High Martial Arts Era

Chapter 115: Rapid Progress! Slaughter!

Sitting cross-legged deep within the cave, the narrow entrance was blocked with cut logs.

"There is no other life in the cave; it's safe." With his powerful mental strength, combined with the unique 'Divine Palace Detection,' Li Yuan could easily detect any potential danger.

"The transformation of my body is so rapid." Li Yuan closed his eyes, feeling the continuous improvement in his physical condition. The speed of his evolution even caused his body to become faintly hot and painful due to the rapid changes in his muscles and bones.

This rapid improvement was essentially his muscles, bones, and flesh being torn apart and restructured repeatedly. However, with his strong will, enduring such pain was relatively easy.

"The first three hours saw an improvement of about 0.5 levels."

"In the past hour, I've improved by 0.1 levels? From the perspective of life levels, the progress seems slower, but in terms of physical strength, it actually feels faster," Li Yuan marveled.

As one's life level increases, the differences become more significant. For example, the standard punch force difference between levels 10.0 and 11.0 is 500 kilograms. However, the difference between levels 18.0 and 19.0 is 14,000 kilograms. This explains why many martial artists can improve to levels 15 or 16 within a few years in university but struggle for decades to reach level 19 after graduation.

This also explains why Qiu Jing, despite having slightly inferior skills compared to Li Yuan, could easily slaughter a group of Rock Desert warriors due to her higher physical level. Her 12.9 level punch force is more than double that of Li Yuan's 11.3 level punch force. The skill gap is not that large, but her overall strength is more than five times higher than Li Yuan's, making her capable of such feats.

For martial artists, each 1-2 level increase in life level typically doubles their standard punch force.

"Spirit."

Li Yuan's mental strength was much stronger than before. He left part of his consciousness to sense external dangers while entering his mental world with a small part of his consciousness.

He entered the Divine Palace within his mind. As he expected, the previously disappeared white jade staircase reappeared. Wisps of golden mist continuously flowed from the higher levels of the staircase into the ground of the Divine Palace.

"The mysterious power that emanates from my brain and guides the source power into my body is this golden mist? What exactly is it?" Li Yuan pondered.

Suddenly, a small portion of the golden mist that usually merged into the ground separated and entered Li Yuan's consciousness.

"Boom!"

Similar to his previous experience, Li Yuan's consciousness was instantly struck, turning groggy as his entire mental world plunged into endless darkness.

"Another dark space?" Li Yuan's mental strength was much stronger than before, barely maintaining his consciousness and clearly sensing the changes in his mental world.

He noticed countless stars appearing out of nowhere, beginning to nourish his mental consciousness.

"Your soul has been nourished, and your mental strength has increased from 18.4 to 18.5," a prompt from the Divine Palace appeared unnoticed.

"As I expected."

"This golden mist not only nourishes and enhances mental strength but also guides source power into the body." Li Yuan felt enlightened, silently experiencing the dual enhancement of his physical strength and mental strength.

At the same time, in the dark space where his consciousness resided.

"Seek and refine, merge into one, absorb the essence of the sun and moon, and begin to forge the spiritual foundation..." The majestic, ancient voice echoed once again in the dark space.

The familiar voice and words.

"Spiritual foundation." Li Yuan felt touched.

During the last source power integration, his consciousness fell asleep, and his perception was shallow. But this time, he could clearly feel the mysterious fluctuations contained in the majestic, ancient voice.

It was very profound, seemingly representing some kind of ultimate truth.

"Stars!"

Gradually, as he listened to this majestic voice, Li Yuan's consciousness vaguely saw that in the endless darkness, there seemed to be stars beginning to emit light, becoming increasingly bright and radiant.

More and more stars lit up, from the initial dozens to hundreds, then thousands... The numerous bright stars formed various strange trajectories, flickering in the dark space...

"Stars as lines." Li Yuan felt enlightened, subconsciously trying to memorize these strange star trajectories.

This action was extremely mentally exhausting, making Li Yuan's consciousness even groggier, as if he were about to fall into a deep sleep.

When Li Yuan was hiding in the cave, with his physical strength and mental power continuously improving.

In the war fortress located in the astral realm he was in, within a third-floor meeting room.

"What is Li Yuan doing? He's been hiding in the cave for over six hours." Dean Li was puzzled.

"Isn't this your issue?" Deputy Dean Xu beside him shook her head.

"My issue?" Dean Li was taken aback.

"Did you expect him to fight and kill at night?" Deputy Dean Xu shook her head. "His physical strength is the weakest among the fourth base students. Fighting and hunting at night, when visibility is compromised, would be even more dangerous."

"Instead, hiding and resting, then fighting in daylight is a wiser choice."

"This shows he has self-awareness and isn't reckless," Deputy Dean Xu said. "I have high hopes for him."

"Okay." Dean Li nodded, agreeing with Deputy Dean Xu's logic.

However, he clearly remembered that when Li Yuan hid in the cave, there was still more than an hour of daylight left.

"Could it be I misjudged and pushed him too hard?" Dean Li began doubting himself.

.....

The sun rose and set.

The time reached ten o'clock the next morning.

The fourth base's other participating students had rested well and were emerging from their camps, beginning a new day of combat.

Li Yuan, still hiding in his cave, had not moved an inch. The monitoring drone hovered outside the cave but could not see inside.

"Could Li Yuan be in trouble?" Dean Li's eyes showed a trace of concern.

"Unlikely."

"The drone has been monitoring, and no aliens have appeared," Deputy Dean Xu shook her head. "The locator shows his life signs are stable... there's no issue."

"Then why hasn't he come out yet?" Dean Li was getting anxious. "Yang Hong and Wu Luo have completely outpaced him in points."

As vice deans, they could check the ranking of every student in every base at any time.

For first-year students, though they were in different bases, they had a unified grade ranking.

High grades brought rewards.

"So do high base rankings.

"This is his choice."

"As long as his life is not in danger, we cannot interfere with the combat assessment," Deputy Dean Xu said, shaking her head. "We must be patient."

"Alright." Dean Li could only wait.

When the clock struck noon, Li Yuan was still in the cave. The first 24 hours of the combat assessment had passed.

"The assessments in the first and second bases have ended," Deputy Dean Xu suddenly said.

The combat assessments in the first and second bases only lasted a day.

The third and fourth bases continued for two days.

The fifth base assessment lasted three days.

"I know," Dean Li muttered, staring at the screen.

At that moment, he felt an overwhelming urge to storm the combat assessment base and drag Li Yuan out of the cave to ask what he was thinking.

.....

Second base, in the astral realm.

"Wu Luo," Yang Hong, carrying a battle axe, spotted Wu Luo, covered in blood, approaching from a distance.

Yang Hong stepped forward to meet him.

"This time, I still won."

Yang Hong grinned. "In this combat assessment, I am the top first-year student."

He had fought nonstop for 24 hours, without rest, hunting relentlessly.

His final score was 196 points, not only topping the first-year ranking but also placing in the top thirty of the second base, which was mostly composed of second-year students.

Wu Luo, on the other hand, only scored 171 points, securing second place among the first-years, but the point gap was significant.

"First?" Wu Luo sneered. "You fought hard, but do you think you've won for sure?"

Yang Hong was taken aback.

"Idiot." Wu Luo smirked. "Li Yuan is in the fourth base, where the astral beasts are much stronger. Killing a astral beast there for points is much harder than in our base... but he has another 24 hours."

"You're the idiot." Yang Hong scoffed. "I've been watching Li Yuan's points closely. Yesterday, he was rising fast."

"But from 5 PM yesterday until now, he hasn't gained a single point."

"He's still in the combat assessment, but he might be injured."

"After all, the fourth base is mostly composed of third-year and fourth-year students. His physical strength is much weaker; it's dangerous."

"Moreover."

"The longer the assessment goes on, the fewer astral beasts remain... even if he's not injured, catching up over a hundred points in one day is nearly impossible," Yang Hong said confidently.

"Wait and see," Wu Luo sneered, though he agreed with Yang Hong's assessment.

However!

Wu Luo respected Li Yuan for his overwhelming strength.

But Yang Hong?

Wu Luo didn't acknowledge him.

The two had been silently competing, vying for the title of 'Second Strongest Freshman.'

.....

While Yang Hong and Wu Luo could maintain calm regarding Li Yuan's points.

At the first base, when the freshmen gathered at the square, the place buzzed with discussion.

"How come Li Yuan has only fifty-something points?"

"It's been a whole day."

"Yang Hong in the second base has almost 200 points, boosting the third academy's total score significantly."

"Could it be that we'll take the first place in the academy team score this time?" The freshmen from various academies discussed excitedly.

All the first-year freshmen's scores were finalized, except for Li Yuan's.

Academy team rankings:

First place: Third Academy (4031 points)

Second place: Fifth Academy (3951 points)

Third place: Sixth Academy (3931 points)

Fourth place: Seventh Academy (3874 points)

...

The difference in scores among the academies was not significant.

Kunlun Martial Arts University had designed the difficulty accordingly.

Under normal circumstances, more than one-third of the students would withdraw midway.

Even those who completed the assessment typically scored around twenty or thirty points.

First base, resting area, gathering place for sixth academy freshmen.

"Our sixth academy's total score is only 100 points behind the third academy."

"It's much closer than during the entrance competition."

"Currently, we are third, which is decent."

"Why does Senior Brother have only fifty-something points? Didn't he say he could get 200 points? Yang Hong in the second base has already scored 196 points."

"Are you stupid? That's the fourth base, filled with third-year seniors. Scoring 200 points there is not easy. If you were there, surviving for half an hour would be a miracle."

"It's so unfair! If Senior Brother were in the second base, he would have scored 300 or even 400 points. There would be no chance for Yang Hong to be arrogant." The sixth academy freshmen discussed.

"The school rules are like this."

"Senior Brother scored only fifty-something points on the first day. Can he score 190 points on the second day?"

"It's tough. In combat assessments, the longer it goes on, the fewer star beasts remain, making scoring harder." No one truly blamed Li Yuan for scoring low.

Most understood the difficulty of the fourth base.

However, many couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"Believe in Senior Brother."

"There's still a whole day left. Maybe he can create a miracle." Many students continued to believe in Li Yuan, especially those from Jiangcheng.

Soon.

The first and second base freshmen began their journey back to school.

But many still paid close attention to Li Yuan's final combat score.

The team score involved everyone's interests.

....

July 31, 1 PM.

Within the fourth base combat assessment area, 23 hours remained.

In the dark cave, a few rays of light penetrated through the cracks.

"Is the source power integration over?" Li Yuan suddenly regained full consciousness.

"Whoo!"

Li Yuan instinctively looked at his fists, feeling a boundless power ready to explode within him.

This power was far greater than before.

Raising his head to look around, his vision and hearing had also significantly improved.

"My life level." Li Yuan glanced at the Divine Palace panel.

____

[Life Level: 12.7 (First Stage)]

Punch Force: 4460 kilograms

Speed: 34.2 meters/second

Mental Strength: 20.0

Spiritual Awakening Level: 20% (Current limit 25%)

Skill Level: Spear Technique (Stage Four 53%), Body Technique (Stage Four 42%), Fist Technique (Stage Four 55%)

[Note: Spiritual Awakening limit increased to 25%. When life level reaches 14, and Spiritual Awakening reaches 25%, Spiritual Guidance will be available]

____

"What?" Li Yuan was shocked, filled with excitement and joy.

It was unbelievable.

In just one night and half a day, his physical and mental strength had increased so much?

It was four to five times the improvement from the first source power integration.

It seemed like his life level had only increased by 1.4 levels.

But looking at his physical strength, his punch force had surged from 2250 kilograms to 4460 kilograms, almost doubling.

His explosive speed had also significantly increased.

Such an improvement was terrifying, something many Kunlun Martial Arts University students couldn't achieve even after half a year of training.

"Improving my physical strength is one thing, but the key is my mental strength." Li Yuan focused on one aspect.

Mental strength, level 20.

This was the true level of a source warrior.

Unknowingly, Li Yuan had already completed two of the three major barriers for source warriors, with only the physical barrier remaining.

"Breaking through the mental strength level 20 barrier also increased my Spiritual Awakening limit to 25%." Li Yuan's heart trembled. "Spiritual Guidance?"

For over two years.

Since awakening his Divine Palace in the second year of high school, until entering the first year of university, he had been studying the high-level spirituality and Spiritual Guidance in the Divine Palace panel for over two years.

All to no avail.

Now, Li Yuan finally saw hope.

"Reaching a life level of 14 is required to unlock Spiritual Guidance?" Li Yuan pondered.

His current life level was 12.7, still some way from 14, but not too far.

"Never mind."

"I'll slowly improve my physical strength, but first, I'll raise my Spiritual Awakening level to 25% and meet one of the requirements." Li Yuan quickly made up his mind.

It was just killing some astral beasts, right?

There were still 23 hours left, killing four or five should be enough.

"Whoo!"

Li Yuan stood up, slightly stretching his muscles.

Then, with a powerful punch, his fist left a trail of afterimages, much faster than before.

"With my current physical strength and spear skills, I am stronger than Senior Sister Qiu Jing." Li Yuan concluded.

Li Yuan and Senior Sister Qiu Jing had sparred on the Starry Sky Combat Network.

Based on his judgment, her axe technique was around Stage Four, 20%.

Li Yuan's spear technique, however, was Stage Four, 53%, much higher.

"The only concern is the combat assessment monitoring."

"Though most don't know my true strength, Dean Li and Teacher Jiang do." Li Yuan's mind raced. "A sudden doubling of physical strength overnight?"

It was too unusual.

Too abrupt, most would immediately think of 'natural treasures.'

"I won't reveal my full strength immediately, but I'll reach 25% Spiritual Awakening level first." Li Yuan grabbed his spear embedded in the stone wall.

He pulled it out forcefully.

The top-grade spear was incredibly tough, looking as good as new.

He took some food and water from his backpack and consumed them.

"Boom!"

Li Yuan, holding his spear, dashed out, pushing aside the logs blocking the cave entrance, emerging outside.

The sun shone brightly.

"Let's go."

.....

"Li Yuan is out." Deputy Dean Xu was the first to notice, smiling. "He seems energetic; looks like he rested well."

"Let's see." Dean Li frowned.

He was determined to give Li Yuan a good scolding after the combat assessment.

This was too careless.

"Old Li, don't worry too much. A few setbacks for these youngsters are okay." A chubby old man chuckled.

This old man was Qin Huo, one of the three vice deans of the eighth academy.

"Qin, get lost." Li Yang glared at him. "I'm in a bad mood, don't provoke me. Want to spar?"

"Old Xu, won't you control him?" The chubby old man rolled his eyes.

"Enough, you two stop it." Deputy Dean Xu felt a headache, focusing on the screen.

Watching Li Yuan.

.....

An hour later, four kilometers from where Li Yuan rested in the cave.

Two huge beast corpses lay in a pool of blood.

"A 12.9-level astral beast only increased my Spiritual Awakening by 0.1%?" Li Yuan looked at the Divine Palace panel prompt, feeling helpless.

Previously, killing one increased it by 1.2%.

Now, even killing two only raised it to 20.2%, too slow.

"Could it be that 20% Spiritual Awakening is a barrier?" Li Yuan pondered.

Just like how the difference between pre-stage and post-stage warriors is extremely significant.

"Only 22 hours left in the combat assessment. Finding four or five more astral beasts is unlikely." Li Yuan felt a sense of urgency.

He initially thought killing four or five would be enough.

Now, he needed to kill forty or fifty.

Killing wasn't difficult; finding targets was.

"There's only one reliable way." Li Yuan turned towards the forest in the direction where he met Senior Sister Qiu Jing.

"The Rock Desert Tribe."

"Senior Sister Qiu Jing mentioned that there are over 200 warriors in that tribe. If I kill some of them, it should be enough to push my Spiritual Awakening to 25%."

"However, I might need to unleash my full strength." Li Yuan's eyes flashed with determination.

"Then I'll unleash it."

"Even if it attracts investigation by a flying warrior, as long as they can't find the Divine Palace, it will eventually be attributed to my extraordinary talent."

"With enough strength, great scholars will defend me." Li Yuan quickly thought it through.

Unleashing his full strength carried some risk, but the potential reward was high.

The two source power integrations had already increased his strength significantly.

The so-called 'Spiritual Guidance' would be even more extraordinary. Missing this combat assessment would mean waiting until February next year.

"Go!" Li Yuan moved swiftly towards the Rock Desert Tribe.

...

An hour later.

Deep underground, on a high-speed train.

The train was filled with first-year students from the sixth academy, the atmosphere heavy.

Suddenly.

"Look, Senior Brother's score has exceeded 200. He gained over a hundred points in just a few seconds." An exclamation broke the silence.

"We're now first in the first-year team score!!"