That weekend, the Tran Hung Dao High School stadium was once again crowded. News of the rematch between "Tiger" Lam Minh and "Monster" Ly Thien Ba, even though it was just a team match, still attracted a lot of attention from students across the city.
The lineups for both sides were ready.
On the side of Asian International High School, besides Ly Thien Ba, there were two new members. One was a Wing Chun master, famous for his lightning-fast hand strikes. The other was a female Sambo wrestler with formidable strength and grappling skills. Clearly, Ly Thien Ba had prepared thoroughly.
On the side of Tran Hung Dao High School, it was still the same old lineup: Hoang Long, Le Van Hung, and Lam Minh as the captain.
Lam Minh sat on the coaching bench with an extremely relaxed expression. He was sipping a can of soda while directing "from afar."
"Hoang Long, your opponent is a Wing Chun master. Remember to keep your distance, use your signature kicks to attack. Don't let him get close."
"Le Van Hung, you'll be facing that female wrestler. Use the flexibility of Vovinam to evade her grappling moves, attack her lower body and joints."
"Yes, Captain!" they both replied, their spirits high. After a period of being "coached" by Lam Minh, their skills had improved a lot. They were very confident about this match.
The first match, Hoang Long versus the Wing Chun master.
Just as Lam Minh had instructed, Hoang Long didn't rush in blindly. He constantly moved, maintaining a safe distance, using powerful Taekwondo kicks to attack from afar. No matter how fast his opponent's hands were, "short arms" couldn't reach "long legs," so he couldn't get close.
After being "tortured" for a while by a series of combination kicks, the Wing Chun master revealed an opening and was struck by Hoang Long's axe kick to the shoulder, collapsing to the ground.
"We won!" The Tran Hung Dao stands erupted. 1-0 for the home team!
Lam Minh nodded, a satisfied look on his face. "Good. Keep it up."
The second match, Le Van Hung versus the female Sambo wrestler.
This match was a bit more difficult. The female wrestler had great strength and durability. But Le Van Hung, with Lam Minh's tactical guidance, fought extremely intelligently. He didn't engage head-on, but constantly moved, dodged, and used Vovinam's tricky techniques to attack weak points.
The match dragged on, and both were tired. Finally, in a decisive moment, Le Van Hung successfully executed an aerial scissor lock, an extremely difficult technique, forcing the female wrestler to tap out.
2-0! Tran Hung Dao High School had won the overall match!
"Awesome!" Hung 'Map' jumped up and down. "We won easily without Brother Minh even having to lift a finger!"
To Quyen and Quynh Nhu also smiled. To Quyen's plan had been a complete success. Lam Minh didn't have to expend any energy at all.
Lam Minh also let out a sigh of relief. He was about to get up and leave.
But...
"Wait!"
Ly Thien Ba, who hadn't had a chance to compete, suddenly stepped onto the stage. He looked at Lam Minh, his eyes blazing.
"I admit your team won. Your friends have improved a lot. But... the reason I came here today was to fight you, Lam Minh!"
He looked straight at him. "This is no longer a match between two schools. It's a match between you and me. A match of honor. Do you... dare?"
The cheerful atmosphere suddenly grew heavy. This direct challenge could not be refused.
Lam Minh sighed. He knew he couldn't just "sit back and enjoy the show" so easily.
"Alright, fine," he stood up and wearily walked onto the stage. "But just one round, okay? I still have to go home for dinner."
His "laziness" once again made everyone not know whether to laugh or cry.
The two of them stood facing each other.
"This time, I won't give you a chance to use any of your tricks," Ly Thien Ba said, getting into a defensive stance.
"I wasn't planning on it," Lam Minh replied.
The match began.
Ly Thien Ba didn't charge in immediately. He had learned from last time. He moved cautiously, trying to find an opening. His power was restrained, becoming more focused and dangerous.
Lam Minh also stood still, observing. He wanted to see how much this "Awakened" had improved.
After a moment of probing, Ly Thien Ba decided to attack. He threw a straight punch, not a full-power one, but a probing jab of moderate speed and strength.
But Lam Minh did something no one expected.
He didn't dodge, didn't block. He also threw a straight punch, exactly like Ly Thien Ba's.
Two fists, one large and one small, rushed towards each other.
BAM!
A dull thud echoed.
Both of them took a step back.
Ly Thien Ba was stunned. He felt a terrifyingly strong force from Lam Minh's fist that made his entire arm go numb. He knew exactly how strong his own punch was, but his opponent could meet it head-on without any issue?
"How... how is that possible? Your strength..."
Lam Minh rubbed his fist and shrugged. "I've been eating more rice lately, so I'm a little stronger."
He had deliberately suppressed his Foundation Establishment strength to a level equivalent to Ly Thien Ba's. He wanted to defeat his opponent using his own specialty, to make him accept defeat completely.
"Impossible!" Ly Thien Ba didn't believe it. He roared and charged again, this time using his full power.
Lam Minh didn't evade. He charged in as well.
A battle of pure strength unfolded.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The sounds of fists and bodies colliding echoed continuously. The two exchanged dozens of blows in the blink of an eye.
The audience held their breath. This was the match they had been waiting for. No tricks, no luck, just power versus power.
But the more Ly Thien Ba fought, the more terrified he became. He discovered something horrible. No matter how much strength he used, his opponent always responded with an equal, or even slightly superior, force. Lam Minh was like his shadow, a more perfect version of himself.
Finally, after an extremely powerful collision, both of them retreated again.
Ly Thien Ba was panting heavily, his limbs beginning to tremble from overload.
As for Lam Minh, he was still standing straight, his breathing even, not a single drop of sweat on his face.
"What... what kind of monster are you?" Ly Thien Ba blurted out, a hint of despair in his voice.
Lam Minh smiled. "I told you. I just eat a lot of rice."
He stepped forward and raised his hand. "Are we done here?"
Ly Thien Ba looked at Lam Minh's slowly rising fist, then at his calm eyes. He knew he had lost completely. Lost in skill, and lost in strength.
He let out a long breath and dropped his hands.
"I lose."
He admitted defeat himself.
Lam Minh lowered his hand and patted him on the shoulder. "You've improved a lot. Keep working hard."
With that, he turned and walked off the stage, leaving behind a stunned Ly Thien Ba and a crowd that was submerged in absolute adoration.
This time, no one had any doubts. Lam Minh was not just a master of skill, but also a true monster of strength.
....
Ly Thien Ba's wholehearted admission of defeat put a perfect end to any lingering doubts about Lam Minh's true strength. He was no longer a "phenomenon," but had become an unshakeable "monument" in the hearts of the student community.
But the most surprising thing happened after the match.
The next day, as Lam Minh was wearily walking into class, he saw a familiar tall figure waiting for him at the door.
It was Ly Thien Ba.
"Again?" Lam Minh sighed. "Wasn't yesterday enough?"
But Ly Thien Ba did something no one expected. He bowed a full 90 degrees in front of Lam Minh, his voice loud, clear, and full of sincerity.
"Master Lam! Please accept me as your disciple!"
The entire hallway fell silent. The students walking by all stopped, their mouths agape as they stared at the unbelievable scene.
Lam Minh was also stunned. "What... what did you say? Master? Disciple?"
"Yes!" Ly Thien Ba looked up, his eyes blazing. "After yesterday's match, I have been completely enlightened. My strength compared to yours is like a firefly to the moon. I want to become stronger, not just for myself, but to be able to protect everyone. Please, Master, teach me!"
Lam Minh's head was buzzing. "I don't accept disciples."
"If Master doesn't accept me, I won't get up!" Ly Thien Ba said resolutely, bowing deeply again.
The incident quickly caused a commotion. Hung 'Map' ran over, stammering at the sight. "Brother... Brother Minh... what... what is this?"
Quynh Nhu and To Quyen, who had also just arrived, couldn't help but laugh at the scene.
"Haha! My punching bag now has an ardent fan," Quynh Nhu teased.
"Alright, alright, get up," Lam Minh said, feeling helpless. "I won't accept you as a disciple, but if you have any problems with your training, you can come and ask me. We can consider it as friends exchanging experience."
"Really, Master?" Ly Thien Ba was overjoyed.
"Don't call me Master!" Lam Minh snapped.
"Yes, Master! Thank you, Master!" Ly Thien Ba happily stood up, scratching his head with a goofy grin. His cold "monster" persona had vanished, replaced by the demeanor of a true fan.
From that day on, Lam Minh's life gained a new tag-along. Besides To Quyen and Quynh Nhu, there was now also Ly Thien Ba. He was at Tran Hung Dao High School almost every day, sometimes bringing food and drinks for his "master," other times pulling him into a corner to ask about how to "control energy."
The appearance of this reluctant "disciple" inadvertently gave Lam Minh an idea.
He realized that it wasn't enough for him alone to get stronger. He needed trustworthy comrades. Ly Thien Ba, as an "Awakened," had great potential. Hoang Long and Le Van Hung were also good seeds. And then there were To Quyen, Quynh Nhu...
"Perhaps... it's time for me to share a little," he thought.
He couldn't reveal the system or cultivation directly. But he could use another, more "scientific" way to guide them.
He gathered the group: To Quyen, Quynh Nhu, Ly Thien Ba, Hoang Long, and Le Van Hung, at the Blacklight gym one weekend.
"Today, I'm going to show you all a new training method," he said with a serious expression. "It's not martial arts, but a way to unlock the hidden potential deep within the body. I'm temporarily calling it the 'Qi Induction Method'."
He began to explain. He didn't talk about spiritual energy or dantians. He used the scientific terms he had learned from Professor Lan Anh's lab and his conversations with To Quyen.
"Our bodies are, fundamentally, biological power plants. This energy exists everywhere, in the air we breathe, in the food we eat. But normally, we only use a very small fraction of it. The 'Qi Induction Method' will help you learn to feel, focus, and control this 'bio-energy'."
He guided them on how to breathe in a special rhythm (a simplified version of "Dragon's Breath"), how to focus their minds on a point in their lower abdomen (the dantian area), and how to feel the flow of energy in their bodies (the meridians).
For ordinary people, these were extremely abstract concepts. Hoang Long and Le Van Hung tried for a long time but couldn't feel anything.
But Ly Thien Ba was different. As an "Awakened," his body was already sensitive to energy. After a moment of concentration, he shouted.
"I... I feel it, Master! There's a warm current... flowing inside me!"
Quynh Nhu, with the intuition of a peak warrior, also quickly grasped it. "I feel it too... it's very weak, but it's real."
To Quyen approached it from a different angle. She used a mini bio-sensor she had brought with her to measure her own stats. "This is strange... When I breathe with this method, my Alpha brainwaves spike, and my heart rate and blood pressure both drop to an optimal state. Scientifically speaking, this is a state of extremely deep meditation."
Lam Minh nodded with satisfaction. Each person had a different approach, but they had all taken the first steps.
He knew this would be a long process. But he had planted the first seeds. He was beginning to build his own team, a team of the most elite people, equipped with both technology and a completely new method of power.
This wasn't just about increasing individual strength, but a larger plan, a plan to change the destiny of all mankind.
He looked at his friends, who were concentrating on their practice, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
The real battle was still ahead, but this time, he would no longer be fighting alone.