Li Wen's gaze swept over the glaring golden stats on his panel:
[Skill: Saber Skill · Advanced (Great Success 99/100)].
That final "1" was like an invisible yet resilient barrier, barring his path to the Perfection Realm.
He took a deep breath. Once he broke through this barrier, he could truly reach the threshold of peak saber skills and begin a whole new journey.
However, this tiny bit of experience had trapped countless people.
In all of Class 21, there were five or six others stuck at the same "Great Success 99" bottleneck.
Across the entire senior year, that number would likely be dozens of times higher; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was over a hundred people.
This was why the minimum requirement for the Flying Star Class was reaching the entry-level of a peak skill. Winter break wasn't exactly long, but it wasn't short, either.
It was just enough time for those with a solid foundation, teetering on the edge of a breakthrough, to shatter their limits and begin practicing peak-level techniques.
The stronger students, who were already ahead of the pack, would use this time to pull even further ahead. The Flying Star Class only had sixty spots. The competition was so fierce there was no room for complacency.
He had to get a head start! He had to be the first to break through this final barrier before winter break officially began and step into the Perfection Realm.
That way, at the very start of the skill assessment, he would already have a lead over the massive crowd of competitors at his level, giving him a crucial edge in the fight for one of those precious spots.
Time! A sense of urgency was like an invisible whip, lashing at his heart.
At this thought, Li Wen cast aside all distractions, his gaze sharpening to a razor's edge. He tightened his grip on the steel saber in his right hand, sank into his stance, and put power into his movements, his wrist a blur.
SWOOSH~ SWOOSH~ SWOOSH~ The saber sliced through the air with a piercing whistle. Each and every move was filled with his deepening understanding and control of the Tiger Saber Skill.
Sweat soaked his faded school uniform, making it cling tightly to his somewhat gaunt yet well-defined back. He was completely immersed, trying to seize the fleeting moment of insight he needed to break through his limits.
"RRRIINNNGG~~"
The bell signaling the end of the school day ripped through the heavy silence of the Martial Arts Room like a clap of thunder. The students, who had been gritting their teeth and pushing through their sweat-drenched practice, looked as if they'd been granted amnesty. All at once, the tension drained out of them.
"Ha... It's finally over!"
"I'm dead tired!"
"Let's go, let's go! I'm starving!"
...
Amidst cries of relief and students calling out to their friends, everyone returned their weapons to the racks with a series of CLANGS and CLANKS. In twos and threes, they rushed out the door.
The noisy chatter receded like the tide, leaving behind only the distinct quiet of the empty room and the lingering smell of sweat.
In the spacious Martial Arts Room, only Li Wen remained, standing with his saber in hand. The setting sun slanted in through the tall glass windows, stretching a long, lonely shadow at his feet.
He was long used to this; in fact, he deliberately stayed behind. This tranquility was the exact atmosphere he needed to challenge his bottleneck.
The saber in his right hand continued to move—a chop, an upward flick, a parry. His movements were steady and precise, with no hint of impatience.
Move by move, form by form, he was methodical, like a precision instrument repeatedly polishing its own final rough edges, striving to reach a state of absolute perfection.
Li Wen didn't stop until the sky outside had grown completely dark and the melodious music from the campus broadcast had played through four or five times. Only then did he slowly withdraw his saber. His chest rose and fell, his breathing slightly ragged as he wiped the thick beads of sweat from his forehead.
SHIING— With a clear metallic scrape, the saber was returned precisely to the weapon rack.
Li Wen slung his faded canvas schoolbag over his shoulder and was the last to leave the now pitch-black Martial Arts Room. The heavy lock fell into place with a CLICK, temporarily shutting him off from the vast, empty space inside.
...
「Later that night.」
Cold air seeped into the vast Martial Arts Room. During the evening self-study period, twenty to thirty students from Class 21, all determined to get into a Martial Dao university, had gathered there once again.
Li Wen was in his usual corner. As always, he began by practicing his saber forms.
Over an hour later, his back was already soaked with sweat. The saber in his hand felt like an extension of his arm, its flashing light a continuous blur as he demonstrated the full power of the Great Success Realm.
It was at this moment that the few classmates who were also stuck at the Great Success 99 bottleneck could no longer hide the shock and confusion on their faces.
As they trained, they couldn't help but glance out of the corners of their eyes at the figure in the corner, who was practicing so hard he was dripping with sweat.
At first, they just thought Li Wen's saber skill seemed a bit smoother. Then, they were shocked to realize his power generation and the fluidity of his transitions had taken a qualitative leap forward!
Now, they realized with stark clarity: Li Wen... was somehow on the same level as them!
"This... How is this possible?" Deng Yuefei lowered his voice and said to Yue Ruijie beside him, incredulity written all over his face. "Didn't he just reach Minor Achievement last week? On the day of the fitness test?"
"I remember it perfectly," Zhang Li added, his throat bobbing. "Teacher Wang was even encouraging him, saying he was about to reach the late stage of Minor Achievement... How long has it been? Three days?!" He stared at Li Wen as if he were looking at some kind of monster.
"He has to be faking it!" Deng Yuefei blurted out, his voice laced with a hint of panic and resentment he didn't even notice himself.
"That guy must have reached this level ages ago! He was just hiding his true strength, playing dumb to get the drop on everyone! Now, for the sake of the Flying Star Class, he can't hide it anymore!"
Having been his classmates for two and a half years, they thought they knew Li Wen well. He was undeniably hardworking, and it was a known fact that his family was poor.
His skills had always been unremarkable—he was the classic example of someone who was diligent but had mediocre talent. And now he'd suddenly shot up to the same level as them, people who had better resources and had invested far more time? It completely shattered their perception of him.