Liu Jing's Transformation

"Urgh!"

Liu Jing felt as if she had been slammed into by a mountain. Her virtual body suffered a crushing blow and jerked to a halt, the light vanishing from her eyes in an instant as blood sprayed from her mouth.

Her whole body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, then smashed heavily onto the edge of the arena. She twitched twice and stopped moving.

Her virtual avatar quickly grew blurry, then transparent.

A cold system notification sounded beside her ear.

You have died!

Around the arena, there was dead silence.

Everyone was stunned, including Zeng Bonan and Hu Haobo.

One move!

After defending for a full five minutes, Xu Wuyi had still used only one move to decide the match!

And the power of that punch... seemed a little excessive, didn't it? It had actually punched straight through Liu Jing's virtual body?

In reality, inside No. 1 Training Hall.

Liu Jing, lying in the access pod, suddenly opened her eyes. Her face was as pale as paper, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat.

She clutched her chest and began coughing violently, as if someone really had shattered her heart meridians with a punch. Her eyes were filled with terror and lingering fear.

Although virtual combat would not cause real injuries, the terrifying feeling of one's life force being destroyed in an instant, along with the mental shock, was entirely real.

Zhou Yun and Wang Wenhai exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity in each other's eyes.

Liu Jing's weakness in actual combat was largely due to her mentality, and the most direct reason among them was that she did not dare to "die."

In the past, on the virtual arena, she often still used the same approach as in sparring.

She did not dare to kill her opponent, nor did she dare to let her opponent kill her. Every time, she would admit defeat before losing, and the system would automatically cut off the fight between both sides.

Previously, Zeng Bonan and Hu Haobo had known her personality, so they would not deliberately "kill" a girl like her.

But this time, Xu Wuyi, a stranger, clearly had not known that. And his punch had been too fast, too ruthless, leaving Liu Jing no chance to concede.

But as martial arts teachers, they knew very well that this was something Liu Jing had to experience on the path of martial arts, and she had to get through it on her own.

If she could not even pass this hurdle, it only meant she was not suited to practicing martial arts.

Zhou Yun walked to the center of the field, her gaze sweeping over all the students with shocked expressions before finally landing on Xu Wuyi, who had just sat up from the access pod. In a grave tone, she announced:

"The challenge is over. Xu Wuyi wins. Rankings remain unchanged."

She paused, her voice carrying a hint of warning. "Battle Net's simulation level exceeds seventy percent. The feeling of severe injury and death is no different from reality. This is actual combat! In the future, the college entrance exam, and even real life-and-death battles, will only be crueler than this!"

Even without Zhou Yun's words, the result of Xu Wuyi and Liu Jing's battle had already stirred up huge waves among the students.

"One move... another one-move kill! Isn't Xu Wuyi way too ruthless?" a boy clicked his tongue and said, a trace of reluctance on his face. "Liu Jing is still a girl, after all. And they'd clearly been fighting for so long before that. Was that last hit really necessary...?"

"You can't put it that way." Someone beside him immediately retorted. "Isn't the virtual arena meant to simulate real combat? Would an enemy show mercy just because you're a woman? Going all out against any enemy—I think that's true respect for a martial artist, and for the match."

"If it were me up there, I'd want my opponent to go all out too. If he killed me, I'd accept it. If he couldn't, then that'd be my skill."

"That makes sense, but watching it still feels..." The boy from earlier shook his head.

"Feels what? Like he destroyed a flower with a ruthless hand?" another voice cut in, tinged with mockery. "On the path of martial arts, what difference is there between men and women? If your strength isn't enough and your mentality can't pass the test, being eliminated is only a matter of time."

The crowd's discussions were not deliberately lowered, and they clearly reached Liu Jing's ears in the corner.

She lowered her head, her face still pale.

Words like "ruthless," "destroyed a flower," and "mentality can't pass the test" stabbed into her heart like needles, making her feel even worse than the fear from that instant of virtual death just now.

In the past, everyone, including herself, had known her flaws, but never had they been laid bare in front of everyone like today.

Zeng Bonan and Hu Haobo stood a little farther away, not joining the discussion.

"What do you think?" Zeng Bonan asked in a low voice.

Hu Haobo folded his arms and said calmly, "His fist is heavy, and his timing was extremely precise. Liu Jing's Spirit Rhinoceros Finger couldn't break through his defense. After failing to take him down for so long, she became restless and impatient. Exposing an opening was inevitable."

"He simply ended the battle in the most effective way at the right moment. If it were me, I would've done the same."

Zeng Bonan nodded. He agreed with Hu Haobo's judgment.

Xu Wuyi's performance had once again confirmed his strength. That thunderous strike after he had stood as steady as a mountain had left an impression far too deep.

After a brief silence and some discussion, the challenge segment continued.

Perhaps stimulated by Xu Wuyi's battle, the following challenges clearly carried a bit more gunpowder.

The lower-ranked students fought desperately for resources, while those with similar rankings battled fiercely over the smallest of differences.

Some succeeded in their challenges, their faces brimming with excitement. Some failed to defend their positions, their expressions dim. More of them only decided victory after a bitter fight, both sides greatly exhausted.

But from beginning to end, no one challenged the top three: Zeng Bonan, Hu Haobo, and Xu Wuyi.

The overwhelming strength Xu Wuyi had displayed just now was enough to make most people wary.

Zeng Bonan and Hu Haobo's long-established authority made even fewer people dare to casually tug at the tiger's whiskers.

However, Liu Jing's fourth-place position seemed to have become a "soft target" in many people's eyes.

A boy whose life energy level had just broken through 10.0, and who majored in fist techniques, looked hesitantly toward Liu Jing, who still had her head lowered and whose aura still seemed somewhat unstable.

He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, stepped forward, and said, "Teacher Zhou, Teacher Wang, I want to challenge the fourth place, Liu Jing!"

Wang Wenhai frowned slightly and looked at Liu Jing. She had just suffered a crushing defeat, and her mind clearly had not fully settled yet. If she fought again now, he was afraid...

He was just about to speak and suggest whether the challenge could be postponed until tomorrow, giving Liu Jing a little time to adjust.

"Rules are rules." Zhou Yun's cool voice interrupted his thoughts. She looked calmly at the boy issuing the challenge, then turned to Liu Jing. "Liu Jing, do you accept the challenge?"

Everyone's eyes focused on Liu Jing once again.

The boy who had challenged her also looked at her nervously, as if afraid she would refuse.

Liu Jing's body trembled slightly, her head still lowered.

Zhou Yun walked to her side, crouched down, and said a few words in a low voice that only the two of them could hear.

No one knew what Zhou Yun had said. They only saw Liu Jing's shoulders first go rigid, then her taut shoulders slowly loosened.

She raised her head. Some of the pallor had faded from her face, replaced by a complicated emotion, mixed with lingering shame, a trace of stubbornness, and... a kind of do-or-die resolve.

"I accept." Liu Jing's voice was not loud, but it was unusually clear, carrying an unprecedented chill.

Seeing this, Wang Wenhai said no more and nodded.