It was as if someone had pressed the mute button on the entire world.

The chaos of the moment before—the explosions, the crying, the roars—all vanished.

All that remained was swirling dust and the dull thud of a massive, rolling beast head.

Everyone—from the fleeing civilians to the wounded and security officers preparing for a fight to the death, and even the people in the command center—stood frozen like statues, staring dumbly at the spot in front of the beast’s corpse, which was shrouded in dust and smoke.

A figure, having appeared from nowhere, was now standing steadily there.

A young man.

He had a tall, straight build and was dressed in simple, practical athletic wear that gave him a clean-cut look. The only distinguishing feature was a badge pinned to his chest, embroidered with a cluster of fire.

His expression was calm, carrying the sharp edge unique to youth, yet his eyes were exceptionally steady. It was as if instantly killing a late-stage Flying Star Level Demon Beast was no more trouble than brushing a speck of dust from his clothes.

He held a long, sleek saber at an angle. Its entire body was a deep blue, and its blade was completely unstained by blood, emitting only a faint, soul-chilling cold.

"Hahh..." The Hall Master of the Fire Hall branch struggled to his feet amidst the ruins. Spitting out a mouthful of bloody foam, he looked at the young man before him, his voice laced with suspicion and unconcealable shock. "May... may I ask who you are?"

The young man casually gave his saber a flourish. With a soft SWISH, the deep blue weapon slid lightly back into its sheath. The movement was as fluid as flowing water, possessing a completely natural grace.

"Fire Hall University. Ling Feng." His voice wasn’t loud, but it reached the ears of everyone nearby with perfect clarity.

After a brief silence, an uproar like a crashing tsunami erupted, a wave of ecstatic joy from those who had survived the disaster.

"We survived! We’re saved!"

"Thank God!"

"He killed the Demon Beast? Oh my God! He’s so strong!"

"Fire Hall University? He’s a student?"

"Fire Hall University! The top martial arts university on Blue Star!"

"My God, he looks younger than me!"

"Ling Feng?! I know him! It’s him!"

"Who? Tell us, quick!" Countless people perked up their ears.

"The peerless prodigy our Jiangnan Province... no, our entire Hua Country might not see once in several decades! The ’Blade Demon,’ Ling Feng!"

"That’s right! It’s him! I hear he’s only a fourth-year university student! But the rumors say he was a shining star the moment he enrolled. Back in high school, all four of the country’s major Martial Dao conglomerates scouted him at the same time, fighting to sign him to an SS-class contract at any cost! That’s SS-class! A whole level above S-class!"

"SS-class?! No wonder... That’s terrifying! A late-stage Flying Star Level Demon Beast, taken down in one strike! Just one strike!"

"A monster! Now that’s a true genius!"

Li Wen, who had just rushed back to the scene, didn’t join the cheering crowd.

With his backpack still on, he leaned heavily against the cold body of a car, trying to calm the frantic pounding of his heart, a result of both the shock and the lingering, formless pressure.

His gaze was locked on the young man named Ling Feng.

Ling Feng was speaking calmly with the Hall Master and the county officials who had managed to struggle to their feet, completely ignoring the pointing fingers and awestruck murmurs of the crowd.

His composure, his power that made the monumental seem trivial, stood in stark contrast to the surrounding devastation and the terrified, shell-shocked crowd.

The terrifying might of the late-stage Flying Star Level Demon Beast, the oppressive force that felt as deep as an abyss and as suffocating as a prison... the helplessness of seeing the county’s two top experts grievously wounded in an instant... and then, there was Ling Feng.

That one strike—descending from the heavens, as brilliant as a meteor yet as silent as a mountain... and that phrase, passed through the crowd like rolling thunder and repeated over and over—"SS-class contract!"

Each piece of information was like a clap of thunder, exploding one after another in Li Wen’s mind.

The knuckles of the hand gripping his backpack strap turned white from the force.

The ladder of power and status was laid out before him with stark clarity.

On one end were the struggling masses, just trying to survive. On the other were chosen ones like Ling Feng, who could settle the fate of all with a single strike in a moment of crisis, commanding the attention of thousands!

’A gap? This can’t even be called a gap! This is a chasm—daunting to behold, yet filled with a fatal allure!’

In the past, Li Wen had considered Jiang Lingyun—the student from his high school who had signed a B-class contract—to be an unattainable genius.

But now, a genius with an SS-class contract had appeared before him in such an overwhelmingly dominant fashion.

How vast was the gulf between B-class and SS-class? How many times stronger was the power Ling Feng had just displayed compared to the rumored strength of Jiang Lingyun?

’Fire Hall University... Fourth-year... SS-class contract...’

These keywords were seared into his mind like a brand.

It was as if a fire had been lit in his chest. It wasn’t envy or jealousy, but a desire of scorching, crystal-clear intensity. It was an unwillingness to be left behind, a fierce urge to climb to the very peak!

The bus home eventually departed, taking a detour guided by rescue personnel.

Li Wen sat in a window seat, watching the rapidly passing, gradually dimming city lights.

He remained silent, but the look in his eyes had completely changed.

The light of the setting sun cast a warm, orange-red glow inside the bus, illuminating the newfound, rock-solid glint in Li Wen’s eyes.

’Power... Fire Hall University... SS-class...’

These words echoed in his mind, finally solidifying into a silent but unshakeable resolve.

The sun had set, but the fire in his eyes was just beginning to burn.

...

...

Time flew by, and the last fifteen days of winter break vanished in a flurry of Li Wen’s near-masochistic training.

「February 13th.」

In the early morning, faint light filtered through the window, illuminating the sharp glint that had settled deep within his eyes.

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 18]

[Realm: Unranked (Level 7.1)]

[Profession: Scholar lv5 (1280/1600)]

[Skill: Saber Skill · Peak (Minor Achievement 99/100)]

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill (Great Success Realm 99/100)]

The new status panel floated clearly before Li Wen’s eyes.

The twenty-four Level 1 Qi and Blood Potions had been completely consumed a few days ago, pushing his physical body’s level to 7.1.

His progress with the Cultivation Technique, the Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill, had been just as astonishingly fast.

He was only a single, symbolic experience point away from the critical threshold of perfection and complete transformation.

Once he reached that stage of completion, he would no longer need to activate Absolute Focus to practice his fundamental techniques.

But right now, the thing that truly made Li Wen feel a subtle sense of stagnation was his saber skill.

His Rainbow Light Saber Skill seemed to be wrapped in an invisible film, stuck at the absolute limit of Minor Achievement 99/100.

No matter how he pushed his saber skill over the past few days, how he refined every detail and tried again and again in his state of Absolute Focus...

...the final wisp of a barrier leading to the Great Success Realm remained as unyielding as the hardest alloy, stubbornly blocking his path.

His blade was already fast enough, its trajectories were tricky enough, and his fundamentals were solid enough.

Over the past few days in the familiar, top-tier Martial Arts Room at the Fire Hall, he had been practicing the Rainbow Light Saber Skill. At the Minor Achievement Realm, his execution was like a butterfly flitting through flowers—breathtakingly fluid and chillingly deadly.

But it was still missing... just that little something.