In the ranking match mode, during a streak of wins, Li Yuan occasionally faced off against skilled fighters with over 500 points in the Gold Rank. However, those were rare encounters; most of the time, he matched with opponents whose rankings were similar to his own.
"After creating the 'Hidden Dragon in the Rock' technique, my spear skills improved greatly. Now, when I face lower-tier Gold Rank martial artists, my chances of winning have increased significantly," Li Yuan said, feeling a bit tired but still full of fighting spirit. His points had skyrocketed up to this point.
"Normal adults with weaker mental strength probably need to rest after six or seven battles. They can only fight twenty to thirty times a day at most, or it will drain their energy and affect their real-life training," Li Yuan's eyes sparkled. "But I can handle two hundred virtual battles in a single day and still maintain my peak condition."
Why had Li Yuan's martial skills been improving so rapidly over the past year? It wasn't just because he had a talent for spear techniques. It was also closely tied to his increasingly powerful mental strength. The stronger his mental power, the better he could control his body during training, which sped up his progress in spear techniques. Similarly, fighting in the virtual network allowed him to engage in more battles.
The number of virtual battles he experienced in a year was equivalent to what many people would go through in three to five years. With such an advantage, how could Li Yuan's martial skills not improve quickly?
"This last battle, I must win."
"Fifty thousand Blue Star Coins will be mine." Li Yuan clicked the option box to start matching.
Ding—Match successful.
"You are about to enter a ranked match. Your opponent is a Gold Rank (499 points)... Countdown 10, 9..."
In a live streaming room on the Star Combat Network, the title read, "Path to Martial Arts Champion, Charging for Gold 500 Points." Inside, there was a girl dressed like a fairy, looking around seventeen or eighteen, and a middle-aged man providing commentary.
"Brothers," the man said excitedly. "Xiu'er is aiming to be the martial arts champion of Nanning City. Last time, her martial arts score exceeded 360... Today, she's trying to break into the Gold Rank with 500 points."
The girl occasionally tossed her head, looking cute while waiting for the match.
The middle-aged man continued, "Gold Rank 500 points—there are less than 50 people under 18 in Jiangbei Province who have reached this level... Let's see if Xiu'er can succeed on her third attempt."
"Oh! Match successful!"
"The opponent has 496 points, looks like another martial artist trying to break into the Gold Rank."
"In her first two attempts today, she faced opponents with over 600 points. This time, the opponent only has 496... Let's wait and see... 5, 4..." the man said, filled with excitement.
Gold Rank martial streamers were everywhere, but it was rare for a minor to reach that level. The hype about aiming for the college entrance exam champion, being a fairy girl, and being pretty drew in viewers. The girl named 'Xiu'er' had a lot of fans on the Star Combat Network. At that moment, the viewer count exceeded two thousand.
Of course, minors couldn't stream alone; they had to be over 16 and have a guardian with them, plus there were time limits for streaming each week, as mandated by law.
"This time, it should work."
"Her opponent has 496 points, looks much weaker than the previous two."
"Beat him!"
"Xiu'er has fought over 30 times today, with a win rate of 56.6%. That's pretty good, let's give her a tip."
"I've been watching Xiu'er for two years."
"I'm waiting for the day she becomes a martial arts champion."
"She will definitely win." A flood of text comments, voice messages, and images filled the screen, along with various tips.
Suddenly, the scene changed, and a fighting arena appeared. A boy holding a long spear stood on the opposite side of the stage.
"Boy?"
"The opponent looks so young, could he also be a minor?"
"He must be an adult; this is just a virtual image. If he were a minor, wouldn't he also be aiming for the college entrance exam champion?" the audience murmured.
On the fighting stage, Li Yuan noticed the once-empty spectator stands were now packed with people, thousands of them.
"A big streamer?" Li Yuan scanned the crowd and finally focused on the fairy girl holding a silver spear about twenty meters away.
In normal Gold Rank matches, even if he encountered a streamer, having a hundred viewers would be impressive. But encountering a big streamer with over a thousand viewers was a first for Li Yuan.
He could easily block out the sounds from the audience, but he chose not to.
"A streamer?"
"Seems like a minor girl streamer?" Li Yuan heard some audience voices: "Let's see how strong she is."
In fact, Li Yuan had tried streaming before. He thought about earning money through it to ease his family's financial burden, but soon realized the industry was too complicated. Unless you were a super expert at the 'Eclipse Rank,' it was extremely difficult to become popular.
The success of streamers often had little to do with their martial skills. Being good at fighting didn't necessarily mean you could stream well, and making money was never easy. Moreover, Li Yuan understood that virtual battles were just a way to sharpen his martial skills; real-life training was the core of it all. The goal of making money was also to support his martial training. He couldn't lose sight of what mattered.
"Xiu'er?" Li Yuan looked at the fairy girl's name, feeling a vague sense of recognition, as if he had seen her stream before. But it wasn't a strong impression; she didn't seem like a top-tier streamer.
"Hello."
"Can you let me have this match?" the fairy girl, holding her silver spear, smiled cutely.
Li Yuan frowned slightly.
Whoosh!
The fairy girl suddenly moved. With an 8.0 level physical constitution, her speed was incredible as she dashed toward Li Yuan like lightning.
"Xiu'er is starting without honor."
"Stab him!"
"This guy must have been tricked; he probably hasn't watched Xiu'er's streams," the audience erupted with comments.
"Thud!" The silver spear lunged straight at him!
"A direct stab?"
Li Yuan showed no hesitation. He gripped his spear with his left hand and supported it with his right, also performing a direct stab.
It was as if they were both trying to take each other out. But Li Yuan's spear was nearly three meters long, longer than hers by about half a meter. Plus, Li Yuan's character model was taller with longer reach.
It was destined that Li Yuan's spear would reach her first.
"Clang~"
At the moment their spear tips crossed, the fairy girl's silver spear shook violently, unleashing a terrifying force as she tried to push Li Yuan's spear away. Clearly, she sensed the disadvantage of her weapon.
"Clang~"
Li Yuan, as if foreseeing her move, also shook his spear, meeting her force head-on. Then, with a quick glance, he retreated, landing softly to absorb the impact.
"Whoosh!" The fierce wind from the spear whistled past.
The fairy girl's follow-up attack missed, her spear tip just an inch away from Li Yuan's head.
"Even after continuous collisions, she can keep her spear steady and attack consecutively... This must be a special combo," Li Yuan dodged her strike and made a judgment: "I need to be cautious."
In normal fights, continuous collisions could transmit impact through the spear, making it hard to perform many moves without readjusting. But her ability to keep attacking meant her combo was unique.
A combo is a series of moves that perfectly harnesses strength, allowing for defenses and attacks that ordinary people can't achieve.
"Such quick reflexes, such strong movement skills," the fairy girl was equally surprised by his abilities. This combo was one of her special moves, often allowing her to finish fights in just a few moves.
"Impressive movement skills."
"Very stable!"
"There are masters among the common folks."
"Xiu'er has been outdone." The audience laughed, not caring much about the win or loss.
With each clash, both were skilled with their spears, moving rapidly and testing each other for weaknesses and opportunities.
Li Yuan remained steady, mostly defending, not seeking to attack, focusing on avoiding mistakes while blocking the fairy girl's silver spear.
"Virtual battles are for honing spear skills; fighting one more match or one less doesn't matter," Li Yuan was calm and unhurried.
But the fairy girl was growing increasingly anxious. She could hear the audience's teasing comments: "This is a bit boring," "Why aren't they fighting?" "Just go for it!" "They're just dancing around," "Is this a performance?" "If she can't show off, why is she called Xiu'er?" "What happened to all that bragging before?"
The fairy girl wanted to win, to reach 500 points and claim her reward, but she also wanted a good show for her stream.
"This guy is like a turtle."
"If this keeps up, it won't end in five minutes. Half the audience will probably leave," the fairy girl gritted her teeth and decided to take the initiative.
"Clang!" "Boom~"
With multiple clashes of spear shafts and tips, Li Yuan kept retreating while the fairy girl stepped forward.
"There's an opening." The fairy girl's eyes lit up.
After less than ten clashes, Li Yuan was nearly pushed to the edge of the stage. Just when she thought victory was in her grasp...
"Whoosh!" After defending the whole match, Li Yuan suddenly erupted, thrusting his spear forward.
"Rip~"
The spear cut through the air, producing a sharp whistle!
"Not good." Xiu'er’s pupils shrank as she realized the danger. Just as she thought to retreat, the spear tip pierced her throat.
It was too fast!
After nearly two minutes of fighting, where she had dominated the scene for over 90% of the time, she was caught off guard when she ran out of old strength and hadn't built up new strength yet. Li Yuan seized the opportunity, and in a single encounter, she was defeated.
"Martial arts streaming is all about the spectacle; viewers will tip if it's entertaining," Li Yuan quietly retracted his spear, glancing at the bustling audience. "But being caught up in the moment can often lead to distractions."
"Life-and-death battles should be pure."
"Fighting isn't for show; it's about determining life and death."
"Your martial skills are not inferior to mine, but your focus wasn't entirely on the battle," Li Yuan stared at the fairy girl, who had already vanished: "That’s why you lost."
Life-and-death battles are never solely determined by physical strength or martial skill. Mental state matters too.
Having practiced the Rock Foundation Cultivation Method, Li Yuan's mindset was frighteningly stable.
"Congratulations, Guardian Yuan, you have won this Gold Rank match. Points +10."
"Congratulations, Guardian Yuan, you have reached Gold Rank with 500 points and are eligible to receive a reward of 50,000 Blue Star Coins."
"Congratulations, Guardian Yuan, you have entered the 'Blue Star Youth Rankings,' currently ranked 4684 globally, 1224 in Xia Country, and 47 in Jiangbei Province. You can check the detailed rankings through the following methods..."
(End of Chapter)