Chapter 1

On July 2, 2081, at 13:50 on the Blue Star, in the most prosperous city of Xia, "Binhai City," dark clouds gathered, and thunder rumbled, signaling an impending heavy rain.

"Summer thunderstorms come without warning," a young man said from a room on the top floor of the Starry Sky Fighting Hall, gazing out the floor-to-ceiling window at the dark clouds and lightning. Raindrops began to pelt the glass.

The young man walked to the center of the room, placed his hands on the ground, and slowly and steadily performed a handstand. First, he did a regular handstand, then retracted one hand, transitioning to a one-handed handstand with his right hand.

"Exhale~~~ Inhale~~~"

The sound of his breathing echoed in his ears. Xu Jingming felt his core muscles tighten and the weight of his body stimulating his right arm.

For the first three minutes, his arm felt comfortable, deeply stimulated by the exercise. By the fourth minute, his palm muscles began to ache, and by the fifth minute, the pain was intense. However, Xu Jingming was used to it and naturally switched to a one-handed handstand with his left hand after five minutes.

"I wonder if Dad's back is any better today." While doing the one-handed handstand, Xu Jingming's thoughts drifted to his father. His father, who was sixty this year, had a chronic back problem. Yesterday, his mother mentioned over the phone that his father had injured his back again while lifting something heavy...

"After this busy period, I'll go back to my hometown," Xu Jingming thought.

The one-handed handstand was not a training method taught by the national team but something his father taught him when he was a child.

As a child, Xu Jingming was often sick, and his father taught him martial arts to strengthen his body. One of the exercises was the "one-armed handstand." Because of the long-term practice, it had a good effect and became one of his five daily exercises. He practiced it year-round, even when sick or injured, and had been doing it for twenty years. The saying goes, "If you practice boxing without practicing the basics, you will be empty-handed in old age." These basics are the daily fundamental exercises.

If he missed a few days, his muscles and bones would weaken.

After finishing the one-armed handstand, Xu Jingming walked to his desk, sat down, drank some water, and watched the heavy rain outside the window.

"The dampness makes my leg hurt." Xu Jingming looked at his right leg, gently massaging it. "I've never stopped the rehabilitation exercises, but my right leg... won't get better."

"If my right leg hadn't been injured, I might have had a chance to challenge for the world's top spot," Xu Jingming said to himself.

Injury is the greatest fear for any martial arts expert in their career. The "broken leg" injury was a nightmare for Xu Jingming.

"Beep beep beep..." Suddenly, a sound rang out.

Xu Jingming looked up and said, "Xiao Bai, answer the video call."

A light gathered in front of Xu Jingming, forming a two-meter-high image. In the image, a large, muscular man sat in a car, smiling and shouting, "Old Xu, we've already left the hotel and should arrive at your Starry Sky Fighting Hall in about 20 minutes. Ha, we haven't seen each other for over a year, so we should have a good drink tonight."

"Don't worry, Big Bear, I've already booked a barbecue restaurant," Xu Jingming said, smiling at his childhood friend. "The rain is heavy, so be careful on the road."

"Don't worry, don't worry," the large, muscular man replied. "The provincial training team guys all admire you and want to see your gun skills. You'll have to give them some pointers and show them the gap between them and a world-class expert."

"The younger generation is getting better and better. I'll be lucky if I don't lose," Xu Jingming chuckled.

"How could you lose? I hope you do lose, though. If you lose, it means our provincial team has produced another genius," the large, muscular man laughed. "Alright, no more chatting. See you soon."

"See you soon." Xu Jingming waved his hand, and the image in the air disappeared.

Training the Jiangnan Provincial Training Team for ten days, for a fee of 50,000 Blue Star coins, was not enough to cover the venue costs. However, for the fighting hall, being able to train the provincial team was a prestigious opportunity and could attract more fighting enthusiasts to become members.

"Even after retiring, professional athletes need to earn money," Xu Jingming said as he got up to take a shower and change clothes.

Being a professional fighting athlete sounds glamorous, but in reality, they only earn significant appearance fees during their peak years. Very few professional athletes worldwide earn over a hundred million, and most just make enough to get by.

As for after retirement, earning money is even harder. Although Xu Jingming was a world-class martial arts expert, his highest achievement in the World Martial Arts Competition was reaching the top eight. The income in the fighting world is pyramid-shaped, with only a few at the top. The number one earns an exorbitant amount, while the second, third, and fourth places see a sharp decline.

******

Xu Jingming stood at the entrance of the Starry Sky Fighting Hall, accompanied by a few staff members, watching a large electric bus approach through the rain.

As the bus stopped and the door opened, over ten members of the Jiangnan Provincial Training Team got off one by one.

"Big Bear." Xu Jingming immediately recognized the large, muscular man who got off first, his good friend Liu Chongyuan.

"Old Xu." Liu Chongyuan walked over, excitedly hugging Xu Jingming and patting his back. Xu Jingming, grimacing, could only endure it as a massage.

Liu Chongyuan, standing at 2.03 meters tall and weighing over 180 kilograms, resembled a standing bear. He was once a professional martial arts expert, wielding a shield in one hand and an axe in the other. At his peak, he ranked 39th in the World Martial Arts Alliance, which secured his position in the provincial sports bureau.

"This is Coach Xu," Liu Chongyuan said with a grin. "The Coach Xu you've all been dreaming of!"

"Xu Jingming!"

"Gun Demon Xu Jingming!"

"Finally, we see him in person!" The team members were excited, naturally admiring this senior in the field.

Xu Jingming looked at these team members, seeing a younger version of himself.

Young, full of energy!

Unlike himself, who had to retire due to injuries from his martial arts career.

Xu Jingming smiled. "Achen, take them to choose their weapons."

"Yes, Brother Xu," the young staff member replied.

"Big Bear, let's go to the third floor and wait for them," Xu Jingming said, and the two good friends happily headed to the third floor.

...

The weapons room of the Starry Sky Fighting Hall was 500 square meters, filled with various cold weapons like swords, spears, sabers, staffs, shields, axes, hammers, and flails. These were all competition-grade weapons, with blades and edges dulled and covered in a layer of cushioning material to enhance safety. The spears, for example, had detailed specifications: length, diameter, and weight. There were hundreds of spears, neatly lined up against the walls.

"True to the Starry Sky Fighting Hall, the best fighting hall in Binhai City, the weapons are well-equipped," the eleven team members, all using spears, said as they participated in Xu Jingming's training.

In terms of spear skills, Xu Jingming was widely recognized as one of the top ten in history.

The team members quickly selected their usual weapons based on the detailed specifications of the competition spears.

"Seeing Xu Jingming in person for the first time, he looks quite ordinary, not as intimidating as in the videos," a tall man said, testing a spear.

"He seems thinner than in the videos," a young boy added.

"He is thinner," a muscular man nodded. "When he was active, I saw him compete a few times. According to the public data, he is 1.78 meters tall and weighed 93 kilograms. Now, he's much thinner, probably around 85 kilograms."

The team members discussed.

They knew that for a 1.78-meter-tall person, 85 kilograms might seem a bit heavy for a regular person, but for a professional martial arts expert, with heavier bones and a higher muscle ratio, it was actually a bit thin.

"His weight loss must have affected his strength."

"I wonder how much of his skills remain."

"Some professional athletes, after retiring, stop training and their bodies change, and their skills decline significantly."

The team members continued their discussion.

"I wanted to see how much I've improved compared to a World Martial Arts Competition participant, but now that he's lost weight, I wonder how much of his skills remain," the muscular man said, somewhat disappointed. He had been selected for the national training team last year, with the goal of participating in the highest-level competition in the fighting world—the World Martial Arts Competition. He had hoped to learn from Xu Jingming, who had twice reached the World Martial Arts Competition, but now felt let down.

Even with weight loss, how much of Xu Jingming's skills remained? Was he still the dominant "Gun Demon" of the past?

"Even if his skills have declined, his experience remains," the tall man said with a smile. "He can still guide us."

"He might not even spar with us," the young boy muttered. They had seen many older coaches give guidance without actually sparring with them.

******

On the third floor of the Starry Sky Fighting Hall, there was a martial arts platform that met international competition standards, 20 meters long and 20 meters wide, surrounded by a six-meter-high wire fence.

The team members walked into the third floor and saw Coach Liu and Xu Jingming standing there.

"Line up," Xu Jingming said familiarly, as he had once been a member of the Jiangnan Provincial Team before being selected for the national team.

The eleven team members, each holding a spear, lined up neatly.

Even though Xu Jingming's skills might have declined after retirement, his past achievements still commanded respect from the team members, who obediently followed his instructions.

"Starting today, I am your coach. The training will last ten days, and from tomorrow, the training will be from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. I don't want anyone to be late or leave early," Xu Jingming said, scanning the group.

"Yes," the eleven team members responded in unison.

"Good. Since this is our first meeting, let's start with a sparring session so I can see your skills," Xu Jingming said. "This will help me tailor the training to your abilities."

"A sparring session?" The team members looked at each other, both surprised and excited.

"A real sparring session?"

"Xu Jingming is willing to spar with us?" The team members were visibly pleased. If Xu Jingming was willing to do this, it meant he had maintained most of his peak skills even after retirement.

——

Tomato's new book is officially released!

I've been preparing this new book for a long time and have full confidence in it! I hope everyone will support it.

Daily updates: Tentatively, one chapter around 10:00 AM and another around 12:00 PM.