Chapter 208: Chapter 105: Someone Is Scolding You

Zhao Rui’s move was so sudden that it not only stopped Sun Hao, but startled him as well.

Attack when your enemy is unprepared; strike at their weakness.

The angle of Zhao Rui’s attack struck precisely at the weak point in Sun Hao’s own technique.

How could he not be alarmed?

“Again!”

Sun Hao’s expression shifted several times. Ultimately unconvinced, he abruptly unleashed his Seven-Star Palm Force and struck at Zhao Rui once more.

“The same technique is useless against me!”

’The system had just finished copying the Seven-Star Divine Skill. This cultivation technique no longer held any secrets for him.’

That was why his previous strike had been so precise.

Zhao Rui struck a cool pose, then sidestepped slightly, effortlessly receiving the Seven-Star Palm Force.

Meanwhile, he was priming his Great Strength Vajra Leg. As his body swayed, he shot out a kick, aimed right where Sun Hao’s footing was unsteady.

Sun Hao was also incredibly quick to adapt. He twisted his body to the side into a Sleeping Arhat stance to dodge the kick, but changing his technique mid-stream broke the continuous momentum of his Seven-Star Palm Force.

Zhao Rui seized the opening and surged forward. With an Iron Mountain Lean from Baji Fist, he slammed into Sun Hao’s ribs, sending him flying.

Sun Hao flew through the air and crashed to the ground with a heavy THUD.

Although Zhao Rui had held back enough force in that lean to avoid injuring him, he hadn’t held back enough to save his pride. Getting sent flying was inevitable.

’It was a little payback for his earlier surprise attack, when he was clearly ready to pull a dirty move.’

The heavy thud instantly drew the eyes of everyone present.

The members of the Youth Training Team, assuming Zhao Rui had been defeated by Sun Hao, all turned to watch the show.

But when they saw it was Sun Hao on the ground, their eyes widened in astonishment.

“Oops, Senior Brother. My apologies, I couldn’t pull back in time!”

Zhao Rui hurried forward and extended a hand to pull Sun Hao up.

His face was a mask of warmth and apology.

Sun Hao wanted none of it. He turned his head away, pushed himself up with one hand, and got to his feet.

Zhao Rui dusted off his hands, gave an unconcerned smile, and said, “Shall we continue?”

Just then, the assistant coach walked over. Seeing it was the two of them again, he said with some displeasure, “What’s going on here?”

“Coach, Senior Brother got a leg cramp just now, and I couldn’t stop in time.”

Zhao Rui blurted out the first excuse that came to mind. He hadn’t squeezed Sun Hao dry of his skills yet, so he couldn’t afford to make an enemy of him.

“Is that so?”

The assistant coach looked at Sun Hao.

Sun Hao’s face flushed red, but in front of so many people, he couldn’t possibly admit his skills were inferior. He had no choice but to nod and go along with the story.

“Everyone, be careful. The competition is coming up, so don’t get injured during training.”

The assistant coach clapped his hands, signaling for everyone to continue.

“Senior Brother, what do you say we switch Martial Arts? I’m worried I might not be able to hold back again!”

’Zhao Rui didn’t want to be the bad guy, but he had no choice. To copy more Martial Arts, he’d just have to ’endure the humiliation’ and accept his role as the ’villain.’’

Sun Hao’s gaze shifted, his expression a complicated mess. After a moment’s hesitation, he settled into the stance for Mantis Fist.

’A fat mantis?’

’An image of a certain portly director from a classic movie in his past life couldn’t help but surface in Zhao Rui’s mind. ’Well, whatever. It’s a little ugly, but I just won’t use it on a regular basis.’’

“Watch out, Senior Brother. I’m switching to Yong Chun Boxing.”

Zhao Rui gave a word of warning, then settled into the opening stance of Yong Chun Boxing.

Sun Hao hadn’t expected him to know Wing Chun as well. His brow furrowed, but he still advanced, striking at Zhao Rui with a mantis hook.

Zhao Rui parried the hook and simultaneously aimed a low kick at his opponent’s shin.

Sun Hao slid his foot back, then advanced again, striking with a sinking shoulder and a dropping elbow.

The two became entangled, trading blows and probing each other’s techniques. Their advances and retreats were measured, much more in line with the spirit of a sparring drill.

Seeing that Zhao Rui was actually going along with him “peacefully,” Sun Hao inwardly relaxed. ’If I lose too quickly, it’ll probably damage my standing on the team,’ he thought. ’Since he’s willing to drag this out, I’ll play along.’

With that thought, Sun Hao roused his spirits and continued to fight with Zhao Rui.

When the practice session ended at noon, the main team member from the Youth Training Team found Sun Hao and demanded to know why he hadn’t dealt with him yet.

Sun Hao repeated the excuse Zhao Rui had used that morning, saying that for some reason, his leg had cramped up and he wasn’t able to take him down for the moment.

’A cramp?’

’A Martial Artist getting a cramp? That’s ridiculous. How calcium-deficient do you have to be?’

’No, you’d have to be missing a brain to come up with such a lame excuse.’

’It’s not that a Martial Artist can’t get a cramp. Wealth, companionship, cultivation methods, and a place to train are the most important things for a practitioner.’

’If you don’t eat well, how can you use the essence of the five grains to replenish your damaged Inner Qi?’

’But to claim you got a cramp with the lavish provisions at the Martial Arts Training Base… it just doesn’t add up.’

“Go to the pharmacy at noon and get some Nutrient Liquid. Put it on my account.”

The main team member frowned but didn’t say anything else. He just turned and walked away.

Sun Hao sighed. He wasn’t going to get the Nutrient Liquid, but he definitely had to fight Zhao Rui again.

Otherwise, he’d have no way to answer for it.

’I’ll just wait a bit longer!’

「Two more days passed.」

Zhao Rui had naturally mastered Sun Hao’s Mantis Fist and had also begun the process of copying his hidden Lightweight Skill, the Shifting Form Step.

This was the same swift footwork he had used in conjunction with the Seven-Star Divine Skill to launch that surprise attack earlier.

It was quite impressive.

On this day, the two were sparring as usual, practicing their techniques.

’If this were back at the Martial Arts Dojo, once he had finished copying the Martial Arts, Zhao Rui would have switched roles and started acting as an instructor.’

’But this was the provincial Martial Arts Training Base. It wasn’t the place for a small fry like him to be giving pointers.’

’He was the one who was supposed to be learning here.’

“I’ve gained a lot from sparring with you these past few days, Senior Brother. What was your ranking at the last provincial Martial Dao tournament?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep