Chapter 227 - 224: Opening Season

Chapter 227: Chapter 224: Opening Season

"Grandpa, say something for me!"

Hearing his granddaughter’s voice again, Elder Mo snapped out of his daze and put on a dignified front.

He picked up the teacup from the side table next to his grand armchair and used the lid to gently push aside the tea leaves.

"Shaoge, while one should respect their opponent in a spar, you had already won with that last move. You should have held back. How could you use your full strength!"

Hearing his grandfather’s scolding, Mo Shaoge looked aggrieved.

"Grandpa, I already held back by fifty percent..."

CLINK! The lid fell onto the teacup.

Fortunately, Elder Mo was no fool. He reacted quickly, his expression remaining unchanged and still stern when the two siblings looked at him.

"You scoundrel! You think holding back by fifty percent is enough? Stopping once the point is made is the rule of sparring! If Qingxue hadn’t blocked that, were you going to leave her with a swollen face? Just wait and see how your father deals with you!"

"Exactly! Going so hard on your own little sister. You should just stand there and let me hit you! Otherwise, I’ll tell my sister-in-law next time!"

"Huh?"

Elder Mo lost his composure again.

...

Downstairs, people were scattered about the gym in twos and threes, working out. Some were training on their own, while others had hired a coach for guidance.

The gym was filled with top-of-the-line equipment, and you could even get free lemon water from the dispenser on the side. Everyone felt their membership fee was more than worth it.

Ding Yi and two of his colleagues had requested a free coaching session. The coach was currently asking about their weight and physical condition to advise them on what to focus on, what was most important, and which equipment was suitable for them.

After chatting for a while, the topic somehow shifted to the Celestial Traveler’s Hall.

"Coach, do you know anything about the martial arts hall upstairs?"

Ding Yi pointed to a distant entrance with glass doors that led upstairs.

The coach’s name was Wang. While he wasn’t completely in the loop about what went on upstairs, he knew more than most outsiders.

"The upstairs and downstairs are owned by the same boss, so of course, I know a little something."

"Tell us about it, Coach."

"Yeah, tell us! We didn’t see any pricing for the martial arts hall on the flyer. It just said they ’select the worthy based on fate.’ We have no idea what they’re up to."

Coach Wang gave a mysterious smile. The truth was, he had also been very curious about the situation and had managed to learn a few things.

"The place upstairs isn’t like those taekwondo or karate dojos you’re thinking of. And it’s not some training class, either. They teach real kung fu!"

"Real kung fu? What kind of real kung fu is there these days...? Those Martial Arts tournaments you see on TV look so fake..."

"Heh heh~"

The coach chuckled. He used to think the same way, feeling that without years and years of dedication, traditional martial arts were no match for MMA.

But one thing changed his mind.

"Let me tell you, you can’t just judge things by their appearance, especially when you haven’t looked into them."

"I heard from our manager that even before the hall opened, a huge boss had already called in a favor, wanting to personally bring his kids here to learn a real skill."

In fact, almost all the staff here knew that Sun Tian would be sending his children to become disciples, but it wasn’t convenient to mention his name to outsiders.

"A huge boss? Just how huge...?"

Coach Wang didn’t say much more. After all, his job was to coach, not just chat.

"Let’s just say, very huge. Now, since you’re the first people I’m coaching today, don’t say I didn’t give you a heads-up. When the hall opens on National Day, you guys can try signing up, too. Maybe you’ll get lucky and the hall master will take a liking to you."

This made Ding Yi and the others listen intently.

So it seemed the Celestial Traveler’s Hall really did ’select the worthy based on fate.’

Still, they were all here to work out, not just to chat. They quickly began their exercises under the coach’s guidance, but the impression had been made.

...

「On National Day」

Outside the building housing Hongli Fitness, which was already quite famous in the nearby office parks, a metal plaque on the top floor that had always been covered was finally unveiled. It revealed two words: Celestial Travel. The words "Traveler’s Hall" were nowhere to be seen.

But this was a new era where all sorts of marketing gimmicks existed; this external sign was just a bit more novel than most.

This opening was far grander than the gym’s. Although there were no firecrackers, they had invited a lion dance troupe. The entrance was bustling with activity for a while, attracting a huge crowd of onlookers.

Some people even recorded the scene of the black and white lions fighting to "pluck the green" and posted it online.

Naturally, people grew very curious about what the Celestial Traveler’s Hall upstairs actually taught, wondering if it was a mix of things like Sanda and Taekwondo.

Elder Mo stood at the entrance with his grandson and granddaughter. He was in the center, with Mo Shaoge and Mo Qingxue flanking him. After watching the lion dance for a short while with a cool, pretentious air, they went inside to the second-floor hall, leaving behind a group of assistants.

Once the lion dance ended, quite a few people went upstairs to inquire, most of them parents with their children. Sun Tian didn’t ask for any special treatment, simply joining the crowd and heading upstairs with his kids.

The assistants received the parents’ inquiries. The gist of their message was that this wasn’t a place you could enter just by signing up. If you wanted your child to learn, you had to bring them in person.

As for the tuition fees, those would only be determined sometime after a student was accepted.

The front hall and back hall were separated by a large screen. The noisy chatter from the front was clearly audible, but the three people in the back seemed to be leisurely sipping their tea.

After all, their biggest worry was that no one would show up. Since people were coming, and in considerable numbers, they should be able to recruit a few students in this first wave.

The student selection method was actually not complicated.

The assistants here didn’t necessarily have any Martial Arts foundation, but they all possessed certain conversational skills. When a parent actually brought a child, an assistant would take them to a private room for an in-depth conversation to understand their situation.

However, the assistant wasn’t the one doing the assessing. They were merely guiding the conversation. The real judge wasn’t the assistant, but a potted plant covered by a bamboo basket in each private room.

It was called an Emotion Flower. A single, small pot held at least a hundred little blossoms.

It couldn’t read minds or communicate with people, but it possessed a unique Ability: a low tolerance for negative emotions.

The more negative thoughts and heavy emotions there were nearby, the more the little flowers would react. Thoughts of impatience, profanity, or even Curses would mostly cause the blossoms to wither. Feelings of inferiority or helplessness would cause the buds to close.

The greater the number of flowers that changed, the more severe the negativity. And it was the assistant’s job to draw all of this out.

Because a Magic Energy Crystal the size of a sunflower seed was embedded in the potted plant’s roots, the flowers would all bloom again after the room was left empty for about ten to twenty minutes.

However, Elder Mo knew none of this. He just assumed the assistants were all versed in so-called "trendy" psychology and could make a preliminary judgment of a person’s character after a fifteen-to-thirty-minute chat. He thought further, more careful assessment and selection would have to be done slowly during the teaching process.

The Mo Family siblings actually wanted to recruit strong young adults more than children. After all, children had their own limitations. If they wanted to see results quickly, adults were more suitable.

After all, this wasn’t like in novels where the younger you started your martial arts enlightenment, the better. With the Association’s help and proper instruction, it wouldn’t take too long to build up one’s physical constitution.

Sun Tian, however, did have a special connection. His time was precious; it was no exaggeration to say he was worth hundreds of thousands a second.

After watching from the outside for a while, he sent a text to Mo Shaoge, and the two siblings came out personally to welcome him.

They led him directly past the screen and into the main training hall. As his view opened up, he got a clear look at the surroundings.

Then his gaze sharpened as he noticed Elder Mo sitting calmly in a grand armchair in the distance.

A thought naturally popped into his head.

’A master from the Association!’

But seeing that the man had no intention of getting up, he figured he didn’t wish to be disturbed. So, Sun Tian tactfully refrained from forcing an introduction. Besides, the children would surely get to know him eventually.

"Shaoge, Qingxue, I’ll leave the children in your hands!"

"Brother Tian, you’re too kind. With the Association involved, how could we possibly short-change your children? Don’t worry, we’ll definitely turn them into great masters!"

The three children could only think, ’...’

They were at a loss for words over Sun Tian’s sudden whim to bring them here, and he had even repeatedly warned them to be obedient and endure any hardship.

PS: Third Chapter for Sunday.