53: Chapter 53 Exclusive Virtual Storage

Li Wen closed "Advanced Grammar of Galactic Common Language," his fingertips unconsciously tracing the spine of the book as he mentally calculated his gains.

An efficient morning of studying brought another 36 experience points into his account.

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 18]

[Realm: Unranked (Level 7.1)]

[Occupation: Scholar Lv6 (180 → 216 / 3200)]

[Skill: Blade Technique - Top Tier (Major Achievement 6 / 100)]

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method (Major Achievement 99 / 100)]

Looking at the Cultivation Technique experience about to be maxed out and the steadily rising Scholar Rank on his status panel, Li Wen was filled with anticipation.

Especially the 99/100 for the Major Achievement in the "Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method."

After yesterday's battle, he faintly sensed the signs of a Breakthrough; he was just one step away from the finish line.

He quickly ate a high-energy lunch at the Flying Star Class cafeteria exclusive to Hongyi Building.

Li Wen tightly gripped the cold metal key in his pocket—the key to the independent training room distributed by Fang Chengwu this morning.

He couldn't wait any longer.

The independent training room was located at the very end of the top-floor corridor of Hongyi Building.

Pushing open the heavy soundproof door, a spacious and bright area came into view.

The interior layout was simple yet efficient.

In the center was a vast practice area far exceeding the size of a normal martial arts classroom. The floor, polished like a mirror, could maximize assistance for footwork movement.

The walls were covered with a special alloy, robust enough to withstand high-intensity Qi impact.

On one side was a huge viewing window covering the entire wall. Outside, the window faced the lush green landscape trees of the school's central square, providing ample light without being glaring.

On the other side, several weapon racks were arranged, holding not only standard sabers and swords but also several refined weapons emitting a cold light for selection.

What attracted Li Wen's gaze the most was undoubtedly the elliptical, streamlined device placed against the wall—the virtual pod.

It was matte silver-gray all over, and the hatch was made of translucent high-strength polymer. When opened, one could see the ergonomic recliner inside, surrounded by dense sensor nodes.

Compared to the cheap knockoffs outside that could only connect to the public entertainment network, this machine exuded a sense of technology and substance.

Li Wen stepped forward and gently stroked the cool hull, feeling the surging energy contained within. This was clearly a dedicated terminal directly connected to the school's core education network.

Without hesitation, Li Wen lay down in the virtual pod; the touch was comfortable and steady.

He pressed the activation button on the side, and a soft blue light lit up from the inner wall. The sensor nodes emitted a faint magnetic force, conforming to his body.

Amidst a slight humming sound, his consciousness seemed to be instantly extracted.

The next moment, Li Wen opened his eyes and found himself in a pure white initial space.

Two light gates floated before him:

The First Gate: Public Virtual World.

The light gate was colorful, surging with information streams, marking countless options like entertainment, social networking, and virtual tourism.

The Second Gate: Education Private Network.

The light gate displayed a deep blue color, with sharp silver threads flowing along its edges. A crest of crossed swords appeared on the door panel. A stern Battle Intent vaguely emanated from within.

The choice was obvious. Li Wen extended his finger and steadily tapped the blue light gate.

"Ding!" Identity verification passed, and the light gate instantly sucked him in.

The scene shifted, and Li Wen found himself standing in a pure white and simple hall.

An operation interface emitting soft white light hovered in front of him, listing several options:

[Lone Peak Sword Trial] (1v1 Arena Mode):

Allows setting the number and strength Rank of opponents. Opponent strength can range from entry-level to Perfection, or even custom.

Can choose sequential challenges, meaning the opponent's strength increases pressure step-by-step from weak to strong, or directly challenge a single powerful enemy.

Environment selectable: Standard Arena, Complex Terrain Arena.

Core Value: Focus on honing and achieving Breakthroughs in one-on-one combat, specifically training particular techniques, and breaking through Bottlenecks.

[Battlefield Edge Forging] (Melee Mode):

Randomly generates terrain (ruins, rainforest, mountains, urban area).

Deploys a set number and ratio of virtual enemies (Black, White, Red, Yellow, Green, Cyan clothing corresponding to different strength tiers).

Selectable enemy attack patterns (random, active hunting).

Score-based / Survival time modes selectable.

Core Value: Tempering real combat adaptability, crisis perception, and multi-target response capabilities; seeking optimal tactics amid chaos, simulating real combat encounters.

[Desperate Survival] (Survival Mode):

Enter preset extremely complex or harsh environments (e.g., blizzard canyon, poisonous swamp, magnetic storm ruins).

Set one or more "Hunters" significantly stronger than oneself.

No explicit victory condition; measured by survival time. The environment itself also contains fatal threats.

Core Value: Pushing potential to the extreme, enhancing survival ability, willpower, endurance, and the capacity to find life under extremely unfavorable conditions.

[Mirror Battle] (Custom Mirror Mode):

Can upload/scan one's own combat data to generate a "Mirror" of similar strength.

Alternatively, can set up a clone possessing all of one's own abilities (or specific abilities) but with a different combat style.

Core Value: Directly confronting one's own strengths and weaknesses, reflecting on the rationality of Moves, and breaking free from conventional thinking.

Li Wen quickly scanned the four options. He first eliminated [Mirror Battle]; he currently needed pressure from different styles of external challenges.

As for [Desperate Survival], it required an extremely strong Physical Body and life-saving skills. He probably wouldn't last long in his current state; the cost-effectiveness was low.

Although [Battlefield Edge Forging] was excellent for training in melees, his primary goal today was—to break through the final Bottleneck of the Major Achievement to Perfection for the "Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method"!

The 99/100 experience point prompt indicated he was only one step away.

After yesterday's fight, he had grasped something implicitly.

The key to Breakthrough lay in pressure!

In the surging Qi and blood and the concentration of will during life-and-death combat against sufficiently strong enemies.

And the most direct way to create this high-pressure environment was through one-on-one extreme confrontation.

"[Lone Peak Sword Trial]! Directly challenge an opponent at Perfection level of Top-tier Blade Technique!"

Li Wen decisively chose this, setting it to "Single Challenge" mode and selecting the "Complex Terrain" arena—the ruins of an ancient gladiatorial arena covered with broken stone pillars and rubble.

"Come on, let me see if the pressure at the edge of life and death can force open this last bit of stagnation!"

The scene loaded instantly.

Li Wen stood in the center of the dilapidated square, holding a standard long saber whose weight and feel were almost exactly the same as the one he practiced with in reality.

A blue light condensed into shape dozens of meters opposite him—a virtual figure clad in dark blue combat attire, wielding a narrow battle saber.

The aura emanating from him was deep and sharp; he was clearly an existence at the Perfection level of Top-tier Blade Technique.

"Swish!" Without unnecessary words, the blue figure suddenly vanished, leaving only an afterimage behind.

The speed was ghostly fast!!