A Newcomer Joins the Martial Arts Training Team

"Dinner? Sounds like you don't have a girlfriend!"

Youyou's eyelashes fluttered, and she spoke with a smile that was not quite a smile.

"I just started my first year, okay, big sis?"

"How about I be your girlfriend?"

"I'm not interested in a fake one."

"A real one works too!"

"I don't like women older than me."

A glint of "murderous intent" flashed in Youyou's eyes. She could barely suppress the urge to stab him.

But a moment later, a bewitching expression appeared on her face. She edged closer to Zhao Rui, looking both coy and amused, and whispered, "What if I'm bigger than you?"

"Ahem!"

Zhao Rui's gaze dipped involuntarily, and, as if possessed, he glanced at her chest.

Unfortunately, he didn't get a good look at whether she was bigger. Instead, two slender fingers, pale as scallions, shot straight toward his eyes without the slightest hesitation.

"You vicious woman!"

Zhao Rui calmly raised his elbow to block, dodging the tips of her fingers.

She rolled her eyes at him and spat, "You won't let me be your girlfriend, but you're awfully good at sneaking peeks."

"I was just admiring the view. Don't make it sound so dirty!"

Zhao Rui replied without a care, already heading for the restaurant entrance.

Youyou gave a couple of snorts, then hurried after him.

The two went to Dongqi University's Third Canteen, a place that specialized in snacks, with a huge variety and plenty of choices.

"What do you want? Order whatever you like!"

"Oh, how generous of you..."

"Just don't spend more than ten yuan! I'm broke!"

Youyou gritted her teeth, wishing she could sink them into this "little brother" who had not an ounce of gentlemanly grace.

"I'll pay!"

Youyou said through gritted teeth. She had wanted to try the food here in the first place. How could she settle for only ten yuan's worth?

"Heh, then you can count it as me treating you, too!"

"You really have no shame!"

After trading barbs for a while, their stomachs growling, the two got up and bought a pile of the canteen's signature snacks. Then they each tucked in.

As they ate, Youyou's phone rang. She glanced at the screen, hung up, then stood and said to Zhao Rui, "I'm leaving! You finish eating."

With that, she simply got up and walked out.

Zhao Rui was taken aback and was about to say something when he saw her pause, her slender waist turning as her skirt swirled in the dusk, tracing half a ripple.

"If you miss me, send me a message!"

The woman glanced back with a light smile, then drifted away as gracefully as she had arrived, her origins and destination equally unknown.

Zhao Rui smiled quietly, then lowered his head and continued eating what remained on the table.

She had come and gone in a hurry, but she was hardly the only one. In this bustling world, who didn't come and go in a rush?

After filling his stomach, Zhao Rui left the canteen and returned to the dormitory beneath the hazy moonlight.

The scorching weather, the damp military training uniforms that wouldn't absorb sweat, the monotonous marching drills, the exhausted bodies—all came together in early September to create the university's most beautiful scenery.

Fortunately, it would all be over in two weeks. He just had to grit his teeth and endure.

As for the military training review performance, it was much the same as in his previous life. There wasn't much worth going on about.

With military training over, the freshmen officially began their new university lives.

On the second morning of the school term, Zhao Rui took advantage of a break and found his counselor, Liu Jie, who was still in her office writing up some materials.

"Teacher Liu, I'm here!"

He knocked, smiled, and walked into the office.

After two weeks of military training together, Liu Jie was already quite familiar with Zhao Rui.

"Mm, give me a moment. I'll take you over as soon as I finish this."

Liu Jie nodded and continued writing. It was another ten minutes before she tidied her desk, stood up, and picked up a form that had already been printed and left beside it.

"Let's go!"

Liu Jie said, then led the way out of the office.

About ten minutes later, Liu Jie brought Zhao Rui to the school's Academic Affairs Office and knocked before entering.

"Director Peng, busy as ever!"

Liu Jie greeted him with a light smile.

"Xiao Liu, what can I do for you?"

Director Peng was heavyset, with a round face and small, half-closed eyes. He looked well-fed and prosperous.

"I mentioned this before. There's a student in my class who wants to join the Martial Arts Team..."

"Oh, that. Principal Hao mentioned it to me. But you know the school rules: students who aren't in the Martial Arts Academy can't be listed as official team members..."

"We understand that..."

"Good, then. To be honest, this is already an exception..."

"Sorry for the trouble, Director Peng!"

Seeing Liu Jie's cooperative attitude, Director Peng glanced at Zhao Rui, who stood behind her, and gave a slight nod of his large head. He took the application form Liu Jie handed him.

He placed the form beneath a machine. In a moment, a large red seal had been stamped onto it.

"Train hard. Your teacher has gone to a lot of trouble for you!"

Director Peng handed the stamped form back to Liu Jie, then looked at Zhao Rui and spoke with evident seriousness.

"Thank you, Teacher Liu, and thank you, Director Peng. I'll make sure to train hard!"

Zhao Rui hurriedly thanked them.

"We won't keep you from your work, Director Peng!"

A faint, elegant smile appeared on Liu Jie's petite face, making her look just like a lotus blooming in a pond.

With that, the two turned and left Director Peng's office.

"Thank you, Teacher Liu!"

Once they were outside, Zhao Rui sincerely thanked Liu Jie beside him.

"You're my student, after all. And we agreed you'd be class monitor!"

Liu Jie smiled brightly, her expression sly.

"Fine, fine. But if I don't manage things well, don't blame me!"

"You haven't even started and you're already trying to shirk your duties. Who else could I blame? Forget that for now. Take the form to the Martial Arts Team and report in. Do well, and don't let me down!"

"No problem!"

Zhao Rui readily agreed. He parted ways with Liu Jie beneath the school's office building and strode toward the Martial Arts Academy grounds in the southwestern corner of campus.

The Martial Arts Academy was a special institution.

It wasn't subject to the school's regular teaching administration. It had its own independent operating system and campus.

Each year, it admitted only students who had reached at least Level Five Martial Artist strength, and they had to be under eighteen.

Whether you were a month late or even just ten days late, if your level test didn't reach Level Five before the Gaokao, the Martial Arts Academy wouldn't accept you.

It might seem heartless, but in the end, it all came down to talent.

A martial arts career was a long and arduous road. Some people lacked martial arts talent, but through hard training over decades, they could still reach the level of a Level Ten Martial Artist.

But unless they had an incredible stroke of luck, people like that would never break through to the Grandmaster Realm in their lifetime.

Top universities, on the other hand, recruited talented students with the potential to reach the Grandmaster Realm.

Of course, the proportion wasn't especially high. Talent mattered, but insight and opportunity were just as essential.

Students received a systematic education during their undergraduate years. After four years of training, a small number of the top performers went on to graduate schools in their respective fields.

After more than a decade of cultivation, those who rose above the rest would almost all become Grandmaster Realm powerhouses.

That was what Zhao Rui understood about the matter. As for what it was really like, outsiders couldn't know unless they crossed that threshold themselves.

As for the Martial Arts Team, it was like a university basketball team in his previous life. It selected outstanding students, trained them together to improve their combat skills, and entered them in various competitions.

Most of those students were strong in actual combat and focused more on fighting and hand-to-hand combat.

Zhao Rui's talent was average. If he followed the usual process, he wouldn't even get past the physical assessment—the first hurdle in applying to Dongqi University's Martial Arts Academy.

But none of that mattered. He had only one goal now: to join the Martial Arts Team, take in the best of everything, and learn the most advanced techniques available through the official system.

The Martial Arts Academy occupied a vast area, nearly half the size of the entire campus. It was almost like a separate enclave beside Dongqi University.

Apart from a handful of high-rise buildings, most of the structures were designed in an antique style. Pavilions and towers, waterside terraces and courtyards—walking through the grounds felt less like being on a campus and more like strolling through a classical garden.

Zhao Rui had no time to admire the scenery. He hurried into one of the high-rise buildings and followed the lobby signs to the Martial Arts Academy's office.

When Zhao Rui handed his approved application form to a staff member, the other person looked him over in surprise.

Then he smiled and said, "We haven't had an application from a student outside the academy in years. The competition for the Martial Arts Team is fierce, so be prepared!"

Zhao Rui nodded. "Thank you, sir. I will."

"Mm. Off you go. Find Teacher Sun at Mingchan Courtyard. He's in charge of the Martial Arts Team now."

Zhao Rui hurriedly agreed, went downstairs, and followed the signs along a winding path full of old-world charm toward Mingchan Courtyard.

After walking for about ten minutes, the view suddenly opened up. At the end of the path stood a towering, ancient-looking Chan temple.

Its walls were built from red square bricks, while the halls within were roofed with tiles that gleamed like glazed glass, glowing golden in the light. Everything was orderly, solemn, and imposing; no one would ever have mistaken it for a campus building.

The Martial Arts Academy's independence was plain to see.

Zhao Rui stepped forward. Before he could raise his hand to knock, the bronze-red gates slowly swung open from both sides.

"Who are you looking for?"

A voice drifted slowly from the solemn main hall a hundred meters away.

The hall stood at the end of a blue-stone path, its eaves hung with golden copper bells that chimed crisply whenever the breeze stirred them.

A grand vermilion hall rose above a white marble base. Dew glistened on the scales of the coiling dragons carved into the pillars before the entrance, lending them a faint, shadowy gleam.

Zhao Rui couldn't help feeling startled. This level of skill was truly terrifying. The man had sensed his arrival from a hundred meters away.

Were all the teachers at the Martial Arts Academy this powerful?

"Sir, I'm here to report in!"

Zhao Rui called as loudly as he could, doing his best to project his voice. Out of respect, he didn't use his Internal Energy.

"What was that? I can't hear you. Come inside and tell me!"

Zhao Rui froze. He couldn't hear him?

Thoroughly confused, he hurried along the blue-stone path toward the main hall.

Lush lawns spread along both sides of the path, neat and vivid green.

Beyond the lawns stood thick bamboo groves, their branches and leaves flourishing. Now and then, birds called out, accompanied by the rustle of flapping wings that echoed through the empty courtyard.

In the distance, several palace-like buildings were half-hidden in the dense woods, too indistinct to make out clearly.

How much did this place cost?

Zhao Rui had no time to think about it. He had reached the main hall, so he stepped over the threshold and peered inside.

The enormous hall was filled with all kinds of martial arts equipment: knives, spears, staffs, swords, punching bags, wooden posts, and more. There wasn't a single statue or altar in sight.

"Sir?"

Zhao Rui glanced around and spotted a bald man in the corner of the hall, sitting with one leg crossed over the other and looking at him with a lazy air.

A familiar office desk stood in front of the man. There were two computers on it, along with various office supplies.

"You're the freshman who came to report in?"

The man looked Zhao Rui up and down as he spoke. Clearly, someone had told him to expect Zhao Rui.

"Yes, sir!"

Zhao Rui hurried forward and handed over the form.

The man picked it up and looked it over, then set it on the desk and asked, "What level are you now?"

"I should be around the strength of a Level Six Martial Artist."

Zhao Rui answered honestly. With fifteen years of practice, even without top-tier techniques, his strength was certainly no lower than that of a Level Six Martial Artist.

"Oh, you've worked hard. What a pity you didn't break through sooner."

The man shook his head, then continued, "What technique do you mainly practice? What year did you start learning martial arts?"

"At school, I mainly practiced Azure Cloud Palm. Outside school, I also learned Cloud Hand Plucks Stars..."

Zhao Rui briefly explained his situation.

The man nodded. "Not bad. Your talent isn't poor. If you're set on martial arts, don't let yourself be bound by rules and restrictions..."

"My surname is Wang. You can call me Teacher Wang or Coach Wang. You're the first student outside the professional departments to join the Martial Arts Team from this year's freshmen class. Ha! I bet things will get interesting once the other freshmen arrive!"

Coach Wang couldn't help laughing at the thought.

Zhao Rui didn't understand what was so funny, so he could only force a smile.

"When you come tomorrow, bring me a copy of your class schedule. Give me your ID card so I can register your information, and also..."

Teacher Wang spoke for a couple of moments. He seemed to find the list of things he needed to explain too long and grew impatient, so he shouted toward the back of the hall, "Zhang Kui, come out and help your junior brother take care of the paperwork!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a student walked out. He had a close-cropped haircut and a thin beard of short black stubble.

"Teacher Wang, it's not time to recruit team members yet. Where'd this junior brother come from?"

The student asked curiously as he walked over.

"Let him explain!"

Teacher Wang pointed at Zhao Rui, then said, "Go with Zhang Kui. Come for training officially tomorrow."

"Yes, sir!"

Zhao Rui hurriedly agreed.

Zhang Kui looked surprised, but didn't ask any questions. Instead, he smiled at Zhao Rui and said, "Come on, junior brother!"

With that, he led the way toward the rear of the main hall.

Zhao Rui hurried to follow.

Once they passed through the rear doors of the main hall, the scenery outside revealed a different kind of beauty. Streams crisscrossed the grounds, with bamboo bridges and covered walkways stretching over them. Mist curled through the air, veiling everything in a hazy cloud.

"Junior, which department of Martial Arts are you in?"

The two stepped onto the covered walkway, and Zhang Kui asked him.

"I'm in the Accounting Department!"

"Accounting?"

Zhang Kui froze for a moment. After hearing Zhao Rui's explanation, he suddenly understood. "No wonder you joined the team at this time. Haha. Actually, first-year students at the Martial Arts Academy don't join our Martial Arts Team until next semester!"

"But you're an exception. Since you don't have a regular curriculum, starting your training with Teacher Wang early will do you good, too."