31: End of Chapter 31

Wang Hu suppressed the unwillingness and regret in his heart, understanding that Principal Huang's mind was made up. He could only sigh slightly and change the subject:

"The procedures are simple; I've already prepared the application forms. According to school regulations, the first-class scholarship can only be decided after the final exam results are announced. The process is complex, and the quotas are fixed. With the semester almost over, applying for the first-class scholarship might be too late, and no exceptions can be made."

"No matter," Huang Yuanting's gaze returned to the screen, his eyes softening slightly:

"I'm specially approving him for a second-class school-level scholarship this semester, with an amount of 10,000 yuan. This money can solve his immediate urgent needs and should be enough to buy some basic qi and blood potions. You should notify him to process it as soon as your assessment is over."

"Yes! Thank you, Principal Huang!" Wang Hu felt a sense of relief. Being able to secure this money for Li Wen meant his efforts for the student were not in vain.

...

Virtual Arena.

Li Wen was completely unaware of the outside world's happenings.

At this moment, Li Wen's five senses were pushed to their limit by Absolute Focus.

He blocked out all external interference, even his perception of the passage of time.

The arena was his Universe, and the Green-Clothed Man was his only enemy.

His world was left with only cold calculation, extreme evasion, and precise mobilization of every muscle fiber in his Physical Body—how to exert force to dissipate more of the staff's power? How to strike with his blade to parry a fraction of a second faster? How to twist his body at impossible angles?

Blade light and staff shadows moved as fast as an interwoven storm of light and shadow.

The arena floor was covered in fine cracks from the scattered force.

Breathing became a painful burning sensation, every block made his bones groan under the unbearable strain, his internal organs were almost dislocated by the vibrations, his tiger's mouth had long since split open, and blood stained the hilt of his saber.

But the flame in his eyes burned even more fiercely!

One minute of stalemate felt as long as a century!

Under the extreme pressure of Absolute Focus, Li Wen almost touched a deeper level of Blade Technique. Many previously awkward points of the Rainbow Light Saber Technique seemed to suddenly become clear.

However, human power has its limits.

The chasm in Realm, after all, could not be easily bridged by talent and will alone.

After dozens of consecutive high-intensity offense-defense transitions, the fatigue in his Physical Body finally exceeded the limit of Absolute Focus's optimized coordination.

A tiny deviation in deflecting force was keenly captured by the Green-Clothed Man!

A surge of hidden force, like a bursting flood, violently crashed into Li Wen's saber from the tip of the staff.

Clang!

With a massive force, Li Wen's tiger's mouth completely split open, his standard quick saber nearly flew out of his hand, and his entire body's balance was instantly broken!

In a flash, his old strength was exhausted, and new strength had not yet emerged, creating a one-ten-thousandth of a second delay in his body!

Enough! A faint light flashed in the Green-Clothed Man's eyes, and the long staff in his hand shot out like a poisonous Dragon emerging from its lair—fast, ruthless, and precise!

In an instant, it transformed into a deadly straight line, carrying the power and speed of Top Tier Minor Achievement, ignoring Li Wen's final futile parrying motion.

Pfft! The cold tip of the staff precisely pierced Li Wen's throat! Intense pain briefly drowned his consciousness, and a white light of death instantly engulfed his vision.

Everything returned to nothingness.

—Reality. Virtual Room Three.

"Ugh... Hah—!" Inside the virtual pod, Li Wen suddenly opened his eyes, his chest heaving violently, like a drowning person regaining air.

The intense sensation of suffocation and the shadow of virtual death made his heart pound relentlessly. A phantom pain of being pierced still seemed to linger in his throat.

"Hiss..." The immense backlash from forcibly deactivating Absolute Focus immediately followed.

As if his Soul had been instantly stripped of its supporting framework, an indescribable sense of weakness and a strong mental tearing sensation surged over him, more violently than any previous time.

A needle-like stinging pain in his mind made him groan, his vision periodically darkened, and his body felt hollowed out, limp and unable to exert any strength. Even the action of lifting his hand to remove his helmet felt incredibly heavy.

But accompanying this pain was an unprecedented sense of fulfillment and... surprise!

Battle! A real, all-out, life-and-death struggle of the weak against the strong! The gains were immense!

He panted, resisting the immense weakness and pain, while forcefully removing his helmet and the metal sensor clips from his hands and feet. The action of sitting up was somewhat shaky.

"...My Rank should be secure," he recalled the statistics he saw before exiting the virtual world.

Among the second batch of examinees, only five remained still challenging.

This meant that, with the generally higher scores of the first batch of examinees, his "Martial Dao Skill Score" in this batch was firmly in the top six.

Adding the six people from the first batch who successfully defeated the Yellow-Clad Person, the total number of people ahead of him was only eleven.

There were still two batches of students to come. Normally, the average number of top experts that could emerge from each batch would not exceed five. There was great hope for his final overall Rank to enter the top thirty!

"Hoo..." Thinking of this, Li Wen let out a heavy breath. Although his body and mind were in an extremely poor state, an irrepressible smile still appeared on his pale and sweaty face.

In just over ten days of desperate hard training, he had leaped from the bottom of his class during the mid-term assessment to the top school-level tier, entering the top thirty!

The speed of this progress could only be described as astonishing!

"The goal of being in the top ten of the class for the mid-term has been achieved." The achievement of this short-term goal meant he could receive a considerable "Fastest Progress Award" and "Top Ten Class Award," enough to exchange for three level 1 qi and blood potions!

"Next... Flying Star Class!" He clenched his fists, his eyes becoming firm again.

His Physical Body Rank was his weakness, but with resources and a goal, he was confident he could push it up during the holidays!

As thoughts flickered, Li Wen endured the immense fatigue and waves of nausea, struggled to his feet, and pushed open the heavy door of the virtual pod.

Outside air rushed in, bringing with it the clamor of human voices.

Just as he stepped out of the virtual room's door, as if activated by his thoughts:

[Ding!]

The familiar and friendly semi-transparent virtual panel automatically unfolded before his eyes.

The information prompt refreshed accordingly:

[You engaged in a thrilling, extreme cross-Rank battle. Your comprehension of the Rainbow Light Saber Technique has deepened significantly. Blade Technique Experience +20]

[Skill: Blade Technique - Advanced (Perfection), Blade Technique - Top Tier (Beginner 4→24/100)]

"24 points!" Li Wen's pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart was instantly filled with immense joy, almost washing away his extreme physical discomfort!

"One battle, directly increased experience by 20 points! This effect..."

But he quickly calmed down, his joy turning into contemplation. It shouldn't be that simple.

He knew how difficult it was to improve. If just any high-intensity virtual battle could gain so much experience, then Unity Realm powerhouses would be everywhere.

The reality was that most Martial Artists were stuck in the Martial Artist Realm their entire lives, unable to reach the threshold of a Super Martial Artist.

...

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