89: Chapter 89 Blue Star Platinum Youth Ranking

His body did not choose to retreat in a straight line.

Instead, he twisted his waist, stepped, and turned at an almost impossible angle.

The movement was fluid and perfectly integrated, like a light feather drifting down amidst surging lava.

The crimson fist imprint whistled past the lapel of his chest garment, the terrifying heat wave causing a stinging burn on his skin.

Simultaneously, his right hand, which had been gathering power, moved.

Clang!

A clear, crisp blade cry rang out.

It was no longer a continuous flurry of blade shadows, but a single strike at the absolute limit of speed! A single, nearly transparent, pale white line of light!

That was the ultimate manifestation of the Lueying Style at 85% mastery, aided by Absolute Focus and Primordial Spirit Power!

Fast! Faster than the speed of thought!

The target of this strike was not Blue Flame himself, but the minuscule delay and core node that inevitably appeared when he fully activated his killing move and energy circulated.

Pfft!

Before the Crimson Flame Fist Imprint, which contained all of Blue Flame's strength, could fully travel away, its key energy circulation node was precisely and accurately pierced and penetrated by that pale white blade light!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a dull sound, like a balloon being punctured.

The Crimson Flame Fist Imprint, which originally possessed overwhelming might, had its energy structure instantly destroyed. The red light abruptly stalled, then, like scattered fireworks, it violently twisted, faded, and disintegrated mid-flight, finally dissolving into a chaotic gust of hot wind that vanished without a trace.

"What?!!!"

The confidence and ferocity on Blue Flame's face instantly froze, replaced by unimaginable horror!

His strongest attack had actually been dismantled at its core in such an unbelievable manner—!

What kind of terrifying insight, courage, and precision down to the finest degree did that require?!

Just as his mind was violently shaken, the old force spent and the new force not yet generated, the pale white blade light had not completely dissipated.

After shattering the core node of the fist imprint, the residual blade glow abruptly shifted and accelerated like a venomous snake.

In Blue Flame's eyes, Li Wen's figure seemed to pause for a moment after dodging, but the next instant, that fatal pale white blade light had already sliced through the spatial distance and appeared before his throat.

The icy breath of death instantly seized his senses.

His internal energy was violently chaotic because his killing move was broken; his body's defensive reaction couldn't keep up with this speed that surpassed limits.

"I---"

He didn't even have time to utter a second word.

Swish!

The blade light pierced through his virtual image's throat without obstruction.

"Victor: Li Wen!"

The cold and grand System prompt echoed throughout the martial arts arena.

The entire martial arts arena, the entire live stream room, fell into a dead silence.

A few seconds later, the bullet comments erupted like a boiling volcano: "!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Me?????????"

"What happened?????? A Momentum Realm punch was broken?????? And then he was instantly finished??????"

"Watch the replay!!! Watch the replay!!! Is this Gold beating Platinum??????"

"Monster!!! Absolute monster!!! Winning against a superior opponent? This is outright rank slaughter!"

"That last strike of his----what was that speed????"

"That high schooler----his name is Lve Ying????"

The audience in the live stream room was uniformly shocked.

That ruthless combat instinct of winning against a superior opponent, something only honed through brutal, bloody tempering, was displayed on such a young face, bringing an unparalleled shock.

In the martial arts arena, Blue Flame's virtual figure slowly dissipated, but the shock and bewilderment seemed to linger in place.

Li Wen's consciousness body stood still, the virtual battle saber in his hand slowly lowered.

He panted slightly, fine beads of 'sweat' seeping from his forehead. The burst in that instant required simultaneously driving his Perfection Physical Body, the Lueying Style, Absolute Focus, and a small portion of Primordial Spirit Power, consuming far more than in usual practice.

But his eyes were as bright as cold stars, filled with the exhilaration of breaking limits and a trace of imperceptible fatigue.

A light screen flashed:

["Promotion Match Third Round: Victory!"]

["Congratulations, Lve Ying, rank promoted: Gold Platinum!"]

["Current Rank: Platinum 4 (0 promotion points)."]

Li Wen glanced at the light screen, and a smile mixed with relief and a hint of fierceness finally curved his lips. At the same time, he was inwardly vigilant: "The extreme burst after the Physical Body reached Perfection is very strong, but the burden on the body seems much greater------It seems that on the path to the provincial top three, I still need to properly adapt to this state."

The lingering aftertaste of the fierce battle in the virtual world had not completely dissipated, but the joy of advancing to platinum rank and defeating Blue Flame was diluted by the huge light screen that suddenly popped up before him.

The light screen was ancient and majestic, with several golden characters emblazoned at the top: [blue star youth platinum ranking].

Li Wen's gaze quickly swept over the top of the list:

1. Ron Zaka (Federal Republic of America)

2. Kenny Gobert (Russia)

3. Barry Morgan (India)

4. Du Yun (Huaguo)

His gaze rapidly slid down, finally settling on one position:

3587. Li Wen (Huaguo)

"3587..."

The cold number pierced his mind with immense impact. Li Wen remained silent for a full few seconds.

This meant that before him, a full 3586 peers, geniuses from Blue Star, had not only reached the platinum rank in the virtual battlefield, but more critically—they had comprehended their respective Momentum Realms during their high school years.

What an enormous base number. These names were no longer just symbols on a ranking board, but tangible competitors who would soon engage in fierce contention on the path to Kindling University, that supreme institution.

Kindling University, the ultimate academy yearned for by young Martial Artists on Blue Star, had only—200 enrollment slots for the entire human race each year.

To secure a spot, he, Li Wen, must break through the siege of these over three thousand Platinum-level prodigies within the next two-plus months, squeezing into at least the top two hundred.

The tension that had slightly eased after advancing to Platinum and defeating Blue Flame instantly tightened again, like a fully drawn bowstring, conveying a strong sense of urgency.

"Time—Competition—Ranking—Two hundred—"

Words exploded in his mind.

"I must comprehend Blade Intent as soon as possible!"

This thought was clearer and stronger than ever before.

His control over his Physical Body was already one hundred percent; he was separated from Blade Intent, which symbolized the threshold of a true master, by only a thin sheet of paper.

However, this step away could be a vast distance for different Martial Artists, or it could be instantaneous enlightenment.

Li Wen didn't know how long it would take him, but he possessed a unique advantage incomparable to others: he could clearly see his own progress.

The mastery level of the Lueying Style was his progress bar towards Blade Intent.

When it reached 100%, Blade Intent would form naturally!

"Hoo-"

He took a deep breath and used his will to close the light screen of the [blue star youth platinum ranking] that brought immense pressure.

His consciousness withdrew from the virtual world and returned to reality.

Pushing open the virtual cabin door, the 'creak' was exceptionally clear in the quiet private martial arts room.

He subconsciously leaned on the cabin wall, and a strong sense of fatigue and slight weakness originating from the depths of his Sea of Consciousness instantly surged over him.

"Hoo—Hoo—"

He panted slightly. The all-out, near-limit-depleting burst he experienced moments ago against Blue Flame's 'Crimson Sun Breaks the Void Fist' in the virtual world finally manifested synchronously on his Physical Body.

"My Mental Energy really feels drained."

Without any hesitation, Li Wen suppressed the headache and immediately picked up the tablet placed on the control console, quickly logging into the dedicated software for Kindling Hall members.

The interface was simple and efficient. He opened the 'Myriad Treasures Pavilion' section with a clear goal, input 'Mental Recovery' into the search bar, and set the filter conditions directly to the highest: recovery speed priority, effect priority, and price—no longer the primary constraint for the moment.

A list popped up, showing several top-tier mental recovery elixirs ranked at the top, with listed prices starting at one hundred thousand xinhuo points.

"[Sea God Meditation Dew] - Efficiently repairs Mental Energy damage, nourishes the Primordial Spirit, accelerates recovery. 200,000 points."

"[starlight condensing spirit fluid] - Extracts the essence of starlight power, can rapidly fill the mental Sea of Consciousness. 200,000 points."

... ... ...

"----"

Without excessive deliberation on cost-effectiveness, he decisively selected the [starlight condensing spirit fluid], whose effect description best matched his current nearly depleted state, and placed the order!

Settlement price: 140,000 xinhuo points.

"Beep! Order payment successful. [starlight condensing spirit fluid] has been shipped, expected delivery within 10 minutes."

The System prompt sounded.

After placing the order, Li Wen finally breathed a slight sigh of relief, leaning back heavily against the soft, dedicated training and recovery chair.

The throbbing pain deep in his brain finally began to invade his senses. He closed his eyes, extended his fingers, and pressed firmly on his temples with his fingertips, slowly massaging them, trying to alleviate the torment following mental exhaustion.

Taking advantage of this short waiting time, he moved his thoughts, focused his attention, and a panel of information appeared only visible to him:

["Techniques: Blade Technique - Unity Realm (Physical Body Mastery 100%), Five Luminaries Heavenly Rainbow Art - Flowing Rainbow Five Forms - Lueying Style (88 / 100)"]

The text on the panel was concise and powerful.

Especially upon seeing that the mastery of the [Lueying Style], which had increased from 85% during previous practice, had actually jumped by 3% in one go after the Peak battle against Blue Flame, reaching 88%.

An indescribable joy instantly diluted the dual fatigue of body and spirit.

The enhancement brought by an extreme burst under pressure from a strong enemy was indeed this significant.

The emptiness in his Sea of Consciousness and the stabbing pain in his head, originally caused by the exhaustion of Primordial Spirit Power, now seemed less unbearable.

In less than ten minutes, accompanied by an extremely faint buzzing sound, a small drone was already hovering outside the dedicated delivery window of the private martial arts room.

After identity verification, a special insulated box with a cooling effect was accurately delivered into the room.

Li Wen got up to receive the box and opened it. A vial containing a dreamlike pale purple liquid, within which countless tiny starlights seemed to be swirling, lay quietly inside.

The label on the vial read [starlight condensing spirit fluid].

Too late to admire the beauty of the elixir, he directly twisted open the cap, pulled off the inner sealing plug, tilted his head back, and downed the entire purple liquid worth 200,000 points in one gulp.