Chapter 228: Chapter 170: Seeing Zhang Xunyi Again
Once each year’s Celestial Pride Martial Artists were properly guided and the ideological inheritance was passed down, the Martial Arts Extraordinary World would not collapse from internal causes.
Even if they saw through it all, they would willingly accept it.
Moreover, humanity still faced external enemies. For over ten thousand years of the Old Calendar, alien races invaded roughly every five hundred years, and humanity had always been forced into a passive, defensive strategy. Even when the occasional peerless expert emerged to fend off an invasion, there was never a chance to counterattack.
The power of a single person was often just a drop in the bucket against the hundreds of millions of aliens across hundreds of border realms.
Only after the start of the New Calendar, with the exponential rise of the Martial Arts Extraordinary World, did humanity gain the ability to explore the outside. Yet, the more they discovered, the more their fear grew.
Why hadn’t such powerful alien races completely annihilated humanity during the past ten thousand years? This remained a well-known mystery.
These matters were still far too remote for the current Yu Fei. He had not even reached the Inner Qi Realm and was still considered a martial arts novice.
Clearly, the first assessment for the Celestial Pride Martial Artists was designed to make them quickly understand the current structure of humanity’s Martial Arts Extraordinary World and gain a general awareness of the threats they faced.
After Yu Fei finished a delicious meal, much of the discomfort in his body faded. He then went to the fifth floor to practice the Void Wind Shadow Sword.
After three months of practice, he had cultivated this swordsmanship to the level of minor accomplishment.
The key to practicing the Void Wind Shadow Sword was mastering Phantom Sword Intent. The manual stated that reaching major accomplishment would naturally lead to comprehending Sword Intent, but Yu Fei found it was the other way around. Only by mastering Phantom Sword Intent could one cultivate the swordsmanship to major accomplishment.
Yu Fei had a natural advantage when practicing the Void Wind Shadow Sword. For one, he possessed the "Formless Sword Lord" talent, which specialized in the Sword Dao and provided a natural bonus. Combined with the aid of his Xuanxiao Spirit Body, he was already on the verge of comprehending Sword Intent despite not having invested much time in his swordsmanship practice.
Furthermore, the Illusory Sword Intent he had comprehended on his own greatly boosted his progress in understanding Phantom Sword Intent. "Phantom" was a subordinate concept to "Illusory," belonging specifically to the "illusion" aspect of the intent.
Yu Fei estimated that in about another week, he could cultivate the Void Wind Shadow Sword to the level of major accomplishment. By then, he would be able to split his body into four and have his sword command all six directions.
As he practiced, Yu Fei vaguely sensed that the manifestation of his Phantom Sword Intent might differ from the results described in traditional manuals.
’The Void Wind Shadow Sword at the minor accomplishment level can create two phantoms that retain Sword Qi. It looks cool, sure, but it’s not very effective in actual combat. It’s not even good enough to confuse an opponent. In terms of practical effect, it can’t even compare to the false-form effect that comes with my Illusory Sword Intent.’
Before bed, he chatted with Li Mengyao for about half an hour and then prepared to rest. She was a pharmacy major, so her curriculum had fewer general education courses but a significant number of theoretical pharmacy classes.
Du Mingxuan was incredibly grateful for Yu Fei’s gift from the previous day. The guy had chosen super-energy materials science; ’his tough days are probably just beginning.’
The merit points that were trivial to him could help his two friends establish an early advantage in their cultivation.
’Teacher Yan Sea emphasizes willpower because he lacked resources and had ordinary talent during his own development. But that view is too one-sided. Talent, resources, and willpower are all complementary; you can’t lack any of them.’
「Two days later.」
Following Xiaoke’s directions, Yu Fei hailed a small Flying Device online and headed to the Gui Zhen Dojo. It was the training ground of his martial arts mentor, Tang Lihui, and today was the day of their first scheduled meeting.
Yu Fei was fascinated by the Flying Devices coming and going. The level of technology they contained was mesmerizing. ’If I weren’t so busy with martial arts training, I’d really love to study their principles in detail.’
The Flying Device followed a dedicated flight path at extreme speed. Skyscrapers blurred past, and the buildings ahead gradually grew sparser, their architectural styles becoming more distinct. He guessed this area was likely a high-level residential district.
From watching the messages that popped up in the group chat over the past few days, Yu Fei discovered that the living conditions and benefits for Celestial Prides of different ranks were completely different. The meals provided to D-rank Celestial Prides were extremely ordinary; although they were technically extraordinary food, their effects were about the same as the simple meals provided at Base 269.
As for regular students like Li Mengyao, they were only provided with unlimited normal food and a small amount of extraordinary food.
The university provided free room and board for everyone, but it was tiered to different degrees.
The unique nature of the Martial Arts Extraordinary World meant that Shenhan University was more than just a simple school; it was one of the sacred lands of martial arts, with its strength and scale ranking at the world’s peak.
After flying for half an hour, a vast, shimmering lake appeared ahead. On the Lake Heart Island, the silhouettes of trees were visible, and water birds took flight, presenting a scene of natural, tranquil beauty.
He disembarked at the lake’s edge. A prompt appeared in his Virtual Mirror: "Grandmaster’s Dojo Ahead. Unauthorized Entry Prohibited."
Yu Fei wasn’t concerned about the warning, but the trip had cost him 10 merit points. He suddenly felt that his 120,000 merit points weren’t actually that much. ’I have to find a way to earn more.’
There was a considerable distance between the shore and the Lake Heart Island. Yu Fei looked around but found no boat or bridge. It seemed he would have to find his own way across.
For a third-realm Martial Artist, walking on water wasn’t difficult. However, Qi Blood wasn’t as miraculous as Inner Qi, so the movements were bound to be a bit crude.
Fortunately, he hadn’t brought Zhan Ming with him today, or trying to walk on water would have been a joke.
Today, Yu Fei was wearing a black combat uniform. This was standard attire in the Geometric Pyramid Realm. It was a thoughtful convenience; there was no need to worry about basic living supplies, which were free, albeit of ordinary quality.
Take the Virtual Mirror, for example. The school provided a basic model with a very plain design. One could also spend merit points to upgrade it, customizing its appearance and display effects.
He glanced at the distance to the Lake Heart Island and then shot toward the water’s surface like a cannonball. With a powerful burst of Qi Blood, Yu Fei slammed his feet against the lake, running across the surface like a swordfish.
The method was a bit crude, and his pant legs were soaked in no time. Just then, a mocking laugh came from behind him.
"I say, Yu Fei, the Celestial Pride ranked S-12... It’s been this long and you still haven’t broken through to the Inner Qi Realm? Don’t tell me you’ve hit a bottleneck! A level like this really doesn’t live up to your S-rank title."
He glanced back and saw a figure in flowing white robes. His movements were graceful; with a light tap of his toes on the water’s surface, he could leap a great distance, looking utterly stylish and free.
[S- Rank Freshman: Zhang Xunyi]
A line of large text floated above the person’s head in Yu Fei’s Virtual Mirror, stirring a distant memory.
Compared to his own sorry state, splashing through the water, Zhang Xunyi truly embodied the grace of a Martial Artist.
’This guy isn’t actually a bad person. He just can’t suppress his own awkward feelings when he meets someone handsomer and stronger than him.’
Yu Fei chuckled. "When I was in the second realm, all you S-rank Inner Qi practitioners were my defeated opponents. Now that I’m in the third realm, shouldn’t you be even more scared?"
Zhang Xunyi was so angry he was momentarily at a loss for words. At the end of the day, he had lost to Yu Fei three times in the Celestial Pride Positioning Competition. When a Martial Artist’s strength was inferior, words meant little.
"You just wait! My Void Wind Shadow Sword is about to be perfected. I’ll make you pay then!"
Without waiting for a response, he tapped his feet on the water in quick succession, instantly surpassing Yu Fei and racing toward the Gui Zhen Dojo.
’Come to think of it, Zhang Xunyi’s talent in the Sword Dao isn’t weak at all. He must have multiple talents, and one of them is definitely related to sword cultivation. When my replication ability has some capacity, I’ll definitely have to get my hands on his.’
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