High Martial Arts Era

Chapter 145: Starlight S-Level Contract

"Punch force exceeding 15,000 kilograms?" Li Yuan's eyes lit up.

This was equivalent to a burst of 15 tons of force.

This far exceeded the baseline requirements for a 15th-level warrior's punch strength.

"However, the quality of this sandbag is impressive. Even with over 15 tons of force, it hasn't shown any signs of damage," Li Yuan smiled.

He wasn't surprised by this.

After all, every villa's basement has a specialized punch force testing area that can withstand the full power of a 19.9-level warrior.

A 19.9-level warrior can easily exceed 60,000 kilograms of force with a single punch.

It's easy to imagine how expensive these seemingly ordinary sandbags must be.

"Let's test my speed."

Li Yuan quickly activated the speed measuring instruments on the track and then stood at the entrance of the track.

Taking a deep breath, he mobilized all his strength, focusing his mind. Countless subtle forces within his body were once again harnessed.

"Boom!"

It was like a car suddenly accelerating to its maximum speed. Li Yuan dashed forward, appearing as a fleeting shadow, and the 40-meter track vanished in an instant.

"Thud!" Li Yuan crashed heavily into the cushioning wall at the end of the track.

"Beep~!"

On the electronic screen beside the wall, Li Yuan's burst speed was instantly displayed— "53 meters per second!"

Another astonishing figure.

"Am I really this fast?" Li Yuan's pupils contracted, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

The standard punch force for a 15th-level warrior is 12,000 kilograms, and the standard burst speed is 50 meters per second.

For a 16th-level warrior, the standard punch force is 18,000 kilograms, and the standard burst speed is 60 meters per second.

"In other words, when I harness the countless subtle forces hidden within my muscles and bones, my burst speed and force are comparable to those of a 15.5-level warrior?" Li Yuan marveled. "Yet, the Divine Palace panel shows my life level is only 13.9, and my punch force is just over 7,000 kilograms."

His actual burst force was nearly double the standard.

This was truly astonishing.

At this moment, Li Yuan finally understood the true meaning of 'mental profundity.'

What he had heard and seen before couldn't compare to actually experiencing it.

"My high-level fourth-grade skills only increased my standard punch force by about 40%," Li Yuan sighed. "Reaching the perfect fourth grade can increase it by over 100%."

"No wonder."

"When I fought Tantai Feng, he suppressed me with just a sword. If he used a shield, I would be at an even greater disadvantage," Li Yuan sighed.

Tantai Feng's burst force and speed were far superior to Li Yuan's.

"If transitioning from the third grade to the fourth grade is a qualitative change, then moving from high-level to perfect in the fourth grade is also a qualitative change," Li Yuan marveled.

The first, second, and third grade gradually integrate body strength, bringing out physical power.

Starting from the high-level third grade, deeper layers of body strength are gradually tapped, manifesting as bursts of speed and force stronger than the standard for the same life level.

The fourth grade offers even greater enhancement.

Reaching the perfect fourth grade is the ultimate extraction of body strength.

"However, it can't last long. The extreme force and speed brought by 'mental profundity' can't be sustained for long," Li Yuan thought. "Otherwise, it would cause severe damage to the body."

This point was specifically mentioned in the Starry Spear technique: mental profundity can't last long, and regular training should focus on health maintenance.

Phew!

Li Yuan returned to the center of the martial arts room, picking up his spear with one hand.

"Swish, swish, swish!" The spear moved like a great river, continuous and unending.

"The human body is like a precision machine," Li Yuan thought. "A machine has redundant designs to ensure it continues working even if part of it is damaged."

"The human body is the same."

"The countless subtle forces hidden in muscles and bones might seem unused in ordinary people, but they are essentially redundancy, life potential, meant to protect the body," Li Yuan understood. "A mental profundity warrior can harness all these subtle forces in combat, greatly enhancing their strength."

"But essentially, this is unleashing life potential, putting the body in an overloaded state. Prolonged use can cause severe damage to many bodily functions."

Just like in some news stories.

An elderly person, in a moment of danger, suddenly lifts something far heavier than usual, only to pass away shortly after.

The fundamental reason is that at that moment, the elderly person entered a special 'profound mind' state, unleashing their life potential.

But unable to control this burst, excessive exertion can easily lead to bodily collapse and rapid death.

"A profound mind warrior can control this power and continuously adjust and repair many hidden injuries," Li Yuan sighed. "So, occasional full bursts have little impact."

With his current strength.

"In a profound mind state, my speed and force are comparable to a 15.5-level warrior. With my skill advantage, I should be able to contend with normal 16.5 to 17-level warriors," Li Yuan made a rough assessment.

Normal warriors at levels 15 to 20 typically have mid- to high-level third-grade skills.

Abnormal ones?

Students at Kunlun Martial University who reach level 17 by their third year usually have fourth-grade skills and are considered 'elite.'

Winning against them now would be a pipe dream for Li Yuan.

...

At around nine o'clock, late at night, while Li Yuan was still contemplating spear techniques, suddenly.

"Beep~"

"Master, Wan Qinghe, video call request," the auxiliary AI announced, startling Li Yuan from his training.

"Uncle Wan?" Li Yuan was momentarily confused, then recalled Dean Hai's words earlier.

Could it really be happening?

"Answer," Li Yuan immediately said.

Beep~ Countless lights converged, forming a light screen projection in the martial arts room.

An office scene appeared on the screen, with an elderly man in black robes and a middle-aged man in a Tang suit.

"Grandpa Fei, Hall Master Wan," Li Yuan slightly bowed.

He remembered Uncle Wan's advice—to address positions during work.

It was best not to let Fei Lao think he was closer to Uncle Wan than to him.

However, Li Yuan was genuinely grateful to both Fei Qian and Wan Qinghe.

Regardless of their initial intentions.

Their actions had greatly helped him, and that was undeniable.

"Ha ha, Li Yuan, long time no see," Fei Qian smiled, hearing Li Yuan's address. "It seems you're still training late at night. We didn't interrupt your training, did we?"

"No," Li Yuan smiled. "I was about to rest anyway."

"Ha ha, glad we didn't interrupt."

Fei Qian laughed. "You did very well in today's Ten Schools Freshmen Battle. Both Hall Master Wan and I know, even Hall Master Yang knows."

"Grandpa Fei, my apologies," Li Yuan quickly said. "I should have informed Hall Master Wan first."

"Ha ha, you did nothing wrong."

"We intended to contact you tomorrow, but given the importance, we decided to inform you immediately," Fei Qian said. "Hall Master Yang has ordered that, in light of your outstanding performance since entering university, your Martial Hall contract will be officially upgraded from A-level to S-level starting today."

S-level?

Li Yuan's eyes lit up. Dean Hai was right, likely he had discussed this with the Starlight Martial Hall higher-ups.

"Li Yuan, the contract has been sent to you," Wan Qinghe finally spoke.

Beep~

Li Yuan's smart ring vibrated, and he immediately checked the file sent by Wan Qinghe.

"Have a look," Fei Qian smiled. "The S-level contract is slightly different from your previous A-level contract."

"Yes." Given the personal importance, Li Yuan didn't hesitate.

He clicked on his smart ring, and a small light screen popped up for him to read carefully.

The S-level contract was largely similar to the A-level contract, except the training resources provided by Starlight Martial Hall each year had significantly increased.

"24 million cash and 24 million Martial Hall points annually?" Li Yuan was shocked.

This was very generous, amounting to 48 million Blue Star Coins.

In contrast, a normal A-level Martial Hall contract only provided 6 million cash and 6 million Martial Hall points annually.

Four times more!

In addition to the annual increase in training resources, the contract also included many additional privileges.

For example, Li Yuan's level within the Martial Hall was raised from L4 to L6.

For example, within certain limits, he could request support from Starlight

Martial Hall's 'Warrior Teams.'

And more, over ten additional rights, not all explicitly listed.

"L6 member?" Li Yuan was amazed. "Uncle Wan, as the Hall Master of Starlight Guanshan Branch, is only L5, right?"

As far as Li Yuan knew.

In Starlight Martial Hall, ordinary source warriors were typically L4.

L5 usually indicated intermediate source warriors, a very high status.

L6 generally required being a high-level source warrior with notable contributions.

...

"Grandpa Fei."

Li Yuan closed the light screen and asked, "I remember you said last time that I would need to reach fifth grade in my contract before 20 to upgrade to S-level, right?"

This question made both Fei Qian and Wan Qinghe smile.

"Li Yuan."

Wan Qinghe spoke with emotion, "Achieving mental profundity at your age is harder than reaching fifth grade in skills before 20."

"Hall Master Yang set the goal of reaching fifth grade by 20 because he didn't expect you to achieve mental profundity so quickly," Wan Qinghe explained.

"It seems, as Teacher Li and Dean Hai said, my performance in the Ten Schools Freshmen Battle, achieving mental profundity, was indeed remarkable," Li Yuan sighed. "Not only has the school's attention on me increased significantly, but also the Starlight Martial Hall's focus on me has risen."

The stronger and more potential you have, the more attention you receive.

"Li Yuan."

"The contract terms are standard," Fei Qian said. "Additionally, there are two special items to explain."

"First, the Star Earth Marrow Crystal promised by Hall Master Yang will be sent to Kunlun Martial University for safekeeping. You can apply to use it when needed."

"Understood," Li Yuan nodded.

"Second, knowing you will likely participate in life-and-death training early next year, Starlight Martial Hall's Jiangbei headquarters applied to the national headquarters for a 'customized source power combat suit' for your safety."

"Source power combat suit?" Li Yuan was puzzled.

"Li Yuan, the key difference between second-level and ordinary warriors is that first-level warriors can only absorb source power to strengthen their bodies, remaining flesh and blood."

"Second-level warriors can harness source power," Wan Qinghe explained. "Source power is incredibly powerful."

"The source power combat suit maximizes the potential of source power."

"Wearing the suit in battle, you can withstand bullets and artillery, almost ignoring conventional weapons," Wan Qinghe said.

"But I don't have source power," Li Yuan couldn't help but say.

"That's why this is a customized suit, costing ten times more than a second-level source power combat suit," Wan Qinghe smiled. "Its main benefit is that it allows first-level warriors to use it."

"With it, your defense will soar, greatly increasing your survival chances in future explorations."

"This suit alone is worth over 500 million Blue Star Coins."