Family Heirloom

The two entered the Virtual Arena again.

But this time, Liu Jing's performance was completely different from before!

The system's "Begin" prompt had barely faded when her figure drifted out like a ghost.

It was no longer that slightly flashy circling from before. Instead, she carried a sharp, resolute force as she charged straight at her opponent!

Her Spirit Rhinoceros Finger became faster, fiercer, clearly carrying an unstoppable momentum.

The faint light at her fingertips condensed almost into substance, bringing with it a shrill, piercing sound as it tore through the air.

She no longer deliberately searched for some so-called "perfect" opportunity. Instead, relying on the exquisite technique of her family's finger art, she launched a storm-like offensive.

"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!"

Finger force ripped through the air like a sudden downpour, enveloping her opponent in an instant.

The boy challenging her had clearly not expected Liu Jing to come out with such a life-risking style right from the start.

The fierce, powerful fist technique he excelled at was completely suppressed before Liu Jing's utterly unreasonable finger art!

He tried to block, but that condensed finger force could always find a gap, piercing through his fist momentum and striking his arms, shoulder blades, even his cheeks.

Every time he was hit, a bone-boring pain came through, along with a sluggish feeling in his qi and blood.

Only then did he realize that although Xu Wuyi had blocked it effortlessly just now, Liu Jing's Spirit Rhinoceros Finger was not weak at all.

Now that it was his turn to face her, he was clearly being beaten into a mess, able only to dodge and block in sorry fashion, without the slightest strength to fight back.

Liu Jing's gaze was icy, her movements not pausing in the slightest, as though she wanted to pour all the blows she had suffered from Xu Wuyi onto the opponent before her eyes.

In just one short minute, her opponent's body was already covered in dense finger marks. His virtual combat suit was badly damaged, and the exposed skin beneath was full of bluish-purple bruises, as though he had truly been poked into a sieve!

"Enough!" The boy finally could not endure this one-sided torment any longer and tried to stake everything on one last move.

However, the instant he raised his hand, a cold light flashed in Liu Jing's eyes. She keenly caught a tiny opening and pointed out through the air, as though breaking through the limits of space, landing with incomparable precision on his throat!

"Pff!"

The faint light at her fingertip sank in.

The boy's voice stopped abruptly. His eyes bulged, his virtual body convulsed violently once, then collapsed limply to the ground and dissolved into streaming light.

[Winner: Liu Jing!]

Around the arena, silence fell once more.

On the arena, Liu Jing panted lightly, her face as pale as before, but her eyes were firmer than they had ever been.

The watching students looked at her, and quite a few subconsciously swallowed.

At that moment, no one thought she was some "easy target" anymore.

The corners of Zhou Yun's mouth could not help curving upward.

All the challenges ended, and the rankings were settled.

The students dispersed one after another. The results of the resource distribution had been set, but what specific resources each student would exchange their quota for was not fixed.

The two teachers, Zhou Yun and Wang Wenhai, would draw up specialized training plans based on each person's situation.

At the same time, they also added to the rules for ranking challenges:

Since resources were issued on a half-month cycle, challenges would follow the same schedule. Each person could only challenge once every half month, regardless of who the opponent was or what the result of the challenge might be.

This was to prevent the top-ranked students from facing endless challenges, or the lower-ranked students from abusing their challenge opportunities.

Liu Jing silently packed up her things, declined the hesitant comfort of several female classmates, and left the school alone.

When she returned home and pushed open the door, there was an unexpected figure in the living room.

Her father, Liu Zhenwu, was sitting on the sofa, holding a cup of hot tea, calmly watching her come in.

Liu Zhenwu was over forty, with a lean, tough build and an upright sitting posture. Even at home, he carried the capable air of a martial artist.

He was a true martial master. Although his strength had fallen somewhat because of old injuries, his judgment and experience remained.

"Dad? Why are you back so early today?"

Liu Jing was a little surprised. Then she thought of what had happened in the Sprint Class today, and the shame that had just faded from her face surged up again.

She lowered her head, not daring to look her father in the eye.

"Teacher Zhou Yun called me." Liu Zhenwu's voice was steady, with no emotion audible in it.

Liu Jing's body instantly stiffened, and her head drooped even lower. Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's buzz. "...I'm sorry, Dad. I've disgraced our family."

She thought she was about to face her father's scolding.

Although the Liu family could not be considered especially wealthy or noble, they did have some reputation in Honghe City's martial arts circles.

This was not only because Liu Zhenwu had once been a martial master, but also because his eldest son, Liu Yan, had been the top scorer in Honghe's martial exam four years ago and had entered one of the Three Great Universities, Star Martial University, with outstanding results.

Back then, Liu Yan had studied at Honghe No. 1 High School. During his three years there, his grades had always been outstanding, suppressing the neighboring United High School so thoroughly that they could not raise their heads.

And Liu Jing's talent for the Spirit Rhinoceros Finger was no worse than her brother's. She had carried high hopes since childhood, yet on the very first day of Sprint Class, someone had "killed" her with a single punch...

However, the scolding she had expected never came.

Liu Zhenwu set down his teacup, walked up to Liu Jing, and reached out to pat her shoulder. His tone even carried a rare trace of gentleness. "Silly child, a momentary victory or defeat doesn't count for much."

"The martial path is about the long road ahead, not who is faster or slower for a moment."

"And don't feel ashamed. You practice martial arts for the pursuit in your own heart. Why care what others think?"

Liu Jing looked up, her eyes full of shock. She could hardly believe that her father, who had always been strict, would actually comfort her instead.

Liu Zhenwu continued, "Your problem before wasn't that your skill was inferior. It was that your heart wasn't hard enough. If you don't even dare decide life and death on a virtual battlefield, what will you do when you face real danger in the future?"

"You had to pass this hurdle sooner or later. Passing it now is a good thing instead."

At this point, a trace of guilt flashed through Liu Zhenwu's eyes, then vanished again.

As a martial artist, he naturally understood where his daughter's weakness lay.

This flaw should have been made up for by his own hand, but he had gotten this daughter late in life and cherished her so much he feared she would melt in his mouth. How could he have brought himself to do it?

One delay after another had dragged things out until now. At this moment, he woke as if from a dream and knew full well that his hesitation had almost harmed his daughter.

"But I lost so badly..." Liu Jing thought of Xu Wuyi's punch that had carried no hint of fireworks, and of the discussions below the stage, and her eyes reddened again.

"Badly?" Liu Zhenwu shook his head and laughed despite himself. "You didn't lose unjustly today."

"Huh?" Liu Jing was very surprised. "That Xu Wuyi's life energy level was clearly lower than mine, and he hasn't learned any decent martial arts. That last punch was very ordinary too, like..."

"It was the Basic Body Tempering Method," Liu Zhenwu said firmly. He had received Zhou Yun's call, so naturally he had also watched the recordings of his daughter's two matches.

Liu Jing had actually been able to tell too, but Xu Wuyi's punch had been too powerful, completely exceeding her understanding of the Basic Body Tempering Method, so she had not dared to be certain.

You call that basic? What part of it was basic?!

As if seeing through his daughter's thoughts, Liu Zhenwu could only say helplessly, "It was indeed the Basic Body Tempering Method, but... that was the Basic Body Tempering Method at the minor mastery level."