In the afternoon, just past one o'clock.
Fang Cheng was not in the training venue where he should have been.
Instead, he had put on a blue suit, holding a stack of advertising flyers, standing in front of gate 7 of the mall.
The crowd around him was bustling and endless, all there for shopping and entertainment.
"Hey there, brother, interested in learning Kung Fu? It strengthens your body and is essential for home defense..."
He occasionally shouted out advertisements and handed out flyers, promoting combat classes to passing males.
However, just a few words into his spiel, he would be met with refusals and waves of hands.
Interestingly, quite a few young women chose to stay and listen patiently.
But it seemed that their intention to strike up a conversation was greater than buying the classes.
Some bold girls even went as far as to request his personal contact information.
Fang Cheng maintained a polite smile on his face, but his forehead was covered with cold sweat.
He felt that the work in the marketing department was simply not meant for normal people.
If given a choice, he would prefer to do 1000 push-ups to avoid the current awkwardness.
How awkward was it?
Like telling a not-so-funny joke a hundred times in public.
That was the feeling.
The day before yesterday, Fang Cheng approached his supervisor, expressing his desire to gain experience in different positions.
Mr. Qiu didn't mind.
The key issue was the department's lack of staff; a transfer would definitely stir up personnel issues.
So he told Fang Cheng to find Manager Li and submit an application report.
Before the report was even completed, Manager Li had already called him in for a talk at noon today.
The conversation started off quite amicably.
As usual, he gave some encouragement, saying things like "work hard, the company won't let down good employees."
Then, Manager Li hinted to Fang Cheng that he could stay on permanently.
As long as he performed well, he'd be promoted to deputy head of the department next year, and possibly even become a supervisor a few years later.
Fang Cheng was non-committal and did not express an opinion on the spot.
The supervisor's empty promises were too far away, and the salary of a deputy wasn't much higher.
Of course, having the opportunity to get a promotion and a raise was definitely a good thing.
Seeing that Manager Li seemed to be in a good mood, Fang Cheng then took the opportunity to request a job rotation.
Manager Li pondered for a moment and said it could be considered.
However, Fang Cheng needed to first prove his capability at a new position.
And just like that, he was transferred from the logistics department to the marketing department.
Looking at the crowd swarming around, Fang Cheng sighed inwardly.
He couldn't help but wonder, did Manager Li mishear him, or did he do this on purpose?
Wantong Mall has been running a lottery event these past few days.
As long as one spends enough inside the mall, they can go to the organizers to exchange for gifts and participate in the lottery.
The prizes include refrigerators, televisions, and even the latest fashionable home computers.
Therefore, even though it's not a weekend or holiday, it still attracts a large crowd.
Today, Fang Cheng's task is to recruit a batch of new students to boost the club's year-end performance.
There are many competitors in the industry with similar ideas.
The ones running yoga classes, dance classes, wellness centers, and gyms upstairs all emerged in full force.
Since its opening half a year ago, Wantong Mall had been quite deserted, with educational institutions occupying half the space.
Now that the mall's management is hosting an event to attract clientele, everyone naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity.
Almost every high-traffic area has competitors distributing flyers and advertisements.
The club had also fought hard to secure this prime location next to gate 7.
"Brother Cheng, could you come help us, please?"
A sweet voice floated into his ears.
Fang Cheng turned around and saw two ladies in OL uniforms waving at him.
There was a table set up at the entrance, along with a few advertisement display racks that were yet to be properly assembled.
These are colleagues from the marketing department.
"Okay!"
Fang Cheng responded decisively and felt relieved immediately.
Right now, doing anything else feels more comfortable than just standing around distributing flyers.
He secured the display rack and posted up the promotional posters.
Dusting off his palms, Fang Cheng scanned the pictures and text on them.
The first two posters mainly introduced the club's environment, faculties, and courses, as well as related promotions.
The last poster featured a portrait of a fighting star.
On the full-bodied muscular figure, the eyes were sharp and piercing, as if tangible.
On the right, there was an extremely eye-catching headline:
"Fighting King Zheng Haokang will visit our club on December 17. Stay tuned!"
Below was a large section of text introducing the biography and achievements of this sports star.
From Wenchuan District, East City. Sanda King, Olympic Boxing champion, and two-time National Free Combat Champion.
Later transferred to KFC, and successfully won the lightweight belt, becoming the first Xia Country boxer to be crowned champion in a top-level global fighting competition.
Before fame, he had trained at Global Elite Fighting Club for a period.
Thus, the club management often uses his story as a gold-lettered signboard to attract students.
It is said that inviting him for this coaching session cost over one hundred thousand yuan, many students have already paid in advance to book the sessions.
"Thank you, Brother Cheng, for helping."
A female colleague handed him a cup of hot water with a slightly flushed face.
Another female colleague also showed her eagerness:
"Brother Cheng, you must be tired. Take a seat for a while, we're not in a hurry to distribute flyers."
The two women surrounded Fang Cheng, chattering incessantly.
One moment they showed concern, the next they complained about the stingy manager, suggesting that a change of position should come with a higher salary.
Fang Cheng sipped the hot water while casually chatting with them.
But his attention was entirely on that last poster.
His eyes fixed on the heroic face of the fighting champion, his thoughts surging like tides.
Fang Cheng had always hoped to witness higher and broader horizons.
Because this involved the power levels of the entire world, and also related to the ultimate limits he could achieve.
If... there were no extraordinary powers...
A world-class fighting champion would mean standing at the peak of human physical capabilities, right?
Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, pondering secretly.
Perhaps only by closely observing and battling with a true top-tier expert could he find the answer.
Glancing at the date, there was still over half a month left.
He must intensify his training and make preparations to seize this rare opportunity.
With a slight thought, the panel appeared.
Fang Cheng gazed at all the skills he currently possessed.
[Speed Reading lv1 (36/250)]
[Concentration lv1 (81/250)]
[Cooking Skill lv0 (52/100)]
[Cleaning lv0 (90/100)]
[Boxing lv1 (41/250)]
[Push-ups lv1 (1/250)]
[Deep Squat lv0 (65/100)]
[Lifting Leg lv0 (0/100)]
Deep Squat and Cleaning skills are close to a breakthrough, and by then he should be able to add points and further improve his physical attributes.
The Prisoner's Six Arts, progressing at a normal pace, should also achieve full unlocking within twenty days.
Right now, the most important thing is to learn other combat skills.
After all, the opponent is a mixed martial arts competitor, a free combat champion...
Just then, a querying voice suddenly interrupted Fang Cheng's thoughts.
"Excuse me, can studying this strengthen and condition the body?"