High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices-Chapter 33: First Trial of the Rank Battle

In late February, the winter chill had not yet completely faded, but the Martial Arts Dojo at Honghe First Middle School was already steamy.

Xu Wuyi finished his training with the Basic Body Refining Technique and slowly relaxed his stance.

Feeling the increasingly powerful Qi and Blood flowing steadily within him, he gently exhaled. The white vapor shot out like an arrow, condensing briefly in the air before slowly dissipating.

Life Energy Level: 11.3.

His progress was a bit faster than he had expected. The effects of the D-Level Qi Blood Potion were indeed far superior to the E-level version. Coupled with the efficient conversion from his Minor Success Realm Body Refining Method, the rate at which his Qi and Blood accumulated remained at a considerable level.

At this moment, however, his mind was focused on something else.

His consciousness sank into his sea of consciousness, where an ancient Bronze Scroll floated quietly.

[Martial Arts Diligence Record]

Martial Arts: Wind-Settling Spear

Current Realm: Entry Level (91.5%)

Martial Arts Traits: Not Unlocked

Evaluation: Edge concealed, poised for a breakthrough.

A proficiency of over 90% meant that his foundation in the Wind-Settling Spear was already solid.

The Army Stabilization Form was as steady as a rock, the Back Wind Sweep was impenetrable, and he had even mastered the most difficult aspect, the Cloud-Pushing Force, channeling its power as if it were an extension of his own arm.

However, just as the panel’s evaluation stated, he had hit a bottleneck.

His proficiency gains had slowed again, and the improvement from each session of Hundred Chances of Enlightenment had become minuscule.

He knew he couldn’t keep training in isolation. If he wanted his Spear Technique to break through, it had to be tempered through real combat against evenly matched opponents.

’It’s time.’

Entering the Star Martial Battle Network, Xu Wuyi didn’t head to the familiar arena battles. Instead, he pulled up the system menu and found an icon styled differently from the others, one that glowed with a dark golden luster—Rank Battle.

’Rank Battle, begin matchmaking.’

[Identity verification passed. Life Energy Level: 11.3. Weapon Used: Long Spear. Matching you with a placement match opponent... Please wait.]

[Match successful! Teleporting to Asura Field, Stage #3119.]

The pure white space around him receded like a tide, replaced by an ancient stone stage covered with mottled, dark red stains.

The stage was surrounded by an endless dark void, creating a grim and oppressive atmosphere.

This was the Asura Field, the space for Rank Battles, and it felt completely different from the bright, standardized Junior Stage.

This was an intentional design by the Battle Network officials, meant to let the new generation of Martial Artists experience the atmosphere of the Star Realm Battlefield in advance.

Xu Wuyi’s opponent was already standing across from him: a tall, thin young man with a somewhat sinister look in his eyes. His ID was hidden, which the Rank Battle rules allowed.

A system scan showed the opponent’s Life Energy Level was 11.1.

"Begin!"

The instant the system prompt sounded, the sinister youth shot out like a cheetah, his hands formed into claws that hissed as they cut through the air.

He wore a pair of Finger Tigers, their tips bladed and incredibly potent.

When using this type of weapon, a Martial Artist could directly apply their fist and palm martial arts to the weapon—a clever shortcut.

The youth went straight for Xu Wuyi’s throat and heart with vicious moves, using some kind of D-level Claw Technique that focused on sneak attacks and fierce assaults.

Xu Wuyi’s eyes were calm. He didn’t even draw his long spear. With just a slight shift of his feet, his body drifted back half a step like a willow catkin in the wind.

At the same time, his left hand shot out like lightning, precisely grabbing the wrist of the hand attacking his throat.

"What?" The sinister youth was startled. He tried to struggle free, but his wrist felt as if it were clamped in an iron vise.

Xu Wuyi applied force with his wrist, twisting and pushing with the momentum. A condensed Power penetrated the youth’s body. Simultaneously, his right foot shot out silently, striking the opponent’s shinbone squarely.

CRACK! The distinct sound of bone breaking echoed across the stage.

"Ah!" The sinister youth cried out in pain and lost his balance, pitching forward.

Xu Wuyi released his grip, turned his body, and his right elbow, like a heavy hammer that had been gathering force, smashed viciously into his opponent’s back, right over the heart.

THUMP!

The sinister youth collapsed to the ground. After struggling for a moment, his virtual body dissolved into white light.

[Winner: Xu Wuyi! Rank Points +10.]

The fight was over before he could even process it.

Xu Wuyi stood in place, shaking his head slightly. ’The opponent was too weak, not even strong enough to make me get serious.’

However, that was how placement matches were; you could be matched with opponents of wildly varying skill levels.

Once the five placement matches were done, he would be matched with opponents of a similar Rank and Life Energy Level.

The second placement match began soon after.

This time, he was teleported to a stage that was a stretch of weathered Gobi desert, with yellow sand swirling through the air.

His opponent was a middle-aged man with ordinary features and a calm, steady demeanor. He wore a plain gray Martial Arts Uniform and held a simply designed long saber.

Life Energy Level: 11.5.

Xu Wuyi’s eyes narrowed. From the man’s grip on the saber and his steady aura, he could sense that this person was formidable and likely had a military background.

Not daring to be careless, he tightened his grip on his long spear, angled the tip toward the ground, and assumed the Army Stabilization Form.

"Go ahead," the middle-aged man said, his voice even. He seemed to have noticed Xu Wuyi was still a student and gestured for him to attack first.

Xu Wuyi gave a slight fist-and-palm salute, then unhesitatingly closed the distance and unleashed a thrust infused with the Cloud-Pushing Force—it was his strongest attack!

At almost the same instant he struck, the middle-aged man moved.

His movement wasn’t fast, just a simple forward step that smoothly evaded Xu Wuyi’s spear as the long saber in his hand slashed upwards from below!

The instant the long saber swung out, a scorching, explosive aura enveloped the entire stage!

A faint reddish glow appeared on the blade, and the air around it seemed to distort.

Xu Wuyi’s pupils contracted sharply!

’Danger!’

A feeling of extreme danger washed over him like ice water, making every hair on his body stand on end!

On pure instinct, he switched from the Cloud-Breaking Stab to the Back Wind Sweep, his long spear a blur as he tried to block.

’But it’s too slow!’

That seemingly ordinary long saber seemed to ignore the distance between them. Though it moved second, it arrived first, and the power contained in its blade was far beyond his imagination.

SCHRING! 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

With the first slash, Xu Wuyi’s spear was cleaved apart by an irresistible force.

The second slash followed like a shadow, shattering the Protective Qi and Blood he had hastily gathered.

With the third slash, his vision filled with crimson. A scorching heatwave washed over his face, and he could even see the distinct patterns on the blade.

SCHLICK—

With no way to resist, Xu Wuyi’s virtual body was sliced in half. The intense pain didn’t even have time to reach his nerve endings before his consciousness plunged into darkness.

[You have died! Rank Points -15.]

In reality, Xu Wuyi sat bolt upright in his Virtual Pod. Cold sweat beaded on his temples, and his heart was still pounding violently.

’That feeling of being torn apart in an instant, completely powerless to resist... it was just too real.’

The Battle Network’s user protection mechanism had directly kicked him offline to prevent irreversible damage to his Spirit.

’I’ve been defeated and killed in arena battles before, but it was never this intense.’

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, then chose to replay the battle recording.

In the recording, the middle-aged man’s movements were perfectly clear.

The three slashes weren’t complex Techniques, but each one contained a unique essence. It was as if the saber was an extension of his body, his Qi and Blood perfectly fused with the saber’s momentum, erupting with a terrifying power that far exceeded his own Life Energy Level.

"This is B-level Martial Arts... and he has comprehended the True Intention of Martial Arts!" Xu Wuyi muttered to himself, his tone one of absolute certainty.