First Attempt

"Basic Spear Technique and Martial Skills can both increase!"

"This is amazing!"

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

After familiarizing himself with the training function.

Jiang Hao's curiosity was thoroughly piqued, and his gaze finally landed on the Arena.

[Rongguang City Senior Year Key Class Arena]

Jiang Hao wanted to see what the stage for the whole city was like.

Jiang Hao clicked the "Match" button.

It took less than ten seconds.

The Virtual Immersion System promptly displayed a notification.

[Match found. Enter the battle room?]

"Yes."

Jiang Hao didn't hesitate in the slightest.

The Training Ground before him vanished in an instant.

The next second, Jiang Hao found himself in a different space.

It was a city in ruins, with crumbling walls and rubble everywhere.

Collapsed skyscrapers, cracked streets, and exposed rebar looked desolate beneath the gloomy sky.

Jiang Hao already knew about this.

The Arena randomly assigned different combat environments to simulate real-world conditions.

And fifty meters away from him,

a young girl stood quietly.

She wore a simple white martial arts uniform and held a slender sword. She looked about his age.

[Please select your weapon.]

[The duel will begin immediately after you make your selection!]

The Immersion System's prompt sounded.

Jiang Hao focused his mind.

"Alloy Spear."

A standard-issue spear instantly took shape in Jiang Hao's hands.

The next second,

[The duel begins!]

It had begun!

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

Then—

The next second!

Jiang Hao saw only a streak of sword light, so fast it was almost impossible to follow, flash before his eyes!

He felt a cold glint slice across his throat.

Immediately after,

the entire scene before him went black!

By the time Jiang Hao came to his senses,

he found himself back in the Virtual Training Ground.

Jiang Hao was still gripping his spear, standing there in a daze.

"Gasp..."

"What happened?"

Jiang Hao was stunned!

He'd been taken out in one hit?

A cold prompt from the Immersion System answered his question.

[Battle over.]

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

Only after seeing this notification did Jiang Hao's dazed expression snap back to life!

Liu Qingyao!

It had actually been her!

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

A tempest surged through Jiang Hao's heart!

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

He'd even prepared himself to be crushed.

But!

He'd never imagined the gap would be this huge!

One sword!

He hadn't even seen when she'd drawn it!

And he was already "dead"!

This wasn't even a fight between people in the same league!

Jiang Hao's breathing grew slightly uneven.

She really was powerful!

Meanwhile,

at Rongguang City's Third Martial High, in its private Virtual Training Ground,

Liu Qingyao slowly lowered her sword.

Her delicate face was as calm as a still well.

A victory notification appeared before her.

[You defeated Jiang Hao (Eighth Martial High)]

"Hmm?"

Liu Qingyao's brows lifted slightly.

"Jiang Hao?"

"Eighth Grand Martial High?"

She knew about Eighth Martial High. It was the school Su Qingning attended.

But this guy named Jiang Hao...

She didn't think she'd ever seen him on a Ranking List, or even heard of him before.

"Looks like he's a newcomer who just joined the Key Class."

A trace of interest appeared in Liu Qingyao's eyes.

But it was only a trace.

What kind of strength could a newcomer who'd just joined the Key Class have?

In that last fight, she hadn't even used a Martial Skill. She'd only casually thrust with the most basic attack.

And her opponent couldn't even block that.

Too weak.

Liu Qingyao shook her head and paid him no more attention.

She queued for another match!

Back with Jiang Hao,

after being taken out by a single sword strike,

the cold sensation of death seemed to linger on his throat.

But there wasn't the slightest hint of dejection in Jiang Hao's eyes.

Instead, an unprecedented blaze roared to life within them!

His fighting spirit!

It had been thoroughly ignited!

"Liu Qingyao..."

"Blood Qi Intensity of 14.6..."

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

Far from being discouraged, Jiang Hao was even more excited after personally experiencing that "heavenly chasm"!

It had shown him the path ahead!

It had shown him the distance between himself and those true Prodigies!

But with Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence!

One day, he would stand above all these geniuses!

"Again!"

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

Without the slightest hesitation,

Jiang Hao clicked Match again!

[Matching...]

[Match found! Enter the battle room?]

"Yes!"

The Training Ground before him changed again.

This time, it was the rooftop of a skyscraper in a torrential downpour.

The icy rain washed over his virtual body with a loud rush.

Across from him,

a young man materialized.

The young man looked at Jiang Hao, then at the terrible weather, and laughed.

"Hey, are you new here?"

Jiang Hao froze for a moment, then calmly nodded.

"Jiang Hao, Eighth Grand Martial High."

"Eighth Martial High?"

The young man raised an eyebrow.

"My name's Zhao Feng. First Martial High."

Zhao Feng was quite talkative. He asked casually,

"You've just joined the system, right? Your Blood Qi Intensity must have only just reached the minimum."

"Let me guess, 9.0? Or 9.1?"

Jiang Hao answered calmly.

"9.5."

"9.5?"

Zhao Feng looked even happier when he heard that.

"Hahahaha!"

"Brother, then you're pretty unlucky this round!"

Zhao Feng patted his chest, looking smug.

"I'm nothing special!"

"I'm Zhao Feng, the great!"

"Blood Qi Intensity of 10.0. I just broke through last week!"

"I've only been in the Key Class for a month!"

Jiang Hao nodded when he heard that.

"Please guide me."

"Hey, don't be so serious."

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

"Relax. Since you're new, I'll go easy on—"

[Please select your weapon.]

[The duel will begin immediately after you make your selection!]

The Immersion System's prompt interrupted Zhao Feng's bragging.

"Alloy Spear."

Jiang Hao focused his mind.

"Alloy Battle Blade."

Zhao Feng's smile faded as well.

[The duel begins!]

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

Once again, Zhao Feng didn't get to finish what he was saying!

Because the instant the words "Begin" fell!

Jiang Hao moved!

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

Jiang Hao now treated every single person in this Arena as an exceptionally powerful opponent!

He had no intention of testing the waters!

He went all out from the very first move!

"Perfected Spearmanship!"

Jiang Hao's body drew a straight afterimage through the curtain of rain!

The spear in his hands had no fancy flourishes.

It was simply the most basic, straightforward thrust!

"Holy shit!"

Zhao Feng's eyes instantly went wide!

But he never would've imagined!

That this 9.5 newcomer would be so "shameless"!

He attacked as soon as the match began!

And that spear thrust!

What the hell was that?!

There was no sound of it cutting through the air!

Only a glint of cold light, impossibly fast, seemingly blending into the rain, with no opening to exploit!

At the very last moment, Zhao Feng's instincts, honed by his 10.0 blood energy, kicked in. He hurriedly raised his blade to block!

"Clang!"

A sharp ring!

Zhao Feng felt an immense force—one that had no business coming from someone with 9.5 blood energy—surge through his blade!

It wasn't brute force!

It was a smooth, penetrating skill, as if it could slip right through the gaps in his defense!

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

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

His right arm, the one holding his blade, was numb with pain, and his palm nearly split open!

"P-Perfected Spearmanship?!"

Zhao Feng's face was filled with disbelief!

"You're a 9.5 newcomer, and you've mastered Perfected Spearmanship?"

Jiang Hao didn't answer him.

The instant Zhao Feng staggered back,

Jiang Hao's second thrust was already upon him!

"Sweep!"

The spear whipped like a lash, carrying a torrent of rain as it swept straight toward Zhao Feng's waist and ribs!

"Holy crap, brother, you're brutal!"

Zhao Feng let out a curse!

His 10.0 blood energy burst forth!

Zhao Feng had meant to rely on his advantage in blood energy and counterattack by force!

But he discovered, to his dismay,

that in the face of Jiang Hao's flawless Perfected Spearmanship, every possible counterattack was sealed off. All he could do was desperately block again!

"Clang!"

Zhao Feng was driven back once more, completely forced onto the defensive!

He was a 10.0 veteran student, yet he was getting beaten down by a 9.5 freshman?!

"Interesting. Come again!"

Zhao Feng roared!

On his third block, he forcibly twisted his body, trying to trade a wound for a wound and slash back!

However,

he exposed an opening.

Jiang Hao had been waiting for this very moment!

"Tidal Wave Spear Technique!"

Jiang Hao's gaze turned icy in an instant!

"First Wave!"

His 9.5 blood energy fused with the force of the Martial Skill!

The spear, already moving at its absolute limit, surged even faster!

An invisible wave seemed to erupt from the spearhead!

Its attack power, now reaching 10.5, was revealed in full!

"A Martial Skill!"

Zhao Feng's counterattack was still suspended in midair.

His face held nothing but sheer disbelief!

He never would've imagined

that this 9.5 newcomer hadn't just mastered Perfected Spearmanship—

he'd also been hiding a Martial Skill!

"Pfft!"

Under Zhao Feng's disbelieving gaze,

the spear carried a wave of force,

struck before his blade could,

and pierced his throat with pinpoint accuracy!

Zhao Feng's figure slowly faded away.

Jiang Hao stood in the rain and slowly lowered his spear.

[Battle ended.]

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

A cold notification sounded.

Jiang Hao was just about to exit.

Suddenly!

The Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence system chimed!

[Ding! Detected that the host has completed a high-intensity virtual battle!]

[Ding! Completed one "Perfected Spearmanship" practice session (combat mode)!]

[Proficiency +10!]

[Ding! Completed one "Tidal Wave Spear Technique" practice session (combat mode)!]

[Proficiency +15!]

Jiang Hao froze. As he looked at the two notifications, delight appeared on his face!

"Ten points?"

"Fifteen points?!"

Jiang Hao's heart began to pound!

He remembered that yesterday, in the courtyard, he'd spent several hours practicing with a mop handle. After learning the basics of the Tidal Wave Spear Technique, he'd practiced it several times and only gained one proficiency point!

But now!

This battle had lasted less than a minute!

And it had given him fifteen points all at once?

Perfected Spearmanship had gained ten points, too?

Jiang Hao looked at his hands, then at the [Match] button, which had lit up again. A burning light flared in his eyes!

"Just as I thought!"

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