An Advancement Point in Hand

The next day, martial arts training continued. In the morning, Zhao Rui still went to Wang Zhe first.

By then, Wang Zhe had long since recovered from his injuries, but his spirits were low. He had overtrained in his technique, causing his Internal Energy to rebound, and then Tian Zirong had taken the opportunity to injure him.

That had delayed his recovery.

Now he was steeling himself and devoting himself wholeheartedly to training, hoping to find a chance to wipe away the humiliation. Naturally, he had no spare energy for anything else.

Zhao Rui knew what he was going through, of course, and wouldn't disturb his training to ask him about martial arts at a time like this.

He would just train by himself. Anyway, he had already mastered Prajna Palm, and there weren't any particular bottlenecks in his training for the time being.

The Martial Arts Team had three squads in all, one main squad and two auxiliary squads.

The main squad consisted of the team's starters. In the auxiliary squads, the captain was usually a starter, while everyone else was a substitute.

Wang Zhe had failed to make the cut twice. If Teacher Wang hadn't known his circumstances, the captaincy would have gone to someone else long ago.

Overall, the auxiliary squads were much weaker than the main squad.

Wang Zhe's squad had seven members: one senior, five juniors, and only one sophomore. That sophomore was also one of the people Zhao Rui had been sparring with these past few days.

The other sophomores had been eliminated before the new semester even began.

The other squad was the opposite. Most of its juniors had been eliminated, but four sophomores had made the cut.

They were Li Xinran, Zhang Kui, and the others.

The main squad, meanwhile, was made up mostly of juniors, with a few seniors mixed in.

To be honest, the Dongqi Martial Arts Team was now in a bit of a slump: the old hands were giving way, and the team looked strong on the outside but weak within.

That was why Wang Zhanshan had scolded the competitors for their poor performance. If they couldn't hold the fort, did they really expect those few "crooked melons and cracked dates" from the sophomore class to do it?

This defeat was already a miniature omen of Dongqi University's competition results over the next two years.

That afternoon, Zhao Rui and Zhang Kui went, as usual, to the sophomore section of the Training Ground.

Since Cao Guannan and Zhang Kui had fallen out last time, Zhao Rui was assigned to spar with him for this session.

Cao Guannan had been scolded by Zeng Hongyi twice in a row, and now he didn't dare pull any more stunts.

He obediently sparred with Zhao Rui using Prajna Palm.

As they sparred, Cao Guannan suddenly realized that his pride and joy, Prajna Palm, was being stifled at every turn. Zhao Rui saw through many of his moves halfway through and was ready for them in advance.

Fortunately, Zhao Rui didn't counterattack. He simply matched each of Cao Guannan's moves with one of his own, helping him hone his skills.

At first, Cao Guannan had trouble adjusting. But gradually, he began to focus, no longer sticking rigidly to Prajna Palm's set moves. Instead, he started thinking on his feet and pondering the logic behind each attack.

For a while, the two traded move for move. Their techniques grew increasingly free and unrestrained, as if they could roam the skies at will. Often, before one move was fully executed, another was already poised to strike.

What marvelous Prajna Palm: shapeless yet never fixed, blending the real with the unreal, fleeting as dew and lightning, like a dream or a bubble. And marvelous Cloud Hand Plucks Stars, its clouds' elusive drift concealing endless killing intent, the stars' flickering light deciding life and death; as reality and illusion flowed into one another, it seemed poised to shatter every martial art under heaven.

The two displayed everything they had learned in their lives, and their sparring was a lively spectacle.

Zeng Hongyi watched from the side, nodding again and again, a faint smile touching his lips.

"Good progress. Zhao Rui, you did well just now. It looks like you've been studying hard these past few days."

"Guannan, as long as you're patient, you're capable of much more than this."

When the sparring ended, Zeng Hongyi rarely praised both of them.

"Next group. Zhao Rui, you stay on..."

Zeng Hongyi was in a good mood. The sophomore team's progress had always been a key focus for the coaching staff.

Now that he had seen their sparring pay off, he was quite pleased.

Time flowed like water, and not a moment waited for anyone.

For the next while, Zhao Rui attended class and trained as usual.

He spent his free time gaining insight into Prajna Palm and several other advanced martial arts.

At first, Zhao Rui mainly used his original techniques when sparring with the sophomores.

After Zeng Hongyi realized that Zhao Rui understood Prajna Palm far better than the sophomores, he had him try sparring with them using it.

Zhao Rui was happy to oblige. The system had given him mastery-level skill, but martial arts still needed to be honed and understood through regular practice.

And combat was often the best test.

Rather than saying Zhao Rui was serving as a sparring partner for the sophomores, it would be more accurate to say these upperclassmen were serving as sparring partners for him.

After some time, Zhao Rui's use of Prajna Palm became increasingly free and effortless, as natural as moving his own arm.

Under Zhao Rui's targeted practice, the four sophomores' practical application of Prajna Palm improved visibly.

This made Zeng Hongyi both very gratified and rather surprised.

"Zhao Rui, stay a moment!"

That afternoon, after the practical sparring class, Zhao Rui was about to leave with Zhang Kui and two female upperclassmen.

Then he heard assistant coach Zeng Hongyi call out to him.

Zhao Rui had no choice but to stop and turn back to Zeng Hongyi.

"Coach Zeng!"

"Zhao Rui, I've noticed that your Prajna Palm has become much more polished these past few days. Have you made a breakthrough?"

Zeng Hongyi asked.

"Mm, I've made a little progress."

Zhao Rui nodded.

"Oh?"

Zeng Hongyi had suspected as much, but hearing Zhao Rui admit it still surprised him. How long had Zhao Rui even been training?

He couldn't help thinking, No wonder Wang Zhanshan was willing to take him in and make an exception to let him join the team. This guy may have only average martial arts talent, but his comprehension is exceptional!

"Good work. But your foundation was shallow to begin with, so don't get arrogant over a little progress. Keep striving diligently and aim to master the art in its entirety as soon as possible."

"Thank you for your guidance, Coach. I'm deeply grateful."

"Mm. After a while, I'll speak to Coach Wang myself and have you leave the Sparring Partner Group."

Hearing that, Zhao Rui froze. He hurriedly thanked Zeng Hongyi, then said a little awkwardly, "Coach Zeng, actually, I like being a sparring partner. I feel like it helps improve my understanding of martial arts."

"Hmm?"

Zeng Hongyi froze, then frowned at Zhao Rui. He was just about to reprimand him, but then reconsidered. It was too early to say such things at this stage.

So he said with a hint of displeasure, "The path of martial arts isn't just about practical combat. Cultivating your mind and character is just as important! I'll talk to Coach Wang about this."

Zhao Rui gave an awkward smile and exchanged a few more pleasantries before leaving the Training Ground.

Zeng Hongyi had good intentions. He had seen Zhao Rui's potential for understanding and wanted to nurture him.

Unfortunately, Zhao Rui had no intention of accepting the offer. He had asked to be a sparring partner in the first place.

Without sparring partners, how was he supposed to milk his upperclassmen and senior sisters for their skills?

The next day, when training began,

Zeng Hongyi checked the sophomores' progress in Prajna Palm, then lifted the restrictions on which techniques they could use while sparring.

Previously, they had been required to spar with Prajna Palm to improve everyone's practical skills with it.

Now that they had all made considerable progress, there was no need to keep them focused on a single palm technique.

Once the restrictions were lifted, everyone was eager to try, hoping to have a good "go" at Zhao Rui in their full-strength state.

Zhao Rui couldn't have been happier. He welcomed every challenger.

By the end of the afternoon, there had been eight bouts, six of them against him.

Watching from the side, Zhang Kui felt a complicated tangle of emotions. Not having to compete or serve as someone's "attendant" sparring partner was certainly relaxing, but he inexplicably felt a little left out.

Ugh, I'm really hopeless. I actually don't want to be relieved of sparring duty.

Zhang Kui silently slapped himself twice in his mind.

In the ring, Zhao Rui set aside all his other martial arts and sparred with Cao Guannan using only Prajna Palm.

Cao Guannan had gained a lot from sparring with Zhao Rui earlier on. And with Zeng Hongyi's tolerance for his troublemaking dropping sharply, he had become much more serious and disciplined when sparring with Zhao Rui.

"Great Vajra Leg progress: 10%, 15%..."

As the two continued sparring, Zhao Rui's long-awaited Great Vajra Leg finally began to make progress on the copying front.

"Thanks for the match, Senior Brother Cao!"

"Junior Brother Zhao's Prajna Palm is impressive. I'm in awe."

By the time the final bout ended, Zhao Rui had unlocked the copying progress for four new martial arts from the four sophomores.

Besides Cao Guannan's Great Vajra Leg, there were Li Xinran's Primordial Chaos Palm, Qin Rui's Flower Plucking Finger, and Mantis Fist from another male student.

It had been a bountiful harvest.

Each of the four techniques had its own strengths, and the sparring had also sharpened his ability to adapt while using Prajna Palm.

At the end of training, Zhao Rui was in high spirits and took the initiative to invite the sophomores to have a meal together.

A little boost to their "friendship"!

Li Xinran, Qin Rui, and Zhang Kui had no objections. The other senior was on Zhao Rui's team, so he wouldn't refuse either.

Everyone's eyes turned to the only "outsider," Cao Guannan.

He was usually proud and a little roguish, so no one was sure how he would take it.

"Why wouldn't I go?"

Cao Guannan put an arm around Zhao Rui's shoulders, acting as close as could be, and said, "We're all brothers from now on. Let's all make sure we're still here after the year-end assessment!"

"No problem. Let's all do our best!"

"Let's do this!"

Zhao Rui and the others hadn't expected to accidentally "tame" the team's unstable element, and their spirits immediately soared. They chatted and laughed as they left the Training Ground together.

Maple leaves painted autumn red, while pines and cypresses lent October their lush green.

In the blink of an eye, another ten days had flown by.

That morning, Zhao Rui and Zhang Kui were getting ready to head to the sophomore group and "clock in" again.

But they suddenly received a notice from Team Leader He Zhiyan. They were told not to go to the sophomores for now, but to report directly to the junior group.

Zhang Kui's face fell as soon as he heard.

He had finally adjusted to things and found his footing with the sophomores.

But now they had to go to the juniors.

Those upperclassmen wouldn't be nearly as easy to get along with as the sophomores.

Zhao Rui, on the other hand, didn't mind. Over the past ten days, he had already copied the signature techniques of all four upperclassmen.

He had accumulated a full six advancement points.

Besides their own martial arts, Li Xinran and Cao Guannan had each contributed an additional lightness technique.

One was Flying Swallow Leap, and the other was Swimming Dragon Steps. Both were decent lightness techniques.

They had nearly finished milking the sophomores dry, so moving on to the juniors was actually a good thing.

After receiving the notice, the two hurried over.

When they arrived, they found the entire Sparring Partner Group there, including their group leader, He Zhiyan.

Zhao Rui hurriedly jogged over with Zhang Kui and took his place at the far edge of the group.

"Good, the Sparring Partner Group is all here. Teacher Zeng told me that things went very well with the sophomores, and that you two did a good job. Don't slack off now that you're with the juniors."

The teacher training the juniors was Zou Ping, a tall, thin, middle-aged man with thinning hair.

When he saw Zhao Rui and Zhang Kui arrive, he turned to them and spoke.

"Yes, sir!"

The two hurried to respond.

"Next week, Dongqi University of Arts and Sports' Martial Arts Team is coming to our school for an exchange. There'll probably be a friendly match..."

After hearing Coach Zou's explanation, Zhao Rui finally understood why they had been called away from the sophomore group in such a hurry.

So they were scrambling at the last minute, cramming in some extra training.

"This time, we'll train with specific opponents in mind, based on the competitors they may send."

"Team Leader He, there are six of you. Each of you should choose a set of materials, and make sure to imitate the martial arts in them as closely as possible over the next two days."

Hearing that, Zhao Rui visibly froze.

How could they imitate a martial art to that extent in just two days? Even if they memorized the moves, they would only have learned the outward form. What use would that be?

But since no one else objected, he didn't think it was appropriate to question it. He simply kept his thoughts to himself, intending to ask Team Leader He later.

After giving his instructions, Coach Zou told Team Leader He to take the Sparring Partner Group elsewhere and assign the martial arts from the materials.

"All right, Coach!"

He Zhiyan replied. His expression was a little awkward as he led everyone in the Sparring Partner Group away from the ring area in the Training Ground's northwest corner.

Once they were some distance from the Training Ground, Zhao Rui couldn't wait any longer and voiced the question on his mind.

Hearing Zhao Rui's question, He Zhiyan's expression grew even more awkward.

He hesitated for a moment, then said with equal parts irritation and embarrassment, "Actually, when we first joined the Sparring Partner Group, we were supposed to learn a technique exclusive to the group."

"...?"

Zhao Rui's eyes widened slightly as he stared at He Zhiyan in confusion.

He and Zhang Kui certainly hadn't learned one.

"I'd been pretty busy at the time and forgot to teach you. I meant to do it a week or so later, but then it slipped my mind."

"That's even possible?"

Zhao Rui was speechless. What was this, some kind of trap?

And what good did it do to bring it up now? Who was supposed to take the blame?

"Brother, it's my fault. But there's no point dwelling on it now. I'll teach you right away, and you can learn it as quickly as possible."

As they talked, they walked. Before long, they reached a quiet, golden pavilion-like building.

"This is Tranquil Heart Pavilion. It has private meditation rooms. We'll each take one and get started."

Once they entered Tranquil Heart Pavilion, He Zhiyan handed out the materials according to each member's circumstances and instructed them to learn the martial arts in them as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, he called Zhao Rui and Zhang Kui aside and began carefully teaching them the Sparring Partner Group's exclusive technique.

The technique was somewhat similar to the Lesser Formless Art from Zhao Rui's previous life. It could imitate the flow of other martial arts through the meridians, making the imitation almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

However, compared with the Lesser Formless Art, this technique was far more rudimentary. It couldn't generate Internal Energy of its own. The Lesser Formless Art, in contrast, was itself a profound martial art. Practicing it could build up a deep reserve of Internal Energy.

By relying on the Lesser Formless Art's unique Internal Energy, the imitated techniques could produce power no less than that of the originals.

But this martial art had no such thing. It was a kung fu style that simply mimicked a set of moves.

With this martial art, one could use one's already-opened meridians to circulate energy and imitate other martial arts, achieving a likeness in both form and spirit.

However, this martial art could not generate Internal Energy on its own, and the routes its energy took through the meridians were also vastly different from the originals.

It was, in a way, half an empty shell.

The martial art was called "Mimic Form Fist!"