86: Chapter 86 Scholar Level 8 (Have a great weekend, 20,000 words today!)

Chapter 86: Scholar Lv8 (Happy Weekend, two thousand words updated today)

March 24th.

The breath of spring had permeated every corner of Qingshi County.

For Li Wen, this was still a day where every second counted.

Shortly after six in the morning, he sat precisely in the Flying Star Class classroom, highly focused, immersing himself in the vast ocean of cultural knowledge.

The passive ability "One Proof, Eternal Proof" granted by the [Scholar] job panel made every understood knowledge point clear and systematically organized.

Six hours of diligent study passed in a flash, and the panel refreshed on schedule:

[You studied diligently for six hours, scholar experience +36]

[Job: Scholar Iv7 (308 → 344 / 6400)]

Glancing at the experience progress bar that crawled like a snail, Li Wen felt no impatience whatsoever.

He knew deeply that every Breakthrough the Scholar achieved brought about a comprehensive transformation.

After lunch, he walked resolutely to the top floor of Hongyi Building.

Towards the independent martial arts room belonging to him—the fortress where he would assault the supreme hall of Blade Technique.

In the spacious and bright martial arts room, only the clear, crisp sound of the saber echoed.

Li Wen held the standard fast saber, practicing the Flowing Rainbow Five Forms - Rushing Shadow Form over and over without distraction.

He did not activate Absolute Focus; each strike relied only on his profound skill, near-microscopic control over his Physical Body, and his preliminary comprehension of the "ultimate speed" Profound Truth of this Form.

He continuously replayed the "cut line" demonstrated by the Virtual Mentor in his mind, experiencing how Qi and Blood, muscles, bones, and even will resonated with the saber under extreme speed.

Sweat soaked his training uniform, leaving countless footprints of varying depths and subtle saber marks on the alloy floor, mapping the trajectory of his near-limit exertion.

From stumbling and stagnation to a continuous trajectory, every tiny improvement condensed the sharpness of his Intent a little further.

Around four in the afternoon, Li Wen stopped moving. Just as he wiped the sweat from his brow, preparing for a short rest.

At that moment, his personal terminal vibrated slightly—the cultural course exam scores for the Provincial First Mock Exam were officially released.

Almost simultaneously, the long-silent job panel, like a giant dragon awakened, suddenly surged with a massive stream of information in his field of vision:

[Your Chinese achieved excellent results in the Provincial First Mock Exam, scholar experience +500]

[Your Mathematics achieved excellent results in the Provincial First Mock Exam, scholar experience +500]

[Your galactic common tongue achieved excellent results in the Provincial First Mock Exam, scholar experience +500]

[Your History achieved excellent results in the Provincial First Mock Exam, scholar experience +500]

[Your Geography achieved excellent results in the Provincial First Mock Exam, scholar experience +500]

[Your Politics achieved excellent results in the Provincial First Mock Exam, scholar experience +500]

[Your overall ranking is within the top ten in the entire province, scholar experience +4000]

[Job: Scholar Iv7 (344 → 7344 / 6400)]

[Job Leveling Up — — — —]

[Job: Scholar Iv8 (944 / 12800)]

The immense accumulated experience value in that instant, like a surging flood, instantly washed away the experience barrier of lv7.

A surge of mighty power, far surpassing any previous time, descended mightily.

"Buzz—!"

Li Wen only felt a violent roar deep in his brain; the entire Sea of Consciousness space trembled violently because of it.

The jade-like Primordial Spirit figure suspended at the core of the Sea of Consciousness seemed to be infused with boundless spiritual essence.

Its originally clear but slightly ethereal body rapidly solidified and grew heavier at a speed visible to the naked eye, light contained within, as if transforming from illusory jade to flawless true jade.

Its height also suddenly increased by nearly half a foot, and a more condensed, more oppressive spiritual pressure naturally radiated outward.

Accompanying the growth of the Primordial Spirit, the entire Sea of Consciousness was also expanding frantically.

The boundaries of the spiritual world were forcibly pushed open; invisible barriers rumbled outward in all directions, becoming vaster, more stable, and deeper.

Mental Energy materialized into crystalline points of light, scattering like stardust across the newly opened territory.

An indescribable sense of clarity and transparency instantly swept through his Soul, as if the entire world had become clearer before his eyes, and his thoughts turned as smooth and unimpeded as the trajectory of the stars.

The transformation of the Sea of Consciousness lasted for more than ten seconds before slowly subsiding.

"Hiss— — — —" Li Wen took a shallow breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and a huge surprise immediately appeared on his face, "I directly jumped from lv7 to lv8. I thought it would take at least several more months of burying my head in books to have a chance— — — I didn't expect the feedback from the top ten ranking in the Provincial First Mock Exam to be this generous."

This unexpected leap greatly boosted his confidence in his goal of breaking into the top three in the province for the next Provincial Second Mock Exam.

The reason was simple and powerful: the core ability of the lv8 [Scholar] job, Absolute Focus, had its amplification effect increased to a terrifying 80% Comprehension Ability boost.

Not only that, under the focused state, his thought speed, information processing ability, and reaction acuity would all receive comprehensive, massive enhancements.

Moreover, after this strengthening, the total amount and intensity of Mental Energy the jade-like Primordial Spirit could bear would inevitably increase significantly. This meant that the duration and tolerance limit for him to use Absolute Focus in the future would also rise accordingly.

Great expectations surged in his heart like a tide.

Li Wen did not hesitate at all and immediately thought, "Activate — — Absolute Focus!"

Buzz! The Absolute Focus of lv8 was fiercely activated!

In an instant, the world changed color, or rather, the world returned to its essence in his eyes.

The countless moments spent practicing the "Lueying Style" in the past—every stutter, every slight disharmony in the flow of energy, every minuscule deviation in the trajectory by a millimeter— — — —

These flaws, which previously required him to ponder repeatedly and spend massive amounts of time to detect, were now presented with unparalleled clarity, as if examining lines on the palm of his hand.

His mind had never been so clear. The accumulated confusion from past Blade Technique practice, the many Profound Truths of martial arts, now became as clear as seeing the sun after the clouds part, aided by the 80% Comprehension boost.

Countless optimization plans, more efficient energy channeling paths, methods of exerting force that better fit his unique characteristics— — — —

Innumerable inspirations surged madly.

He seemed to have entered a state of selfless Epiphany.

The standard fast saber in his hand felt weightless, yet it also seemed like an extension of his own limbs.

Under the perception and control of the powerful Primordial Spiritprototype (nascent form), the Qi and Blood surging within his body obeyed his commands like his arms and fingers. The contraction and expansion of every muscle fiber reached unprecedented coordination and precision.

He began to revise, adjust, and reconstruct again and again based on the inspiration that erupted in an instant— — — — practicing the Lueying Style.

The saber light was no longer simple practice; every slash contained new understanding and Breakthrough. A nearly transparent, pale Intent circulated and condensed at the tip of the blade.

Although not yet perfect, its form was present. The speed was faster each time, and the sharp whistling sound echoed and reverberated in the empty martial arts room.

Time lost its meaning under extreme focus.

He didn't know how long it had been, but only when the familiar, sharp stinging pain arising from excessive consumption deep within his spirit reappeared did Li Wen abruptly stop his saber and halt his movement, as if waking from a great dream.

His entire body was already drenched, as if he had just been pulled out of water. His chest rose and fell rapidly, gasping for breath, veins throbbing slightly on his forehead, and waves of dizziness in his mind.

However, when Li Wen calmed his mind, felt the changes in his body, and checked the skill information on the job panel, all fatigue instantly dispersed by a huge sense of accomplishment.

[Skill: Blade Technique - Unity Realm (Physical Body Control 83% → 95%), Five Luminaries Heavenly Rainbow Art - Flowing Rainbow Five Forms - Rushing Shadow Form (15% → 45%)]

In just over two hours of Peak comprehension training, under the dual divine effects of lv8 Absolute Focus and the surging Primordial Spirit, his Physical Body Control directly soared from 83% to 95%, only a sliver away from one hundred percent control!

And the mastery level of Lueying Style, the ultimate speed move within the Five Stances of Flowing Rainbow, leaped from the initial glimpse of 15% to nearly half at 45%.

This was no longer progress; it was a leap!

He had already achieved nearly half the goal of completely mastering Lueying Style. Provincial Second Mock Exam — — — — Top three in the province — — — —

Li Wen clenched the fast saber in his hand, and a fiercer flame ignited deep within his tired eyes.

This path seemed to hold more hope than he had anticipated.

With numerous thoughts flashing through his mind, Li Wen slowly closed his eyes after drinking a spiritual potion.

Twenty minutes later.

The faint light circulating in the martial arts room subsided, and Li Wen slowly opened his eyes.

The brief rest and the effect of the Mental Energy recovery potion worked together, allowing him to fully recover from the fatigue after high-intensity training.

What pleased him most was the incomparably clear perception in his mind—his control over his body had stepped into a brand new realm.

95% Physical Body Control!

This feeling was extremely profound.

With every movement, every muscle fiber, every circulation of Qi felt as natural and clear as breathing, with almost no lag.

The energy channeling path reached unprecedented efficiency; every exertion of force could be retracted and released as he wished.

He could precisely perceive the trajectory of the power surging through his meridians, and he could also converge it to the finest degree with just a slight change.

This was the powerful Comprehension boost brought by the [Absolute Focus] after the Scholar advanced to lv8, pushing the Foundation previously tempered by the Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method to a near-ultimate state.

Stances and changes in center of gravity that previously required deliberate adjustment now only needed a slight thought, and the body could execute them almost perfectly.

"This state — — it's as if my body has become the most precise and obedient weapon."

Li Wen looked down at his palm; his five fingers flexed and extended in succession, the movement as smooth as mercury pouring onto the ground, with almost no superfluous fluctuation.

The powerful control also brought a surging sense of strength and the eagerness that followed.

He couldn't wait to know what kind of power the Lueying Style, now at 45% mastery, could erupt with in actual combat under this state.

The goal was clear: the Infinite Arena.

He lay down in the virtual pod and chose to enter the Xinhuo World.

Buzz! After the familiar sensation of teleportation, Li Wen's figure appeared on a rough-hewn arena constructed of giant stones.

The air was filled with the unique murderous aura and energy fluctuations of the virtual battlefield.

Outside the light curtain barrier surrounding the arena, the audience seats were already filled with quite a few people, their virtual figures carrying various expectations and noise.

His gaze fell opposite him.

A true giant!

The opponent was over two meters thirty tall, completely covered in dark, heavy alloy armor, like a moving fortress. His left hand held a diamond-shaped giant shield almost large enough to cover half his body, its edges flashing with sharp, cold energy light; his right hand wielded a massive warhammer resembling a siege weapon.

The eyes exposed outside the helmet flashed with sharp light, and the corners of his mouth split into a wild smile as he observed Li Wen with great interest.

"Yo ho!" The strong man's voice buzzed through the armor, carrying undisguised cheerfulness, "Looks like my luck is good today. Just smashed a kid who signed a b-rank contract with the Galaxy Bank early, and picked up the head of a little Genius to reach gold rank one. I was just thinking of continuing the streak to rack up more points, and now I get a seed player signed by one of the Four Great Factions? Hehe, looks like the heavens are sending me consecutive victories!"

A wave of echoing laughter and some discussion arose from the audience seats.

"It's Shield Mountain! The heavy armor powerhouse of gold rank one. I heard that when his Immovable Bulwark defense is fully open, he can withstand one or two hits from an attack that has just attained the Momentum Realm!"

"I just watched the replay; he eliminated Qing Yuhe ten minutes ago. That guy was also a ranged Genius signed early by the Galaxy Bank, his attacks were incredibly sharp, yet he couldn't break Shield Mountain's defense!"

"The newcomer opposite, gold rank four, seems to be named Lueying?" Tsk, he's unlucky this time, completely countered by Shield Mountain."

"Yeah, no matter how fast the Blade Technique is, if it can't cut through the shield, it's useless."

Listening to his opponent's provocation and the audience's discussion, Li Wen's face showed little emotion, only the corner of his mouth curved into a barely perceptible arc.

Through a few days of exploration, he had already grasped the environment of the Infinite Arena.

The Gold rank tier gathered mostly Unity Realm Martial Artists, with varying strengths. Geniuses who had just glimpsed the threshold of the Momentum Realm would quickly advance to Platinum.

For him, possessing Absolute Focus and the Primordial Spirit as two trump cards in the Gold rank tier was almost — — — — crushing them from a higher dimension.

Even if he truly encountered an opponent who had just grasped the nascent form of the Momentum Realm, he dared to fight them all out.

"3 — — 2 — — 1!"

The countdown reached zero!

"Hmph!" Shield Mountain let out a low roar, slammed his giant shield onto the ground, and a visible energy field instantly spread out, forming a thick, solid yellow light shield in front of him.

He took heavy but swift strides, advancing towards Li Wen like a heavy war chariot starting up, rumbling forward.

The giant shield was held in front, like an unshakeable city wall.

Li Wen did not immediately use the Lueying Style.

Seeing the giant shield that seemed capable of isolating everything, a thought moved in his heart; he wanted to first test the effects of his enhanced Physical Body Control combined with conventional Blade Technique.

His figure flickered, moving agilely like a swimming fish to evade Shield Mountain's frontal charge. The long saber in his hand drew sharp arcs of light, precisely striking towards the joints connecting the shield and the nodes and gaps in the energy field's circulation.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal clashing strung together! Sparks flew!

Li Wen's Blade Technique was fast and tricky, his power incredibly concentrated. Every slash landed perfectly, displaying astonishing control.

However, the giant shield and armor were simply too sturdy, and the energy shield was terrifyingly stable.

Li Wen's saber light could only leave shallow marks on them, unable to even cause obvious ripples in the shield, let alone shake Shield Mountain's main body in the slightest.

"Didn't you eat, kid?!" Shield Mountain laughed loudly, his rough voice full of contempt and smugness, "Is this all a gold rank four has? Your Blade Technique probably can't even cut through my cook's spatula! Are you tickling me? Hahahaha ha ha ha!!"