Chapter 58 New Shoots Have Arrived, Poised for Action

Whether the new students come or not, our pressure is still quite heavy. December is a month densely packed with martial arts competitions. By then, not only will there be the provincial martial arts championship, but also various cup tournaments. Everyone should step up their training!

Qin Rui sighed, feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

Why do you seem so exhausted, Senior Sister? Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Your junior brother here is quite well-versed in medicine and can help massage you to relieve the stress.

Zhao Rui said kindly.

Junior Sister, I know how to do that too! My technique is quite good, you know.

Zhang Kui, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow and said with a chuckle.

You two bastards, how dare you flirt with me!

Qin Rui's pretty brows stood on end as her lovely face instantly turned icy. Her slender palms flipped outward like a Vajra smashing a pestle, instantly slicing toward the two of them.

Vajra Glares Fiercely!

Junior Sister, have mercy!

Zhang Kui turned on his heels and bolted.

Zhao Rui was taken aback. Reaching out with a deflective push to evade her palm force, and stepping in the swimming dragon footwork, he dodged while saying, Senior Sister, I really do know how to massage. You don't even need to take off your clothes.

Still talking!

Qin Rui's pretty face blushed fiercely, and her movements became even more fluid and powerful.

Senior Sister, I'm not lying to you!

Damn you, Zhang Kui!

Zhao Rui hurriedly dodged and explained, but Qin Rui simply refused to believe him.

Fine, of all the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best!

Taking advantage of a gap in Senior Sister Qin's execution of the Prajna Palm technique, Zhao Rui ducked his body to evade her onslaught, then oiled the soles of his feet and zipped away into the distance.

As he ran, he shouted back, Senior Sister, this junior brother yields!

Zhao Rui!

Qin Rui lightly stamped her lotus foot, uttered an indignant reproach, and gave chase in flight.

The review process did not take long. The next day, twenty-four freshman students gathered inside the Cicada Temple of the Martial Arts Academy.

They became the new team members.

After a brief introduction and a short speech, Wang Zhanshan said to Zhang Kui, You will handle the registration of the new students, and Zhao Rui, you assist him.

Zhang Kui muttered an unenthusiastic acknowledgment. All the dirty and exhausting work fell to him, yet regardless of whether he was good or bad, he was still the sole winner of the previous exchange tournament.

After the group dispersed, more than twenty eager new team members all turned their gazes over simultaneously.

Zhang Kui scratched his head and said, The squads haven't been divided yet. Form into two groups yourselves: one group follows me, and the other follows Zhao Rui.

Shortly after his voice trailed off, the twenty-four freshmen quickly split into two teams and, led by Zhang Kui and Zhao Rui, walked toward the two-story small building behind the main hall.

Luo Min naturally chose Zhao Rui's group, and several of her female companions crowded over as well.

This directly resulted in females making up the majority of Zhao Rui's team.

Zhao Rui naturally saw this and nodded slightly at Luo Min as a greeting.

Senior Brother, where are we going?

As the team marched forward, a petite-looking girl asked curiously.

We are going to register our identity identification information, otherwise, we won't be able to enter the Cicada Courtyard.

After finishing, Zhao Rui added, Um, let me tell you something everyone: I'm not your senior brother. You can just call me Zhao Rui. I'm a freshman too.

Ah?

As soon as these words were uttered, not only did Zhao Rui's group gasp in surprise, but even the people in Zhang Kui's team looked over with curiosity.

Um, Senior Brother, did you fail an exam and get held back a grade?

...

Their train of thought was great, but the answer was wrong.

I'm just like you guys, I just enrolled this year, except I'm not a student of the Martial Arts Academy. I'm in the accounting department. I just arrived a few months earlier than you.

Can it even work like that?

Haha, so you're a freshman too! And here I was calling you Senior Brother for so many times.

Exactly, exactly.

The crowd's mood instantly relaxed, and they began to chat and laugh casually.

However, some people narrowed their eyes in deep thought, looking at Zhao Rui with a bit more cautious respect.

In this world, there are ordinary people, and then there are those who are not ordinary.

Whenever someone is different from ordinary people, it generally comes down to two situations.

Either their backing is immensely powerful, or they themselves are immensely powerful.

Regardless of which it was, this early-arriving freshman Zhao Rui could not be underestimated.

Is the martial arts team's evaluation strict?

What do you usually do?

Are there many competitions?

A string of questions, like a bomber, poured out from the mouths of several girls.

Zhao Rui patiently gave a brief explanation, and the team finally arrived at the two-story pseudo-antique building they had visited once before.

There is a senior inside, let's not speak loudly when we go in.

Zhao Rui made a shushing gesture, motioning for the freshmen to keep quiet.

A Senior?

Hearing this, the eyes of many people instantly lit up.

In martial arts legends and biographies, the term senior did not just refer to old folks; it could possibly refer to substantial fortuitous encounters and rewards!

Zhao Rui was all too familiar with the looks in these classmates' eyes, and he couldn't help but recall the crane-haired and youthful-complexioned old man he had encountered in the woods earlier.

Other things aside, that old man definitely possessed genuine skills, being at least an expert above the Grandmaster realm.

As for just how high above that realm he was, Zhao Rui had no idea.

The group quietly entered the two-story building, and the moment they reached the martial arts analysis room, the noise instantly erupted.

Crap, what is this place?

How does this look like a sci-fi world? Isn't this too magical?

This capsule-like thing couldn't possibly be a physical function recovery device, could it?

Listening to the exclamations ringing in his ears, Zhao Rui couldn't help but exchange a glance with Zhang Kui.

Back then, they had been just as ignorant and inexperienced!

Alright, quiet down everyone, one by one. The rest of you wait in line outside, and no loud talking is allowed.

Zhang Kui cleared his throat at the crowd and made arrangements.

Before long, the new team members who had lined up walked into the analysis room one by one and underwent physical function testing under Zhang Kui's operation.

Zhao Rui stood by and recorded the information.

Meridian permeability rate: 92 percent!

True qi containment capacity increased by 100 percent compared to ordinary people.

Cellular recovery speed: 290 percent.

More than an hour later, looking at the abrupt data information before them, Zhang Kui and Zhao Rui were utterly astonished.

Our data in front of them is basically like shit!

Zhang Kui lowered his head and self-deprecatingly remarked.

You're shit, I'm not!

You're even worse than shit.

The two of them looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

Having politely declined the new team members' inquiries regarding their test scores, the two of them led the new recruits to the information collection room.

It was still that white-bearded old man named Grandpa Deng guarding this room, maintaining the same silent and gloomy environment.

Zhang Kui softly greeted Grandpa Deng, then led the group to perform information entry in front of the machines.

Zhao Rui assisted on the side to maintain order.

After spending another half-hour or so, the entire information collection process was finally concluded.

Afterward, the two of them led the new members back to the main hall and reported the test results to Wang Zhanshan.

Wang Zhanshan actually had a pretty good idea in his mind already; after all, they were all recruited by the Martial Arts Academy, and their levels were known in advance.

Unlike Zhao Rui, who had appeared rather abruptly.

You two go back to what you were doing.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Wang Zhanshan waved his hand, dismissing Zhao Rui and Zhang Kui.

As soon as the two of them left, he gathered ten people based on the conditions in the test report and led them to a secluded, independent room.

They didn't emerge until half an hour later.

Upon coming out, all ten of those individuals wore excited expressions, and although they tried hard to conceal it, the joy welling up from the bottom of their hearts was still unmistakable.

What happened in the main hall had nothing to do with Zhao Rui and Zhang Kui. After leaving, they each returned to their respective squads.

They earnestly resumed practicing their martial arts.

Everything else is illusory; only personal strength is the absolute truth.

Through this exchange tournament, Zhao Rui had gained a certain understanding of his own level.

After this period of cultivation, especially the successful replication of high-tier martial arts like the Prajna Palm and the Mighty Vajra Leg, his strength had achieved a qualitative leap.

If he had fought against these talented competitors in the past, he probably couldn't even have withstood a tier-six fighter.

But now, anyone below tier eight was someone he could spar with.

This was the confidence brought by high-tier martial arts.

A good martial art not only allowed true qi to circulate at a faster rate and widened the meridians through which it traveled, but it even generated more true qi than ordinary martial arts.

In a past life, Zhang Wujin practiced the Nine Yang Divine Skill for just a few short years, and his internal energy already surpassed the entire world.

His cultivation was far more profound than senior veterans of various schools and sects who had practiced for decades.

This was a part of the supplementary benefits brought by top-tier internal cultivation mental formulas.

Unfortunately, Zhao Rui hadn't encountered martial arts of this caliber yet.

Perhaps that old man had them?

In his mind, the image of the crane-haired, youthful-complexioned old man soaring into the sky and rising straight up in the dense forest involuntarily resurfaced once again.

Cultivation time is short, and time flies like an arrow.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the afternoon actual combat drill phase.

Zhao Rui and Zhang Kui stood once again on the side of He Zhiyan's team.

The remaining areas were divided into three groups: regular team members, unofficial team members also known as substitute players, and the newly joined freshman lineup.

Wang Zhanshan swept his gaze across the crowd, nodded slightly, and a trace of a smile appeared on his face.

Now this looks like something.

Su Ning, Sun Pengfei, Li Nuo...

As Wang Zhanshan called out the names, twelve individuals stepped out from the freshman team, looking curious as they waited for the coach to speak.

You guys go to the sparring group first!

Hearing the coach's words, those twelve people instantly let out gasps of surprise. They had only just arrived, yet they were already assigned to the sparring group.

What are you gasping about? Competitive martial arts—how can you grow without sparring? You are mutual sparring partners to begin with; as long as you aren't regular team members, your training subjects are all the same.

Wang Zhanshan raised his voice slightly, halting the whining of this bunch of green recruits.

The twelve individuals whose names were called moved unwillingly and unhappily toward He Zhiyan's side.

When they walked over, they spotted Zhao Rui within the team at a glance.

The expressions on their faces instantly shifted. So this early-arriving peer was actually just a sparring partner.

They had thought he was a martial arts genius just like Miao Miaomiao and Wang Dalong.

Once they realized this, the looks they directed toward Zhao Rui carried a bit more relaxed detachment.

I'll send out a roster for the team groupings later. Today, we'll proceed with training according to the established training objectives, and the sophomores will continue training separately.

New team members will be taught the Mimicry Fist by instructor He Zhiyan...

After arranging the training tasks, Wang Zhanshan put his hands behind his back, strolled back to his desk, and leisurely crossed his legs.

With the talents having arrived, he could finally stretch his muscles and show what he could do.

Come over here, Zhao Rui!

At the edge of the training grounds, Zeng Hongyi looked at Zhao Rui, who was standing somewhat lost near the sparring team, and beckoned to him.

You're still going to train with me!

Zeng Hongyi was quite satisfied with Zhao Rui and naturally wanted to mentor him more.

What, do you want to be a fresh hunk of meat all over again? No, you're already an old salt.

Zhang Kui threw an arm around Zhao Rui's neck and dragged him into the team.

Everyone burst into laughter immediately.

Zhao Rui couldn't help smiling either. To be honest, he rather enjoyed hanging out with these sophomore fellows.

If he were made to retrain with the freshmen right now, he really wouldn't be very accustomed to it.

Alright, let's settle down. To be honest, everyone's performance during the exchange tournament of the previous period exceeded my expectations...

But the gap is also quite obvious. Everyone needs to work harder...

After delivering a brief opening remark, Zeng Hongyi began offering one-on-one guidance to several of them.

The Prajna Palm focuses on intent rather than form. Zhao Rui does a very good job in this regard, and you can discuss it more with him privately.

By the way, Zhao Rui, last time I saw you use Cao Guannan's Mighty Vajra Leg without any sense of lag or hindrance, what was that all about?

After teaching for a while, Zeng Hongyi recalled the events of Zhao Rui's match and spoke up to ask.

Hearing his words, everyone pricked up their ears to listen.

It could be considered a lucky coincidence. I am inherently quite sensitive to forms and stances. Often, after sparring for a period of time, I can draw the gourd according to the model and learn a general outline.

Later, after practicing the Mimicry Fist and pondering over it a little, I managed to come up with this method of passing off the fake as the real.

Zhao Rui explained as best as he could.

However, although it was merely an excuse, it was genuinely applicable in actual practice.

So-called martial arts, aside from the external forms and stances we see, also involve the internal circulation routes and the burst of internal energy.

External forms are merely the skin; what truly matters is the meridian circulation route and the internal energy generated through cultivation.

Without the correct meridian circulation method, internal energy cannot be accurately transmitted outward.

This was also the reason why so many martial arts performers in the previous life possessed only empty frameworks without actual combat capability.

The martial arts that Zhao Rui simulated were all successfully copied through his system panel, and their corresponding meridian routes were already cleared.

No matter what stance he executed, he could covertly channel his internal energy to reach the point of application.

Furthermore, he had also comprehended a bit of the use of hidden meridians, which allowed him to arbitrarily alter his meridian power application while executing a move.

For instance, both Cloud Hands Plucking Stars and Prajna Palm utilize the same Hand Taiyin Lung meridian pathway.

When he executed a strike, if it used the form of Cloud Hands Plucking Stars, it was Cloud Hands Plucking Stars; if it was Prajna Palm, then it was Prajna Palm.

Since both were mastered, switching between them was naturally as casual as desired.

After listening to Zhao Rui's explanation, Zeng Hongyi pondered slightly for a moment, then experimented according to Zhao Rui's description. He immediately felt that the meridians channeling the power were bursting with pain, making it completely impossible to persist.

He couldn't help shaking his head and said, This method of yours must be related to your constitution. I can't use it.

After saying that, he added, This kind of clever shortcut can only be used once. Once the opponent is prepared, you lose the initiative instead. Use it less often in the future.

Although he harbored doubts about the actual operational effects of Zhao Rui's technique, he still raised the issue based on his past experience.

Coach, I know. Normally, I won't use it.

Zhao Rui smiled. He had explained at great length simply to lay a better foundation for occasionally displaying other martial arts stances in the future.

Although martial arts are promulgated to the world, for a single person to know every single martial art still seemed a bit too abnormal.

However, in the way of martial arts, the further one progresses, the lower the demand for specific stances and forms.

The saying goes that a single force can overcome ten skills. Once your internal power reaches a high enough level, plucking flowers and throwing leaves can both be lethal moves.

True experts simply do not care about these superficial things.