Chapter 28: A True Gender Equalist

"Junior Sister Zhu, stop messing around," said a young man who was among the direct disciples. "Your kung fu isn't stable enough yet, and you hit without holding back most times. He might be our future junior brother, what if you hurt him? I'm the most mature and steady one here, so I'll handle this..."

Before he could finish, Old Man Li interrupted thoughtfully, "No, let Shanying go."

The young man was confused. "Huh?"

The old master had just shown concern for the young man. Didn't he like him? Why let Junior Sister go... This is bad. She might give him psychological trauma before he even enrolls.

The young man looked at Xue Jing with pity.

"Oh yeah!" Zhu Shanying cheered, her bright and lively eyes curving into crescents.

In a flash, she moved with incredible speed and appeared beside Xue Jing. She grabbed his hand and quickly led him to the nearest ring. "Little Junior Brother, follow me!"

Xue Jing's eyes widened at her speed...

He didn't resist and allowed her soft hand to guide him.

Maomao, sitting on the armrest of the wheelchair, curled her lips, feeling a little displeased for some reason.

After Zhu Shanying led Xue Jing to the ring, she let go of his hand, and with two graceful backflips, she landed on the opposite side of Xue Jing. Smiling with her eyes narrowed, she clasped her fists and said, "Little Junior Brother, please guide me!"

Xue Jing was amazed at her agility. Backflips weren't difficult, but to perform them more lightly and naturally than a cat was a whole different level. This was his first time facing someone who had truly practiced martial arts, and he felt a little excited.

He imitated the girl, clasped his fists, and said, "Please guide me."

As they took their positions, the disciples around them gathered to watch.

"Hey, what's going on? Didn't that guy come to challenge the dojo? The owner even asked him all sorts of strange questions as if he was setting up a blind date. What's happening? I don't get it."

"Yeah, I don't understand either... But since Senior Sister Zhu is involved, he's definitely in for a rough time."

"I bet fifty cents he'll at least break an arm or a leg."

"Be more confident; I bet five dollars that all four limbs will be broken."

"Tsk tsk, poor guy."

Xue Jing couldn't understand why almost everyone around him looked at him with pity.

At that moment, the young man walked to the middle of the ring, patted Xue Jing on the shoulder, and comforted him, "Be careful. If you feel you can't handle it, just admit defeat quickly. I'll come to save you right away."

Xue Jing "..."

"Then..." The young man stood between them, raised his right hand, and brought it down. "Begin."

He immediately jumped back out of the ring.

"Little Junior Brother, be careful!" Zhu Shanying called out with a happy smile. She took a step forward and shot out like an arrow, moving at an absurd speed.

She clenched her white hands into fists and aimed a strike at Xue Jing's head.

But before she could understand what happened, Xue Jing grabbed her wrist and threw her over his shoulder, slamming her to the ground with a loud "Bang!" He did it without holding back, using all his strength, causing the whole ring to shake violently.

The girl hit the ground hard and instantly fell into a baby-like sleep.

"Huh?" The watching disciples murmured in disbelief.

"Huh?" The young man who was a core disciple looked confused as well.

The other two core disciples, who appeared to be father and daughter and had been silent up until now, couldn't help but stare at the young man standing in the ring.

Meanwhile, the cat's eyes were full of pride, and its tail swayed back and forth.

The entire dojo fell into an eerie silence.

"So... did I succeed in challenging the dojo?" Xue Jing asked in confusion, looking at Li Qi in the wheelchair.

Li Qi silently looked at Xue Jing, then at Maomao on the armrest, and sighed, "Haah, You really did find a good disciple for me."

...

On the way home, Maomao sat proudly on Xue Jing's shoulder. "You've never practiced martial arts, yet you defeated a core disciple of the Canglong Dojo. Now, you can go there anytime and receive free teaching from Old Man Li, and no one will complain."

"And I don't have to owe Old Man Li a big favor for this. On the contrary, he should thank me for bringing him a talented disciple like you."

"It's a win-win situation."

Maomao's tail brushed against Xue Jing's cheek, causing a soft itch. Xue Jing thought for a moment and said, "I didn't expect things to end so quickly. I thought the disciples of Canglong Dojo would be much stronger. I was prepared to get beaten."

"You weren't wrong," Maomao replied. "In fact, that girl is much stronger than you are now."

Xue Jing asked doubtfully, "Then why?"

Maomao smiled and said, "Why do you think the stronger one will always win?"

"In this world, there are countless examples of the weak defeating the strong. Some people, even with an army of 100,000 soldiers, can't defeat an enemy who only has just 800 soldiers. If such a huge gap can be overcome, then what about you and that girl?"

"Martial arts isn't just about strength. Factors like mood, state, will, intelligence, decision-making, and even a little bit of luck can determine victory or defeat."

"If that girl had been more cautious and not started with such a big punch, if she'd known a little more about you and understood your reaction speed, if she'd used her strength to protect her whole body, or if you hadn't used all your strength to win in one move..."

Maomao concluded meaningfully, "If any tiny factor had been different, she might not have lost to you. But the fact is, she did lose."

"This is the world of martial artists."

Xue Jing seemed to understand.

"It's also a good lesson for you," Maomao continued. "With your talent, I believe you'll become very strong in the future. But you must not become arrogant, or something like today could happen to you."

Xue Jing smiled and said, "I'll be careful, Master Wan."

Hearing this, Maomao nodded with satisfaction.

[You experienced a David-and-Goliath battle, Fighting EXP +211]

[You experienced a David-and-Goliath battle, Fitness EXP +121]

[You experienced a David-and-Goliath battle, feeling happy, Health EXP +89]

[You experienced a David-and-Goliath battle, Aim EXP +56]

[You experienced a David-and-Goliath battle, Strength EXP +139]

[Fighting upgraded to Lv2 (107/500)]

Xue Jing glanced at the panel's prompt. Feeling his body getting stronger, he smiled silently, satisfied.

"By the way, you threw that girl without hesitation. You don't have something against women, do you?" Maomao suddenly asked.

Xue Jing looked at Maomao strangely and shook his head. "Not at all. I'm just a true gender equalist. I treat both men and women equally..."

...

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