Realm-Hopping Martial Master

He was wearing an absolutely ordinary pair of canvas sneakers.

Jiang Shu, dressed in a shirt, stepped inside from the doorway. He stood five feet ten, towering over the coach in the white training uniform, looking down at him with a calm gaze and saying, "Are you the one stopping my sister from leaving?"

"If you look down on Taekwondo, then you need to apologize!"

"Our Bang Country's Taekwondo, that's real Martial Arts. Xia Country's stance training, you're still just starting out! In our training class, we're using our wealth of Taekwondo experience to teach you Xia Country folks with your crude stance training!"

"Your sister, she's just clueless!"

The coach in the white training uniform gave a cold snort. He had practiced Taekwondo for ten years and was devout about it. He believed Taekwondo was the best Martial Arts in the world!

The young man in front of him, even though a little taller, had nowhere near his own muscle. That somewhat handsome face still looked pretty young—obviously just a student.

He looked just like one of those Bang Country pretty boys, not an ounce of real manliness!

*So what if he's taller than me?*

*One hand, and I could flatten him!*

"Damn, has this guy always been this gutsy? He actually dares to act tough in front of Coach Park?"

"No idea. Sounds like he's that girl's brother. Probably a high schooler like us, or maybe a college freshman at best."

"Tsk tsk tsk, already this age and still that clueless. Just wait till Coach Park gets serious, then he'll figure out how bad this could get."

"Pfft, Coach Park doesn't even have to do it. I feel like even I could take this guy in a match. He's about the same height as me, but hey, I signed up for the advanced class—I already learned a bunch of moves. Last time, I split a few wood boards in class, left all my classmates dumbfounded. They said, with a strike like that, who could handle it? But I know, my power isn't even a tenth of Coach Park's. If Coach Park went in with a palm, that kid..."

The trainees all crowded into the white-lined training area, craning their necks to watch the show.

They had been in the training class for months already.

They had witnessed Coach Park's Martial Arts might more than once.

Splitting wood boards by hand, stepping on students' arms and then launching himself to kick through boards meters above the ground!

That power, that explosiveness.

*Who could compete with that?*

Listening to the students behind him, Coach Park looked even more pleased with himself. He puffed out his chest as if he stood a head taller than Jiang Shu.

"If I know Coach Park, he's probably about to make a move! Wanna bet if he'll smack this kid senseless?"

"Seventy-thirty. Three moves from Coach Park, and that kid is finished."

"Yeah, you really know your odds."

"Not to brag, but if Coach Park hit me with a palm, within five seconds, I'd be on my knees, pinching my philtrum, begging him not to let me die."

The trainees didn't bother to lower their voices—every word carried over clearly.

"Looks to me like the clueless one is you. In Xia Country, not only are you running a scam, you're forcing people to pay up. You really think you're still in Bang Country?"

"Stealing from us day and night—our holidays are yours, Martial Arts are yours. Today you open a 'Martial Arts' class in Xia Country. Bet tomorrow you'll try to claim Xia Country's Martial Arts came from Bang Country. The people who know see that you're stealing; the clueless ones might think you just naturally went native."

"As for your so-called students, it's a perfect match—every pot finds its lid, every pig roots for its own food. Looks to me like they aren't here for Martial Arts, they're here to practice running their mouths. No one watches the Horse Stance videos; all the Internet memes, they remember by heart. Meek as sheep with the muscle guys, but come at us two girls throwing punches."

"Birds of a feather! Sorry, you're from Bang Country, that idiom is probably outside your knowledge base. No big deal, look it up when you get home—then you guys can steal that too, call it your own."

Yanyue wasn't about to let them off easy. The moment she saw Jiang Shu arrive, she jumped right in.

*Even though she still didn't know Jiang Shu's true strength, *

*she told herself she knew her brother well enough. *

*Ever since he started practicing Martial Arts, every time she tested him, he held back. *

*Now that he was this bold? He had to have something up his sleeve!*

*Besides, even if Jiang Shu wasn't strong enough, *

*just with how much he ate every day, as long as a bit of that turned into muscle, how could he lose out?*

*Taekwondo—wasn't it all just flashy show-off moves?*

*How tough could this coach really be?*

*And if things went downhill, Yanyue squeezed her phone, making sure the three digits were ready to dial, and felt much calmer.*

*In Xia Country, they're not letting some Bang Country guy push them around, right?*

"How dare you!"

"You will accept the punishment of Taekwondo, courtesy of my Great Bang Country!"

Shaking with rage at Yanyue's words, Coach Park finally snapped. He reached for Yanyue with one arm, like an eagle snatching up a chick. His anger made him even quicker.

*He knew full well grabbing a minor girl could blow this up big time. *

*But, he was from Bang Country. *

*If he couldn't stay in Xia Country, he could just go back home and live easy!*

Coach Park twisted his body, his white uniform rippling as his palm cut afterimages through the air.

He was fast.

But Jiang Shu was faster!

"Punishment?"

*A supposed Martial Arts coach, but his stance was shallow. He looked like he had muscles, but truth was, his Qi Blood was even weaker than Jiang Shu's had been the first time he sensed it. *

*Now, that move was slow, slow as hell!*

*This clown actually wanted to lay hands on my sister? Right in front of me?*

"Smack."

Tiger Form Three Styles!

Slice!

Jiang Shu shot out a kick, wind howling in its wake.

Ever since reaching Qi Blood Transport, his Qi Blood flowed strong; any casual move used all his full strength.

The rubbing of pant legs hissed in the air, and his toe crashed straight into the other guy's abdomen.

"Wham!"

Just one kick! Instantly, Coach Park's whole body folded, like a boiled shrimp. He staggered a few steps before his legs gave out, and he collapsed on his ass.

Jiang Shu strode forward, eye cold, body low; he reached out, claw-like, and grabbed Park's throat, lifting him clean off the ground!

Feet dangling—eight inches up!

Coach Park's eyes bulged wide. Both hands clawed at his throat, desperately trying to pry Jiang Shu's iron grip away.

But Jiang Shu's hand was like a custom-made steel lock, solid as iron, unmoving.

One second.

Two seconds.

Ten seconds.

*The pain in his gut, the choking as he ran out of air, and that look in Jiang Shu's eyes—cold as death itself—made it feel like he was about to meet God the very next instant.*

"Hel—"

He managed to croak out a single syllable.

But all he got was another jolt of suffocating pain.

"Thud."

Half a minute later, Jiang Shu suddenly let go.

The once-mighty Martial Arts coach, who used to split wood boards with a single hit, fell flat to the floor, gasping for air and turning from pale to flushed. His whole body went limp, and his eyes were nothing but pure terror, shaken to the core.

The entire Martial Arts school went dead silent.

You could hear the breathing of the trainees, clear as day.

The coach they all thought was so powerful—in just a handful of seconds—had fallen apart like a cheap paper lantern.

Jiang Shu swept his gaze over the crowd.

*Eyes averted! Heads down!*

No one dared meet his eyes!

All the mockery—all of it was crushed into silence in that moment.

Only Jiang Shu's words, cool and distant, echoed out,

"Frog in a well, blinded by one leaf."

"Punishment? You're not even worthy."