When he saw Zhao Rui approach, Xu Shaojie's youthful face took on a look of detached arrogance.
"I'm Level 4 now. You don't have to hold back!"
"That fast?"
Zhao Rui was a little surprised. The kid's progress was faster than he had expected.
"Alright!"
Zhao Rui readily agreed. He had to grant this request!
Xu Shaojie drew his longsword, initiated a Sword Technique, and instantly dashed forward. The light from his blade split into three paths, striking for Zhao Rui's head, throat, and heart.
The sword flashes were like the morning star at dawn, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the illusory!
'Light Splitting and Shadow Stealing!'
Zhao Rui was all too familiar with it. 'I know everything you know. This is how I'll beat you!'
He unhurriedly tapped his folded fan against his opponent's Wai Guan Acupoint on the wrist.
He completely ignored the illusory flashes of the sword.
Seeing this, Xu Shaojie hastily pulled back his elbow and retracted his sword, and the sky full of sword glints instantly vanished into nothing.
"You..."
Xu Shaojie stood with his sword held ready, his sharp brows furrowed in astonishment.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Again!"
Xu Shaojie raised his sword and charged again. He used the Celestial Spirit Step, swinging his sword to stir up the surrounding air into cyclones that gradually closed in on Zhao Rui's vital points.
Zhao Rui remained calm, advancing instead of retreating. His folded fan became a sharp blade, thrusting straight toward his opponent's core.
Xu Shaojie nearly choked as his True Qi was forced back down, compelling him to retract his sword to defend himself. The cyclones filling the air vanished once more, and he couldn't muster even a hint of an attack.
"You..."
This was the second time he had started to say that, but he bit back the words just as they reached his lips.
Watching from below the stage, Mrs. Xu asked in confusion, "Shao Jie, what's going on? You keep starting and stopping. Are you not feeling well?"
Already frustrated, Xu Shaojie snapped, "Mom, I'm in the middle of a duel! Why do you keep distracting me!"
"Okay, Mom won't say any more! I'll be quiet! Train hard!"
Upon hearing that, Mrs. Xu immediately piped down and obediently shut her mouth.
"Again!"
Unconvinced, Xu Shaojie attacked again, his longsword unleashing numerous Sword Techniques like Profound Light Overlapping Waves and Dying Sun's Radiance.
But without exception, Zhao Rui specifically blocked the follow-up moves to every single one.
Xu Shaojie's eyes narrowed. He began changing his Sword Techniques in rapid succession. In an instant, he was no longer bound by form or rigid Techniques. Though his actions were slightly hesitant, their unpredictable nature already hinted at the principle that formlessness is superior to form.
'Damn, is this what a genius is like?'
Zhao Rui wanted to curse out loud.
Fortunately, he had already cleared the major acupoints in his arms, and his Cloud Hand Star-Picking was far beyond what it used to be. Plus, he knew the Taiyi Splitting Light Sword Technique like the back of his hand.
Within moments, he had regained the upper hand, pressuring Xu Shaojie so much that the boy couldn't even make a single move.
"I'm done!"
Xu Shaojie found an opening, performed a sweeping Sword Technique, and leaped out of the dueling circle. He looked at Zhao Rui and said, panting heavily.
"The session isn't over yet!"
"I'll still pay you!"
Xu Shaojie said irritably before jumping straight off the stage. He ignored the coach and his parents who had gathered around and walked straight into the changing room.
Mrs. Xu hurried over but was driven away by Xu Shaojie's "Don't bother me."
"Zhao Rui, what happened?"
Although Coach Zeng understood what he had seen, he wasn't the one fighting, so he couldn't know the sense of suppression Xu Shaojie felt from having his Sword Techniques thwarted.
He thought Zhao Rui must have done something to provoke him.
"I don't know. Maybe he's just tired,"
Zhao Rui said casually. 'Geniuses need to be put through the wringer. How else will they stand out?'
"Who do you think you are? If there's something wrong with my son, I'll go find your boss!"
Although Mrs. Xu didn't understand Martial Arts, seeing her son's foul expression and the way he hid in the changing room, she knew he must have been wronged in some way.
She immediately started yelling at Zhao Rui in displeasure.
Zhao Rui shrugged, not bothering to engage. He simply sat back down in his spot and started sipping a drink.
"Son!"
After yelling at Zhao Rui, Mrs. Xu gave the coach an earful. She was just about to go to the changing room to check on her son again.
But the coach grabbed her arm and said, "He doesn't want to come out right now. Don't force it. That's the last thing a martial artist needs."
Hearing the coach's words, Mrs. Xu stopped in her tracks, but she continued to argue relentlessly, "If anything happens to my son, I'll hold you all responsible!"
Coach Zeng could only force a smile and offer some comforting words, trying to get her to calm down first.
Many of the young students nearby watched the scene with varying expressions, their curiosity piqued.
Zhao Rui feigned meditation, sitting cross-legged and minding his own business.
He could pretty much guess why Xu Shaojie was angry. The kid probably thought that since he'd broken through to Level 4—the same level Zhao Rui used to be—he should have been able to have a proper fight with him.
But not only did the fight go poorly, it was far worse than before.
The gap between expectation and reality was too much for his self-proclaimed genius mentality to accept.
'Sigh, he's been coddled too much!'
Zhao Rui sighed internally.
Five or six minutes passed like this. Suddenly, the door to the changing room opened. Xu Shaojie, who had been holed up inside, scanned the room with sharp, bright eyes, then fixed his gaze on Zhao Rui and strode over.
"Son, are you hurt anywhere?"
"Just tell me, and Mom will go find their boss!"
Mrs. Xu followed beside him with a concerned look, examining her son from head to toe, afraid something was wrong.
"Mom, I'm fine!"
Xu Shaojie replied flatly and walked up to Zhao Rui.
Seeing him approach, Zhao Rui stood up and looked at the half-grown kid who was a head shorter than him.
"Brother Zhao, thank you!"
The boy actually bowed to Zhao Rui.
...
This gesture left everyone around them stunned.
Even Zhao Rui's face flushed slightly.
"Brother Zhao, without your wake-up call, I might still be lost in the illusion of my own progress. Thank you!"
The boy's eyes became as clear as water, but the fighting spirit within them, far from dissipating, burned even brighter.
Zhao Rui was speechless. 'Is this what a genius is like?'
Turning failure into a source of motivation. Both his talent and his mentality were far beyond those of an ordinary person.
"Don't mention it. Since I took the job, I'm just doing my duty. A sparring partner's role isn't just to hone your Martial Art, but also your mentality. That's a crucial part of it!"
Zhao Rui shamelessly took the credit.
"Right! I'm going to go home and process this. I'll be back tomorrow to ask for your help with the weaknesses in my Cultivation Technique!"
After saying that, Xu Shaojie bowed to Coach Zeng and said, "Coach, sorry for the trouble!"
"No trouble, no trouble at all! It's great that you've come to this realization."
Coach Zeng was deeply gratified, wishing he could call the boss right away to tell him their money hadn't been wasted.
Her son's actions left the still-fuming Mrs. Xu frozen in place, her face burning with embarrassment.
Fortunately, no one paid her any mind. As her son left, she quietly followed behind him and departed from the Martial Arts Hall.
Once they were gone, the young students who had been watching instantly swarmed over.
"Brother Zhao, can I book you for a sparring session tonight?"
"Brother Zhao, me too!"
...
What could Zhao Rui say? 'Time to take the jobs. This damned charm of mine!'
He could understand what these young students were thinking. If even the most talented genius in the group acknowledged Zhao Rui's skill, what was there to hesitate about?
'If you want to improve, you find Brother Zhao!'
However, the actions of these youngsters also made him realize a new application for his system's ability.
He could combine sparring with coaching. As long as a student's Martial Arts hadn't reached the Master Level, he could secretly learn their Martial Arts through the system panel and then offer them guidance from a commanding perspective.
This was far more profound than just being a simple sparring partner!
'And the price...'
'Ahem, one shouldn't be too greedy. The path of Martial Arts is profound and endless.'
'How can I always be thinking about money?'
Zhao Rui decisively hid this thought away, planning to go home that night and calculate everything carefully.
...
「The sun rose and the moon set; more than a week passed in the blink of an eye.」
Zhao Rui was incredibly busy during this time. He worked as a private tutor in the mornings and served as a sparring partner for a crowd of young students in the afternoons and evenings.
He could only find time to practice his own martial arts after getting home.
He was busy, but he was certainly making a lot of money.
As for Xu Shaojie, after the unintentional blow from Zhao Rui, his mentality had become calm and reserved.
Not only did he overcome his impatience, but he could also calmly analyze the weaknesses in his Martial Arts with Zhao Rui and work on improving them.
A few days later, at the Three Cities, Five Regions Youth Friendship Tournament, Xu Shaojie lived up to expectations. He broke into the top ten and finished in eighth place.
He returned after a narrow defeat.
But this result greatly exceeded the expectations of everyone at the Martial Arts Hall, bringing a pleasant surprise to them all, from top to bottom.
The owner personally gave the order to award Zhao Rui an extra two thousand yuan as a "coaching" fee!
It was a bit on the low side, but every little bit counts.
Zhao Rui was content.