An embarrassed flush instantly appeared on Huang Yu's face. He gave a sheepish laugh, shrank back, and avoided Wang Ruming's gaze, which was practically shooting fire.
"Fifth place, 138 points..."
...
"Fifteenth place, 128 points, Xue Jun."
"Sixteenth place, 125 points, Wang Ruming."
...
Once the scores were all read out, some were overjoyed while others were dismayed.
Wang Ruming's earlier smugness had long since vanished, replaced only by bewildered shock at Li Wen's meteoric rise and dejection over his own disappointing results. That, mixed with the indignant grief of being ruthlessly deceived by the two-faced study fiend next to him, made him want to throw his head back and scream.
RING RING RING—
The bell signaling the end of morning classes dispersed the atmosphere in the classroom, whether it was one of joy or tension.
[Profession: Scholar lv3 (193→217/400)]
As Li Wen packed up his books, his gaze swept over the profession panel floating in mid-air. The experience bar had quietly risen again.
The experience bar for lv3 was already more than half full, approaching 218 points. He let out a long sigh and stretched his slightly sore muscles from sitting for so long.
'The official final exams are tomorrow. If I can perform at the same level as I did in math today for all six consecutive subjects... hitting lv5 in my [Scholar] class is definitely not just a pipe dream.'
At the thought of lv5, a fiery spark of anticipation ignited in Li Wen's eyes.
He knew that the lv5 [Absolute Focus] would be a qualitative leap! Not only would the comprehension boost increase to a terrifying 50%, but more importantly, he would gain control over it for the first time.
He would finally be able to decide how long to activate this powerful skill, no longer risking the danger of having his mental and spiritual will drained dry unless interrupted by an external force.
This would be his most crucial trump card for the upcoming final Martial Dao assessment and the Flying Star Class selection.
However, what excited him most right now was his afternoon training. He clenched his fist, feeling the power surging within his body.
'Rainbow Light Saber Skill... today is the day I master the basics.'
Reciting this goal in his mind, Li Wen's eyes shone with a stern fighting spirit. He walked out of the classroom with determined strides, heading firmly in the direction of the Martial Dao training hall.
Time was short. With the final exams imminent, every single improvement was crucial.
「…」
The afternoon sun slanted through the filtered, floor-to-ceiling windows of the Bluestone Third Middle School library, casting long, neat, grid-like shadows on the pristine floor of the training hall.
The air was filled with the scent of dust dancing in energy beams, and the faint, metallic tang of sweat and cooled metal.
This was the battlefield Li Wen had chosen—the training hall on the top floor of the library. Less than two days remained until the critical moment of the final exam.
"Hooo—" Li Wen took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, clearing his mind of distracting thoughts.
He gripped the cold scabbard of the Standard Rapier tightly in his left hand, his right resting steadily on the hilt, which was wrapped with anti-slip cloth.
His legs were slightly bent, his muscle groups tensing in an instant like a spring compressed to its limit.
'First Form—Long Rainbow!'
In a flash of thought, the moment the command was given, his body had already blurred into a faint shadow. An astonishing force erupted from his legs, propelling him forward in a sudden rush.
SWISH~
A faint yet incredibly sharp sound of slicing through the air rang out.
The rapier, which had been resting peacefully in its scabbard, was suddenly unsheathed by Li Wen at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. Its cold glint traced a brief but distinct bright line through the air.
The movement was clean and decisive, the draw and horizontal slash executed in a single, fluid motion. This speed far surpassed the limits of any form he could execute with an advanced-grade saber skill.
The power of a top-tier saber skill lay not only in the intricacy of its forms but also in its perfect integration with a Body Technique.
As a top-tier technique, the core of the Rainbow Light Saber Skill was the ultimate pursuit of speed—the blade had to be as fast as light, and the body had to move like the wind.
Only by reaching the state where "the blade follows the body's movement, and the body turns with the blade" could a Martial Artist ultimately aim for the supreme realm of "unifying body, mind, and skill."
This saber skill converted speed into the cornerstone of both offense and defense. Advancing, one could tear through the sky; retreating, one could vanish without a trace. This freedom of movement was the key to remaining undefeated in a true battle to the death.
'My speed is still a far cry from the instructor in the demonstration... but,'
Li Wen stood still, having completed the form. His eyes were sharp as he carefully processed the muscle memory and airflow feedback from the explosive movement.
'it should be more than enough for the final exam the day after tomorrow.'
The final exam was a showcase, a chance to prove himself, and a necessary battle to fight for a top-ten spot in the class and win the prize money.
A short rest was for the sake of a more focused burst of effort. Li Wen made a few minor adjustments, and as soon as his breathing stabilized, he immediately threw himself into the next round of practice.
He cast aside all distracting thoughts and began to practice the remaining sixty-three forms of the Rainbow Light Saber Skill one by one.
The first fifty forms, thanks to his previous diligent deconstruction of them under the holographic projection and the passive effect of [Prove Once, Know Forever], were already second nature to him.
Although his execution wasn't as flawless or imposing as that of the senior in cyan training clothes, it was still smooth and accurate, his movements precise. He had barely met the introductory standard.
However, starting from the fifty-first form, the difficulty suddenly spiked! His movements became sluggish, his footwork heavy.
His body's movement speed couldn't keep up with the blade path he envisioned in his mind, or the subtle variations of the saber form prevented his steps from syncing up perfectly.
The further he went, the more difficult it became, especially the last dozen or so forms—the fifty-eighth, "Star Shatter"; the fifty-ninth, "Cloud Chaser"... the sixtieth, "Dark Shadow."
Either the blade was half a beat too slow, its trajectory off by a hair's breadth, or his footwork was a fraction too heavy, causing him to miss the optimal point to exert force.
His body and the blade were like gears that hadn't been properly broken in, always missing that perfect mesh by the slightest margin.
Each failure was like an invisible whip lashing at his heart. An indescribable sense of frustration began to build in his chest, like tiny sparks skittering about.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. Every repetition of an error consumed the physical and mental energy he had built up that afternoon.
'Hooo... no need to rush.' Li Wen took another deep breath, forcibly suppressing the agitation.
The passive effect of [Prove Once, Know Forever] was his greatest support at this moment.
'Don't get flustered. One form at a time. As long as I succeed once, my body won't forget. I just have to succeed once!' he repeated in his mind, like an anchor for his conviction.
He adjusted his strategy, no longer wasting time practicing the entire routine. He decisively isolated the final few forms that were giving him trouble—the ones he kept getting stuck on and couldn't execute successfully—and began to drill them repeatedly.
Focus. He concentrated all his spirit on a single target.
The training hall seemed to become an isolated island where time had accelerated. There was only Li Wen's endlessly repeating figure, the recurring soft whistle of the blade cutting through the air, and the nearly inaudible PAT of sweat dripping onto the floor.
Sweat soaked through his training tank top, clinging to his back and outlining the boy's lean, powerful physique.
His breathing grew heavy and his movements began to tremble slightly from fatigue, but his eyes, due to his absolute concentration, were astonishingly bright.
The golden glow of the setting sun gradually filled the training hall, dyeing everything in a warm hue, yet also serving as a merciless reminder of the passage of time.