Across from him, the Blue-Robed Virtual Human, having completed its mission, likewise dissolved into a sky full of light particles and vanished.
"Th-this... is the power of Blue-Robed?" In the audience, Li Wen watched the brief battle on the big screen, where one side had been suppressed from start to finish before being instantly killed. His pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively held his breath as he murmured to himself.
This was the first time he had personally witnessed the Blue-Robed Virtual Human, representing Peak Technique - Perfection, make a move.
That exquisite control over power, that terrifying staff technique as swift as a Startled Swan and as imposing as a mountain, along with the enormous gap from the Greater Accomplishment realm that was like a heavenly chasm, all carved themselves deeply into his mind.
It was truly only one step away from creating its own exclusive "Secret Technique" and stepping into the legendary "Unity Realm."
This shocking viewing experience made Li Wen deeply realize a cruel reality.
On the path of martial arts techniques, the barriers between realms were incomparably strict. Even the slightest difference almost always meant an overwhelming advantage.
Advanced Technique - Greater Accomplishment could still hold out briefly against Peak Technique - Initiation, yet Huang Hao, at Peak Technique - Greater Accomplishment, had been crushed so utterly and without suspense by the Blue-Robed One at Peak Technique - Perfection.
And between the legendary Unity Realm and Peak Technique - Perfection, he had heard that the gap was even greater!
Li Wen did not dare imagine just how powerful the Purple-Robed One representing the Unity Realm would be.
Surprise was surprise, but there was not a trace of fear.
Instead, an unprecedented, blazing desire ignited in Li Wen's heart.
"No matter how great the gap is, it isn't an impassable heavenly chasm. I have [Once Proven, Forever Proven], and I have [Absolute Focus]... Give me enough time, and surpassing them is only a matter of sooner or later."
The shock in his eyes swiftly turned into determination and persistence.
Become stronger, become stronger faster! The spot in the Flying Star Class, his family's predicament, his father's illness... all of it urgently required him to reveal his edge now.
"The first batch of Martial Arts Assessments has ended. Students in the second batch, please proceed to the virtual rooms immediately!" The announcement rang out, breaking the lingering waves of astonishment across the plaza.
Li Wen was in the second batch.
He rose abruptly, ignoring the complicated or curious looks cast his way by the surrounding students. Following the crowd, he headed toward the teaching building containing the virtual rooms with steady, swift strides.
"Go, Study King! Try to at least make it to the Yellow-clad Man!" Wei Wu, who had not yet taken his assessment, sat on a stool and vigorously waved his fist at Li Wen's back, his eyes filled with encouragement and trust.
"Mm, I will." Without stopping, Li Wen turned his head and gave him a confident smile.
Yellow-clad? That was only the starting point.
A few minutes later, Li Wen arrived at the entrance to the Third Virtual Room with the crowd.
The virtual room was more spacious than an ordinary classroom, though not as large as a major martial arts training hall.
Sixty streamlined Virtual Pods, their dim blue indicator lights flashing, stood neatly arranged inside.
Each Virtual Pod had its corresponding exam number attached to the outside.
Li Wen swept his gaze over them and quickly found his own. He efficiently took off his shoes and lay down inside the cold metal pod according to the operating instructions.
The interior of the Virtual Pod was intricately designed. A semi-enclosed helmet hung from the top of the pod. Li Wen skillfully picked it up and put it on, a faint chill spreading over him.
Next, he picked up several sensor clips resembling ECG electrodes and attached them to both wrists and both ankles. A slight numbness flowed through his limbs as the neural sensory signals connected.
After confirming that all the equipment was properly connected, Li Wen slowly lay flat, allowing his body to fully settle against the soft cushioning material.
Finally, he drew a deep breath, raised his hand, and decisively pressed the activation switch on the inner wall of the Virtual Pod.
Bzz—
A faint electric sensation instantly spread through his entire body, as though he had been immersed in slightly cool water.
The scene before his eyes abruptly went dark. Then countless points of light rapidly gathered, spun, and formed...
When Li Wen opened his eyes again, he was standing in a vast, boundless white space beneath a deep starry sky.
Beneath his feet lay solid, smooth tiles of light that stretched all the way to the end of his vision.
Rows upon rows of weapon racks gleaming with metallic luster stood neatly arranged nearby.
The Virtual World!
Li Wen had come here many times, but every time he entered, an indescribable sense of emotion and alienation still rose in his heart.
More than once, he had even absurdly wondered whether the real him at this moment might also merely exist inside a Virtual Pod in some higher dimension. Was the secret of his transmigration some kind of program restart?
Unfortunately, no one could answer that philosophical question.
Nor could he possibly verify it through suicide.
Who cared whether it was real or fake? Since he was here, this was the entire world he was striving for now.
He shook his head, forcibly suppressing those vague, intangible thoughts.
Only determination and focus remained in Li Wen's eyes. He strode toward the weapon rack and reached out with a clear goal in mind—
Clang!
A cold Steel Standard Quick Blade appeared in his hand. The familiar weight and familiar feel of the hilt instantly gave him a sense of control.
Without lingering for even a moment, he gripped the quick blade and walked directly toward the solitary arena in the center of the field. His steps were steady, yet carried a sharpness that pressed upon others.
With a light tap of his toes, he easily flipped onto the stage.
The instant he stepped onto the arena's surface, a massive holographic countdown lit up before him: [10], [9], [8]...
The waiting time was exceptionally short, passing in the blink of an eye.
Bzz!
White light condensed, and a Black-clad Virtual Human dressed in black and wielding a heavy long staff appeared expressionlessly ten meters in front of Li Wen.
The countdown reached zero!
"Ha!" The Black-clad Virtual Human used no fancy tricks. With an angry roar, it gripped the staff in both hands and smashed it downward at him with savage force.
Its fierce momentum was enough to make an ordinary student nervous.
However, facing an opponent only equivalent to Advanced Staff Technique - Initiation, Li Wen could not even be bothered to activate [Absolute Focus]. He merely casually raised his hand and gave his wrist a light flick—
Whoosh!
A snow-bright blade light, like a white line ripping through space, rose from below and struck later despite moving first! Precise, swift, and fierce!
The blade light flashed. The long staff crashing toward him, along with the Black-clad figure gripping it, was instantly split into two. Like a severed phantom, it turned into light particles and scattered away before it could even let out a scream.
In the outside plaza, on Li Wen's display, the Black-clad Man's appearance and disappearance took only the span of a blink.
Then the White-clad Man entered the stage—Advanced Technique - Minor Accomplishment.
On-screen, seeing this opponent whom he had needed a hard battle to defeat half a semester ago, the corner of Li Wen's mouth unconsciously curved with a hint of nostalgia.
The memories did not make him hesitate. His blade light remained simple.
There were no unnecessary movements. He still casually slashed out with a single stroke.
The snow-bright arc of the blade traced a perfect trajectory.
"Sshh—"
The White-clad Man and his weapon followed in the Black-clad Man's footsteps, turning into drifting points of light.
Like rotten wood crumbling away.
Next, a red figure condensed—the Virtual Human equivalent to Advanced Technique - Greater Accomplishment appeared.
This stage, capable of blocking more than half the students and leaving many defeated here, produced no different result before Li Wen's Steel Standard Quick Blade.
Still one strike.
On the big screen in the outside plaza, the galaxy formed by hundreds of displays rapidly dimmed and went dark.
That represented the large number of students eliminated at the Black-clad Man, White-clad Man, and especially Red-clad Man stages.
In only a few short minutes, the number of images on the screens plummeted from several hundred to just over a hundred. The elimination rate was shocking.
And amid that rapid reduction, new opponents began appearing in the remaining displays—dressed in orange and wielding long staffs.
They represented Advanced Technique - Perfection.
At the instant the Orange-clad Man appeared, several previous close-up displays went dark, so the system immediately and randomly added several new feeds to maintain the scale of the assessment broadcast.
The small split-screen showing Li Wen happened to appear on the largest screen at the center of the plaza.
"Look! It's the Study King!" Someone in the Class 21 area immediately pointed at the screen and cried out.
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