High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices-Chapter 120: An Influx of Geniuses

"??? Who the hell is this Shen Wei?"

"Clearing the third floor in under two and a half minutes... That’s..."

Xu Zhi could only watch, crestfallen, as he was knocked from fourth place—a rank he had just achieved—down to fifth. He wanted to cry but couldn’t shed a tear.

Xu Wuyi, however, smiled. "Shen Wei is also a genius from our Dongjiang Province. He’s the one I just sparred with."

"’So that’s who he is...’" Xu Zhi mumbled.

He knew a bit about this year’s crop of geniuses, but only the most famous ones.

In Dongjiang Province, he only knew of Chu Shanhe and the dark horse, Xu Wuyi. He wasn’t familiar with Shen Wei.

He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Um... when you two sparred, did you win?"

"It was a narrow victory," Xu Wuyi said, not trying to hide it.

"That’s good, that’s good." Xu Zhi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

’Since he couldn’t beat Xu Wuyi, he can’t be that much stronger than me. I still have a chance to reclaim my rank.’

Xu Wuyi seemed to guess what he was thinking and found it amusing, but he didn’t say anything.

’In my opinion, Shen Wei’s Martial Arts are perfectly suited for fighting Star Beasts. Never mind the third floor; I doubt even the fourth could stop him.’

’An Earth-Split Bear can tank other people’s attacks, but not Shen Wei’s saber. I just wonder if his speed can beat Zhao Qingwei’s.’

"By the way, do you know anything about Zhao Qingwei and Li Hao?" Xu Wuyi thought of the two names and changed the subject, steering the conversation away from Shen Wei.

"I know Zhao Qingwei. She’s a famous genius from the Capital," Xu Zhi said. "Li Hao is more of a mystery, though. There’s not much information on him. No one knows where that master came from."

"There’s always someone better out there. We’ll have to keep working hard," Xu Wuyi said.

Star Martial University gathered elites from the Entire Federation. It was only natural for a few low-key dark horses to appear.

"Yeah." Xu Zhi nodded. Then, as if remembering something, his expression grew serious. "By the way, Xu Wuyi, I have some news you might find interesting."

"This year’s top scorer from my home, Central Province, is also coming to Star Martial." As he said this, a hint of confusion appeared on Xu Zhi’s face.

"He’d always planned on going to the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy. I only just heard that he put down Star Martial as his final choice."

For Martial Artists from well-off families, the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy usually offers better prospects.

Xu Zhi’s family was also well-off, but he ultimately chose Star Martial. The main reason was... well, it was close to home.

As a Martial Artist, Xu Zhi was naturally competitive, but not to an extreme degree.

He was the type who wanted to be in the game, but didn’t want to burn himself out in the rat race. So for him, the freer atmosphere at Star Martial University was actually a better fit.

"The top scorer from Central Province?" Xu Wuyi asked, looking at him.

Central Province was a major powerhouse in Martial Arts, so its top scorer was held in extremely high regard.

"That’s right. His name is Qin Rui," Xu Zhi said. "That guy... he’s really strong. He practices his family’s inherited Swordsmanship, the Light-Splitting Shadow-Stealing Sword. Anyway, I’ve never beaten him, not even when we were at the Same Ability Level."

"The Light-Splitting Shadow-Stealing Sword... another B-level Swordsmanship?" Xu Wuyi asked curiously.

He said "another" because of Zhao Qingwei.

The genius from Xingjing was so famous that there was a lot of information about her online, which Xu Wuyi had naturally looked up.

"Not quite," Xu Zhi said, shaking his head. "The Light-Splitting Shadow-Stealing Sword is only C-level, but the advantage of an inherited Martial Art is the wealth of experience passed down from elders, plus many complementary techniques."

"Qin Rui reached Minor Achievement in his Light-Splitting Shadow-Stealing Sword long ago. His proficiency is so high he can use Secret Techniques like they’re basic moves."

"Plus, you can only use your bare hands in the entrance exams. That puts those who’ve actually learned B-level Martial Arts at a disadvantage, since they can’t use them for the test but still have to invest a ton of time into learning them."

After hearing this, Xu Wuyi couldn’t help but nod. "That makes sense."

It was like Shen Wei, who would definitely lose to Chu Shanhe in the entrance exams. But now that the exams were over and they could fight with weapons, the outcome was anyone’s guess.

Xu Zhi added, "Qin Rui has some family business to attend to, so he’ll be enrolling a few days late. Once he gets here, I expect Hidden Dragon Garden will get a lot more interesting."

"The rankings are bound to get shaken up again then."

"’Looks like I can’t let my guard down for a second,’" Xu Wuyi murmured.

’Zhao Qingwei, Li Hao, and now the soon-to-arrive Qin Rui... these top-tier geniuses were like powerful dragons crossing the river, stirring the waters of Star Martial University and pushing him to advance even faster.’

After seeing Xu Zhi out, Xu Wuyi stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows in his living room, gazing at the tranquil scenery of Hidden Dragon Garden.

A moment later, he spun around and headed for the training room in the basement.

’Time to try the fifth level again. The White Ape!’

...

The hatch of the Virtual Pod slowly closed, sealing him off from the outside light.

With the faint sensation of the neural interface connecting, Xu Wuyi’s consciousness left the real world and entered his familiar personal space on the Battle Network.

The 85% Simulation Level made his surroundings feel incredibly real. The flow of the air, the subtle texture of the ground beneath his feet—it was all indistinguishable from reality.

Without a moment’s delay, he focused his thoughts and summoned the entrance to the "New Student Challenge."

When his senses cleared, he found himself in a strange space beneath a dark purple sky.

A massive Light Sect stood before him, the four gilded words "Star Beast Hunting Ground" floating above it.

Xu Wuyi’s gaze swept over the holographic leaderboard to the side.

[New Student Challenge Leaderboard] 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

First Place: Shen Wei (Floors Cleared: 4)

Second Place: Zhao Qingwei (Floors Cleared: 4)

Third Place: Li Hao (Floors Cleared: 4)

Fourth Place: Xu Wuyi (Floors Cleared: 4)

...

Just as he’d expected, Shen Wei’s name was at the very top. His time for clearing the fourth floor was clearly faster than Zhao Qingwei’s and Li Hao’s.

His Saber Technique possessed absolute destructive power when facing Star Beasts.

Xu Wuyi’s expression remained calm, unfazed by his temporary drop in the rankings.

His target was the still-unconquered fifth level.

"Enter level five," he commanded the system.

His vision shifted abruptly. Beneath the dark purple sky lay a valley filled with jagged, grotesque rock formations.

The ground was uneven, with sharp stone spires jutting out from the rock. A faint, foul stench hung in the air.

Not far off, at the base of a cliff, a white figure squatted on a massive Black Stone, its back to him. It was toying with a thick Bone Staff.

The staff was over two meters long, its surface covered in intricate patterns. It looked as if it had been fashioned from the spine of some colossal beast, and sharp bone spurs still protruded from its tip.

"Welcome to the fifth level of the Star Beast Hunting Ground. Challenge Target: Mountain-Splitting White Ape (1)."

"Clear Condition: Kill the Mountain-Splitting White Ape within ten minutes. Failure Condition: Exceeding the time limit or death."

"Challenger’s Life Energy Level for this stage is fixed at: 17."

Just as the system’s voice faded, the white figure whipped around.

It was the Mountain-Splitting White Ape.

It stood a full two and a half meters tall, its body covered in shaggy white fur. Beneath the fur was a gnarled, muscular physique, with every muscle bulging as if it contained world-shattering power.

Its head was larger than that of an ordinary ape, and its eyes, crimson as blood, were locked onto Xu Wuyi. It bared two rows of sharp fangs in a vicious snarl.

ROAR!

The White Ape’s roar echoed through the valley. The battle had begun!