A New Way to Provoke

The next day at noon, with two days left until the Quota Competition.

As Lu Jue stepped through the gates of the Martial School, his phone suddenly rang. The moment he answered, Liu Ga's almost distorted wail came through:

"Fuck! Brother Jue! You really have to save me this time!"

Since the incident yesterday, Liu Ga seemed to have sobered up considerably, quickly escaping the shadow of his breakup.

When they contacted each other last night, he had even started practicing late into the night, which was rare.

"Explain yourself!"

"Instructor Li suddenly notified us! This afternoon at three o'clock, he's going to test both our classes on the Basic Fist Arts!"

"Didn't we just have a round of testing two months ago?" Lu Jue frowned slightly.

"God knows what's gotten into that bastard! I think he's just short on cash and is finding new ways to scam money! Brother Jue, quickly teach me a couple of killer moves. A last-minute cram session, every point counts!"

"With your guidance as a Grandmaster of Fist Arts, I'm sure I can get a few more points!

"I'll be right there!" After ending the call, a sharp glint flashed in Lu Jue's eyes.

The Martial Arts Examination was divided into two sections: Combat and Theory, with the former being the main focus and the latter supplementary.

Every year, countless students participated in the Martial Arts Examination. If they had to determine rankings one-on-one for every single person, coupled with the time needed to recover from injuries, the entire examination would drag on for ages.

Normally, the first two rounds of screening in the Martial Arts Examination couldn't guarantee absolute fairness. Candidates with the same combat score as you might actually be weaker than you.

At this point, the deciding factor for rankings was the accumulated Theory score during the school year.

The higher the Theory score, the higher the overall ranking among candidates with the same Combat score. And assessments were a crucial component in forming the Theory score.

According to regulations, students in their sixth year of Martial Arts were required to undergo an assessment on the Three Great Basic Cultivation Methods every three months. The scoring authority rested with the Assistant Instructor responsible for that particular cultivation method.

If the cultivation method had already reached Perfection, they would automatically receive full marks and be permanently exempt from all subsequent assessments.

Lu Jue remembered that Instructor Li had organized an assessment just two months ago.

It was probably because he had extorted him last time, leaving his pockets empty, and he wanted to conduct the assessment early to earn some extra income.

"Heh, trying to make money?" Lu Jue's lips curved into a cold arc.

"This time, I'll let you make enough to cover your losses!"

He changed direction, no longer returning to the dormitory, and headed straight for the training hall where the assessment was scheduled to take place that afternoon.

Meanwhile, in the instructors' office.

Li Zhanting comfortably propped his feet on the desk, leaning back slightly in his chair, observing a fair-faced girl standing before the desk with a playful gaze.

"Yao Li!"

Li Zhanting drew out his words, his fingers tapping incessantly on the desk: "I'm not trying to lecture you, but it's been over two months, and your Fist Arts haven't improved at all? Your power delivery is weak, and your Blood Essence circulation is sluggish..."

"Even if there's no progress, what's the meaning of you stuffing money into my hands? Are you trying to bribe an instructor?"

Yao Li lowered her head, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, her face slightly pale.

How could she not understand the implied meaning of Instructor Li's words? She felt both fearful and resistant.

She had initially intended to follow her classmates' example and scrape together some money to smooth things over, to avert disaster with a bit of expense. But who knew that Instructor Li would explicitly refuse the money, and instead...

Seeing her silence, a trace of smugness flashed in Li Zhanting's eyes, and he continued to tempt her: "Of course, the scoring is ultimately a subjective judgment by the instructor. I know your family is in financial difficulty, but actually, if you were a bit more sensible..."

"Instructor, I can naturally see your 'effort' and 'progress.' This score will naturally go up. You wouldn't want the results of this assessment to be too embarrassing, would you?"

As he spoke, he lowered his feet and casually paced over to Yao Li. One hand reached out as if to rest on her slightly trembling shoulder, the gesture extremely natural.

Yao Li flinched as if burned, instinctively taking a step back. Her back, however, hit the cold metal filing cabinet behind her with a "thump." She had nowhere else to retreat.

The smile on Li Zhanting's face deepened, tinged with the amusement of a cat playing with a mouse.

Not only did he not retract his hand, but he advanced another half-step, inching closer. He raised his other hand as if to brush aside a few stray strands of hair from her forehead, his movements flirtatious, his intentions obvious.

"Why are you dodging?"

His voice lowered slightly, and his gaze swept over her chest, which rose and fell with her rapid breathing: "Your hair is all messy. Your demeanor is also very important during the assessment..."

Yao Li's body stiffened. She instinctively wanted to raise her hand to block him, but her arm felt as heavy as lead.

"Let Instructor take good care of you..."

Just as his fingers were about to touch Yao Li's cheek—

Bang!

The office door was pushed open without warning.

A cool and clear figure stood at the doorway, holding a document in her hand, her voice calm and unwavering: "Instructor Li, here are the lists of students from Class Six and Class Seven participating in this assessment, along with their past results. Please take a look!"

Li Zhanting recoiled as if pricked by a needle, instantly withdrawing all his movements. The lewd expression on his face switched to one of seriousness, even slight obsequiousness, within a fraction of a second, at a speed that was astonishing.

"Oh my, it's student Su Li! Thank you for your hard work. It's such a small matter, and you've personally come all this way. Just put it on the desk, and I'll look at it later!"

Normally, he relied on his family connections and his status as an instructor to bully and act arrogantly in front of students. But he had a clear understanding of who he could provoke and who he absolutely could not offend; he knew the difference perfectly well.

The person before him was not only the principal's personal disciple but also a member of the Martial School's Academic Affairs Committee. Even though the other party spoke politely and without any airs, he dared not be negligent in the slightest. His sordid thoughts had long been scared away into oblivion.

Su Li's gaze calmly swept across the office, pausing briefly on Yao Li before she spoke, "You're Yao Li from Class Six, right? The assessment is coming up soon, shouldn't you be getting ready?"

Upon hearing this, Yao Li felt as if she'd received a pardon and practically fled the office.

Afterward, Su Li placed the list on the tea table by the door and nodded slightly, "Instructor Li, according to the procedures stipulated in Martial School Article 78, I cannot leave until you sign and confirm this list!"

The muscles in Li Zhanting's face twitched almost imperceptibly. He could only force a more "amiable" smile and repeatedly agree, "Of course! Of course! Student Su, you are truly meticulous in your work. I'll look at it now, I'll sign it now!"

He quickly picked up the list, pretending to flip through it rapidly, then quickly grabbed his pen, signed it, and presented the list with both hands for her to review.

Su Li confirmed it was correct and nodded slightly again before turning to leave, her back still as cool and distant as ever.

Only after closing the door did a flicker of a strange expression cross her eyes. She quickly took out her notepad and pen and wrote:

A new way to provoke: Use the authority in my hands to forcibly touch the other person's body.