High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices-Chapter 133: Heated Discussions

"The sixth level is the Double-Bladed Mantis, right?" In the living room, the round-faced young man, Zhou Hao, swallowed hard, his voice dry.

"Last time I went in, I got sliced up and kicked out in less than two minutes. He passed it in 37 seconds? Even Qin Rui took seven or eight minutes!"

"It’s not just the sixth level!" Batu’s voice rumbled. The defiance on his face was long gone, replaced by pure shock. "The seventh level is the Shadow Fang. Qin Rui said even he couldn’t last three minutes in there."

Before Xu Wuyi, only Qin Rui had ever seen the Star Beast on the seventh level. He had spoken about it publicly, so quite a few people knew.

Shen Wei stared at the number "8" next to "Levels Cleared" on the light screen, his fists clenching unconsciously.

He had originally thought he was closing the gap with Xu Wuyi, but now it seemed the gulf between them hadn’t shrunk at all. In fact, it had grown even wider.

’What in the world did that guy master during his month of seclusion?’

Shen Wei muttered to himself, a complex mix of emotions flashing in his eyes.

There was indignation and shock, but more than anything, a roaring fighting spirit had been ignited within him.

"No, I have to try the sixth level again!"

Yu Peiling watched Shen Wei’s eager expression and shook her head slightly, though a flash of determination also appeared in her eyes.

Xu Wuyi’s achievement was like a thorn in the side of every new genius. It both pressured them and ignited their innate competitiveness.

None of the students who had made it this far would admit defeat so easily!

...

In a virtual training room in another dormitory at Star Martial University.

The door to the Virtual Pod opened. Zhao Qingwei sat up, her face pale and her breathing ragged.

She raised a hand to wipe away her sweat, a lingering look of exhaustion and frustration in her eyes.

’It happened again.’

The Double-Bladed Mantises of the sixth level were like two insurmountable mountains, blocking her path completely.

Her Flowing Shadow Sword was renowned for its speed, but against two mantises with perfect coordination and extreme attack speed, she couldn’t fully leverage her advantage.

She had lost count of how many times she had challenged the sixth level, and the result was always failure.

’Still no good... Qin Rui is stronger than me in terms of explosive power. His family’s Secret Technique is just too efficient. If only I could make up for that weakness...’

Zhao Qingwei muttered to herself, her voice tinged with frustration.

She had traveled all the way to Central Province and enrolled in Star Martial University for the sole purpose of learning the explosive Swordsmanship best suited for the Fast Sword from that one Grandmaster.

Moreover, she believed that Qin Rui, as the top scorer of Central Province and the leading figure of his generation in the Yuntai Qin Family, had also given up the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy and come here for the same reason.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She raised a hand to activate the light screen beside her, wanting to see if anyone else on the leaderboard had found a way to beat the sixth level.

However, the moment the light screen lit up, Zhao Qingwei’s gaze froze.

At the very top of the leaderboard, the spot that had belonged to Qin Rui was now occupied by a name that was both familiar and strange.

Xu Wuyi!

Levels Cleared: 8!

Zhao Qingwei’s pupils constricted violently. Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, she thought she was hallucinating.

She blinked hard and looked at the light screen again, confirming she hadn’t misread it.

Then she looked at the detailed text below:

Sixth Level Clear Time: 0 minutes, 37 seconds.

Seventh Level: 3 minutes, 12 seconds.

Eighth Level: 6 minutes, 51 seconds.

The string of numbers exploded in her mind like a clap of thunder, leaving her brain completely blank.

’How is that possible?’

The sixth level, which she’d failed to clear after countless attempts, the same level that had taken even Qin Rui over eight minutes... Xu Wuyi had cleared it in just 37 seconds?

’And he cleared the seventh and eighth levels too?’

’No one even knows how to clear those two levels. How did he do it?’

’Is he really that strong?’

Zhao Qingwei’s fingers trembled slightly. She had always believed herself to be exceptional; even when Qin Rui cleared the sixth level, she was confident she could catch up.

But Xu Wuyi’s appearance had shattered that confidence for the first time. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

’The gap is too big.’

...

By a scenic virtual lake in the public lounge of the Star Martial Battle Network.

Qin Rui and Xu Zhi sat side-by-side on a bench by the lake. The water’s surface shimmered, reflecting their figures.

As fellow natives of Central Province, the two had known each other for a long time. After entering Star Martial University, they grew even closer, often exchanging training insights on the Battle Network.

"Your time on the fifth level is already very fast," Qin Rui said calmly, his eyes on the lake. "But if you want to surpass Zhao Qingwei and Shen Wei, you’ll have to optimize your strategy."

Xu Zhi gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "Those two are both offense-oriented fighters. This is the absolute limit of what I can do."

He paused, then changed the subject, looking at Qin Rui. "But you, on the other hand... I doubt anyone will be able to break your record for the sixth level, right? That pair of Double-Bladed Mantises is just insane."

At the mention of the sixth level, a grave expression appeared on Qin Rui’s face. "Those mantises are indeed tricky. Their coordination is too perfect, and their attack speed is too fast. It took a great deal of effort for me to find their weakness and barely scrape by."

He spoke in an even tone, with a composure that far surpassed his peers.

As they were talking, they both received a notification sound from their communicators almost simultaneously. It wasn’t from each other, but a specially configured alert for the leaderboard.

Qin Rui and Xu Zhi exchanged a glance, each seeing a trace of surprise in the other’s eyes.

What major change could there be on the leaderboard at this hour?

They casually opened the leaderboard.

The next moment, the expressions on both their faces froze.

Xu Zhi even did a spit-take with the tea he had just sipped, choking and coughing repeatedly. His eyes, however, were glued to the light screen as if he’d seen a ghost.

"COUGH, COUGH... Eigh-eight levels?! Xu Wuyi cleared the eighth level?!" Xu Zhi’s voice became shrill with shock.

On Qin Rui’s usually unflappable face, a look of utter astonishment was now clearly visible.

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze as sharp as a blade, repeatedly confirming the information at the top of the list.

First Place: Xu Wuyi (Levels Cleared: 8)

The top scorer from Dongjiang Province, someone he hadn’t paid much attention to before and had only heard Xu Zhi mention a few times, had silently cleared the entire new student challenge?

It was simply unbelievable!

Having cleared the sixth level himself, Qin Rui knew just how difficult it was.

Those two Double-Bladed Mantises alone had taken him nearly nine minutes and forced him to use every trick up his sleeve.

The seventh and eighth levels could only be more difficult, especially the final one. As far as he knew, the guardian wasn’t an ordinary Star Beast, but...

He had originally believed that clearing the sixth level was enough to secure his leading position.

At least during this new student challenge phase, he thought no one could shake him. He had even started looking ahead to after the semester began.

But now, Xu Wuyi’s crushing achievement had shown him that there was always someone better.

"He actually managed to pass the Shadow Fang on the seventh level?" Qin Rui muttered to himself. "And judging by the time, it didn’t even seem to take that long..."

Xu Zhi finally caught his breath, his face still full of disbelief. "Is... is this Xu Wuyi even human? What kind of miracle elixir did he take during his month of seclusion? Did he just ascend to godhood?"