Chapter 49 Your Classmate Got a Martial Arts Student as a Girlfriend

"Hello, Senior!"

Seeing Qin Rui approaching, Zhao Rui quickly stood up to greet her.

"Hello, Junior!"

Qin Rui offered a brilliant smile and gracefully sat down next to Li Xinran.

"Hehe, how do you like your Senior Sister Qin? Satisfied?"

Li Xinran chuckled, flashing a row of proud, white teeth.

Hearing this, Zhao Rui rolled his eyes instantly. How was he supposed to answer that? Saying he was satisfied was inappropriate; saying he wasn't satisfied was even worse.

He simply pretended not to hear, picked up the teapot, and poured Qin Rui a cup of tea.

"What do you mean, 'how is he'? What kind of mischief are you up to again?"

Qin Rui narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly upon hearing this and looked at Li Xinran with vigilance.

"Nothing, nothing at all!"

"Don't make a fool of yourself in front of our junior. What would you guys like to eat?"

As she spoke, Qin Rui took out her phone to scan the QR code and ordered the food.

Hearing this, Li Xinran hurriedly leaned in and began picking dishes together with her.

Seeing this setup, Zhao Rui could easily guess that Qin Rui was most likely treating them to the meal, while Li Xinran had played both sides to come out looking like the good guy.

It didn't matter, though. Getting to know senior students from the martial arts team would only benefit him.

Once the food was ordered, Qin Rui and Li Xinran started making small talk with Zhao Rui.

Since they weren't very familiar with each other yet, the conversation mostly revolved around getting acquainted.

Questions like why the junior hadn't taken the martial arts academy exam and where he was from came up.

Their entire year had only five people left, and Zhao Rui was practically considered a "classmate" of sorts, so they were naturally willing to chat more.

With the "soul" of a middle-aged man hidden inside Zhao Rui's head, chatting with young girls was effortless, humorous, and engaging.

Before long, everyone was laughing and chatting happily, creating a rather harmonious atmosphere.

While the three of them were chatting, at a table not far away, a slightly dark-skinned girl looked curiously at Zhao Rui and muttered to herself, "Isn't he from the Accounting School? Why is he hanging out with our Martial Arts School?"

"What's wrong?" asked her companion curiously.

"Nothing, just ran into someone I know. Let's eat!"

The girl shook the thought off and didn't pay it much mind. After all, he was just a student from another department, not worth paying attention to.

Autumn is crisp and clear, a season of abundant harvest!

In the leisurely life of university, as long as there are no classes, time is entirely your own.

Whether you want to fall in love, play sports, or do absolutely nothing while lying in bed, no one will bother you.

Such four years could be said to be the most wonderful four years of one's life, and the only truly "carefree" four years.

There are no pressures from life, no workplace troubles, and certainly none of the trivial burdens of daily necessities.

Days pass leisurely according to one's own desires!

Zhao Rui shared a meal with the two senior sisters to deepen their bond, agreed to spar more and exchange pointers during future training sessions, and then bade farewell to them. Facing the gorgeous evening glow, he left the Martial Arts Academy.

Training sessions for the martial arts team weren't held every day. Days with full-day training like this only happened two or three times a week.

Most of the time, team members came to train voluntarily.

Since the next day was packed with classes all day, Zhao Rui didn't report to the martial arts team. Instead, he diligently attended professional courses alongside his classmates in the accounting department.

Everyone in the class had long known that Zhao Rui hadn't given up on martial arts and was busy cultivating every day.

Some were jealous, envious that Zhao Rui was just an accounting student like them yet possessed formidable martial prowess.

Once they graduated, whether looking for a job or making their way in society, he would be a hundred times better off than them.

Others sneered, showing contempt for what they considered his biting off more than he could chew.

If he had any real talent, he would have passed the martial arts academy exam long ago. Now, stuck awkwardly in the middle and messing around with such impractical things, he was simply asking for trouble out of sheer boredom.

Although everyone held their own private opinions, whenever they saw Zhao Rui face-to-face, they treated him respectfully and addressed him as Brother Rui.

Zhao Rui couldn't care less about what his classmates thought. Those willing to be on good terms with him were welcome; as for the hypocritical ones, he simply didn't bother to argue.

After all, everyone had their own life and their own path to walk.

Even in his past life, upon graduating from university, everyone went their separate ways and never saw each other again in this lifetime, let alone now.

"Zhao Rui, have you been very busy lately?"

Beside his seat, He Wanqing, dressed in a simple white dress, gracefully sat down next to Zhao Rui.

No one ever contested this seat, as if the entire class had reached a tacit agreement.

"Not too bad, just busy with training all day," Zhao Rui replied casually, the refreshing scent radiating from the girl beside him being particularly pleasant.

"Oh, are you guys always this busy with training?"

"Pretty much. Whenever there are no classes, I'm basically training."

Zhao Rui spoke the truth. At this stage, his strength was simply too low; if he didn't work hard to improve himself, was he just going to sit around and let his system panel gather dust?

"Don't work too hard."

He Wanqing looked at Zhao Rui with a smile, her eyes as gentle as water. Since she couldn't offer him any help, she decided she wouldn't add to his burdens.

"In the last class, the cost algorithm the professor taught..."

Zhao Rui casually picked up his textbook and, taking advantage of the brief gap before class started, consulted He Wanqing about the key concepts from the previous lecture.

The two of them lowered their heads to discuss, looking from afar like a deeply affectionate young couple whispering to each other.

The day was filled with core professional courses. Zhao Rui listened attentively during class and asked questions tirelessly afterward, striving to dedicate every single moment of the school day to mastering his major.

Busy all the way until evening, after finishing his elective class, Zhao Rui finally found some free time.

"Are you heading back now?"

He Wanqing, who had chosen the same elective course, gently packed Zhao Rui's schoolbag for him and asked in a soft voice.

"Let me walk with you. I haven't strolled around the campus in a long time, and I can drop you off at your dorm along the way."

Zhao Rui smiled.

"Mm-hmm!"

Hearing this, He Wanqing's fair face instantly bloomed with a sweet smile, and she nodded vigorously.

In the quiet, moonlit campus, the shadows of the parasol tree leaves shivered in the night breeze, casting breathing ribbons of silver moonlight across the ground.

A few blades of wild grass peeked through the cracks of the roadside stone steps, with dewdrops hanging on their tips like frozen tears of a maiden.

He Wanqing quietly walked beside Zhao Rui, lightly kicking her feet, occasionally looking up at the moonlight, and then glancing up at Zhao Rui.

She looked like a child who had just found her most cherished toy.

"Why are you so happy?"

Zhao Rui smiled.

"Because I'm just really happy!"

He Wanqing stopped in her tracks, looking at Zhao Rui with smiling eyes. Two bright moons flickered and reflected in her large eyes, capturing his image.

Zhao Rui reached out, gently patted her little head, smiled, and continued walking forward.

What was there to say?

He wasn't oblivious to a young girl's feelings.

Let everything be left to time. In this lifetime, he was determined to live life to the fullest and witness just how breathtaking the peak of this world truly was.

The cool night breeze blew, the cold moon remained silent, and in the blink of an eye, dawn broke once again!

Zhao Rui had two professional classes in the morning, one in the morning block and one at the start of the afternoon.

As soon as his first afternoon class ended, Zhao Rui hurried anxiously toward the martial arts team.

By the time he arrived, the sparring sessions had already begun.

Zhang奎 had already fought two matches, and the third was currently underway.

After reporting to Zeng Hongyi, Zhang奎 obediently sat down on the side and watched the ring.

On the stage, Zhang奎 was sparring with another sophomore male student. The two were evenly matched in skill, both employing the Great Strength Palm technique.

They traded blows evenly.

Ten minutes passed, and the two cupped their fists in salute and leaped off the ring.

Followed a simple analysis and explanation.

Zeng Hongyi was quite dedicated to his work; whenever he could make it to the training sessions, he would show up and spare no effort in providing guidance and explanations.

Soon, the matches resumed. Zhao Rui quickly stood up and actively stepped onto the ring.

His sparring partner was Li Xinran. Having shared a meal last time, they were noticeably much more familiar with each other.

Li Xinran directly stated her request to Zhao Rui: she wanted to work on defending against Wing Chun's follow-up strikes, so she asked Zhao Rui to practice more follow-up moves with her to build practical combat experience.

That was a minor request, and Zhao Rui readily agreed.

The two began practicing, trading moves back and forth.

Ten minutes flew by in a flash, and soon Zhao Rui welcomed his second sparring partner.

Looking at the progress prompt on the system panel in his mind, Zhao Rui felt a surge of burning excitement.

Perhaps because Zhang奎 had already fought three matches, four out of the remaining five sparring rounds fell to Zhao Rui.

This pushed the replication progress of the Great Strength Palm to eighty-two percent.

He was only half an hour of sparring away from successful replication.

Unfortunately, just as Teacher Zeng announced the end of class, both rounds of today's sparring had concluded.

Just as Zhao Rui was feeling regretful, he saw Li Xinran approaching with Qin Rui in tow.

"I feel like whenever I execute certain moves, something is still lacking. Zhao Rui, could you help us practice a bit longer? I'll treat you to a meal. How about it?"

Li Xinran spoke up.

Qin Rui nodded along from the side, adding, "I'll treat you to a meal too."

"Oh, Senior Sisters, you're being too formal. Don't worry, I'll definitely take good care of you both and make sure you eat well!"

"..."

"I always feel like there's a double meaning in what you just said!"

"Senior Sister, you're overthinking it. Your junior is as pure as can be!"

"..."

Given that both sides shared a mutual need for sparring practice, the after-class training naturally proceeded as planned.

The two girls took turns stepping up, pulling out all the stops, engaging Zhao Rui in three hundred rounds of fierce, unreserved combat.

"Great Strength Palm replication successful! Progression point +1!"

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

Overjoyed, Zhao Rui immediately mobilized the Great Strength Palm's internal energy, instantly grasping the previously obscure and difficult applications of the palm force.

He pressed his palms together in front of his chest, planted his feet in the Big Dipper stance, and cupped his palms as if supporting Mount Sumeru.

With a single palm strike, it felt as though the void between Sumeru was shattering; the moment a single thought arose, ten thousand laws sprang forth instantly!

This palm force, heavy as a mountain yet ceaseless like a flowing stream, caused Qin Rui's pupils to dilate sharply during their exchange.

"Sumeru's Manifestation?"

Zhao Rui forced Qin Rui back with a single palm strike, then brought his palms together and laughed, "I just had a slight epiphany a moment ago. Please forgive me, Senior Sister!"

"This..."

Qin Rui couldn't help but recall the grace and grandeur of Zhao Rui's palm strike just then: the force was like a mountain, yet retained three parts of reserved rebound; his stance was like a peak, implicitly containing the momentum of materializing into a Buddha.

It perfectly embodied the meaning of: "The Buddha's dharma is vast, yet it harms not even an ant."

It had captured the true spirit of the art.

"I'm starting to feel a bit inadequate, and I'm the one who's supposed to be practicing the Great Strength Palm!"

Qin Rui pouted her cherry lips, looking both helpless and indignant.

"Haha, thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister!"

"Hmph, taking advantage and still acting innocent! Come again!"

With that, Qin Rui sprang forward once more.

This time, with the mastery-level experience of the Great Strength Palm under his belt, Zhao Rui saw flaws everywhere in Qin Rui's attacks.

Dealing with them was far easier and more effortless than before.

His entire mindset and execution of moves became even more casual and unrestrained.

Li Xinran, watching clearly from the side, felt her eyes light up as a subtle, different understanding of applying the Great Strength Palm began to form within her heart.

Ten minutes or so later, Qin Rui stopped her attacks, breathing heavily, and put her hands on her hips. "It still doesn't feel as natural as the way you used it just now. This palm technique is so unfriendly to girls."

"That's because Senior Sister's worldly attachments are still too heavy. Amitabha!"

"Go, go, go, you're annoying."

The after-class tutoring session among the three of them lasted until pitch black before finally concluding.

Under Zhao Rui's round of "guidance," Qin Rui and Li Xinran gained several insights into applying the Great Strength Palm, making their afternoon's efforts well worth it.

"What are we eating? My treat today!"

Li Xinran hooked the jacket on the ground with her foot, flipped it up, quickly slid her arms through both sides, and slipped it on.

"Let's eat roasted lamb leg!"

In high spirits, Zhao Rui decided to treat himself to something good.

"Roast your leg! Pick something cheaper!"

Li Xinran glared at Zhao Rui with mock annoyance, looking remarkably like a handsome man flirting.

"Let's go for a buffet."

"Alright, let's go!"

And so, the three of them headed once again to the Martial Arts Academy's First Cafeteria.

The first time had been somewhat awkward, but the second time felt markedly more familiar.

Eating and chatting along the way, the three of them laughed and enjoyed themselves immensely.

Actually, female students in the martial arts department often felt quite lonely.

Ordinary boys feared their "domestic violence" and kept their distance, while the number of boys within the martial arts department was small, and many of them had already been snapped up by girls from other departments.

Aside from practicing martial arts day in and day out, it truly was stifling.

It was rare to meet a junior like Zhao Rui, and the two girls were genuinely happy for his company.

They ate, drank, and chatted in the buffet restaurant for an hour before leaving together.

"Luo Min, guess who I just saw?"

Just as the three of them walked away from the entrance, the slightly dark-skinned girl appeared from the steps.

"Who?"

"That high school classmate of yours!"

"So what if you saw him? What about him?"

"He probably found a girlfriend from the Martial Arts Academy!"

"You really are bored to the absolute limit."

...

Back in his rented apartment, Zhao Rui sat cross-legged, silently circulating the breathing techniques of the Great Strength Palm, guiding his internal energy along the meridians dictated by the mental formula.

This palm technique was profound and vast, its breathing exercises imbued with Buddhist principles. Practiced over time, its internal energy amplification was no less inferior to top-tier internal cultivation methods.

Zhao Rui had been lacking precisely this kind of high-end technique. Now, aided by the system and having stepped through the threshold, he naturally fond it impossible to put down.

After consolidating his gains for over an hour, Zhao Rui ended his cultivation and exhaled a breath of stale air.

Right now, he had two martial arts techniques running through the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, and fifteen years' worth of internal energy was temporarily enough for his needs.

Instead of storing more, he might as well allocate his progression points to his acupoints to enhance the energy-conduction capacity of the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian.

Having made up his mind, Zhao Rui summoned the system panel and decisively poured a progression point into the Yunmen Acupoint.

Instantly, a surge of warmth bulged at the Yunmen Acupoint, followed by an inexplicable sensation of resonance with heaven and earth pouring into his body from the outside.

It caused his internal Qi to churn restlessly.

Could reaching the Xiantian realm mean building a bridge to heaven and earth, harmonizing with nature, and drawing the Qi of heaven and earth into the body?

Zhao Rui pondered thoughtfully, though with his current shallow experience, he could only harbor vague guesses.

Autumn wind rises in the moonlit night, where has the fair maiden gone?
Returning to remove her rouge, this modest home welcomes a good soul.

The book is being published officially because the editors couldn't provide more recommendations at this stage.

The word count has also reached 150,000 words, making it a standard release.

Since chapters are generally four thousand words each, the total chapter count appears relatively small.

If it's not well-written, I hope everyone can be understanding. If you like it, read a few more chapters; if there's anything inappropriate, just point it out, and I'll modify whatever can be fixed.

One book friend mentioned being broke.

Alas! ......