"Haha, Old Wang, long ti no see! I’ve missed you like crazy!"
The lines on Captain Gu’s "old face," which seed out of place for his age, crinkled deeply. He strode forward, laughing heartily, and gave Teacher Wang a tight hug.
"You lost the competition, and you’re still this happy?"
Teacher Wang’s eyes narrowed, then shot wide open in astonishnt. "You broke through?"
A smile hung on Captain Gu’s face as he gave a slight nod.
"You son of a gun, haha!"
Overjoyed, Teacher Wang gave Captain Gu a playful punch on the shoulder. The two of them imdiately burst out laughing.
"I knew it. With your skills, there was no way you wouldn’t even make it to the top sixteen."
"Where’s Elder Ge?"
Teacher Wang glanced at the team and asked.
"Elder Ge had so business to attend to, so he stayed in Shangdu."
"Oh. Let’s go inside and talk!"
With that, Captain Gu led the group of main team mbers into the main hall in a grand procession.
Once they were gone, the other team mbers who had stayed behind and were watching all breathed a sigh of relief.
’It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s not all bad news.’
In the side hall, He Zhiyan stepped back and called all the mbers of the sparring group back. Then he said, "Everyone, be ntally prepared. Don’t get on anyone’s bad side."
After speaking, he walked out of the side hall with a deep frown.
Zhao Rui looked back at the other group mbers. Even Zhang Kui wore a worried expression.
"What’s wrong, Brother Zhang?"
He quickly walked over to Zhang Kui and asked.
Zhang Kui shushed him, then took out his phone and typed a ssage in his WeChat chat box.
"The good news is only for Captain Gu. The others might not be so happy."
After that, Zhang Kui continued typing: "Don’t gossip right now. There’s a psycho who eavesdrops. Soone got unlucky last ti and was pushed out of the Martial Arts Team long ago."
After showing the ssages to Zhao Rui, Zhang Kui quickly deleted them completely.
"Holy shit!"
Zhao Rui was truly stunned this ti. ’There are people who pull shady stunts like that? Isn’t that insane?’
Although Martial Artists’ sight and hearing were greatly enhanced from practicing Martial Arts, it wasn’t usually to an absurd degree.
But once a Martial Artist gathered their Inner Strength and focused it on the ridians or acupoints in their eyes or ears, their abilities would increase ridiculously.
Forget about walls having ears; soone with profound Inner Strength could perceive the slightest rustle of grass in the wind a kiloter away.
From what Zhang Kui was implying, it was clear: there was a shaless, psychologically twisted main team mber who, if he got chewed out later, would prick up his ears and eavesdrop on others’ conversations.
And then retaliate!
’And he probably started doing it the mont he walked into the main hall.’
’Fucking hell!’
Zhao Rui gave Zhang Kui an awkward smile, then found a quiet corner and began to ditate and perform his Cultivation without a word.
’No wonder this place is called Cicada Courtyard and not Zen Monastery!’
Less than an hour later, He Zhiyan returned. With a blank expression, he said to the group, "Let’s go. To the Martial Arts Hall. Teacher Wang is going to analyze the competition."
With that, he turned and walked out.
Zhao Rui glanced at the others and followed without a word.
A few minutes later, the group arrived before an outdoor structure that resembled a stadium.
The structure covered a huge area, with tall stands on all sides surrounding a massive Martial Arts Arena inside.
All sorts of weapons and protective gear were arranged within it.
At this mont, a group of people stood in the arena, lined up in several rows.
When Zhao Rui and his group arrived, people from other teams were also coming over. Everyone gradually gathered in the center of the arena, getting into formation according to their respective groups.
Zhao Rui stood with the sparring group, his peripheral vision sweeping over the dozen or so main team mbers standing at the front.
None of them looked very happy.
’It makes sense, though. The boss couldn’t compete because of his breakthrough, and the rest of you got eliminated in the second round.’
’What does that say? Doesn’t it just an that without Captain Gu, the Dongqi Martial Arts Team is completely useless?’
’No wonder Teacher Wang is pissed.’
The Martial Arts Team had a head coach, the Elder Ge that Teacher Wang had ntioned earlier, but he was mostly hands-off with day-to-day affairs.
Teacher Wang handled all the daily training and mundane tasks.
Teacher Wang’s full na was Wang Zhanshan. His strength was unknown, but he was at least above the Grandmaster Realm.
Right now, his face was grim, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the main team mbers in the front row.
"Jong Hyun, Ye Jingqiu, you two speak up first. What happened?"
The young man nad Jong Hyun glanced at the young woman beside him, gave a slight nod, and said, "Teacher, I know I was wrong. I underestimated my opponent!"
"Underestimated your opponent? How did your leg get injured then? Unrepentant, arrogant, and conceited..."
"Ye Jingqiu, what about you?"
"Teacher Wang, I have nothing to say. I lost, and I accept it."
The senior female student who spoke was wearing a thin, sheer knit cardigan over a black sports tank top. The cardigan’s collar was askew, revealing a flawless white shoulder and the thin strap of her sports bra.
She wore a pair of wide-leg pants, cinched at the waist to create a graceful curve. Under the billowy hem of the knit cardigan, it outlined a tempting sight.
The senior student’s fair neck was tilted back slightly, her eyes and brows conveying a pride that disdained any explanation.
"Accept it, my ass! From now on, you’ll do extra drills on your fundantals every day!"
After calling out the two main mbers, Wang Zhanshan didn’t let anyone else off the hook. Everyone who had returned, including even Captain Gu, was reprimanded by him for poor organization.
The thirty-plus people in the Martial Arts Arena were all dead silent, not daring to talk back, obediently listening to Wang Zhanshan’s tirade.
He was a completely different person from his usual carefree self, his eyes revealing a fierce ruthlessness.
After chewing them out for what felt like an eternity, Wang Zhanshan finally had two team mbers bring over a projector to watch a live recording of the competition right there in the Martial Arts Arena’s rest area.
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