The woman's expression twisted for a moment before she composed herself. In a seductive tone, she said, "If little brother doesn't want to put in the effort, how about I do all the work?"
"That's no fun. I'm done talking to you. You're broke, I'm broke. Why must the poor make things difficult for the poor!"
Zhao Rui gave a casual wave and turned to walk away.
A sharp glint flashed in the woman's eyes. The crimson nails on her left hand were as striking as if stained with blood.
'How dare he flirt with me. He'll be sorry in a moment!'
Muttering to herself, the woman was about to turn and give chase when she saw the boy who had just left rushing back.
"Two hundred it is, I'll take it! You're gorgeous, sis!"
The boy sized up the woman, a lecherous expression on his face that added a layer of sleaziness to his otherwise handsome young features.
The woman: "..."
"You'll have to be the active one later, sis."
Before the woman could react, Zhao Rui had already reached out, grabbed her delicate hand, and started pulling her toward the dim part of the alley.
The woman's body stiffened slightly. Her gaze hardened, the disgust in her eyes growing stronger. She formed her right hand into a claw, about to make a move, when she suddenly felt a powerful tug on her wrist, causing her to lurch forward involuntarily.
The woman reacted instantly, twisting her body to dissipate the force. Her clawed fingers sliced out horizontally like a blade, slashing forward.
Her crimson nails glinted with a sinister, cold light.
"Netherworld Ghost Claw, huh?"
Unhurried, Zhao Rui sidestepped the attack. His left hand became a Cloud Hand obscuring the sky, while his right hand shot out like lightning, aiming for her Baihui acupoint.
"Cloud Hand Star-Picking?"
The woman's eyes widened in shock. She repeatedly swiped with her claws to parry his sharp attack, her body moving like a coiling dragon and her feet treading in a seven-star pattern to dodge.
"I'm done playing with you. Just a little brat with no sense of romance."
After speaking, the woman leaped, ran up the wall, and vaulted over the top, disappearing into the night.
"Hey, sis! You flashed me! They're white!"
The woman's body trembled, and her steps faltered, nearly causing her to fall from the top of the wall.
Once she regained her balance, she shot Zhao Rui a reproachful glare and spat, "Learning such bad things at your age! I hope you become impotent every time you see a pretty girl!"
"Holy shit!"
Zhao Rui was furious, but the woman's figure had already vanished beyond the alley.
Zhao Rui paused for a moment but didn't give chase. Instead, he stared in confusion at the information that had just changed on the panel in front of him.
Name: Zhao Rui
Age: 18
Height: 182cm
Copyable Martial Arts: Netherworld Ghost Hand
(Copy?)
Copy Progress: 0/10
Available Advancement Points: 0
...
The "Copyable Martial Arts" option had changed to Netherworld Ghost Hand, which was precisely the martial art the beautiful woman had just used.
'Does this panel's function mean I can copy my opponent's martial arts?' Zhao Rui wondered.
'There's a progress bar, which means copying requires a process. Is it based on time or number of encounters?'
Zhao Rui hesitated for a moment but didn't select "yes." First, this martial art belonged to an Evil Sect, making it useless to learn.
Second, if he selected it and could only have one active task at a time, it would just create trouble for him. He'd then have to find someone just to finish learning this martial art.
After a brief pause, Zhao Rui didn't overthink it and quickly left the alley.
A lot had happened today. This wasn't a place to linger.
「About ten minutes later.」
In front of a brightly lit high-rise residential complex, Zhao Rui swiped his card and walked in.
He lived here, in a pretty decent complex. Although his parents weren't powerful or influential, they had stable jobs and lived a comfortable, middle-class life.
After returning home and greeting his parents and younger brother, Zhao Rui went straight to his room.
"What's wrong with our son?"
Zhao Rui's father, Zhao Jincheng, asked his wife, Xue Wenhui, with some confusion.
"Did he not do well? I think there was a competition at the Martial Arts Hall today."
Xue Wenhui said uncertainly, glancing toward her son's room.
Zhao Jincheng didn't say much in response. After a long moment, he sighed softly and said, "Our son is too proud. Learning martial arts depends on talent; you can't force it."
"Isn't that because you're useless? If you were more capable, would our son have to train so hard?"
"What do you know? A level raised by drugs can never be as solid as one earned through one's own practice!"
"Then why does everyone else use them? It's still because you're not capable!"
As the couple continued talking, the atmosphere grew tense.
Listening to their argument, Zhao Rui's younger brother, Zhao Ke, rolled his eyes, got up, and went to his own room.
Zhao Rui could hear the clamor outside his room. His parents, just like the ordinary people from his past life, were caught up in the mundane worries of daily life.
The existence of the Martial Dao in this world didn't make their lives any different.
Perhaps the only difference was having a son with some talent for the Martial Dao, giving them a glimpse into a slightly different world.
Zhao Rui shut out the noise from outside, immersing himself in his thoughts and beginning to study the contents of the panel.
He pondered it for a long time, but there were no other options or interfaces.
Its functions were simple and monotonous.
'Whatever will be, will be. I've already lived once; I should be more zen about things!'
Zhao Rui's mood had been a rollercoaster all day, and he was truly exhausted. After a brief session of meditation and Breath exercises, he went to sleep early.
The next morning, he got up, ate some of the egg-filled pancakes his mother, Xue Wenhui, had made, and then headed to school with his younger brother.
Zhao Ke and he both attended Lincheng City First High School, but Zhao Ke had no talent for the Martial Dao and was just an ordinary student.
"Bro, I'm heading off!"
Nearing the school gate, Zhao Ke veered a couple of steps away from his older brother, Zhao Rui. After a quick greeting, he put some distance between them and walked briskly onto campus.
Zhao Rui's cheek twitched.
'This brother of mine!'
Ever since starting high school, he had avoided being seen on campus with him, afraid that others would find out his brother was a Professional Martial Artist.
'Even though my talent is only average, I'm still a decent Professional Level 3 expert. It's not like having me as a brother is embarrassing, is it?'
Zhao Rui couldn't be bothered with the kid's childish mentality and followed him onto campus.
Seven or eight minutes later, he stepped into a classroom that was as bustling and noisy as a marketplace.
Lin City First High School, Martial Dao Class 3!
"Sect Leader Zhao, how did yesterday's tournament go?"
As soon as he entered the classroom through the back door, a tall, sturdy boy sitting in the last row called out to Zhao Rui.
"Same old, no chance!"
Zhao Rui smiled and tossed his schoolbag, which landed precisely on a storage rack at the back of the room. His throwing skill was quite masterful.
"Even you have no chance? Damn, getting into college is way too competitive these days. I heard someone even mastered the Dragon Subduing Palm, which has been lost for decades. That person's a shoo-in for Qingbei!"
The brawny boy was named Yang Fan, a relatively uncommon surname. He practiced the Horizontal Training martial art, Iron Cloth Shirt, and was Zhao Rui's deskmate.
He was also his good buddy!
"Stay calm."
Zhao Rui smiled, sat down, and took out his history book.
Martial Arts Students also had to take academic classes, which made up a significant portion of their curriculum. Besides the basics, these classes included Chinese cultural studies, mental health education, and political and moral ideology.
The Court's cultivation of Professional Martial Artists from a young age was all-encompassing. After all, no ruler wanted an unstable internal environment.
"Xiaoxue, once I pass Level 3, I'll treat you to a meal!"
After exchanging a few words with Zhao Rui, Yang Fan saw the female classmate in the front row arrive. He reached out, tugged her pigtail, and said with a raised eyebrow.
"Like I need you to treat me. Get lost!"
The girl called Xiaoxue shot him a glare. With a stylish downward chop of her hand, she knocked Yang Fan's hand away, then turned her head, not bothering with him anymore.