Translator: CinderTL
"Indeed," Zhu Honglie nodded.
Securing a spot in the top ten of the Genius Cup would bring not only wealth and fame but also eligibility to participate in the Great Stellar War.
Guarding the Cosmic Void Passage was, after all, a life-or-death venture.
The danger far exceeded that of an S-Rank Combat Mission, carrying a real risk of death.
If Jiang Ye were to suffer a serious, near-fatal injury there, it would be difficult for him to compete in the Genius Cup afterward.
"He'll be heading to White Dragon University for further studies soon, won't he?" Elder Bai suddenly asked.
"Yes," Zhu Honglie confirmed with a nod.
"Perfect."
"Let him witness the caliber of the world's most exceptional geniuses," Elder Bai said with a faint smile. "By the time the Genius Cup arrives, he won't be intimidated."
Jiang Ye, of course, remained unaware of this conversation between Elder Bai and Zhu Honglie.
He was completely immersed in a profound state of cultivation, oblivious to the passage of time.
Practicing his spear.
Practicing his spear with selfless dedication.
Time flowed.
How long had passed?
Boom!
Suddenly, as Jiang Ye thrust his spear forward, it was as if millennia of subterranean energy erupted from the depths.
The spear tip flared, unleashing a Pale Crimson beam visible to the naked eye.
A sonic boom roared, tearing through the air.
Boom! A deafening explosion shook the ground.
The wall a hundred meters away shattered as if struck by a cannon shell, leaving a massive crater several meters wide, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.
Swish~ The wall rippled like liquid, its shattered fragments flowing back into place.
In mere moments, it was restored to its original state.
"Great Sun Spear Technique, thirty-third form."
"Success!" Jiang Ye's eyes snapped open.
The profound state of cultivation receded like a receding tide.
Unconcerned, he glanced at the spear in his hand.
"Just three more forms until I master the true third ultimate move," Jiang Ye murmured, a faint smile playing on his lips.
He opened his status panel.
[Great Sun Spear Technique: Small Success (88%)]
"Six hours," Jiang Ye noted, glancing at the time. "A 10% increase?"
"That's equivalent to my usual week's progress."
Before the S-Rank Combat Mission, even with mid-grade profound martial ginseng, he couldn't achieve such rapid advancement.
After all, as the Great Sun Spear Technique approached Major Success, its difficulty soared exponentially.
This was to be expected.
According to standard practice, the Great Perfection Spear Technique was designed for second breakthrough experts.
Jiang Ye's life level had not yet reached that level, making his training particularly challenging.
Yet in just six hours, he had achieved such remarkable progress? It was truly astonishing.
"Beyond the feedback from actual combat," Jiang Ye mused, "the most crucial factor must be the effect of 'dao resonance.'"
During his spear practice earlier, he had felt as if he and the spear had become one, truly merging with the weapon in his hand.
Thanks to this, Jiang Ye had rapidly overcome many of the Great Sun Spear Technique's most difficult aspects.
"Let's continue," Jiang Ye said, his enthusiasm soaring. "I want to see if I can re-enter that 'dao resonance' state."
He gripped his spear and returned to the center of the training room to resume his practice.
But this time, Jiang Ye failed to re-enter that state.
"As expected, it's a probabilistic event."
"No matter," Jiang Ye said, undeterred. "Even if it only occurs once a day, or even once every few days, my progress will still far surpass what it used to be."
"Combined with the profound physique's Profound State, my cultivation speed has experienced another remarkable surge."
He swiftly immersed himself in cultivation, practicing with selfless dedication.
Over the following days, Jiang Ye's spearmanship progressed at an astonishing rate.
Seizing this opportunity, he trained even more diligently.
In just a few days, his spearmanship was nearing Major Success.
But just then, Jiang Ye unexpectedly encountered an unprecedented bottleneck.
November 20th, at the villa:
[Great Sun Spear Technique: Small Success (99%)]
"I broke through 99% two days ago," Jiang Ye frowned. "Yet in the past two days, I haven't made the slightest progress."
He realized that a significant bottleneck existed before reaching Major Successโa barrier far greater than any he had faced before.
But how to overcome it? That was the question.
"I'll ask Teacher Zhu tomorrow," Jiang Ye murmured, closing his eyes.
Time flowed onward.
In the blink of an eye, several more days had passed.
November 30th, at the main villa:
Great Sun Spear Technique: Small Success (99%)]
[Staring at the panel, Jiang Ye felt a sense of helplessness.
"Stuck at 99% for twelve days now," he sighed inwardly. "Even entering dao resonance hasn't yielded any progress against this massive bottleneck."
"According to Teacher Zhu, this stage is called the 'Great Bottleneck Period.'"
"Breaking through is said to be exceedingly difficult."
Jiang Ye shook his head and sighed.
He had actually anticipated this.
After all, the Major Success stage of the Great Sun Spear Technique was designed for second breakthrough experts, so its difficulty was only natural.
Twelve consecutive days of dao resonance had yielded no progress whatsoever.
This truly surprised Jiang Ye.
"The most crucial thing is," he thought to himself, "Teacher Zhu said that once you hit a bottleneck, you can only break through on your own."
"It could take weeks, or even months."
"Even Teacher Zhu can't help me much." Jiang Ye shook his head slightly.
His bottleneck could only be overcome through his own efforts.
But if even dao resonance couldn't help, this bottleneck period was clearly going to be a tough one to endure.
Could he really be stuck here until his second breakthrough?
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
"Forget it."
"Time for some real combat." Jiang Ye sighed, shook his head, and stood up to approach the virtual cockpit.
He entered the Virtual Independent Cosmos.
Name: Jiang Ye
Tier: Cosmic Rank 1 (6/300)
Matches: 1516
Win Rate: 50%
At Cosmic Rank 1, his opponents were no pushovers.
They were either second-year students from the twenty-five school alliance or first-year students from the ten great schools.
Since reaching Cosmic Rank 1, Jiang Ye had challenged several more matches, most of which ended in defeat.
Fortunately, Jiang Ye wasn't focused on climbing the ranks but rather on honing his combat skills.
However, just as he was about to queue for a match, he paused.
Beneath the battle record panel, a line of small text had appeared:
Cosmic Rank 1 unlocked the 'Invite Battle' feature.
Can create independent spaces to invite students from the ten great schools and twenty-five school alliance (Tier 1 and above) for simulated battles. Match results do not affect Cosmic Rank.
"Invite battles?" Jiang Ye blinked in surprise.
After reading the description, he immediately understood.
This is just creating a room, isn't it?
"Create," Jiang Ye clicked the button below.
Whoosh!
His figure vanished instantly from his original location.
When Jiang Ye opened his eyes again, he found himself in a Cosmic Arena.
Please invite your opponent.
Jiang Ye pondered for two seconds before typing three characters into the holographic screen.
Inviting...
Just five seconds later:
Invitation successful.
Your opponent is entering the room.
Swish!
Across the arena, a stunningly beautiful girl slowly materialized. She wore a moon-white, flowing chiffon dress that billowed around her, and her long hair cascaded down to her waist.
She opened her peach-blossom-like eyes and gazed at Jiang Ye.
In the next moment, a captivating smile bloomed across her cold yet delicate face.
"Jiang Ye," Chen Zilu said with a cheerful smile, "You've reached Cosmic Rank 1?"
"I broke through a few days ago."
"I just noticed today that I could create rooms," Jiang Ye replied with a grin. "You're in the Independent Cosmos too? What a coincidence."
Chen Zilu gently shook her head. "I saw the notification on my phone and came in."
Jiang Ye's heart skipped a beat. She's quick.
She entered in just five seconds.
"What's wrong?"
"Want to spar?" Chen Zilu asked, her eyes fixed on Jiang Ye.
"Teacher, you're joking," Jiang Ye said with a shake of his head and a laugh.
"Comparing yourself to Chen Zilu? That's just asking for a beating."
"I haven't seen you in a while, Teacher," Jiang Ye said, blinking. "I just wanted to catch up."
"Catch up?" Chen Zilu's beautiful eyes met his, and she suddenly smiled.
Her training schedule was already packed. If anyone else had said that, she would have rolled her eyes.
But Jiang Ye?
Hmm.
Chen Zilu gazed at the increasingly handsome young man before her and nodded. "Alright, let's catch up then."
"Actually, I have something to tell you too."
"What is it?" Jiang Ye asked, puzzled.
"You'll be coming to White Dragon University for advanced studies soon, right?" Chen Zilu asked, watching him.
Jiang Ye nodded. "I was just about to mention that."
"When will you arrive?"
"If everything goes smoothly, within two months," Jiang Ye replied.
Both the gains from his recent S-Rank Combat Mission and his second breakthrough required time to consolidate. Before heading to White Dragon University, Jiang Ye needed to push his strength to its peak.
"Good."
"Once you're here, I'll introduce you to my teacher," Chen Zilu said with a smile. "You can just call him 'Teacher' then."
"Old Qiu?" Jiang Ye asked, surprised.
"Yes, my teacher specializes in spearmanship too," Chen Zilu said, her eyes twinkling. "But his style is vastly different from Teacher Zhu's."
"If you can get his guidance, it will greatly benefit your own development."
Her words weren't meant to imply that Zhu Honglie was inferior to Qiu Cang.
Both of them are top-tier teachers.
But combining and comparing your two distinct styles of spearmanship instruction will spark numerous insights in Jiang Ye, perhaps even leading to enlightenment.
The path of a teacher is not meant to be solitary.
This isn't ancient times, when teachers insisted on exclusive lineage.
Having multiple mentors nurturing him will undoubtedly lead to greater achievements.
Jiang Ye understood this perfectly.
"Mm-hmm, I understand," Jiang Ye nodded slightly.
Then, a thought struck him. He turned to Chen Zilu and asked, "If I call Old Qiu 'Teacher,' what should I call you?"
(End of the Chapter)
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