Quarrel

Clang—!!!

A high, impassioned blade cry, enough to tear through eardrums, rang across the entire Virtual Arena.

The blade light filling the sky no longer scattered in all directions, but condensed into a single pure streak, honed to the utmost, like a ray of light that would pierce through the blazing sun.

Dazzling beyond compare! Carrying the resolve of no return, it slashed down viciously at a speed beyond the Yellow-clad Man's limits of reaction.

Pfft! The Yellow-clad Man had only enough time to turn and block in haste. Before even his protective qi and blood could fully gather, he and the long staff in his hands were instantly torn apart by that condensed Piercing Sun blade light.

They turned into a patch of white light and slowly dispersed over the arena.

"Phew... phew..." In the Virtual World, whose realism exceeded ninety percent, Li Wen could clearly feel his pounding heart. His lungs seemed to be burning, and every breath tugged at his exhausted muscles.

Sweat slid down from his temples, dripped onto the cold metal arena floor, and shattered into fragments.

Those lifelike sensations made the feeling of physical exhaustion after an intense battle almost no different from the real world.

Every dodge and block, every all-out explosive slash, truly wrung away his stamina and mental strength.

"Whoa~~ He won! He actually won!"

"He even took down a Yellow-clad Man at the peak Initiation level!"

"That was insane!"

The instant Li Wen sheathed his blade while gasping for breath and confirmed his victory, waves of uncontrollable cries and praise erupted first from Class 21's section of Qingshi No.3 High School's plaza.

The sound was like a stone cast into a still lake, especially jarring amid the tense atmosphere of waiting for the assessment.

The shock and faint bitterness on Deng Yuefei's face had yet to fade, while Xue Jun's lips curled into an intriguing arc.

This excitement immediately drew numerous scrutinizing, disdainful, and even mocking gazes from the nearby classes, especially Class 20 right next door.

"Isn't it just Peak Blade Art at Initiation? Is there any need to get this excited? What a bunch of country bumpkins who've never seen the world." A Class 20 student folded his arms and sneered openly at his companion.

As the best class among the ordinary classes, Class 20 had always felt superior to others. They looked down even more on Class 21, that "gathering place for students admitted through connections."

"Exactly. It's not like our class only has one or two people at peak Initiation."

"Hmph, connections are connections. Making a mountain out of a molehill." More Class 20 students began to chime in, discussing it with contempt.

As neighboring "old enemies," it had long been tradition for the two classes to look down on each other.

A Class 21 student was immediately set off by those words. "What the hell do you know?" A tall Class 21 boy abruptly rose to his feet, pointed toward Class 20, and roared,

"Easy for you to talk from the sidelines! Why don't you go up there and try?"

"Exactly! Anyone can open their mouth and talk while standing around watching the show! If you've got the guts, show us what you can do in the assessment!"

"Tsk, now you're getting worked up!"

"Just putting on a bluff!"

As more and more students joined the argument, accusations and mockery flew back and forth, spit spraying everywhere as the scene instantly became noisy and chaotic.

It gradually escalated into a collective standoff between the neighboring classes, and the plaza's originally solemn atmosphere vanished without a trace.

Some students, already tense and fired up over the assessment, had their blood rushing to their heads. They rolled up their sleeves, and it looked as though the verbal sparring was about to escalate into shoving or even a brawl.

"Shut up, all of you!"

A low, furious shout containing astonishing penetrating force suddenly rang out like muffled thunder.

At the same time, a terrifying aura, heavy as a mountain and sharp as a blade, descended with a crash, like an invisible boulder pressing hard upon everyone's hearts.

It was one of the martial arts teachers responsible for maintaining order at the scene.

That simple rebuke, carrying the vast aura unique to a formal martial artist, instantly made all the flushed, furious students from both classes seem as though their throats had been seized. The clamor came to an abrupt halt.

Everyone felt their bodies stiffen, their breathing becoming somewhat labored, as if the surrounding air itself had turned thick and heavy.

That blazing gaze, carrying a faint warning, swept over the crowd like a cold blade.

Wherever his gaze fell, no matter how unruly the student, their heart trembled involuntarily. They uncontrollably lowered their heads deeply, not daring to meet his eyes at all, their every ounce of swagger instantly extinguished.

This was the insurmountable gulf between the Unranked and true martial artists.

And this was only a formal martial artist. If a Super Warrior had descended instead, then with their aura fully unleashed alone, they could likely have pressed this entire group of Unranked students flat to the ground, unable to move.

The legendary experts of the Flying Star Realm possessed Force Fields with even greater invisible might.

A trivial farce of a shouting match vanished into thin air beneath the martial arts teacher's absolute suppression through strength.

The entire plaza was left with only the sound effects of battle from the virtual screens and Li Wen's heavy panting.

After the brief interruption, everyone's attention returned to the central display.

At this moment, fewer than ten battle screens remained lit, representing the foremost elites still continuing their assessments.

The screen belonging to Li Wen refreshed.

A color representing a higher realm of skill appeared—a green virtual battle robe.

Peak Technique - Minor Accomplishment!

Looking at the Green-Clad Man before him, who radiated an aura far more terrifying than the Yellow-clad Man's and held a long staff, Li Wen took a deep breath. He forcibly suppressed the fatigue and joy brought by killing the Yellow-clad Man, and his gaze became incomparably solemn.

Green corresponded to Peak Technique - Minor Accomplishment.

He had only just reached Initiation in Peak Blade Art. Faced with an opponent at Minor Accomplishment, the gulf in strength was plain to see.

Whether in depth of understanding of martial techniques, efficiency in wielding strength, or combat experience, there was a qualitative difference.

Li Wen knew his own limits. At this moment, he had absolutely no chance of winning.

However, such an opportunity was rare!

To fight an opponent far beyond his own realm without reservations—even if only for a few short exchanges—was an excellent chance to broaden his horizons, experience the gap, and clarify his direction.

He might even touch upon the threshold of a higher realm.

This precious experience was something he might not have the chance to obtain in real combat even if he traded his life for it. He did not want to waste it for nothing.

"Fight!" This time, Li Wen did not passively wait for the Green-Clad Man to attack first.

With a low shout, he forcibly raised a surge of qi and blood. Power flooded his arms, force exploded beneath his feet, and he shot forward like an arrow released from the bow, charging in with his swift blade.

The moment he attacked, he used the most powerful move currently available in the Rainbow Light Blade Art, which excelled in explosive speed—Piercing Sun!

Screech! The swift blade tore through the air, dragging behind it a chilling afterimage.

The blade light filling the sky was like a gorgeous curtain suddenly drawn open. Carrying an incomparably fierce momentum, it instantly enveloped the Green-Clad Man, who had only just refreshed and whose form had not yet fully solidified.

That strike condensed all the spirit, energy, and will of Li Wen's Initiation-level Rainbow Light Blade Art.

It was the manifestation of his momentum as he actively challenged a higher peak.