Five Slashes

All eyes instantly snapped to the figure in the corner of the many screens, now sharp and clear again because of his opponent's upgrade—it was Li Wen.

And the one he faced was an orange-clad virtual human.

Not only was Class 21's attention drawn over, but the students who had finished the first batch of assessments and returned to the square also turned their gazes to the big screen.

Xue Jun, who had just stepped out of the Virtual Pod with a pale face, and Deng Yuefei, whose expression carried a mix of smugness and lingering fear, both locked their eyes on Li Wen's screen without hesitation.

Deng Yuefei watched with particular intensity, even with a hint of scrutiny and hidden comparison.

He had just fought an extremely difficult battle against an orange-clad man at Advanced Perfection versus Advanced Perfection, barely winning.

He really wanted to know—how would Li Wen, who had also just broken through to Advanced Perfection in blade art, perform against an opponent of the same level?

Would he be even more flustered than himself?

But the next scene froze the expression on Deng Yuefei's face as if it had been encased in ice, his eyes bulging wide.

The countdown ended!

The orange-clad virtual human swung its long staff, the shadow of the staff like a mountain, surging forward with the majestic momentum of the Advanced Perfection realm—several times more imposing than the red-clad man before.

Li Wen moved.

Fast! Indescribably fast!

Not the kind of blind rushing speed, but the trajectory of his blade, the coordination of his body, the shifting of his steps—all perfectly fused into a suffocatingly efficient offensive rhythm.

He didn't retreat; instead, he actively advanced.

First strike! Blade light like lightning, precisely cutting into the core flaw of the overwhelming staff shadows, forcefully disrupting the orange-clad virtual human's opening stance.

Second strike! Wrist flipping, the blade edge slid strangely along the staff, forcing the orange-clad virtual human to take a step back.

Third strike! Using the momentum to spin, the quick blade traced a deadly arc, slicing toward the opponent's wrist.

Fourth strike! Blade light like a dragon, chasing forward with a straight thrust.

Fifth strike! At the moment the orange-clad virtual human was forced to change its move and defend, a cold gleam flashed in Li Wen's eyes. As he stepped forward, his quick blade shot out like a viper's tongue, slipping through the gap in the opponent's defensive staff shadows at a tricky angle.

Chii—!

A faint but clear sound seemed to pierce the distance between the virtual space and reality.

In the scene, Li Wen's figure crossed paths with the orange-clad virtual human.

Li Wen's quick blade tip slanted downward, the blade itself spotless. And the fierce orange-clad virtual human had completely frozen.

Its right hand holding the staff lifted slightly, as if trying to cover something, but at the vital point of its neck, a smooth white line rapidly expanded, spreading...

Whoosh!

The orange-clad virtual human's figure, along with the long staff representing the Advanced Perfection realm, exploded into pieces, dissolving into pure fragments of light that scattered across the arena.

From start to finish, only five clean, crisp strikes—precise, efficient, overwhelming.

"This... how is this possible!!!"

Deng Yuefei suddenly jumped up from his seat, letting out a startled cry, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.

He stared fixedly at the back on the big screen—the one already sheathing his blade, his expression terrifyingly calm—as if he were seeing the most absurd thing.

Stunned, he was completely stunned! Compared to his own desperate, barely-won struggle just now, Li Wen's fight was so relaxed and effortless it was like slicing vegetables.

That was an Advanced Perfection opponent at the same level as him! Could it be that his Advanced Perfection and Li Wen's Advanced Perfection weren't the same thing?!

The shock was far from limited to Deng Yuefei alone.

The entire Class 21 area was like a bomb had been dropped.

All the students who had clearly seen that brief, stunning five-strike performance were collectively petrified. The air was filled only with the sound of sharp intakes of breath and utter silence.

Even the composed Xue Jun subconsciously clenched his fist, his Adam's apple bobbing, his eyes filled with horror.

"Could... could it be..." Xue Jun's voice trembled uncontrollably, as if he were asking someone else or convincing himself, "Has he... achieved entry into the Peak Blade Art?!"

"Three days?!"

"Entry into the Peak Blade Art in just three days?!"

Xue Jun's dreamlike guess was like a massive boulder thrown into a stagnant pond.

Boom!

It instantly exploded across the entire Class 21 area.

Shock, disbelief, extreme doubt... but then, overwhelming envy and undisguisable jealousy!

Countless gazes turned toward the big screen, growing incredibly complex.

No matter how much everyone questioned it, no matter how unwilling they were to believe the terror of Li Wen's progress, the facts were already laid out irrefutably before them.

That strength to kill an orange-clad man in five strikes far exceeded the scope of Advanced Perfection. Aside from the massive boost brought by entry into a Peak Technique, what other explanation could there be?!

The storm outside, Li Wen was completely unaware of.

He merely calmly returned his Standard Quick Blade to the nonexistent sheath at his waist, his body standing straight as a pine, his gaze composed as he stared into the void ahead.

The fight just now was merely a warm-up. His muscles made fine adjustments, his qi and blood circulation growing more active—not from fatigue, but from the sensation of tuning his body to its peak state.

The true trial had only just begun.

"Shua~" A new light rapidly coalesced and took shape above the arena.

This time, the opponent who appeared before Li Wen was clad in a bright yellow form-fitting suit, his expression cold and stern. The long staff in his hand radiated an aura far more fierce and overbearing than any virtual human before.

Peak Technique—Entry Level.

It no longer represented "Advanced," but the power that crossed the threshold into "Peak."

Li Wen's gaze sharpened like a blade.

He clearly felt an overwhelming, irresistible pressure instantly envelop the entire arena, the air itself seeming to grow thick and heavy.

Though the Yellow-clad Man had not moved, his mere existence carried a crushing sense of power refined to its utmost.

This was an entirely different dimension from the relatively outward ferocity of Advanced Perfection.

The countdown—ended!

No probing, no buffer whatsoever.

"Whoosh—!!!" The long staff in the Yellow-clad Virtual Human's hand seemed to be instantly infused with life.

The staff's shadow transformed in a flash into a howling yellow gale, the sharp crack of its tip tearing through the air echoing across the entire arena almost simultaneously.

It was more than a step faster than the Orange-clad Man before, its power condensed like steel needles, its angles cunning and vicious. From the very first strike, it unleashed a sweeping, overwhelming Peak Entry-level assault.

The staff shadows, like countless yellow lightning bolts, wove a devastating net of death, mercilessly descending upon Li Wen's head.

Such speed! Such force! Such ferocity! It completely crushed every opponent before.

Even the mere wind stirred by the attack sent Li Wen's hair wildly dancing across his forehead.

"Well struck!" Instead of fear, blazing battle intent surged within Li Wen's heart.

A sharp gleam burst from his eyes, and his body, which had been gathering momentum, instantly entered its optimal combat state.