Chapter 70: Chapter 49: Your Classmate Found a Martial Arts Student Girlfriend (Part 2)

“Let me walk with you. I haven’t taken a stroll through campus in a while. I’ll see you back to your dorm.”

Zhao Rui said with a smile.

“Mhm, mhm!”

Upon hearing this, a sweet smile blossomed on He Wanqing’s fair face, and she nodded vigorously in agreement.

On the quiet, moonlit campus, the silhouettes of parasol tree leaves trembled in the night wind, and the filtered moonlight wove a breathing silver satin on the ground.

A few stalks of wild grass sprouted from the cracks in the stone steps along the path, dewdrops hanging from their tips like a maiden’s frozen tears.

He Wanqing walked quietly beside Zhao Rui, kicking at small stones, now and then glancing up at the moon before her gaze returned to him.

Like a child who had just found a beloved toy.

“What has you so happy?”

Zhao Rui asked with a smile.

“Because… I just am!”

He Wanqing stopped walking, her eyes smiling as she gazed at Zhao Rui. In her large eyes, two bright moons twinkled, reflecting his image.

Zhao Rui reached out and patted her head, smiled, and then started walking forward again.

’What was there to say?’

’It wasn’t as if he couldn’t see how the girl felt.’

’I’ll just leave it all to time. In this life, I’m determined to live freely and without restraint, to see for myself just how captivating the pinnacle of this world truly is.’

The windy night passed under a silent moon, and in the blink of an eye, dawn arrived.

Zhao Rui had two major-specific classes that day—one in the morning and one in the first period of the afternoon.

Only after his first afternoon class ended did Zhao Rui rush over to the Martial Arts Team’s practice.

By the time he got there, the combat drills had already begun.

Zhang Kui had already fought two matches, and his third was underway.

Zhao Rui reported his arrival to Zeng Hongyi, then quietly sat to one side and watched the platform.

The match on the platform was between Zhang Kui and another sophomore. Their Power was comparable, and both were using Prajna Palm.

It was a solid back-and-forth fight.

After ten minutes, the two of them exchanged cupped-fist salutes and leaped off the platform.

This was followed by the usual simple analysis and explanation.

Zeng Hongyi was a dedicated teacher. He attended nearly every training session he could and spared no effort in his guidance and explanations.

Soon, the matches continued. Zhao Rui quickly got up and took the initiative to step onto the platform.

His sparring partner was Li Xinran. The two of them had gotten to know each other much better since their last meal together.

Li Xinran got straight to the point and told Zhao Rui what she needed.

She wanted to practice defending against Wing Chun’s follow-up techniques, so she asked Zhao Rui to use them more often against her to increase her combat experience.

It was a small matter, and Zhao Rui readily agreed.

The two began to spar, exchanging one technique after another.

Ten minutes flew by, and soon Zhao Rui was facing his second sparring partner.

Looking at the progress bar on the system panel in his mind, Zhao Rui’s heart burned with excitement.

Perhaps because Zhang Kui had already fought three matches, Zhao Rui ended up fighting in four of the five remaining matches.

This brought his Prajna Palm replication progress to eighty-two percent.

He was only half an hour of sparring away from successfully replicating it.

Unfortunately, just then, Teacher Zeng announced the end of class. Both rounds of sparring for the day were over.

Just as Zhao Rui was feeling disappointed, he saw Li Xinran and Qin Rui approaching him.

“I feel like when I use some techniques, there’s always this feeling that something is missing. Zhao Rui, could you help us train for a little longer? I’ll treat you to dinner. How about it?”

Li Xinran asked.

Qin Rui, who was standing to the side, also nodded and said, “I’ll treat you to dinner, too.”

“Hey now, seniors, you’re being too formal. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you both get a good practice session in, and a good meal!”

“…”

“I get the feeling there’s a double meaning in there.”

“Senior, you’re overthinking it. Your junior is the picture of innocence!”

“…”

Since both sides were eager to spar, the extra training session began as a matter of course.

The two women took turns, using every technique at their disposal as they fought a hearty, unrestrained battle with Zhao Rui for three hundred rounds.

“Prajna Palm replication successful! Advancement Points +1!”

Half an hour later, the notification for the successful replication of Prajna Palm finally appeared on the system panel.

Zhao Rui was overjoyed. He quickly channeled his Prajna Palm Force and instantly felt that the previously obscure and difficult applications of Palm Force had become crystal clear.

He brought his palms together before his chest, his feet stepping in the pattern of the Big Dipper. He cupped his palms as if holding nothing, yet bearing the weight of Sumeru Mountain.

He struck out with a palm, and in that instant, it was as if the void itself shattered. The moment the thought arose, a thousand techniques seemed to bloom forth!

This Palm Force, as heavy as a mountain yet continuous and unrelenting, instantly caused his opponent Qin Rui’s pupils to widen in shock.

“The Manifestation of Sumeru?”

Zhao Rui forced Qin Rui back with a single palm, then brought his hands together and said with a smile, “I just had a small epiphany. No offense, senior!”

“This…”

An image of Zhao Rui’s last palm strike surfaced in Qin Rui’s mind. The Palm Force was like a mountain, yet it held back a portion of its power. His posture was like a great peak, subtly hinting at the stance of one achieving Buddhahood.

It perfectly embodied the idea that “Buddhist Teachings are vast, yet they harm not even an ant.”

He had captured its very essence.

“I’m feeling a little dejected. I’m supposed to be the one practicing Prajna Palm here!”

Qin Rui pouted, her face a mixture of helplessness and indignation.

“Haha, thank you for your guidance, senior!”

“Hmph! Don’t act all innocent after getting the better of me! Let’s go again!”

After saying her piece, Qin Rui once again straightened up and charged forward.

This time, with his Master Level experience in Prajna Palm, Zhao Rui looked at Qin Rui’s attacks and saw openings everywhere.

He handled her attacks with a newfound ease, far more relaxed than before.

His mindset and movements both became more fluid and unrestrained.

Li Xinran, watching from the side, saw this most clearly. Her eyes instantly lit up as she faintly gained a new kind of insight into the application of Prajna Palm.

About ten minutes later, a panting Qin Rui stopped her assault. With her hands on her hips, she said, “I still can’t use it as naturally as you just did. This Palm Technique is really not friendly to women.”

“That’s because your mortal heart is too heavy, senior. Amitabha Buddha!”

“Oh, get outta here. You’re so annoying.”

The trio’s after-class training session continued until the sky was pitch black.

Thanks to Zhao Rui’s “guidance,” Qin Rui and Li Xinran gained a deeper understanding of how to apply Prajna Palm, making the afternoon’s efforts worthwhile.

“What should we eat? My treat today!”

Li Xinran hooked the jacket on the floor with her foot, flicking it into the air. She then quickly thrust her arms through the sleeves and shrugged it on.

“Let’s have roasted leg of lamb!”

Zhao Rui was in high spirits and decided he wanted to eat something good.

“Roast your own leg! Pick something cheaper!”

Li Xinran shot Zhao Rui an annoyed glare, making her look like a handsome boy throwing a flirtatious wink.

“Let’s just get the buffet then.”

“Works for me. Let’s go!”

And so, the three of them once again ended up at the Martial Arts Academy’s Number One Cafeteria.

The first time had been a bit awkward, but this time they were clearly much more comfortable with each other.

The three of them ate and chatted, laughing and talking comfortably.

In truth, some of the female students in the Martial Arts Department were also quite lonely.

Ordinary guys were afraid of their potential for “domestic violence” and kept their distance. Meanwhile, the number of male students in the Martial Arts Department was small, and many of them were snatched up by girls from the Outer Courtyard first.

Normally, their lives consisted of nothing but training, which was frankly quite stifling.

So, getting to know a junior like Zhao Rui was a happy occasion for the two of them.

The three of them ate, drank, and chatted at the buffet for an hour before leaving the cafeteria together.

“Luo Min, guess who I just saw?”

Just as the trio was walking away from the entrance, a girl with slightly tanned skin appeared on the steps.

“Who?”

“That high school classmate of yours!”

“So what if you saw him? What about it?”

“He might have found himself a girlfriend from the Martial Arts Academy!”

“You’re unbelievably bored.”

…

Back in his rented apartment, Zhao Rui sat cross-legged and silently operated the Prajna Palm’s Qi Circulation Method, guiding his Inner Strength along the Meridians as dictated by the Heart Method to complete a full Circulation.

This Palm Technique was broad and profound. Its Qi Circulation Method subtly incorporated Buddhist principles, and with prolonged practice, the resulting increase in Inner Strength could rival that of some top-tier Internal Cultivation Methods.

This kind of high-level technique was exactly what Zhao Rui lacked. Now that the system had helped him reach proficiency, he naturally cherished it.

After consolidating his gains for over two hours, Zhao Rui finally withdrew his power and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

He now had two Martial Arts that utilized the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian. In terms of Inner Strength, his fifteen years of Power was temporarily sufficient.

He figured he might as well spend his Advancement Points on his acupoints to improve his Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian’s ability to circulate Power.

Having made his decision, Zhao Rui summoned the system panel and decisively added the Advancement Point to his Yunmen Acupoint.

Instantly, a warm current surged at his Yunmen Acupoint. Immediately after, he felt an inexplicable surge of True Qi that was in harmony with heaven and earth pouring into his body from the outside.

It caused his own Inner Qi to roil restlessly.

’Could the Innate realm be about building the Bridge of Heaven and Earth and becoming one with nature? Drawing the qi of heaven and earth into the body?’

Zhao Rui was lost in thought, but with his current shallow knowledge, he could only make a few vague guesses.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep