Chapter 94 - 92: Barren Soil
Lin Ye parried with his spear.
On the pure-white stage, his body was caught in the invisible blade energy, jolting him backward.
SLICE!
The faint sound of flesh being cut was followed by a bloody gash appearing out of thin air on Lin Ye’s left shoulder. Blood instantly soaked his black combat suit.
His spear had clearly blocked the blade’s trajectory, but the force seemed to ignore the physical parry, striking his body directly!
’This is... the Vein Opening Realm?’
Lin Ye’s heart plummeted.
Today’s Martial Artists divided the first three realms into the Body Refining Realm, the Vein Opening Realm, and the Gang Condensation Realm.
Lin Ye himself, along with the vast majority of students from the Martial Arts High Schools in this competition, was still at the initial Body Refining Realm.
As its name suggested, the Body Refining Realm involved honing one’s muscles, bones, and skin, condensing their Qi and Blood, and repeatedly breaking through the body’s physical limits.
Only when one’s punching power exceeded a thousand pounds, their Qi and Blood flowed like mercury, and they could shatter stone with their bare hands...
...could one be considered to have entered this realm, truly setting themselves apart from ordinary people.
Martial Artists at this stage were also known as Reserve Martial Artists.
The second realm, the Vein Opening Realm, was a whole new world.
Once a Martial Artist’s Qi and Blood underwent its first tempering from source energy, completing a fundamental transformation, they could use their own torrential Qi and Blood—which surged like a great river—to charge and open the many hidden meridians within their body.
First the twelve primary meridians, and then the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
Once this was accomplished and a full cycle was complete, their Qi and Blood would form a self-sustaining system within the body, regenerating endlessly.
From this realm onward, a Martial Artist’s stamina would become immense.
Their staying power in battle was several times greater than it had been in the Body Refining Realm.
And the most significant and powerful hallmark of the Vein Opening Realm was the Qi and Blood Burst!
By highly concentrating their tempered Qi and Blood to a single point, they could instantly erupt with several times their own strength, forming invisible shockwaves from their blades or fists to injure enemies at range!
The slash Yan Hui had just delivered was exactly that!
On the stage, Yan Hui saw the gush of blood from Lin Ye’s shoulder and paused his attack.
For the first time, a trace of surprise showed on his face.
"You... you haven’t entered the Vein Opening Realm?"
His voice remained level, as if he were stating a simple fact.
Lin Ye didn’t answer.
The searing pain radiating from the web of his hand almost made him drop his spear.
But he merely tightened his grip on the shaft in silence.
Seizing the opportunity of his opponent’s fleeting pause, he pushed off, his figure once again becoming a blur as he charged back!
Yan Hui wasn’t annoyed at the lack of a response.
He didn’t say another word.
The last shred of gravity he’d reserved for a peer opponent vanished from the depths of his cold eyes.
The two clashed again.
This time, the tide of battle had turned completely.
Yan Hui completely let loose.
He held nothing back; every slash carried the unique, condensed, and immense power of a Vein Opening Realm Martial Artist’s Qi and Blood!
Lin Ye felt like he was no longer facing a blade-wielding Martial Artist.
He was facing a tireless, humanoid siege hammer!
Every clash of their weapons felt like being hit head-on by a speeding truck!
The terrifying, irresistible force surged up the spear’s shaft and into his arms, making his organs churn.
All of his spear techniques, moves, and martial skills seemed utterly futile in the face of such overwhelming, crushing power.
Even his "Roaming Dragon Form" couldn’t hold up.
The exchange lasted a mere three breaths.
CRACK!!!
With a deafening sound, a simple downward slash from Yan Hui snapped Lin Ye’s standard-issue spear in two!
The broken spearhead spun into the air, landing uselessly at the edge of the stage.
The immense force sent Lin Ye flying backward to crash heavily onto the floor.
Before he could react...
A dark figure flashed past.
Yan Hui appeared before him as if he had teleported.
The cold blade rested against his neck, placed there without a hint of flourish.
He felt its cold touch.
Lin Ye looked up at Yan Hui’s condescending gaze and sighed internally.
’The match is over.’
"I watched your performance in the first round when you hunted that member of the Celestial Abyss Race."
"I had expectations that were too high."
Yan Hui looked down at Lin Ye, slowly sheathing his blade.
A flicker of clear disappointment showed in his eyes.
"It seems Mr. Wuo was right."
"A patch of barren soil..."
"...cannot grow any truly promising talent."
The words had barely left his lips when a cold, synthesized voice echoed throughout the arena.
[This match has concluded. Winner: Yan Hui!]
「In the spectator seats below.」
In the section for the teachers from Dongjiang Experimental Middle School, a sharp, professional-looking female teacher frowned deeply.
"Yan Hui!"
Her voice was tinged with anger.
Yan Hui froze on the spot.
He seemed to realize his words had been out of line. Turning to Lin Ye, he spoke stiffly.
"I’m sorry."
The female teacher immediately put on a professional smile and said in Lin Ye’s direction, "Please, don’t take it to heart."
"Yan Hui is well-known at our school for being blunt and a martial arts fanatic. His mind is filled with nothing but training, and he never holds anything back."
"But he truly means no harm; he wasn’t trying to mock you or your school on purpose."
Listening to the teacher’s explanation, Wang Zhengguo, who was also in the audience, could only manage a wry smile.
’What else was there to say?’
Sometimes, the explanation was more humiliating than the offense.
In fact, Lin Ye could sense that his opponent, Yan Hui, wasn’t some mindless brute who flaunted his strength and ran his mouth.
He was, truly, just speaking his mind.
It was just that sometimes, the truth was the sharpest knife.
Watching Yan Hui’s virtual form begin to dissipate, Lin Ye suddenly pushed himself to his feet.
He spoke.
His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly through the quiet stands.
"The city-wide mock exam is in one month."
"I’ll prove to you that this ’barren soil’ of Dongjiang First Middle School can produce someone who can beat you."
Yan Hui, who was already beginning to fade, froze.
He turned back.
His gaze fell upon Lin Ye once more.
He saw his eyes.
Eyes that, even after a crushing defeat, held not a shred of discouragement or resentment—only clarity and unwavering determination.
A fire known as a warrior’s spirit burned within them.
Yan Hui was silent for a moment.
Then, he nodded.
"Fine."
"I’ll be waiting."
With that, both of their virtual avatars dissolved into motes of light, vanishing from the stage.
...
HMMMM—
The hatch of the Virtual Pod slowly opened.
Lin Ye returned to reality from a formless void.
He let out a long breath and opened his eyes.
Once again, he had seen with his own eyes the gap between himself and a true genius.
But he felt no despair, only a newly kindled, even more intense desire.
A desire for power!
His gains from this tournament had been incredible.
He had soared from Level 13 all the way to Level 16—a jump of three full levels!
More importantly, he had obtained "Taotie," a purple-grade ability with limitless potential!
Although he had only placed tenth in the end, the tournament rules dictated that the prize money for a top-ten finish was still an extremely generous sum.
At the very least, his father’s medical expenses were now completely covered, with even some to spare.
The tension that had been coiled inside him for so long could finally be released.
And now...
It was time to return to the Ruined City and continue his advancement quest!