Chương 50: Advancement Points Acquired

The next day, martial arts training continued, and Zhao Rui went to Wang Zhe's place first in the morning.

Wang Zhe's injuries had long since healed, but he was in low spirits. He had previously suffered a backlash from excessive practice of martial arts, and was later injured by Tian Zirong.

This delayed the recovery time.

At this moment, he was holding back his energy, focusing all his efforts on cultivation, looking for an opportunity to avenge his previous defeat, so naturally he didn't have any extra emotions.

Zhao Rui knew about his situation, so of course he wouldn't disturb his cultivation at this time or ask him for martial arts advice.

I'll just practice on my own. Anyway, I've already mastered the Prajna Palm, so there aren't any major obstacles to my training for now.

The entire martial arts team consists of three squads: one main squad and two auxiliary squads.

The main team members are all key players, while the auxiliary team members are usually the captain, and the others are substitutes.

Wang Zhe was not selected twice. If Teacher Wang hadn't known about his situation, the team leader should have been replaced long ago.

The entire martial arts team, especially the vice-captain, is relatively weak overall.

Wang Zhe's team has a total of seven members: one senior, five juniors, and only one sophomore, who is also one of Zhao Rui's sparring partners these days.

As for the other sophomores, they were eliminated long before the new semester even started.

The other team was the opposite; most of the third-year students were eliminated, but four second-year students remained.

It's Li Xinran, Zhang Kui, and the others.

The main team members are mostly third-year students, with a few fourth-year students mixed in.

At this point, the Dongqi Martial Arts Team was, to be honest, facing a talent gap and appearing strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

This is also why Wang Zhanshan reprimanded the team members for their poor performance. If they can't even hold their own, how can he expect these sophomores to perform?

This defeat is actually a harbinger of Dongqi University's performance in competitions over the next two years.

In the afternoon, Zhao Rui and Zhang Kui went to the second-year students' group at the martial arts training ground as usual.

Given the unpleasantness between Cao Guannan and Zhang Kui last time, Zhao Rui will be his opponent this time.

Cao Guannan had been reprimanded by Zeng Hongyi twice in a row, and now he dared not cause any more trouble.

He honestly practiced with Zhao Rui using the Prajna Palm technique.

During this sparring session, Cao Guannan suddenly discovered that his proud Prajna Palm technique was being restricted at every turn. Many of his moves were only half-executed before Zhao Rui anticipated them and prepared countermeasures in advance.

Fortunately, Zhao Rui did not retaliate, but simply exchanged blows with him, honing his skills.

At first, Cao Guannan was a little unaccustomed to it, but he gradually took it to heart and stopped being bound by the fixed moves of the Prajna Palm. Instead, he cleverly figured out the ideas for his moves.

For a time, the two exchanged blows, their moves becoming increasingly unrestrained and imaginative. Often, before one move was even fully executed, another was already poised to strike.

What a magnificent Prajna Palm! Formless yet ever-changing, combining illusion and reality, like dew and lightning, like a dream or a bubble; wondrous Cloud Hands Plucking Stars, using the ethereal clouds to conceal endless killing intent, using the brightness and dimness of stars to determine life and death, the interplay of illusion and reality seems to be able to destroy all martial arts under heaven.

The two displayed all their skills and fought a lively battle.

Zeng Hongyi watched from the side, nodding repeatedly, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

"You've made progress, Zhao Rui. You did well just now. It seems you've been studying diligently lately."

"Guan Nan, if you just be patient, your strength is definitely more than this."

After the sparring session ended, Zeng Hongyi unusually praised both of them.

"Next group, Zhao Rui, you continue..."

Zeng Hongyi was in high spirits. The progress of the second-year students had always been a key focus for their coaching team.

Now that the sparring has proven effective, he is naturally quite satisfied.

……

Time flies like an arrow, and waits for no one.

For the next period of time, Zhao Rui attended classes and trained in a routine manner.

In his spare time, he would try to comprehend the Prajna Palm and several other advanced martial arts.

During this period, Zhao Rui initially focused on practicing with the second-year students using his own existing techniques.

After Zeng Hongyi discovered that Zhao Rui's understanding of the Prajna Palm far surpassed that of these second-year students, he had him try practicing the Prajna Palm against them.

Zhao Rui readily accepted this. Although the system had given him a master level, martial arts skills still required constant practice and reflection.

And battles are often the best way to test one's abilities.

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

Over time, Zhao Rui became increasingly adept at using the Prajna Palm, as if it were his own arm or finger.

Under Zhao Rui's targeted sparring, the four second-year students showed visible improvement in their practical application of the Prajna Palm.

This made Zeng Hongyi very gratified, but also quite surprised.

"Zhao Rui, can you stay behind for a moment?"

That afternoon, after finishing a practical training session, Zhao Rui was preparing to leave with Zhang Kui and two senior female students.

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

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

"Coach Zeng!"

"Zhao Rui, I've noticed your mastery of the Prajna Palm has become increasingly refined these past few days. Have you broken through to a higher level?"

Zeng Hongyi asked.

"Yes, I've made some progress."

Zhao Rui nodded in reply.

"Oh?"

Although Zeng Hongyi had guessed, he was still quite surprised to hear Zhao Rui admit it himself. How long had he been practicing?

He couldn't help but think to himself, "No wonder Wang Zhanshan was willing to take him in and make an exception to let him join the team. It seems this guy's martial arts talent is average, but his comprehension is excellent!"

"You've done well, but your foundation is still shallow. You must not become arrogant and complacent with some achievements. You should continue to work hard and strive to integrate and master the knowledge as soon as possible."

"Thank you for your teachings, teacher. I am deeply grateful."

"Well, after a while, I'll personally talk to Coach Wang and ask him to let you leave the sparring group."

Upon hearing his words, Zhao Rui was taken aback. He quickly thanked Zeng Hongyi and then said somewhat shyly, "Coach Zeng, actually I quite enjoy being a sparring partner. I feel that being a sparring partner can improve my understanding of martial arts."

"Um?"

Zeng Hongyi was taken aback, then frowned and looked at Zhao Rui. He was about to reprimand him, but then he thought that it was too early to talk about such things at this stage.

He said with slight displeasure, "The way of martial arts cannot only focus on actual combat; cultivating one's mind and character is equally important! I will talk to Coach Wang about this."

Zhao Rui gave an awkward smile, made a few more perfunctory remarks, and then turned and left the training ground.

Zeng Hongyi's idea was good; he saw Zhao Rui's potential and wanted to nurture it.

Unfortunately, Zhao Rui had no intention of accepting the favor, as he had volunteered to be the sparring partner.

Without sparring partners, how can he take advantage of his senior classmates?

The next day was training time.

After checking the progress of the second-year team members in Prajna Palm, Zeng Hongyi lifted the restrictions on the use of techniques during their sparring sessions.

Previously, we had been practicing Prajna Palm with each other to improve everyone's practical skills.

Now that everyone has made great progress, there's no need to be fixated on practicing a single palm technique in actual combat.

After the seal was broken, everyone was eager to try their luck and have a good "fight" with Zhao Rui in their full form.

Zhao Rui was more than happy to accept this offer and would not refuse it.

Of the eight matches played that afternoon, six were specifically targeted at him.

Zhang Kui, watching from the sidelines, felt a complex mix of emotions. Not having to compete or be a sparring partner to "serve" others was indeed quite leisurely, but at this moment, he felt a strange sense of loss.

"Pah, I'm so despicable. I'm not even willing to be a sparring partner."

Zhang Kui silently slapped himself twice in his heart.

On the arena, Zhao Rui abandoned his other martial arts and practiced with Cao Guannan using only the Prajna Palm technique.

Because Cao Guannan had made significant progress in his sparring with Zhao Rui earlier, and Zeng Hongyi's tolerance for his provocations had decreased considerably, he was now becoming more serious and disciplined in his sparring with Zhao Rui.

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

As the two continued practicing, Zhao Rui's "long-awaited" powerful leg technique finally made progress in replication.

"Senior Brother Cao, you flatter me!"

"I admire Junior Brother Zhao's Prajna Palm technique."

After this final match, Zhao Rui had already begun replicating four new martial arts techniques from his four senior brothers and sisters.

Besides Cao Guannan's Mighty Vajra Leg, there was Li Xinran's Hunyuan Palm, Qin Rui's Flower-Picking Finger, and another boy's Mantis Fist.

The harvest was plentiful.

Moreover, each of the four martial arts styles has its own unique characteristics, and the sparring process also honed his adaptability in using the Prajna Palm.

When training ended, Zhao Rui was in a great mood and took the initiative to invite the second-year students to have a meal together.

Let's strengthen our "friendship"!

Li Xinran, Qin Rui, and Zhang Kui naturally had no objections, and the other senior student, who was on the same team as Zhao Rui, would not refuse either.

All eyes then turned to the only "outsider," Cao Guannan.

He was usually arrogant and had a bit of a roguish air about him, so it was hard to gauge his attitude.

"Go, of course we'll go!"

Cao Guannan put his arm around Zhao Rui's shoulder and said warmly, "From now on, we're all brothers. Let's try our best to stay on after the year-end evaluation!"

"No problem, let's do our best together!"

"come on!"

Zhao Rui and the others did not expect that their accidental success would unexpectedly "subdue" the unstable element in the team. Everyone was in high spirits and left the training ground together, laughing and talking.

Maple leaves have turned autumn colors red, while pine and cypress trees have turned October green.

In the blink of an eye, another decade has passed.

That morning, Zhao Rui and Zhang Kui were preparing to go to the second-year group to continue "working".

However, they received a last-minute notification from Group Leader He Zhiyan, telling them not to go to the second-year group yet, but to report directly to the third-year group.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Kui's face immediately fell.

After finally adjusting my mindset, I'm having a great time in the second-year group.

As a result, I have to go to the third-year group.

The upperclassmen over there aren't as easy to get along with as the second-year students.

Zhao Rui didn't care. In the past ten days or so, he had already copied the signature skills of his four senior brothers and sisters.

I've accumulated a total of six advancement points.

In addition to their own martial arts skills, Li Xinran and Cao Guannan also contributed two sets of lightness skills.

One set is Flying Swallow Leap, and the other is Swimming Dragon Step; both are excellent light-body martial arts.

By the time students reach the second year, they've already taken advantage of most of the benefits, so it's actually a good thing to move on to the third year.

Upon receiving the notification, the two rushed over without stopping.

Upon arrival, they found the sparring partners all there, including their leader, He Zhiyan.

Zhao Rui and Zhang Kui quickly jogged to the very edge of the sparring group.

"Yes, the sparring partners are all here. I heard from Teacher Zeng that the second-year students are making good progress and you two are doing very well. Don't slack off when you get to the third-year students."

The current teacher training the third-year students is named Zou Ping. He is a tall, thin, middle-aged man with somewhat thinning hair.

When he saw Zhao Rui and the other person approaching, he looked at them and said something.

"Okay, teacher!"

The two readily agreed.

"The martial arts team from Dongqi Arts and Sports University will be visiting our school next week for an exchange. A friendly match is inevitable..."

After listening to Coach Zou Ping's explanation, Zhao Rui finally understood why he was in such a hurry to call them over from the second-year group.

It's like cramming at the last minute, preparing for a last-minute intensive practice session.

"This time we need to conduct targeted training to counter the players the opposing team might send."

"Team Leader He, there are six of you in total. Each of you should choose a set of materials and make sure you can imitate the martial arts techniques in the materials to a high degree of accuracy within the next two days."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Rui was visibly taken aback.

How could you possibly imitate 70-80% of the moves in two days? Even if you memorize the moves, it's just a facade; what good is that?

However, seeing that no one else objected, he didn't dare to question it and could only keep it in mind, preparing to ask Team Leader He later.

After giving the instructions, Coach Zou asked Team Leader He to take the sparring partners to another location to distribute the martial arts techniques from the materials.

"Okay, Coach!"

He Zhiyan responded, then turned around with a slightly awkward expression and led the sparring group away from the northwest corner of the arena.

Once everyone had moved a little further away from the training ground, Zhao Rui couldn't wait to ask the question that had been on his mind.

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

He hesitated for a moment before saying, both angry and annoyed, "Actually, our sparring team has a set of exclusive martial arts techniques from the moment we come in."

"...?"

Zhao Rui's pupils dilated slightly as he looked at He Zhiyan with a puzzled expression.

He and Zhang Kui had nothing to do with each other.

"I was a bit busy at that time and forgot to teach you. I was planning to hand it in a week or two, but I just forgot about it."

"That works too!"

Zhao Rui was speechless.

"Aren't you just messing with me?"

Now that we've come this far, whose fault is it?

"Brothers, it's my fault, but there's no point in saying that now. I'll hurry up and teach you so you can learn as soon as possible."

As they walked and talked, they soon arrived at a quiet, golden, pavilion-like building.

"This is the Tranquility Pavilion. It has individual meditation and cultivation rooms. We'll each have our own room and make the most of our time to learn."

Upon entering the Tranquil Pavilion, He Zhiyan distributed the materials in his hand according to each member's situation and asked them to learn the martial arts techniques in the materials as soon as possible.

He then called Zhao Rui and Zhang Kui aside and began to seriously teach the sparring partners their exclusive martial arts techniques.

This martial art is somewhat similar to the Lesser Formless Skill from my previous life. It can simulate the meridian circulation of other martial arts, achieving a level of realism that is indistinguishable from the real thing.

However, compared to the Lesser Formless Skill, this martial art is much lower-level. It does not have the ability to generate internal energy, unlike the Lesser Formless Skill, which is a profound martial art that can accumulate powerful internal energy after practice.

The simulated martial arts, relying on the unique internal energy of the Lesser Formless Skill, can produce power that is in no way inferior to the original.

But this martial art doesn't have that; it's just a set of moves that are imitated.

Through this martial arts technique, one can use the meridians that have already been opened to simulate martial arts, achieving a level of resemblance in form and spirit.

However, this martial art cannot generate internal energy, and the meridian pathways are also very different from the original.

It's more like a half-empty shell.

This martial art is called "Shape-Mimicry Fist!"

(End of this chapter)