First Attempt

"Basic Spear Technique, Martial Skills can all be upgraded!"

"This is amazing!"

"This Virtual Immersion System is practically a god-tier cheat tailor-made for me!"

After familiarizing himself with the training functions.

Jiang Hao's curiosity was fully piqued, and his gaze eventually landed on the arena.

[Rongguang City Senior Year Key Class Arena].

Jiang Hao wanted to see what the city-wide stage was like.

Jiang Hao clicked the "Match" button.

No more than ten seconds passed.

The Virtual Immersion System popped up a prompt.

[Match successful. Enter battle room?]

"Yes."

Jiang Hao didn't hesitate for a moment.

The training ground before him vanished instantly.

The next second, Jiang Hao found himself in another space entirely.

This was a city ruin of broken walls and collapsed buildings.

Toppled skyscrapers, shattered streets, exposed steel bars—all looked desolate under the dim sky.

Jiang Hao already understood this.

The arena randomly assigned different battle environments to simulate real-world conditions.

And fifty meters opposite him.

A young girl stood quietly.

She wore a simple white martial arts uniform, holding a slender long sword in her hand, looking about the same age as him.

[Please select your weapon.]

[The duel will begin immediately after selection!]

The immersion system's prompt sounded.

Jiang Hao focused his mind.

"Alloy Spear."

A standard-issue spear instantly materialized in Jiang Hao's hand.

The next second.

[Duel begins!]

It started!

Jiang Hao had just gripped the spear, about to assume the Starting Stance of the Tidal Wave Spear Technique.

Then.

The next second!

Jiang Hao only saw a flash of Sword Light, impossibly fast, streaking before his eyes!

Jiang Hao felt as if an icy cold gleam had swept across his throat.

Immediately after.

All the images before his eyes went black in an instant!

By the time Jiang Hao snapped back to reality.

He found himself back in the Virtual Training Ground.

Jiang Hao still held the spear in the same stance, his expression dazed.

"Sigh..."

"What just happened?"

Jiang Hao was stunned!

He got one-shot?

A cold immersion system prompt answered his question.

[Battle ended.]

[Liu Qingyao (Third Martial High) defeated Jiang Hao (Eighth Grand Martial High)!]

Seeing this prompt.

Jiang Hao's dazed expression finally snapped back to focus!

Liu Qingyao!

It was actually her!

The one ranked third on the [Rongguang City Senior Year Key Class Leaderboard], with a Blood Qi Intensity of a terrifying 14.6—a true Prodigy second only to Chen Xuan and Su Qingning!

Jiang Hao's heart churned with stormy waves!

He knew there was a gap between himself and those Top Geniuses.

He had even prepared to be crushed.

But!

He never imagined the gap would be this vast!

One sword!

He hadn't even seen when she drew her blade!

And he was already "dead"!

This was a battle on an entirely different level!

Jiang Hao's breathing quickened slightly.

Truly formidable!

On the other side.

Rongguang City, Third Martial High, exclusive Virtual Training Ground.

Liu Qingyao slowly withdrew her Long Sword.

Her delicate face was as calm as an ancient well.

The system before her flashed a victory prompt.

[You have defeated Jiang Hao (Eighth Martial High)]

"Hm?"

Liu Qingyao's elegant brow lifted slightly.

"Jiang Hao?"

"Eighth Grand Martial High?"

She knew of Eighth Martial High—the school that produced Su Qingning.

But this Jiang Hao...

He'd never appeared on the leaderboard, nor had she heard of him.

"Looks like a newcomer who just entered the Key Class."

A flicker of interest passed through Liu Qingyao's eyes.

But only a flicker.

What strength could a newcomer fresh into the Key Class have?

In that match just now, she hadn't even activated a Martial Skill—just a casual, basic thrust.

And he couldn't even block that.

Too weak.

Liu Qingyao shook her head and dismissed the thought.

She continued selecting Match!

Back at Jiang Hao's end.

Instant Kill by a single sword.

The cold sensation of death still lingered on his throat.

But there was not a trace of discouragement in Jiang Hao's eyes.

Instead, an unprecedented blaze ignited within him!

Fighting spirit!

Thoroughly roused!

"Liu Qingyao..."

"14.6 Blood Qi..."

"So this is the true power of a Top Genius!"

Far from being crushed, Jiang Hao grew even more excited from personally experiencing this "chasm"!

It showed him the path ahead!

It revealed the distance between himself and those true Prodigies!

But Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence!

One day, he would stand above these geniuses!

"Continue!"

Jiang Hao's gaze fell once more on the button labeled [Rongguang City Senior Year Key Class Arena].

Without a moment's hesitation!

Jiang Hao clicked [Match] again!

[Matching...]

[Match successful! Enter battle room?]

"Yes!"

The training ground before him shifted once more.

This time, it was a skyscraper rooftop under a torrential downpour.

Freezing rain cascaded down, washing over his virtual body.

Across from him, a young man gradually coalesced into form.

The youth glanced at Jiang Hao, then at the foul weather, and laughed heartily.

"Brother, new here?"

Jiang Hao paused, then nodded calmly.

"Jiang Hao, Eighth Grand Martial High."

"Eighth Martial High?"

The youth raised an eyebrow.

Cannot find by searching book title—try searching the author instead; maybe it was just renamed!

"I'm Zhao Feng, First Martial High."

Zhao Feng seemed quite talkative; he asked casually:

"Seeing you just entered the system, your Blood Qi Intensity must have barely passed, right?"

"Let me guess—9.0? Or 9.1?"

Jiang Hao replied, still calm.

"9.5."

"9.5?"

Zhao Feng grinned even wider at that.

"Hahaha!"

"Brother, looks like your luck's pretty bad this round!"

Zhao Feng thumped his chest, puffing with pride.

"Your humble elder!"

"This lord Zhao Feng."

"Blood Qi Intensity 10.0—just broke through last week!"

"Only been in the key class for a month!"

Jiang Hao nodded in response.

"Please guide me."

"Hey, don't be so serious."

Seeing Jiang Hao like this, Zhao Feng thought he was intimidated.

"Relax, since you're a newbie, I'll go easy on you later..."

[Please select your weapon.]

[The duel will begin immediately after selection!]

The immersion system's prompt cut off Zhao Feng's boasting.

"Alloy Spear."

Jiang Hao thought with a single intent.

"Alloy Battle Blade."

Zhao Feng also wiped the smile off his face.

[Duel begins!]

"Come on, brother, let me see what Eighth Martial High..."

Once again, Zhao Feng's words were cut short!

Because the moment the word "Begin" fell!

Jiang Hao moved!

After enduring the terrifying baptism of Liu Qingyao's one-second instant kill!

Jiang Hao now treated every single person in this arena as an overwhelmingly powerful opponent!

He had no intention of testing the waters at all!

The moment he struck, it was with full force!

"Perfected Spearmanship!"

Jiang Hao's body tore a straight, blurry afterimage through the curtain of rain!

The long spear in his hand had no flashy moves whatsoever.

It was just the simplest, most basic thrust!

"Holy shit!"

Zhao Feng's eyes instantly bulged wide!

But he never expected!

This 9.5 newcomer would be so "unruly in martial virtue"!

Fighting the moment it was said!

And this spear!

What the hell was it?!

No sound of air being split!

Only a cold gleam that was so fast it seemed to merge with the rain, utterly flawless!

In the nick of time, relying on the instinctive reaction brought by his 10.0 Qi and Blood, Zhao Feng hastily swung his blade to block!

"Clang!"

A crisp sound!

Zhao Feng only felt a terrifying, monstrous force that simply shouldn't belong to 9.5 Qi and Blood transmitted from the blade!

It wasn't brute strength!

But a kind of smooth, penetrating subtle force that seemed able to drill into the gaps in his defense!

"Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!"

Zhao Feng staggered back three steps before barely managing to steady himself!

The right arm holding his blade was numb and sore, and the tiger's mouth was nearly split open!

"Per... Perfected Spearmanship?!"

Zhao Feng's face was filled with disbelief!

"You, a 9.5 newcomer, have mastered Perfected Spearmanship?!"

Jiang Hao did not answer his question.

The moment Zhao Feng retreated.

Jiang Hao's second spear had already arrived!

"Sweep!"

The long spear, like a whip, wrapped in the pouring rain, lashed straight at Zhao Feng's ribs!

"Damn, brother, that's ruthless!"

Zhao Feng let out a curse!

His 10.0 Qi and Blood erupted at this moment!

Zhao Feng originally wanted to forcefully counterattack by relying on his advantage in Qi and Blood!

But he discovered to his dismay!

In the face of Jiang Hao's flawless Perfected Spearmanship, all his counterattack routes were sealed off, and he could only awkwardly block again!

"Clang!"

Zhao Feng was forced back again, completely falling into a passive state!

He, a 10.0 Senior Student, was actually being suppressed and beaten by a 9.5 New Student?!

"Interesting! Come again!"

Zhao Feng roared!

During his third block, he forcibly twisted his body, trying to trade a wound for a wound and slash out a counterattack!

However.

He revealed an opening.

Jiang Hao had been waiting for this moment!

"Tidal Wave Spear Technique!"

Jiang Hao's gaze turned ice-cold in an instant!

"First Wave!"

His 9.5 Qi and Blood merged with the force of this Martial Skill!

The spear, already at its peak speed, surged even faster!

An invisible wave seemed to erupt from the Spear Tip!

The attack power, reaching 10.5, was fully revealed in that moment!

"A Martial Skill!"

Zhao Feng's countering blade was still frozen mid-air.

Only a single thought remained on his face: Holy Shit!

He never could have imagined!

This 9.5 rookie not only had Perfected Spearmanship!

But he'd also hidden a Martial Skill up his sleeve!

"Pfft!"

Under Zhao Feng's disbelieving gaze.

The spear, carrying a wave of force.

Struck after the blade but arrived first.

Piercing cleanly through his throat!

Zhao Feng's figure slowly faded away.

Jiang Hao stood in the rain, slowly withdrawing his spear.

[Battle Ended.]

[Jiang Hao (Eighth Grand Martial High) defeats Zhao Feng (First Martial High)!]

The cold prompt sounded.

Jiang Hao was about to exit.

Suddenly!

The Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence system rang!

[Ding! Detected Host completing a high-intensity virtual spar!]

[Ding, completed one "Perfected Spearmanship" drill (Combat Mode)!]

[Proficiency +10!]

[Ding, completed one "Tidal Wave Spear Technique" drill (Combat Mode)!]

[Proficiency +15!]

Jiang Hao froze in shock. Staring at these two prompts, his expression lit up with surprise!

"Ten points?"

"Fifteen points?!"

Jiang Hao's heart pounded wildly!

He remembered yesterday in the yard, practicing for hours with a mop handle. After getting Tidal Wave Spear Technique down, drilling it several times only added 1 proficiency point!

And now!

This battle, totaling less than a minute!

Had directly added 15 points?

Perfected Spearmanship also got 10 points?

Jiang Hao looked at his own hands, then at the [Match] button glowing again. A blazing light erupted in his eyes!

"As I thought!"

"Real combat is the fastest way to gain proficiency!"