Chapter 94: Chapter 60: Happy to Help, So Let Me Be the Sparring Partner

’Even among those Eastern Martial Body guys who came last time, only one or two of them could fight at this level.’

“The guy Zhao Rui faced at the exchange meet, was he really at the Peak of Level Eight?”

Among the official team members, Gongye Lingchen’s brow furrowed, and he couldn’t help but ask the person next to him.

“I heard he’s the strongest of his year. But during the match, it seemed like just as he was about to unleash his power, Zhao Rui surrendered.”

Gongye Lingchen nodded silently.

’To be able to assess the situation and surrender in time, right before the opponent uses a Big Move… that’s more than just simple caution.’

He felt he had underestimated Zhao Rui.

He wasn’t the only one who thought so; the freshmen below the stage thought the same.

“Is Luo Min going easy on him?”

“Ge Wenlei couldn’t have been holding back, right? As expected, anyone who gets in here must have a few tricks up their sleeve.”

“Good thing I didn’t get on his bad side. But then again, it makes sense. He got here several months before us…”

“We’re all in the same batch. Why be so distant? It just gives people a reason to laugh at how disunited we freshmen are.”

These non-prodigy freshmen instantly changed their tune.

Zhao Rui didn’t even need to do anything to sway public opinion.

Miao Miaomiao and the others, on the other hand, were looking at Zhao Rui with a new, different kind of scrutiny.

The people on the stage didn’t understand the complex thoughts of the audience below, nor did they have the time to.

After another ten minutes or so of fighting, Luo Min’s pretty face was already frosty. She had originally thought that fighting Zhao Rui would be an easy task.

For one, she was confident in her own strength. For another, she thought that since she was a great beauty and his classmate,

Zhao Rui would never be too rough with her.

But now that they were trading blows, she realized how ridiculously wrong she had been.

Not only could she not defeat Zhao Rui quickly, but she also felt like she was being kited by him.

You attack, I block; you run, I pull you back. His whole strategy was to never give up, never let go.

He just kept trading Technique for Technique with her.

It felt like trying to peel off a stubborn plaster.

Fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead, dampening strands of her hair. The graceful elegance she had at the start was long gone.

’Can’t you just let me win?’

Luo Min grew increasingly frustrated, but how could she say such a thing out loud? She was the one who had rashly stepped up for her own selfish reasons.

But she couldn’t bring herself to admit defeat just like that. All she could do was grit her teeth and hold on.

“That’s enough!”

The two had been fighting for another half an hour. Wang Zhanshan really couldn’t watch anymore and stopped the sparring session again.

“Thank you for the match!”

Zhao Rui cupped his fist in a salute and calmly jumped off the stage.

Luo Min’s pretty face was like ice. Words came to her lips, but she swallowed them back down. Dejectedly, she got off the stage.

She returned to her group, her face a picture of frustration.

“Minmin, your classmate is so strong! Why isn’t he at the Martial Arts Academy?”

“Yeah, I thought he just couldn’t get in. Do you think he’s the disciple of some great master and isn’t allowed to enroll in the Martial Arts Institute?”

“That’s possible!”

A few girls instantly started gossiping in low voices. Their words made Luo Min even more miserable and filled her with silent regret.

“Everyone, quiet down!”

Seeing how noisy it was getting, Wang Zhanshan clapped his hands to stop the clamor.

Then he said, “Everyone has witnessed the skill level of these two freshmen. And this is just after they’ve joined our team. Given time, they will surely make great progress.”

“The sophomores and juniors need to feel a sense of urgency and pressure. Don’t wait until the assessment to be surpassed by your underclassmen…”

“Also, Zhao Rui’s progress has been quite significant. Everyone should learn from him and train more…”

After offering some words of affirmation, Wang Zhanshan gestured for the sparring to continue, inviting anyone who wanted to show their skills to come up and try.

Soon, another freshman jumped onto the stage.

However, they didn’t pick Zhao Rui as their opponent, instead letting Wang Zhanshan choose one for them.

Wang Zhanshan had wanted the freshmen to establish their dominance, but Zhao Rui had ruined the first two matches for that purpose. This time, he naturally wouldn’t let Zhao Rui go on stage again.

For the rest of the time, Li Xinran, Zhang Kui, and the others took turns competing. The results were a mix of wins and losses, not much different from what was expected.

After all the matches, every team member present realized one thing: this year’s freshman class was not one that could be suppressed.

Right after joining the team, there were already two Eighth-level Martial Artists and seven or eight Seventh-level Martial Artists.

It was hard to imagine what their strength would be like by the time they became sophomores.

And that didn’t even include the inscrutable go-between for the sophomores and freshmen, their classmate Zhao Rui.

After the martial arts demonstrations ended, Zhao Rui, who was just about to leave with Qin Rui and the others, was called over by Wang Zhanshan.

Before he could even speak, Wang Zhanshan had already reached out and quickly grabbed his wrist, feeling for his pulse.

“Your meridians are strong, and your Inner Breath is steady. You’re already Level 7?”

Wang Zhanshan said, stunned.

He remembered that when Zhao Rui first joined the team, he was only at Level 6. He hadn’t expected that in just a few short months, he was already a Seventh-level Martial Artist.

“Teacher, I haven’t tested it, but I suppose that’s about right.”

“This is a bit beyond my expectations. Your innate talent is indeed poor, but just as Teacher Zeng said, your comprehension is excellent…”

After saying this, he hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you want to stay with the sophomores, or go back to the freshmen group?”

Zhao Rui didn’t hesitate. He looked at Wang Zhanshan and said, “Teacher, it doesn’t really matter which group I’m in. I mainly think being a sparring partner is great. It allows me to improve through practical application!”

“I know my talent isn’t good. I’d rather just be a sparring partner and provide more help to those classmates who can carry the team.”

Wang Zhanshan was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Zhao Rui to have such a high level of self-awareness.

But on second thought, it made sense. After all, since Zhao Rui had joined the team, he himself had never seriously taught him anything.

It was very possible that everything he had learned was self-taught while being a sparring partner.

’He probably resents me for it.’

After this exchange, Wang Zhanshan didn’t press the issue. If he had discovered Zhao Rui’s excellent comprehension when he first enrolled, he might have tried to teach him.

But now, there were too many talented students. One more or one less Zhao Rui didn’t make a difference.

“I’ll have someone send you some Martial Arts materials later. Memorize them, and do not, under any circumstances, share them with outsiders.”

Wang Zhanshan said with a serious expression.

Zhao Rui quickly nodded in agreement, wondering to himself, ’Does this count as being acknowledged, in a roundabout way?’

“You can go now.”

After giving his instructions, Wang Zhanshan waved his hand, dismissing Zhao Rui.

…

The moon was bright and the stars were few. A gentle breeze blew as clouds drifted past the starlight, slowly floating into the distance.

Beneath the dome of the sky, in a small corner of the world, curling smoke rose and billowed across a barbecue stall.

The clinking of glasses and the sound of people eating skewers rose and fell, a lively, endless chorus.

「In the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed.」

“The weather’s getting colder, and my wallet’s getting tighter.”

Zhang Kui took a sip of beer and picked up a peanut. With a slight squeeze of his fingers, the peanut kernel seemed to sprout wings and flew straight into his mouth.

“Do any of you know of any part-time jobs? Hook me up.”

“A part-time job? As a gigolo? You’re too ugly!”

Cao Guannan said with a deadpan expression.

“Fuck, you stoic-faced bastard! Don’t think I’m afraid of you now. If you’ve got the guts, let’s go three hundred rounds!”

Zhang Kui stared at him, full of confidence, looking like he was ready to throw down at the slightest disagreement.

“Wanna bet a thousand yuan on it?”

Cao Guannan didn’t even raise his head, just glancing at him sideways.

“Er… let’s not bring money into it.”

Zhang Kui decisively abandoned the idea of a fight. Although he had been engaged in day-and-night Cultivation with Zhao Rui recently, he still wasn’t confident enough to think he could go head-to-head with Cao Guannan.

“Actually, there are part-time jobs. You could work as a sparring partner, but you’d have to go into the city.”

Zhao Rui smiled, clinking his glass against theirs before speaking.

“No, absolutely not! Being a sparring partner on the team is annoying enough. You want me to do it outside, too? I’ll never sell my skills in this life!”

Zhang Kui resolutely rejected the idea.

“Selling your body is also an option!”

“Fuck, you two!”

As the three of them were laughing and joking, Li Xinran and Qin Rui walked over from out of the barbecue stall’s light.

“What are you all talking about that’s so funny?”

Li Xinran asked curiously.

“We were saying Zhang Kui is going to sell his body, haha!”

“Huh? Then I’d definitely have to go support his business!”

“…”

Zhao Rui and the others were stunned, and they all looked up at Li Xinran.

The latter’s cheeks immediately flushed red as she spat, “That’s not what I meant!”

“Oh, I get it! We all get it!”

“You don’t get shit!”

While the five of them were gathered together, joking around, another huge pile of barbecue was served.

Qin Rui and Li Xinran didn’t stand on ceremony either, readily rolling up their sleeves and digging in.

As they were eating, Zhao Rui’s phone suddenly started ringing.

The pleasant ringtone sounded especially nice in the tipsy atmosphere.

He picked up his phone and saw it was a call from Youyou, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

He swiped the screen and casually answered the call.

“Where are you?”

Youyou’s voice had a unique feminine charm, its lilting tone especially pleasant to the ear.

“Eating barbecue. You coming?”

“Mhm.”

“…”

’I was just being polite.’

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