After leaving the locker room, the three of them were about to head out when they were suddenly blocked by Hebrey's old mistress.
The wealthy woman eyed Jason Luo up and down, making no effort to hide her interest.
"Young boxer, you fought beautifully in the match. But boxing is a dangerous sport. I wonder if you'd be interested in joining my company as a personal bodyguard? The pay is very generous..."
Her drawn-out tone sent a chill down Jason Luo's spine.
"Oh… Madam, I'm sorry. I'm truly passionate about boxing, so I can only decline your kind offer."
Though disgusted inside, Jason Luo didn't want to stir up unnecessary trouble. After politely turning her down, he was ready to leave.
But the woman blocked him again, pulling a gold-embossed business card from her handbag.
"Don't be in such a hurry, young man. If you don't want to be my bodyguard, that's fine. Here's my card. Surely we can at least find time to have a coffee together?"
Jason Luo's face hardened. This woman was openly flirting with him in front of everyone, blatantly shameless. There was no point being polite anymore. Gritting his teeth, he said,
"Auntie, I don't drink coffee. Please don't block my way."
"Pfft—" Kamman burst out laughing, and the nearby patrons joined in. Sonny and Pedro, not far away, overheard as well. Sonny nearly spat out his drink.
"Auntie? Ha! This kid's ruthless. I'm really starting to like him…"
That one word—"Auntie"—made the rich woman's face turn grim, but she couldn't lash out. Given Jason Luo's age, calling her "Auntie" wasn't unreasonable…
...
After bypassing the woman, Jason Luo and the others were about to leave when Pedro, who had just stood up, called out to Raul.
"Who's been training this kid lately?"
Raul was taken aback.
"Coach Pedro, no one's been guiding him. The kid's just been doing sparring work. In his spare time, he only hits the punching bag and practices his Boxing Technique."
Pedro found it hard to believe. Could hitting a bag really produce such improvement?
He made up his mind.
"Alright then, I happen to be free today. Take me to your gym—I want to see how he trains."
"Huh?" Raul froze. Last time, this old man hadn't shown the slightest interest.
"What? You don't want to?" Pedro frowned. "Forget it, pretend I didn't say anything."
"No, no, no! It's an honor to have your guidance. Let's go right now…" Raul was overjoyed and hurried ahead to lead the way.
...
After driving back to the gym, Raul brought everyone into a private training room, where Pedro asked Jason Luo to demonstrate his usual routine.
Jason Luo didn't see what was worth watching, but he followed instructions and began training seriously. After only five minutes, Pedro called a stop.
"Is this how you always train?"
"Yes! Is there something wrong?"
"Who taught you to punch like that?"
Jason Luo shot Raul a glance but held back his words.
"Sir, is my technique wrong? Please advise me."
Pedro shot Raul a glance, already suspecting the truth, then turned back.
"This is what we call dead punching. In the ring, your opponent is constantly moving and dodging. Do you think he'll stand still like a sandbag and let you hit him? Watch closely—I'll show you once."
He stepped forward and kicked the heavy bag, sending it swaying wildly. As he punched, he explained,
"When the bag swings back, it's like an opponent moving away. That's when you use a follow-up punch—mostly straight punches. Focus on your power and match it with your footwork."
"When the bag swings forward, it's like an opponent coming in. Use counterpunches—mainly hooks. Keep your lead hand up for cover, and drive the punch with your waist and core."
"Then, when you circle to the side of the bag, it's like facing an opponent swaying left and right. In this case, use swings to control their movement, and mix in heavy uppercuts to break through…"
Jason Luo gaped in awe. He felt like slapping himself. Of course! Such an effective method of training—why hadn't he thought of it? This way was not only better than before, but also more targeted and less boring.
And Pedro's punches—despite his age, his movements were sharp and precise. His footwork was nimble, gliding around the bag like a butterfly, his movements carrying a smooth, graceful rhythm that left Jason Luo transfixed…
"Alright, now it's your turn!" Pedro stepped back, slightly out of breath. "Remember what I said—coordinate with your footwork."
"Yes, sir!" Jason Luo strode to the bag with confidence, kicked it hard, and began.
But what looked simple was painfully difficult in practice. When the bag swung forward, he misjudged the distance, and his hook had no power. When it swung back, his feet lagged behind and his follow-up punch couldn't reach.
He had studied carefully just moments ago, convinced he had learned it. Yet once he tried, his body couldn't keep up. Even when he managed to land a follow-up punch, he failed to retreat in time, and the returning bag knocked him off balance.
Pedro shook his head from the side. This kid's fundamentals were far too weak. But then, where had all his recent progress come from?
He turned to Raul.
"What kind of sparring work does he usually do?"
Raul quickly answered,
"In the mornings, two hours of physical training sparring. In the afternoons, two more hours of practical sparring with Kamman. Haha, this kid works really hard in training…"
"Oh, you mean that guy they call Black Storm?" Pedro nodded. "He does have some technical foundation. That can stay—it should help this kid a lot."
After watching Jason Luo struggle a while longer, Pedro finally lost patience.
"Put some power into it! What kind of punch was that? The bag didn't even move. Didn't you eat?"
"Keep your feet moving! Get your upper body loose. Don't just stand there like a wooden post…"
"When you're training, always keep your guard up. Bad habits will destroy everything…"
Pedro's voice rose steadily. Jason Luo felt immense pressure. He was giving everything he had, but his body simply wouldn't move with enough fluidity. In no time, he was gasping for breath, even more exhausted than he had been in the ring.
"What's going on? Already out of energy after just a few moves? Keep going, don't stop!" Pedro's roar thundered in his ears. Jason Luo clenched his teeth and pushed on.
Raul couldn't bear to watch any longer. He stepped forward and said,
"Coach Pedro, this kid just finished a match and he's still carrying a lot of injuries. Haha, maybe we should let him rest a bit?"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser