"Damn! Why are you grinning like that, brat? Are you not convinced or something?" Jade Swann immediately noticed the weird smirk on Shawn Young's face, but she thought it was a "provocative look."
"Uh—why should I be convinced by you? Have you ever beaten me?" Shawn Young shot back with a cold sneer, enjoying their back-and-forth. For some reason, he just liked Jade Swann's combative attitude.
"Hmph—stop showing off, brat! Once I’ve picked up a few moves from Master Winston Yuan, I’ll choke you out and poke your eyes! Let’s see how cocky you are then!" Jade Swann put her hands on her hips and glared at Shawn Young. Seeing his smug face made her so annoyed she almost wanted to pounce on him and pinch his tongue out.
"Heh—who’s poking who isn’t set in stone! I’m not afraid of you!" Shawn Young mimicked her, putting his hands on his hips and sticking his waist out, completely ignoring her threat.
His words instantly set off a round of snickers from Colonel Hank Han and the nearby commandos. The word "poke" had a special meaning for men, after all! Every guy understood. And with Shawn Young’s exaggerated hip-thrust, it was obvious what he was hinting at—no wonder Colonel Han and the soldiers were cracking up.
Because members of the National Paranormal Task Force often train with elite units like the Dragonforce Battalion to improve their combat skills, Jade Swann and Fiona Tang were close friends. So Jade would occasionally drop by the Southern Military District for a visit and join the training sessions. Naturally, she got to know Colonel Han and the Dragonforce Battalion commandos well. But with her fiery temper, she’d lose it at the drop of a hat and throw a thunderbolt at someone. Colonel Han and his men had been tormented by her more than a few times, but there was nothing they could do—members of the National Paranormal Task Force outranked them and were all formidable. No one wanted to mess with her!
Now, seeing Shawn Young daring to tease Jade Swann in public, Colonel Han and the Dragonforce Battalion commandos were all fired up, secretly admiring Shawn. They were this close to dragging him off for a drink.
"Uh—enough horsing around, you youngsters. I won’t be here long, so let’s get ready to cultivate!" Master Winston Yuan spoke up from the side.
"Oh! Got it—" Shawn Young quickly replied.
"Brother Shawn, today I’ll teach you how to 'find your strength!'" Master Winston Yuan said, stepping forward and lightly brushing his hand over the Dragonforce Battalion commandos collapsed on the ground. He dispelled the 'hidden force' within their bodies, and the soldiers instantly recovered. After this match, they were thoroughly convinced, finally realizing the wonders of Chinese martial arts and developing deep respect for Master Winston Yuan. Naturally, they also became fascinated by true martial arts mastery.
"Uh—well—Master Yuan, do you think these little monkeys could learn a thing or two from you? Haha—" General Ethan Tang, having witnessed Master Winston Yuan’s amazing skills, quickly tried to seize the opportunity.
"Haha, don’t worry, Ethan. It’s rare to meet a prodigy like Shawn, so I’ll stay here for a week and teach him everything I know. When I have spare time, I’ll give your men some pointers too!" Master Winston Yuan replied with a smile.
"Oh! Great! Looks like we’re riding on Shawn’s coattails this time! I’ll get him a special pass for the base so he can come and go as he pleases!" General Ethan Tang was shrewd enough to realize that if Master Winston Yuan valued Shawn so highly, Shawn must be something special. He decided to build a good relationship with him.
Soon, Master Winston Yuan took Shawn Young aside at the edge of the training field to teach him the secrets of 'finding strength.' Shawn’s comprehension was astonishing—he mastered the basics in just about an hour, which greatly surprised Master Winston Yuan. Back when he learned 'finding strength' from his own master, it took him a whole month! Even though he was already considered a top student among his peers, Shawn’s progress left him awestruck. With his meridians opened and his latent power awakened, Shawn’s martial arts training was lightning fast!
After lunch, Shawn continued practicing 'finding strength' and the basic combat skills Master Winston Yuan had taught him, while Master Yuan trained the Dragonforce Battalion commandos at the other end of the field. He taught them several deadly finishing moves and a set of breathing techniques. Once the commandos mastered the breathing and combined it with the killer moves, their close-quarters combat skills soared. With their strong military background, they were on their way to becoming fearsome fighting machines!
Soon after, General Ethan Tang had Fiona Tang prepare a special pass for Shawn Young, allowing him access to most areas of the training base—except the underground command center, of course. Shawn could now come and go at the Southern Military District’s secret training center just like Fiona and Colonel Han.
As for the 'Chibaku' incident at Ridgeview Country Estate, thanks to Fiona Tang, Tiger Lord, and other National Paranormal Task Force members, the aftermath was quickly resolved. The deaths of Vivian Wei and that other girl were officially listed as 'drowning accidents.' Jack Jiang, who was left crippled and traumatized, was sent to Greenhill Psychiatric Hospital, where he became 'best friends' with Jeremy Ling, another former troublemaker. Every day, they played with bricks together, and Jack loved to spook Jeremy with stories about a 'naked red monster coming for your little butt!'
And so, Shawn Young settled down to train wholeheartedly with Master Winston Yuan. Opportunities like this were one in a million, since Master Yuan would be leaving to travel the world in just a week. As for Jade Swann, she always liked to butt in whenever Master Yuan was teaching Shawn alone, but thankfully Master Yuan saw them as 'lovable rivals,' so he just let her be.
Meanwhile, Fiona Tang drove Shawn Young back and forth between Southern University and the military training base every day in her Hummer. Each afternoon after class, Fiona’s Hummer would be waiting at the university’s back gate for Shawn. That two-hour drive was the highlight of Fiona’s week—it was their special alone time, and their bond grew deeper with every trip.
Strangely enough, aside from Cynthia Qian, who knew about Shawn’s secret training and thoughtfully didn’t disturb him, Hu Yin’er seemed to vanish without a trace, Fang Ying was off negotiating a big project in Myanmar, Raina Tang had to extend her mine accident work for another month, and Joanna Gong was nowhere to be found. Shawn called and texted her over and over, but it was like she’d vanished from the earth. He had a bad feeling, but since he only had a week to train with Master Winston Yuan, he decided to focus and finish his training before worrying about anything else.
Time flew by. With Master Winston Yuan’s dedicated teaching, Shawn Young quickly mastered much of the essence of 'three-layered strength' and became quite skilled in the Twelve Forms of Xingyi Fist. Master Yuan was thrilled by his rapid progress. After passing on the final instructions, he bid farewell to Shawn and General Ethan Tang, leaving the training base to continue his travels. Before he left, Master Yuan reminded Shawn to set aside two hours a day for focused practice, no matter how busy he got—only perseverance would make him a true master.
On the afternoon after Master Winston Yuan left, Shawn Young got a call from Ken Lin—the authorities had decided to form a joint task force and launch Operation Thunderwolf against the Blue Wolf Syndicate and their protectors! Shawn was instantly excited; at last, the day had come for the Blue Wolf Syndicate to be destroyed!