294: Chapter 291 Deception

"Master Chen, aren't you still skilled in Tai Xu Fist? How about you teach me Tai Xu Fist? Of course, if you have any rules against it, just pretend I didn't say anything." Zhang Zhao shrugged.

"That's not an issue. The older generation cared about such things, but now it's considered intangible cultural heritage. If we don't pass it on, it will be lost. But Master Zhang, are you really willing to learn? My Tai Xu Fist might..." Chen Youcai looked conflicted, his face filled with anxiety.

Zhang Zhao looked straight at Old Chen, then patted Chen Youcai heavily on the shoulder.

"Old Chen, Tai Xu Fist is a good thing; don't ever belittle yourself. And don't have even the slightest doubt about the martial path you've studied for so many years. Do not harbor any doubt, whether it's in yourself or your martial arts. If you believe in it, then one day it will surprise you. Every powerful martial artist starts by building confidence bit by bit. Do you know why I think Master Li can win?"

"Why?" Chen Youcai looked at Zhang Zhao with a complex expression.

"Confidence! Master Li has absolutely no doubt about himself or his martial arts skills. He is incredibly determined, believing that nothing can surpass his own fists and feet. After defeating Odoba, this confidence condensed into an Aura, an Aura that can break through anything. Let alone this Nakata Saburo, even if those Great Masters and Grandmasters of the past were here in person, I think Master Li, in his current state, would have a chance to go toe-to-toe with them!"

As he spoke, Zhang Zhao paused, patted Chen Youcai again, and said heavily: "Master Chen, look at Master Wan. He's almost fifty, right?" Chen Youcai nodded.

"What kind of person do you think can easily beat up a group of young people at nearly fifty years old? Only if they run into a monster like Odoba. If he were younger, even by ten years, him fighting Odoba would be like a father beating his son. This is the powerful confidence he has accumulated from countless victories. But his confidence depends on the accumulation of wins and his own pride. It's a double-edged sword. The best way is to be like Master Li, who believes in himself immensely regardless of failure or victory. Master Wan's starting point was too high; pride is his flaw. But you are different. In you, I see the same qualities as Master Li. So, don't doubt yourself."

As he spoke, Zhang Zhao looked deeply at Chen Youcai, his eyes full of sincerity.

"Really?" At this age, Chen Youcai had long since adopted a mindset of just muddling through, yet at this moment, a surge of passion was ignited.

"Of course, don't doubt yourself."

Zhang Zhao nodded and looked at Old Chen, noticing that the other man's eyes were still somewhat dazed. He felt he needed to ramp up the bluffing.

"Do you know about 'Spirit Strike'?"

"Spirit Strike? That stuff those people in the North use to scam others?"

"Scam? Pretty much, but if you extract the essence of it, you'll find that it's actually a method for condensing one's spirit and energy. They also have a Move called 'Spirit Fist,' believing that such a Move can shatter anything in its path, and that anything it touches will surely die. Actually, martial arts have similar concepts. For example, the stomping in your Southern Fist, using sound to urge force, is a similar concept. It's equivalent to a form of mental concentration that unleashes the body's full Qi. This shows the importance of confidence, mindset, and thoughts to martial arts. So, Master Chen, you must not belittle yourself!"

Zhang Zhao's words indeed made Chen Youcai nod repeatedly. In fact, Zhang Zhao's words weren't entirely a bluff. Self-hypnosis is indeed a miraculous method of self-healing; when used well, it can resolve mental exhaustion and strengthen oneself. The simplest example is "quenching thirst by thinking of plums"; the brain's mindset can solve hunger and thirst, allowing people to burst forth with the hope of survival in desperate situations. Or, in some rural areas in the South, there are people who "collect frights," specializing in treating children who have been frightened and are having nightmares. In fact, do these people have mysterious abilities? They do not. This is a form of psychological suggestion, making the children believe that these people provide a strong sense of security, thereby stopping the nightmares.

At this moment, Chen Youcai had a similar reaction; he felt his self-confidence returning. That's right, he wasn't completely useless. Before Master Zhang and Master Li, he was considered among the top three in the local martial arts circle. Back in the country, he was someone who could open a school and take on students. I am strong!

Seeing Old Chen's eyes gradually brighten, Zhang Zhao breathed a sigh of relief; he had finally successfully bluffed him.

"This place seems a bit strange. Brother Li seems to know a lot of inside information. Old Chen, you'd better not go back to the country. Just wait and see. Following Brother Li won't do any harm."

Looking at the screen, Zhang Zhao's eyes were full of shrewdness. He had actually noticed some clues early on, but he was the type who possessed great wisdom but appeared foolish. He didn't like to show it; he just liked to pretend. Whether it was holding back a trick or two, it was just his nature. Compared to thinking about complex problems, he preferred to study people and observe them. Whenever he took a liking to someone and felt they were trustworthy, he chose to leave complex matters to them while he followed behind. So, Li Changsheng wasn't wrong; this guy was a total schemer.

At this moment, the two on the stage had already taken their positions, and the bloodstains from Odoba on the ground had been cleaned up.

Backstage, a group of bookmakers and high-level executives from Genentech were gathered, watching the screen.

"This Li is very unusual. Because of his recent performance, the odds are unbalanced again. Fortunately, Nakata Saburo is considered an experienced competitor and has had excellent performances in the past, so the odds aren't too terrible." A big boss, holding a cigar in one hand and pointing at the screen with the other, said with a laugh.

There were seven people in total, five of whom held partial equity, and they were also political figures. This was Genentech's method of winning people over; they firmly believed that only profit could make Genentech a friend to the whole world. These five shareholders were merely representatives, and behind them were many entangled capital moguls and political heavyweights. As for the other two, they were representatives of Genentech, one of whom was Mr. Merk.

He looked at the group with a smile, then raised his glass high and laughed: "The last match, this Li, has already earned us a huge sum. Tonight is our lucky night. Let us toast!"

This place was called backstage, but it was more like a high-end, private gathering place. After some clinking of glasses, someone smiled and suggested: "Mr. Merk, I think Mr. Li is a walking mountain of gold. Why don't you hand him over to me to manage and let him fight professional Boxing? Don't worry, you know I'm a professional in this field. Plus, with Li's 'Kung Fu' gimmick, he could stir up a frenzy. Based on his performance tonight, I believe he could win the gold belt consecutively. Maybe he will become the Bruce Lee of the new era, becoming a legend!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the shareholders nodded with smiles, thinking this was a great suggestion—a money-making machine that would rake in huge profits. However, upon hearing this, Merk's heart sank. What a joke! Li was one of their company's key experimental subjects. Even if he made more money, the higher-ups would never agree.

"This... haha, let's discuss it in detail later. Besides... isn't 'Li's' challenge not over yet?" Merk gave a dry laugh, then stood up with an apologetic smile and said: "Gentlemen, there will be elegant ladies accompanying us later, but I have some matters to attend to, so please excuse me."

Amidst the laughter, Merk stood up and pushed the door open to leave. Walking out of the room, he hurried toward the innermost room. Upon entering, he saw many display screens arranged inside, looking like some kind of data processing center. At this moment, many professionals were buried in their work, clattering away at keyboards.

"Mr. Merk!"

"Carry on with your work."

"By the way, have the observation data and analysis from the battle between Li and Odoba just now come out?"

"Uh... because it was only video observation, we only conducted thermal reaction observation. The data is out." Hearing the inquiry from the manager, Merk, the bald white research team leader hurriedly said.

"Any findings? How is Li's reaction data?" Merk asked hurriedly.

"This..." Hearing the question, the research team leader's face showed a look of hesitation.

"Is there a problem?" Merk frowned.

"Mr. Merk, you'd better take a look yourself."

The research team leader pointed to the largest screen, where the footage of Li Changsheng's battle with Odoba was playing back.

"It's very strange. Odoba's body thermal reaction changes drastically every time he makes a large-scale movement, especially when he uses great force. But this contestant Li's thermal reaction is very strange; it's very uniform... We didn't even see any extra wave frequency amplitude in his overall thermal map." As he spoke, the research team leader pushed up his glasses and frowned: "Sometimes I even wonder if this contestant Li is a robot. But even if it were a machine, some professional equipment has overclocking functions, and he..."

Merk also saw the screen at this time. Next to the footage was the thermal imaging, and the display was indeed terrifyingly uniform. On Odoba's side, the thermal reaction changed according to his movements, while Li Changsheng's remained consistent throughout.

"No other findings?"

"Yes!"

"It's like this: we found that although contestant Li's overall thermal level is very uniform, at the start of the battle, especially during the initial preparation phase, we found that the thermal energy of his various organs began to soar exponentially. Furthermore, during several punches, several of his organs showed abnormally prominent thermal increases. It seems like his blood supply capacity increased significantly. This is somewhat incredible. Sir, perhaps you haven't studied this, but I want to tell you that for human organ blood supply, other than the heart, it is very difficult for other parts to show such a significant increase during exercise. In particular, we found that Mr. Li's adrenaline appeared to be many times higher than that of an ordinary person in a short period. In the medical field, the dosage of adrenaline used for patient improvement in adults is 500 µg, but this Li, the peak value of the excess adrenaline in his body reached 5000 µg, nearly ten times that of an ordinary person."

As he spoke, the research team leader had his arms spread wide, as if worshipping God, and said with some excitement: "God, what a crazy performance. 500 µg is already the result of external injection, yet he is able to stimulate himself to achieve such a terrifying adrenaline secretion. Is he a superman? This is absolutely the most perfect and incredible research target."