Li Wen Takes the Stage

Across from him, the Blue-Robed Virtual Human, having fulfilled its purpose, likewise dissolved into countless specks of light and vanished.

"Is this... the power of a Blue-Robe?" In the audience, Li Wen stared at the large screen, watching that brief battle—utterly suppressed from start to finish, ended in an instant. His pupils contracted slightly, and he unconsciously held his breath, murmuring to himself.

This was the first time he had personally witnessed a Blue-Robed Virtual Human, representing the pinnacle of perfected technique, in action.

That exquisite control over power, that terrifying staff technique as swift as a Startled Swan and as weighty as a mountain, and the chasm-like gap between it and the Greater Mastery realm—all of it was deeply etched into his mind.

It was merely one step away from birthing its own unique "secret technique" and stepping into the legendary "Unity Realm."

This shocking viewing experience made Li Wen keenly aware of a brutal truth.

On the path of martial arts, the barriers between realms were stern and absolute; every small gap almost meant overwhelming superiority.

A high-level Greater Mastery could still hold out for a moment against a top-level Initiate, but a top-level Greater Mastery like Huang Hao was so effortlessly and conclusively destroyed by a top-level Perfected Blue-Robe.

And the gap between the legendary Unity Realm and top-level Perfection was said to be even larger!

Li Wen dared not imagine how powerful the Purple-Robed One, representing the Unity Realm, must be.

Surprised as he was, there was not a trace of fear.

Instead, a blazing, unprecedented thirst ignited within Li Wen's heart.

"No matter how big the gap, it's not an insurmountable chasm. I have [Once Proven, Forever Proven], I have [Absolute Focus]... Give me enough time, and surpassing these is only a matter of course."

His gaze shifted swiftly from shock to determination and persistence.

Become stronger, faster! The Flying Star Class quota, the troubles at home, his father's illness... All of this urgently demanded that he show his edge now.

"The first batch of Martial Arts Assessment is concluded. Please have the second batch of students report to the Virtual Room immediately!" The broadcast sounded, shattering the lingering waves of exclamation across the square.

Li Wen was in the second batch.

He rose abruptly, ignoring the complicated or curious glances from his classmates around him, and followed the flow of people, walking with steady, rapid steps toward the teaching building housing the Virtual Room.

"Go for it, grind king! At least try to see the Yellow-clad Man!" Wei Wu, who hadn't yet been called for assessment, sat on a bench and punched the air vigorously toward Li Wen's retreating back, his eyes full of encouragement and trust.

"Mm, I will." Li Wen didn't stop walking, turning his head to give a confident smile.

Yellow-clad? That was just the starting point.

A few minutes later, Li Wen followed the crowd to the entrance of Virtual Room Three.

The space inside the Virtual Room was more spacious than an ordinary classroom, but not as large as a martial arts training hall.

Neatly arranged inside were sixty streamlined Virtual Pods, their indicator lights blinking a faint blue.

Each Virtual Pod had a corresponding exam number posted on the outside.

Li Wen swept his gaze across the room and quickly found his own. He deftly took off his shoes and, following the operating instructions, lay down into the cold metal cabin.

The interior structure of the Virtual Pod was precise, with a semi-enclosed helmet suspended from the top. Li Wen skillfully picked up the helmet and put it on; a faint, cool sensation spread across his skin.

Next, he picked up several sensor clips resembling ECG electrodes and attached them to his wrists and ankles. A slight numbness flowed through his limbs—this was the neural signal being connected.

Confirming all equipment was properly connected, Li Wen slowly lay flat, letting his body fully settle into the soft cushioning material.

Finally, he took a deep breath, raised his hand, and decisively pressed the start switch on the inner wall of the Virtual Pod.

Hum—

A faint electric current instantly coursed through his entire body, like being immersed in cool water.

The scene before his eyes suddenly went black, then countless specks of light rapidly converged, spun, and constructed...

When Li Wen opened his eyes again, he found himself in a vast, pure white space with a deep starry sky overhead.

Beneath his feet were solid, smooth floor tiles, stretching to the edge of sight.

Rows of weapon racks gleaming with metallic luster stood neatly not far away.

The virtual world!

Li Wen had been here many times, but every time he entered, a trace of indescribable emotion and alienation still stirred in his heart.

He had even absurdly thought more than once: was the real him at this moment also merely existing inside a Virtual Pod from a higher dimension? Was the secret of his transmigration just some kind of program reboot?

Unfortunately, no one could answer that philosophical question.

And he would never verify it by killing himself.

Real or fake, who cared? Since he was here, this was the entire world he would fight for now.

Shaking his head, he forcibly suppressed those ethereal thoughts.

Only determination and focus remained in Li Wen's eyes. He strode toward the weapon rack, reached out with clear intent, and pulled—

Clang!

A cold Steel Standard Quick Blade appeared in his hand. The familiar weight, the familiar feel of the hilt, instantly gave him a sense of control.

Without a moment's delay, blade in hand, he walked with steady steps but a pressing sharpness straight toward the solitary arena platform standing in the center of the field.

With a light tap of his toes, he easily vaulted onto the platform.

The moment he set foot on the arena surface, a massive holographic countdown blazed to life before him: [10], [9], [8]...

The wait was unusually brief, fleeting in an instant.

Hum!

White light coalesced, and a Virtual Human clad in black, wielding a thick, heavy staff, appeared expressionlessly ten meters opposite Li Wen.

The countdown hit zero!

"Hah!" The black-clad Virtual Human wasted no time on finesse. With a roar, he gripped the staff with both hands and swung it down at Li Wen's head with brute force.

The momentum was fierce, enough to make an ordinary student tense up.

Yet, facing this opponent who was merely at the threshold of Advanced Staff Technique, Li Wen couldn't even be bothered to activate [Absolute Focus]. He simply raised a hand, his wrist flicking lightly—

Shing!

A blade of light, like a white line tearing through space, shot upward from below, arriving after the strike but before it landed! Precise, swift, fierce!

The flash of the blade passed. The staff hurtling toward him, along with the black-clad figure gripping it, was instantly split in two, like a severed illusion. Without even a cry of pain, it dissolved into specks of light and vanished.

On the plaza outside, in the frame showing Li Wen, the black-clad figure's appearance and disappearance took place in the blink of an eye.

Next came the white-clad figure—Advanced Technique, Minor Mastery.

In the frame, seeing this opponent who, half a semester ago, had required a grueling battle to defeat, Li Wen's lips unconsciously curled into a faint, reminiscent arc.

The memories didn't slow him down. The blade's light remained as simple as ever.

No wasted movements. Just another effortless slash.

The gleaming arc traced a perfect trajectory.

"Sss—"

The white-clad figure, along with his weapon, followed the black-clad one's fate, scattering into specks of light.

Overwhelming and unstoppable.

Then, a red silhouette coalesced—a Virtual Human equivalent to Advanced Technique, Grand Mastery.

This checkpoint, which could block over half the students and leave many tasting defeat, changed nothing before Li Wen's fine steel swift blade.

Still one slash.

On the large screen in the plaza outside, a galaxy of hundreds of frames was rapidly dimming and going dark.

That was the sign of large numbers of students being eliminated at the black-clad, white-clad, and especially the red-clad checkpoints.

In just a few minutes, the number of frames on the screen plummeted from several hundred to just over a hundred—a staggering elimination rate.

And in the midst of this sharp reduction, new opponents began to refresh in the surviving frames—figures clad in orange, wielding staffs.

Representing Advanced Technique, Perfection.

The moment the orange-clad figures refreshed, because several close-up frames had just gone dark, the system immediately randomly added a few new frames to maintain the observation scale of the assessment livestream.

The small split-screen showing Li Wen happened to appear on the largest screen at the center of the plaza.

"Look! It's the Grinder!" someone from Class 21's area shouted, pointing at the screen.