Chapter 60: Being Helpful, Just Let Me Be the Sparring Partner Forever

Hearing Luo Min's voice, Zhao Rui was visibly stunned. He truly had not expected her to step forward.

"Very well, then come on up!"

Wang Zhanshan still had quite an impression of this exceptionally attractive and talented girl. Throughout the freshman martial arts team, she and Miao Miaomiao could be called the twin pillars of their year, attracting immense attention from the male students.

Upon hearing this, Luo Min shifted her graceful steps toward the edge of the sparring ring. Tipping her toes lightly against the ground, her figure soared instantly like a wild goose stepping on snow, landing in the arena with effortless elegance.

"Minmin is so cool!"

"Go, Minmin!"

A few cheers immediately rang out from beneath the stage—they were all her close girlfriends. Their crisp and pleasant voices sounded exceptionally clear in the empty martial arts hall.

On the stage, Zhao Rui looked at her with a smile and gave a slight nod as a greeting.

Luo Min smiled calmly, standing upright like a lotus bud just emerging from the pond.

"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother!"

With that, her palms fluttered up and down, her nimble and slender fingers weaving and circling between her hands like blooming flowers, making anyone unable to resist the urge to catch a glimpse of her delicate and radiant face.

Though beautiful, the flowers carried thorns. With a graceful twist of her body, Luo Min had already swung her palm toward Zhao Rui.

"Hundred Flowers Palm. Copy?"

"Copy!"

Zhao Rui's eyes narrowed slightly. Without wasting words, he said in a resonant voice, "All right, then I shall 'enlighten' you!"

Having spoken, he curled his fingers into the shape of pinching a flower, his body swaying like a willow in the breeze while executing the wind-facing steps, and suddenly flicked his fingers to meet Luo Min.

Luo Min hesitated slightly, never expecting Zhao Rui to actually employ a finger technique.

In an instant, their figures crossed, each turning back to deliver several strikes. For a moment, the onlookers felt their vision blur, unable to tell whose hands held flowers and whose hands held none.

It was as if the fresh flowers Luo Min had just bloomed were forcibly plucked away by Zhao Rui, shattering the artistic conception. The vibrant and eye-catching beauty of the flowers was utterly eclipsed under Zhao Rui's finger technique.

Luo Min was startled and hurriedly changed her finger techniques, successively displaying the plum blossom, orchid, chrysanthemum, and lotus. Her movements drifted unpredictably, making it seem for a moment as though one were strolling through a garden of a hundred flowers.

"Break, break, break!"

Zhao Rui's voice boomed like spring thunder, his finger technique remaining true to its core as every strike targeted the seemingly formidable yet ultimately fragile stems beneath the flower blossoms.

Before one of Luo Min's flowers could fully bloom, another had already fallen. Out of her full martial arts repertoire, she couldn't even unleash half of her strength, losing the poetic essence of the flowers entirely!

She hurriedly employed her lightness skill to put some distance between herself and Zhao Rui, then transformed her palms into fists, assuming a defensive posture.

This set of fist techniques was a close-quarters short-strike style called the Pounding Fist, best suited for women's close-range defense.

Seeing her retreat, Zhao Rui did not pursue. His posture abruptly shifted into the Hunyuan Palm stance, presenting a defensive yet eager posture ready to repel any enemy.

"What martial art did you just use?" Luo Min asked with a frown.

"Flower-Plucking Finger!"

Zhao Rui's words drifted clearly into Luo Min's ears.

Luo Min's bright eyes widened, and she instantly said angrily, "Did you do that on purpose?"

"I only know this one finger technique!" Zhao Rui replied indifferently. You use the Hundred Flowers Palm, and I use the Flower-Plucking Finger—isn't that fitting?

Embarrassed and vexed, Luo Min tripped forward with a downward pounding punch followed by a double-palace punch, aiming straight for the vital acupoints on Zhao Rui's chest and abdomen.

Zhao Rui stepped back and thrust his palms outward, unleashing the Hunyuan Palm force. Matching fists with palms, he charged forward fiercely.

The two engaged in combat once again.

In an instant, fists and palms intersected, producing muffled sounds of internal energy colliding that whipped their sleeves into a fluttering frenzy.

"A single finger pointing high through the path of stone figures; in this lifetime I have never seen the season of blooming flowers!"

Luo Min let out a soft cry, her movements as nimble as a fluttering butterfly, drifting and revolving in and out of view around Zhao Rui.

Zhao Rui guarded his perimeter tightly, fully displaying the non-emptiness realm of the Bhranti Palm. Pouring his internal strength and opening all five senses, he captured every minute detail of her figure within his consciousness.

"That's the Butterfly Shadow Movement. This girl is extraordinary!" A junior senior sister in the audience frowned slightly as she spoke to Ye Jingqiu beside her.

"I originally thought that cat-like person was already extremely formidable, but I didn't expect this girl to be just as impressive. Why are there so many monsters among the freshmen?"

"Indeed! She is truly remarkable!" Ye Jingqiu replied with her usual cold expression, though her gaze toward the stage gradually grew solemn.

Just at that moment, the drifting figure of Luo Min on the stage suddenly struck out with a palm from an unknown angle, aiming straight for Zhao Rui's blind spot.

"Zhao Rui, watch out!" The sophomores in the audience gasped in alarm.

"Such a tricky palm strike—I'm afraid this Zhao Rui will find it hard to block."

"With that kind of palm technique, can it even be defended?"

Just as everyone was pondering inwardly, Zhao Rui on the stage moved.

He stepped on the Big Dipper constellation pattern, his fingers formed like a sword, and his arms flicked lightly like willow branches as his sword fingers trembled slightly. In an instant, countless sword fingers materialized, pointing sternly at Luo Min's fair, jade-like palm.

"Trifling tricks dare to be shown before an expert? Behold my Great Luo... Ahem! Taiyi Light-Splitting Sword!"

Zhao Rui transformed his fingers into swords, dividing his sword qi into myriad paths specifically designed to break through various illusions. With sword shadows surrounding his body, what need had he to fear fluttering butterflies?

As palms and fingers intersected, the two exchanged dozens of blows in a flash. Moments later, their figures staggered as both stumbled backward out of their respective butterfly and sword shadows.

At this moment, Luo Min's heart was filled with sheer astonishment. She could never have imagined that Zhao Rui's martial arts would be so eclectic, and that every single martial art he executed would be handled with such ease and mastery.

Her sense of disdain had long since vanished entirely.

Meanwhile, everyone in the audience—whether freshmen or official team members—wore solemn expressions, entirely shedding the spectator mindset they had held earlier.

Because the fight between the two was simply too brilliant, far exceeding everyone's imagination, and far outshining the previous bout with Ge Wenlei. Even among the fellows from the East Arts Sports University who visited last time, only one or two could possibly reach this level.

"Is that guy Zhao Rui faced on the exchange day really at peak eighth rank?"

On the side of the official team members, Gongye Lingchen furrowed his brows slightly and couldn't help asking the person beside him.

"I heard he was the strongest of their year, but during the match, it seemed like just as he was about to unleash his full power, Zhao Rui surrendered."

Gongye Lingchen nodded silently.

To be able to assess the situation and surrender promptly before the opponent unleashes their ultimate move—that required far more than mere caution. He felt he had somewhat underestimated Zhao Rui.

Not only did he think so, but the freshmen in the audience thought so too.

"Is Luo Min holding back?"

"Ge Wenlei certainly wouldn't hold back. As expected, anyone who manages to get in must have some real skills."

"Good thing I didn't offend him. Come to think of it, he came here several months before us..."

"We're all in the same batch, why be so distant and give people a reason to laugh at the freshmen for not being united?"

These non-elite freshmen instantly reversed their attitudes without requiring any public opinion guidance from Zhao Rui.

On the contrary, Miao Miaomiao and the others looked at Zhao Rui with gazes carrying a bit of different scrutiny.

The complex thoughts in the audience were neither understood nor had time to be understood by those on the stage.

After another ten minutes of fighting, Luo Min's pretty face was frosted with coldness. She had originally thought fighting Zhao Rui would be a breeze. Firstly, she had confidence in her own strength, and secondly, she figured she was a great beauty and his classmate after all, so Zhao Rui wouldn't deal any ruthless blows.

Yet engaging in combat now, she realized how terribly wrong she was. Not only could she not defeat Zhao Rui in a short time, but she also felt as though she was being played with—attack and I block, you run and I pull, centered entirely around the principle of never giving up and never abandoning, just playing a game of exchanging moves.

She felt like she was dealing with a stubborn mustard plaster.

Fine beads of sweat oozed from her forehead, and strands of hair clung damply to her skin; the graceful and ethereal elegance she had at the start was entirely gone.

"Can't you go easy on me?"

Luo Min felt increasingly depressed, but how could she bring herself to say those words when she was the one who had rashly stepped up for her own selfish desires? Yet she couldn't bring herself to concede defeat just like that, so she grit her teeth and forced herself to push through.

"Stop right there!"

After another half-hour of fighting between the two, Wang Zhanshan couldn't bear to watch any longer and once again terminated the sparring session.

"I concede!"

Zhao Rui cupped his fists in salute and calmly jumped down from the ring.

Luo Min's pretty face remained frosty. Words teetered on the lips of her mouth before she swallowed them back, forcing herself to step down from the stage with a gloomy expression and returning to her group in utter frustration.

"Minmin, your classmate is so amazing! Why didn't he come to the Martial Arts Academy?"

"Exactly. I thought he failed the exams. Do you think he's the disciple of some senior master and isn't allowed to take the martial arts academy entrance exams?"

"That's possible!"

Several female students immediately began to gossip in low voices. Their chatter only made Luo Min feel even more depressed and filled with secret regret.

"Everyone quiet down!"

Seeing the noisy commotion in the audience, Wang Zhanshan clapped his hands to stop the uproar, then said:

"The standards of the two freshman participants are clear for everyone to see. This is just them newly joining our team; given time, they will surely make tremendous progress."

"Sophomores and juniors must feel a sense of urgency and pressure, lest you get outperformed by your junior brothers and sisters when evaluation time comes..."

"Furthermore, Zhao Rui's progress has been quite substantial. Everyone should learn from him and train harder..."

After offering words of affirmation, Wang Zhanshan signaled for the sparring activities to continue, inviting anyone who wished to showcase themselves to come up and try their hand.

Soon, another freshman jumped onto the ring. However, the chosen opponent was not Zhao Rui, but someone randomly selected by Wang Zhanshan.

Wang Zhanshan had originally intended for the freshmen to "establish their prestige," but the first two matches had been ruined by Zhao Rui. Naturally, he would not let Zhao Rui take the stage again this time.

For the remainder of the time, Li Xinran, Zhang奎, and others took turns stepping up. The match results varied with wins and losses, differing little from expectations.

After a round of bouts, every team member present realized one issue: this year's freshman cohort could no longer be suppressed.

Upon joining the team, there were already two eighth-rank martial artists and seven or eight seventh-rank martial artists. It was hard to imagine what kind of strength they would possess by the time they reached their sophomore year.

And that was not even counting the inscrutable bridge figure between sophomores and freshmen, classmate Zhao Rui.

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

Before Zhao Rui could even speak, Wang Zhanshan swiftly reached out and pinched the pulse point on his wrist.

"Strong meridians, steady internal breath—have you already reached the seventh rank?" Wang Zhanshan asked in astonishment.

He remembered that when Zhao Rui first joined the team, he was only at the sixth rank. He hadn't expected that in just a few short months, he would already be a seventh-rank martial artist.

"Teacher, I haven't tested it, but it should be about right!"

"It's a bit beyond my expectations. Your talent truly isn't great, but as Teacher Zeng said, your comprehension is exceptional..."

Having said that, he hesitated for a moment and asked, "Do you want to join the sophomores, or return to the freshman side?"

Without hesitation, Zhao Rui looked at Wang Zhanshan and replied: "Teacher, it doesn't really matter where I go. I mainly feel that being a sparring partner is quite good—it allows me to improve my results through practice!"

"My talent is poor, and I know it myself. Rather than anything else, let me just remain a sparring partner to provide more help to those classmates who can shoulder the heavy responsibilities."

Wang Zhanshan was slightly taken aback, not expecting Zhao Rui to have such a high level of awareness.

Upon second thought, however, he felt relieved. After all, ever since Zhao Rui joined the team, he hadn't taught him seriously at all. What Zhao Rui had learned was quite likely self-comprehended during the process of being a sparring partner.

He probably harbored some resentment in his heart, too!

Having mentioned it once, Wang Zhanshan said no more. If he had discovered Zhao Rui's good comprehension right when he entered school, he might have tried to teach him. But now, there were simply too many with good talent; adding or losing one Zhao Rui didn't matter much anymore.

"I'll have someone send you a set of martial arts materials later. Memorize them by heart, and under no circumstances are they to be leaked outside." Wang Zhanshan said with a serious expression.

Zhao Rui hastily nodded in agreement, muttering inwardly whether this could be considered disguised recognition.

"Go on with your business!"

With those instructions, Wang Zhanshan waved his hand to dismiss Zhao Rui.

...

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, and a cool breeze swept past as clouds drifted lazily across the starlight toward the distance.

Beneath the vault of heaven, wisps of cooking smoke rose from a certain spot, blanketing the entire barbecue stall.

Amidst the sounds of clinking glasses and chatter, the chewing of skewers went on without pause.

In the blink of an eye, another month had slipped by in the snap of a finger.

"The weather is getting colder, and my pockets are getting tighter."

Zhang Kui took a sip of beer, picked up a peanut, applied a tiny bit of force with his fingers, and sent the peanut kernel flying straight into his mouth as if it had grown wings.

"Does anyone know of any part-time jobs? Recommend one to me."

"Part-time job? To be a gigolo? You're too ugly!" Cao Guannan said expressionlessly.

"Damn it, poker-face, don't think I'm afraid of you now. Let's have a fight of three hundred rounds if you've got the guts!"

Zhang Kui glared at him with full confidence, looking as though he'd start a brawl at the slightest disagreement.

"Wager a thousand bucks?"

Cao Guannan didn't even raise his head, merely lifting his eyes to glance sideways at him.

"Uh... let's not talk about money."

Zhang Kui decisively abandoned the idea of fighting. Although he had been training day and night with Zhao Rui during this period, he still lacked the confidence to truly go toe-to-toe with Cao Guannan.

"Actually, part-time jobs do exist. You could work as a sparring partner, though you'd have to go into the city," Zhao Rui smiled, raising his glass to clink with the other two before speaking.

"No, absolutely not. Being a sparring partner on the team is annoying enough; you want me to go outside and do it too? I'll never sell my skills in this lifetime!" Zhang Kui resolutely rejected the idea.

"Selling your body is an option, actually."

"Damn it, you two!"

While the three of them were laughing and joking, Li Xinran and Qin Rui walked over from outside the lights of the barbecue stall.

"What are you guys talking about that's making you so happy?" Li Xinran asked curiously.

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

"Ah? Then I'll definitely have to go support his business!"

"..."

Zhao Rui and the others were stunned, looking up at Li Xinran one after another.

The latter's cheeks immediately flushed red as she spat out, "That's not what I meant!"

"Oh, I get it! We all get it!"

"What the hell do you guys get!"

Gathered together, the five of them bantered back and forth while another large pile of skewers was served.

Qin Rui and Li Xinran showed no politeness either, cheerfully rolling up their sleeves to dig in.

Just as they were eating, the ringtone of Zhao Rui's phone rang abruptly. The pleasant music sounded exceptionally nice amid the tipsy atmosphere.

He picked up his phone and saw that the call was from Youyou, who hadn't shown her face in a long time.

He swiped the screen and casually answered the call.

"Where are you?"

Youyou's voice carried a woman's unique coquettish charm, rising and falling in melodious tones that sounded exceptionally pleasing.

"Eating barbecue. Care to join?"

"Yeah."

"..."

I was just being polite.