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Chapter 17: The Mixed Yuan Xingyi Taiji Sect

Lu Li stayed calm and merely turned his face aside, effortlessly avoiding Shen Huan’s heavy punch.

Shen Huan hurriedly lifted a leg to kick, but Lu Li was ready; as soon as the foot rose, Lu Li kicked his calf and blocked it.

Shen Huan staggered back several steps, steadied himself, and leaped in with another charging punch.

Lu Li drew a circle with his right hand, raised his left in a hooking arc, set his stance, and caught Shen Huan’s fist with his palm.

The moment he caught the punch, Lu Li pressed on Shen Huan’s fist and flipped it back; Shen Huan instantly threw a left, but Lu Li was quicker, bracing the left arm with his forearm and pressing down again, making Shen Huan’s strength hit nothing but air.

Shen Huan freed his right hand and struck at Lu Li’s chest; Lu Li slapped it down, hooked the wrist, and his hands coiled around Shen Huan like snakes, never giving him a point of leverage.

With his right hand restrained, Shen Huan lifted his left leg to ram forward, yet Lu Li moved first, blocking with a Cloud-Brush hand, then spun, dropped low, slipped beneath Shen Huan’s waist, and bumped with his shoulder; Shen Huan immediately lost his balance and was flung away.

“Slanted Step, Golden Silk Entwines, Parting the Wild Horse’s Mane… this is Taiji!” Shao Kang’s eyes lit up; at that moment he finally recognized Lu Li’s style.

“This is what you call not knowing martial arts?” Shao Kang shot his daughter a sidelong glance. “With such refined power, he must have started strict training in childhood, otherwise this level is impossible!”

With his eye for skill, he could clearly tell that Lu Li not only knew martial arts but was highly proficient; the previous moves flowed like water, playing Shen Huan in the palm of his hand!

Shao Linlin felt wronged, never having imagined that the frail-looking Lu Li could strike with such seasoned technique!

Shen Huan climbed up from the ground, his face furious; every attack had been easily dissolved, his power sinking into cotton, and the frustration was unbearable.

Just as he prepared to strike again, Lu Li’s form suddenly shifted… first Eagle-Peck hand, then Dragon-Form guard, and finally the Descending Hidden Dragon stance.

While Shen Huan stared in shock, Lu Li had already closed in and drove forward with an explosive punch!

Caught off guard, Shen Huan took the punch and could hardly believe Lu Li could move that fast!

He hurriedly turned his palm to deflect the fist at his chest, but Lu Li spun like a gibbon, set his feet, and launched another crashing palm that struck Shen Huan’s chest again!

Shen Huan felt searing pain in his chest, his organs trembling.

Lu Li gave him no more chances… an Old Ape Hangs the Seal chopped onto Shen Huan’s shoulder; as he staggered to steady himself, a White Ape Offers Fruit struck his chin, and he fell backward unconscious.

The winner was decided on the spot!

Lu Li exhaled softly and wiped the sweat from his brow; his Minor Accomplishment martial-arts attribute made his skills outstanding, but a Constitution of only 4 caused his stamina to drain too fast.

If he failed to defeat an opponent quickly, he would be the one to lose.

[Congratulations, player! Martial Arts Proficiency maxed out: Minor Accomplishment (0/10) → Minor Accomplishment (1/10)] (We’ll stick with Minor Accomplishment)

A prompt suddenly sounded in his mind, and Lu Li froze… so attribute points could upgrade through increased proficiency?

Although it was only a single point, he felt his grasp of martial arts deepen; if he fought Shen Huan again, he was confident he could settle it within 10 exchanges.

“Was that Xingyi Boxing?” Shao Kang exclaimed again. “Just now it was Taiji, and now it’s Xingyi?”

How many traditional styles did Lu Li know, and why was he proficient in all of them!

Shao Kang looked at the fallen Shen Huan and sighed softly: taekwondo really was no match for traditional arts, and Shen Huan’s defeat was deserved!

He stepped forward with a trace of respect and asked, “Classmate Lu Li, since you know both Taiji and Xingyi, may I ask under which master you studied?”

What master could I possibly have?

Lu Li thought for a moment and said gravely, “Have you ever heard of the Mixed Yuan Xingyi Taiji Sect?”

Shao Kang froze. “Forgive my ignorance; I have never heard of it.”

Lu Li pondered again. “Then what about the Pinecone Bullet Shake Lightning Whip? Surely you have heard of that?”

Shao Kang: “???”

How could he have heard of none of them… had he been away from the martial world too long?

Shao Kang took a deep breath. “May I ask which great expert you apprenticed under?”

Lu Li declared loudly, “The Taiji grandmaster Ma Baoguo!”

“……”

With the match concluded, Shao Kang took Lu Li to the lounge to discuss the coaching job in detail.

Lu Li’s mind brimmed with martial knowledge, and his eloquence easily convinced Shao Kang, allowing him to sign the probationary contract smoothly.

As for Shen Huan and Shen Tan…

The feigning-faint Shen Tan waited until everyone left to help his father, only to find that the latter was pretending as well.

Having lost both academically and martially to Lu Li, Shen Tan had no face left to wake up in front of Shao Linlin.

Shen Huan was even worse; having been beaten helpless by a kid, he would dive into the first crack in the ground if one opened.

The father and son exchanged silent looks and slunk away with their tails between their legs…

Lu Li’s coaching job was not complicated.

The probation period lasted 1 month, paid 4,000 yuan, with 3 working hours from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., mainly teaching new club members traditional arts to prepare for the national martial-arts tournament in 2 months.

Shao Kang’s martial arts club had grown because 8 years ago he discovered a teenage prodigy named “Li Yan.”

That young expert defeated opponents from all over the country, bringing great fame to Shao Kang’s club.

Unfortunately, after winning that single championship, the prodigy quit the martial world and vanished.

Riding the publicity that boy had earned, the club ran for 8 more years, but no member ever reclaimed the crown, and it gradually declined.

Therefore, Shao Kang urgently hoped to train another champion and restore the club to its peak.

Lu Li’s task was to guide the competitors in diligent martial practice.

Seeing that Lu Li had not eaten, Shao Kang invited him to dinner, and Lu Li accepted.

Shao Linlin warmly reheated dishes, served rice, and poured tea for Lu Li, as dutiful as a newlywed wife, which annoyed Shao Kang so much that he snapped his chopsticks in two.

Shao Kang was no fool; with a couple of probing questions he realized that Lu Li was actually the one his daughter fancied.

The discovery made him breathe easier yet sigh deeply.

He could see that Lu Li was down-to-earth and talented, and he truly admired him.

It was just that… if only the boy were not quite so handsome.

He felt his own daughter did not deserve him.

After the meal, Lu Li checked his watch… it was already 8:30… so he rose to take his leave.

Shao Kang personally walked him to the door, while Shao Linlin watched him go with reluctant eyes.

Seeing the infatuated look in her eyes, Shao Kang rubbed her head irritably.

“Dad, didn’t you say you’d help me woo Lu Li?” Shao Linlin complained. “Why did you talk only about work just now?”

Instead of answering, Shao Kang asked, “Do you know how many times he looked at you during dinner?”

“How many?”

“He looked three times in total… twice at your legs, and once when he thanked you for the bowl you handed over,” Shao Kang said helplessly. “Do you know what that means?”

Shao Linlin blushed. “It means he likes my legs! And he likes sponging meals off our family!”

Shao Kang rolled his eyes. “It means the boy is a polite leg-man who doesn’t like you!”

“Ah, how could that be…”

“You’d better give up early.”

“I won’t!”

Shao Kang tapped his daughter’s head lightly and said no more.

When you are young, meeting someone dazzling yet unattainable is not necessarily a bad thing.

…

Lu Li rode his bicycle toward Lu Yao’s school.

Her junior high held evening study sessions and dismissed at 9:00, so he could conveniently take her home.

Passing a supermarket, he remembered Lu Yao’s craving for strawberries and bought a pound.

At the checkout he noticed a girl in line ahead wearing the Beiyun High School uniform.

Since she was a schoolmate, Lu Li gave her an extra glance, and that single look astonished him.

The girl placed her small hand on the household shelf, took down an ultra-thin safety helmet, and handed it to the cashier to pay.

“Are girls this precocious these days?” Lu Li clicked his tongue twice in amazement.

When he raised his head again and saw her profile, Lu Li froze.

The girl had a fresh, delicate face that was in no way inferior to Xiao Mingyue, who possessed a Charisma score of 9.

She was none other than Lu Li’s classmate whom he had met once before… Chu Zining!

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