"Miss, with driving like that, giving you a bad review isn't unreasonable, is it?"

"...Tsk."

Seeing her prank had failed, Li Jian Amber pouted, not bothering to conceal her displeasure.

"We're here." She looked ahead.

After the recent violent maneuver, the sedan slid into the last available parking space on the curb. It docked perfectly, without leaving a single scratch on the neighboring cars—not even a crease.

It left only four complex, interlacing tire tracks on the ground, astounding the onlookers.

This stunt would probably cost a good amount in repair fees too.

The car was parked in front of a bustling commercial building.

Dozens of meters away, crowds of people flowed like a river.

Only then did the startled screams belatedly arrive.

A notebook stuffed with various certificates and cards was tossed into Huai Shi's lap. Li Jian Amber pointed to the entrance ahead. "Take this. Turn right after you enter, show it to the security guard, then take the designated elevator to the sixth floor. I'll wait for you here."

Huai Shi picked up the identification, a bad feeling creeping over him. "Aren't you coming with me?"

"Forget it. Today's a teaching day, after all."

Li Jian Amber's face paled slightly. She looked at Huai Shi with particular sympathy. "Once that guy gets worked up, things can get... intense. You're on your own, good luck."

Huai Shi eyed her skeptically for a long moment, then scoffed and grabbed the notebook. "I don't believe it. Your training class can't possibly eat me alive."

He got out of the car and headed in the direction Amber had indicated. It looked like an ordinary shopping mall, complete with a VIP elevator.

However, all along the way, the security guards looked at him as if they were viewing the remains of a hero before his sacrifice, their expressions a mixture of shock and sorrow.

You think this will scare me off?

Huai Shi snorted, his expression unchanging as he boarded the elevator. After swiping the card, he pressed the button and waited for the lift to ascend.

He wanted to see for himself just what kind of Dragon Pool Tiger Den this training class really was.

A trap?

Ha, could it be any more of a trap than Raven's?

That's a joke!

I, Huaihai Road Little Peiqi, have seen my share of storms. I won't get capsized in this gutter...

As the elevator slowly opened, Huai Shi's vision abruptly went black.

BOOM!

As the metal doors parted, a tangible wave of sound poured into the confined space, carrying a tune that could make one's very soul tremble.

A deafening roar.

Dozens of subwoofers vibrated intensely from all directions, blasting out a gut-wrenching melody.

Huai Shi suddenly felt a deep chill.

"young man!"

"there's no need to feel down!"

"I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground..."

The singing was so enthusiastic it plunged Huai Shi into a state of fear and bewilderment, as if he'd been tossed into a furnace.

Then, he saw them: rows of nearly-nude, burly men filling the enormous hall.

Mother...

Huai Shi felt like he was suffocating.

What in the world is this!

Under the dim yellow lighting, muscular men, wearing only shorts—disdaining even tank tops—were working out vigorously.

Bench presses, battle ropes, weighted squats, even boxing, wrestling, and sumo...

There were no treadmills or elliptical machines here for sissies to take selfies with. Only the pure joys of true men: Smith machines, punching bags, and countless barbells of all sizes.

Workout! Workout! Workout!

Countless muscles rippled and flexed, their owners roaring and bellowing along with the wild song.

As Huai Shi stared in astonishment, glistening, muscular bodies collided, sending sprays of sweat flying.

On muscles slick with olive oil, hot sweat vaporized, rising to form an almost suffocating mist that engulfed the small, lonely, and helpless Huai Shi.

It's like Hell.

Fear, like a giant hand, seized Huai Shi's heart and slowly squeezed.

He'll die here.

If he stayed any longer, he was certain to die…

This irrational thought surfaced in his mind. Huai Shi didn't dare look at the wrestlers grappling intensely on the floor. He didn't even dare to swallow. Stiffly, he stepped back and frantically jabbed the elevator button.

Open, open, open, open!

The world of the strong is terrifying! I should get back to the car and cower.

Just as Huai Shi was praying fervently, the elevator doors finally began to open again. But then, a calloused hand slapped down hard on his shoulder.

"Young man." A raspy voice asked, "Where do you think you're going?"

"S-sorry," Huai Shi turned stiffly, struggling to force a smile. "I took the wrong turn..."

"That's not right," the old man said. "You need a card to get up to our gym."

The old man raised a hand to scratch his bald head, revealing arms thicker than Huai Shi's thighs and an upper body packed with a terrifying amount of muscle.

Mother, these muscles have a life of their own!

His muscles were a chaotic, exaggerated mass, like Chongqing's traffic system, forming a physique that was painful even to look at.

Like the other fitness fanatics, the old man wore only a pair of shorts that barely covered anything. If not for the wrinkles on his face and the white beard on his chin, Huai Shi wouldn't have been able to guess his age at all.

"Strange, you look familiar."

Observing Huai Shi's shivering form, the old man pondered for a moment. Then, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Since you're here, why not do a few anaerobic sets before you go? Come on, I'll teach you..."

"No need! I don't need to work out, thank you!"

Before the old man could grab him, Huai Shi leaped into the elevator and frantically mashed the 'close door' button. "I'm leaving now! Don't bother seeing me out! Goodbye, sir..."

"Wait a minute!"

The closing elevator doors were suddenly wrenched open by the old man's bare hands. A shiny bald head poked in. He sized up Huai Shi's face, one eyebrow raised.

"I remember now. You're that Little Brag who came to report today... right?"

Not giving Huai Shi a chance to resist, the old man reached out, grabbed his shoulder, and practically lifted him off his feet. He then turned and strode into the gym.

They passed wrestlers grappling on the floor and huge, muscular men dancing with barbells to the music, wiggling their butts. He unceremoniously dumped Huai Shi onto a bench in the corner.

Whether it was the old man's terrifying aura or something else, Huai Shi found himself momentarily unable to resist.

Then, the old man sat down behind a desk, put on a pair of reading glasses, and began flipping through a notebook from a drawer. This area apparently served as an office, reception, and lounge, all rolled into one.

"Huai Shi, right?"

The old man looked up at him, one hand clutching a pen, the other sneakily curling a dumbbell.

"Yes, yes. Sir, have a Coke," Huai Shi stammered, offering an ice-cold can. "How should I address you, sir?"

"My surname is Luo. Just call me Coach Luo."

Coach Luo expressionlessly took the Coke Huai Shi offered and held it up. "What is this?"

"Uh, Coke."

BANG!

The Coke can exploded.

"Wrong! This is calories! This is TRASH, you hear me?"

Coach Luo's eyes widened, his previously amiable expression instantly turning as grim as a demon's. "In my gym, in the world of real men, this is TRASH! Real men only drink protein powder! They don't need this garbage!"

As he spoke, his muscles seemed to ripple and dance, as if roaring along with him.

Beads of sweat flew off him, almost spattering Huai Shi's face.

Huai Shi shrank back, shivering.

Fine, fine, whatever you say...

I just want to get out of here fast.

"Forget it. You're new, so you don't understand. Just don't let it happen again."

Coach Luo casually tossed the crushed Coke can aside. He scribbled something in his notebook, noting Huai Shi's arrival time, then held out his hand. "Hand it over."

Huai Shi carefully passed over the ID Li Jian Amber had given him. Coach Luo glanced at it and waved it away. "Who wants this?"

While Huai Shi was still bewildered, Coach Luo raised his hand and pointed to a price list scrawled on a battered wooden plank hanging on the wall. "This is a gym. If you're here to learn, you have to get a membership card first!"

Learn my ass!

Learn to fight butt-naked like you guys?

Huai Shi's mouth twitched. But under the intense gazes of the surrounding muscle-bound men, he didn't dare argue. He reluctantly pulled out his wallet, planning to pay up and then make a run for it.

"Alright, how much?"

Coach Luo stated, "One hundred thousand."

Huai Shi nearly leaped to his feet. "That expensive?"

Coach Luo snorted, picked his nose, and added, "...US Dollars."

"Are you insane?" Huai Shi's eyes bulged.

Coach Luo remained unfazed and finally added slowly, "Per day."

One hundred thousand US Dollars. Per day.

That price made Huai Shi collapse to the ground.

What the hell kind of gym is this? It's a goddamn slaughterhouse!

"Sir, are you from the X-Township Tourism Bureau or something?!"

Huai Shi was furious. He pointed at the price list on the board. "It clearly says three hundred Dongxia Coins a year, and it even includes a gym bag! Are you trying to cheat me because you think I can't read?!"

"If you want to sing songs and build muscle like them, then yes, it's three hundred a year."

Coach Luo nonchalantly gestured towards the sweating, nearly-naked muscular men behind Huai Shi. "But is that really what you're here to learn, Little Brag? Do you think Sublimators need to work out? You should know, expensive things are expensive for a reason..."

"Reason my ass!" Huai Shi clutched his wallet, his expression wary. "This is a gym! If you don't teach fitness, what do you teach?"

"Of course, I teach you how to fight."

Coach Luo grinned. "How to fight people, how to win fights, how to beat people to death... That's all I can teach you here, isn't it?

According to the rules of our fitness circle, how about a trial lesson?"

He rubbed his fingers together, eyebrows raised. "Ten minutes. It'll only cost you ten thousand. I'll fight you bare-handed. If you can make me take a single step back, you win. How about it?"

"Are you dreaming, old man?"

Huai Shi scoffed. "How about this: I fight you. If *I* take a step back, you win, and then you give *me* ten thousand? I guarantee I'll run faster than Bolt!"

No matter how glib you are, I won't budge.

Taking my life? Easy.

Taking my money?

In your dreams!

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