A Lesson for You

The moment the match began, Curly-Haired Man burst into motion, shooting forward like a sharp arrow with Xun Lei speed.

He was thrilled. What great luck today! Haha, I actually ran into a newbie. Time to happily crush some weaklings again.

So fast!

Lin Qi was secretly startled. As expected of a real person, he was agile and swift, with no wasted movements. This was nothing like the stiff actions of an AI opponent.

"Whoosh—"

Lin Qi pushed off the ground. The muscles in his thighs tensed as his blood and qi erupted at once. He charged out with the Black Great Spear in hand, shaking the spear body so that its tip drew circles through the air, creating dazzling spear flowers.

"Swish, swish—"

Curly-Haired Man swung his great sword. Cold light enveloped the area as sword shadows shot forward. He launched the first attack, swift as the wind.

"Clang, clang, clang—"

At the center of the Arena, the great sword and great spear collided in an instant. Metal weapons clashed, their crisp impacts echoing around them.

Cold gleams and sword shadows filled the air, shrouding the area in killing intent.

Curly-Haired Man wielded his sword, sending sword shadows attacking from every direction.

Shadow Rise Style!

So fast!

Lin Qi was secretly alarmed. Curly-Haired Man attacked as fast as Lightning, leaving no time to react before the sword moves had already reached him.

The Sword Technique he used had revealed its defining trait: speed!

"Too slow, too slow!"

"Brother, with speed this slow, how are you going to make a living in the Arena?"

Curly-Haired Man suddenly mocked him.

Lin Qi paused slightly. AI opponents did not speak.

"Swish!"

A sword suddenly stabbed out. Cold light flashed, breaking past the Long Spear in an instant and appearing before Lin Qi. The next moment, it would kill him.

"Newbie, welcome to the Red Realm!"

Curly-Haired Man laughed loudly, and the movements of his hand seemed to become even faster!

Retreat!

Lin Qi jolted awake. His body moved abruptly as he exerted force in an instant, swinging his arm with explosive power and shifting the spear body at once.

"Clang—"

After the Long Spear collided with the great sword, the great sword was knocked off course.

"Pfft!"

A sharp sword light cut a bloody mark across Lin Qi's face. The pain jolted his nerves, making his body instinctively stagger backward.

Lin Qi frowned. That had been too dangerous. The opponent's great sword had nearly stabbed into his eye. He had nearly died.

A very strong opponent!

Curly-Haired Man was rather surprised. "You actually dodged that."

"Kid, you won't be so lucky next time."

With that, he flashed forward like an arrow released from a bow. His great sword danced in sword flowers, cold light flickering as he launched another killing attack.

"Huff—"

The battle gave him no chance to catch his breath. Terrifying killing intent swept over him once more.

Lin Qi exhaled. His heart pounded violently, blood flowing rapidly through his body as his eyes grew brighter.

He recognized the opponent's Sword Technique. It was the Swift Shadow Swordplay, a Black Iron Grade sword manual.

Swift as the wind, coming and going without a trace.

His sword was as fast as Lightning. He was highly proficient in the Sword Technique, and his mastery even surpassed Lin Qi's.

"He's really strong!"

His eyes shone brighter. The large muscle groups throughout his body exerted force simultaneously, blood and qi surging within him as his body exploded with power. Veins bulged across his arms.

His speed suddenly rose by a huge margin. The Long Spear swept through the air with overwhelming momentum, his presence bursting forth.

In his eyes, Curly-Haired Man's Sharp Sword stabbed out as his body moved swiftly. He turned, combining his sword swings tightly with his sword moves, fast as Lightning.

Shadow Thrust Style!

But Lin Qi could see everything clearly now.

A countermeasure surfaced in his mind.

Left!

He tilted his head and shifted his body, brushing past the Sharp Sword. He lowered his head and dodged again.

In one second, he narrowly evaded two consecutive sword strikes!

Curly-Haired Man froze the instant he saw it.

"Now!"

At the Critical Moment, Lin Qi seized Curly-Haired Man's brief lapse. His hand and waist moved in coordination as he instantly exerted force, thrusting the Black Great Spear in his hand forward.

Piercing Point!

With a precise thrust, he broke through the opponent's Swift Shadow Swordplay.

In Curly-Haired Man's eyes, the spear tip suddenly flashed with cold light, brimming with killing intent.

"Pfft—"

The sharp spear tip pierced through his heart, and blood sprayed wildly!

[Battle Ended, "My Greatsword" has died!]

"How could this be?"

"Thud!"

Curly-Haired Man fell to the ground. All he saw was a man wearing a Black Mask standing over him. Beneath the dark mask was a pair of indifferent eyes.

"Thank you for teaching me a lesson!"

"I..."

Curly-Haired Man wanted to say something, but he had already turned into Void and dissipated within the Arena.

When Curly-Haired Man opened his eyes again, he had returned to his Personal Space.

"Damn, I actually died."

He looked frantic and unwilling to accept it.

"I actually lost to a newbie?"

"Right, I must have been careless. That's why he won."

Curly-Haired Man found an excuse to console himself. He wanted to match again and reclaim his pride.

He immediately opened matchmaking, burning with impatience to defeat that "Yang Jian" and regain his dignity.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

[Battle Ended! Congratulations, "Yang Jian," you have won! Points +3]

[Record: 1/10]

[Win Rate: 100%]

[Points: 3]

Lin Qi had also returned to his Personal Space, but his gaze was fixed on his Panel.

[You engaged in an intense battle with a powerful enemy. Mountain Shattering Spear Technique proficiency has greatly increased. Spear Technique +2%]

[You engaged in an intense battle with a powerful enemy. Movement Technique proficiency has greatly increased. Movement Technique +3%]

[Spear Technique: First Order 80% → 82%]

[Movement Technique: First Order 70% → 73%]

"Huff—"

Lin Qi looked at the improved figures on the Panel and smiled, though the mask concealed his expression.

"That Curly-Haired Man was indeed very strong. His Sword Technique realm was far above mine. His sword was swift, fast as Lightning. I nearly lost."

Lin Qi recalled the battle just now, still feeling lingering fear. That tense and exhilarating feeling was something he had never experienced before.

His mind had been intensely focused. Victory and defeat had been separated by a razor's edge. If his spear had been 0.1 seconds slower, he would have lost.

"But after one battle, the improvement was still enormous. I've gained a new understanding of the Mountain Shattering Spear Technique as well."

"My Spear Technique and Movement Technique are improving too quickly. I can improve in every battle."

"Again!"

Lin Qi chose to match again.

Three minutes later, two figures appeared in the Arena. This time, Lin Qi's opponent was a Beautiful Woman wearing a Green Combat Suit and holding a Long Sword.

"Newbie, let me teach you a lesson!"

The woman looked at Lin Qi and revealed a malicious smile, like a hunter looking at prey.

But what greeted her was a Black Great Spear.

An hour passed quickly.

[Battle Ended. Unfortunately, "Yang Jian," you have died!]

[Record: 5/10]

[Win Rate: 80%]

[Ranking function unlocked. View now? Yes/No]

"Huff—"

In his Personal Space, Lin Qi's face was somewhat pale.

"Dying really doesn't feel good!"

"Even though the pain of death has been reduced to 20%, it still hurts."

"That last opponent was too strong. There was a huge gap between our realms. He had most likely already reached above First Order 90%."

Lin Qi recalled the previous battles. After the first match, he had played four more. The opponents had been roughly equal in strength, and he had gradually become more comfortable, winning three matches.

Until the final match, his opponent had been far too strong. Even with his sharp instincts, he had still been no match and was cut down with a single slash.

"The ranking function?"

"Yes!"

Lin Qi tapped "Yes," and the Panel began to change.

[Red Realm Arena Rankings (Tianhai Branch)]

[Nickname: Yang Jian]

[Points: 12]

[Rank: 328]

Lin Qi was puzzled. Rank 328? Did that mean there were 328 people in Red Sky Martial Arts Hall stronger than him?

Then he shook his head. It might be related to points or win rate. His points were too low, which was probably why his ranking was low.

[Friendly Reminder: Your trial time is about to expire!]

Just as Lin Qi planned to continue exploring, a notification appeared on the screen, showing that his trial time would end in three minutes.

"An hour passed that quickly?"

Lin Qi shook his head, sighing at how quickly time had passed. He also happened to feel mentally fatigued.

It was time to Log Off. He had gained enough today, and he silently thanked Guo Heng for bringing him here to experience the Red Realm.