Chapter 18: Sparring Partner

The youth stepped onto the ring, his gaze instantly sharpening like a bolt of lightning. The intensity of his focus forced Zhao Rui to become serious at once.

This kid was undeniably a martial arts prodigy. That aura alone was far beyond anything a slack-jawed ordinary person could possess. As soon as they clashed, Zhao Rui knew his assessment was correct. The youth’s martial intuition was razor-sharp; he executed various techniques with effortless fluidity. His swordplay moved like a falling star chasing the moon—unbelievably swift, yet exceptionally agile. It made Zhao Rui, despite being a level higher, appear clumsy while fighting empty-handed.

"Damn it!" Zhao Rui couldn't help but curse under his breath. Talent was truly a frustrating thing. He had to summon every ounce of his focus, simultaneously controlling his internal energy while parrying the youth’s storm-like onslaught. After only half an hour of sparring, he was already drenched in sweat and feeling immense pressure.

"Coach, let him be my sparring partner from now on. His adaptability is quite strong!" The youth sheathed his sword and stood tall, addressing the coach.

"Sure, no problem," the coach replied from the sidelines.

The youth then turned to Zhao Rui and said, "If you can’t suppress your cultivation level, you can gradually let it go." With that, he turned and stepped off the ring.

Zhao Rui felt his face flush with heat; he had actually been looked down upon by a kid. *Forget it,* he thought, *for the sake of the progression points, I won't hold your youthful arrogance against you.*

"Martial Art: Taiyi Light-Splitting Sword (5/100)"

Seeing the five percent progress on his interface, Zhao Rui felt slightly better. One had to have a sense of shame when playing the thief! You couldn't steal someone's skills and then complain when they called you mediocre; that would be a lack of professional integrity. Through his testing during this period, Zhao Rui had roughly figured out the system's percentage criteria. Generally, an hour of full-intensity sparring would yield about ten to fifteen percent progress. It was quite efficient. However, high-level martial arts were the exception, as progress was noticeably slower. This Taiyi Light-Splitting Sword clearly belonged to the high-level category.

"Hard work!" As Zhao Rui stepped off the ring, the coach handed him a bottle of Jiale-Bao drink and asked with a smile, "I heard you just finished the college entrance exams. How did you do?"

"Not bad. Just so-so!"

"Hmm, I saw your moves just now. They are proper techniques, and your fundamentals are very solid."

"Just diligent practice, nothing compared to that young man just now. His talent is truly excellent!" Zhao Rui replied.

"Haha, he is one of our gym's signature students and a hopeful contender for the regional top ten. He thinks you suit his needs. If you spar with him often, I'll pay you six hundred per session!"

"Six hundred?" Zhao Rui’s eyes lit up. That was a solid six hundred bucks per session! If he could pull off five or six sessions a day, *cough, cough*! He was going to be rich!

"No problem, Coach! I'm at your beck and call!" Zhao Rui's dedication was truly admirable.

After resting for a while, the youth stood up again and clapped his hands at Zhao Rui: "Come!"

Seeing this, the coach gave Zhao Rui a nudge and said apologetically, "That’s just his temperament! Go on!"

"It's fine!" Zhao Rui gave an "honest" smile, got up, and walked onto the ring through the entrance.

The youth frowned slightly, his sword tip pointing diagonally at the floor. His left hand formed a sword gesture pressed against his right wrist, his posture as steady as a pine tree, his breath contained. The sword body trembled slightly with his breathing, holding a faint, inexplicable rhythm.

"Taiyi Asks Heaven, Splitting Light and Grazing Shadows!"

The youth shouted lightly, his form shifting like light and shadow, and in an instant, he lunged toward Zhao Rui with his sword. Zhao Rui’s palms struck out like a mountain. Using a move called "Pangu Chisels the Rock," he met the attack head-on. He channeled his internal energy into his palms; it felt like a massive boulder crashing down, humming with force, yet also like a giant axe descending from the sky, as swift and powerful as a thunderclap.

In this exchange, the two moved with lightning speed, colliding seven or eight times. As their footwork crossed, Zhao Rui moved within half a foot of the youth. Undeterred by the danger, the youth held his sword handle in reverse, braced his elbow, stepped his hip, and executed a horizontal slash, forcing Zhao Rui to retreat.

"Again!" Caught up in the thrill of the fight, they separated for only a second before leaping back into the fray.

"Ten percent, twelve percent, fifteen percent..."

By the time the youth’s breathing became ragged and he withdrew his sword to stop, the experience bar before Zhao Rui’s eyes had reached fifteen percent! The youth was exhausted, but was Zhao Rui any more relaxed? He now deeply understood the difficulty of the job—not only did he have to keep the customer satisfied, but he also had to avoid getting injured. A working man’s life is never easy!

"That's it for today. Cheng Bin, go to the meditation room and reflect on the sparring just now!" The coach called out to the youth, whose name was Cheng Bin.

The youth nodded and stepped off the ring.

"Well fought. You gave him pressure while perfectly allowing his techniques to shine," the coach praised Zhao Rui.

"It’s exhausting. No wonder so few people are willing to be sparring partners! Coach, how do we count the money for this half-hour?"

"Don't worry, half an hour counts as three hundred!"

"Alright then, Coach. I'll rest for half an hour; call me if there's another client!"

Zhao Rui stepped off the ring, feeling delighted. He grabbed a bottle of mineral water from under the ring and gulped it down. Hearing Zhao Rui’s words, the coach was stunned for a moment before breaking into a smile. Although there were many students in the gym, not many hired sparring partners, as most spent their time honing their own techniques and cultivation.

Zhao Rui waited under the ring for most of the day, eventually deciding to just sit in meditation to cultivate. With the addition of his points, his "Ethereal Divine Skill" had reached eight years of cultivation. This included the bonus points from the three martial arts: the Taihang Thirteen Palms, the Cloud Hand Plucking Stars, and the Wing Chun Dao. The Wing Chun Dao had been accumulated during his final sparring session with Bai Xuening before the college entrance exams. After learning it, Zhao Rui had practiced it once, but it wasn't his style, so he simply familiarized himself with it and shelved it.

He cultivated for two hours. When he heard the coach’s voice and opened his eyes, it was already eleven in the morning.

"Off work. Come back this afternoon, or if you live nearby, you can just wait for my call. We usually have more students sparring in the evenings!" The coach explained the gym’s daily routine.

Zhao Rui nodded in agreement, picked up his backpack, and walked out of the gym. Outside the window, the scorching sun was high in the sky, and the heat was suffocating. Even with his internal energy regulating his body, it still felt quite uncomfortable.

Just as he stepped out of the elevator, his phone rang. It was Yang Fan.

"I'm taking you somewhere tonight!" Yang Fan’s voice was mysterious and full of mischief.

"I have something to do tonight, probably after nine!"

"Damn, are you seeing someone? Tell me, who is it? Is it someone from our class? Bai Xuening?"

"Where is your mind at? I found a part-time job to earn some extra cash!"

"Part-time as a dog?"

"Something like that!"

"Holy crap, did you go to give someone a foot massage?"

"Get lost, it's martial arts sparring!"

"You scared me! If you're really short on cash, tell your brother. Just don't sell your looks—if you're going to sell them, sell them to me first!"

"Damn, you really are a beast, not even sparing your own brother!"

"Haha, you realized that too late!" Yang Fan chuckled, then added, "I'll take a taxi to pick you up tonight. Dress sharp."

"Got it!" Zhao Rui replied and hung up the phone.