48: Chapter 48: Perfection of Sword Skills

"It seems I'll have to wait for the Scholar level up."

He recalled the sensations from the last time his mental state improved, as well as the direct impact the Scholar profession had on his 'Comprehension Ability'—or rather, the comprehensive improvement in his thinking, understanding, and control.

The 50% Comprehension Ability provided by Level 5 [Absolute Focus] had reached its limit and couldn't help him Breakthrough in a short amount of time.

Of course, he could succeed if he endured for a while.

However, to quickly break through this Blade Technique Bottleneck and reach Major Achievement, his Scholar Rank had to leap forward first; otherwise, this Bottleneck might keep him stuck for a long time.

As for the Cultivation Technique Bottleneck?

Compared to the crucial Blade Technique Bottleneck that determined his future ceiling, Li Wen wasn't in a hurry; he only needed an opportunity for a natural Breakthrough.

Li Wen's focus was undoubtedly on the Blade Technique Breakthrough.

Various thoughts drifted through his mind as Li Wen turned off the alarm clock just before it was about to ring.

He got out of bed, washed up, ate breakfast, and finally headed to school.

Qingshi No. 3 Middle School.

On the first day of the new semester, an unusual tension and fervor permeated the entire Grade 12, with discussions heard everywhere.

The massive announcement posted at the entrance of the Grade 12 teaching building had already highlighted the theme: The Flying Star Class selection has officially begun!

The Flying Star Class was the gathering place for the elites of the entire Grade 12 at Qingshi No. 3 Middle School, a springboard to top-tier martial arts universities.

With only sixty spots, the competition was far more intense than the final exams.

What was taking place today was the first stage of selection: The Academic Assessment.

Everyone who had submitted an application at the end of the last semester was now arranged in a massive classroom.

Li Wen was, unsurprisingly, among them.

After six hours of focused study every day throughout the winter break, Li Wen's foundation in various subjects was no longer what it used to be.

Especially the galactic common tongue, which used to drag him down, had made significant progress under his focused efforts.

Inside the spacious and bright examination hall, the test papers were distributed.

As was his custom, Li Wen first completed the simple questions on the paper, leaving the difficult ones for the end.

Time flew by to the sound of rustling pens.

Whistle!!! "Fifteen minutes remaining for this exam."

When the warning whistle blew, Li Wen took a deep breath, and with a slight stir of his will:

"Activate—[Absolute Focus]!"

Level 5 Absolute Focus descended instantly.

The world went quiet, and the test paper before him seemed to be infinitely zoomed in and dissected.

Words turned into clear logical chains, formulas became like flowing streams, and all distractions were eliminated.

Li Wen's pen flew across the page, his handwriting bold and powerful. His mind operated like a high-speed precision computer, processing every question with the 50% Comprehension Ability boost from [Absolute Focus].

He was no longer passively responding; he was more like actively dismantling and mastering the threads of knowledge.

The feeling of writing as if guided by a god was even stronger and clearer than during the finals.

Perhaps because Li Wen's foundation had improved, this time it took less than fifteen minutes to complete all the remaining difficult problems.

Adhering to the principle of not wasting Mental Energy, he deactivated [Absolute Focus] early.

The same went for the following five subjects.

At 5:00 PM, the final subject's exam finally ended.

Everyone stood up and left the classroom.

"This damn exam was harder than last year's finals; there were so many I couldn't answer."

"I really hope my academic score doesn't drag me down in the end."

Deng Yuefei walked away with Xue Jun, looking miserable and complaining about how unreasonable the test paper was.

"Academic scores only account for 20%, what the hell are you worried about?" Compared to Deng Yuefei, Xue Jun looked indifferent.

Having always been ranked in the top thirty of the entire grade for skills, he was indeed qualified to say that.

Smiling and shaking his head, Li Wen left the classroom with confidence.

He still had to continue to Cultivate the Basic Method in the evening, and since he was out of qi and blood potions, Li Wen didn't go home this time.

After having a high-energy dinner in the cafeteria, he arrived at the martial arts classroom of Grade 12, Class 21, which he hadn't seen for a month.

Familiar classroom, familiar people.

Influenced by the results of the skill assessment at the end of the last term, Li Wen was no longer the invisible person he once was.

As soon as he stepped into the martial arts classroom, many people took the initiative to greet him.

Li Wen responded to each one with a smile.

Having just finished his high-energy dinner, he planned to sit and rest for a while.

He walked to his usual spot and reclined on the long bench.

Occasionally, he would chime in, joking and chatting with the crowd.

Ten minutes passed in a flash.

Feeling that the food in his body was mostly digested and would no longer affect his Cultivation, Li Wen stood up.

Just as he reached for a standard fast saber from the weapon rack, he felt a dozen messages pop up on his panel:

[You completed a Language exam with excellent results, scholar experience +60]

[You completed a Mathematics exam with excellent results, scholar experience +60]

[You completed a Foreign Language exam with excellent results, scholar experience +60]

[You completed a History exam with excellent results, scholar experience +60]

[You completed a Politics exam with excellent results, scholar experience +60]

[You completed a Geography exam with excellent results, scholar experience +60]

[You achieved first place in this selection exam, scholar experience +140]

[Profession: Scholar Lv5 (1280→1780/1600)]

[Profession leveling up...]

[Profession: Scholar Lv6 (180/3200)]

Level up!

Almost the instant the level-up was complete, Li Wen felt a more vigorous and agile warm current surge from deep within his brow throughout his entire body.

His brain felt as if it had been washed by clear spring water; his thinking speed, depth of understanding, and mental capacity all leaped to a new level.

The Level 6 Mental Energy brought about changes more significant than any previous level-up.

"Now is the time!" Li Wen didn't hesitate for a moment.

Drawing the standard fast saber that had accompanied him for so long, his figure blurred as he moved to an empty, open area.

"Activate—[Absolute Focus]!"

The instantaneous focus of Level 6 [Absolute Focus] far surpassed Level 5.

Under the 60% Comprehension Ability boost.

As Li Wen gripped the hilt, the various essences of the Rainbow Light Saber Technique seemed to come alive.

The subtle sluggishness that had troubled him before, the last bit of uncoordination in his power exertion, and that thin membrane in the circulation of his Qi and blood.

Under this brand-new, highly concentrated light of thought, they were as fragile as thin ice.

The blade cut through the air silently!

There were no flashy visual or sound effects, only a sharpness that had suddenly condensed to the extreme.

Buzz!

A matchless, sharp aura emanated from the blade; it was no longer the sharpness of a Minor Achievement, but a cold intensity that truly touched upon a Major Achievement.

The panel information flickered simultaneously:

[You broke through the Blade Technique Bottleneck, skill advanced!]

[Skill: Blade Technique - Top Tier (Major Achievement 1/100)]

It's done!

Blade Technique - Top Tier, Major Achievement Realm!

From the moment Li Wen activated [Absolute Focus] to the point his Blade Technique broke through to Top Tier Major Achievement.

It only took a mere three minutes.

The others in the martial arts classroom had only just noticed something unusual; as they were about to turn their heads to look, Li Wen had already sheathed the standard fast saber.

The Comprehension Ability increase from Level 6 [Absolute Focus] was only 10% more than Level 5.

But the final result was far more than that.

Without enough Comprehension Ability, a Bottleneck is like the moon reflected in water—visible but unreachable.

A 60% Comprehension Ability boost was truly terrifying.

No wonder some Geniuses Cultivate without any Bottlenecks.

Additionally, for Level 6 Absolute Focus, the minimum activation time had dropped from five minutes to three minutes.