30: Chapter 30 Battle Against the Green-Clad (Part 2)

On the virtual arena, the Green-Clothed Man moved!

Faster speed than before, stronger momentum!

That long staff seemed to possess a life of its own in his hands; no longer a simple stick, it transformed into a forest of staff shadows that blotted out the sky. With the absolute suppression of a Top Tier technique at Minor Achievement, it crashed down toward Li Wen like a tidal wave.

Buzz— Under the state of Lv3 [Absolute Focus], the sense of time was stretched and distorted.

Li Wen's brain operated at overclocked speeds, cold analysis replacing all stray thoughts.

The entire world became incomparably clear in his perception.

The instantaneous burst of the Green-Clothed Man's muscle fibers, the slight trajectory deviation as the long staff pierced the air, the fleeting weak points smaller than a needle tip beneath the shroud of staff shadows...

All information flooded into his mind like a cold torrent, instantly processed, deduced, and planned by his brain.

Every movement underwent high-speed simulation and optimization in his mind, his body like a precision instrument tuned to its Peak.

His Rainbow Light Saber Technique Moves were no longer followed step-by-step; instead, supported by the powerful computing power of [Absolute Focus], they were broken down and reorganized into the simplest and most efficient responses.

There were no redundant flourishes, only blocking, dodging, and parrying those overwhelming staff shadows with the smallest movements and the shortest paths.

Clang! Clang! Bang!

The blade light flashed like a sudden rainbow, flickering tenaciously within the torrent of staff shadows.

Li Wen's figure was like a small boat in a raging sea, seemingly on the verge of capsizing at any moment, yet time and again finding a sliver of life in desperate situations from unbelievable angles, barely avoiding vital points.

With every block, a massive counter-force traveled up his arm, causing sharp pain in the web of his thumb and forefinger, making him almost unable to hold the hilt.

Disadvantage—a disadvantage in every aspect.

Every attack from the Green-Clothed Man made his blood surge, and his Intent was repeatedly disrupted and reorganized.

But he stubbornly held on against this storm-like assault, relying on the extraordinary reflexes and bodily control granted by [Absolute Focus], as well as the obsession in his heart to never fall.

—The outside plaza.

The entire plaza was deathly silent, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

The gazes of all the students were firmly glued to the central giant screen, which had suddenly enlarged to clearly show Li Wen's fierce battle against the Green-Clothed Man, as if drawn by an invisible magnet.

Every face was filled with unbelievable shock and horror.

"This... how is this possible?!" Wang Ruiming's eyes bulged like copper bells, his voice changing pitch.

"He... he blocked it?! Li Wen blocked the Green-Clothed Man at Top Tier Minor Achievement?!" Deng Yuefei swallowed hard, feeling his worldview collapsing.

Having just fought the Yellow-Clad Person at Top Tier Entry Level with his Advanced Perfection Blade Technique, he knew the massive chasm between Realms that seemed like a small step but was actually a natural moat.

With physical bodies of the same Rank, a small gap in technique Realm usually meant complete suppression.

The opponent could use higher-order power techniques, more exquisite variations, and control to easily leave you with no power to fight back, just as he had been easily suppressed by the Yellow-Clad Person earlier.

But this scene, which could be called a "miracle," overturned all perceptions.

A scenario that should have been an instant kill had turned into a fierce, spark-flying struggle.

"What level of combat awareness is this?" a top liberal arts student murmured, their voice trembling.

"This kind of resisting the strong with weakness... I've only heard of it from veterans on the news who have experienced many life-and-death battles on the front lines. And he's just a high school student..."

"A monster! Li Wen is truly a monster!" someone blurted out. These words echoed the thoughts of the vast majority of people present.

Faced with an absolute Realm difference, Li Wen displayed combat instincts and resilience that far exceeded those of a high school student, or even an ordinary Martial Artist. This could no longer be summarized by the simple word "Genius."

—Principal's Office of Qingshi No. 3 Middle School.

The real-time footage on the wall was exactly the scene of Li Wen struggling to hold on within the Green-Clothed Man's storm of staff shadows.

"Good lad!" Wang Hu's breathing quickened as he watched, his palms unconsciously clenching into fists at his sides, the smile on his face practically overflowing.

"Principal Huang, look! I was right, wasn't I?! He held on! He held on against the assault of a Top Tier Minor Achievement! This resilience, this combat talent!"

The half-gray-haired old principal, Huang Yuanting, stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sharp as a hawk's as he stared at the screen. A strange light flashed in the depths of his cloudy old eyes.

He nodded slowly. "Indeed... it is unexpected. To be able to hold on to this extent against the Green-Clothed Man with only a Top Tier Entry Level Blade Technique, and to exert his skills so thoroughly... this Heart-Nature, this ability to adapt on the fly, has already far surpassed ordinary students."

His tone carried undisguised praise. As the principal of the school, seeing a student perform so stunningly was undoubtedly a huge surprise.

The joy on Wang Hu's face deepened as he struck while the iron was hot. "Then, Principal Huang, regarding what I mentioned before... what do you think? If a talent like this is discovered and snatched away by other forces beforehand, it would be a huge loss for us!"

Huang Yuanting stroked his graying beard, but the praise on his face slowly receded, replaced by a mature and steady gravity.

He fell silent for a few seconds before finally shaking his head, his tone returning to its previous steadiness.

"His performance is indeed stunning, top-tier among students. But, Wang Hu..."

He turned around and looked at Wang Hu with piercing eyes.

"The criteria for determining an 'Awakened' are far-reaching and definitely cannot be decided merely by observing the speed of skill improvement and combat performance during the student phase."

"If we report him rashly, defining him as a suspected Awakened to the The Four Great Factions or the military, and he subsequently performs mediocrely when breaking through to the Unity Realm, or even gets stuck at a certain Realm for a long time..."

Huang Yuanting'seyes became deep and serious.

"The responsibility of 'ineffective recommendation' or 'errors in judgment' is a minor matter. More importantly, it would displease the higher-ups and dampen their spirits, making them think that our Qingshi No. 3 Middle School is rash and impetuous, lacking professional judgment. This would be by no means good for the school's reputation or our futures."

He pointed at Li Wen, who was still fighting tenaciously on the screen.

"History is not lacking in examples of youths who were stunning but wasted away their years at the Unity Realm. The safest and most widely recognized standard is still to see if he can cross the natural moat of the Unity Realm, and his state when he does so."

"The signing standards of the The Four Great Factions are also based on this—no matter how Heaven-Defying the performance before the Unity Realm, as long as one has not reached Unity, they basically won't consider placing heavy bets in advance."

"But Principal Huang! If we miss this chance, it might never come again!" Wang Hu said urgently, the smile on his face replaced by anxiety.

"Wait a bit longer, and see his performance in the Flying Star Class selection." Huang Yuanting raised his hand to stop Wang Hu's argument, his attitude firm.

"A boy like Li Wen, the school will naturally focus on nurturing him. Regarding his family's difficulties..." He paused and looked at Wang Hu. "How are you handling the matter of the scholarship?"