"Dismissed! Continue with your own training!" Wang Hu waved a large hand, saying no more.
The students scattered as if granted amnesty, but the air remained thick with a lingering mix of excitement and anxiety. Many of them subconsciously glanced toward Xue Jun, whose spear skills were formidable.
Wang Hu, for his part, began to conscientiously patrol the spacious Martial Arts Room.
His steps were steady, his hawk-like gaze sweeping over each student's form. He would occasionally stop to point out flaws in their movements or improper force application, his words concise and to the point.
Soon, he reached the corner area.
Li Wen was the student he paid the most attention to. The boy's scrappy determination, born from a humble background, reminded Wang Hu of his own stubborn youth. He reflexively turned his gaze in that direction.
In the next moment, however, the seasoned Martial Dao instructor's steps faltered almost imperceptibly, a trace of shock and doubt flashing in his tiger-like eyes.
'Hmm?!' His gaze locked onto the flashing arc of the saber in Li Wen's hands.
Smooth! Seamless! Within its fierce power was a nascent hint of effortless ease!
'This… How could this be the saber skill of someone who only just broke through to the Great Success Realm yesterday?!'
As an experienced instructor, Wang Hu knew all too well the characteristics displayed at different realms.
Yesterday, when Li Wen's saber skill first entered the Great Success Realm, his moves were coherent enough, but there was still a subtle stiffness in his transitions, and the flow of his power felt slightly rigid.
But now?
Wherever the blade passed, the sound of it cutting through the air was continuous. The transitions between moves were seamless, as if the entire set had been practiced thousands of times until it was etched into his very bones.
Every subtle turn of his wrist, every footfall, every twist of his waist radiated a harmony and precision as smooth as flowing water.
Especially that faint sense of control—his ability to retract and release power was more refined, his force application more precise and economical.
This was clearly a sign that he was about to enter the late stage of the Great Success Realm. He might have even… touched the edge of the invisible threshold leading to the Perfection Realm.
This rate of transformation was nothing short of monstrous.
'Could it be… he really Awakened?!' A word he had only ever heard in Martial Dao legends or idle chatter among his teachers suddenly burst into Wang Hu's mind—[Awakening]!
A breakthrough born from long accumulation, a sudden epiphany! Years of silence, followed by a hidden dragon emerging from the water!
He had always thought this was just a hopeful tale, a motivational platitude for the untalented who persevered.
Who would have thought he would witness it so vividly today? Happening to Li Wen, a student he had personally taught, a student he had watched struggle up from the very basics?
A profound sense of absurdity, followed by a surge of sheer ecstasy, shot through Wang Hu's spine like an electric current!
The muscles on his stern, square-jawed face twitched uncontrollably. At a speed even he didn't notice, the corners of his mouth quickly curled up into a faint smile.
'The formative mentor of a Flying Star Realm expert? The guide for a future titan?'
These two thoughts, like a magic spell, instantly ignited the professional passion and anticipation long buried in Wang Hu's heart. He could almost see the name Li Wen shining on a much grander stage in the future.
However, Wang Hu was no greenhorn. He knew well that the path of the Martial Dao was long and fraught with uncertainty. A temporary burst of speed did not guarantee eternal progress.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fiery emotions surging in his chest, his expression returning to its usual stern and rigid mask.
'Don't be hasty. I'll watch a little longer. I need to observe for a while to confirm if this pace is sustainable.'
Wang Hu warned himself internally. Then, feigning a routine inspection, he casually shifted his gaze away and walked steadily past Li Wen without breaking stride, as if the shock from a moment ago had never happened.
Li Wen, engrossed in the world of his saber art, was naturally oblivious to the tempest that had raged through Wang Hu's mind in those few short seconds.
Li Wen's focus was entirely immersed in the rhythm of his saber slicing through the air. The arc of the blade was an extension of his will, and every strike was an exercise in fusing skill and power.
He could clearly feel every optimization of the blade's trajectory, every correction in the transfer of force, transform into a small but solid jump in his experience points.
This period was a golden boom, where his skills and years of accumulation perfectly merged. It was the critical window for him to leap over the dragon gate and squeeze into the Flying Star Class. The slightest bit of slack could cause him to miss the temporary boon brought by his long-term efforts.
He had to seize every second! Once he passed the peak of this breakthrough, the growth of his skill realm would inevitably fall back to a normal, or even slow, pace. He wouldn't see another acceleration until his Scholar class reached level ten or higher, and that was too far off.
The higher his Scholar level, the more terrifying the comprehension percentage boost from [Absolute Focus] would become. The 10% at Lv. 1 was just the beginning.
If he could break past the level ten threshold, it would be a heaven-shaking change, a direct doubling of his comprehension!
This was the ultimate source of his confidence in choosing the Scholar class—its late-game potential was nearly limitless! The only prerequisite was that his body and mind could withstand the terrifying drain of keeping the skill active for long periods.
SWISH—!
SWISH—!
SWISH—!
The sharp whistle of the saber tearing through the air echoed continuously from the corner. The blade's gleam was like shimmering quicksilver, flowing ceaselessly under Li Wen's control, outlining his persistent pursuit of a higher realm.
Time slipped by quietly amid this heart-thumpingly intense training.
DRINGGG~~ The school dismissal bell, both piercing and pleasant, sounded like a voice from the heavens, instantly shattering the stagnant atmosphere in the Martial Arts Room.
The students, who had been training bitterly all afternoon, were already at their physical and mental limits. The bell was like an order of release; the accumulated soreness and fatigue in their bodies became unbearable.
Almost simultaneously, a chorus of CLANGS and CLATTERS arose as weapons were returned to their racks.
Greatly relieved, the students didn't even bother to wipe the sweat from their brows. They immediately formed small groups and rushed eagerly toward the door. The solemn silence of training was instantly replaced by a cacophony of noise, and the room emptied in the blink of an eye.
Soon, only the solitary figure of Li Wen remained in the vast Martial Arts Room, standing with his saber. The setting sun shone through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a long, lonely shadow behind him.
"Haaah..." As he fiercely executed the final move of the Tiger Saber Skill, "Crouching Tiger at the Pass," his immense presence receded.
Li Wen slowly exhaled the turbid air from his chest. The breath was focused and long, as if it carried away some of the saber's sharp intent.
He didn't immediately return the saber to its rack. Instead, with a flicker of thought, the familiar light-blue screen instantly materialized before his eyes:
[Skill: Advanced Saber Arts (Great Success 65 → 80/100)]
"Not bad," Li Wen murmured to himself as he looked at the jumping numbers. A hint of satisfaction, faint but very real, appeared on his weary face.
Fifteen experience points in a single afternoon.
Compared to the explosive fifty points he had gained yesterday afternoon while in the [Absolute Focus] state, this speed was naturally far from impressive.
But he knew very well how difficult it was to advance a skill realm. The further one progressed, the amount of accumulation and insight needed for each point of experience grew exponentially.
Achieving this efficiency was entirely dependent on the profound foundation he had built up over more than two years of near-fanatical practice.
However, the dividends from this long accumulation were not inexhaustible.
He could clearly feel that while his practice today was smooth, the frequency and intensity of the flashes of insight drawn from his past accumulation were noticeably less fierce and dense than yesterday.
The peak of his breakthrough was slowly passing.
Once all his "old capital" was thoroughly digested, the speed of his saber art's advancement would inevitably return to a normal rate, one determined by his current true comprehension and practice intensity.
'But so what?' Li Wen's gaze was calm and resolute. He was not a greedy person who was never satisfied. The 80/100 proficiency before him had already far exceeded his expectations.
His goal had never changed, nor had it ever wavered—to secure a spot within the top sixty of his grade in the selection trials at the beginning of next semester.
As long as he could get into the Flying Star Class and receive that massive infusion of resources... his physical level would skyrocket. With personal guidance from a Super Martial Artist, his skill realms would advance by leaps and bounds.
There was still nearly half a year until the Martial Dao college entrance exam.
Half a year! With the [Scholar] class and [Absolute Focus], the key to terrifying comprehension... as long as his physical level didn't become a bottleneck, as long as the Flying Star Class delivered on its promised resources... aiming for the four top martial arts academies? For him, it was definitely not a pipe dream.
SHING—!
The saber traced a precise silver line through the air, unerringly embedding itself deep into the weapon rack with a clear, resonant hum.
Li Wen did not continue practicing. This wasn't slacking off; it was a profound understanding of and respect for his own body.
The body needed to recover. It was both the crucible that endured the burning of his vital energy for [Absolute Focus] and the foundation that carried all his hopes and his future.
The principle of balancing work and rest was about reverence, and also about... waiting for the next great breakthrough.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, Li Wen slung his worn-out schoolbag over his shoulder. He dragged his sore but resolute body along the lonely path home, a path filled with both hardship and hope.