Meanwhile, Lin Shuyao noticed his gaze but did not look up at him. She merely lowered her eyes and continued cultivating her martial arts.
Born into a martial arts family, she had received a fine inheritance from a young age. She knew that what martial arts cultivation lacked most was never Federal Coin or Nutrient Solution, but the more precious Source Energy Treasures and talent.
She could not help Chu Kuang with those things, so she chose to remain distant from him, lest he affect her determination to pursue martial arts in the future.
Over the next few days, Chu Kuang's days were exceptionally fulfilling. At school, he spent most of his time diligently training the Iron Armor Technique and Gold-Splitting Spear. As usual, he practiced his Basic Internal Martial Arts, fist techniques, and movement techniques ten times each day to consolidate his progress.
At night, he tutored Lin Shuya, and after returning home, he could train with Chu Yu for another two hours before playing more than a dozen ranked matches.
After his Basic Spear Technique reached perfection, Chu Kuang's win rate was no longer low even against experts ranked in the top three thousand.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed. He steadily climbed to over fifteen hundred in the rankings, and that night, the Iron Armor Technique finally advanced again, breaking through to the Great Accomplishment Stage in one stroke.
Iron Armor Technique, Great Accomplishment, 1%. Attached trait: Iron Armor. Iron Armor, Purple: Iron armor protects the body, impervious to blades and spears. Iron Armor Technique defense increased by 50%.
"An increase of fifty percent defense."
Looking at the trait on the panel, delight appeared on Chu Kuang's face.
Every external martial art had different strengths. Generally speaking, they were divided into four aspects: strength, defense, physique, and speed. The authorities called these the four-dimensional attributes, and each attribute was further divided into upper, middle, and lower grades.
Though both were Beginner External Martial Arts, Jiang Feng's Brute Ox Technique had upper-grade physique, upper-grade strength, middle-grade defense, and lower-grade speed.
Chu Kuang's Iron Armor Technique focused on defense, with upper-grade defense, middle-grade strength, middle-grade physique, and lower-grade speed.
On the surface, the Iron Armor Technique had only one upper-grade attribute, making it seem somewhat weaker than the Brute Ox Technique.
But in truth, the Iron Armor Technique was specialized entirely in defense. Its defense had already reached the limit of the upper grade, whereas the Brute Ox Technique's strength and physique, though both upper grade, had only just crossed that threshold.
"Among all Beginner Cultivation Methods, the Iron Armor Technique is one of the strongest in defense. Even those that can compare with it are at most on the same level."
"If the four-dimensional attributes are divided further into three grades and nine stars, the Iron Armor Technique's defense is absolutely at the full nine-star level."
"On top of that, with another fifty percent increase in defense, just what level will my defense reach?"
Chu Kuang murmured inwardly. He understood the principle of specialization and had no intention of taking the path of a jack-of-all-trades warrior. Being good at everything often meant being outstanding at nothing.
He casually picked up a short blade and stabbed it into his arm, only to find that it left nothing more than a pale mark.
He steadily increased his strength until he used eighty percent of it, barely cutting through a layer of skin and causing only a minor injury.
"With my current defense, it's practically equivalent to wearing a set of heavy armor. My ability to preserve my life has increased by far more than one level."
Chu Kuang drew a deep breath. When he looked back at his panel, a smile could not help appearing on his face.
Name: Chu Kuang Race: Human Life Level: Level 5.8 Realm: Body Forging Perfection, Pebble Body
"Life Level 5.8."
"Once I digest the gains from the Iron Armor Technique reaching Great Accomplishment, reaching Life Level 6.0 should be effortless."
Having completed the Iron Armor Technique's breakthrough, Chu Kuang opened the ranked matches and eagerly entered the queue.
He soon matched with an opponent, and this opponent was unexpectedly an acquaintance.
Su Ling School: Tian Heng Seventh Middle School Rank: 1463 Wins: 37; Losses: 12 Win Rate: 75% ... Chu Kuang School: Tian Heng Third Middle School Rank: 1523 Wins: 57; Losses: 33 Win Rate: 63%
Su Ling glanced at Chu Kuang, and a trace of wariness immediately appeared on his face.
He looked again at Chu Kuang's panel, then smiled. "A sixty-three percent win rate? Looks like you've reached a bottleneck."
Chu Kuang's brow twitched slightly. For the other man to have a seventy-five percent win rate, he had clearly entered the top three thousand through a winning streak.
If nothing unexpected had happened, Su Ling had probably just reached Great Accomplishment in his advanced external martial art back then, only to run into Chu Kuang through sheer bad luck.
If it had been yesterday's Chu Kuang, he might have faced a hard battle against Su Ling. Unfortunately, Chu Kuang's Iron Armor Technique had now reached Great Accomplishment.
With that thought, Chu Kuang held his spear calmly. "Come on. Let me see what you can do."
As his words fell, Chu Kuang stood quietly where he was, waiting for Su Ling to attack.
"Willow Catkin Sword Technique."
With the chance to avenge his humiliation right before him, Su Ling immediately drove his slender sword toward Chu Kuang.
The moment they exchanged blows, Chu Kuang discovered that his opponent was astonishingly fast. His agility, evasive ability, and the speed with which he shifted sword moves were all incredibly quick.
"Spirit Rhinoceros Strength, Flying Swallow Movement Technique, Willow Catkin Sword Technique."
Chu Kuang murmured inwardly, recognizing the origins of his opponent's martial arts.
Spirit Rhinoceros Strength was a specialized external martial art focused on dexterity. Its defense, physique, and strength were middle to lower grade, but its speed and agility were among the best at the same level.
The Flying Swallow Movement Technique was even lighter and more nimble. Combined with the unending Willow Catkin Sword Technique, it perfectly brought out Spirit Rhinoceros Strength's speed advantage.
The only pity was that his opponent's attack power was too weak, placing him among the weakest at the same level.
In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged dozens of moves. Chu Kuang discovered that he could only scramble to fend off the other man's attacks, unable to find any opportunity to defeat him.
"His body is as nimble as a flying swallow, and his sword is as dense as willow catkins."
"I need to create an opportunity for a single decisive strike to defeat him completely."
Chu Kuang formed a plan. He immediately swung his spear down, fury covering his face as he said, "Are you done being annoying? If you've got the guts, fight me head-on."
"Hehehe, only an idiot would fight you at close range."
Su Ling laughed, instantly avoiding the blow like a flying swallow before slashing his sword toward Chu Kuang again.
Chu Kuang drove his spear to block again and again. As though utterly enraged, he suddenly hurled his spear at Su Ling, intending to nail him dead in midair.
"A perfect chance."
Su Ling instantly avoided the strike, then turned and brought the Willow Catkin Sword Technique down upon Chu Kuang with all his strength.
In an instant, sword light filled the sky like willow catkins, weaving into a great net that swept forward and completely engulfed Chu Kuang.
"Just what I wanted."
Faced with this attack, Chu Kuang advanced instead of retreating.
He charged into the rain of swords, allowing the slender blade to stab into his body again and again. Yet it only left tiny pale marks.
In that instant, he closed the distance, passed through the curtain of swords, seized Su Ling's wrist, and slammed him to the ground.
"You dare!"
Su Ling froze in shock and hurriedly tried to struggle free, but he lacked the strength to escape. Instead, Chu Kuang snatched away his slender sword and held it against his throat.
In but an instant, a handsome head flew into the air, turning into illusory data and vanishing without a trace.
"Luckily, neither his sword technique nor his movement technique has reached Great Accomplishment. Otherwise, he would have been difficult for me to handle."
After winning the match, Chu Kuang looked at the change in his rank, and a grave expression appeared on his face.
If this battle had involved someone like Jiang Feng, whose ordinary external martial art had reached Great Accomplishment, he likely would not have been able to touch Su Ling even until death.
Su Ling's external martial art and accompanying martial arts were simply too nimble. Opponents at the same level found it difficult even to touch him, and Jiang Feng's defense probably could not withstand his unending attacks.
Chu Kuang could withstand them, but if his opponent's movement technique and sword technique also broke through to Great Accomplishment, he would likely have a hard time catching him.
"With the Iron Armor Technique and Gold-Splitting Spear, neither my defense nor attack is lacking. What I'm missing is a movement technique capable of erupting with extreme speed in an instant."
Chu Kuang murmured inwardly. He knew his advantages well. The Iron Armor Technique possessed extremely strong defense, while the Gold-Splitting Spear's attack power was not weak either, but neither suited a nimble fighting style.
What suited him better was an extreme movement technique that remained still until it moved, then struck with earth-shattering force. That way, even against enemies who followed the nimble path, he could strike after them and seize the advantage.
With that thought, Chu Kuang checked his panel and found the data for his Basic Movement Technique.
"Basic Movement Technique, Great Accomplishment, 98%."
"At most, it'll reach its limit by tomorrow. I need to hurry into the top thousand so I can complete the missing piece of my movement technique."
Chu Kuang murmured inwardly, then continued entering ranked matches.
After the Iron Armor Technique reached Great Accomplishment, Chu Kuang's strength had undergone a qualitative transformation. Although a Life Level of 5.8 was not particularly high among the top two thousand—
—the Iron Armor Technique's defense, combined with the Purple Iron Armor trait's enhancement, made Chu Kuang far stronger than warriors at the same Life Level.
Chu Kuang then won four matches in a row. Although his opponents were all ranked in the thousand range, his ranking steadily advanced.
Chu Kuang School: Tian Heng Third Middle School Rank: 1251
"Five consecutive wins. My hidden rating should have risen quite a bit, so I probably won't be matched against opponents ranked lower than me from now on."
After defeating another formidable opponent, Chu Kuang decisively entered another ranked match.
As ripples like water spread around him, Chu Kuang found himself standing on a field of scattered rocks, surrounded by strangely shaped boulders.
"Strange Rock Forest."
Chu Kuang's heart settled. This type of battlefield was more advantageous to warriors like him who followed the hard martial arts path.
Opposite him, a burly figure wielding a greatsword descended from the sky, his gaze fixed on Chu Kuang with scrutiny.
Li Xiong School: Tian Heng First Middle School Rank: 986 Wins: 174; Losses: 62 Win Rate: 66%
"A brat from Third Middle School."
Li Xiong's gaze shifted slightly. After looking Chu Kuang over, he said, "Five consecutive wins. You seem quite strong, but since you've run into me, I'm afraid this is as far as you'll go."
As his words fell, he charged forward with his greatsword in hand.
"Coiled Dragon Technique, Juque Sword Technique."
After just one look, Chu Kuang's expression became grave.
His opponent also followed a specialized path. The Coiled Dragon Technique was a Beginner External Martial Art specialized in strength, while the Juque Sword Technique was known for its broad, powerful movements.
With the immense strength of the Coiled Dragon Technique and that heavy sword like a stone stele, a warrior following a nimble path like Su Ling's would likely be injured if touched and killed if grazed.
Before you continue