"164 people? That's six more than last week," Li Yuan said with a slight nod. He had to admit that his martial arts skills were improving quickly. However, when looking at the global talent pool, there were still many martial arts geniuses out there.
"Xiao Yu, is there any extra reward for making it into the top 1,000 globally?" Li Yuan asked with a smile.
"Nope," the girl replied. "But according to your age, if you reach the Falling Star Rank before turning 18, you can get a reward of 500,000 Blue Star Coins."
Li Yuan nodded slightly, but his goal wasn't just the 500,000 Blue Star Coins from the Star Combat Network. The most important thing was the A-level contract from the martial hall.
"To upgrade from a B-level contract to an A-level contract, one of the three requirements is to reach 300 points in the Falling Star Rank on the Star Combat Network before turning 18," Li Yuan thought to himself, feeling quite excited. Once the contract upgraded, the resources provided by the martial hall would increase significantly, worth at least tens of millions of Blue Star Coins.
With a thought, Li Yuan exited the virtual network.
...
It was just past three in the morning. As usual, Li Yuan arrived at school early. In the martial arts classroom 4011, all the lights were on, and the recording and technique analysis functions were activated.
"Whoosh!" Li Yuan stood in the center of the martial arts room and began practicing the Rock Foundation Fist Technique. He stood there like an immovable giant rock, alternating between punches and palms.
"Bang!" Occasionally, the sound of explosive air pressure filled the room.
The moves he practiced, like the Rock Foundation Opening, Pillar-like Strength, Hidden Dragon in the Rock Abyss, and many others, had been rehearsed thousands of times. But today, executing them felt completely different.
"Wow!" Li Yuan felt an incredible calmness inside. As he practiced, he could feel his blood flowing like a gentle stream, the strong beating of his heart, and the layered transmission of muscle strength, connecting bones and flesh.
All the power gathered at his spine... Li Yuan's strong spiritual power allowed him to deeply sense all of this. Every bit of strength in his body was under his control. With just a thought, he could perfectly mobilize his physical power without wasting a single bit.
Everything in his body was within his 'perception,' as if he had gained an extra pair of eyes inside himself. "Is this what the teacher calls inner vision?" Li Yuan marveled. "This is the realm that countless martial artists in ancient traditional martial arts sought after."
Times have changed. In ancient times, without cultivation methods or various supportive training devices, let alone something as magical as a virtual network, it was very difficult for martial artists to reach the master level.
That was the endpoint of ancient martial arts. But in today's high martial arts era, the master level is still a significant milestone in martial arts. Yet among countless martial artists, this level is not a secret.
"In the past, I could vaguely sense the subtle parts of my muscles and bones with my strong spiritual power," Li Yuan carefully felt and reinforced his familiarity. "But it’s not as clear as it is now."
"Inner vision allows me to control every bit of my strength and clearly sense the state of every corner of my body."
"Then, when I practice the basic cultivation method next, my efficiency will be even higher." Li Yuan felt quite pleased.
Why does the entire human civilization's martial arts practice place such importance on martial arts skills? Because it is indeed important. It's fundamental.
For example, one of the three major requirements to become a second-tier Source Martial Artist is that martial arts skills must reach the fourth level.
[Your fist technique level has increased from 4段0% to 4段1%]
[Your fist technique level has increased from 4段1% to 4段2%]
Notifications flashed across the Divine Palace Panel.
After more than two hours of practicing his fist technique, occasionally stopping for standing meditation, Li Yuan finally raised his fist technique level to 4段5% before stopping.
"Perfect strength."
"Control is precise." Li Yuan smiled slightly. "I just broke through, and with a little reinforcement, my fist technique level can increase significantly."
"But from here on, it will be increasingly difficult."
Li Yuan wasn't in a hurry to practice spear techniques; the premise of body and mind unity is the unity of body and mind. As long as his fist technique level was high enough, his movement technique would naturally reach the fourth level, and with just a little practice, he could break through in spear techniques as well.
Many martial arts masters have hardly practiced weapons in their lives, but any weapon in their hands can produce miraculous results. Why? Because they have reached a very high level of unity between body and mind, which is the perfection of the fourth level.
So, when they pick up any weapon and get a little familiar, they can quickly unleash fourth-level skill levels.
...
Li Yuan had no idea that when he entered the Blue Star Youth Ranking, becoming one of the top 1,000 globally, the Star Combat Network's system had automatically sent the related documents to the Martial Arts Hall of Xia Country, the Starry Sky Martial Hall, and the Starfire Martial Hall.
The top 1,000 were all under close scrutiny, especially someone like Li Yuan, who had made such significant progress.
...
At eleven in the morning, at the Starry Sky Martial Hall, Guanshan Branch.
"Bang!"
"Lu Huai! You're such a jerk!" Dressed quite stylishly, Song Yi angrily smashed her teacup on the ground, sending tea and shards flying.
In her mind, she still recalled the scene when Lu Huai had called her over. He had handed her a document about Li Yuan and then casually said, "Song Hall Master, regarding Li Yuan's early signing, I personally think you might have been a bit careless. If they hold you accountable in the future, you should be mentally prepared."
It seemed like he wasn't scolding her, but such words were a serious accusation of her 'dereliction of duty.'
"What's so great about being in the top 1,000 globally?!" Song Yi gritted her teeth. "It's not like he broke through in spear techniques to the fourth level. Why make such a big deal out of it? Did he really need to call me over for this?"
But in reality, Song Yi felt a bit regretful. Although she couldn't see every specific battle scene of Li Yuan, the documents sent to the martial hall had detailed his recent achievements and win rates.
An 88% win rate at the Gold Rank!
The highest was over fifty consecutive wins.
How outrageous! This was enough to prove that Li Yuan's martial arts skills had reached the perfection of the third level, just a step away from breaking into the fourth level.
If he were just a regular seventeen-year-old with perfected third-level skills, it wouldn't be too surprising.
The key point was that a year ago, Li Yuan was still at the Silver Rank, with second-level skills on the Star Combat Network.
Such a speed of progress was terrifying.
Over the years, Song Yi had never seen such a talented martial artist in Guanshan District.
"Hmph."
"Perfected third level? How many martial artists are stuck at this step? They might not even break through before turning eighteen." Song Yi thought. "Besides, so what if he breaks through? If he doesn't awaken his Martial Spirit, he won't become a Source Martial Artist for many years."
She was angry because she felt embarrassed.
And because of that, she was also angry at Li Yuan.
However, Song Yi didn't think about harming Li Yuan. Although there was competition between different martial halls, overall, cooperation was greater than competition, as they all had the same goal—to fight for human civilization.
...
At the Starfire Martial Hall, Guanshan Branch.
On the twelfth floor.
"Li Yuan, top 1,000 in the Blue Star Youth Ranking?" Wan Hall Master, dressed in traditional attire, looked at the document in his hand, slightly surprised. "So fast?"
After thinking for a moment, Wan Qinghe communicated with Xu Bo, asking detailed questions about Li Yuan's training situation. He also called in Instructor Xing to inquire about Li Yuan's recent status in the martial hall.
Once everything was done, Wan Qinghe looked at the compiled information and felt a bit astonished. "This Li Yuan is truly a rough gem. With so little resource, his physical constitution has improved so quickly?"
"Could it be that he actually has top-tier physical talent but just lacks suitable advanced cultivation methods?" A thought crossed Wan Qinghe's mind, but he wasn't sure.
After pondering for a while, Wan Qinghe opened his smart wristband and selected a key contact from the communication list.
He dialed.
Beep—beep—connected.
A projection appeared, showing a burly man holding a battle knife, radiating an impressive aura.
"Wan Junior Brother, you urgently looking for me? What's up?" the burly man said with a smile.
"Ninth Senior Brother."
"The Kunlun Martial Arts University is about to come to Jiangbei Province for special training and evaluation, right?" Wan Hall Master said respectfully. "I want to recommend someone to you first."
(End of Chapter)