge but raised his arm to block. Bang! "Not bad power!" Zhang Kui was a bit surprised. "But your strength is too dispersed; a lot of it is wasted." Zhang Kui habitually commented. Lu Ren stayed silent and calmly delivered a left uppercut toward Zhang Kui’s chin. Zhang Kui easily sidestepped, twisting his waist slightly, pushing forward with his foot, and before Lu Ren could react, his fist landed on the chest protector. Bang! A dull sound echoed as Lu Ren took the punch directly on his chest. "Ugh!" Lu Ren grunted, stumbling back several steps before barely managing to steady himself, the 8-point spirit attribute allowing him to see Zhang Kui’s moves but his body couldn’t react in time. His agility was a bit low, although average, it was insufficient against a professional trainer like Zhang Kui, not to mention the hidden tricks the opponent surely had. "Ding, you were suddenly attacked, your constitution skill level passively increased by 1." Seeing Lu Ren catch his breath, Zhang Kui didn’t attack again but took off his gloves and said, "Alright, the sparring partner earns four hundred per hour, and the club takes a hundred as commission, do you agree?" "Alright, when do I start?" Zhang Kui, stepping off the ring, replied, "Anytime." "I want to start now." Zhang Kui was not surprised, as if he had met many people like Lu Ren, nodded slightly, and then turned his head to shout, "Little Li, come over and take him to the sparring room!" Ten minutes later, Lu Ren was still in his protective gear, standing in the octagon, a mouthguard in his mouth. Little Li, who was checking Lu Ren’s protective gear, patted him and said, "Need money urgently, huh buddy?" Seeing Lu Ren nod slightly, Little Li said naturally, "Everyone doing this needs fast money without taking the wrong path or engaging in shady deals. To earn more, you have to rely on your body." As he fastened the last button, Little Li patted Lu Ren on the shoulder and seriously said, "Want to learn a few tips?" With the mouthguard in, Lu Ren’s words were a bit muffled, but his face showed a willingness to learn: "Thanks, please go ahead." Never underestimate some little tricks; sometimes they can bring you great benefits. Little Li pointed at his own chin, waist, ribs, nose bridge, the back of the head, and other vital parts. "Don’t use these areas to deal with attacks; use the cheekbones, chest, and abdomen to take blows, okay? These protective gears are thickened. Some fools don’t understand and end up being carried out horizontally after a few hits, losing money instead of earning." "Understood, thank you!" Lu Ren memorized it, the high spirit allowing him to remember Little Li’s words clearly. Little Li nodded slightly, "Most of those who come for sparring partners are novices looking to let off some steam. Most don’t know any martial arts skills; just let them feel satisfied. Of course, this is generally; those who can afford the four hundred per hour sparring fee usually aren’t short on money, so don’t overthink. Alright, stay here for a while, someone will come in." "Thanks for the reminder!" He silently regulated his breathing. Since the last system hint, he had a vague understanding of breathing, and his physical strength recovered quite fast. He even looked forward to whether this insight into breathing would turn into a breathing recovery technique, like in missions. Lu Ren was one hundred percent sure that reaching a certain threshold would result in a new skill. About three to five minutes later, Little Li brought in a man who seemed to be in his late forties from his attire. He wore dress pants and a shirt, with a slight bulge in his midsection, and was balding significantly; perhaps each strand of hair had its own name. A person who had long sat in an office. Lu Ren internally assessed. Little Li said, "Lu Ren, this is the client you’ll be sparring with, take good care of him, I’m off!" The man smiled politely at Lu Ren, "Friend, please bear with me later!" Lu Ren shook his head slightly, indicating it was no problem; he seemed polite and reasonable. Five minutes later, Lu Ren felt a string of system notifications saying his constitution skill level increased passively, feeling a bit excited as he looked at the exhausted man on the ground. He couldn’t help but urge, "Sir, you hired for two hours." If common people aren’t trained, high-intensity fighting for five minutes will exhaust them greatly. The man waved his hand tiredly, gasping with his face red, "Allow me, allow me to rest for a bit." Lu Ren hesitated, "Well, sir, the rest time also counts as part of the session, you know." The man almost stuck out his tongue, weakly waving his hand, "No problem." Seeing Lu Ren without any abnormality, the recovered man seemed a bit unwilling and said, "Friend, take off your protective gear and spar with me, how about I give you two thousand privately?" It can be done this way? Lu Ren turned his head toward Little Li standing outside the octagon, who had seen everything and spread his hands, indicating Lu Ren could decide. Lu Ren kept silent, calculating in his mind, and slightly shook his head, "It’s alright sir, I think this is enough now." No one likes getting hit, and Lu Ren didn’t want to either, even as a sparring partner, he was doing it out of necessity, even if he was increasing his attributes and skill level. The man was stunned, seemingly not expecting Lu Ren’s refusal; his face flashed with anger but his good upbringing kept him calm, "How about ten thousand?" Ten thousand?! Lu Ren looked at the system skill level notifications in his mind, hesitated, and thought this seemed good. Both earning money and increasing constitution skill level. Can’t abandon money for pride, can I? Lu Ren quickly removed his protective gear, then took out his phone from his nearby clothes and opened the payment code, handing it to the man. The man promptly transferred ten thousand to Lu Ren, then got up and said, "I’ll go rest for a bit, and continue in half an hour." Seeing the man leave, Little Li entered the octagon, somewhat excitedly saying, "Nice going, Lu Ren, finding a cash cow right away—give it your all, getting hurt’s nothing! Such people clearly have money but are under pressure, mentally empty, and have strong desires for control. Didn’t you see his face when you refused him earlier?"