Chapter 154: Chapter 85: Don’t Push Your Luck

Zhao Rui asked curiously.

Without another word, Miao Miaomiao gracefully stood up and walked straight toward the door.

She left behind a crowd of stunned, spectating teammates, who all turned to look at Zhao Rui.

They were all giving Zhao Rui a mental thumbs-up.

’So badass! It’s always Miao Miaomiao scaring other people off. This is the first time anyone’s ever managed to chase her away!’

Zhao Rui was a little confused. ’I didn’t even do anything. What’s gotten into that girl?’

Unable to figure it out, he got up and went to find Qin Rui and Cao Guannan.

Qin Rui and Cao Guannan were sitting cross-legged in meditation and hadn’t seen what just happened.

Seeing Zhao Rui approach, they smiled and greeted him.

“Did you break through?”

The moment he arrived, Qin Rui asked him curiously.

“Not yet, but I can anytime,” Zhao Rui said with a smile.

“Keep bragging. Anyway, you still have two semesters. Don’t be in such a rush.”

Qin Rui rolled her eyes at him and said softly.

“You think so little of me? Two more semesters? I’ll probably be a Grandmaster by then!” Zhao Rui laughed.

“Oh, I’m sure. Coach Wang will be here for a meeting in a bit. It’s probably about the competition.”

“Oh.”

“You didn’t even watch our matches, and all you can say is ’oh’?”

“I would’ve just been filling a spot anyway. What’s the point in watching?”

“You…”

Qin Rui puffed up her cheeks and pinched his arm hard, but his skin was too tough. She twisted for a good while but couldn’t even leave a mark.

The three of them hadn’t been chatting for long when, just as predicted, Wang Zhanshan walked over carrying a stack of documents.

CLAP! CLAP! “Everyone, gather up!”

At the sound of the clapping, the team members quickly gathered in front of him and fell into formation.

Miao Miaomiao’s case was special; she stood alone, leaning against a corner, a sour look on her face.

“Everyone performed very well this time. The results exceeded my expectations, especially from Wang Dalong and Cai Zhengyang. Based on your current strength, if you keep working hard, I’m confident you’ll make it into the top thirty in the next competition.”

As soon as he said this, the team members gasped in amazement.

’The top thirty! That’s a result only High-Tier Level 9 martial artists can achieve. Doesn’t that mean those two already have strength comparable to Level 9?’

“However, I also have to offer some criticism. Ye Jingqiu, you’ve regressed a bit. This is the last competition you’ll be participating in, and frankly, I’m not satisfied with this result.”

“…”

Wang Zhanshan spoke for quite a while before having a few freshmen bring over some stools. He then turned on the projector and began playing recordings of the competition matches.

This included classic matches featuring several of the main team members.

Zhao Rui watched with great interest.

He was familiar with the others, but he had never fought against Wang Dalong.

Now, as he watched, he was stunned.

This Wang Dalong’s Inner Strength was incredibly profound. He could eliminate most Level 8 contestants relying on his Inner Strength alone.

A delighted look appeared on Zhao Rui’s face.

’This guy must know an extremely powerful Internal Cultivation Method.’

’I have to find a chance to copy it and build up my own foundation.’

After the highlight reel of Wang Dalong’s matches finished, footage of Miao Miaomiao’s fight was projected onto the screen.

On screen, the girl lacked her usual carefree, charming demeanor. Under her opponent’s continuous attacks, she was clearly outmatched.

It was as if her Charm Skill had completely failed.

She was eliminated by her opponent in under a hundred moves.

“There’s a saying that a one-trick pony can still win the race, but if you run into someone whose Cultivation Technique counters yours and you have no other way to defeat them, you’ll end up just like Miao Miaomiao—completely helpless. So…”

Wang Zhanshan said with some regret, “Xiaomiao, I’m not trying to pressure you, but as long as this issue with your Charm Skill remains unresolved, it will be difficult for you to make any breakthroughs in your Martial Arts.”

Miao Miaomiao took a deep breath. Although she didn’t want to admit it, she had no choice but to nod.

“Coach, I’ll work hard!”

“Okay. I’ll see if I can figure something out.”

With that, Wang Zhanshan played the recordings of the other team members.

’So that’s why she didn’t want to talk about the competition?’

Zhao Rui’s brow furrowed slightly. ’It seems the girl’s Charm Immortal Technique has hit a bottleneck.’

’How could it not? It’s from a Half-Step Fragmented Book. To have cultivated it this far already shows exceptional talent.’

Wang Zhanshan spent the entire day analyzing footage with the team. They didn’t wrap up until five in the afternoon.

The moment they were dismissed, Zhao Rui started to turn, only to hear someone call out to him.

The voice was slightly unfamiliar; it wasn’t Qin Rui or the others.

He turned to look and was surprised to see it was Han Xingyi.

“What’s up?” Zhao Rui asked.

“There’s something about the Prajna Palm I don’t understand. I was hoping I could ask you about it.”

Han Xingyi fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, her fair-skinned face lowered slightly, not daring to meet his eyes.

“Oh.”

“What about it?” Zhao Rui replied casually.

“Well, it’s about the Vajra’s Furious Gaze. Since I’m a girl, I can never seem to get it quite right…”

Han Xingyi seemed to be genuinely asking for advice.

Seeing this, Zhao Rui didn’t turn her away. After all, they were classmates, and he had spent some time as a teacher for the younger kids, so he casually offered a few pointers.

“The so-called Vajra’s Furious Gaze isn’t about an angry posture, but an angry state of mind. It’s about the imposing aura within your body… You have to channel your qi here, raise one hand diagonally, and then…”

“Thank you, Zhao Rui. I think I get it now. You’re a really good teacher,” Han Xingyi said, not holding back her praise.

“It’s nothing. I’m going to go now.”

Zhao Rui smiled, glanced at Qin Rui and Cao Guannan who had been waiting at the door for him, and started to walk over.

“Let me treat you to dinner!” Han Xingyi suddenly called out.

“No need. It was nothing.”

Zhao Rui waved her off, his pace not faltering.

After dinner, the optional evening training session continued.

Not many people showed up, though. The semester had just begun, and most were still in a vacation mindset.

As usual, Zhao Rui went to the Martial Arts Team practice hall, found a Quiet Chamber, and began contemplating how to integrate his various Martial Arts.

He trained until Mingcan Temple closed for the night, only then emerging from the Quiet Chamber, slinging his backpack over his shoulder, and leaving the school.

The cool moonlight shone down on the quiet path outside the school, bathing it in a silvery glow.

Zhao Rui strolled slowly, admiring the beautiful moonlit scenery.

The Martial Dao valued Cultivation, but it valued cultivating the heart even more.

Whether one’s heart was good or evil, pure or troubled, only by focusing on the “heart” could one reach the pinnacle of the Martial Dao.

This was why many cultivators enjoyed visiting famous mountains and great rivers, cultivating their character in order to borrow the power of the landscape to achieve self-realization.

Zhao Rui mulled this over as he walked under the moonlight.

Just then, the sound of a zither, like a sudden downpour in a forest, drifted faintly from the distance.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep