24: Chapter 24 Huang Hao

When the hundreds of screens were reduced to just a few dozen, no close-ups were needed; every remaining window was magnified enough for the students in the back rows to clearly see every detail of the combatants' movements.

Those who managed to persist until this point had at least reached the Realm of Major Achievement in Advanced Techniques.

Everyone's gaze was once again firmly locked onto one of the screens.

In the image, a burly young man with a resolute face held two heavy metal battle-axes.

His opponent was none other than a virtual human clad in a yellow robe, representing a skill level that had reached Perfection in Advanced Techniques.

However, the battle was overwhelmingly one-sided, dominated by this young man—the universally recognized number one in skill among the third-year students—Huang Hao.

"Roar--!" A roar, though muted by the System, seemed capable of shaking the audience's very souls, emanating from the screen.

Huang Hao spun his twin axes like a windmill, the massive axe blades feeling weightless in his hands, slicing through the air with terrifying "hissing" explosions.

The seemingly clumsy great axes achieved absolute suppression in both speed and power, instantly unleashing a sky full of overlapping axe shadows that stirred the air above the entire arena into a frenzy.

The wooden staff in the yellow-robed virtual human's hands was tossed about helplessly under the furious assault, like a tiny skiff in a raging tempest, struggling just to hold on and completely unable to lift its head.

"Holy crap! So fierce! Too fierce! As expected of Huang Hao, the top rank in the grade is well-deserved!" Gasps of cold air and sincere admiration rose from the surroundings.

The classmates from Class 21 watched, mesmerized, shaken by that absolute sense of power.

Li Wen's gaze was equally sharp, tightly tracking every single axe shadow. The blood of a Martial Artist within him seemed to faintly resonate.

He quickly assessed: "If I fought Huang Hao head-on right now... I couldn't last ten rounds! The gap is too vast..."

A heavy sense of pressure settled upon his heart.

A small county's Third Middle School was full of hidden talents! To reach the Realm of Top Tier Major Achievement, he still had a long and arduous road ahead of him.

...Time flew by amidst the intense battles.

The vast majority of the first batch of students participating in the assessment had already settled their victories and defeats and were eliminated.

On the massive screen, only a sparse three screens were still shining.

The eyes of the entire plaza were focused here.

These three individuals represented the current Peak of skill among the third-year students:

Huang Hao: Grade Number One, Skill Realm—Top Tier Major Achievement.

Xue Jun: Class 21 Number One, Skill Realm—Over halfway through Top Tier Minor Achievement.

Leng Qingqiu: A female expert ranked in the top ten of the grade, whose Sword Technique Realm was also formidable.

At this moment, the virtual opponents before the three of them had completely refreshed.

A uniform green robe represented a skill level that had reached Top Tier Minor Achievement.

This was a height of Realm that was enough to make most third-year students despair.

"Swish--!" The moment the green-clothed virtual human refreshed, there was no hesitation whatsoever.

No words, no probing, and certainly no mercy.

As an entity akin to a killing machine, it directly unleashed the full might of its Top Tier Minor Achievement Staff Technique.

The staff is the foundation of all weapons and an amplifier of power. Instantly, three green shadows moved almost synchronously.

Ordinary waist-high wooden staffs transformed in their hands into terrifying screens of shadow tearing through the air.

The sky full of staff shadows, carrying sharp whistling sounds, were like countless venomous Dragons, precisely and ruthlessly sealing off all vital points on Huang Hao, Xue Jun, and Leng Qingqiu's bodies, leaving no room for retreat.

This was a genuine fight to the death.

"Hmph! Petty tricks!" Xue Jun's cold snort was clearly transmitted through the screen.

Facing an offensive capable of instantly routing ordinary Minor Achievement practitioners, the light in his eyes flared, and the silver spear in his hand was no longer held back.

"Buzz--" The spear shaft vibrated; a single point of cold light arrived first, followed by the spear shooting out like a Dragon.

There were no flashy Moves, only a piercing thrust at the extreme of speed, accurately penetrating the layers of staff shadows to strike directly at the green-clothed figure's core.

The essence of the Top Tier Minor Achievement Spear Technique was displayed by him without reservation! Unlike Xue Jun's exquisite piercing, Huang Hao in the other image displayed absolute violent aesthetics.

"Break for me--!" Huang Hao's roar seemed capable of shattering the virtual space.

He took a step forward; the invisible arena beneath his feet seemed to tremble because of it. His twin axes were raised high, no longer involving the rotation of technique, but embodying the domineering will of Cleaving Mount Hua.

The heavy axe blades were no longer light, spinning windmills, but two collapsing mountains.

He poured his terrifying strength, far surpassing that of his peers, into his Top Tier Major Achievement level axe technique comprehension, fiercely cleaving toward the core of the staff shadows filling the sky.

One strength overcomes ten skills! The seemingly impenetrable staff shadows faintly showed signs of being torn open by the absolute storm of power.

...A few more minutes passed, and the intense battle scenes on the large plaza screens extinguished one after another.

Among the three remaining combatants, only Huang Hao, with his Top Tier Axe Technique Major Achievement, was still struggling to hold on.

His opponent had upgraded from the green-clothed virtual human to an entity clad in blue, equivalent to the Perfection Realm of Top Tier Staff Technique.

The situation had completely reversed.

It was no longer Huang Hao wielding his twin axes with soaring Aura to suppress his opponent; instead, the blue virtual human transformed into a furious hurricane of staff shadows.

The long staff flew around, its force heavy and imposing, its angles tricky. Every Move and stance contained the completeness and might of the Perfection Realm, brutally cutting and tearing apart Huang Hao's continuous axe offensive, forcing him to retreat repeatedly with no ability to counterattack.

"Hah!" Huang Hao roared, attempting to counterattack, his twin axes slicing toward the gaps in the staff shadows with a sound of breaking air.

But the blue-clothed virtual human's footwork was exquisite, and its long staff moved as if alive, sometimes sweeping, sometimes smashing, sometimes pointing, always striking Huang Hao's weakest points just after his own Moves, forcing him into a frantic state.

The control over power and the application of Moves in the Perfection Realm were displayed vividly, creating an absolute suppression over the Major Achievement Realm.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Successive staff shadows rained down like raindrops onto Huang Hao's axe faces, shoulder blades, and arms, causing his Qi and blood to surge, and his arms to go numb.

Every block consumed immense strength, yet the blue virtual human's offensive was like an incessant tide, growing faster and heavier.

Finally, in a brief moment of deadlock--

"Hoo--" A sharp whistling sound pierced everyone's eardrums instantly.

A blue staff shadow, moving too fast to be captured by vision, instantly pierced through the lingering remnants of the axe shadows that had yet to dissipate, striking with pinpoint accuracy directly at Huang Hao's vulnerable throat.

"Uh..." Huang Hao's body stiffened abruptly, and all his movements ceased.

He looked down in disbelief at the tip of the staff resting on his throat, then looked up at the expressionless blue figure opposite him.

His consciousness blurred, and his body began to gradually turn into wisps of white light, dissipating in the virtual arena space.

Until he completely vanished, his face remained frozen with intense unwillingness and defeat.