Challenge

"Buzz—"

This time, the entire venue erupted.

Open challenges meant opportunity, and they also meant endless competition.

"The top nine students all have life energy levels above 10.0, which qualifies them to access the Star Martial Battle Net," Zhou Yun added. "In principle, your challenges will take place in the Battle Net arena, to avoid injuries affecting your training."

"Of course, in the arena, you'll be simulated according to your own life energy levels, consistent with reality."

"Now, if anyone has objections to their ranking and wants to challenge someone, you may begin."

Her gaze seemed to sweep over Liu Jing and a few other students whose faces showed clear dissatisfaction.

For a moment, the scene fell somewhat silent.

A challenge required courage, and even more than that, strength—especially under everyone's eyes.

Liu Jing took a deep breath. She knew her advantages lay in movement technique and a set of C-rank finger arts passed down in her family, the Spirit Rhinoceros Finger. Actual combat was not her strongest point.

But the gap in resources was simply too great. She could not afford to back down.

She gritted her teeth, took a step forward, and looked firmly at Wang Wenhai and Zhou Yun. "Teacher Zhou, Teacher Wang, I... I want to challenge the third place, Xu Wuyi!"

As expected!

Everyone's gaze instantly moved back and forth between Liu Jing and Xu Wuyi.

Class One's long-standing third place challenging the dark horse who had risen out of nowhere—this was undoubtedly the most eye-catching opening match.

Xu Wuyi's expression was calm, as if he was not surprised by this challenge at all.

Meeting Liu Jing's slightly nervous yet resolute gaze, he gave a faint nod.

"Approved," Zhou Yun said directly. "Connect to the Battle Net. Beginner Arena."

Star Martial Battle Net, Beginner Arena.

Xu Wuyi's and Liu Jing's figures condensed at the same time.

Around the arena, the virtual avatars of the other Sprint Class students appeared one after another. Clearly, they had used their spectating permissions.

Zeng Bonan and Hu Haobo stood at the very front, their expressions focused.

Xu Wuyi swept his gaze around, then quickly withdrew it.

This time, the virtual battlefield was simulating reality, so the two sides were not using the standard 10.0 life energy level. Instead, their values were adjusted according to their real physical qualities.

After testing, Xu Wuyi had indeed reached 10.2, while Liu Jing had clearly not slacked off over winter break either. Her life energy level had already reached 10.4, giving her a slight advantage.

Looking at Xu Wuyi's unruffled expression across from her, Liu Jing felt the pressure in her heart grow even heavier.

She knew very well that Xu Wuyi being ranked third was no fluke. Both Zeng Bonan and Hu Haobo attached considerable importance to him.

But things had already come to this. All she could do was give it everything she had!

Rankings did not represent absolute victory or defeat. The outcome still depended on performance in the moment.

The Martial Dao was all about struggle. If she did not even have the courage to compete, what kind of martial artist would she be?

"Begin!" the virtual system's prompt rang out.

Liu Jing gave a sharp cry, and her figure moved in an instant.

She knew Xu Wuyi's defense was formidable, so much so that even Zeng Bonan had failed to break through it in the early stages. Because of that, she unleashed her full strength right from the start!

Her movement technique was like a butterfly weaving through flowers, extraordinarily nimble as she circled Xu Wuyi at high speed, searching for an opening.

At the same time, she brought the index and middle fingers of both hands together. A faint glow shimmered at her fingertips, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, as she occasionally jabbed toward Xu Wuyi's joints, acupoints, and other weak spots.

C-rank martial art, Spirit Rhinoceros Finger!

It specialized in breaking through qi and blood defenses, concentrating force into a single point with extremely powerful penetration!

Unlike Hu Haobo, who had chosen a C-rank martial art, Liu Jing had learned the Spirit Rhinoceros Finger entirely because her father was a genuine martial master.

The Spirit Rhinoceros Finger was her family's inherited martial art. Not only did she have guidance from experienced elders, she also had unique secret medicines to assist her, so her progress was no slower than if she were cultivating a D-rank martial art.

When Teacher Zhou Yun had commented before that her practical combat ability was lacking, that had been from the perspective of mentality. It did not mean Liu Jing's combat strength was truly weak!

Her finger wind was fierce, slicing through the air with sharp hissing sounds.

However, facing this storm of attacks, Xu Wuyi still adopted the strategy he was most familiar with—steady defense.

His feet seemed rooted to the ground, firmly nailed in place. Relying only on slight movements of his upper body and precise blocks from his arms, he dissolved Liu Jing's waves of attacks one after another.

The defensive posture of the Basic Body Tempering Method, after he had reached the "minor achievement" realm, appeared even more smooth and effortless.

On top of that, he had already comprehended the Martial Dao True Intent, Mountain. Although he did not fully activate it, his every movement still carried a distinctive charm.

In Liu Jing's eyes, Xu Wuyi seemed like a true mountain. No matter how the wind blew or the rain beat down, he remained unmoving.

Blocking, turning sideways, dispersing force... every movement was exceptionally precise, without the slightest excess.

Liu Jing's finger force struck his arms, shoulder blades, and other areas, but she only felt as if she were jabbing into incomparably tough cowhide. That concentrated finger force seemed like a clay ox entering the sea, unable to penetrate his deep, powerful qi and blood defense.

This was precisely because Xu Wuyi's dodges were so precise that he never let her strike any vital acupoints. At the same time, his qi and blood circulated with tremendous force, so the Spirit Rhinoceros Finger's effect of cutting off qi and blood could not take hold.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...

Cold sweat gradually beaded on Liu Jing's temples.

This situation was completely different from anything she had encountered before.

When she sparred with Zeng Bonan and Hu Haobo, she was usually the one on defense. No one had ever simply let her attack like this.

Yet in this scene where she seemed free to attack at will, the more she fought, the more alarmed she became.

Because he defended far too well—so well that he not only revealed no openings at all, but even seemed to have plenty of room to spare.

Every move she made was seen through, and every attack was dissolved with effortless ease.

That feeling was practically like fighting an instructional match against a martial arts teacher!

The stifling frustration of punching with all her might only to hit empty air gradually made her restless.

Her qi and blood were being consumed at high speed, and her mind was beginning to tire from maintaining such a high-intensity offense for so long.

Everyone watching outside the ring also held their breath.

Hu Haobo folded his arms, his gaze sharp. "Liu Jing's Spirit Rhinoceros Finger has considerable mastery behind it, and her angles are tricky enough. Yet she can't even make him move a single step?"

Zeng Bonan said in a low voice, "His foundation is too solid. He's completely seen through Liu Jing's movements. His Basic Body Tempering Method is much stronger than mine."

Shi Yi, Wang Yunze, and the others were even more shaken as they watched. They asked themselves, if they were in Xu Wuyi's position, they would probably have been defeated long ago.

Five minutes passed.

Liu Jing's offense inevitably showed a hint of decline. High-speed movement and full-force finger strikes placed an enormous burden on both stamina and spirit.

The instant she unleashed three linked finger strikes in succession, Xu Wuyi, who had remained as still as a boulder all along, moved!

His movement was not fast, but it carried a precision that seemed to see through everything.

The arm he had been using to block swung outward like an iron gate, striking Liu Jing's wrist with pinpoint accuracy.

Liu Jing only felt her wrist go numb, and the finger force she had condensed instantly collapsed!

And in that very instant, Xu Wuyi's other hand moved.

It was still a straight punch, simple to the extreme, without the slightest flourish. It gathered all the power he had accumulated, launching later yet arriving first, like a tiger that had lain in wait for a long time suddenly pouncing!

The point his fist aimed at was Liu Jing's Shanzhong acupoint in the center of her chest!

"Not good!" Liu Jing's pupils shrank sharply. She wanted to dodge, but it was already too late.

"Pfft!"

A heavy, muffled sound clearly echoed across the ring.

Xu Wuyi's fist slammed solidly into Liu Jing's chest, instantly shattering bone and severing her heart meridians!