Over the past few days, Henry Luo had started to think his son had gone a little crazy. Every morning, he'd hear him shouting from the bathroom, "I'm the best! I'm the strongest! I'm the invincible boxing champion!"
What was going on?
Out of nowhere, his son seemed to be turning into a narcissist. This couldn't be good!
But when he found out it was part of Coach Brown's training program, Henry Luo fell silent. It was certainly an unusual training method—could something like this actually work?
Although both father and son were skeptical, Jason Luo still followed the coach's instructions out of respect.
Of course, Coach Brown wouldn't just have Jason practice shouting affirmations. After carefully studying Zack Bruzz's fighting style, he discovered that while the opponent's punches were highly accurate and dangerous, his overall punching frequency was quite low—in other words, he lacked explosive power.
That was a weakness they could exploit. Brown planned to focus on improving Jason Luo's explosiveness—his ability to unleash rapid combinations—aiming to create a "speed versus power" advantage in the ring.
"Jason, your opponent has more experience, so his punches will land with better accuracy. Our strategy is to use speed to counter that—throw more punches to make up for your lower accuracy."
"But pulling that off won't be easy. First, too many punches will drain your Stamina quickly. Second, you'll need a lot of explosive power. And third, your combination punches must be fast and flexible."
"So, we have to refine all three of these factors as much as possible if we want this plan to work."
Jason Luo gritted his teeth. "Coach, just tell me what to do. I'm not afraid of hard work. However you want me to train, I'll do it without complaint!"
"Good! After your morning runs, we'll move on to explosive power and endurance training. Then, your sparring partner will help you practice combination punches. The afternoons will be all about strengthening your Stamina. Hang in there, kid. There are nine days until the fight, but only eight real days of training. We're fighting with our backs to the wall!"
"Got it, Coach. I'm all in!"
For the explosiveness drills, Coach Brown took charge personally, holding up the pads and shouting, "Target: eighty consecutive heavy punches in one minute. Focus on your breathing and manage your Stamina. I can feel every punch you throw. If even one doesn't hit right, we start over. Got it?"
"Got it! Let's go!"
Throwing eighty punches in a minute wasn't impossible—but throwing eighty heavy, impactful punches was a different story. To make it worse, Coach Brown kept moving the pads around, switching between straights, hooks, and uppercuts…
The difficulty—only those who've trained like this would understand!
Think that was tough? The endurance training was the real trip to hell!
For punching endurance, Jason had to hold his arms straight out, palms up, with heavy weights hanging below his elbows, continuously bending and straightening his arms for fifteen minutes.
Then came inverted crunch holds while hanging upside down from a bar to train his chest and abs.
Next were push-ups—weighted static holds with 25-kilogram dumbbells on his back for fifteen minutes straight…
A morning like that could only be described as brutal perfection. By lunchtime, Jason Luo's hands were shaking so badly he could barely hold his fork.
As he worried about surviving the afternoon session, Brown walked in grinning and pulled out a small jar of ointment. "Heh, kid, you're lucky. Rub this on, and I guarantee you'll feel brand new."
Jason Luo was doubtful at first, but as soon as he applied it, his upper body felt cool and refreshed. Then the heat kicked in—his arms, chest, and abs grew hotter and hotter, almost burning!
Panicking, he tried to wipe it off, but the ointment had already absorbed into his skin.
"Hahaha! Don't worry! It's just a formula that boosts blood circulation and relieves muscle tension. That heat is perfectly normal. Just grit your teeth for ten minutes—it'll pass! You should be grateful; you can't even buy this stuff anywhere."
Sweating from head to toe, Jason Luo asked weakly, "Coach… what exactly is this?"
"Oh, that's a secret. Everyone in the boxing world has their own special formulas. Those aren't shared with anyone!"
Jason rubbed his arms, unimpressed. What secret? It's probably just another folk remedy, he thought.
Seeing his skepticism, Brown chuckled. "Don't be so sure. Let me tell you something. There's a rumor from Mexico—before big fights, some boxers secretly take their own bodily fluids, mix them with a special concoction, and re-inject it. Supposedly, it unlocks hidden potential. Who knows? Maybe your opponent will try that too!"
"What?!" Jason Luo almost threw up his lunch. Why would the coach tell him something like that right after eating?
Hard work pays off. In the blink of an eye, the eight-day boot camp ended. Jason still hadn't managed to punch through a sandbag, but his entire aura had changed.
He'd gained significantly: Strength +1, Explosiveness +2, Stamina +3, Punch Speed +1, Recovery +1.
More importantly, his fighting style had evolved—his ability to chain punches had improved dramatically, and his combination punches were now sharper and smoother. Coach Brown was very satisfied with his progress.
"Alright, Jason. Tomorrow's your big day. We've pushed ourselves to the limit these eight days—no regrets. Now it's all on you. Get a good rest and keep your condition steady."
"Don't worry, Coach. I'm already getting used to it. Honestly, I don't even feel that tired anymore."
"Good sign—but rest anyway. Tomorrow's going to be a war. Don't take it lightly."
"Understood, Coach. I'll head back now."
The match was set for the next evening, so Jason Luo could sleep through the afternoon before catching a late-night flight to San Francisco.
Mr. Raul was coming along this time. Since discovering Jason, Raul had become well-known in the amateur boxing scene, managing several talented new fighters. Despite his busy schedule, as soon as he heard Jason had a tough match ahead, he dropped everything to come support him.
On the plane, Brown joked, "Raul, you're a big shot now. Isn't it a bit awkward for you to play corner man again?"
"Awkward? Not at all! I'm just waiting for that moment when Jason lifts the Gold Belt—I'm getting that photo no matter what! Nobody's taking this corner spot from me."
"Hahaha!"
San Francisco—also known as the City by the Bay—is California's fourth-largest city. It's a famous port and one of the world's top tourist destinations, home to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge that appears in countless movies.
The city was known for its diverse and passionate boxing fans, which was one of the reasons Rod chose to host the fight there. For Jason Luo, this match meant everything. If he could defeat Zack Bruzz, he'd secure his place in professional boxing—and maybe even make a name for himself overnight.
The venue was set at AT&T Park, the city's largest stadium. Normally a baseball field that holds over 40,000 people and sits right by the sea, it had been temporarily transformed into a boxing arena for this event.
...