10.0 Level

The two E-Grade Blood Energy Potions on the table gleamed with a warm red luster under the light.

Xu Wuyi stood there, stunned for quite a while before slowly reaching out and picking up the two small metal boxes.

He clenched the boxes in his hands. Of course, he knew his family's circumstances.

Just the nutritional meals for his three years of high school martial arts training had already drained most of the family's savings.

His parents had not bought new clothes in a long time, and the house had not seen any new furniture in years.

After a moment of silence, with no need for many words, Xu Wuyi buried this gratitude deep in his heart.

From then on, Xu Wuyi trained even more desperately.

He continued maintaining his extreme pace of completing a hundred effective training sessions every day to trigger "Enlightenment."

Every three days, he drank a new Blood Energy Potion. Under the precise guidance of the Basic Body Tempering Method, its surging medicinal power was efficiently converted into his own blood energy.

[Basic Body Tempering Method Current Realm: Beginner (99.9%)]

The number on the panel remained stuck at that threshold, completely unmoving.

Yet Xu Wuyi could clearly feel that both the total amount and density of his blood energy were steadily increasing.

As this continued, the bottleneck also seemed to loosen. Perhaps if he kept training persistently, he would naturally break through it one day.

Six days passed in a flash amid Xu Wuyi's grueling training.

He returned to the school training hall.

The Life Energy Level Tester stood quietly in the corner. Xu Wuyi took a deep breath, calmed his somewhat turbulent emotions, and firmly pressed his palm against the sensor panel.

Bzz—

The machine let out its familiar soft hum, and its indicator lights flickered.

The number jumped several times before finally settling.

[Life Energy Level: 10.1]

He had made it!

The overwhelming sense of achievement nearly made Xu Wuyi throw back his head and howl, but he ultimately suppressed the urge. Only the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably into a broad smile.

He stared at the number on the screen for a long time, as though he wanted to etch this moment firmly into his mind.

Perhaps when he looked back years from now, this would be only a small step on his martial arts path. But right now, it was a brand-new milestone!

There was still nearly half of winter break left, but Xu Wuyi could no longer wait.

Without lingering, Xu Wuyi immediately contacted Teacher Wang through his communicator.

"Teacher Wang, this is Xu Wuyi."

"Yes, I'm at school."

"My Life Energy Level... just broke through 10.0."

There was two seconds of silence from the other end of the communicator, followed by Wang Wenhai's distinctly surprised voice. "10.0? Are you sure? How long has it even been?"

"I just tested it at school. Level 10.1," Xu Wuyi answered with certainty.

"...Wait there. Don't run off. I'll be at the school right away!" Teacher Wang's tone turned urgent, and he cut off the call after speaking.

In less than twenty minutes, Wang Wenhai appeared at the entrance of the training hall.

He strode over to the tester and gestured for Xu Wuyi to take the test again.

Xu Wuyi did as instructed.

[Life Energy Level: 10.1]

As he looked at the number on the screen, the surprise on Wang Wenhai's face gradually faded, replaced by a complex expression that mixed relief and emotion.

He sized Xu Wuyi up and down with sharp eyes, as though trying to see straight through him.

"Good kid..." Teacher Wang heavily patted Xu Wuyi on the shoulder, putting considerable force into it. "I guessed you could break through before winter break ended, but I never expected it to be this soon!"

"Looks like you really made full use of those potions. Not a bit was wasted!"

He paused, and his tone turned serious. "You were in such a hurry to find me because you want to connect to the Star Martial Battle Net as soon as possible?"

"Yes!" Xu Wuyi nodded without hesitation, his eyes blazing. "Teacher Wang, I want to begin practical combat training as soon as possible. And I also need a Visualization Method to further strengthen my mental power."

Only after reaching Life Energy Level 10 could a Martial Artist connect to the Star Martial Battle Net, because using a Virtual Pod placed considerable strain on the body.

For someone whose Life Energy Level was insufficient, their muscles could very likely collapse halfway through use. That was why the Federation strictly prohibited it.

As for tempering one's mind through a Visualization Method, that was because virtual combat consumed mental power.

The stronger someone's mental power was, the longer they could use a Virtual Pod each day.

Wang Wenhai looked at Xu Wuyi, pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. There are still around ten days left of winter break. Getting familiar with the Battle Net ahead of time won't interfere with your studies, and we can't waste the time."

He acted swiftly and decisively. Using his teacher privileges, he immediately accessed the Federal Martial Arts Education Network and began applying for Xu Wuyi's Battle Net access qualification and Basic Visualization Method study permission.

Both required approval from the Municipal Martial Arts Department rather than the Ministry of Education, making the process much more rigorous.

"Come on. To the Battle Net access room."

A moment later, Teacher Wang called out and led Xu Wuyi to the side.

The so-called access room was located at the innermost part of the school training hall. Inside stood rows of separate silver capsule-like pods.

Wang Wenhai opened the door to an empty pod and entered Xu Wuyi's information into it.

"This is the General Purpose Virtual Machine provided by the school. Its simulation accuracy is roughly 72 percent, which is enough for your current needs," Teacher Wang said, pointing inside the pod.

"The school's Sprint Class has a yearly limit of thirty students because there are only this many virtual machines. I've already bound your information to this one. You'll use this machine until graduation."

"Lie down inside. Your qualification application has already passed, and your permissions will be activated soon. On your first connection, the system will guide you in creating a virtual avatar and ID."

"Once you're done, find me in 'Honghe No. 1 High School—Teacher Guidance Zone.' My ID is 'Wang Wenhai.'"

Xu Wuyi took a deep breath and lay down in the access pod as instructed. The door slowly closed, and the light inside became soft.

The cool surface pressed against his skin. The next second, a gentle electronic voice sounded in his mind:

[Verifying identity information... Permission confirmed. Life Energy Level: 10.1. Meets access standards. Mental fluctuations stable. Connection commencing...]

His vision suddenly went dark. Then countless streams of brilliant data flooded into his consciousness like water bursting through a collapsed dam.

A faint sense of dizziness came over him but quickly vanished. When his vision cleared again, he was already in a pure white initial space.

[Welcome to the Star Martial Battle Net. Please create your virtual avatar and ID.]

[Identity information indicates a minor. Your original appearance and real name will be used permanently.]

The system prompt sounded once more.

A huge mirror appeared before Xu Wuyi. The figure within was identical to him, with the ID "Xu Wuyi" displayed above it, unable to be changed.

The Star Martial Battle Net allowed Martial Artists to go online anonymously and even alter their physical forms, experiencing martial arts in different states and attempting paths entirely unlike those in reality.

But minors could not. Their minds were not yet fully developed, and even after entering the Battle Net, they could only operate within designated areas.

Xu Wuyi's birthday was in October. He would not turn eighteen until after the College Entrance Examination.