Liu Ruyan came downstairs with the documents to meet Xiao Yunlong. Since it wasn't yet 3 PM, the time for work, she wasn't in a hurry to process the recommendation materials.
The two then strolled along the campus paths. Although Xiao Yunlong had never attended university, he was only twenty-four or twenty-five years old. With his buzz cut and the simple, elegant clothes he had bought the day before, his 1.8-meter height made him look tall and upright.
He exuded a distinctive, capable, and sunny handsomeness. Now, walking hand-in-hand with Liu Ruyan on the campus path, he looked no different from most couples on campus.
"Brother Xiao, how about we go for some milk tea?" Liu Ruyan suddenly suggested.
It was evident that she was particularly happy today. Although she had dedicated most of her university years to her studies and participated in work-study programs to earn living expenses in her spare time, she hadn't dated during her four years of university.
However, this didn't mean she didn't want to experience a sweet university romance. Whenever she saw couples on campus going to classes or meals in pairs on cold winter days, she couldn't help but feel a bit envious.
Fortunately, as her university years were coming to an end, this romance had finally arrived, making up for Liu Ruyan's regret over the past four years.
Xiao Yunlong naturally had no objections, and the two then headed to a milk tea shop.
After ordering and finding a corner seat, Liu Ruyan took out a book from her bag and leaned against Xiao Yunlong, reading sweetly.
It wasn't until 3 PM that the two headed towards the teaching area.
"By the way, Brother Xiao, I'll need quite some time to process the recommendation materials for university. Why don't you wander around, and I'll call you when I'm done?"
"No problem, you go ahead and handle your business. Call me if anything comes up." Xiao Yunlong nodded slightly.
This was actually Xiao Yunlong's first time on a university campus. Everything inside was undoubtedly novel to him, and it also brought back some unpleasant memories.
Once upon a time, he too was a top student.
In high school, he was young and shy, but his academic performance was always first in the entire school, with almost perfect scores in all subjects. Teachers even said that by the time he reached his senior year, the two best universities in the capital would be vying for him, offering him direct admission.
But during his senior year, his family experienced a change, and he was directly abandoned by his family, becoming a rat crossing the street that everyone wanted to beat.
Therefore, Xiao Yunlong still had some regrets about not being able to continue his university education later.
After a slight sigh, Xiao Yunlong quickly buried this regret deep in his heart and then wandered aimlessly around Sucheng University.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. Seeing that the sun had already set, Liu Ruyan still hadn't finished processing the documents.
As Xiao Yunlong walked, he arrived at a small mountain forest on the west side. The setting sun cast a golden glow over the entire forest, making it look incredibly beautiful.
The dense forest was very quiet, but suddenly Xiao Yunlong heard shouts coming from within.
He peered inside and saw an old man with white hair and a beard, wearing a sweat-soaked training outfit, teaching a young man martial arts.
Xiao Yunlong's interest was immediately piqued, and he gently stepped inside.
The young man was wearing an Armani tracksuit and had short, flowing hair, giving him a slightly artistic aura.
The old man was teaching the artistic young man, demonstrating each move with a stable stance.
The artistic young man imitated him, shouting as he practiced. After a round, he said proudly, "How is it, Master? After six months, is my palm technique half as good as yours?"
The old man chuckled and said, "Young Master Jun has exceptional talent. Achieving such results in just six months is truly commendable."
Young Master Jun became even more smug and said with a curl of his lip, "Then, Master, with my current skills, I should be able to sweep through the entire Sucheng University, right?"
"That's for sure. Young Master Jun has learned my Eight Trigram Swimming Dragon Palm, so sweeping through Sucheng University is definitely not a problem!" the old man said confidently.
"Then the entire Sucheng city, I should be able to sweep through all the young generation in Sucheng, right?" Young Master Jun asked.
This time, the old man hesitated slightly before replying, "That's hard to say. However, with Young Master Jun's current skills, it's definitely possible to rank among the top young generation in Sucheng. Young Master has excellent roots, and within a few years, it's not impossible to sweep through the entire Sucheng martial arts world!"
Hearing this, Xiao Yunlong could no longer stand it. He secretly sneered, "He's just learned some fancy moves, yet he thinks he's a master. Truly ignorant."
With that, he shook his head and turned to leave.
However, the forest was very quiet, and the old man had good hearing. Xiao Yunlong's words reached his ears without missing a single syllable.
The old man in the sweat-soaked shirt's expression instantly darkened, and he gritted his teeth, shouting, "Your tone is too arrogant! How dare you call my Eight Trigram Swimming Dragon Palm mere fancy moves!"
The artistic young man, Young Master Jun, angrily said, "Master, what did you say? Someone called our practice 'fancy moves.' Who said that? It must have been that kid with the buzz cut up ahead."
"Hey, kid up ahead, did you hear that? They're talking about you. Stop right there! How dare you mock us? You've got some nerve!"
As Young Master Jun spoke, he sprinted forward, quickly blocking Xiao Yunlong's path. The old man in the sweat-soaked shirt also hurried to catch up.
"Move aside!" Xiao Yunlong frowned.
"Move aside? Your tone is very arrogant. Were those words spoken by you just now? What gives you the right to say that?" Young Master Jun shouted angrily.
Xiao Yunlong said calmly, "Yes, I said it. But I was just stating a fact. Is there a problem with that?"
"What did you say, you kid? Stating a fact?" Young Master Jun instantly exploded, clenching his fists as if to attack.
The old man in the sweat-soaked shirt waved his hand to stop him, then turned to look at Xiao Yunlong, scrutinizing him from head to toe. He then said, "Young man, with such demeanor at such a young age, it seems you must also be a martial artist."
Xiao Yunlong did not deny it: "I've learned a little."
The old man in the sweat-soaked shirt sneered, "Since you've learned, you are also a person of the martial world. You should naturally understand what it means to say those words in front of us, shouldn't you?"
"What does it mean?" Xiao Yunlong genuinely didn't know, as he wasn't part of the martial world.
The old man sneered again, "As the saying goes, the Buddha seeks incense, and a man seeks his pride. You insulted us to our faces, and even a clay figurine would get angry."
Xiao Yunlong cupped his fists and said, "I apologize. I spoke too quickly and carelessly just now, but I was truly just stating a fact!"
Young Master Jun's eyes were already spitting fire, and the old man's expression had completely darkened. He gritted his teeth and snorted, "You keep saying you're stating facts. If that's the case, you must have considerable attainments in martial arts and must be a martial arts master. If so, please show us your skills. Let me see how much weight your bold words carry!"
With that, the old man in the sweat-soaked shirt assumed a stance.
"I'm not interested. My martial skills are for killing enemies, not for performing!" Xiao Yunlong said and turned to leave.
The old man's angry roar came from behind: "Since you are a person of the martial world, let's follow the rules of the martial world. Either you show us some skills to convince us, or you leave a hand behind!"
Xiao Yunlong had no choice but to stop. It was just an unintentional remark, but seeing the situation now, he probably couldn't just walk away.
"For your level, showing you a couple of moves is unnecessary. I'll show you just one to let you see."
After speaking, Xiao Yunlong casually plucked a leaf from a tree and flicked his wrist.
With a "whoosh," the leaf shot straight towards the root of a large tree ten meters away.
Then, Xiao Yunlong walked away without looking back.
Young Master Jun was bewildered and said with a deep grunt, "What is this kid trying to be mysterious about? Does he think he can fool us by casually flicking a leaf? I'll go and take him down and teach him a lesson so he knows his place!"
Saying that, the artistic young man was about to rush out again.
However, the old man beside him grabbed him and said, "No, Young Master Jun, you mustn't go!"
"Why..."
As Young Master Jun asked, he suddenly turned back and saw his master standing there with a pale face, sweating profusely, and his eyes filled with intense fear.
"Master, what's wrong?" Young Master Jun asked, utterly confused.
The old man remained still, staring in the direction Xiao Yunlong had left. At this moment, he felt cold sweat breaking out from his feet. His mouth was dry, and he said, "Young Master Jun, this time, we may have encountered a true peerless master!"
"A true peerless master? You mean him? That kid just now?" Young Master Jun's eyes widened.
"Young Master Jun, hurry up and go to that big tree ahead. See if the leaf he shot just now has penetrated the tree roots. Hurry!" the old man shouted.
"How can a leaf penetrate tree roots?"
Young Master Jun sneered, but he still walked over. When he reached the tree root and looked down, he was instantly petrified as if struck by electricity, his face also showing intense shock and even horror.
"This... How is this possible? This leaf, he just flicked it casually, and it... it actually penetrated!"
The old man exclaimed, "Plucking leaves and scattering flowers can kill. This is a Hua Jin Grandmaster, a legendary Hua Jin master!"