Chapter 63: Chapter 46: Return (Part 2)

Whether it was for the collegiate league or the provincial league, you needed to be eligible to compete.

And as part of the support team, sparring partners were temporarily ineligible to compete.

This was one of the reasons Zhang Kui was so upset.

After hearing Zhang Kui’s explanation, Zhao Rui felt more at ease. ’So it’s just a temporary suspension of eligibility.’ For him, that wasn’t a big deal at all.

Even though he was a Level 6 Martial Artist, that didn’t mean much here.

After all, any Martial Arts Student admitted to the Dongqi University Martial Arts Academy was a Fifth-level Martial Artist at minimum.

Level 6 and Level 7 were extremely common.

There were even some at Level 8.

These were the truly favored sons of heaven.

Even though Zhang Kui had been relegated to a sparring partner, he was a bona fide Seventh Level Martial Artist.

Most Sixth-level Martial Artists had been cut by the end of the first semester.

Zhao Rui had only gotten in because he arrived early. If he had applied in the second half of the year, he wouldn’t have even been qualified to join.

So competing wasn’t important to him at all. As long as he could spar with others and earn Advancement Points, he was content.

“Brother Zhang, Teacher Wang is actually doing this for your own good. If you take the time to build a solid foundation, you’ll have your moment to shine.”

Zhao Rui said, offering genuine comfort.

“Ah, I hope you’re right. I need to get promoted first. Otherwise, when the new students arrive next semester, I’ll be the one getting cut.”

“I heard this year’s incoming class has two Eighth-level Martial Artists and a whole lot of Level 7s. They’re monsters!”

Zhang Kui couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement.

“Drink up, drink up!”

Zhao Rui’s heart clenched. ’I can’t believe this year’s new students are that powerful. I used to think being Level 5 made you a top student. Looks like I was just a frog in a well.’

“Let’s drink!”

The two of them clinked their glasses and chugged the alcohol down.

The two chatted for another twenty minutes or so. Seeing it was getting late, they paid the bill and left the restaurant.

Zhao Rui didn’t head back to the Martial Arts Academy. Outside of scheduled training sessions, the Martial Arts Team didn’t restrict its members’ free time.

Often, especially the lower-Level members, would voluntarily go to Mingcan Courtyard for their Cultivation.

According to Zhang Kui, it was because the feng shui there was good, which could supposedly increase a member’s Cultivation speed and comprehension.

’Who knows if that’s true or not.’

Today wasn’t a scheduled training day. So after leaving the restaurant, Zhao Rui went straight back to his rented apartment for a nap.

He slept until a little past three, washed his face, and then headed back to Mingcan Courtyard.

He had just entered the courtyard gate and was about to head to the side hall where his squad was located when he saw Zhang Kui mysteriously beckoning to him.

Zhao Rui hurried over. Zhang Kui glanced around, then leaned in and whispered in his ear, “The main members of the Martial Arts Team are coming back from their competition tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Zhao Rui gave Zhang Kui a puzzled look. Zhang Kui continued, “Be careful not to get on their bad side. I heard they performed poorly and were eliminated in the second round.”

Zhao Rui nodded. The second round… They really had done poorly, not even making it into the top sixteen.

“Thanks, Brother Zhang!”

“Don’t mention it!”

Zhang Kui smiled, feeling a bit like a big brother looking out for his junior.

After exchanging a few more words, Zhao Rui headed straight for his squad.

As soon as he entered the side hall, he noticed the atmosphere in the squad was tense. Wang Zhe’s expression was grim, his face unnaturally pale, as if he were injured.

Zhao Rui walked over, confused. Just then, the squad’s resident muscle, Pang Wenyu, suddenly shot to his feet and yelled, “Brother Zhe, we can’t just let this go!”

“And what if we don’t? Sit down.”

After speaking, Wang Zhe gave a slight cough. Seeing Zhao Rui approach, he pointed to the cushions in the corner and said, “Zhao Rui, you come sit too.”

Zhao Rui acknowledged him, then grabbed a meditation cushion and sat at the back of the group.

“As your captain, I’ve been passed over for the main team twice in a row. While there are legitimate reasons for it, the fact remains that my strength is insufficient.”

“Tian Zirong only dares to provoke me so openly because he’s certain my Power hasn’t recovered. It’s useless to tell Teacher Wang about this. The main team gets back tomorrow, so everyone, keep your tempers in check…”

Wang Zhe then turned to Zhao Rui. “I have a grudge against Tian Zirong, and he gives our squad members a hard time because of it. You should watch out for him. He has an older brother named Tian Zihao, who’s on the main team. Just so you know.”

Hearing this, Zhao Rui’s cheek twitched. For a moment, he didn’t even know how to respond.

’I just came here to earn some Advancement Points, how did I get dragged into some feud?’

’Did Teacher Wang group us like this on purpose?’

’Does he think I only got on the team by pulling strings?’

Zhao Rui shook his head, unable to figure it out. But now that he was a member of Wang Zhe’s squad, it was probably too late to back out.

“Yeah, I understand, Brother Zhe.”

Zhao Rui replied.

“Alright, everyone is dismissed!”

With that, Wang Zhe waved his hand, dismissing them to do whatever they needed to do.

Pang Wenyu snorted indignantly, then walked behind him, sat down cross-legged, and pressed his palms against Wang Zhe’s back to help him circulate his energy and heal.

Seeing this, the other squad members didn’t linger and dispersed.

Zhao Rui followed suit, leaving the side hall with the others. He then hurried to catch up with a senior sister who was known to be quite approachable and called out to her.

“Senior Sister, how did our Captain Wang get injured?”

This was Senior Sister Peng Xinnan. Her plain, simple clothes were elegant and gave her a gentle aura.

Seeing that it was Zhao Rui, Peng Xinnan glanced toward the side hall and said, “Tian Zirong did it. Shh… you’ll find out the details later. For now, just stay far away from Tian Zirong and his brother. Things aren’t what they used to be.”

“Oh, Senior Sister, I heard there’s a coffee shop near the school gate that’s pretty good…”

“Trying to ask me out? Some other time!”

With that, Peng Xinnan gave a cool turn, used a touch of her Lightweight Skill, and gracefully floated away.

’So mysterious. It’s either about a woman or about a spot on the team!’

With the residual plots of hundreds of TV dramas from his past life rattling around in his head, Zhao Rui had a pretty good idea what was going on.

’And here I thought the Martial Arts Team would be a sanctuary. Turns out it’s just as full of drama and complicated politics as anywhere else.’

No wonder the team had a rule about settling disputes in the arena.

Zhao Rui shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it. Right now, he was just a small fry. The most important thing was to hurry up and increase his strength.

「The next day.」

After his morning major courses, Zhao Rui hurried to Mingcan Courtyard.

It was his first day as a sparring partner. Every second counted.

When he arrived at Cicada Courtyard, he first greeted Wang Zhe, then found the leader of the sparring partner group, He Zhiyan, to report for duty.

There were five members in the sparring group in the area at the moment, including Zhang Kui.

When Zhang Kui saw Zhao Rui arrive, the two of them nodded at each other.

“Our sparring group doesn’t have any special rules. Most of your training will still be with your own squad. Our main job is to act as sparring partners for the competition members, which includes daily training and combat drills…”

After explaining the situation with the sparring group, He Zhiyan continued, “Captain Gu and the others are coming back today. Some of them will probably put in extra practice this afternoon. When that happens, you should tag along and observe.”

“Understood, Leader He!”

Zhao Rui quickly agreed, then found a corner and began his Cultivation.

After about forty minutes of Cultivation, he heard a commotion from outside Mingcan Courtyard.

“Captain Gu, you’re back!”

“Welcome back, Captain Gu.”

The voices carried over in waves, all of them greetings from people along the path.

Zhao Rui glanced at the other members of the sparring group. All of them had stood up and gathered by the door.

Even their leader, He Zhiyan, got up to greet them.

Zhao Rui quickly followed behind the crowd to get a look.

He saw about a dozen people at the entrance. They were dressed differently, but each one carried an extraordinary air. They walked with a powerful and confident gait that radiated an intense, oppressive presence.

Combined with the chorus of greetings from the surrounding members, they looked just like a group of mafia bosses making an entrance.

The man in the lead wasn’t tall and had plain features, but he was powerfully built with a round face and a broad nose. His short hair, sticking up like hedgehog spines, was particularly striking.

This must be the legendary captain of the Dongqi University Martial Arts Team, Captain Gu.

“Old Wang, you sleeping again?”

Before the man even arrived, Captain Gu’s voice boomed from a distance. The sheer abundance of his Inner Qi and the depth of his Power made Zhao Rui’s eyes fly wide open.

’No wonder so many members of the Martial Arts Team submit to him. There’s a reason for it.’

“What are you yelling about? I’m coming!”

Teacher Wang shuffled out, dragging his slippers with an impatient look on his face.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep