Chapter 1395
The happiest time of his day was always between five and seven in the morning.
That was when he took Evan out back, up into the hills, for training.
If Evan needed to train for an extra hour, that just meant more time together—and honestly, that made him even happier.
“So, from now on, we’ll train for an extra hour every night. Then you can head home, get cleaned up, and hit the sack p>
“Deal!” Evan grinned.
The two of them-one old, one young-agreed on their new plan, slipped on their face masks, and headed for the gym.
The place was buzzing with energy. Outside the gym, a bunch of people were streaming live on their phones.
Most of them were local influencers from Thyania, chattering away in rapid-fire Thai that neither Evan nor the old man could understand.
Since they couldn’t make out a word, they just ignored the fuss and strolled up to the entrance.
At the ticket booth out front, two burly Thyanian guys were on duty. With their thick arms and intimidating scowls, they looked like they could bench-press a truck.
When they spotted Evan and the old man, one of the bouncers wrinkled his nose and asked in choppy English, “This is a gym. What you want here p>
Evan held up his smartwatch and scrolled to his invitation. “We’re here for the match. See? Punikon sent me this. He invited us p>
The two guards glanced at the screen. “You are p>
Evan said, “I’m Punikon’s classmate. And this is my great-grandpa p>
The guards exchanged a look, then waved them through-but not without tossing out a jab: “You Zhinorian folks, so skinny! You better watch from the balcony upstairs. If the crowd knocks you over, we’re not responsible p>
“Yeah, yeah, we got it,” Evan said, brushing off the sarcasm as he and his great- grandpa walked inside.
This was the biggest Thyanian gym in the country—at least a thousand square meters on the first floor alone. In the center was a raised boxing ring, where all the big matches went down.
The place was already packed. There were Zhinorian and Thyanian fans, plus people from all over, united by their love of martial arts.
Most of the audience were men, but here and there, a few glamorous livestreamers were broadcasting the event.
It was just an ordinary Thyania-Zhinora friendship
match nothing special really. But slap the words “Zhinorian billionaire on the poster, and suddenly everyone wanted in. s
On top of that, Tarquin was determined to make this fight go viral in Thyania. So,
behind the scenes, Lowell had paid for a serious social media boost.
Now, everyone in Thyania was hyped for the eight o’clock livestream, eager to watch their local fighters “crush” the Zhinorian rich guy.
Back in Zhinora, though, the match was flying under the radar-Tarquin had all but buried it on the trending
50 most of the audience was
from the Thyagian side s
Evan and his great-grandpa squeezed through the crowd, searching for Tarquin.
They didn’t spot him, but they did
recognize Punikon’s
father-bare-chested and looking
every inch the champion A popular. thyantan influencer was
interviewing him, with a translator by her side. s
She asked, “So, what made you challenge the Zhinorian billionaire to this match?
It’s been years since you stepped into the ring. Why now p>
Punikon’s dad squared his shoulders, his muscles rippling under the lights. “I’m fighting for my son p>
“My boy, Punikon, got into a scrap at school with the son of this Zhinorian billionaire p>
“My son, out of humility and respect for our family’s values, didn’t fight back p>
“But the other kid had no sense of honor-he knocked out my boy’s tooth and broke his arm p>
“And as if that wasn’t enough, his parent didn’t apologize—instead, he slapped my wife across the face p>
“As a father and as a husband, I can’t let that go p>
“I’ve heard he’s a skilled fighter himself-a real big shot back in Zhinora. That’s why I challenged him personally p>
“If they don’t understand humility and respect, I’ll teach them with my fists p>
“I want the world to know: Thyanian fighters are not to be underestimated. I’m fighting for the honor of Thyania itself p>