Inside the Virtual Arena.
The audience seats were already roaring with noise.
Almost all the geniuses from the Key Classes of all three grades were there!
As everyone chatted and waited gleefully for the protagonist to make his entrance,
"Look! The Campus Belle is here too!"
A startled shout made the entire Duel Arena fall silent for half a second.
Su Qingning, dressed in a pure white martial arts uniform, appeared at the entrance to the audience seats, her snow-white hair flowing behind her.
She was as cool and aloof as ever, as if she were untouched by the mortal world.
"Over here, sis!"
Su Anan had already saved front-row seats with Jiang Keke, and she was waving excitedly.
Su Qingning's arrival made Jiang Keke tense up at once. Her gaze drifted toward this legendary figure from their school, tinged with curiosity.
Jiang Keke couldn't quite understand.
Why would the lofty Su Big School Flower take an interest in... Uh, pay attention to her older brother?
Su Qingning noticed Jiang Keke's gaze. She knew Jiang Keke was Jiang Hao's younger sister, and she also knew about Jiang Keke's relationship with Su Anan!
So Su Qingning walked over and sat down beside Jiang Keke and Su Anan.
Once seated,
Su Qingning looked at Jiang Keke's somewhat nervous little face and spoke first, her voice cool and clear.
"Classmate Jiang Keke?"
"I haven't got that wrong, have I?"
Jiang Keke nodded repeatedly.
Su Qingning nodded slightly and continued.
"I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. I caused trouble for Classmate Jiang Hao."
"Huh?"
Jiang Keke was flattered and quickly waved her hands.
"No, Senior Su. It wasn't your fault!"
"I was the one who said too much!"
Su Qingning shook her head slightly and cut her off.
"I'd originally planned to step in and mediate today."
Su Qingning's gaze settled on Jiang Hao, standing calmly in the center of the Duel Arena.
"But."
"Classmate Jiang Hao is very confident."
"He turned down my offer to mediate."
"So I've decided to see what he has up his sleeve."
A trace of barely perceptible curiosity crept into Su Qingning's voice.
After speaking, Su Qingning turned to look at Jiang Keke. Her bright blue eyes seemed able to see right through people.
"You're his younger sister."
"Do you know what your brother plans to do?"
"I..."
Jiang Keke was caught off guard by the question.
What did he have up his sleeve?
Jiang Keke shook her head decisively.
"I don't know either!"
Su Qingning nodded at that and didn't press her further. She turned her gaze back to Jiang Hao in the arena.
Her cool voice rang out softly, almost as if to reassure Jiang Keke.
"Don't worry. If Classmate Jiang Hao runs into any trouble because of this, I'll take care of it for him!"
In the center of the Duel Arena,
Jiang Hao and Zhao Wuji stood ten meters apart, facing each other from a distance.
Every eye in the arena was fixed on them.
Zhao Wuji's build was imposing. He rolled his wrists, and his bones cracked loudly.
Zhao Wuji grinned, baring his white teeth.
"Kid, you ready?"
As he spoke, Zhao Wuji opened the virtual system's adjustment panel.
"Like we agreed yesterday."
"I'll suppress my Blood Qi Intensity to 9.5."
Just as Zhao Wuji was about to confirm,
"Wait."
Jiang Hao's voice suddenly rang out.
Zhao Wuji paused. His brow furrowed, and irritation crossed his face.
"What?"
"Are you scared, kid?"
"Only changing your mind now? A little late for that, isn't it?"
The spectators around them burst into laughter.
"Told you he wouldn't dare!"
"Running away right before the fight? How pathetic!"
Jiang Hao ignored every voice around him. He simply looked at Zhao Wuji and said calmly,
"You've got it wrong."
"9.5 was my Blood Qi Intensity yesterday."
Zhao Wuji froze.
"What do you mean?"
Jiang Hao spoke slowly. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire Duel Arena!
"Now,"
"my latest Blood Qi Intensity is 9.99."
"If you're going to suppress yours, adjust it to 9.99."
"That's the only way this is fair."
"..."
"..."
As Jiang Hao's words fell,
the noise of the entire Duel Arena seemed to be cut off in an instant by an invisible hand!
Deathly silence!
So quiet you could hear a pin drop!
Every single one of the hundreds of geniuses from the Key Classes stood frozen in place!
Their eyes widened!
They looked as if they'd just heard the most absurd thing imaginable!
Especially the geniuses from the Senior Year Key Class!
"What?"
"9.99?"
"Did I fucking hear that wrong?"
"He was only at 9.5 during yesterday's assessment!"
"It's only been one night! His Blood Qi Intensity shot up by 0.49 in one night?"
"That's impossible!"
"Even if you gulped down High-grade Nutrient Solution nonstop for 24 hours, you couldn't improve that fast!"
"Could he have broken through in Stance Training?"
In the audience seats,
"Huh?"
Jiang Keke was completely dumbfounded. Her little mouth formed a cute "O" as she stared blankly at her brother in the arena.
What was going on?
Last night,
had her big brother broken through in Stance Training again?
Wouldn't that mean... Stance Training's eighth turn?
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Su Qingning, who had maintained her cool composure all this time, narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly at the news!
There was only one possible explanation for such a rapid surge in Blood Qi Intensity!
He'd broken through in Stance Training!
According to the information collected on Jiang Hao,
a month ago, Jiang Hao had only just broken through to the sixth turn. A month had passed, and at this rate, his Stance Training had very likely reached the eighth turn!
Two breakthroughs in Stance Training in a single month!
That kind of talent!
He was every bit her equal!
As the thought crossed her mind, waves stirred for the first time in Su Qingning's sea-blue eyes!
In the arena,
Zhao Wuji's grin had completely frozen on his face!
His eyes were wide as saucers!
"9.99?"
"Are you messing with me?"
Zhao Wuji's first reaction was disbelief!
Jiang Hao ignored Zhao Wuji's fury and looked instead at the electronic referee hovering in midair, the embodiment of the system's rules.
"Display my real-time data."
"Beep—"
[Contestant: Jiang Hao (Eighth Martial High).]
[Real-time Blood Qi Intensity: 9.99.]
A huge Information Panel floated above the Duel Arena.
"..."
"..."
"Whoa—!"
The entire arena erupted again!
Everyone stared blankly at the Information Panel.
"It's actually true!"
"Is this guy a freak?"
"To raise your Blood Qi Intensity by 0.5 overnight, you'd have to break through to at least the eighth or even ninth turn in Stance Training. Tsk... Looks like this guy really does have something going for him to get B-Class Treatment."
Staring at Jiang Hao's Information Panel overhead, Zhao Wuji's face flushed purple!
He felt like a clown!
Yesterday, he'd been so sure of himself, looking down on a 9.5 freshman with his own Blood Qi Intensity of 12.0!
But today!
The other guy had turned around and shot up to 9.99!
That number was still weak as hell in his eyes.
But at this rate,
it wouldn't take long for Jiang Hao to catch up with him!
"So what if it's 9.99!"
Zhao Wuji gathered himself and snorted.
"I'm still winning today!"
Zhao Wuji opened the adjustment panel.
The next moment,
a notification appeared!
[Contestant: Zhao Wuji!]
[Blood Qi Intensity adjusted to: 9.99]
"System!"
"I want a weapon: Nunchaku!"
"Hum!"
A pair of heavy Alloy Nunchaku took shape in Zhao Wuji's hands!
Seeing this, Jiang Hao's gaze sharpened.
"Alloy Spear."
With the spear in hand, Jiang Hao's aura instantly became restrained and profound.
The instant the three-second countdown to the duel finished!
Zhao Wuji suddenly lunged. He was like a ferocious tiger breaking out of its cage, hurtling toward Jiang Hao!
Facing Zhao Wuji's violent charge,
Jiang Hao's spear moved!
Perfected Spearmanship!
An inch longer!
An inch stronger!
The Alloy Spear in Jiang Hao's hands seemed to transform into a waking Venom Dragon. At its tip was a faint trace of Spear Intent, on the verge of being born yet not fully formed!
"Clang!"
Zhao Wuji had just charged into range.
The Nunchaku whirling in his hands hadn't even had time to come crashing down when Jiang Hao's elusive spear tip struck the middle of their chain with pinpoint precision!
"What!"
Zhao Wuji felt a strange force of vibration run through him!
His ferocious offense abruptly stalled!
His entire arm went numb and prickled!
What a bizarre spear!
"Again!"
Zhao Wuji roared, swinging the Nunchaku with a fierce whoosh, like two black whirlwinds shielding his body!
He had to get in close!
But!
How could it be so easy to get close to Jiang Hao's Perfected Spearmanship?
"Thrust!"
"Sweep!"
"Entwine!"
"Knock aside!"
Jiang Hao's Spear Technique had returned to its natural simplicity. The spear in his hands became an impenetrable Silver Barrier, and Zhao Wuji's ferocious Nunchaku simply couldn't break through!
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The crisp clanging of metal rang out without pause!
All the Key Class prodigies in the room were dumbfounded!
"Am I seeing things?"
"Zhao Wuji's being suppressed?"
"His Nunchaku can't even touch Jiang Hao!"
"An inch longer, an inch stronger. Jiang Hao's spear skills are flawless. Senior Zhao can't get close at all!"
"This Jiang Hao was really hiding his strength!"
A chill crept into everyone's hearts!
Zhao Wuji himself could hardly believe it!
He was going crazy!
He was a prodigy ranked third in the Key Class!
A berserker who pursued the limits of physical strength!
And he was actually being beaten down by a newcomer who'd just joined the class, using a lousy spear?
This was damn well—
A crushing humiliation!
In the Audience Stand,
Jiang Keke watched the fight and was completely stunned.
She stared blankly at her brother, whose spear struck like a dragon as he toyed with Zhao Wuji in the palm of his hand.
"Is that really my brother?"
"What in the meow is going on?"
"Could some old monster have possessed him?"
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