Chapter 53: East Qi Arts and Sports, Arriving as Promised

Ye Jingqiu stood upright with a proud and resilient posture reminiscent of a plum blossom, her snow-white jade-like skin glowing softly under the illumination of the night lights.

She truly lived up to her name and was undeniably stunning.

She was universally acknowledged as the supreme beauty of the entire Dongqi University Martial Arts Team.

Such praises were, of course, exchanged strictly in private, for anyone daring to comment on her appearance to her face would first have to consider whether Senior Sister Jingqiu's treasured blade was sharp enough.

"I will use the Prajna Palm, and you shall use the Five Ancestors Fist!"

Ye Jingqiu said indifferently.

"Very well, Senior Sister."

Zhao Rui felt a tinge of disappointment. Since she insisted on using only the Prajna Palm, serving as her sparring partner felt somewhat unrewarding.

Seeing that Zhao Rui had accepted and assumed the stance of the Five Ancestors Fist, Ye Jingqiu wasted no time. Executing a move known as Universal Compassion, she charged toward Zhao Rui.

Zhao Rui felt no fear and resolutely stepped forward to engage her in combat.

Endowed with exceptional natural talent, Ye Jingqiu was one of the four top experts of the martial arts team. Her strikes were fierce and swift, yet her execution of the Prajna Palm held none of the Buddhist compassion implied by its name; instead, it resembled the lethal precision of an assassin seeking a fatal blow with every strike.

Every single movement radiated a razor-sharp edge.

Well, aside from mimicking the form of a sword, her fair, slender arms also bore a striking resemblance to one—smooth, straight, perfectly proportioned, and even possessing a chilly temperature.

It felt remarkably similar to Bai Xuening, Zhao Rui could not help thinking. It seemed he had not heard from Bai Xuening in a long time, and he wondered what she was busy with.

"You dare allow your mind to wander while sparring with me?"

Ye Jingqiu's pretty face turned frosty with a hint of hostile anger. Spotting an opening in Zhao Rui's stance, she struck directly at his Tanzhong acupoint.

Against anyone else, that strike might have connected, but the Prajna Palm was far too familiar to Zhao Rui.

Every posture and pattern existed within the flicker of a thought. Neither of them possessed internal energy, meaning the speed of their techniques was naturally moderate. With a casual parry, Zhao Rui easily neutralized the lethal sequence.

Ye Jingqiu's expression froze in utter disbelief, entirely unprepared for his lightning-fast reaction.

Realizing that her initial surprise attack had failed, she abandoned any immediate desire to teach him a lesson and instead resumed normal sparring.

After trading another thirty exchanges and cleanly completing two consecutive combat sequences, Ye Jingqiu forced Zhao Rui's palm back with a single stroke and stepped away from the engagement.

"Your execution of the Five Ancestors Fist is quite fluid, and your adaptability is strong... but ultimately, you are not him."

Shaking her head, Ye Jingqiu turned, leaped off the stage, and strode briskly into the distance.

"Jingqiu!"

Gongye Lingchen hurriedly called out from behind.

"You practice if you wish; I have no use for this."

While speaking, Ye Jingqiu's figure drifted gracefully into the distance, her fluttering hem swaying in the autumn wind and leaving behind a fleeting white phantom.

"Damn it!"

Gongye Lingchen spat onto the ground with visible annoyance, then turned his gaze toward Zhao Rui and frowned, barking, "Get lost!"

Zhao Rui's facial muscles twitched slightly.

This absolute bastard was truly incorrigible. Eager to pursue a girl only to be rebuffed, he was now taking out his frustration on him?

Too lazy to argue with such a person, Zhao Rui acknowledged that his current strength was inadequate; since he could not win in a fight, losing his temper would be entirely pointless and only serve to disrupt his cultivation.

"In that case, this junior takes his leave."

With that, he turned, leaped off the platform, and deployed his lightness kung fu to glide toward the exit. Though his pace appeared leisurely, he vanished from Gongye Lingchen's sight in the blink of an eye.

"Ah...!"

Once he was gone, Gongye Lingchen let out a frustrated roar into the empty training hall to vent the stifled irritation in his heart.

Meanwhile, nursing his lingering annoyance, Zhao Rui walked at a brisker pace. Within a few minutes, he caught up with Ye Jingqiu, who was strolling with her long dress trailing behind her and crouching by the roadside to lightly sniff a cluster of wild flowers.

At this moment, the senior sister wore none of her usual icy detachment, radiating instead the innocent and endearing charm of a young girl.

However, Zhao Rui did not linger. He cast a brief glance her way and prepared to walk past.

To his surprise, Ye Jingqiu heard his approaching footsteps and the faint whistle of air, turning her head to look back. Recognizing Zhao Rui, she asked with genuine perplexity, "Have you finished practicing?"

"Hello, Senior Sister. It seems Senior Brother Gongye no longer requires a sparring partner."

Zhao Rui came to a halt, smiled at Ye Jingqiu, and then prepared to continue on his way.

After a brief moment of reflection, Ye Jingqiu pieced together what had happened, a wave of annoyance and embarrassment washing over her.

Just as she opened her mouth to say something, she saw that Zhao Rui had already flashed away and vanished.

...

Over the following few days, the entire martial arts team remained immersed in this intense and demanding period of specialized training.

In Wang Zhanshan's words, although it was like pushing ducks onto the perch, making a temporary Buddha-foot offering at the eleventh hour was still far better than suffering a crushing defeat.

The predicament facing the Dongqi University Martial Arts Team—brought about by the flawed guiding principles of the previous leadership—left him, the second head coach, thoroughly humiliated.

He had even contemplated resigning.

Fortunately, at the turn of the half-year mark, the institution appointed a more pragmatic new leader who placed greater emphasis on martial arts achievements, finally turning the tide.

Even so, Wang Zhanshan had marched straight into the president's office on account of this affair, airing his grievances to the newly appointed president and even proposing that freshmen be admitted to the martial arts team at the earliest possible date.

Aure of the circumstances, the president had offered a few words of comfort and assured him that the matter would be given serious consideration, promising to place it on the agenda as soon as possible.

Hearing this news left Zhao Rui quite astonished. Although it was not his doing, by a twist of fate, this batch of freshman martial arts students might genuinely enter the martial arts team for training as early as the upcoming semester.

In a sense, he would soon be seeing his "classmates."

Before long, late October arrived, and the long-anticipated exchange meeting finally commenced on this very day.

Zhao Rui and the other martial arts team members gathered early within the grounds of the Cicada Temple.

By now, the Cicada Temple was impeccably clean, its windows sparkling and floors polished; the dilapidated desk and reclining chair that once sat in the secluded corners had long since vanished.

In their stead, various scrolls of calligraphy and decorative ornaments imbued with Zen charm hung prominently around the main hall.

Simultaneously, an incense burner emitted a calming and mind-focusing fragrance, its wisps of smoke curling upward to impart an air of profound solemnity.

It actually looked quite respectable.

All of this had been put together through the overtime efforts of these non-official team members yesterday.

In his previous life, such tasks certainly would have required hiring outside help; but now, a group of martial arts students capable of soaring through the skies and traversing the earth found such manual labor remarkably effortless.

Outside the Cicada Temple, two large buses rolled smoothly down the asphalt road leading directly to the temple gates.

The bodies of the buses clearly bore the insignia of Dongqi Arts and Sports University.

These were precisely the visiting schools they had been eagerly awaiting.

Outside the temple gates, alongside the members of the Dongqi University Martial Arts Team, stood the principal leaders and instructors of the Martial Arts Academy.

The protocol observed was quite high-level.

After all, this was a "friendly" inter-school exchange visit.

As the buses came to a halt in the spacious parking area before the courtyard, a group of people disembarked sequentially. First came several middle-aged leaders, followed by student competitors roughly similar in age to Zhao Rui and his peers.

Once the leading officials exchanged handshakes with the leaders of the Dongqi University Martial Arts Academy, the entire group proceeded toward the Cicada Temple reception area.

Having fulfilled their reception duties for the moment, Zhao Rui and the other students gradually converged and followed the group into the courtyard.

"Do you see that tall, muscular guy over there?"

Zhang奎 motioned with his chin toward a martial arts student from the Arts and Sports University, turning his head to speak to Zhao Rui.

"Mm."

Zhao Rui nodded.

"That's their martial arts team captain. He stepped into the Grandmaster realm even earlier than Captain Gu. And that woman over there is exceptionally dangerous, too."

Leanings closer to Zhao Rui's ear, he lowered his voice and whispered, "She despises anyone pointing out that she isn't pretty. Word has it that Senior Sister Ye Jingqiu once suffered internal injuries from her just because she was too attractive."

"On top of that, she has a penchant for keeping pretty boys."

"Look over there, do you see him? Supposedly, he committed a serious offense but the school covered for him. Rumor has it he assaulted a woman."

"And there's more..."

"Heh, such scandalous affairs."

Zhang Kui nodded with a serious expression, clearly convinced of the authenticity of these rumors, which he had inherited from the preceding generation of team members.

Hearing all this made the members of the Dongqi University Martial Arts Team seem extraordinarily kind-hearted and easygoing by comparison.

An exchange event naturally would not begin with immediate brawling; all the customary introductory protocols were duly observed.

After lingering for a short while, Zhao Rui and the other team members dispersed, awaiting further instructions from the school.

They were not permitted to wander far, however, and remained within the designated boundaries of the Martial Arts Academy.

Zhao Rui, Zhang Kui, and their fellow second-year senior brothers and sisters congregated together.

With nowhere in particular to go, they entered the dense forest fronting the Cicada Temple, found a patch of grassy turf near the edge of the lake, and sat down leisurely to watch the waterfowl frolic upon the water's surface.

One thing was certain—the environment of the Martial Arts Academy was truly magnificent. It featured a mountain, standing several dozen meters high, composed of rugged earth and stone, dotted with strange rocks and covered in vegetation such as pines and cypresses. Standing atop the peak afforded a panoramic view of the entire campus.

A pavilion crowned the summit, bearing the inscribed characters "Cicada Molting" executed in archaic, gold-leafed calligraphy. A stream flowed directly through the pavilion, trickling merrily down the mountainside into the lake below.

At the foot of the mountain lay a lake of substantial size, easily spanning the area of two or three football fields. Numerous waterbirds inhabited the lake, occasionally playing on the water's surface or leaping among the reed beds along the shore.

It was a scene of natural serenity and picturesque beauty.

Aside from the mountains and waters, a vast, dense forest occupied the interior of the courtyard—the very place where Zhao Rui had previously practiced his martial arts.

Such breathtaking scenery was undeniably exceptional.

It was hardly surprising that the students often remarked that Dongqi University was merely a comprehensive university functioning as an extension of the Martial Arts Academy.

Gathered by the lakeside, the group sat or reclined without anyone speaking aloud.

Everyone appeared lost in their own thoughts.

After a prolonged silence that lasted for the better part of the day, Zhao Rui gazed at the lake surface and, with growing interest, picked up a pebble from the shore. Flinging it at an oblique angle, he hurled the stone forward.

Infused with internal energy, the pebble transformed into a shooting star, striking the water's surface with tremendous velocity before skipping repeatedly across the ripples.

It skipped all the way to the opposite shore before finally sinking into the mud.

Seeing this, Zhang Kui found a stone of his own and imitated the technique, hurling it across the water.

The stone once more skimmed the lake surface, bounced several times, and vanished against the far bank.

"You two really have refined tastes!"

Cao Guannan let out a cold snort, wearing an expression of utter disdain.

Reaching down, Zhao Rui picked up another stone and flicked it across the water with a sharp whistle.

"Try it out!"

Reaching out, Cao Guannan intercepted the stone mid-air with an effortless grab. Rising lazily to his feet with a contemptuous smirk at the corner of his mouth, he flicked his wrist and launched the stone back across the water.

"Let's join in, too!"

Seeing this, Li Xinran and the other young woman eagerly joined the game they had often played in childhood.

"Do you guys think we'll ever place in the rankings in the future?"

After tossing stones for two rounds, Zhang Kui finally spoke in a low, pensive tone.

"I used to think I was quite formidable, but ever since joining the martial arts team, I've realized there are simply too many talented people out there."

His words immediately plunged the group back into contemplation.

Their cohort of second-year students possessed the weakest innate talent and lowest entry-level martial grading in the history of the Dongqi University Martial Arts Academy.

When they were initially selected for the martial arts team, it had been a case of picking the tallest dwarf in a field of short men just to make up numbers. By the end of the first semester, two-thirds of them had been eliminated.

They were even worse off than the third-year students of the previous generation, who had universally been regarded as the worst batch in history.

As Zhang Kui put it, did they realistically have any hope of winning rankings?

If they failed to secure any placements—even in provincial-level competitions—what was the actual significance of participating in the martial arts team?

Rather than wasting their youth, they might as well honestly prepare for graduate school entrance exams or civil service tests.

Though their progress on the path of martial arts would undoubtedly lag behind dedicated team members, it was at least a stable and viable path forward.

"Just because you lack the ability doesn't mean the rest of us do. You can't carve rotten wood!"

Dropping these words, Cao Guannan cast a slightly evasive glance around before turning and walking away from the lakeside without looking back.

Li Xinran and Qin Rui exchanged glances, smiling as they remarked, "We'll just hang on in the team as long as we possibly can; at the very least, it's a wonderful life experience."

With a carefree tone, Li Xinran added, "Why overthink it? Staying on the martial arts team doesn't interfere with our studies at all."

Zhang Kui smiled faintly at her words and offered no further comment.

"Alright, Kui-ge, you brought the mood down so much I'm feeling awkward. Why don't you jump in the water for a bath before coming back up?"

Zhao Rui chuckled, reaching out to give Zhang Kui a playful shove.

Caught off guard, Zhang Kui staggered and nearly tumbled into the water.

"Damn it, Zhao Rui."

Zhao Rui grinned broadly, and just as Zhang Kui was about to plunge into the lake, he grabbed one end of his outer jacket and tossed it forward.

With quick reflexes, Zhang Kui snatched hold of the garment, arresting his fall.

"Why don't the two of you go down together!"

Before Zhao Rui could pull Zhang Kui back up, Li Xinran and Qin Rui giggled conspiratorially and suddenly lunged forward, shoving Zhao Rui from behind.
"Crap, the most venomous are the hearts of women!"

Fortunately, Zhao Rui had anticipated the move. With a swift sidestep, he dodged the push by a hair's breadth.

Bursting into laughter, Li Xinran grabbed Qin Rui's hand and sprinted toward the hillside amidst peals of mirth.

Meanwhile, before Zhao Rui even had to exert force, Zhang Kui used leverage to snap his wrist, spinning his body back up from the edge of the water.

"After them!"

Sharing a common objective, Zhang Kui and Zhao Rui instantly took off in pursuit up the mountain slope.

Before long, the sounds of joyful laughter and playful chasing echoed across the mountain peak.

Perhaps Li Xinran and the others were simply unwilling to face reality just yet, or perhaps they already knew the truth but still refused to admit defeat.

Regardless, Zhao Rui could fully understand their mindset at this moment.

After a brief period of playful commotion, Cao Guannan's call came through on the phone.

He instructed them to assemble at the training hall, as the exchange matches were about to begin.

Recovering their composure, Zhao Rui and his companions hurried swiftly in the direction of the training grounds.

Within a dozen breaths, the four of them arrived at the arena and spotted Cao Guannan waiting near the entrance.

Seeing their arrival, Cao Guannan shot them a cold glance before turning and striding directly into the hall, acting as though he hadn't been waiting for them at all.

Zhao Rui and the other three closely followed him inside, finding that the arena had already been set up with a raised fighting platform, surrounded by rows of spectator chairs neatly arranged below.