Battle the Green-Clad Man (Part 2)

On the Virtual Arena, the Green-Clad Man moved!

He was faster than before, and his aura was even more powerful!

The long staff in his hands seemed to come alive. It was no longer a simple weapon, but transformed into a forest of staff shadows that blotted out the sky and covered the earth. Carrying the absolute suppressive force of Minor Accomplishment in a top-tier technique, it crashed down upon Li Wen like raging waves.

Buzz—under the lv3 [Absolute Focus] state, his perception of time stretched and warped.

Li Wen's brain ran at overclocked speeds, cold analysis replacing every stray thought.

The entire world became incomparably clear in his perception.

The instantaneous eruption of the Green-Clad Man's muscle fibers, the subtle shift in the long staff's trajectory as it tore through the air, the fleeting weakness beneath the curtain of staff shadows—smaller than the tip of a needle...

All the information poured into his mind like an icy torrent, instantly processed, deduced, and planned by his brain.

Every movement underwent rapid simulation and optimization in his mind. His body was like a precision instrument tuned to its peak.

The moves of his Rainbow Light Blade Art no longer followed their usual sequence. Supported by the overwhelming computing power of [Absolute Focus], they were broken apart and reassembled into the simplest, most efficient responses.

There were no superfluous flourishes, only the smallest movements and shortest paths to block, evade, and parry the overwhelming staff shadows.

Clang! Clang! Bang!

Blade light flashed like a startled rainbow, yet it continued to flicker stubbornly amid the torrent of staff shadows.

Li Wen's figure was like a small boat amid stormy seas. He seemed liable to capsize at any moment, yet again and again, from unbelievable angles, he found a sliver of life within desperate straits, barely avoiding vital blows.

Every block sent tremendous recoil through his arms. The web between his thumb and forefinger throbbed with pain, and he could barely hold onto the hilt.

He was at a disadvantage—an all-around disadvantage.

Every attack from the Green-Clad Man made his blood and qi churn, his Blade Force thrown into disarray and rebuilt time after time.

Yet, relying on the extraordinary reactions and bodily control granted by [Absolute Focus], as well as the obsession in his heart that refused to let him fall, he forcibly endured that tempestuous assault.

—The plaza outside.

The entire plaza fell silent enough for a pin to be heard.

Every student's eyes were firmly drawn to the central giant screen, which had suddenly enlarged to clearly display Li Wen's fierce battle against the Green-Clad Man, as though pulled by an invisible magnet.

Every face was filled with incredulous shock and horror.

"Th-this... how is that possible?!" Wang Ruiming's eyes widened like bronze bells, and even his voice went shrill.

"He... he blocked it?! Li Wen blocked a Green-Clad Man with top-tier Minor Accomplishment?!" Deng Yuefei swallowed with difficulty, feeling his worldview collapse.

He had only just fought a Yellow-clad Man with top-tier Initiation using a high-level Perfection blade art. He understood all too well that what seemed like a small step between realms was, in truth, a vast gulf like a natural chasm.

With bodies of the same level, even a slight difference in technique realm usually meant total suppression.

With higher-level exertion techniques, subtler variations, and greater control, the opponent could easily leave you without even the strength to fight back—just as he had been effortlessly suppressed by the Yellow-clad Man earlier.

Yet the scene before them, one worthy of being called a miracle, overturned everything they knew.

A situation where Li Wen should have been instantly defeated had turned into a fierce entanglement showering sparks in every direction.

"What level of combat awareness would that take?" a top liberal arts student muttered, his voice trembling.

"Fighting the strong while weak like this... I've only heard of it in news reports about veteran soldiers who survived countless life-and-death battles on the front lines. He's just a high school student..."

"Monster! Li Wen really is a monster!" Someone cried out involuntarily. Those words voiced the thoughts in the hearts of most people present.

Before an absolute gap in realms, Li Wen had displayed combat instincts and resilience far surpassing those of a high school student, even beyond ordinary martial artists. This was no longer something the simple word "genius" could encompass.

—Principal's Office, Qingshi No.3 High School.

The live image playing on the wall showed Li Wen struggling to hold on amid the Green-Clad Man's storm of staff shadows.

"Good kid!" Wang Hu watched with rapid breaths, his hand unconsciously clenching into a fist at his side. The smile on his face was practically overflowing. "Principal Huang, look! Didn't I say so?! He held on! He held off the offensive of top-tier Minor Accomplishment! This kind of tenacity, this kind of combat talent!"

The half-gray-haired old principal, Huang Yuanting, stood with his hands behind his back, his hawk-sharp gaze fixed on the screen. A flash of brilliance passed through the depths of his clouded old eyes.

He slowly nodded. "Indeed... this was unexpected. With only a top-tier Initiation blade art, he managed to hold on under the Green-Clad Man for this long and bring his own skill to such a vivid, consummate display... This temperament, this ability to adapt on the spot, has already far surpassed that of ordinary students."

His tone carried unconcealed praise. As the principal of a school, seeing a student from his own school perform so astonishingly was undoubtedly a tremendous surprise.

The joy on Wang Hu's face deepened as he pressed his advantage. "Then, Principal Huang, about what I mentioned before... what do you think? If someone this talented gets discovered and poached by another force first, we'll suffer a huge loss!"

Huang Yuanting stroked his grizzled beard. The praise on his face gradually faded, replaced by the solemnity of an experienced and cautious man.

He fell silent for several seconds before finally shaking his head, his tone returning to its prior steadiness.

"His performance is indeed astonishing, top-tier among students. But Wang Hu..."

He turned around and looked at Wang Hu with bright, piercing eyes.

"The criteria for judging an 'Awakened One' involve matters too deeply rooted. It absolutely cannot be determined merely by observing the speed of a student's technical improvement and combat performance.

"If we rashly report him and classify him as a suspected Awakened One to the Four Great or the military, then if his subsequent performance is mediocre when breaking through the Unity Realm—or if he remains stuck at a certain realm for a long time..."

Huang Yuanting's gaze became deep and stern.

"The responsibility for a poor recommendation or a mistaken judgment would be a small matter. More importantly, it would displease those above and spoil their mood. They would think Qingshi No.3 High School rash and impetuous, lacking professional judgment. That would be no good at all for the school's reputation or for our futures."

He pointed at Li Wen, who was still fighting stubbornly on the screen.

"History has no shortage of youths who shone brilliantly, only to waste their years in the Unity Realm. The safest and most widely recognized standard is still whether he can cross the natural chasm of the Unity Realm, and what his condition is when he does.

"The Four Great's signing standards are based on this as well—no matter how heaven-defying someone's performance is before the Unity Realm, as long as they have not reached it, the Four Great will basically not consider placing a heavy bet on them in advance."

"But Principal Huang! Once this village is past, there won't be another shop!" Wang Hu said urgently, the smile on his face already replaced by anxiety.

"Wait a little longer. Let's see how he performs in the Flying Star Class selection." Huang Yuanting raised a hand to stop Wang Hu from arguing, his attitude firm. "The school will naturally focus on cultivating Li Wen. As for his family's financial difficulties..." He paused and looked at Wang Hu. "How have you handled the Scholarship matter?"