After listening to Ling Yan's report, Ian Song grabbed his wuxia novel and headed for Dorm 518.
Leon Long and Gavin Gan weren't in the dorm; who knows where they'd gone off to goof around, or whether those two had been diligent in their training while he was away.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
Just as Ian was thinking about those two, he heard their voices outside the dorm room.
He pushed the door open and walked in.
When they saw Ian sitting in the chair, Leon and Gavin both broke into delighted smiles.
"Ian, when did you get back? Why didn't you give us a heads-up?" The two strode over, and Ian hugged each of them in turn.
After chatting for a bit, Ian asked how their training was going.
During the eleven days he was gone, neither of them slacked off—they trained hard. Not that they could have gotten away with slacking, since Bella Ba was always watching.
So, both managed to cultivate inner energy and reached mid-Postnatal stage.
Ian was satisfied with that.
Suddenly, Gavin Gan said excitedly, "Oh right, Ian! Leon and I both joined the Martial Arts Club. Lately we've been challenging the Taekwondo Club, Karate Club, and Boxing Club. Tomorrow, if we take down the Kendo Club, our Martial Arts Club will be the most badass group at Waterwood University!"
Martial artists are born to compete.
Especially for ordinary guys like Leon and Gavin who just got real power—they can't wait to show off.
So, Ian wasn't surprised that they went to challenge other clubs, and he didn't stop them either.
On TV and in movies, martial arts masters always say, "We train to strengthen our bodies, not just to fight and compete."
But is that really true?
In the real martial world—in the real jianghu—it's still about whose fist is bigger.
If you want people to accept your logic, your fist has to be harder than theirs.
Honestly, would a strong guy ever listen to a weakling lecture him?
Still, Ian figured he should remind Leon and Gavin not to get too full of themselves.
"Challenge all you want, but remember—not too cocky. After you win, stay humble."
In today's world, if you train martial arts without a teacher, you won't get far. Ian worried if Leon and Gavin acted too arrogant, they might provoke their opponents' seniors or teachers—which would be real trouble.
Leon and Gavin took Ian's advice and nodded seriously.
"Oh right, Ian, we invited Sierra Chen and the girls to dinner tonight at seven. We need to get ready—time's running out!" Gavin suddenly remembered, sounding a bit anxious.
Lately, the two of them have been challenging club after club, beating all their top fighters so badly they barely had a chance to fight back. Because of this, Leon and Gavin have become minor celebrities at school, and plenty of girls who like strong guys have started asking them out.
But both already had someone they liked, so they could resist temptation. Unfortunately, love is one-sided; Sierra and Kelly haven't shown much interest in them.
This time, when Gavin called Sierra to invite the group to dinner, he expected rejection but was delighted when she accepted.
That left both guys excited.
Dinner for seven at the Welcome Guest Pavilion, drinks included, would run about 1,000 yuan. Most students wouldn't dare spend that much.
Welcome Guest Pavilion was just a five or six minute walk from Waterwood University.
Ian and his roommates arrived ten minutes before seven.
Leon liked Kelly Wu, Gavin liked Sierra Chen. To show respect, both planned to wait for the girls at the entrance, and as their dorm brother, Ian naturally joined them.
Girls have both the habit and privilege of being late.
But this time, Sierra and her roommates showed up five minutes early.
All four girls had clearly dressed up for the occasion.
They were already pretty, but after getting dolled up, they looked stunning—people couldn't help but stare.
"Whoa, Ian, it's only been ten days and you got darker!"
Kelsey Zhang stared at Ian in surprise as soon as she saw him.
"I did it on purpose so you wouldn't feel self-conscious," Ian joked back.
"Hey! Are you calling me dark?" Kelsey Zhang protested, looking indignant.
"I never said that—you said it yourself," Ian Song replied with a grin.
Meanwhile, Leon Long and Gavin Gan were chatting with Sierra Chen and Kelly Wu, leaving Molly Wang looking a bit left out.
Seeing this, Ian walked over to Molly, smiled, and said, "Long time no see, Molly Wang. You’ve gotten even prettier."
"No way," Molly replied shyly, lowering her head.
Just then, a man and a woman walked into the restaurant.
The man looked to be in his early twenties, built like a bull. The woman beside him was petite and cute, not only beautiful but also radiating a heroic air.
As soon as the burly man entered, he spotted Leon Long and Gavin Gan. Hatred flashed in his eyes.
His name was Hiro Miyamoto, a Fuso exchange student and president of the Karate Club. His strength surpassed even Taekwondo ace Jihyun Choi, but five days ago, he lost to Leon Long—a humiliation he couldn’t forget.
"Dragon-san, Gan-san, we meet again!"
Hiro Miyamoto strode over, greeting Leon and Gavin with impeccable courtesy.
A thousand years ago, Fuso was a vassal state of Yanhuang. Back then, Fuso people saw Yanhuang as the supreme nation and were obsessed with learning its culture. Speaking Yanhuang language was a mark of honor, and some even sent beautiful Fuso women to Yanhuang nobles just for a chance to bear their children.
They believed that Yanhuang noble blood was powerful. If a Fuso woman had a child with a Yanhuang noble, the child would also be strong—making Fuso itself stronger over time.
But as times changed, Yanhuang gradually lost its ancestral virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and filial piety.
Ironically, Fuso preserved some of these traditions, so Fuso people are famously polite. Even though Hiro Miyamoto secretly hated Leon and Gavin, he still acted with perfect manners.
Of course, what Fuso inherited were just benevolence and propriety. Righteousness and filial piety never quite made it over. That’s why Fuso people are often selfish and don’t respect their elders—old folks starving in Fuso isn’t uncommon.
"So it’s Miyamoto-san. What brings you here?" Leon replied politely—after all, you don’t slap a smiling face.
"Yes, Dragon-san. By the way, let me introduce my sister, Rina Miyamoto—the top martial artist in our family. I hope you’ll accept her challenge!" As he spoke, a cold gleam flashed in Hiro’s eyes.
"Dragon-san, Gan-san, nice to meet you. Please take care of me!" Rina Miyamoto stepped forward, bowed formally to Leon and Gavin, and greeted them respectfully.