Confidence came with mastery. After progressing into a Martial Grandmaster and successfully cultivating the 'true spear technique', Yan Liqiang realized that he had indeed gained more confidence. The most obvious change was that he no longer felt threatened by his opponent's name and influence, even when he was facing the 'powerful' Dark Wood Tribe of the Shatu Seven Tribes or the Northwestern Transportation Office. The only questions he had in mind were always how many people his opponent could send and if he could deal with them all.
When one became stronger, one would become more optimistic. If Yan Liqiang encountered an entity like the Transportation Office in the past, all he could probably think of was how to mobilize the resources around him and his other social connections to deal with starving wolves like them. This time, however, he was going to take them head-on.