Chapter 183: Chapter 96: Back to Square One

His right to the benefits of an official team member was revoked. His position as captain of the second team was stripped away, and he was reassigned to the sparring partner group. On top of that, his eligibility for the year-end awards was canceled.

Once the punishment was announced, the crowd was in an uproar.

This punishment was, in all honesty, a bit severe.

It basically stripped Zhao Rui of all his perks, putting him on the same level as a first-year student who had just joined the team.

“Zhao Rui, do you have any objections to this punishment?”

Wang Zhanshan said in a cold voice.

“None. I’ll accept the coach’s decision.”

Zhao Rui gave a relaxed smile. He had joined the Martial Arts Team to improve his strength.

As for benefits, status, and all that?

He couldn’t care less.

“Dismissed!”

After speaking, Wang Zhanshan left the side hall with Zeng Hongyi and the others.

As soon as the coaches left, many of the first-year students, especially those from his former squad, gathered around Zhao Rui to voice their indignation.

They said the coach’s punishment was too harsh and that everyone should go plead his case.

Others said they wouldn’t accept anyone but Zhao Rui as their captain.

Listening to their whispered words of comfort, Zhao Rui cupped his fist in thanks, but his expression showed no trace of dejection.

Where there were those who felt it was an injustice, there were naturally also those who reveled in his misfortune.

Gongye Lingchen curled his lip in a cold sneer. If he weren’t certain he’d lose a fight against Zhao Rui, he would have loved to walk over, kick him while he was down, and taunt him a little.

Cai Zhengyang felt the same way.

However, the kid had been thoroughly cowed by Zhao Rui and didn’t even dare to let his schadenfreude show.

He simply set off a private fireworks show in his mind to celebrate.

After the punishment was handed down, Zhao Rui’s life returned to its calm and regular routine.

Before, he had to teach Martial Arts to the first-years on the second team, but now he didn’t have to worry about that anymore.

All he had to do was be a good sparring partner.

Being made a sparring partner was exactly what he wanted.

For various reasons, he hadn’t yet copied the Martial Arts of many first-year students.

He had originally planned to make a request to Coach Wang Zhanshan after he finished teaching the new students the Prajna Palm.

Now, this was even better. He could skip that step entirely.

So, Zhao Rui returned to his previous training routine of being a sparring partner alongside He Zhiyan.

This time, however, He Zhiyan didn’t dare order him around. Zhao Rui could even beat up Gongye Lingchen; who would dare treat him like some underling?

As one of the few remaining third-year seniors, He Zhiyan was a pretty sharp guy.

Zhao Rui enjoyed the freedom. Whenever he found a suitable team member, he would step up to be their sparring partner, giving pointers while earning Advancement Points.

He earned two Advancement Points in just a few days.

He didn’t stay idle in the evenings, either. Helping Miao Miaomiao re-cultivate the Charm Immortal Technique was back on his daily schedule.

This time, with the boost from the top-tier Demon Sound Technique, his understanding of the Charm Immortal Technique had deepened even further.

As a result, Miao Miaomiao’s recovery also sped up quite a bit.

“Don’t you dare kiss me!”

One day, the two of them were hiding in a tree, cultivating the Charm Immortal Technique, when they suddenly heard a man and a woman playfully running over from a distance.

“Just let me have one kiss!”

“You’re horrible!”

The pair drew closer and closer to the courtyard wall, their bodies gradually pressing together. The girl’s back rested gently against the wall as she tilted her chin up slightly.

The boy lowered his head and gave her rosy lips a gentle peck before pressing his mouth fully against hers.

SMOOCH… SLURP!

Miao Miaomiao, who had been meditating and circulating her energy, suddenly felt her pretty face flush. She couldn’t help but open her eyes and sneak a glance at Zhao Rui.

She saw that he was craning his neck, secretly watching the couple below.

He had the look of someone enjoying a good show.

Annoyed, she snapped off a twig and threw it at him with a SWOOSH.

Zhao Rui raised his left hand and deftly caught the twig between his fingers. He turned to look at her, puzzled. “What was that for?”

He spoke at a normal volume, which was naturally heard by the young couple by the wall below.

The pair, flustered, quickly grabbed hands and ran far away.

“Look what you did, breaking up the happy couple. What a great learning opportunity! And you just had to ruin it.”

Zhao Rui said, shaking his head and sighing.

“You want…”

Miao Miaomiao’s face turned a faint, shy red as she whispered the two words, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the rest.

“’You’ what…? Just get back to your Cultivation!”

Zhao Rui snorted coldly.

He sat cross-legged again and began reciting the incantations for the Charm Immortal Technique.

“Hmph!”

Miao Miaomiao looked unhappy and huffed, but she did as he said.

After cultivating like this for about half an hour, the two of them finally rose, retracted their Power, and used their Lightweight Skill to leap down from the treetop.

“Your Power with the Charm Immortal Technique is at about thirty percent now. That’s more than enough for self-defense, so I won’t walk you back.”

Zhao Rui waved his hand, vaulted over the courtyard wall, and headed straight for his rented apartment.

“Hmph! You big idiot, you deserve to be single!”

Miao Miaomiao turned her head away and stomped off angrily toward her home.

Halfway home, she suddenly remembered something Qin Rui had mentioned: Zhao Rui had a female classmate he was quite close to.

Her elegant brows furrowed at once.

’It seems I’m the one who’s single,’ she thought. ’That bastard has no shortage of girls to kiss.’

Her mood instantly soured even more.

…

A fine rain falls during the Qingming festival, leaving travelers on the road heartbroken.

When one asks where a tavern might be, a shepherd boy points to the distant Apricot Blossom Village.

In the blink of an eye, it was the season of drizzling spring rains in April. On the university campus, students had long since shed their heavy winter clothes for lighter attire.

That weekend, Zhao Rui rode his bicycle at full speed, heading alone to a Martial Arts Dojo nearly ten miles from the university.

He had contacted them online a couple of days ago. They were hiring part-time instructors and sparring partners.

The requirements were high, though: applicants had to be a Martial Artist of Level 8 or Above.

Zhao Rui had spoken with them for a while, and the terms were all suitable.

The pay was also quite good.

So he took advantage of the weekend to ride over.

Wang Zhanshan had cut off his “allowance,” so he had to find a part-time job to make some money.

He couldn’t just sit around and burn through his savings.

Of course, nabbing some Advancement Points on the side was also one of his goals.

This Martial Arts Dojo was huge.

The interior covered an area the size of several soccer fields.

There were no fewer than forty or fifty cars parked at the entrance alone.

This Martial Arts Dojo didn’t teach children; it taught adults.

It was very similar to the martial arts club where he had worked part-time back in Lin City.

But this place was more professional.

The students were also at a higher level, capable of participating in amateur competitions and stunt double selections.

After locking his bike at the entrance, Zhao Rui strode into the dojo.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep