High Martial Arts Era

Chapter 137: Your goal is to be second

On the arena, the 17th cage match ended just one minute after it started.

Li Yuan killed the last opponent, survived to the end, and scored 31 points.

It's not that he didn't try hard to fight in the final stage, but his battle with Kimura Tatsuo took too much time, and there weren't enough opponents left for Li Yuan to score many points.

But even so, the points from the two rounds added up to an astonishing 105 points for Li Yuan in the second round.

This is already an exaggerated score.

On the arena, only Li Yuan was left.

"Temporarily ranked first in total points?" Li Yuan glanced at the total points ranking.

The huge points advantage from the first round, combined with a good performance in the second round, kept Li Yuan's total score in first place.

Although there were still three cage matches left, top experts like Yu Ming, Guan Ying, and Garawa had already finished competing in the previous rounds, and their total scores from the two rounds did not exceed 100.

So, in a sense, Li Yuan had almost locked in the first place in total points for the second round.

"Let's go."

Li Yuan thought, disappearing from the arena. He didn't return to the viewing platform but directly exited the virtual network.

...

"Li Yuan!"

"Li Yuan." The entire viewing platform resounded with the enthusiastic cheers of countless spectators.

However, the freshmen of Kunlun Martial Arts University were searching everywhere on the viewing platform.

"Where's Li Yuan?"

"Where's our senior brother?" They were all very puzzled.

Logically, after exiting the arena, he should have returned directly to the viewing seats.

...

In Li Yuan's villa at Kunlun Martial Arts University, in the underground martial arts room,

Li Yuan had already come out of the lounge and took a weapon from the weapon rack beside him.

"Entangling, continuous." In Li Yuan's mind, he still recalled the battle with Kimura Tatsuo just now.

Suddenly, the smart wristband vibrated continuously.

Vibrating at this time indicated a message from an important person. Li Yuan looked down.

One message was from Li Yang: "Well done."

The other was from Lin Lanyue: "You're first, keep it up."

Li Yuan couldn't help but smile slightly and replied to both messages.

He turned off the smart wristband and put it aside.

Holding his spear, he came to the center of the martial arts room, closed his eyes lightly, gripped the spear with both hands, and posed in the 'spear-holding style' of the Starry Spear Technique.

"Stars are round and boundless." Li Yuan murmured to himself.

Just now, through the battle with Kimura Tatsuo,

At that moment of enlightenment, Li Yuan was able to re-examine his spear technique from another perspective.

Kimura Tatsuo's 'Continuous Spear' seemed similar to the 'Twelve Consecutive Strikes' that Li Yuan practiced.

But there was an essential difference between the two.

The Twelve Consecutive Strikes are about each strike being stronger than the last, with the next strike always more powerful than the previous one, emphasizing 'accumulation of power.' When it reaches its peak, it is like the convergence of a great river, inevitably bursting out.

If it doesn't burst out, even if the accumulated power reaches its peak, it cannot be sustained for long.

It is short-lived.

But the Continuous Spear is different; it emphasizes 'entangling,' being endless, with little difference in power from the first strike to the last.

The drawback is that it's not domineering enough, but the advantage is stability, preventing the collapse of one's spear momentum.

"A similar technique, the 'Cloud Controlling Spear Technique' that teacher Li Yang taught me, actually contains a similar concept." Li Yuan had encountered such moves before.

In the Starry Sky Combat Network, when fighting with others, he had also encountered it.

When sparring with teacher Jiang Lun and the two Source Martial practitioners, they had also used similar moves.

However, none had deliberately performed it systematically.

"Most importantly, before, I was wholeheartedly pursuing the understanding of the five styles of the Starry Spear Technique, so how could I focus on this?" Li Yuan couldn't help but smile and shake his head.

It's like many stories and philosophies learned in textbooks in childhood. You think you've understood them after reading and learning in class... but it might take ten or twenty years to suddenly realize that you never truly understood them.

Spear techniques are the same.

Before understanding the five styles of the Starry Spear Technique,

Even if Li Yuan knew that the core of the 'Starry Spear Technique' lay in the first style 'Star Awakening,' even if he knew the core concept of 'stars are round,'

Even if he saw other experts using similar conceptual moves,

But without reaching the level of understanding, it seemed like knowing the principles, but in reality, he had never comprehended it.

The battle with Kimura Tatsuo, in a sense, was after Li Yuan comprehended the five styles of the Star Spear Technique and reached a higher level of understanding,

Re-examining it, led to a new insight.

It wasn't that Kimura Tatsuo's spear technique was very strong, just that he appeared at the right moment.

Timing.

Sometimes it is very important.

"The second style, Galaxy Cascade, to the fifth style, Star Battle, are all offensive moves." Li Yuan pondered silently: "Among the five killer moves, four are offensive, but the Starry Spear Technique is recognized as an 'extremely strong defensive spear technique.'

"Why?"

"The core is the first style, Star Illumination." Li Yuan's spear moved slowly, starting to practice the first style 'Star Illumination' again.

It seemed like the same move, but practicing it now, Li Yuan had a different understanding.

In the past,

When Li Yuan performed it, he pursued extreme bursts and extreme speed, like the splendor of a star explosion.

But now, re-performing it, the move was slower, and the power was more restrained.

It was like a hot star, after billions of years of evolution, gradually moving from the initial 'volcanic lava' era to stability.

It's not that this star no longer contained explosive power.

It's just that it had restrained this surging force, not easily bursting out.

Practicing over and over again, Li Yuan sought the special feeling he yearned for, hoping to grasp it.

So-called enlightenment is never a process from 0 to 1 directly.

But a qualitative change from 0.99 to 1.

In the past, Li Yuan had practiced the Starry Spear Technique countless times, dedicating himself day and night for years, fighting repeatedly with various teachers and coaches.

This unknowingly completed the accumulation from 0 to 0.99.

Kimura Tatsuo's spear technique was just the right catalyst, giving him a chance to potentially break through to 1.

But it was just a chance.

To truly grasp it, he still had to put in tremendous effort to practice, ponder, and summarize.

This is why he came to practice the spear immediately after the battle ended.

"Stars are round, without a beginning, without an end."

"The trajectory of a star is also a circle." Li Yuan practiced repeatedly, thinking deeply.

At this moment,

Li Yuan no longer deliberately thought about how to use his spear technique to deal with Tantai Feng.

But simply wanted to make his spear technique stronger.

...

In the virtual network, in the 'battle space' of the ten-school freshman competition,

As the last cage match ended,

The 'total points ranking' on the giant screen above was also finalized.

"Li Yuan is first!"

"105 points."

"First." Thousands of students from Kunlun Martial Arts University who came to watch were excited.

Those few sophomores and juniors were more reserved but mostly applauded.

"Li Yuan, Yu Ming, Guan Ying, Gaurav, Vikram, Tantai Feng, Ruan Wennan, and Helian Cheng are ranked in the top eight in the second round." The burly man above the arena said in a deep voice: "They will directly advance to the fourth round."

"Kimura Tatsuo... and 128 other students, ranked in the top 136 in the second round, will enter the third round and compete for the remaining eight spots in the fourth round tomorrow."

With the host's excited voice, the second round of the ten-school freshman competition officially ended.

...

"Where's senior brother?"

"Haven't seen him." The freshmen of the six colleges of Kunlun Martial Arts University couldn't help but search the arena for Li Yuan's figure.

"Damn."

"Brother Yuan is showing off, even Tantai Feng abstained to get into the top eight." Gu Qianghan couldn't help but complain: "Brother Yuan took the first place in total points but didn't even come to the scene."

"Does showing off make you stronger?" Gu Qianghan shook his head.

"No." An Nong pretended to be profound and said: "It's not that showing off makes you stronger, but a master's showing off is called showing off."

"Otherwise, it's called a clown."

...

At 7 pm, night fell.

Hu!

Li Yang sat on the aircraft and arrived at Li Yuan's villa, smiling.

"Teacher." Li Yuan had received the news that Li Yang was coming and had been waiting in the living room.

"You did well today." Li Yang laughed and sat on the sofa: "Sit down."

Today, Li Yuan defeated Kimura Tatsuo, making him proud in front of teachers from other schools, naturally feeling very pleased.

"Yes." Li Yuan sat down.

"Taking first place in total points brings glory to the school, not bad." Li Yang smiled, looking at Li Yuan with increasing satisfaction.

"It's not much." Li Yuan shook his head: "Tantai Feng abstained in the second round. Otherwise, with his strength, taking first place in total points would be easy."

Li Yuan had self-awareness.

First place in the second round? Just an empty title.

"One should be humble, but not overly so." Li Yang laughed: "Tantai Feng abstained, but Yu Ming and Guan Ying didn't, nor did the elite students from other schools."

"Why didn't they take first place?" Li Yang laughed: "Isn't it because their strength isn't as good as yours?"

"Being able to surpass Yu Ming, Guan Ying, and others already proves that you are not inferior to the elite students of the world's top three martial arts schools."

Li Yuan nodded, not explaining further.

"Are you still worried about Tantai Feng?" Li Yang asked curiously.

"Yes." Li Yuan did not hide this: "Teacher, to be honest, if I were to face others like Gaurav and Yu Ming, I might not be absolutely confident of winning, but I believe I have a chance."

"Only against Tantai Feng, if he uses a sword and shield, I think my chances of losing are greater than winning." Li Yuan said honestly: "My strength is not enough."

In cultivation, one should be realistic, not arrogant.

Hard to win means hard to win.

"Hahaha." Li Yang smiled at Li Yuan: "Actually, the teacher didn't expect you to win."

Li Yuan was surprised.

Didn't expect him to win?

"Do you know who Tantai Feng is? He is just one step away from reaching the Mental Profundity." Li Yang laughed: "In the freshman year of Starlight University, he is a contender for first place."

"The first place in Starlight University has the potential to compete for the global first place."

"In other words, Tantai Feng has the potential to compete for first place globally in your batch, at least in the top five." Li Yang said seriously.

Li Yuan was surprised.

Was Tantai Feng that powerful? He had the potential to compete for the global first place.

"Normally, for a competition like the ten-school freshman battle, Starlight University shouldn't send their strongest student, as there's no point in training them."

"According to tradition, they should send second-tier elites." Li Yang shook his head: "Like Yu Ming, Guan Ying... that's why I thought you had a chance to compete for first place before."

"This time, I don't know what Starlight University's higher-ups were thinking, sending him here."

Li Yuan listened silently.

"So, with Tantai Feng here, I didn't expect you to take first place." Li Yang laughed: "It's not that you are inferior to Tantai Feng. In terms of progress in the past six months, you are even more impressive... the teacher believes you will surely win him in the future."

"But right now, you are indeed not as good as him."

Li Yuan nodded lightly; Tantai Feng's strength was indeed formidable.

"The schedule for the third and fourth rounds is out; you won't face Tantai Feng early." Li Yang said seriously: "In other words, if you two meet, it will be in the final match."

"Upper and lower brackets?" Li Yuan pondered.

"Yes."

Li Yang smiled: "So, the teacher has one requirement for you: make it to the finals, at least the top four."

"Reaching the finals will be considered a victory."

"Don't carry a psychological burden."

"Even if you stop at the top four, the rewards are not much different from those for the champion and runner-up, there are still rare treasures."

...

Li Yuan saw Li Yang off and returned alone to the underground martial arts room.

The lights came on, making the martial arts room as bright as day.

Li Yuan stood in the center with his spear, silently pondering Li Yang's words.

In fact,

Li Yang's words summarized one thing: "Strive for second place."

"Second place?" Li Yuan pondered.

Li Yang's words were not wrong.

He came to talk to Li Yuan to avoid him having too much psychological burden.

However,

"Winning and losing? Second place?" Li Yuan shook his head, no longer thinking about it, and continued to ponder his spear technique.

Chasing that mysterious and special feeling.

... October 6th, the third round.

Without the top experts among the participants, Li Yuan didn't watch the matches and practiced alone.

That day, the other eight spots for the top sixteen were decided.

...

October 7th, the fourth round.

The sky over Kunlun Martial Arts University was cloudless.

Today, the final champion of the ten-school freshman competition would be decided from the top sixteen.