"Boom!"
As the system's prompt echoed, Su Ming felt as if a thunderclap had exploded in his mind. An overwhelming surge of memories flooded his consciousness. Images flashed before his eyes, and Su Ming once again experienced the sensation he had when he first acquired Bajiquan.
But this time, it was different. As those images flickered, Su Ming felt a mysterious energy coursing through his muscles and bones. This power seemed deeply buried, yet it could be summoned at will.
"Dark Jin?" Su Ming murmured in confusion. He knew a bit about traditional martial arts, but not much about their levels. However, this mysterious energy did seem to resemble the descriptions of Dark Jin in novels.
Who cares? At least he had become stronger.
"Young man, I didn't expect you to have such skill at your age. Among the younger generation, perhaps no one can match you!" The elderly man who had come with Ning Fengchi suddenly spoke. His voice was deep and steady, devoid of any emotion.
"Old sir, you are too kind," Su Ming replied politely.
"Ning Fengchi, stop boosting others' morale at your own expense. If I wanted to kill him, the outcome might have been different!" Ning Fengchi's voice interjected.
The old man shook his head helplessly. "Young master, you are indeed experienced in combat, but if Young Friend Su Ming were to use his full strength, you wouldn't last a single move."
"What? How is that possible?" Ning Fengchi's eyes widened in disbelief.
The old man smiled bitterly, seemingly lost in memory. After a long pause, he said, "Years ago, I fought with the previous Bajiquan successor. I had just entered the Dark Jin stage, while he was at the peak of the Bright Jin stage. Can you guess the result?"
"What was it?" Ning Fengchi asked eagerly, though he had a hunch, which he dismissed as impossible. A Bright Jin user defeating a Dark Jin user? That... couldn't be.
The old man sighed. "I couldn't even withstand a single move."
"No way! You must be joking, Old Sir!" Ning Fengchi exclaimed, incredulous.
The old man remained silent, simply shaking his head. Ning Fengchi had no choice but to believe him.
Su Ming, listening to their conversation, shrugged indifferently. He didn't understand much, but he was now certain that the mysterious energy within him was Dark Jin.
"Hey! Little sister, why are you here?"
While Ning Fengchi was still in shock, a graceful figure caught his eye. Su Ming looked up and saw Ning Fengqing, dressed casually, walking in from the entrance.
The old man turned, bowed slightly, and respectfully called out, "Miss!"
Ning Fengqing smiled at the old man, then turned her gaze to Ning Fengchi, giving him a casual glance before saying, "You lost pretty badly, didn't you?"
Ning Fengchi's lips twitched. "Hey! Could you give me some face? There are outsiders here!"
"Do you have any face left? I wasn't aware," Ning Fengqing replied, ignoring her fuming brother and walking straight towards Su Ming.
"Su Ming, let me introduce you. This is my good-for-nothing brother, Ning Fengchi. I'm sure you two have already met. And this is Old Master Zhang."
Ning Fengchi's lips twitched violently at the introduction.
"Su Ming, I apologize for my good-for-nothing brother barging into your home. I'm sorry!"
Su Ming smiled and shook his head. "No need to apologize. We're all friends."
Ning Fengqing nodded and continued, "Su Ming, actually, I came here because I need your help with something."
"Oh? Help?"
Su Ming was puzzled. From the way they were addressed, it was clear that the Ning siblings were not ordinary people. They must be from a significant family. What could such a powerful family need his help with?
"Yes, we do need your help. How about we go somewhere and talk?" Ning Fengqing invited.
"Sure."
Su Ming agreed without hesitation. Soon, they arrived at Jiangzhou Grand Hotel and booked a private room.
As soon as they sat down, Ning Fengqing began, "Su Ming, how much do you know about the current state of traditional martial arts?"
"Not much," Su Ming replied without thinking. After all, his Bajiquan was a system reward; he didn't know much about the martial arts world.
Ning Fengqing nodded, understanding. For the Bajiquan lineage, such knowledge wasn't essential. "Actually, there's not much to it. The martial arts world has always been small. The reason I need your help is related to it."
She explained, "In Shanghai, there are three major martial arts families. One is our Ning family, another specializes in Tai Chi, and the third in Bagua Palm. All three are top families in Shanghai, with lineages dating back hundreds of years. There's a tradition among us: every three years, the three families hold a contest. The winner receives twenty percent of the other two families' profits for the next three years. This tradition has been ongoing for centuries, and the next contest is coming up soon."
"So, you want me to help you win this contest?" Su Ming understood that they needed his fighting skills.
"That's right," Ning Fengqing confirmed. "It's also my father's wish."
"But I'm not part of your Ning family," Su Ming pointed out.
"Don't worry about that. The contestants don't have to be from the family, as long as they are under thirty years old," Ning Fengqing explained.
Su Ming thought for a moment. "I could do it, but what's in it for me?"
"One billion. If you win, the Ning family will pay you one billion in cash."
"Wow!" Su Ming was stunned. One billion! Although he had previously received thirty percent of Hongda's shares, worth three billion, that was assets, not cash.
Ning Fengqing noticed his silence and added, "If you think it's too little, we can negotiate further."
"No, no, that's fine. Just let me know when it's time. I'll help as a friend."
Ning Fengqing's brows relaxed, and she smiled. "Thank you in advance."
"No problem."
After the discussion, their food arrived, and they didn't bring up the matter again.