"Protected by law?" Wan Xiao was taken aback and gave a thumbs up. "Li Yuan, I admire you."
"To do big things, you first need to study the law," Li Yuan replied with a smile.
Then, Li Yuan changed the topic. "Are Lin Lanyue and Gu Qianghan siblings?"
"Yeah," Wan Xiao said. "They're like cousins, not sharing the same last name. They have a great relationship. Gu Qianghan isn't afraid of anyone, except his sister."
"According to him, he's afraid because he can't beat her. Once he can, he won't be scared anymore," Wan Xiao laughed. "But I feel like he’ll never be able to beat her in his lifetime."
"Even you, in full armor combat, I doubt you could match Lin Lanyue," Wan Xiao said seriously.
Li Yuan nodded slightly.
If Li Yuan was somewhat known in his senior year, Lin Lanyue was truly famous everywhere.
Her beauty was just one aspect.
In the top high school of Guanshan District, with thousands of students, it wasn't hard to find a few pretty girls. As a key school in the province, they never had the concept of school beauties or handsome boys.
Most students didn’t really care about others in their class, let alone those in different classes.
Lin Lanyue, as the only "public figure," was mainly known for her outstanding martial arts achievements.
She was absolutely the best.
Since her first year, in every exam related to martial arts, she was basically first.
In her second-year final exam, she scored 875 points, with a total score of 962.5, leaving the second place behind by over fifty points.
The only exception was in the martial arts skills section of her second-year final exam.
That was the first time Li Yuan took the top spot from her.
"Full armor combat?" Li Yuan pondered for a moment. "What level is her physical constitution?"
"It should be above level 8.0," Wan Xiao said. "That's my guess since we haven't had any small tests in the elite class yet."
Li Yuan nodded slightly.
From Lin Lanyue's physical constitution score last semester, along with her speed of improvement, it could be roughly estimated to be between 8.0 and 8.3.
That was already quite terrifying.
According to the college entrance exam standards, the full score for physical constitution is 500 points, with 10.0 being the maximum.
9.0 is 470 points.
8.0 is 440 points.
7.0 is 400 points.
6.0 is 360 points.
5.0 is 300 points.
"At least 8.0? With her rate of progress, by the time of the college entrance exam, her physical constitution might reach 9.0," Li Yuan thought to himself. "No wonder people say she has a chance to get into one of the top three martial arts universities in the world, Starry Sky University."
"The top three martial arts universities globally are Starry Sky University, Starfire University, and Blackstone University, which are better than the five major martial arts academies in Xia Country."
Li Yuan never underestimated others.
Lin Lanyue, in terms of talent, was among the best of the thousands of high school seniors in Guanshan District. Her family background was also excellent, and she worked hard in her training... she was a true martial arts genius who put in effort.
"Teacher Xu compared your spear technique to hers in the elite class," Wan Xiao said with a smile. "But he never mentioned your score, and I haven’t revealed your last small test score, so Lin Lanyue probably doesn't know."
Li Yuan nodded slightly.
The full score for martial arts skills is 400 points. According to college entrance exam standards, 320 and 360 are major thresholds that are hard to cross.
"To exceed 320 points, martial arts skills should reach the second stage," Li Yuan thought silently. "To exceed 360 points, both spear technique and movement technique should reach the third stage."
As for the requirements for a full score? Li Yuan wasn't sure.
He hadn’t asked Teacher Xu Bo, fearing it would make him seem overly ambitious.
"In full armor combat, her physical constitution is nearly two levels higher than yours, so your chances of winning are slim," Wan Xiao said, feeling a bit excited. "But in virtual combat? Hehe! I believe in your spear technique."
"When Zhou Qi fights, I want to watch. Remember to send me the room number," Wan Xiao said.
"Sure," Li Yuan nodded.
...
After sending Wan Xiao off, Li Yuan closed the door to the martial arts room.
It became completely quiet.
"Xiao Yu, connect via Bluetooth and take over the smart management permissions for martial arts room 4011. The authorization code is..." Li Yuan suddenly spoke.
Quickly.
"Master, I have taken over the permissions for the martial arts room. I'm happy to serve you," a gentle female voice responded.
"Open the martial arts skills evaluation system."
"Open the video analysis system." Li Yuan continued speaking and then opened the weapon cabinet beside him.
There were many weapons inside, with six different long spears of varying lengths and weights.
Li Yuan took out the standard long spear he used the most and placed it on the weapon rack.
Then, he began to silently practice the Rock Foundation Cultivation Method.
"Betting 2,000 Blue Star Coins?" Li Yuan thought, feeling the slight changes in his muscles and bones while also reflecting on the day's events.
Li Yuan didn’t take this competition to heart; he never worried about losing.
Losing wouldn’t be embarrassing.
The other party was the top student and a martial arts prodigy.
Winning or losing? As long as it helped him improve in martial arts without losing anything, what did it matter?
"The strongest human in civilization, Dongfang Ji, has lost more than once on his path to growth," Li Yuan thought. "Martial arts is me; external factors can't disturb my heart."
"Failure is just a part of the growth process."
Li Yuan had read many biographies of Dongfang Ji.
What he proposed with "Martial arts is me" didn’t mean he represented martial arts, but rather that "martial arts is my path."
"As long as I invest fully in martial arts, I shouldn't care about others' evaluations, nor their praises or criticisms." Li Yuan's gaze was clear. "Practicing my own path, my thoughts are the true essence of martial arts, and that is my way."
In simple terms, walk your own path and let others talk.
Martial arts is about surpassing oneself.
"However."
"The college entrance exam admissions are based on rankings. By sparring with Lin Lanyue, I can also see what level these top senior students' martial arts skills are at." Li Yuan pondered.
...
In the independent martial arts room 4001.
"Sis, are you really going to fight him? He loses nothing if he loses," Gu Qianghan shouted from the side.
"Two thousand Blue Star Coins isn't much to me," Lin Lanyue replied coldly, her voice like pearls falling on a jade plate.
She was practicing a set of fist techniques, and as her fists moved, a faint sound of air pressure burst forth.
"It's not about the money."
"It's about face," Gu Qianghan shook his head. "You're the top student, and he's only around twentieth place. Losing would be embarrassing."
"Face?"
Lin Lanyue suddenly stopped her movements, her sharp gaze fixed on Gu Qianghan. "You practice martial arts, and your pursuit is for face?"
Gu Qianghan shook his head repeatedly. "Of course not, but..."
"Shut up."
Lin Lanyue frowned. "Your aunt spoiled you. You look for people to spar with just to show off your strength, for face? No wonder you dare to engage in private duels."
"Sis, I really won't do it again," Gu Qianghan hurriedly said, but he secretly thought, aren't you also looking for duels?
"Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking."
"I want to spar, not to defeat him, but just to see how impressive the spear technique that even Teacher Xu praises really is," Lin Lanyue said coldly. "As for winning or losing?"
"If I lose, would that stop me from getting into Starry Sky University?"
"It's two o'clock. Go back to your martial arts room and practice," Lin Lanyue frowned.
"Okay," Gu Qianghan turned and quickly left, not wanting to stay another second.
...
As class was about to end, in martial arts room 4011.
[Your spear technique level has increased from Stage 3, 47% to Stage 3, 48%.]
Li Yuan suddenly noticed the reminder in his vision and quickly retracted his spear.
"Another one percent increase?"
"Ever since I created the 'Hidden Dragon in the Rocks' spear technique, my progress seems to have sped up," Li Yuan thought. "But to create the 'Mountains and Rivers' technique I have in mind, it might still take some time."
Creating a technique that perfectly mobilizes the body's strength becomes relatively easier after developing one or two moves.
Until one day, when every move can reach perfection, that will be the fourth stage of spear technique.
Not long after.
Li Yuan walked out of the elite building. Before reaching the cafeteria, he saw a group of classmates gathering in the distance.
It was Zhou Qi, Yan Zhou, and the others, who seemed to have been waiting for a while.
"Brother Yuan, I heard you're going to fight Lin Lanyue to decide who is the top in martial arts skills?"
"No, I heard it's to decide who is truly the number one in the grade."
"Huh? I heard that Brother Yuan challenged Lin Lanyue first..."
"I heard that if Brother Yuan wins, Lin Lanyue will agree to be his girlfriend..." The group chattered excitedly.
Li Yuan: "..."
"Stop!" Li Yuan suddenly shouted, and the surroundings fell silent.
"Who did you hear that from?" Li Yuan asked.
"From Wan Xiao. He was the first to say it in the class group. Brother Yuan, didn't you see the group messages?"
"Anyway, it’s already spread." Zhou Qi said with a grin. "Brother Yuan, tell us, are you really going after Lin Lanyue?"
Everyone around was filled with curiosity.
"There is indeed a bet," Li Yuan frowned. "But it’s just a normal spar. There's nothing more to it."
"I’m going to eat first. I still need to practice later," Li Yuan turned and walked toward the cafeteria.
The crowd exchanged glances.
Normal spar?
"If it were a normal spar, would Brother Yuan need to hide it? And he’s leaving so quickly," Zhou Qi shook his head. "There must be something going on."
"Yeah, I think so too."
...
On the weekend, at 1:50 PM.
In the Blue Star virtual network, Star Combat Network.
Personal duel platform, room number 8673795.
"Number of spectators: 369?" Li Yuan, in the virtual world holding a long spear, stood on the stage, looking at the number of viewers displayed on the screen above and the dense virtual figures around him.
Li Yuan frowned.
"Brother Yuan, go for it! Take down Lin Lanyue!"
"Brother Yuan, beat her!"
"Class 3 (2), Brother Yuan is the strongest!"
"Lin Lanyue, beat Li Yuan to death!"
"Li Yuan looks so arrogant, a bit annoying."
"I think he's pretty handsome, even more than my two boyfriends." Various voices echoed from the spectator area.
In the virtual world, people's words and actions tend to be more reckless than in reality.
Li Yuan didn’t understand why this ordinary virtual combat spar had turned into such a spectacle.
But now, Li Yuan felt that the high realism of the virtual network didn’t seem like a good thing.
"Li Yuan, get ready," Lin Lanyue stood at the other end of the stage, holding a long sword.
Her virtual image looked quite similar to her real self.
Only her long hair had been changed to short and dyed red, losing some seriousness and gaining a wildness.
(End of Chapter)