The crisp bell signaling the end of morning classes rang.

Li Wen closed *Advanced Galactic Common Tongue Grammar*. His fingertips unconsciously traced the spine of the book as he mentally calculated his gains.

A morning of efficient study had earned him another 36 experience points.

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 18]

[Realm: Unranked (Level 7.1)]

[Occupation: Scholar lv6 (180→216/3200)]

[Skills: Blade Technique · Pinnacle (Greater Mastery 6/100)]

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill (Greater Mastery 99/100)]

Looking at the nearly maxed-out Cultivation Technique experience and his steadily rising Scholar level on the panel, Li Wen was filled with anticipation.

Especially the 99/100 for his Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill.

After yesterday’s battle, he felt the faint signs of a breakthrough. He was just one final push away.

He quickly ate a high-energy lunch at the Flying Star Class’s exclusive cafeteria in the Hongyi Building.

Li Wen clutched the cold metal key in his pocket—the key to a private training room that Fang Chengwu had given him that morning.

He couldn’t wait.

The private training room was located at the very end of the top-floor corridor in Hongyi Building.

Pushing open the heavy, soundproof door, a spacious and bright room came into view.

The room’s layout was simple and efficient.

In the center was a vast training area, much larger than a typical Martial Dao classroom. The special floor, polished smooth as a mirror, was designed to provide maximum assistance for footwork.

The walls were covered in a special alloy, strong enough to withstand high-intensity energy impacts.

One side featured a massive panoramic window that took up the entire wall. It overlooked the lush, decorative trees of the school’s Central Square, letting in ample yet gentle light.

On the other side stood several weapon racks, holding not only standard-issue sabers and swords but also a few exquisite weapons that glinted coldly, available for use.

What caught Li Wen’s eye the most was undoubtedly the oval, streamlined device set against the wall—a virtual pod.

Its entire body was a matte silver-gray. The pod’s lid was made of a translucent, high-strength polymer, and when opened, it revealed an ergonomic recliner surrounded by dense sensor nodes.

Compared to the cheap models outside that could only connect to the public entertainment network, this machine radiated a sense of advanced technology and substance.

Li Wen stepped forward and gently ran his hand over the pod’s cool chassis. He could feel the surging power contained within; this was clearly a dedicated terminal connected directly to the school’s core educational network.

Without hesitation, Li Wen lay down in the virtual pod. It felt comfortable and secure.

He pressed the activation button on the side. A soft blue light illuminated the interior walls, and the sensor nodes emitted a faint magnetic force, conforming to his body.

Amidst a faint hum, his consciousness felt as if it were instantly pulled away.

The next moment, Li Wen opened his eyes to find himself in a pristine white initial space.

Two glowing gates hovered before him:

The first gate: Public Virtual World.

This gate was a kaleidoscope of colors, with streams of information flowing through it, indicating countless options for entertainment, social networking, virtual tourism, and more.

The second gate: Educational Network.

This gate was a deep blue, its edges flowing with sharp silver threads. An emblem of crossed swords floated on its surface, and a stern, combative aura faintly emanated from within.

The choice was obvious. Li Wen reached out and firmly tapped the blue gate.

DING! Identity authentication complete. The gate instantly pulled him in.

The scene before him changed, and Li Wen found himself standing in a simple, pure-white hall.

An interface emitting a soft white glow hovered in front of him, listing several options:

[Lone Peak Sword Testing] (1v1 Arena Mode):

Set the number and strength of opponents. Opponent skill levels range from Entry to Perfection, or can be customized.

Choose between a sequential challenge, where opponent strength increases in tiers to gradually apply pressure, or a direct challenge against a single powerful enemy.

Selectable Environments: Standard Arena, Complex Terrain Arena.

Core Value: Focus on refining skills and achieving breakthroughs through one-on-one combat. Target and hone specific techniques to overcome bottlenecks.

[Battlefield Blade Sharpening] (Melee Mode):

Randomly generates terrain (Ruins, Rainforest, Mountains, Urban).

Deploy a set number and ratio of virtual enemies (clothing colors such as black, white, red, yellow, green, and cyan correspond to different strength levels).

Selectable Enemy Attack Patterns: Random, Active Hunt.

Selectable Modes: Point-Based / Survival Duration.

Core Value: Temper real-combat adaptability, crisis awareness, and multi-target engagement skills. Find optimal tactics amidst chaos and simulate real battle encounters.

[Desperate Survival] (Survival Mode):

Enter a preset, extremely complex or harsh environment (e.g., Blizzard Canyon, Venomous Swamp, Magnetic Storm Ruins).

Set one or more "Hunters" whose strength far exceeds your own.

No clear victory condition. Performance is measured by survival time, and the environment itself poses a lethal threat.

Core Value: Push potential to its absolute limit. Enhance survivability, willpower, endurance, and the ability to find a path to survival under extremely adverse conditions.

[Mirror Battle] (Custom Mirror Mode):

Upload/scan your own combat data to generate a "mirror image" of similar strength.

Alternatively, create a copy that possesses all (or specific) of your abilities but has a different combat style.

Core Value: Directly confront your own strengths and weaknesses, reflect on the viability of your moves, and break out of rigid thinking.

Li Wen’s gaze swept quickly over the four options. He first eliminated [Mirror Battle], as he currently needed the challenge of external pressure from different styles.

As for [Desperate Survival], that required an extremely strong physique and life-preserving skills. At his current stage, he likely wouldn’t last long, making it a poor value proposition.

While [Battlefield Blade Sharpening] was great for practicing melee, his primary goal today was to break through the final bottleneck of his Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill, from Greater Mastery to Perfection!

The 99/100 experience score told him he was just one step away.

After yesterday’s battle, he’d had a realization.

The key to a breakthrough was pressure!

It lay in the surging of his vitals and the focus of his will during a life-or-death struggle against a sufficiently powerful enemy.

And the most direct way to create that high-pressure environment was through a one-on-one extreme confrontation.

"[Lone Peak Sword Testing]! I’ll directly challenge an opponent with a Pinnacle Blade Technique at the Perfection stage!"

Li Wen chose decisively, setting the mode to "Single Challenge" and selecting the "Complex Terrain" arena—the ruins of an ancient coliseum, littered with broken stone pillars and piles of rubble.

"Come on! Let’s see if the pressure of a life-or-death battle can break through this final bit of stagnation!"

The scene finished loading instantly.

Li Wen stood in the center of the dilapidated square, gripping a standard-issue long saber whose weight and feel were almost identical to the one he practiced with in reality.

Dozens of meters away, a blue light coalesced into a figure—a virtual person dressed in blue combat attire, holding a long, narrow battle saber.

The aura it exuded was heavy and sharp; it was clearly a being at the Perfection stage of a Pinnacle-level Blade Technique.

SWOOSH! Without any unnecessary words, the blue figure suddenly vanished, leaving only an afterimage in its place.

Its speed was ghostly!!