I Can Replicate Martial Arts-Chapter 80 - 54: Sophomores?

"There are no students in the audience!"

Qin Rui glanced at the venue and turned her head slightly to speak to Zhao Rui.

The girl’s faint, sweet fragrance drifted into his nose, bringing with it an involuntary sense of pleasure.

"Were there before?"

Zhao Rui asked.

"Mhm, last year the university gathered a lot of students. Not just from the Martial Arts Academy, but also students from the other Outer Courtyards to cheer. There were even cheerleaders!"

Qin Rui said in a crisp voice. After she finished, she pursed her lips slightly and sighed.

Times have certainly changed.

As the two were talking, the leaders of both academies strode in from outside with a swagger, then sat down in the front row near the ring.

"Dean Zhang, our two academies have a long and storied history. Since the founding of the Hua Country, we have consistently produced a great number of Martial Dao talents for Dongqi Province and even the entire nation... The 35th National Martial Dao Convention is coming up next March. We should strengthen our exchanges and strive for even better results."

A man with a large head, big ears, a face like a silver platter, and a flat nose smiled faintly as he spoke to Dean Zhang beside him.

Dean Zhang was the dean of Dongqi University’s Martial Arts Academy. Hearing the fat man’s words, a muscle in his face twitched, and a flash of displeasure crossed his features.

"Not at all, not at all. When it comes to contributions to the Martial Dao Convention in the last two years, your Dongyi Academy has done much better, Dean Sun. We should be the ones learning from you."

"What contribution? We’re all just cultivating talent for the country. We should work together..."

After the two exchanged a few more false pleasantries, Dean Sun wiped the sweat from the back of his neck, glanced at the Martial Arts Arena, and said, "Dean Zhang, it’s said that a master craftsman doesn’t show off his unpolished work. But the younger generation is the future. I propose that today’s competition focuses on the sophomores. What do you think?"

"Focus on the sophomores?"

Dean Zhang’s face darkened. He cursed the cunning fatty in his heart.

If it were the official team members, even though they would likely lose more than they’d win, that would only represent their current state.

But if the sophomores went up and lost badly, it would mean losing the future.

"The sophomores haven’t been tempered by major competitions yet. With such hasty preparations, I’m afraid they won’t be able to perform at their best. Let’s just stick to the usual arrangement!"

"Ah, but that’s precisely why they need to be honed more!"

"This..."

"Could it be that it’s... inconvenient for our Dongda? If so, then I have truly been presumptuous."

Dean Sun said with a malicious smile.

Dean Zhang’s mouth twitched. ’Presumptuous? Don’t you know perfectly well, you damn fatty?’

"There’s nothing inconvenient about it."

Dean Zhang steeled himself, turned his head to Wang Zhanshan, who was standing to the side, and said, "Zhanshan, you heard Dean Sun’s suggestion. Go and gather the students!"

Wang Zhanshan nodded, got up, and walked to the back rows of the audience, calling over Li Xinran and the other sophomores.

After his gaze swept past Zhao Rui, he called him over as well.

’There’s no other choice; too few sophomores have remained. Regardless of their strength, we just need to make up the numbers for now. Zhao Rui can count as half a sophomore, I guess!’

Seeing Wang Zhanshan call them over, Li Xinran and the others were all confused, thinking they were being asked to handle some logistical matters.

When they heard Wang Zhanshan say they had to go up and compete, they were all dumbstruck, their mouths hanging open in shock. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Even Cao Guannan, who always acted cool, was dumbfounded and in disbelief.

"M-Me? Us? Coach, you’ve got to be kidding, right?"

"What’s there to joke about? Just go out there and do your best. Winning or losing doesn’t matter."

"The rules for ring competitions are: no attacking vital points, no using Hidden Weapons or other unconventional methods, no verbal abuse..."

After reminding them of a few things, Wang Zhanshan led them to the waiting area behind the ring.

The official team members, who were already waiting there, were all astonished to see the group of sophomores approaching.

But Wang Zhanshan had no time to deal with them. After leading the five sophomores plus Zhao Rui to the front row, he crouched down slightly and went through each of their flaws and problems one by one.

Unfortunately, he usually didn’t pay much attention to the sophomores, so the few things he said were just empty words that barely scratched the surface.

When he got to Zhao Rui, he had only a simple sentence: "Just don’t be nervous. Do whatever you feel is right."

Soon, the sophomores from Dongyi Academy came over from the other side, walking with vigorous strides and an aggressive aura.

It was a vast and mighty procession of nearly fifteen or sixteen students.

In terms of sheer numbers, they already outclassed Dongqi University by a huge margin.

"Coach, what do you think our chances of winning are?"

Li Xinran touched her short-haired head, her expression stiff.

Wang Zhanshan shot her a glare and stood up. "Coach Zeng will bring the Martial Arts Uniforms over in a bit. When you hear your name, go up to the ring with him. He’ll instruct you on the specifics."

With that, Wang Zhanshan got up and left the waiting area.

His face was clearly devoid of any happiness. In truth, Wang Zhanshan could understand Dongyi Academy’s sudden cheap shot.

After all, having been suppressed by Dongqi University for so many years, the tables had now turned. It was only natural for them to be a bit more flamboyant and vent years of frustration.

Dongqi University’s current predicament was entirely of its own making. Originally, even with Dongyi recruiting a pile of outstanding students over the years, the gap shouldn’t have been this obvious.

Unfortunately, the previous principal had been an arrogant intellectual who had single-handedly wrecked the school’s Martial Arts Academy and left it in its current state.

But enough idle chatter!

Zhao Rui and the others didn’t have to wait long before Zeng Hongyi hurried over. Behind him were two staff members, each holding a stack of Martial Arts Uniforms.

"Don’t be nervous. When you get up there in a bit, just treat it like our usual sparring sessions. Think back to your high school and middle school days, when you were dominating everyone."