Since there are more than ten trainees, Shen Hex rented a large training room. The equipment inside isn't entirely complete, but it has all the essentials, though it's a bit pricey.
Fortunately, Shen Hex doesn't have to pay for it, as the trainees share the cost, so it didn't actually cost much. Shen Hex could also take this opportunity to use the equipment in the large training room to practice martial arts and increase his Martial Artist experience.
Besides that, he also selects some trainees with lower ranks and weaker strengths to spar with him.
Because the Martial Artist profession can gain experience not only through practice but also through sparring, these trainees are not only his sponsors but also his experience points.
This made him feel a bit guilty. After all, he charged money from others and gained experience from them. If he weren't so tight on funds, he would've surely given them a discount.
"You're using the wrong force."
"Your posture is incorrect."
"Learn to adapt."
In the training room, everyone took their places, and Shen Hex tailored his teaching to the individual. Although it was a bit noisy, overall it was harmonious and didn't descend into chaos.
This is also why private coaching is expensive. One-on-one guidance with the choice of lesson content yields much better results compared to a messy group session in a big lecture hall.
Only for someone like Shen Hex, who's "capable of more work," is the benefit of a group lecture greater than a private lesson.
In this manner, as the evening approached, the trainees departed one by one, and finally, Shen Hex also left the training room. As he walked toward the restaurant, he opened his personal terminal to check his financial status.
He hadn't earned much, just over three million in a few days. After all, not everyone is like Zhong Qin, stuck at the Gang Transformation stage in need of guidance. Some people only require basic guidance, and naturally, Shen Hex couldn't charge them exorbitant fees.
As time passed and more trainees joined, this private coaching started to feel like a "meal-sharing" trend, except what they were sharing wasn't food but him as the coach.
Taking advantage of this, Shen Hex changed the standard: everyone paid the same fee and then listened to him discussing the personal difficulties of each. If it's useful, it's used; if not, it still holds value.
Had Shen Hex had no aspirations, he could fully sustain himself this way.
Unfortunately, he had no such plans, and some people wouldn't want him to think that way.
Just then...
"Kid, I heard you're quite a fighter!"
A man walked straight up to Shen Hex, blocking his path with a provocative stance: "Do you dare to fight me, so everyone can see if you're really skillful or just a pretty face putting on a show?"
Shen Hex stopped in his tracks, staring coldly without any reaction.
"What, don't dare?"
The man cracked his knuckles with a menacing smile: "Seems like you're gutless, kid!"
"Coach!"
Before the words settled, a shout came as Zhong Qin hurried down from the second floor.
Zhong Qin rushed to Shen Hex's side: "Don't fall for it. He's a Tier Two Martial Arts Professional who lost business to you and is deliberately provoking you."
"Hehehe!"
The man wasn't bothered upon hearing this, only giving Shen Hex a cold sneer: "If you're gutless, then scram. Stop bluffing here. What can a kid, who hasn't even been weaned properly, pretend to be a Martial Arts Grandmaster do, apart from hiding behind women?"
"Hahaha!"
These words triggered laughter from the crowd, who gathered around to watch the commotion eagerly.
"Ignore him, let's go!"
Seeing the situation, Zhong Qin was also a bit nervous and pulled Shen Hex to leave.
Shen Hex shook his head, not leaving with her. Instead, he turned and called out: "Security!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly froze, and the man's expression stiffened.
Without waiting for him to recover, a woman resembling a supervisor arrived on the scene and asked Shen Hex, "Is there anything you need?"
Shen Hex raised his right hand and directly pointed at the man: "He's harassing me."
"Is that so?"
The supervisor immediately turned to look at the man.
The man was startled awake and quickly tried to defend himself: "I'm not, I didn't..."
Before he could finish, Shen Hex opened his personal terminal, releasing a virtual image showing the man's provocative words from earlier.
This left the man, who wanted to argue, once again stunned, and Shen Hex shifted his gaze to the supervisor: "In Yunlan Hotel, who has the authority to expel patrons?"
"..."
"Security!"
The female supervisor, after a moment of silence, turned to look at the man, giving him no chance to explain, and called over two security guards: "Take this gentleman to the security office for questioning."
"Yes!"
The two security guards, both Tier Two Professionals, nodded and immediately seized the man from either side, escorting him out of the training area.
The female supervisor turned back, bowing to Shen Hex in front of everyone: "We apologize for this inconvenience caused to you. It's due to our hotel's poor management, and I assure you that we will prevent such incidents from happening again."
"That's good."
Shen Hex didn't stand on ceremony and accepted the words, then left with Zhong Qin.
"..."
The female supervisor watched him leave, then turned around and swept the crowd with a cold gaze, lingering on a few people before walking away in high heels.
On the other side, in the hotel restaurant.
Shen Hex ordered a few dishes and handed the menu to Zhong Qin across the table: "Order whatever you like, this meal is on me."
Zhong Qin looked at him with a peculiar expression, but said nothing more, confidently ordering two dishes before returning the menu to the waiter.
The waiter took the menu and left, leaving the two alone. Only then did she voice her question: "I thought you'd be itching to fight him."
Shen Hex smiled: "Do I seem that foolish?"
"Not at all."
Zhong Qin shook her head and said with a slightly peculiar look: "On the contrary, you seem a bit conniving."
"Haha."
Shen Hex laughed again: "Sometimes being a good person requires being more cunning than the bad ones."
"Makes sense."
Zhong Qin nodded and glanced towards the direction of the training area, then said to Shen Hex: "These people are all private trainers mixed in the first and second tiers. There might be some group or gang behind them. They hate you for taking their business, so they sent someone to cause trouble, trying to drive you out of the hotel."
"Is that so?"
Shen Hex responded, seemingly unsurprised.
Indeed, he wasn't surprised.
He understood well that everyone is driven by profit.
In the dream of the Martial Dynasty, during his time in Jianghu, why did the big gangs, martial arts sects, and local powerful factions, knowing his extraordinary skills, still risk everything to besiege him?
It's because their interests were fundamentally damaged, forcing them to take such risky actions.
What, leave for another place?
Leaving one's home makes one insignificant; how can one just leave?
Those big gangs, sects, and powerful factions are even more so. Each is a deeply rooted local power. Their industries, foundations, lives are tied to the place. Leaving would mean wasting generations or even dozens of generations of effort. How can they accept that?
If they don't leave, they're the local power; if they do, they're outsiders, with immeasurable cost to reestablish elsewhere.
That's why they dare to take such risks.
This is the greed and madness of the profiteers!
So it is in the dream, so it is in reality, because where there are people, there is Jianghu, and there are all kinds of disputes over interests.
He harmed others' interests, some hate him, cause trouble for him, it's very normal.
Shen Hex expected this long ago, so he dealt with them casually.
The Empire is a gigantic entity, and reality is his origin, so Shen Hex wouldn't be as reckless as he was in the Dream Butterfly World, but tends to be conservative.
However, being conservative doesn't mean allowing himself to be bullied. A hundred years of experience taught him many things, not just using force to solve problems.
"What are your plans next, still continue as a personal trainer here?"
Zhong Qin watched him, finally asking the crucial question.
Shen Hex shook his head: "That's not the plan, I'm starting school tomorrow."
"Starting school?"
This startled Zhong Qin, then she realized, the young man in front of her who just condensed his inner strength is indeed of high school age.
Although his actions and demeanor are hard to associate with a high school student, Zhong Qin didn't ask further and just followed with: "Which school?"
Shen Hex didn't hide: "Tianbei Second Middle School."
"Tianbei Second Middle School?"
Zhong Qin was surprised, then delighted: "What a coincidence?"
"Coincidence?"
Shen Hex looked at her: "Are you also a student at Tianbei Second Middle School?"
"Yes, I'm a senior this year!"
Zhong Qin felt proud: "So you should call me senior."
"Haha!"
Shen Hex laughed, neither affirming nor denying.
This made Zhong Qin feel slightly underestimated: "What do you mean by haha, are you looking down on me?"
"No, no."
Shen Hex shook his head in denial, but it seemed insincere.
Zhong Qin was helpless to this, so she changed the subject: "With your martial arts skills, after enrolling do you consider joining a club, like our Dragon Subduing Society?"
"Club?"
Shen Hex looked at her: "Do they pay?"
Zhong Qin: "..."