From Beggar to Emperor: My Profession Has Its Own Characteristics

Chapter 82 The Curator's Attention

She was a tall woman, dressed in an elegant light gray training uniform.

She has delicate features and regular facial structure, and could be described as somewhat attractive, but when you look at her figure, it's a completely different story.

Having been at the Dongyun Martial Arts School for so long, Zhu Yuan had absolutely no recollection of this woman.

Therefore, there seems to be only one possibility.

This woman comes from a wealthy family and has never had lunch at the martial arts school.

If she weren't a disciple of Zhou Ping, it would be hard for him not to remember a woman with such long legs if he had lunch at the martial arts school.

"Senior Brother Zhou, is she as skilled in leg techniques as you?" Zhu Yuan couldn't help but ask.

"No." Zhou Ping shook his head. "She is skilled in swordsmanship, so you will practice with swords and sabers afterward."

"Oh, I see." Zhu Yuan nodded.

Sensing someone's gaze, Sun Ningxiang turned her head to look at Zhu Yuan.

"Junior Sister Sun, that person is your opponent today. He is skilled in swordsmanship."

A middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance standing next to Sun Ningxiang began to introduce the situation.

Like Zhou Ping, the middle-aged man was also an introductory disciple of Dongyun Martial Arts School, and was also responsible for teaching the registered disciples.

The difference is that Zhou Ping has a lower-middle-grade physique, while the middle-aged man only has a lower-grade physique.

"He shouldn't be of inferior talent, right?"

"Yes, he's not of inferior talent, he's of below-average talent."

As she spoke, Sun Ningxiang had already looked away, because Zhu Yuan across from her was no longer looking at her.

Sun Ningxiang was quite envious of his average to below-average physical constitution.

Because she only has inferior aptitude, it wouldn't be difficult for her to become a martial artist with her family's resources, but it would be much more difficult for her to advance further and become a martial artist in the Dark Force stage.

The middle-aged man next to her is the best example; he will likely never become an inner disciple of the Dongyun Martial Arts School.

As a martial artist at the Ming Jin stage, there's a high chance she'll be arranged to marry into one of the four major families in the future. That's why she's practicing martial arts so hard, all in order to gain the greatest possible freedom for herself.

If she had average to below-average talent, her family would be even more willing to nurture her.

Sun Ningxiang turned her gaze back to the training ground in the center.

At that moment, two disciples were sparring, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

Shortly after their battle ended, the novice disciples standing in the center of the training ground called out the names of the two men.

"Next pair: Zhu Yuan and Sun Ningxiang."

Upon hearing his name, Zhu Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he immediately walked towards the weapon rack, picked up a knife, and held it in his hand.

The swords used for sparring are also unsealed, allowing for safe practice in actual combat.

Because of the distance, Sun Ningxiang arrived at the center of the training ground a step faster than him.

"Disciple in name, Zhu Yuan." Zhu Yuan quickly walked three steps away from Sun Ningxiang, stopped, sheathed his sword, clasped his hands in a salute, and introduced himself.

This is essential etiquette.

Upon seeing this, Sun Ningxiang on the opposite side immediately returned the greeting with clasped hands.

"Disciple in name only, Sun Ningxiang."

Sun Ningxiang – should be a member of the Sun family.

Zhu Yuan quickly realized this.

Among the family forces in Qingyang County, the most famous and powerful are undoubtedly the four major families, and there are many other family forces below the four major families.

The Sun family's overall power is close to that of the four major families, and in Qingyang County, it can be considered a top-tier second-rate power.

Zhu Yuan now knows far more about Qingyang County than he did back then.

The novice disciple in charge of supervising the competition, seeing that both of them were in position, asked, "Are you ready?"

"Ready?" they both answered in unison.

"start!"

With a command given, the live-fire sparring officially began.

Without hesitation, Zhu Yuan started his footwork, leaned forward, and charged directly towards Sun Ningxiang.

The key to sparring is the practice itself, rather than actual combat.

Therefore, Zhu Yuan did not initially intend to defeat his opponent quickly. Instead, he planned to follow the rules and hone his swordsmanship, footwork, and body movements through back-and-forth exchanges.

Rushing forward, Zhu Yuan slightly turned his waist and, using the momentum of his charge, slashed his knife diagonally from the upper right to the lower left, controlling the force to about five-tenths, leaving plenty of room for maneuver.

Seeing this, Sun Ningxiang focused her gaze and did not choose to take the powerful blow head-on. Instead, she lightly slid half a step to the right and nimbly dodged to the side, avoiding the blade.

While dodging Zhu Yuan's first strike, she shrewdly seized the moment when Zhu Yuan's strength had not yet been fully generated. With a flick of her wrist, the sword in her hand, like a snake spitting its tongue, swiftly stabbed towards the gap in Zhu Yuan's left rib.

However, Zhu Yuan's strike just now was not at full strength.

He was quite adept at controlling his strength. Seeing Sun Ningxiang dodge and counterattack, he immediately exerted force from his waist and hips, and with a flick of his wrist, he turned the knife sideways, accurately blocking the path of the sword thrust.

clang!

A crisp sound of impact rang out.

"Oh, not bad." Upon seeing this, Sun Ningxiang raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, and couldn't help but praise her.

She hadn't expected Zhu Yuan's change of tactics and parry to be so quick and accurate.

Zhu Yuan raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a smile, which could be considered as accepting Sun Ningxiang's praise.

But his movements didn't stop at all. The moment he successfully blocked the attack, he used his waist and legs to exert force, and his arm suddenly jerked forward.

Sun Ningxiang felt an unexpectedly strong force coming from the sword, which made her arm go numb and her feet were involuntarily pushed back several steps before she regained her balance.

Taking advantage of her retreat, Zhu Yuan moved his feet again and launched a pursuit without hesitation, closing the distance between them once more.

It was clear from the battle that Zhu Yuan had a firm advantage.

"Zhu Yuan could have won, but he didn't win decisively."

Dong Lingyun munched on an apple, watching the sparring match in the center of the training ground.

She was sitting on a wooden chair at that moment.

This wooden chair placed here is usually where the curator sits, but it doesn't matter to her.

"Yun'er, you don't understand. Zhu Yuan is honing himself."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Dong Lingyun quickly turned her head.

Standing next to her was a man with a nose that looked very much like hers. He was tall and imposing, and you could tell at a glance that he was not someone to mess with.

"Father."

Dong Lingyun called out, but showed no intention of leaving the wooden chair.

Inside the martial arts school, she wasn't afraid of anyone except her grandfather.

Her grandfather was much more old-fashioned than her father.

"Yun'er, have you finished your training for today?" Dongduzhou asked his daughter.

"There's still time, there's still plenty of time," Dong Lingyun said, utterly bored.

Dongdu Zhou shook his head helplessly.

Then his gaze turned to the training ground.

As the head of the Dongyun Martial Arts School, he kept a close eye on any promising disciples.

Zhu Yuan, who possessed only average to below-average physical attributes, was the minimum standard he was interested in.

According to the information Zhou Ping reported to him, Zhu Yuan's lower-middle-grade physical constitution was no less than that of an average person with medium-grade physical constitution.