Chương 71: See You There

"Senior Sister Xinran?"

Upon entering the martial arts hall and arriving at the training area overseen by Coach Zeng Hongyi, Zhao Rui was astonished to find Li Xinran, who should have been diligently cultivating her internal energy in preparation for a breakthrough, standing there.

They actually appeared here.

Upon seeing that it was Zhao Rui, Li Xinran's face revealed a complex expression of helplessness and relief.

"I'm not practicing anymore. I've injured my Sanjiao acupoint and the Foot Taiyang Meridian, so I won't be able to break through to level eight in a short time."

Li Xinran's smile seemed somewhat forced.

Zhao Rui was taken aback and quickly looked at coach Zeng Hongyi. Unlike Wang Zhanshan, Coach Zeng was extremely patient and responsible towards Zhao Rui and his group.

Unlike Wang Zhanshan, who only had eyes for those few chosen ones.

"Damage to meridians and acupoints is a major taboo for martial artists seeking breakthroughs. Even if the injury is healed with medicine, a breakthrough cannot be achieved in the short term."

Zeng Hongyi shook his head, also feeling somewhat regretful.

He led these second- and third-year students, especially Li Xinran and three others who were the most diligent and hardworking.

He naturally hoped that all four of them could successfully break through to level eight.

Upon hearing his words, Zhao Rui's expression visibly darkened. Although he had some knowledge of medical treatment and recuperation, it was only superficial.

Moreover, according to Coach Zeng, even if the condition is cured, one should not rush to break through.

Otherwise, it could easily backfire.

"It's alright. Reaching this point already puts me ahead of many others. I can continue my studies at the academy in the future."

Seeing the somber expressions on everyone's faces, Li Xinran smiled and offered words of comfort.

"I'm delighted!"

Qin Rui turned around and hugged Li Xinran tightly.

"Though the world is vast, our friendship will never end. Just because I'm no longer in the martial arts team, do you no longer consider me your friend?"

"How could that be! We're friends for life!"

Zhao Rui stepped forward and bumped fists with her.

Even on Cao Guannan's handsome and aloof face, a rare hint of sadness appeared.

"My phone is always reachable!"

After exchanging fist bumps with Li Xinran, Cao Guannan spoke solemnly.

"no problem."

Li Xinran readily agreed, patted Qin Rui's slender and graceful back, and kissed her on the cheek.

He chuckled and said, "While I'm away, you're not allowed to like other women!"

Hearing her say such flirtatious things was quite shocking.

Qin Rui burst into tears and laughter, saying coquettishly, "I only like you. Waaah!"

After saying that, he felt sad again, so he hugged her shoulders and started crying again.

Parting is always sad. Although Li Xinran wouldn't say she has to leave the team right now, giving up on breaking through means she won't be able to join the martial arts team next semester.

With only a little over a month left, it's estimated that Li Xinran won't be coming often.

After offering words of comfort and sympathy, they happened to see Cai Zhengyang kicking a freshman on the other side, knocking him to the ground, displaying an extremely arrogant attitude.

Zhao Rui then asked curiously, "What's the deal with Cai Zhengyang?"

"What can happen? He's just arrogant and domineering because he's a regular team member and nobody can control him."

Li Xinran rolled her eyes. Although she was a girl, she despised this kind of bullying behavior the most.

Naturally, he had no good feelings towards Cai Zhengyang.

"Forehead!"

Zhao Rui hadn't expected this guy to be like this just as a regular team member. What would happen if he were the captain...?

"Forget it, with the teacher backing you up, we can't interfere. Zhao Rui, after the exams, don't be idle during the holidays. Try to break through as soon as possible."

Li Xinran said casually.

"Yes, I know."

After chatting for a while, the group, led by Coach Zeng, headed to the training arena for a short period of intensive training.

Time flew by, and soon it was time to register for the Provincial University Martial Arts Tournament and the Five Provinces League.

All team members at level eight and above were taken to the information collection room by Wang Zhanshan, who supervised each of them to complete the registration.

That seriousness was something he didn't have in the last competition.

Moreover, this time, he personally led the team in all the matches.

The entire Dongqi University martial arts team currently has 16 members at level eight or above.

Among them, there were 4 freshmen, 2 sophomores, 5 juniors, and 5 seniors.

There were originally 9 students in the third year, but four of them were expelled recently, leaving only 5.

This number is rather meager for Dongqi University, one of the top national universities in the province.

There are fewer freshmen than freshmen!

With registration complete, there are less than ten days left until the competition.

Wang Zhanshan then instructed the sixteen people to hurry up and consolidate their cultivation and improve their strength.

Everyone readily agreed.

Zhao Rui didn't go that day; he didn't need to register, and the martial arts team didn't have any sparring duties.

But Li Xinran went there, thinking that her departure time was getting closer and closer, so she wanted to come and visit more often, as if she were reminiscing.

As a result, this trip caused trouble instead.

"Don't you know this quiet room is for me?"

Before entering the meditation room, Cai Zhengyang looked coldly at Li Xinran, whose expression was embarrassed, and his words showed no respect for his senior sister.

"Sorry, I didn't notice."

Li Xinran gave an awkward smile and said.

"I heard you can't break through to level eight. What are you still doing here, wasting the team's resources?"

After saying this dismissively, Cai Zhengyang turned and walked into the quiet room. As he left, he uttered another sentence: "Neither male nor female, a disgrace."

Upon hearing this, Li Xinran's anger flared up, and she shouted sharply, "Cai Zhengyang, apologize to me!"

Ugly people often cause trouble!

Cai Zhengyang scoffed, completely disregarding her anger.

"you!"

Li Xinran had never been insulted like this before, and she was immediately filled with rage. She swung her palm at Cai Zhengyang.

Cai Zhengyang's right hand, hanging by his side, suddenly clenched into a sword shape and struck the Zhongfu acupoint on Li Xinran's chest as she struck with her palm.

His moves were incredibly swift, striking as fast as lightning.

Li Xinran's attack was powerful, leaving her defenses wide open. Before she could react, a finger struck her chest, its powerful force penetrating her body.

This immediately caused her to stumble backward and fall to the ground.

"Cough cough."

With her Zhongfu acupoint injured, her lungs and internal organs were clearly affected, and Li Xinran immediately began coughing incessantly, looking quite exhausted.

"A small punishment serves as a warning. Martial arts are based on the principle of respecting the strong. You should at least show me some courtesy."

After Cai Zhengyang finished speaking, he turned around and entered the meditation room without any hesitation. With a wave of his hand, his qi shot out and closed the door of the meditation room.

Seeing his arrogant and fearless demeanor, Li Xinran became increasingly annoyed, and her coughing intensified.

"Get lost!"

A sharp shout suddenly rang out from the quiet room.

Li Xinran was both angry and anxious, and her anger overwhelmed her, causing her to cough up a mouthful of blood.

Fortunately, once the blood was expelled, her chest felt much better, and she struggled to get up, walking out while looking back every step of the way.

"Neither male nor female, ugly people often cause trouble!"

These words lingered slowly around her as she staggered along.

Can't tell if it's real or fake!

She left the meditation room somewhat disheveled and headed straight for the main hall of the Mingchan Academy.

Along the way, many people saw her looking exhausted.

Before long, Qin Rui arrived and caught up with her before she entered the main hall.

"What's going on!"

"Cai Zhengyang played well! I'm going to find the coach."

Li Xinran did not hide anything from her friend; she was determined to report this matter to Wang Zhanshan.

That's going too far.

"Him? What did you do to offend him?"

Qin Rui quickly asked.

Li Xinran then explained the situation. After she finished speaking, Qin Rui's pretty face flushed red, and anger surged up!

That's incredibly insulting.

"Let's go find the coach!"

After Qin Rui finished speaking, she helped Li Xinran into the hall and found Coach Wang Zhanshan studying the game video in the corner.

"Teacher Wang, Cai Zhengyang scored too many points. He hit Li Xinran!"

As soon as Qin Rui arrived, she angrily spoke to Wang Zhanshan.

Wang Zhanshan slightly raised his eyelids, glanced at Li Xinran, and said somewhat impatiently, "Aren't you going to fight back?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, both Qin Rui and Li Xinran were stunned.

"Have you forgotten that our martial arts team has a rule that any conflict can be resolved in the ring?"

"But……"

"There's no 'but' about it. Cai Zhengyang is currently focused on preparing for the competition. You can settle things in the ring after the match."

Wang Zhanshan's blatant favoritism filled Qin Rui and Li Xinran with shame and indignation.

"If there's nothing else, go ahead. Stop thinking about practicing all the time, why are you always so busy with other things!"

Wang Zhanshan said with displeasure.

Just as Qin Rui was about to argue her point, Li Xinran grabbed her arm.

"Okay, Coach, I understand."

After saying that, Li Xinran forcibly pulled Qin Rui out of the main hall.

The coach's authority is beyond question, and three or four level-eight martial artists have already demonstrated it.

In Wang Zhanshan's eyes, Qin Rui was probably not even as good as those four people.

Li Xinran was afraid that if she talked too much, she might upset Wang Zhanshan again because of her own affairs.

"Let's go to the school clinic first! Let's see if any internal organs are damaged!"

Seeing that she kept coughing, Qin Rui became very worried and immediately helped her to the school hospital.

The school hospital has a martial arts medical department, which is specially prepared for martial arts students and mainly deals with external and internal injuries that occur during competitions.

After registering at the school hospital and seeing the doctor, Cao Guannan and Zhao Rui, hearing the commotion, rushed over in a hurry.

When they saw the test report saying that the lung vessels were damaged, everyone's eyes practically blazed with fury.

That kid is a real scoundrel.

"What exactly happened?"

Zhao Rui asked with a gloomy expression.

"It's partly my fault. I didn't see the quiet room he used before, so I went in... It's alright, getting beaten up while learning martial arts isn't normal!"

After witnessing Wang Zhanshan's protectiveness of his own, Li Xinran lost all desire to pursue justice.

She deliberately shifted the blame onto herself, simplifying the process.

Even so, Zhao Rui and his companion still frowned as they listened.

There's a limit to arrogance and domineering behavior.

Cai Zhengyang must have something to rely on to bully people so blatantly.

It's obvious that his reliance is his martial arts cultivation.

What new martial arts technique is he hiding that has even Wang Zhanshan so excited about it!

"Fortunately, it's just a minor injury. Rest for two days and don't use your internal energy during this time."

Zhao Rui nodded and offered words of comfort.

"Okay, I know, it's alright now. Anyway, I'm not going to join the martial arts team anymore. You guys go ahead and get busy. The competition is coming up soon. Try your best to get good results."

Li Xinran hurriedly urged everyone to leave, and even used a push to get them to leave!

Seeing her like this, Zhao Rui and the others had no choice but to leave the school hospital first.

"Why is the coach like this? Let's go find Coach Zeng."

As she stepped outside, Qin Rui said indignantly.

"It's no use. Coach Zeng is just an assistant coach. He can't change Coach Wang's decisions. Don't cause him any trouble."

Cao Guannan shook his head and continued, "After the match, I'll go up to the ring and fight him!"

"No, no. No one is allowed to go into the ring. Xinran won't agree."

Upon hearing this, Qin Rui quickly stopped Cao Guannan from speaking.

"Then I'll just have to bear with it!"

"Ugh!"

Cao Guannan was also an arrogant person, but he never expected that even a freshman could openly bully them.

After saying that, he sighed and left alone.

"I'm going back too. You can comfort Xinran later."

"Yeah, I know. You're not allowed to go either, you know? You're not even at level eight!"

Zhao Rui nodded slightly and left the school hospital without saying much more.

Frost and dew are beginning to appear on this cold night!

Outside Mingchan Temple, a desolate and chilly winter atmosphere prevailed.

As usual, Cai Zhengyang finished practicing his internal energy cultivation and, accompanied by his two little followers, walked out of Mingchan Courtyard.

"Yang-ge, what do you want to eat tonight? How about barbecue?"

One of the lackeys said with a smile.

"Okay! The competition is about to start, so I won't drink anymore."

"Okay, Yang-ge, I'll arrange it!"

Seeing that his little follower was so perceptive, Cai Zhengyang couldn't help but nod.

From the beginning of his martial arts training, he has always been unremarkable, neither a genius nor possessing any powerful backing.

He always lived cautiously and timidly, always trying to be a nice guy to everyone, and always agreeable and submissive.

Unexpectedly, by sheer chance, he unexpectedly obtained a rare fragment of a martial arts technique before the college entrance examination.

This not only enabled him to successfully gain admission to Dongqi University, but also gave him the power to change his destiny.

However, cultivating martial arts takes time and cannot be accomplished overnight, so after entering university, he still learned to be low-key and patient.

He calls everyone "brother"!

But beneath his calm exterior, his heart was churning like a raging torrent, only held back by a dam in the towering mountain ravine.

All that's left is for the flood to be released, and that will be the time for Cai Zhengyang to rise to the top and become the leader.

Now that he has mastered his divine skills, he has also received Wang Zhanshan's promise.

How could he not be flamboyant?

He has to be flamboyant; otherwise, how could he justify all the years of groveling and suffering he'd endured?

As the three were walking, a dark shadow suddenly flashed past directly in front of them, followed by a sharp whooshing sound.

Cai Zhengyang frowned slightly, and with a casual wave of his hand, he stopped the attacking creature.

It was a wooden board with writing on it.

A sign above read: "See you in the grove outside the Martial Arts Academy. Second year!"

Upon seeing the signature at the end, Cai Zhengyang narrowed his eyes, a cold glint in them.

"A sophomore, looking to get revenge?"

Without even guessing, it's clear that it's related to that androgynous guy I beat up during the day.

Sophomores? Qin Rui or Cao Guannan?

The thought of Qin Rui's graceful figure and exquisite face stirred Cai Zhengyang's emotions.

Mu Shaoai, and Cai Daxia were no exception, but unfortunately, the two girls in the first year of college with exceptional looks were no weaker than him in strength.

Even with Miao Miaomiao, he's still not confident he can beat her.

As for those who are less attractive or less capable, he doesn't even look at them.

Qin Rui, on the other hand, has both good looks and martial arts skills.

Choosing her as my girlfriend wouldn't make me lose face.

Having made up his mind, Cai Zhengyang said to the two people beside him, "You two go first, I have something to do, I'll be there in a bit."

After saying that, he soared into the air, his feet barely touching the ground, disappearing into the night like a blurry phantom.

(End of this chapter)