9: Chapter 9 Basic Law Summary

Li Wen’s gaze swept over the dazzling golden numbers on the panel:

[Skill: Blade Technique - Advanced (Major Achievement 99 / 100)].

That final '1' was like an invisible yet tenacious barrier, lying across his path to the Perfection Realm.

He took a deep breath. As long as he broke through this barrier, he could truly touch the threshold of Top-tier Blade Technique and begin a brand new journey.

However, this mere sliver of experience points had trapped countless people.

Looking across the entire Flying Star Class, there were five or six people stuck at this 'Major Achievement 99' Bottleneck, just like him.

If this were expanded to the entire senior year, the number would likely multiply dozens of times, exceeding one hundred people—that wouldn't be an exaggeration.

This was precisely why the minimum requirement for the Flying Star Class was that skills must reach the Top-tier Entry level. A winter break, not long, not short.

This period was enough for that batch of people who were stuck at the Bottleneck's edge and had accumulated deeply to shatter their shackles and begin studying Top-tier Techniques.

Those powerhouses who were already ahead would use this time to further widen the gap. The Flying Star Class only had sixty spots; the competition was so fierce that it allowed for zero slackness.

He had to get a head start! He must pierce this thin veil before the winter break officially began, stepping into the Perfection Realm first.

Only then could he gain a significant lead over the vast crowd of competitors at the same Realm on the starting line of the skill assessment, adding a crucial bargaining chip for securing one of those precious spots.

Time! A sense of urgency, like an invisible whip, lashed at his heart.

With this thought, Li Wen cast aside all distracting notions, his eyes sharp as a blade's edge. He tightly gripped his steel quick blade with his right hand, once again sinking his stance and exerting force, his wrist flicking rapidly.

Swish~ Swish~ Swish~ The quick blade sliced through the air, emitting sharp tearing sounds. Every move condensed his deeper understanding and control of the Tiger Guard Saber Technique.

Sweat soaked his school uniform, which had faded to white, clinging tightly to his slightly thin yet tautly muscled back. He was fully immersed, trying to capture that fleeting opportunity to break past the critical point.

"Jingle-ling~~"

The afternoon dismissal bell sounded like a clap of thunder, abruptly tearing through the solemn atmosphere of the Martial Arts Hall. The students who had been gritting their teeth and sweating profusely felt as if they had received amnesty; the taut strings instantly relaxed.

"Ha... Finally over!"

"I'm dead tired!"

"Let's go, let's go, I'm starving!"

Amidst a chorus of relieved groans and calls to friends, everyone swiftly slotted their weapons back into the racks with 'clangs' and 'kerrangs,' then rushed out of the classroom door in twos and threes, their steps hurried.

The lively clamor receded like a tide, leaving only the unique silence of an empty venue and the smell of sweat lingering in the air.

In the spacious Martial Arts Classroom, in the blink of an eye, only Li Wen remained, standing alone with his blade.

The setting sun slanted through the tall glass windows, casting a long, lonely shadow at his feet.

He was long accustomed to this; one could even say he deliberately chose to stay until the end. This tranquility was precisely the atmosphere he needed to impact the Bottleneck.

His right hand continued to wield the quick blade—chopping, parrying, or blocking. His movements were steady and precise, without any hint of impatience.

Each move was methodical, as if the most precise machinery was repeatedly polishing its final edges, striving to reach a state of absolute Perfection.

It wasn't until the sky outside the window had completely darkened, and the melodious music broadcast over the campus speakers had played through four or five full cycles, that Li Wen slowly put his blade away. His chest rose and fell, his breathing slightly labored, as he wiped the dense sweat from his forehead.

"Clang--" With a clear, crisp sound of metal friction, the quick blade was accurately returned to the weapon rack.

Li Wen slung his faded canvas school bag over his shoulder and was the last to leave the now pitch-black Martial Arts Classroom. The heavy lock clicked shut, temporarily isolating him from that empty space.

...

As night fell, a chill permeated the vacant Martial Arts Classroom. During evening self-study, twenty to thirty students determined to strive for the Martial Arts University gathered again in Class 21's Martial Arts Classroom.

Li Wen still occupied his corner. As usual, he began with Blade Technique practice.

More than an hour passed. His back was already soaked with sweat, and the quick blade in his hand seemed about to merge with him. The continuous gleam of the blade fully displayed the power of the Major Achievement Realm.

It was at this moment that the few classmates who were also stuck at the Advanced Major Achievement 99 Realm could no longer hide the shock and confusion on their faces.

When they trained, their peripheral vision always involuntarily glanced towards the figure sweating profusely in the corner.

At first, they felt Li Wen's Blade Technique seemed smoother, and later, they were startled to realize there had been a qualitative leap in his force exertion techniques and the seamlessness of his transitions!

At this moment, they clearly realized: Li Wen... was actually standing on the same platform as them!

"This... How is this possible?" Deng Yuefei lowered his voice, speaking to Yue Ruijie beside him, his face filled with disbelief. "Didn't he just... just reach Minor Achievement last week? On the day of the physical test?"

"I remember clearly, Teacher Wang was even encouraging him, saying he was close to breaking through to the Late Stage of Minor Achievement... And this has only been a few days? Three days?!" Zhang Li's throat bobbed, and the way he looked at Li Wen was like staring at a monster.

"He must have been pretending!" Deng Yuefei's voice carried a hint of panic and unwillingness that he didn't even notice; it almost slipped out, "This guy must have reached this level long ago! He was hiding it before, pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger! Now, for the sake of the Flying Star Class, he can't hide it anymore!"

As classmates who had spent two and a half years together day and night, their impression of Li Wen was too deep. He was truly hardworking, and his poor family background was an undeniable fact.

Previously, his skills were always mediocre, representing someone hardworking but with average talent. Now, he had suddenly leaped to the same Realm as those with better resources and more time invested? This was completely subverting their understanding.

As for those inspirational stories of 'Awakening overnight and being reborn,' it wasn't that no one had considered them. But deep down in their hearts, the first reaction that surfaced was resistance, a refusal to believe.

The nature of youth had not yet been smoothed over by worldly wisdom.

Over the past two and a half years, facing Li Wen, who was at the bottom of the class and kept to himself, they might not have intentionally bullied him, but a certain degree of disdain, coldness, unintentional mockery, or neglect always existed.

It was human nature to bully the weak when strong; even unconscious ripples were the norm.

Now, the person they had intentionally or unintentionally 'looked down upon' suddenly displayed astonishing potential and rushed up? This was absolutely not something they wished to see.

If Li Wen truly succeeded in his counterattack, what would they, the former 'superiors,' gain? It would be a blessing if they didn't hold grudges, let alone expect to benefit from it.

Both privately and publicly, they strongly resisted the possibility that 'Li Wen truly awakened.'

They preferred Li Wen to be that scheming, long-suffering 'conspirator' waiting for the College Entrance Examination to soar to the heavens.

This way, their sense of frustration might lessen, and they could even console themselves: it wasn't that they weren't capable, but that others were too good at acting.

Even if Li Wen had truly awakened... they secretly prayed that this was just that common and brief 'minor explosion.'

Every year during the College Entrance Examination season, there would always be a few inconspicuous students who seemed divinely assisted, making rapid progress in their skills at the last moment and becoming dark horses.

This was not unusual among high school students in the Martial Dao development phase. Physical development, the sudden activation of a certain area of the brain, or a temporary boost in Comprehension Ability—these were possible.

It's just...

"Three days, from Minor Achievement to Major Achievement... and almost Perfection?" Deng Yuefei muttered under his breath, looking at Li Wen with incredibly complex eyes. "That's a bit too damn much of a 'minor explosion'... Isn't that a little too excessive?!"

Facing the gazes from afar filled with surprise, scrutiny, and even implicit doubt, Li Wen had no desire to offer any explanation.

Two years of solitude, and the natural barrier imposed by his family background left him isolated in Class 21. Except for Wei Wu, who occasionally approached to exchange a few words, he practically had no one he could call a friend.

He steadily placed the quick blade back onto the weapon rack and walked to his own mat. Compared to his stalled Blade Technique, he had a small point of Breakthrough here.

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method - Basic (Entry 99 / 100)].

After cultivating continuously last night, his Basic Method proficiency had also climbed to Entry 99 points. He only needed one last step to cross into the Minor Achievement Realm.

If he hadn't worried about excessive cultivation depleting his Qi and Blood and affecting his condition today, he definitely would have finished this last bit of experience in one go last night.

Li Wen slightly bent his legs, formed a hand seal with both hands, and closed his eyes.

"Hoo~ Breathe~" A strange breathing rhythm drove the not-so-abundant Qi and Blood within his Dantian to circulate slowly.

The cultivation process remained difficult. Ten minutes passed in silence. Sweat once again covered his forehead, and his school uniform, clinging to his skin, could almost be wrung out.

The muscles in his limbs began to tremble uncontrollably. The excessively circulating Qi and Blood made his skin bright red, like a steamed prawn.

"Hng..." A low, muffled grunt mixed with pain escaped his throat.

He forcibly persisted for about half a minute longer, but his body could no longer maintain the standard, energy-draining posture, collapsing like a suddenly snapped taut string.

"Hoo--!" A long, burning breath of turbid air, carrying the strong stench of sweat, was violently expelled from the depths of his chest, forming a brief puff of white mist.

Li Wen staggered a step, kneeling on one knee on the ground, supporting himself with both hands on the cool mat. He panted heavily, every inhalation pulling painfully on his lungs.

The moment the breathing method was forcibly interrupted, the familiar light blue screen automatically appeared in his consciousness:

[Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method Experience + 3]

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method - Basic (Entry 99 → Minor Achievement 2 / 100)].

He did it! A comprehension, far clearer and more condensed than when he was at the Entry level, surged into Li Wen's mind without warning, instantly merging perfectly with his existing knowledge.

Regarding the subtle deviations in the force application secrets of the 'Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method,' certain seemingly insignificant actions that affected Qi and Blood circulation efficiency, and the deeper coordination between breathing and Qi and Blood transportation... these understandings presented themselves naturally.

Minor Achievement Realm!

A look of relief appeared on Li Wen's weary face.

Although his Blade Technique was stuck at the Bottleneck, the Breakthrough in the Basic Method was equally significant! This meant that when he circulated this method in the future, the utilization rate of his Qi and Blood would slightly increase!

His body's efficiency in absorbing and converting the thin spiritual energy from the air would also be enhanced! Simply put—the baseline speed for increasing his Physical Body Rank had finally begun to move upwards!

This was the only proper path he had where he didn't need to spend extra money to increase the speed of his Physical Body Rank improvement. Every Breakthrough was extremely precious.

He struggled to push himself up, staggered to the long bench in the rest area, and collapsed onto it like a pile of mud, feeling that all the muscles in his body ached and weighed heavily.

After panting for several minutes, he recovered a little strength and fumbled in his old school bag on the ground, pulling out a bottle of fluid drink for rapid energy replenishment.

He twisted off the cap and tilted his head back, gulping it down loudly, "Gulp, gulp, gulp."

The cool liquid, tasting sweet with a slight salty tang of electrolytes, slid down his throat, bringing a moment of coolness and solace, like faint drizzle arriving on parched earth.

The entire bottle of drink was finished quickly. This was a rapid energy supplement specifically designed for high-intensity training by Martial Artists; it was not cheap.

One small 150 ml bottle cost ten Huaxia Coins—and that was the discounted price enjoyed due to his student status.

Li Wen silently calculated: an evening, he would generally practice the Basic Method for four cycles. After each cycle, he needed one such energy drink to alleviate the huge consumption of his body and barely sustain the next round of practice.

After four rounds, the expenditure on drinks alone was forty Huaxia Coins. If calculated for a month, assuming thirty days... that was twelve hundred Huaxia Coins.

And this didn't even count the three level 1 qi and blood potions he could barely afford each month, costing fifteen hundred Huaxia Coins. Just the qi and blood potions and energy drinks had a fixed monthly expense approaching three thousand Huaxia Coins!

Moreover, this didn't include the cost of the extraordinarily high nutritional meals necessary for maintaining high-intensity training, nor the exorbitant tuition fees weighing on his parents' shoulders...

Poor Cultivation, Rich Martial Arts! These four words seemed so cold and heavy at this moment. Every improvement in strength was a path paved with countless amounts of money.

He must enter the Flying Star Class! This thought was clearer and more burning than ever before! That was the only shortcut to escape this bottomless pit of economic pressure and acquire vast cultivation resources!

Otherwise, relying solely on his meager resources, the hope of pushing his Physical Body Rank to the threshold required to apply to a Top-tier Martial University before the Martial Dao College Entrance Examination... was as slim as a firefly in a cold night!

After resting on the spot for ten minutes, feeling his physical strength slightly recover, Li Wen walked back to his mat. The second round of Basic Method cultivation began.

The comprehension gained from the Minor Achievement Realm began to take effect. For the same duration of maximum training time, this time, he actually persisted for twenty minutes!

Although he was still trembling all over and drenched in sweat when he finished, the feeling was that the total amount of essence, Qi, and spirit consumed to complete one round seemed slightly less than when he was at the Peak of Entry level.

This was the preliminary manifestation of efficiency improvement—consuming the same physical strength and energy as fuel, the results he could draw from the Basic Method cultivation to 'temper his Physical Body' were greater! The aimless dissipation and loss during Qi and Blood circulation had been reduced slightly.

[Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method Experience + 4]

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method - Basic (Minor Achievement 2 → 6 / 100)].

The panel's feedback verified his feeling.

During the cultivation process, he could even vaguely sense that the strength converted from the energy absorbed into his body seemed to stimulate a slightly stronger, almost imperceptible warm current compared to before.

This tiny warm current, when gathered, would eventually be clearly displayed on the panel the next time his Physical Body Rank refreshed.

Dripping water forms a river, accumulating sand builds a tower. On the path of Martial Dao, every bit of progress must not be ignored.

He believed that as long as he persisted, this improvement would eventually be rewarded in cold numbers.

Time quietly slipped away amidst the cycle of breathing, panting, resting, replenishing, and re-engaging in cultivation.

When the bell signaling the end of evening self-study rang leisurely, Li Wen had just concluded his final round of Basic Method cultivation for the night.

He leaned against the wall, exhausted, sipping his fourth energy drink of the evening.

The cold liquid slid into his stomach, carrying the heavy cost of reality. It dispersed the dryness brought by cultivation, but it also brought a fatigue originating from the bone marrow and a clear sense of determination.

The night outside was thick as ink, setting off the calm depths of his pupils.