After Xue Jing declared his intention to challenge the dojo, the receptionist picked up the phone on the desk with a puzzled face and notified the dojo of the news that "someone is here to challenge."
She looked at Xue Jing, who was sitting on a lounge chair with his arms crossed, resting with his eyes closed, with a sense of pity.
Such a good-looking guy, it's a pity that his brain seemed a bit...
But even so, it's not like it wouldn't work...
Even if he were put in a house as a piece of meat... as decoration, it would still be superb.
Unaware of the improper fantasies the girl at the front desk was having about him, Xue Jing sat in his chair, silently playing the part of a master, quietly waiting for Hidden Dragon Dojo's response.
A few minutes later, the receptionist answered a phone call, spoke a few words, then hung up, stood up, and said to Xue Jing,
"Sir, Mr. Sir."
Xue Jing opened his eyes to look at her.
The girl tried her best to show the most attractive smile she had practiced in front of the mirror and said softly, "Please follow me."
Xue Jing nodded and stood up as well.
The girl led the way, dressed in a form-fitting dark cyan cheongsam that highlighted her beautifully shaped figure, with slits on either side that went up nearly to her thigh, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of her long, fair, and shapely legs in high heels swinging from side to side.
It was unclear whether she was doing it on purpose, but as she walked, she exaggeratedly swayed her full and pert curves, stretching the cheongsam tight and revealing their shape. Xue Jing, following behind her, ended up taking a few more glances.
Oh, the cheongsam is indeed a great invention.
Following the cheongsam-clad girl into the interior of the dojo, which was in stark contrast to the modern decoration outside, the dojo's interior was decorated with an ancient style.
Wooden corridors carved with dragons, phoenixes, and mythical creatures, traditional Chinese folding screens, and ancient paintings adorned the place, aligning well with Xue Jing's impression of an Ancient Martial Arts Dojo.
However, upon reaching the most spacious training hall on the entire floor, the style shifted again, and it was no longer ancient.
In the large and square training hall, over a white rubber floor, there were several different styles of punching posts and sandbags, as well as a variety of fitness equipment, most of which Xue Jing didn't recognize.
Besides those, there were octagonal rings padded with soft mats in each corner of the training hall where disciples in white training garments were sparring, with quite a few other disciples standing around watching eagerly.
"You can look around here for now and take a tour,"
After leading Xue Jing inside, the girl in the cheongsam said to him with a smile.
Xue Jing hummed softly and began looking around, observing the environment.
Seeing that this handsome young man didn't show further interest and seemed rather indifferent towards her, the girl in the cheongsam was a bit disappointed, but nonetheless, she had to head back to the reception in her high heels.
Xue Jing watched the combat on one of the rings for a while and found it quite intense, with punches landing solidly on flesh, which explained why the surrounding disciples were so excitedly cheering them on.
'These must be the regular paying disciples, but their level seems much higher than I anticipated.'
He didn't watch much longer and removed his shoes before walking barefoot to the rest area, where he sat down on a leather couch.
The disciples around him took notice of him.
"Hmm? Who is that guy? Is he new here?"
"He didn't change clothes, so probably not. Is he here for a tour?"
"Hee hee, he's really good-looking. I'm going to ask for his contact info; I want to snag a young one today," said one of the female disciples, eyes lighting up.
However, before they could act, a commotion suddenly came from the entrance of the training hall.
"The Old Dojo Master and several of his direct disciples are here!"
Xue Jing's gaze shifted, looking towards the entrance.
He saw a group of five or six people, led by an elderly man with male pattern baldness sitting in a wheelchair, entering one by one and walking towards him.
Behind the old man in the wheelchair was a girl who looked to be in her twenties with a childlike appearance. She was pushing the wheelchair, her bright eyes lively like a young animal's, curiously looking at Xue Jing.
Flanking the girl on both sides were two men and one woman.
One was a muscular middle-aged man with long hair that fell to his waist, a handsome and cold appearance, dressed in a black training garment with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his muscular forearms.
The other was a young man in his early twenties, handsome with peach blossom eyes, who was sizing up Xue Jing, nodding and making clicking sounds from time to time.
The last one was a pretty, short-haired girl with a cool complexion, resembling the middle-aged man in appearance, seeming to be father and daughter. She, too, wore a black training garment, had an impressive figure, and held an astonishingly large meat bun in her hands, constantly taking bites. The astonishingly large parts of her body also swayed with every step she took.
After sizing up the group, Xue Jing's gaze settled on the cat perched on the armrest of the wheelchair.
Miao Miao licked its paw and nodded at him.
"What's going on? Even the Old Dojo Master is here. I've been at the dojo for so long, but this is the first time I've seen him in the training hall."
"All the Direct Disciples who never leave are here too. Is something big happening? Could it be that our dojo is finally going under?"
"What a cute cat... I've been single for so long that even a cat looks graceful and handsome to me."
"Zhu and Meng are right in front of you, and yet you're looking at a cat... You deserve to be single."
As the Arena Master and the Direct Disciples arrived, the trainees in the training hall sensed that something was amiss and gradually fell silent, except for some sporadic whispering.
"..."
Old Man Li came to a stop in front of Xue Jing, with four Direct Disciples lined up behind him, each with a distinguished appearance and demeanor. They looked quite imposing, whereas Old Man Li himself resembled an ordinary old man you might find by the roadside.
"I hear you've come to challenge our dojo?"
Old Man Li asked.
As soon as he said this, it immediately caused a stir among the crowd.
Xue Jing first glanced at Miao Miao, then stood up with a calm demeanor and nodded,
"Indeed."
Seeing him stand up ready for action, Old Man Li immediately waved his hand and sighed, saying, "No rush, no rush. A challenge is a challenge, why so serious? Sit down first."
Xue Jing, who had just stood up, paused for a moment, his mouth twitching slightly before sitting back down.
Old Man Li gave Xue Jing a once-over, and for some reason, his eyes seemed inexplicably kind.
"What's your name?"
Xue Jing looked puzzled: "Xue Jing..."
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen..."
Old Man Li nodded, seemingly satisfied, "Mm... The age is quite suitable, and the zodiac signs aren't in conflict."
"Where do you live? What do your parents do?"
"Are you an only child? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"You attend Affiliated Middle School, eh? Nice."
As Old Man Li kept asking various questions, the atmosphere on the scene gradually got weird.
Xue Jing was completely baffled.
Did I come here for a blind date?
The cat on the armrest of the wheelchair had veins throbbing on its forehead from embarrassment and anger.
What exactly did this old coot misunderstand!?
"Meow!" It quickly interjected to stop the conversation.
If this continued, she would be too ashamed to live in Xue Jing's house.
Hearing the clearly dissatisfied meow, Old Man Li reluctantly stopped his questioning.
He cleared his throat and said, "Well then, let's get to the point. Little Jing wants to challenge the dojo. Who's interested?"
He looked toward the disciples beside him.
The young girl with a youthful face lit up, quickly raising her right hand: "Hey hey hey! I'll do it!"
...