I Can Replicate Martial Arts-Chapter 112 - 69: The First to Break Through to Level 8

Chapter 112: Chapter 69: The First to Break Through to Level 8

"What are you looking at?"

When Miao Miaomiao saw him looking back at her, completely unafraid, a strange feeling she had never experienced before washed over her.

’How long has it been,’ she thought, ’since someone stared at me so brazenly?’

’The nerve!’

Miao Miaomiao’s elegant brows furrowed slightly. Just as she was about to scold him, a sudden shock went through her. ’How is he not afraid of my Charm Technique?!’

Her expression changed drastically, and her guard shot up.

Just then, Zhao Rui suddenly leaped away, panting heavily as he said, "This drains too much Inner Strength! We’re on the same team, for crying out loud. Can’t you dial back your skills? Isn’t it exhausting?!"

Seeing him like this, Miao Miaomiao instantly relaxed, her expression softening.

’Right,’ she thought, ’I almost forgot he likes to torture himself with his Inner Strength Cultivation.’

’He scared me for a second.’

With an annoyed expression, she said, "From now on, you are not allowed within two meters of me. Otherwise, don’t blame me for what happens next!"

"Two meters?"

Zhao Rui glanced at the distance between them, then shuffled a small step forward on the branch.

"Still not close enough!"

Miao Miaomiao’s almond-shaped eyes widened slightly. She was speechless. No one had ever been so roguish, so utterly shameless with her before.

It was as if he wasn’t the least bit afraid of being affected by her Charm Technique.

"What are you doing wandering around?"

Seeing that her threat was useless, Miao Miaomiao couldn’t be bothered to maintain her aggressive facade and asked out of curiosity instead.

"I just had dinner at my uncle’s place. It got a little late, so I was heading back to my dorm. What about you?"

Zhao Rui replied casually.

"Oh, your uncle lives in Jeju? That’s nice. Good to have a relative nearby."

For once, Miao Miaomiao spoke like a normal girl. Her voice was soft and gentle, completely lacking its usual cold, charming aloofness.

Instead, it held a hint of the shyness and brightness of a girl-next-door.

"What you were just playing sounded beautiful. I didn’t know you could play an instrument."

"Are we that close? How would you know what I can or can’t do?"

Miao Miaomiao rolled her eyes at him.

"I think we’re pretty close. It’s not like we just met yesterday."

"You’re so thick-skinned."

Miao Miaomiao couldn’t help but smile, then feigned annoyance and chuckled. "This is a Zither, not just any ’instrument.’ You’re so dense."

"A Zither, huh? Not much different from any other stringed instrument. They’re all the same,"

Zhao Rui said, scratching his head.

"The meaning is completely different."

"Is that so? Then play the Zither for me. Let me hear what makes it so different from the usual stuff."

Hearing this, Miao Miaomiao couldn’t help but laugh and chide him, "If you want to hear me play, just say so. Stop putting on an act."

After speaking, she furrowed her brow and gave him a sidelong glance. Her eyes sparkled as her fair hand gently patted the long zither. She suddenly sat cross-legged, settling the instrument before her.

In an instant, a crisp sound, like marbles dropping on the floor, flowed from the silk strings beneath her slender, jade-like fingers.

The melody carried a tranquility as gentle as water, slowly seeping into the listener’s heart on this frosty night, a cold so bitter it could snap the sash of one’s robes.

Even though Zhao Rui didn’t understand the intricacies of music, he knew that her playing was beautiful.

He found himself sitting cross-legged as well, his fingers lightly tapping his knee in time with the rhythm as he listened quietly.

In the quiet, cold night, the two of them floated on the tree, their figures swaying with the night breeze. The ethereal sound of the zither blended in, for a moment creating a scene of hearts in harmony with nature.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Miao Miaomiao’s delicate hands formed a seal like a budding flower, then suddenly swept back. With a final downward press of her palms, she silenced the zither’s song in the quiet night.

"Was it nice?"

Miao Miaomiao asked softly, her tone light.

"Mhm, it was beautiful."

"If it was beautiful, that’ll be five hundred!"

"Uh!"

"Hee hee!"

Miao Miaomiao covered her mouth and giggled, happier than she had been in a long time.

"For music this beautiful, even five thousand would be worth it,"

Zhao Rui said with a smile, flattering her.

"Is that so? Then I’ll play for you again next time!"

After saying this, Miao Miaomiao rose to her feet. Her movements as graceful as a celestial fairy, she leaped a full zhang away in a flash.

"That’s a promise!"

Zhao Rui called out in a clear voice.

Miao Miaomiao, still in mid-air, smiled faintly. Without pausing, she tapped a branch with her foot and gradually vanished into the forest.

The beauty was gone, but the sound of the zither seemed to linger!

Zhao Rui smiled freely, then leaped down from the branch. He continued his leisurely stroll along the path toward the residential complex.

...

「Three days passed in a flash, marked by the coming and going of frost.」

Zhao Rui was in the classroom studying, just like any other day, when his phone suddenly started vibrating.

He picked it up and saw it was a call from Qin Rui, so he quickly answered.

He hadn’t reported to the Martial Arts Team in a while. ’A call from Senior Sister Qin must mean something’s up.’

The moment the call connected, Qin Rui’s excited voice came through the receiver. "Zhao Rui, I’ve reached Level 8! Yay, Level 8!"

"Level 8?"

Zhao Rui was delighted to hear the news. "Senior Sister, don’t get too excited yet," he said quickly. "Stabilize your mind. I’m on my way."

"Mhm, mhm, I know, I know. No need to rush, I’ll calm myself down first. Hee hee."

Qin Rui’s voice was still brimming with excitement she couldn’t hide.

After hanging up, Zhao Rui packed up his books and prepared to head to the Martial Arts Team’s headquarters.

Beside him, He Wanqing took a shallow breath and asked, "Are you going to the Martial Arts Team?"

"Yeah, something came up."

Zhao Rui smiled, then got up and left the classroom.

He Wanqing turned to watch his departing figure, falling silent for a long time.

After a moment, she forced a relaxed smile and looked back down at her book.

’His world is so exciting!’

’But I don’t have a chance to keep up with him!’

In front of a Quiet Chamber in the Martial Arts Academy’s Meditation Chamber area, Zhao Rui was chatting casually with Li Xinran and Cao Guannan.

"Senior Brother, Senior Sister, you two should push hard too. With this good start, I’m sure you’ll break through soon," Zhao Rui said with a smile.

"Mhm, I’m confident about that. I just didn’t expect Qin Rui to break through before me," Cao Guannan nodded, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.

"Don’t be fooled by how gentle and delicate Qin Rui seems. She works really hard, you know," Li Xinran added.