’So fast! Even stronger than the one I faced in the last selection assessment!’ Li Wen’s pupils contracted. Level 6 [Absolute Focus] activated instantly!

His mind became highly focused, and his thought process accelerated by sixty percent.

The essentials of the *Rainbow Light Saber Skill* at the Great Success Realm flowed through his mind. His control over his physical body also reached the absolute peak of his ability.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The sound of metal on metal, as dense as a sudden downpour, erupted amidst the ruins.

Li Wen’s figure moved at high speed between the stone pillars. The long saber in his hand transformed into streaks of sharp, flowing light, precisely intercepting the saber tips that the blue figure thrust at him from every cunning angle.

The blue-robed virtual human’s saber technique was not just fast; it possessed an unpredictable and treacherous quality.

At times, it was wide and sweeping like a clap of thunder; at others, it was insidious and cunning like a viper striking.

Every strike contained immense force, jarring Li Wen’s wrist until it went numb and causing his vital energy to churn.

The chaotic, ruined terrain underfoot severely limited Li Wen’s room to dodge, forcing him to clash and parry with his opponent at extremely close range.

PFFT! A block that was a fraction of a second too slow resulted in a gash being torn open on Li Wen’s shoulder by the wind of the blade.

With the simulation’s realism set to over ninety percent, a searing pain shot through him.

He let out a muffled grunt, but an even more intense flame ignited in his eyes. ’This pain and pressure... this is exactly what I wanted.’

’I can’t retreat! Move, my vital energy!’ he roared inwardly. Li Wen pushed the *Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill* to its absolute limit.

Under his powerful spiritual perception, the vital energy circulation path of the Great Success Realm became unprecedentedly clear.

That last bit of sluggishness, under the dual effect of increasing external pressure and his own internal eruption, felt like a dam under strain.

BOOM—!

The moment he desperately used the "Dark Shadow" move to narrowly parry a fatal strike from his opponent, his own vital energy violently surged from the extreme exertion.

It was as if some invisible barrier had been shattered by the rampaging force.

The vital energy coursing through his body, like a river bursting its dam, surged past a critical point in an instant. The entire circulation path immediately became perfectly smooth and harmonious.

An unprecedented feeling of natural, effortless success filled his entire being.

[Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill has broken through to the Perfection Realm!]

A panel notification automatically popped up.

The Cultivation Technique section changed instantly—[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill (Perfection)]!

RUMBLE!

The instant he achieved the Perfection state, the vital energy flowing within Li Wen seemed to come alive, creating a wondrous resonance with the long saber in his hand.

While under [Absolute Focus], executing the *Rainbow Light Saber Skill* became more effortless than ever before, thanks to his now incredibly stable foundation.

The light from his saber flared. Its power increased by at least thirty percent out of nowhere, and its speed rose by another notch.

"Break!" Li Wen roared.

He seized the momentary opening when his opponent’s old force was spent and new force had yet to be generated.

His long saber carved an arc that surpassed all his previous attacks in speed and finesse, its angle impossibly sharp.

The blue-robed virtual human scrambled to bring its saber back to block.

SHIING!

The streak of light flashed past. The blocking blade was slightly knocked aside by the overwhelming power.

The momentum of Li Wen’s long saber undiminished, it pierced into the opponent’s throat from an unbelievable angle, right at the transition point between its moves.

PFFT!

The blue figure instantly dissolved into motes of light.

"Hah... hah... hah..." Li Wen stood leaning on his saber, panting heavily, his forehead covered in sweat.

He had fought above his level and won by a razor-thin margin.

After just a few short minutes, he could feel a slight numbness in his brain.

This was the price of his brain operating at its absolute limit under [Absolute Focus].

A moment later, the pain in his shoulder slowly faded.

That momentary burst of power and breakthrough had taken a massive toll on his Spiritual Power.

But the joy and satisfaction in his heart were stronger than ever.

’I did it! The *Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill*... Perfection!’ 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

This meant that from now on, cultivating his foundational technique would be twice as effective with half the effort, and he would no longer need to waste precious time using [Absolute Focus] on it.

He could invest all the time he saved into practicing his more important saber skills.

Time was precious. Li Wen rested for only a minute before quickly getting back into peak condition.

’Strike while the iron is hot! More combat practice!’ He opened the user interface again, once more targeting an opponent with a top-tier saber skill at the Perfection level.

This time, he intended to fully integrate the improvements from his newly perfected foundational technique and the insights gained from reflecting on the last battle into his saber skills.

Light flashed, and a new blue figure materialized in the ruins.

Li Wen raised his saber once more. Filled with indomitable resolve, it tore through the air, pointing toward the distant, starry sky.

「Half an hour later, the daily time limit was used up.」

[You have engaged in a high-intensity virtual combat simulation.]

[You have deeply reflected on the combat process.]

[Your practical combat experience has slightly increased.]

[Your Saber Skill · Top-Tier (Great Success 6/100 → 9/100)]

Seeing the notification of his saber skill experience increasing, the glint in Li Wen’s eyes grew even brighter.

’One half-hour session of combat practice increased my experience by 3 points.’ He carefully savored the memory of the previous battle, replaying it in his mind and analyzing the pros and cons of the moves he had used and the choices he had made.

’Excellent! The effects of this virtual combat practice are significant!’

Now that his saber skill had reached the top-tier Great Success Realm, Li Wen had been relying solely on self-cultivation to hone it these past few days. Even with the help of [Absolute Focus], he could only increase his experience by 4-5 points a day.

Now, by supplementing his training with one daily high-intensity combat simulation on the educational network, he could consistently gain an extra 3 points of saber skill experience.

This meant his saber skill cultivation speed had genuinely increased by more than fifty percent.

A smile spreading across his face, Li Wen willed himself to exit.

The lid of the virtual pod slid open silently.

Li Wen sat up. An indescribable exhaustion instantly flooded his brain, as if it had been struck by an invisible sledgehammer, bringing waves of dull pain and sluggishness.

He closed his eyes, carefully sensing his body’s feedback.

’The consumption of my Spiritual Power is much more severe than usual...’ he murmured to himself.

Upon reflection, the reason was obvious.

Facing a top-tier opponent at the Perfection level, far beyond his own, he was on the brink of life and death every moment. His brain, under the influence of [Absolute Focus], was running on overload—madly calculating, deducing, and adapting.

Combined with the continuous drain on his Spiritual Power from simply being in the virtual world, the dual strain made him feel a distinct sense of depletion, even with the superior Spiritual Power granted by his Level 6 Scholar class, which far surpassed that of his peers.

Fortunately, his Spiritual Power recovery rate was also quite impressive. He leaned against the cold alloy wall of the virtual pod and regulated his breathing with his eyes closed.

In less than five minutes, the heavy grogginess and needle-like pricks of pain receded like a tide. His mind became clear again, and his thoughts regained their agility.

Just then, a notification sounded on his watch—his afternoon class was about to start.

Li Wen delayed no longer. He quickly gathered his personal belongings, locked the heavy, soundproof door of the private training room, and strode toward the Flying Star Class’s dedicated Martial Dao classroom at the other end of Hongyi Building.

Perhaps because it was the first day, or perhaps due to the motivation from Fang Chengwu’s morning speech and the resources he had mentioned, the classroom was already buzzing with noise.

Everyone was in high spirits, either stretching their limbs or chatting with one another. The air was thick with soaring fighting spirit.