After running two laps, many people were already panting, a testament to the average physical fitness of contemporary college students.

Then came a set of perfunctory stretching exercises.

Teacher Huang immediately put on a headset.

Zhou Li only then noticed that there was a portable speaker on the far side, which seemed slightly inferior to the one Aunt Jiang used for square dancing.

With a bit of tinkering, Teacher Huang started classical music that flowed from the speaker.

It resembled the style that elderly men in the community enjoyed listening to.

Zhou Li sneakily glanced at Huai Xu and, as expected, saw a trace of pleasure on the Old Monster's face; it was unmistakably the aesthetic of his era.

"Tai Chi is one of our country's martial arts with a long and storied history, integrating the mind, qi, and form," Teacher Huang explained. "If you study it seriously and practice persistently, it can effectively improve your mental state, sleep, and diet, and it's very helpful for stress relief."

"That is, if you have any stress."

Everyone burst into laughter, while Teacher Huang calmly said, "We will be learning the Sixteen-form Tai Chi, also known as Second-Grade Tai Chi. It's a routine set for evaluating Beginner-Level Tai Chi within the Chinese martial arts grading system. This form is a simplified version of Tai Chi, created by combining footwork and movements based on the Eight-form Tai Chi..."

"I'll demonstrate one set first, which you can mimic, and then I will teach you each move one by one."

"Starting position, feet apart, coordinating with your breathing..."

...

Teacher Huang's movements were graceful, although, constrained by her figure, their beauty was limited.

Many students started to mimic her movements.

Zhou Li himself didn't want to move. But seeing almost every student participating—regardless of how well or poorly they did, they were at least moving—he felt it was somewhat discordant for him alone to stand rigidly in the formation. It was a matter of attitude.

So, he began to imitate the movements stiffly.

While doing so, he stealthily looked around.

Brother Nan, of course, performed very well. She already knew how to do it but had never systematically learned it.

The Old Monster likely didn't know how to do Tai Chi.

This set of moves was not ancient; people generally believe it was created by Chen Wangting in the late Ming or early Qing dynasty, not more than four hundred years ago. By that time, the Old Monster was already an old monster, and that era was nearing its end. He might have already been asleep.

It was somewhat evident from the Old Monster's expression too.

He was staring at Teacher Huang unwaveringly, clearly imitating, yet his mimicry was inch-perfect.

Even from an aesthetic standpoint, because of his slender and tall physique, although his movements matched Teacher Huang's, they seemed even more graceful!

There's no harm without contrast.

Zhou Li felt a bit uncomfortable.

Suddenly, a breeze hit him, soft and irresistible, pushing him a step to the left.

Turning his head, he saw the Old Monster seriously retracting his hands.

Then, following Teacher Huang's movements, the Old Monster's hand drew a semicircle in the air, his toes glided, and he pushed out his palm toward Zhou Li again.

WHOOSH.

Zhou Li took another step back.

Yet the Old Monster's expression remained serious, completely engrossed in learning the moves as if all of this had nothing to do with him.

Zhou Li: ...

From behind him came Brother Nan's voice, "What are you doing?"

Zhou Li turned around, at a loss for words.

WHOOSH.

He stumbled.

Zhou Li steadied himself. Facing Brother Nan's increasingly scrutinizing gaze, he unhesitatingly pointed at Huai Xu. "He's hitting me with palm wind."

Brother Nan: ...

Brother Nan looked at Zhou Li without a word.

After sizing him up for a moment, she suddenly remembered something and tentatively reminded him, "Do you remember how, last time I was practicing Tai Chi under the teaching building, you found it embarrassing and forcibly dragged me away?"

"I don't remember."

Brother Nan's mouth twitched, and she eyed him askance, her silence speaking volumes.

"No talking!" the teacher called out from the front. "You two, the lovebirds I'm talking about, save it for after class!"

WHOOSH.

COUGH!

"What? Has someone cultivated Inner Strength now?"

...

Under the gaze of the forty-odd classmates, Zhou Li almost wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

Yet the instigator, Huai Xu, looked at him with a puzzled face, as if he didn't understand what this unfamiliar classmate was up to.

Brother Nan had figured it out a while ago, but she was only too happy to feign ignorance. After all, it gave her a legitimate reason to tease Zhou Li—Zhou Li was too much of a slacker and too well-behaved, leaving her with not much material for mockery.

Rarity confers value.

So, she pretended not to recognize Zhou Li either, and shouted, "Hey, classmate, aren't you being a bit too dramatic?"

Then she added another remark, "So childish!"

Zhou Li: ...

It wasn't until she saw Zhou Li's extreme embarrassment that she felt a twinge of pity for him; after all, her boyfriend really did have thin skin. So she leaned in and whispered, "What's there to be embarrassed about? Just relax. Pretend you're a goof, and if you're not embarrassed, others won't find you embarrassing. If you're happy, others will think your goofy behavior is fun too."

Zhou Li didn't make a sound.

With a glance to the side, he suddenly spotted a man and a woman sitting at the edge of the track field, holding an ancient book, staring at him without blinking.

Zhou Li: ...

Tai Chi class was not easy compared to many other physical education classes, mainly for two reasons.

The first was that it took up more class time, as it mostly involved learning Tai Chi routines. In contrast, sports like ball games had more free play time. The second reason was the difficult assessment. You had to master the Sixteen-form Tai Chi completely. For some other sports, however, many people already knew the basics and could pass without even attending classes. Sports like table tennis and badminton were even easier—those who didn't know it beforehand could learn with just a little practice and pass after a couple of classes.

But this first lesson was pretty simple.

Perhaps because the first few forms were overplayed in TV dramas and could be remembered easily.

After just over an hour, the class ended.

Zhou Li immediately created a group chat, shared the group ID with everyone, and walked up to exchange phone numbers with Teacher Huang.

"You need to study hard!" Teacher Huang urged him.

"Sure thing."

Zhou Li turned around and caught sight of the Old Monster also taking out his phone, seemingly joining the group chat. He felt utterly speechless.

Brother Nan, on the other hand, was still standing there, cultivating her breath, inhaling and exhaling, gathering an energy ball that only she could see. Seeing him approach, she suddenly thrust her palms out, sending an invisible energy ball along with them against his shoulders, then pulled her hands back and asked giggling, "Well? Was it fun?"

"Not fun."

"What's the matter? I thought it was quite fun!"

"I left a bad impression on the teacher."

"It's because you're so stiff and can't relax. It's not something to be ashamed of, just like when my dad was dragged by my mom to dance in the square," Brother Nan said. "Plus, you were standing in between me and Huai... that guy, so the contrast was obvious."

"...You knew that was Huai Xu, huh," Zhou Li said weakly.

"Mhm!"

"And you still laughed at me..."

"Mhm!"

"Sigh..."

"How did you figure it out, Brother Nan?" Huai Xu hopped over, no longer pretending.

"Just guessed."

"Are you coming to the next class?" Zhou Li asked.

"Not anymore," Huai Xu shook his head, pointing elsewhere. "I don't think yours is as fun as that one over there. I'll go there next time."

Zhou Li followed where he was pointing, to another corner of the track field where class was still in session. He heard thumping, rhythmic music and saw a tall female instructor teaching a group of female students aerobics, while two male students—whether by misstep or intention—stood by looking clueless.

He pursed his lips. "That's better."

Anyway, he did not want to deal with this troublemaker anymore.

Two humans and a demon walked side by side off the track field, discussing what to eat that evening, when suddenly two club members appeared in front of them.

"Hello, Club President!"

"Hello, both Vice Presidents!"

"Mhm! Hello!" Brother Nan greeted them first. "You guys also have PE class, huh?"

"I had PE today, but we finished early, didn't last as long as yours," Xiao Hua lifted her book. "Senior Brother Su came over and joined me. Sitting in the stadium, basking in the sun and reading a book is quite nice. The books no longer smell musty."

"Quite the studious one."

"Hehe... Where are you heading next?"

"To eat, want to join us?"

"Haha, I was just about to suggest that. I was wondering where to eat," Xiao Hua glanced at Su Jue. "This guy's been studying for a year now and still has no idea."

"Let's go, let's go!"

"Haha, Senior Brother Zhou doing Tai Chi was so funny..."

"He's an idiot!"

The group suddenly grew larger as they headed towards the school gate, chatting and laughing along the way.

Only Zhou Li felt slightly awkward. He noticed Xiao Hua occasionally glancing at him, and it wasn't hard to guess that his image in their minds was shattered—before, at least, he must have seemed pretty impressive, with something of a 'world's greatest swordsman' vibe.

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