"Open one yourself?" Xiao Yu looked at Shi Feng with some surprise, feeling that Shi Feng was still too young and naive. "Coach Shi, I'm not exaggerating, but opening a training facility in Fenglin City would be extremely difficult. Even the Bai Group behind you doesn't have the capability to pull that off."
Opening a training facility on one's own was indeed a good approach — at least they wouldn't be at anyone else's mercy. But in this day and age, starting a training facility was no easy task. First and foremost, it required enormous capital. Setting aside the venue costs, just purchasing the most advanced equipment alone was a massive expense.
Moreover, in an era of universal fitness, there was no shortage of people opening training facilities and martial arts academies. The larger the city, the fiercer the competition. To survive, a facility either had to be a large-scale training center or fitness complex — small operations simply couldn't stay afloat. On top of that, training equipment was upgraded rapidly, requiring significant annual investments.
In a first-tier city like Fenglin City, the most cutting-edge training equipment was the bare foundation for competition — to say nothing of the nutrition and medical equipment that came as a package deal. After all, a training facility focused primarily on combat, and combat inevitably meant injuries. Without first-rate medical equipment for prompt treatment, hidden problems could easily develop. And without proper nutrition, how was one supposed to enhance physical fitness?
It could be said that without these foundational elements, nobody would set foot in such a training facility.
Their Beidou Group had earned its current status and reputation in a third-tier city like Jinhai City because they had ridden the wave early on and accumulated decades of experience. Anyone who could open a training facility in Jinhai today had the full backing and deep pockets of a major conglomerate behind them just to barely scrape by. As for opening a training facility in a first-tier city like Fenglin City — one could only imagine the money involved. On top of that, real estate in Fenglin City's city center was worth its weight in gold. Even their Beidou Group would struggle enormously.
This was precisely why the Beidou Group had never dared to open a training facility in a first-tier city.
Xiao Yu found it hard to imagine that Shi Feng could throw that kind of money into it. He was well aware of Zero Wing's situation. Although the Bai Group stood behind them, and the Bai Group was indeed somewhat stronger than the Beidou Group, the Bai Group was already stretched thin just maintaining Zero Wing's training base. Where would the money come from to open a training facility in Fenglin City?
Not to mention that the Star Navigation financial group was currently targeting Zero Wing, and no corporation or enterprise would dare lend money to or cooperate with them.
"Then I have to ask — would Chairman Xiao be willing to cooperate with our Zero Wing?" Shi Feng didn't argue. Instead, he simply watched Xiao Yu with a calm smile.
He understood well that opening a training facility was an enormous challenge. Never mind that he wasn't familiar with the ins and outs of the training facility business — money alone was a major problem. After all, he had used every last cent that Feng Qianyu invested just to secure the Snake of the Body training base, and those funds were merely a deposit. The rent for the virtual storefront would be deducted from that sum bit by bit. Had Stone Forest Town fallen back then, that money would have had to be returned in full.
And Xiao Yu had been running the Beidou Fitness Center for years. If Xiao Yu could join forces with them, the benefit to opening a training facility would be immense.
"You certainly know how to ask the right questions." Xiao Yu looked at Shi Feng's earnest expression and smiled bitterly. "Personally, opening a training facility in Fenglin City has been a dream of mine for years. But our Beidou Group simply cannot do it. The board members would never agree — they wouldn't put up a single cent."
"As for the money, I'll figure that out on my end. What I'm asking is whether Chairman Xiao, personally, is willing to cooperate with our Zero Wing." Shi Feng understood Xiao Yu's concerns. With a conglomerate like the Beidou Group that had been operating for so many years, even though Xiao Yu was at the helm, the final decision still rested with the board. With the Star Navigation financial group looming over them, who dared to go against the tide? "If you're willing to cooperate with our Zero Wing, I can offer you a 5% stake in the training facility."
Compared to the Beidou Group standing behind Xiao Yu, he personally valued Xiao Yu himself far more. Xiao Yu had been running the Beidou Fitness Center for years — his connections and channels were simply not something an outsider like Shi Feng could match. Even Bai Qingxue couldn't compare, because they were in different industries entirely, and different industries were as distant as mountains between them.
Hearing Shi Feng's offer, Xiao Yu felt a slight stir in his heart.
Opening a training facility in a first-tier city had always been his goal, but it was far, far too difficult. It required not only money but also real capability. And Shi Feng was a master of dark energy — even a martial arts grandmaster like Lei Bao considered himself inferior. In a first-tier city teeming with powerhouses and experts, Shi Feng would have considerable competitiveness. The only thing he lacked was fame, and that could be bought with proper marketing and promotion.
"Then what scale of training facility are you thinking of building?" Xiao Yu asked.
In this day and age, the scale of a training facility was critically important. Small facilities with only one or two floors simply couldn't cut it — they probably couldn't even fit the most advanced equipment, let alone nutrition and medical gear. How would they compete against other training facilities and martial arts academies?
If Shi Feng could secure a facility of five or six floors in the city center, then there might be something to work with. And it had to be purchased outright, because with Zero Wing being targeted by Star Navigation, if they announced a lease termination midway through, the compensation payments would be the least of one's worries — the wasted time was what really gave one a headache.
"Something like an entire building in the city center, I suppose," Shi Feng thought for a moment and said.
Since he intended to establish a training facility directly under Zero Wing's banner, the scale naturally couldn't be small — otherwise it wouldn't even begin to meet Zero Wing's needs. After all, even the Shadow Guild, which had been merely a second-rate operation in its heyday, had several training facilities and martial arts academies providing full support behind the scenes. That was what had allowed Shadow to never run short of internal experts and kept the guild functioning smoothly.
At Zero Wing's current scale, if they couldn't achieve something on the level of the entire Beidou Fitness Center building, Zero Wing would find itself unable to move an inch in the Divine Realm.
"An entire building?" Xiao Yu couldn't help but roll his eyes, feeling that Shi Feng was pulling his leg.
This was Fenglin City, a first-tier city — it was nothing like a third-tier city like Jinhai. Every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. Even the Beidou Group, after years of planning, felt that securing a facility of eight or nine floors in the city center would be their absolute limit.
And in the heart of Fenglin City, any random building stood at least forty stories tall...
"Not enough?" Shi Feng looked at Xiao Yu with genuine curiosity.
"If you can actually get it, I'm happy to cooperate with you." Xiao Yu stared at Shi Feng, feeling certain that the man had gone completely crazy from playing games. He had clung to a sliver of hope before, but now it was entirely gone.
How was acquiring an entire building in the heart of Fenglin City supposed to be easy?
Did he think he was buying cabbage in a game?
After settling things with Xiao Yu, Shi Feng immediately returned to Zero Wing's headquarters and entered the Divine Realm without delay.