High-Level Martial Era

Virtual network, Starry Skies Fighting Network.

In a vast battle space with no audience around,

two experts with virtual physical quality both at 10.0 were engaged in an insanely intense battle.

Both were masters of spear technique.

One looked to be about forty years old, with a burly physique, dressed in silver armor.

The other was a youth in black armor.

"Clang!"

"Clang!" "Clang!"

The spear technique of both sides was extremely exquisite. The middle-aged man's spear moves were changing constantly, one thrust following another, flicking, straight thrusting, sweeping, chopping... Li Yuan was forced to employ his Stellar Spear Technique to defend with all his might.

"Boom!" "Bang!" The long spears clashed like lightning, and occasionally, Li Yuan would counterattack once or twice.

"Incredible."

"Fallen Star Stage, as expected, each one is a Fourth Level master, and each one is incredibly tough to deal with." Li Yuan felt unprecedented pressure, but also unparalleled excitement.

Dueling with masters is the only way to improve oneself.

If you always fight weak opponents, you'll eventually become weak yourself.

Suddenly.

"Bang!" "Whoosh!" The middle-aged man's long spear suddenly exploded with power, instantly producing over a dozen spear images that enveloped Li Yuan like an overwhelming force from the heavens.

These spear images were actually continuous thrusts.

But because the thrusting speed was so fearsomely fast, it appeared to ordinary people as though the thrusts were made simultaneously.

"Clang!" Li Yuan's eyes were strong enough that after desperately blocking six thrusts,

"Pfft~"

The seventh thrust from the middle-aged man finally breached Li Yuan's defense.

But it was at that moment.

"Kill!" Li Yuan's eyes showed a trace of determination and madness, not care the least about the opponent's spear thrusting towards him, his own spear burst forth without restraint.

That instant!

Li Yuan felt that the cooperation between his spirit, mind, and body all reached a new height, with deeper control of his body by his mind.

[Your spear technique realm has increased from Fourth Level 4% to Fourth Level 5%], the Divine Palace panel notified.

But Li Yuan had no time to pay attention to this, as his eyes fixed only on the long spear: "Kill! Faster! Even faster!"

Boom!

The spear was like a dragon bursting forth from within a chasm, filled with terrifying murderous intent, thrusting directly at the middle-aged man, making his scalp tingle.

"Pfft!" That dreadful thrust instantly pierced through Li Yuan's throat and head, and his entire figure instantly vanished from the arena.

"Sssh~"

Li Yuan's spear tip also grazed the middle-aged man's face, blood spraying in that moment.

The battle ended, with a victor proclaimed.

"Where did this little fellow come from, to be so mad?" The middle-aged man stood on the stage, his heart unable to calm for a long time

"If he hadn't deliberately reduced his age, he must be only seventeen or eighteen big."

"After executing three major killing moves in succession, I barely managed to defeat him," admired the middle-aged man.

In the virtual network, the appearance and age can only be adjusted by a maximum of five years.

...

Starry Skies Fighting Network, personal space.

"Thrilling!"

"Haha, awesome." Li Yuan instantly appeared, not caring in the least about winning or losing.

He was in pursuit of battle itself, aiming to extract experience from the fights.

He did not expect to soar to 300 points right now.

"12 points?" Li Yuan glanced at the screen, which showed the segment points.

Segmented Match: Fallen Star Stage.

Points: 12 (1,000 points required to participate in the promotion match)

Win Rate: 22%

...

In the past two hours or so, Li Yuan fought a total of 18 battles, winning only 4 and losing 14.

More losses than wins.

"At least, I can occasionally win a match." Li Yuan grinned with a smile.

Previously, when he was at the Gold Stage and occasionally sanctioned by a Fallen Star Stage master, he was utterly powerless to fight back.

At least, Li Yuan could now fight back.

Secondly, after more than a dozen battles, most of the matches were with Fallen Star Stage experts below 500 points, and Li Yuan gradually figured out a pattern.

"The Martial Arts Skills of these masters seem no different from those of Tian Dazhuang," Li Yuan pondered secretly: "The technical level of most people should not exceed Fourth Level 30%."

"Given my current rate of progress."

"By the time of the college entrance exams, I should be able to reach 300 points in the Fallen Star Stage," Li Yuan looked forward to this in his heart.

This was already much faster than Li Yuan had anticipated.

Furthermore, through this invitation event, Li Yuan had already pocketed several million Blue Star Coins.

Having signed a special training contract with Kunlun Martial Arts University, he had enough cultivation resources for the short term.

Therefore, Li Yuan was not in such a hurry.

"However, aside from the first 500,000 Blue Star Coins, I will have to wait for the rest," Li Yuan muttered to himself: "I hope nothing goes wrong."

Otherwise, he would be the one crying.

...

At six o'clock, Li Yuan exited the virtual network, as usual, he went to the Martial Arts Room.

He began today's practice of the Basic Cultivation Method.

Gu Qianghan had not gotten up yet.

Li Yuan, while standing in his stance and practicing his punches, turned on the light screen projection.

He directly tuned into Xia Country's 'Star Realm Channel'.

The Star Realm Channel specializes in reporting news about the various Star Realms of the Seven Star Alliance.

When there are no wars, it mainly broadcasts documentaries of each Star Realm; during wars, it often goes deep into the frontlines for live broadcasts, which is very popular.

What he has been following lately is the 'Second Level Star Realm Rob Sea' war affairs.

"Yesterday, news from the frontlines of the Rob Sea Star Realm came in..." the host reads the news one by one.

Li Yuan listens silently.

In recent days, Li Yuan, though participating in invitation events, had been closely following the news from the Rob Sea Star Realm, hoping for good news.

Regrettably, up until today, although the news was full of 'victorious reports,' there had been no news about Base Three.

6:26 AM.

"We interrupt with breaking news."

The newscaster's voice on the screen suddenly became urgent, "Just moments ago, the frontline support teams of Starfire Martial Hall and Starry Sky Martial Hall, in conjunction with the combat Mechanical Legion, have for the first time opened up a transportation route from Base Five to the forward Base Three."

"Base Three has not fallen! It has not fallen!"

"The military has already organized..." the newscaster's voice was full of excitement; it was clear he was very moved.

Outside the screen.

Li Yuan suddenly stopped his stance and punch training, his eyes wide as he stared at the screen.

The only thought in his mind was the newscaster's statement: "Base Three has not yet fallen."

Not yet fallen!

"Base Three has not fallen, is my uncle still alive?" An even greater anxiety crept into Li Yuan's heart.

Without hesitation,

Li Yuan began to search for various news about 'Base Three' on his smart ring.

Unfortunately, Li Yuan had not yet seen any further news.

...

On the fifth day of the event, there were no assessments, just some tours and explanations.

According to the schedule,

after finishing the morning activities and having lunch, all the students would embark on their return journey.

Around nine in the morning, during the tour,

"Li Yuan, why do you seem so distracted? You keep looking at your smart ring." Wu Dongdong asked Li Yuan curiously, "Is something the matter?"

"It's nothing." Li Yuan forced a smile.

Li Yuan was incredibly worried.

If there continued to be no news, even if hope was growing more distant, although worried, Li Yuan felt a steady resolve in his heart.

Now that he had seen hope, he was even more anxious.

"Dongdong." Lin Lanyue frowned slightly and gave him a look.

Wu Dongdong was not foolish; he immediately realized something was amiss and, acting obedient, nodded without asking any more and walked ahead.

"Li Yuan, don't worry too much."

Lin Lanyue walked beside Li Yuan and whispered, "Transportation to Base Three has been reopened, and our Xia Country's army has taken the advantage and is gradually driving them back, just waiting for a full relief."

"According to the messages sent back, most of the people trapped are still alive, your uncle should be fine." Lin Lanyue's eyes were bright.

Li Yuan could not help but look at Lin Lanyue.

"On the day you fainted, Teacher Xu told me." Lin Lanyue smiled faintly.

"Thanks." Li Yuan said quietly.

Uncle's situation at Rob Sea, many classmates were aware of it, so it couldn't be considered a secret.

...

11:00 AM.

Jiang City, the Jiang City branch of Starfire Martial Hall.

As the core of Starfire Martial Hall in Jiang City, there were several buildings here, their combined area roughly four or five times that of the Guanshan branch.

In the most central building, apart from members of Starfire Martial Hall ranked L3 or above and a few service staff, others were not allowed entry.

On the sixth floor, in a large, traditionally decorated office,

"Hall Master Fei." Wan Qinghe bowed slightly.

In the Jiang City branch, there were only a handful of people who could command such a greeting from Wan Qinghe.

But the black-robed elder sitting behind the desk, around sixty years old, indeed had that privilege.

He was none other than 'Fei Qian,' the Hall Master of the Jiang City branch, and one of the top five notable figures of Starfire Martial Hall in Jiangbei Province.

"Wan."

"This morning, you submitted an application, hoping to upgrade Li Yuan's contract from a Grade B to Grade A." The black-robed elder Fei Qian spoke with a smile, "I haven't replied for a few hours and you've rushed over; is it that urgent?"

"Hall Master Fei."

"It's not that I'm in a rush, but I'm worried about unexpected events," Wan Qinghe said, suppressing the urgency in his voice, "Have you seen the information?"

"I have." Fei Qian replied with a smile that betrayed nothing, "And then?"

"Li Yuan, except for the fact that he hasn't awakened his Martial Spirit, excels in every other area at the top level." Wan Qinghe could hardly contain himself, speaking gravely, "According to my investigation, the probability that he will create a successful Law Creation is over 40%!"

"In the future, there's a high likelihood of him becoming a 29th Level Prime Warrior."

"He's definitely worth a Grade A contract." Wan Qinghe stared at Fei Qian, "Kunlun Martial University directly offered an S-grade special training contract."

"Although the university's S-grade contract is not exactly equivalent to our contract levels, it already explains a lot."

"The key!"

"I'm worried that if we continue with the original contract without upgrading, the military or Starry Sky Martial Hall might poach him away." There was a hint of urgency in Wan Qinghe's voice, "Hall Master Fei, you have always been wise, and I hope you will consider this thoroughly."

Wan Qinghe's words carried deep implications.

The black-robed elder Fei Qian chuckled, about to speak when the office was suddenly filled with the sound of the smart assistant, "Master! Important communication! A call from Lord Yang of the Province, would you like to answer?"

The black-robed elder Fei Qian immediately stood up, his expression turning serious, "Answer!"

Wan Qinghe standing beside him was also shocked, instantly becoming respectful.

Provincial Hall Master?

Like Wan Qinghe, who was only a district-level Hall Master; like Fei Qian, who was merely a city-level Hall Master, there was a clear difference in power and status, but ultimately, they were both Prime Warriors.

Therefore, Wan Qinghe did not feel excessively afraid of the other.

But a Provincial Hall Master? That was a truly major figure, the real powerhouse of Starfire Martial Hall in Jiangbei Province.

Beyond the difference in rank, the more important distinction was the gap in power.

According to Starfire Martial Hall regulations, the Provincial Hall Master must be a Flying Heaven Warrior.

A Flying Heaven Warrior, that was an existence absolutely above Prime Warriors.

"Ding~"

The communication was established, voice only.

"Fei Qian." An icy female voice came through the dark screen's projection.

"Lord Yang of the Province." Fei Qian became respectful.

"I've reviewed the report you submitted this morning," the icy voice said, "You may give this Li Yuan a Grade A contract, and increase all related resources by 20%."

"Also, inform him,"

"If he can break through to the Fifth Level in skill before he turns 20, he will be upgraded to an S-grade contract, with an additional 'Stellar Earth Marrow Crystal' as a gift."