"A Level 35 Martial Artist, a second-year from Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy." Xu Wuyi took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.

He wasn’t too dejected. At his current level, it was still possible for him to defeat upperclassmen from ordinary universities.

But against a second-year Martial Artist from one of the Three Greats, the gap was just too wide.

His opponent surpassed him in every aspect—Martial Arts, Realm, and even the application of Qi and Blood and Spirit. He couldn’t see any chance of victory.

’Looks like I still have a long way to go,’ Xu Wuyi muttered to himself. Instead of discouragement, a fiercer fighting spirit ignited in his eyes.

Only by seeing a taller mountain does one find the motivation to climb it.

Becoming a Martial Artist was just the beginning, never the end.

He didn’t dwell on his defeat for long. After calming his Qi and Blood and Spirit, he clicked "match" again.

The preliminary matches weren’t over yet. He needed more battles to hone his skills, especially against strong opponents.

What he didn’t know was that Xu Zi’ang, the one who had defeated him, was a top-five genius among the second-years at Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy.

His strength was more than enough to aim for a top-ten spot in the youth tournament.

...

Xu Wuyi stood quietly in the matching space for a moment.

A few minutes later, he clicked "match" again.

However, it seemed luck was not on his side.

In his twenty-fifth match, his opponent was a Level 33.8 Martial Artist from Black Stone Academy. He specialized in a Yin Soft Sword Technique, his Qi and Blood dense and enduring, designed to wear down his foe. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Xu Wuyi tried to break the stalemate with an explosive burst, but his opponent was as slippery as an eel and refused to clash with him head-on.

After nearly fifty exchanges, his opponent found an opening and stabbed him in the back, leading to a regrettable defeat.

His points were deducted again.

In his twenty-sixth match, his opponent was another senior from Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy, this one at Level 34.5.

Her Swordsmanship was as swift as lightning, and her Body Technique was even more erratic. Xu Wuyi’s Eight-direction Soul Suppressing Spear was completely suppressed in terms of speed, and his Undying Flame could barely even touch the hem of her clothes.

After struggling for more than thirty exchanges, a sword strike hit his wrist, nearly knocking the long spear from his grasp. He was then immediately overwhelmed by a continuous torrent of sword light.

Another defeat.

Three consecutive losses caused Xu Wuyi’s point ranking to drop, though not by much.

The higher the rank, the fewer people there were at each point level, making the rankings more distinct.

Xu Wuyi’s expression remained calm, but his gaze was sharper than before.

The continuous high-intensity battles, especially the clashes with powerful foes, were rapidly deepening his understanding of his own strength and of combat at the Martial Artist level.

Defeats were not without value.

The fourth match began.

Light and shadow coalesced, and his opponent appeared.

Xu Wuyi was slightly taken aback when he saw his opponent’s face and insignia.

[Opponent: Zhou Kai]

[Affiliation: Star Martial University]

[Life Energy Level: 34.9]

His opponent saw Xu Wuyi’s information as well and gave a friendly smile. "Junior Brother Xu? I didn’t expect to run into you here."

Xu Wuyi had some impression of this Senior Brother Zhou. He was one of the top students from the East Courtyard’s second year and Xu Wuyi had seen him at some school events.

"Senior Brother Zhou." Xu Wuyi nodded in acknowledgment.

"Junior Brother, I’ve heard all about your legendary deeds," Zhou Kai said with a laugh, his expression then turning serious. "But on the battlefield, I won’t be holding back."

"As it should be." Xu Wuyi tightened his grip on his long spear, his will to fight surging once more.

Facing a senior from his own university, he was even more eager to see where the gap between them lay.

The battle erupted in an instant.

Zhou Kai used a long, thick-backed saber. His Sword Momentum was steady and grand, and his Qi and Blood were deep and solid. He was clearly an elite student cultivated through Star Martial University’s orthodox methods.

His Life Energy Level was slightly lower than Xu Zi’ang’s, but his foundation was extremely firm. His Saber Technique was simple and unadorned, yet every slash was powerful and heavy, containing immense force.

Xu Wuyi maneuvered against him, using his Eight-direction Soul Suppressing Spear and Undying Flame.

The dark-gold flames danced between the glint of saber and the shadow of the spear, searching for an opening.

However, Zhou Kai’s response was far more composed than Cheng Yagang’s had been.

His Sword Gang was condensed, and his control over his externalized Qi and Blood was superb. He could often use clever force to dissipate most of the Undying Flame before it could even attach to him.

Even if a few flames managed to land on him, his abundant Qi and Blood could withstand them for a moment. He would then quickly use a vibrating technique to shake them off. Although this consumed a good deal of Qi and Blood, he wasn’t easily corroded like Cheng Yagang.

But Zhou Kai’s Sword Momentum suddenly shifted, changing from steady to ferocious!

"Take this! Mountain Breaker!"

The heavy Sword Gang seemed to materialize, descending with the force to split mountains and break peaks!

Xu Wuyi’s pupils contracted. He activated Melting Furnace Boiling Blood at full power, his long spear striking out like a dragon to meet the attack head-on!

BOOM—!

Amidst the violent collision, the skin between Xu Wuyi’s thumb and forefinger split open. He slid back uncontrollably for more than ten meters, the Qi and Blood in his body churning endlessly.

Zhou Kai, however, only swayed slightly before raising his saber to attack again.

The difference in their strength was immediately clear.

Ultimately, under the pressure of Zhou Kai’s relentless Sword Momentum, Xu Wuyi’s defense faltered. A saber slash struck his chest, and his virtual body dissipated.

[Defeat! Points -1.]

Reforming in the matching space, Xu Wuyi let out a soft breath.

Four consecutive matches, four consecutive losses.

Undying Flame had immense potential, but its current level of development was insufficient. Against truly experienced opponents with solid foundations, it was indeed easy to counter.

Zhou Kai’s figure appeared nearby a moment later. He walked over, clapped Xu Wuyi on the shoulder, and said with an appreciative look, "Don’t be discouraged, Junior Brother. You’re already incredibly strong!"

"When I was your age, I was still struggling at the Martial Artist stage. You’re only a first-year who just became a Martial Artist, yet you can already go toe-to-toe with old-timers like us. That’s astonishing enough."

His tone was sincere. "With your potential and rate of improvement, next year’s youth tournament championship will more than likely be in the bag for you."

"Keep polishing your skills; you have a promising future! When the time comes, you’ll have to bring more glory to Star Martial for us!"

Xu Wuyi could feel the expectation in his senior’s words. He nodded. "Thank you, Senior Brother. I will."

Zhou Kai offered a few more words of encouragement before teleporting away to continue his own matches.

Xu Wuyi calmed himself and resumed matching. He was never afraid of losing, only of not being able to see a path to grow.

After that, his opponents started to become more "normal."

It might have been that the top experts had all raised their point totals. Xu Wuyi went on another winning streak, and by noon, his rank had entered the top one hundred, reaching ninety-sixth place.

After another match ended, he didn’t immediately queue up again.

The continuous, intense battles had been fruitful, but they had also left him mentally exhausted.

He exited the matching queue and chose to take a break, his consciousness returning to his private preparation room.

He sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to concentrate his spirit.

He had Anna play back the key moments from his recent defeats, focusing especially on how his opponents had neutralized his attacks and capitalized on his openings.

’Finer control, choosing the right moment to use a burst, adapting to the various fighting styles of Martial Artists...’ He began to summarize his shortcomings one by one.