Prajna Palm

Mingchan Courtyard was very different today from yesterday. It wasn't that the surroundings had changed; rather, people were streaming through the red-bronze gates.

It was nothing like yesterday's desolate quiet.

They were all dressed like ordinary students. Some had backpacks slung over their shoulders and water bottles in hand, and wore oversized glasses.

A few of the girls even wore short shorts, showing off their lovely figures.

Though they looked just like ordinary students heading to class,

Zhao Rui didn't dare underestimate them in the slightest. If he wasn't mistaken, they were all senior brothers and sisters from Dongqi University's Martial Arts Team.

"You look unfamiliar."

As he headed into the courtyard with his head down, two male students beside him called out.

The one who spoke had a neat, side-parted hairstyle that fell to his ears. His hair was smooth and flowing, and his handsome face made him look like an anime character.

The other was rather burly, with clearly defined muscles. Yet he wore a flimsy tank top with straps as thin as two strings, making his pair of pectorals look even thicker and more prominent.

"Hello, Senior Brothers. I'm a freshman who just joined the team yesterday."

Zhao Rui quickly stopped and looked at them as he replied.

"You just joined?"

The side-parted student paused and frowned at his companion. Seeing that the other man looked just as baffled, he said, "Oh, that's strange. Have you already reported to Teacher Wang?"

"Yeah! I registered yesterday!"

Zhao Rui replied.

"Oh, we'll talk more once we're inside."

The side-parted student nodded, then the two walked straight into the courtyard.

Zhao Rui pursed his lips, let them get a few steps ahead, then followed.

A few minutes later, inside the courtyard's main hall,

under the deliberate or furtive stares of the others, Zhao Rui stood obediently at the very edge of the line. He waited in the middle of the hall with more than twenty people.

After a while, Teacher Wang came over in slippers, slapping them against the floor with every step.

He lazily glanced over the line. When he spotted Zhao Rui, standing somewhat isolated at the edge, he paused. Then, as if remembering that this was the student who had reported in yesterday, he cleared his throat and said, "Um, we've got a new member on the Martial Arts Team. Let's give him a welcome. By the way, what was your name again?"

"Teacher Wang, my name is Zhao Rui!"

Zhao Rui quickly answered in a clear voice.

"Oh, right, Zhao Rui!"

Teacher Wang muttered, then looked at the line. "Each team, get straight to work on your established training goals. If there's nothing else, you're dismissed!"

After that, Teacher Wang beckoned to Zhao Rui. He took the course schedule Zhao Rui handed him, then called toward a corner of the hall, "Wang Zhe, come here a moment."

At the sound of his name, the "Sakuragi Hanamichi" Zhao Rui had encountered on the way over hurried over.

"Zhao Rui will join your team for now. His situation is a bit special; he's not from the Martial Arts Academy. Show him the ropes."

"Of course, Coach!"

Wang Zhe hurriedly answered.

Coach Wang then turned to Zhao Rui and said, "A master can show you the door, but cultivation is up to you. Don't think that joining the Martial Arts Team means you'll get to practice some profound martial art. You'll still have to hone your skills and study on your own."

"Understood! Thank you for your guidance, Coach. I'll keep it in mind!"

Zhao Rui quickly and obediently agreed.

"All right, get to it. For now, follow Wang Zhe and practice Dongqi University's basic techniques!"

With that, he shuffled lazily toward the desk in the corner of the hall, his slippers slapping against the floor.

"Come on, Junior Brother. I'll show you around the Martial Arts Team!"

Wang Zhe said, then ushered Zhao Rui out of the hall.

As they walked, he began to explain how the Martial Arts Team worked.

Dongqi Martial Arts Team could also be called Dongqi Martial Arts Academy. It was established in 1935, when the eminent Buddhist monk Zen Master Wenhui formed it temporarily at the invitation of the university's founder.

It had survived the turmoil of war, invasions from foreign lands, and countless other hardships. Step by step, through blood and tears, it had carried on to the present day, with a history of nearly a hundred years.

Its martial arts legacy included Buddhist techniques passed down from Zen Master Wenhui, as well as many other schools' techniques collected by successive instructors.

Later, the authorities lifted restrictions on lower- and mid-tier martial arts, allowing universities to establish corresponding research teams. This gave the academy's martial arts a further, significant boost in development.

"Our academy took second place nationwide last year, though that only put us in thirteenth place. You could say we did pretty well."

"I heard you're not from the Martial Arts Academy. I imagine you're good at actual combat, right? But the further you progress, the more your Internal Energy matters..."

Wang Zhe explained everything with surprising patience, which didn't quite fit his "long, flowing hair" image.

"Senior Brother, does our team need sparring partners? My foundation's still shallow, so I can work with everyone and help them hone their skills!"

Zhao Rui offered considerately.

"A sparring partner? You?"

Wang Zhe paused, then said with delighted surprise, "No problem! You're a good kid—you really know how to get with the program. Don't worry, I'm not an irresponsible person."

"Uh..."

What did he mean by irresponsible? What was he even talking about?

Zhao Rui had no idea whether Wang Zhe had understood him. Anyway, as long as he could be a sparring partner, that was all that mattered.

As for the academy's martial arts, with Zhao Rui's talent, he'd be hard-pressed to learn them without sparring practice.

As they chatted, Wang Zhe led Zhao Rui over to his team.

There were seven people in total: five men and two women.

Besides the burly student he'd seen that morning and Wang Zhe, there were three senior brothers with unremarkable looks, the sort who'd blend into any crowd of students.

The two senior sisters, on the other hand, were quite attractive. They weren't the sort of beauties who took your breath away, but they had great poise and lovely figures.

Their bodies, honed by years of martial arts training, were truly graceful, firm, and supple.

They were nothing like the soft, slack bodies of people who didn't train.

No wonder the lechers of ancient times were so enamored with female heroes!

After a brief introduction, Zhao Rui learned the names of the two senior sisters: Peng Xinnan and Li Shuwen.

As for the senior brothers' names—well, he'd remember them if something came up.

"To be honest, our Martial Arts Team has never had anyone from outside the academy join. Not because they couldn't pass the tryouts, but because even those who did couldn't stay long. They couldn't pass the review."

"The team holds a review every year. Anyone who doesn't meet the requirements gets eliminated. We used to have twelve people, but five were cut. That's quite a high percentage."

After finishing, Wang Zhe looked at everyone and continued, "Don't get cocky just because you passed once. If you don't meet the requirements next year, you'll be eliminated too."

"Yes, Senior Brother!"

Everyone answered in unison.

Zhao Rui hadn't expected the Martial Arts Team's elimination rate to be so high. These were all the cream of the crop from the Martial Arts Academy.

Tsk, looks like he had a long road ahead of him!

After chatting for a bit, Wang Zhe called Zhao Rui aside. They added each other on WeChat, and then Wang Zhe sent him a file.

"This is the Prajna Palm of our academy's Martial Arts Team. Start practicing it. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me!"

"Ah, Senior Brother, I'm supposed to practice by myself?"

Zhao Rui asked in surprise. It wasn't unusual to teach yourself martial arts, but when you had a "school" to belong to, having to practice by yourself was a little...

"We all practice on our own. This palm technique is also called the Wisdom Wheel. It teaches you to cultivate Zen through martial arts and find your true nature in the palm. You'll understand once you practice it."

Wang Zhe smiled.

Zhao Rui didn't understand what he meant, but since his senior brother had said so, he could only do as told.

"Our Martial Arts Team doesn't have many rules. The biggest one is no infighting. Anyone who breaks it gets kicked off the team."

"Of course, we don't forbid sparring among members. If you've got a problem, settle it in the ring. Simple and straightforward."

Zhao Rui quickly nodded. That was a good rule. Martial artists were used to throwing their weight around.

Getting bogged down in too much talk about reason would only cheapen the whole thing.

That said, with a teacher around, you still had to reason things out when the time came.

There were fewer words today. I'll write more tomorrow.