Extraordinary Realm from Persuasion System

The competition with Li Chang yesterday had made Zhang Beixing famous among the group of athletes who had come for the training camp. They all knew that at Shi University, there was a guy offering sparring sessions at his stall on the sports field, whose skill was hidden beneath his unassuming appearance. Not only could he reach the finish line several seconds ahead in the 400 meters, Li Chang's specialty, completely outrunning him, but the quality of his coaching was also exceptionally high. He was not only capable of devising plans but could also point out bad habits and flaws that had gone unnoticed, helping others to correct them.

This naturally piqued the curiosity of these athletes. So, after the group exercise had ended and they had received the dismissal command from Head Coach Kang Gu, they swarmed over to Zhang Beixing, bombarding him with questions.

Listening to the cacophony of voices, Zhang Beixing's smile became somewhat stiff.

Something is off. Why are all these people just asking questions, with not a single buyer among them? Goodness gracious, they're all thinking of mooching for free! That simply won't do! He was here to open a business, not to run a charity. If he answered their questions and then they didn't hire him for sparring, he would be a complete fool!

Thus, to avoid this scenario, Zhang Beixing made a snap decision. He announced that anyone who wanted to ask questions would first have to rent his time. The minimum rental was one hour, and the first to rent would get their questions answered first.

Upon hearing this, quite a few athletes walked away. Clearly, while they were all right with joining in on the fun, paying was absolutely out of the question. As for these people, Zhang Beixing had nothing to say. After all, if they weren't renting from him, plenty of others were willing to do so. There were upwards of thirty athletes who had come to Shi University for the training camp. Even if only a few rented his time each day, his work schedule would be full to bursting, and he'd have no shortage of bookings.

Regarding pricing, Zhang Beixing had contemplated deeply last night and ultimately decided to raise his fee by ten yuan. It wasn't that he was only worth that amount, but any higher, and the students wouldn't be able to afford it. Not everyone was a second-generation rich kid, after all. For someone frugal and careful with their money, 38 yuan could cover three to four, or even five to six days' worth of food expenses! For someone who enjoyed smoking, it was enough to buy three packs of Bai Jiang.

Sure enough, some people started to hesitate when they saw the price. But, due to their pride, they didn't just turn around and walk away like the first group of people had. Instead, they stood by silently, sizing up Zhang Beixing without uttering a word.

Just as the atmosphere was about to grow tense, Sophia Zhou stepped forward, transferring 76 yuan to Zhang Beixing without a second thought, renting his time for two hours. Seeing her do this, those who had been too embarrassed to leave found an excuse. They gracefully backed out, expressing regret and saying they'd come back next time, then, with a laugh, they left to go about their business.

As for Zhang Beixing, once he had received Sophia Zhou's payment, he gathered his things and got busy. This busyness lasted from ten in the morning until four in the afternoon. During that time, apart from Sophia Zhou who had bought two hours of his time, Li Chang, the one he had outrun yesterday, also thickened his skin and, pretending nothing was wrong, came over to buy two hours from Zhang Beixing. Following that were others who couldn't contain their curiosity and followed suit.

All in all, Zhang Beixing made quite a bountiful harvest that day.

After finishing the day's sparring sessions, Zhang Beixing had a meal and then returned to the grove to continue practicing Eight Pieces of Brocade.

The days that followed were much the same. Every morning at half-past six, Zhang Beixing never failed to arrive at the grove to practice Eight Pieces of Brocade twice, keeping his body in a state of Vigorous Qi and Blood, before moving on to practicing Yue Family Fist on the steel wire. Completing his Yue Family Fist practice usually took him until around eight o'clock. He'd grab breakfast in the cafeteria; if he had an early class, he'd attend, and if not, he'd head straight to the sports field to start coaching.

With a few days of coaching and word of mouth from the athletes, Zhang Beixing had now become the hot commodity in the eyes of this group of athletes. After all, for just 38 yuan, they could gain a guide who pinpointed issues, devised training plans, practiced with them, and resolved their doubts—all rolled into one. Who wouldn't be delighted by that? If his expertise were even a tad stronger, the person standing on the high platform training them might no longer be Kang Gu, but Zhang Beixing himself!

The athletes recognized this, so their attitude towards Zhang Beixing was changing by the day. Now when they saw Zhang Beixing, they were practically on the verge of shouting, "Brother Zhang, I want to support you in your retirement!"

However, Zhang Beixing was aware but did not particularly care. He simply went about his routine, wrapping up each day promptly at four in the afternoon. After his grueling session with Sophia Zhou, who was drenched in sweat and reluctant to see him go, he would wave dismissively, like a heartbreaker, and swagger off. Then, as soon as he closed up shop, he would dive back into the grove to continue practicing Eight Pieces of Brocade or to practice pile driving underwater.

With such intense training, Zhang Beixing's understanding of Eight Pieces of Brocade also surged, and he began to gain more proficiency each time he practiced.

Persistence pays off.

「On May 15th, Monday, at seven-thirty in the morning.」

Standing in the grove, Zhang Beixing executed the final move of Eight Pieces of Brocade, "Horse Stance Seven Shakes Dispels a Hundred Illnesses." He expelled the breath from his body, opened his eyes, and said, "System, open my Personal Panel!"

As soon as the words fell, he saw a blue panel appear before his eyes.

[Master: Zhang Beixing]

[Status: Moderately Fatigued, Excited, Qi and Blood Deficient, Vigorous Qi and Blood]

[Power: 85.0]

[Constitution: 85.0]

[Spirit: 105]

[Ability Points: 17.3]

[Skills: Yue Family Fist (Integration) +10; Eight Pieces of Brocade (Proficiency) 100/100↑]

Seeing an arrow icon added next to Eight Pieces of Brocade, Zhang Beixing didn't hesitate and pressed it. A burst of white light sprang forth, enveloping Eight Pieces of Brocade in its glow. Under the luminance, the suffix of Eight Pieces of Brocade began to twist as the 'Proficiency Percentage' gradually faded away. When the light finally dissipated, the suffix of Eight Pieces of Brocade had changed from [Proficiency] to [Entry Level].

Only then had Zhang Beixing truly mastered Eight Pieces of Brocade! And now he could allocate attribute points to Eight Pieces of Brocade.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Beixing didn't hesitate and clicked three times, raising Eight Pieces of Brocade to Entry Level +3. Immediately, an extremely awkward sensation spread throughout his body. But unlike Yue Family Fist, where the awkwardness was in the limbs, the discomfort from Eight Pieces of Brocade was in the internal organs! He felt several currents of energy trapped in various places inside him, which was extremely uncomfortable and had to be released, like a burp stuck without escape.

So, he adjusted his breathing and sank the 'Qi' into his abdomen, guiding it upwards along the uncomfortable feeling, until all that energy had been sorted out and his meridians opened.

After opening up his meridians, Zhang Beixing felt entirely rejuvenated. He executed two moves of Yue Family Fist. The movements were unchanged, but the punches were sharper, and their lethality had increased!

And this was the power he exhibited with just Yue Family Fist alone. If combined with Eight Pieces of Brocade... Unbeatable! Truly unbeatable!

Yue Family Fist was a fierce martial art with immense killing power. Its only problem was the damage it could inflict on the body during cultivation. But now, paired with Eight Pieces of Brocade, the only downside of practicing Yue Family Fist was eliminated. In time, coupled with the Vigorous Qi and Blood and unending vitality characteristic of Eight Pieces of Brocade...

This time, I can truly chain my attacks until they're dead! Zhang Beixing appraised. It was like giving a tiger wings!

Then, Zhang Beixing threw a few more punches. Feeling upbeat, he simply stripped off his shirt and dove into the artificial lake, swimming towards the wooden stake he had secured with thick canvas ropes and stones. Adjusting his breath, he threw a punch.

BANG!

His fist landed on the wooden stake. The stake trembled as never before. It quivered violently, with ripples spreading outwards from its center.

Seeing this reaction, Zhang Beixing nodded with satisfaction. Though the progress was slight compared to yesterday, there was at least some change; it seemed he could exert a bit more strength. It was a good sign.

After performing a few more moves and noticing that he had stirred up the lake water, Zhang Beixing didn't want to repeat the mistake of a few days ago and get caught by security again. So he climbed ashore. Without thinking twice, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Chen Rourou.

Shishi single quality male/185/18: "Meet in the grove in twenty minutes, will teach you Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade!"

He had made a promise to Chen Rourou, and Zhang Beixing naturally wouldn't go back on his word. After sending the message, Zhang Beixing didn't wait for Chen Rourou's reply and took out a sterilized wet towel from his bag, finding a secluded corner to start wiping down his body. Although the water in Shi University's artificial lake was regularly cleaned, he still had to guard against the dirt within. Zhang Beixing certainly didn't want to go to the bathroom one day and find himself with an inflammation. That would be a true misfortune!

「At the same moment Zhang Beixing was wiping down his body, in the cafeteria on the other side.」

Chen Rourou stared at the message on her phone in total confusion.

Wait a minute. What is this? Zhang Beixing is going to teach me Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade? I'm not seeing things, am I?

Chen Rourou rubbed her eyes and confirmed she wasn't hallucinating or mistaken. She was even more bewildered!

If my memory serves me right, I only sent Grandpa's martial arts training video to Zhang Beixing five days ago, on May 10th. And now, he's messaging me, claiming he's learned it and is going to teach me? This... Never mind how fast Zhang Beixing learns things, just the learning itself. Is he sure he learned the Chen Family's Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade? Since when was such an esoteric skill so simple that one could learn it just by watching a video? If that were the case, the whole world would be full of martial arts masters.

"WTF?" Chen Rourou let out an incredulous sound.

At that moment, she even began to doubt whether Zhang Beixing was deliberately making fun of her. But on second thought, she realized there was absolutely no need for that. Knowing Zhang Beixing, if he wanted to tease her, he would have done so casually in their daily interactions. He wouldn't bother concocting such a clumsy lie!

For a time, Chen Rourou became more and more perplexed.

He took the initiative to invite me. No matter what, I have to go. Otherwise, he'll definitely deal with me later...

Eventually, caught between reason and reality, Chen Rourou stopped pondering, followed her heart, and made her way to the grove to find out the truth.