You Can't Beat Me

"I think we should pin our hopes on Master taking in a Junior Brother!"

Zhao Rui chuckled.

"Haha, that was exactly what I said back then!"

Senior sister could not help but smile. Back when she felt she could not beat him either, that was what she had thought.

As expected of disciples taught by the same Master.

The few of them chatted in the Martial Arts Hall for a while before going their separate ways.

The martial arts school's apprentices did not live at the school. Once training was over, they all returned home.

Although Senior Disciple Brother and Second Disciple Brother were both Master's sons, they had long since started families and careers. Most of the time, they lived elsewhere and had businesses of their own.

Zhao Rui found an excuse to linger and did not leave right away. Instead, he activated the system panel in his mind.

Name: Zhao Rui

...

Martial Arts:

Taihang Thirteen Palms (Mastery) +

Azure Cloud Palm (Mastery) +

Cloud Hand Plucks Stars (Mastery) +

Copyable Martial Art:

Wing Chun Inquiry (98/100)

Advancement Point +1

...

Looking at the contents of the panel, Zhao Rui's heart filled with delight. Cloud Hand Plucks Stars had finally reached the Mastery level.

If a martial art could reach the Mastery level, it meant the martial artist had basically achieved complete command of it.

So-called mastery was using one's body as a cauldron and one's intent as a furnace, tempering moves into innate qi resonance.

At this point, the martial artist had shed the form of techniques. Boxing manuals and sword formulas were no longer dead things inscribed on bamboo slips, but rivers flowing through the meridians.

Every move followed the heart, without the slightest obstruction!

Beyond Mastery came the Qi Transformation Realm. Martial artists in this realm could no longer be classified by ten levels; they had transcended them.

Their martial skills returned to their original simplicity. Plucking leaves and scattering flowers alike contained their life-bound true qi. A saber wielder could discard his blade, and a sweep of his fingertips through the air would become Water-Cutting Saber Intent; a boxer could withdraw his stance, and with every breath, Primordial External Energy would form on its own.

Martial artists at this stage already possessed abilities akin to superhumans. Every gesture contained immense might.

Zhao Rui did not know much about this realm, and it was still too early to think about it.

Being able to reach the Mastery realm before the Gaokao was already a tremendous joy.

Zhao Rui focused his mind and calmed his breathing, silently circulating the method of the Ethereal Divine Skill. Qi coursed through the meridians of his entire body as the moves in his hands suddenly burst forth.

His figure moved like lightning, elusive and swift, as though thunder tore apart the night sky.

Each move was no longer like before, when he had needed to counter every move with another. Now, he understood his own heart and nature, free and unconstrained.

"That felt great!"

After practicing a set of palm techniques, Zhao Rui adjusted his breathing and gathered his qi back into stillness, unable to stop himself from shouting.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Junior Martial Uncle, what are you doing in there?"

At that moment, the voice of his Junior Martial Niece came from outside the door.

Zhao Rui walked over and opened the Martial Arts Hall's doors, which he had deliberately bolted shut earlier.

The first thing he saw was Junior Martial Niece Li Lanting studying him with a strange expression.

Her gaze, in particular, went straight for his lower half.

Zhao Rui's scalp prickled under her stare. With a stern face, he said, "What are you looking at? Have you finished your homework?"

"Feeling guilty? Martial Uncle, don't worry, I won't tell grandfather or the others. Men, I get it!"

"Fuck, what the hell do you get?"

Zhao Rui's face darkened. This girl was far too precocious. She really should not be allowed to look at her phone.

"Go finish your homework."

Zhao Rui scolded.

"Hurry up and find yourself a girlfriend, or you'll get acne!"

Li Lanting covered her mouth as she ran toward the front courtyard, giggling all the way.

Zhao Rui could not be bothered with her. After changing clothes, he rode his bicycle out through the medicine hall's gates.

The summer night breeze was dry and hot. Outside, the lights blazed brightly, streetlamp after streetlamp casting dim yellow light over the straight concrete road ahead.

The Gaokao was almost here!

Which university should he apply to in the future?

Before he had obtained the system panel, the highest he had aimed for was a second-tier university within the province.

But now, with the panel's aid, he had already reached the Mastery realm ahead of time. Passing the Level Four Martial Artist assessment would be effortless.

In that case, he could not set his sights so low for university.

At the very least, he needed a first-tier university, whether inside or outside the province—perhaps even a key first-tier university.

As Zhao Rui considered the direction of his future studies, he pedaled toward home.

As he rode, a spinning brown basketball suddenly shot toward him from ahead, flying straight at him at incredible speed.

It was far faster than an ordinary person could throw.

A martial artist!

Zhao Rui reached out and caught it, channeling qi through his hand to dissolve the force as he spun the basketball on his palm like a trick performer.

He braced his right leg against the ground and looked toward the two tall boys walking over from not far away.

"Yo, a fellow practitioner! Which school are you from? You look kind of familiar!"

One of them, a handsome boy with sharply defined features, curled his lips slightly and spoke in a somewhat frivolous tone.

Zhao Rui glanced at him without speaking. He tossed the basketball back, then got ready to ride away.

The boy caught the ball, suddenly raised his brows, and smiled. "Oh, I remember now. It's you!"

Zhao Rui smiled at him, though the smile was somewhat fake, then pedaled away without another word.

"Brother Luo, you know that guy?"

After Zhao Rui left, the boy beside the handsome one asked.

"A defeated opponent."

The handsome boy casually swept back his hair and answered without concern.

City Martial Arts Association Level Appraisal Center!

Zhao Rui sat on the back of Yang Fan's motorcycle as they rode into the parking lot beneath the morning glow.

"If you pass Level Four, don't forget to treat me to KFC!"

"No problem!"

Zhao Rui took a deep breath and walked toward the appraisal center building.

After locking his bike, Yang Fan hurried after him. Looking at the massive building before them, he clicked his tongue in amazement. "The Martial Arts Association is seriously rich. This is even grander than the city government building."

The two climbed the steps and soon arrived at the appraisal center's main hall.

They found a staff member, handed over their identification, collected a queue slip, and came to the corridor outside the assessment rooms.

They sat down on the chairs and waited.

"Look at all these people. Are they all here to be assessed for Level Four? No way, right?"

Yang Fan said in disbelief. After all, Level Five Martial Artists were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns in school.

So why were there so many here?

There had to be over twenty of them!

"This is only the city. There are even more in the province. Even Level Six and Level Seven aren't rare there."

Zhao Rui replied.

"Sigh! Good thing I never forced myself to train hard. Sure enough, people need to know their own limits!"

Yang Fan chuckled. Just as he was about to mock himself a little more, a voice suddenly came from across the hall.

"Hey, what a coincidence. Don't tell me you're here for an appraisal too? Level Four? That's pretty fast!"

He looked up and saw two tall boys he did not recognize.

"Just got lucky. Your strength should have reached Level Four long ago, right?"

By then, Zhao Rui beside him had already picked up the conversation.

"I'm here with a classmate. Sorry, but even if you're a Level Four Martial Artist, you still have no chance of beating me."

The one speaking was the basketball-carrying boy Zhao Rui had encountered on the side road before.

"Damn, you're pretty arrogant. Who the hell are you?"

Yang Fan immediately became annoyed upon hearing that.

The boy was not angered. Still smiling calmly, he said, "I just passed Level Six."

"Leve..."

The words in Yang Fan's mouth instantly caught in his throat, and he stammered before shutting his mouth.

End of this chapter