High Martial Arts Era

Chapter 18: Starry Sky University

"Protected by law?" Wan Xiao paused for a moment, then raised his thumb. "Li Yuan, I'm impressed."

"To do great things, you need to understand the law first," Li Yuan replied with a smile.

Then, changing the subject, he asked, "Are Lin Lanyue and Gu Qianghan siblings?"

"Yeah," Wan Xiao said. "I think they're cousins. They don't have the same last name, but they're very close. Gu Qianghan isn't afraid of anyone except his sister."

"According to him, it's because he can't beat her yet. Once he can, he definitely won't be scared anymore," Wan Xiao laughed. "But I have a feeling he'll never be able to beat her."

"Even you, in full-armor combat, probably aren't a match for Lin Lanyue," Wan Xiao said seriously.

Li Yuan nodded slightly.

If he had a small reputation in the senior year, Lin Lanyue was truly well-known to everyone.

Her beauty was only a small part of it.

In the entire First High School of Guan District, with thousands of students, there were certainly a few beautiful girls. As a provincial key school, there was no talk of school beauties or handsome boys.

Most students didn't care much about others in their class, let alone other classes.

Lin Lanyue, as the only "public figure," was mainly known for her overwhelmingly superior martial arts scores.

She was absolutely the first.

Since her first year, in every exam related to martial arts, she was basically always first.

In the final exam of the second year, her raw score was 875 points, with a total score of 962.5, outstripping the second place by over fifty points.

The only exception was the martial arts technique score in the final exam of the second year.

That was the first time Li Yuan had taken first place from her.

"Full-armor combat?" Li Yuan pondered for a moment. "What's her physical strength level?"

"It should be over 8.0," Wan Xiao said. "That's just my guess. Since I joined the elite class, there hasn't been a small test."

Li Yuan nodded slightly.

From Lin Lanyue's physical fitness score last semester and her rate of improvement, he could estimate... it should be between 8.0 and 8.3.

That was already very impressive.

By the college entrance exam standards, a physical fitness score of 500 points was full marks, which required a level of 10.0.

9.0 was 470 points.

8.0 was 440 points.

7.0 was 400 points.

6.0 was 360 points.

5.0 was 300 points.

"At least 8.0? With her rate of improvement, her physical fitness could reach 9.0 by the college entrance exam," Li Yuan thought to himself. "No wonder people say she has a chance to get into one of the top three martial arts universities in the world, Starry Sky University."

"The top three martial arts universities globally, Starry Sky University, Starlight University, and Black Stone University, are better than the five top universities in China."

Li Yuan never underestimated others.

Lin Lanyue was one of the top talents among the tens of thousands of senior year students in Guan District. She came from an excellent family, and most importantly, she worked hard in her training... she was a true hardworking martial arts genius.

"Teacher Xu used your spear skills as a comparison in the elite class," Wan Xiao laughed. "But he never mentioned your scores. I haven't revealed your small test scores either, so Lin Lanyue probably doesn't know."

Li Yuan nodded slightly.

The full score for martial arts techniques was 400 points. By the college entrance exam standards, 320 and 360 were significant thresholds that were hard to cross.

"To exceed 320 points, martial arts techniques should reach the second level," Li Yuan thought to himself. "To exceed 360 points, spear skills and body techniques should both reach the third level."

As for the requirements for full marks? Li Yuan didn't know.

He hadn't asked Teacher Xu, to avoid giving the impression that he was aiming too high.

"Full-armor combat, her physical strength is nearly two levels higher than yours, so your chances of winning are slim," Wan Xiao said with a bit of excitement. "But in virtual combat? Haha! I believe in your spear skills."

"When the match happens on Sunday, I want to watch. Remember to send me the room number," Wan Xiao said.

"Alright," Li Yuan nodded.

.....

After sending Wan Xiao off, Li Yuan closed the door to the martial arts room.

Complete silence.

"Little Jade, connect via Bluetooth and take over the intelligent management of Martial Arts Room 4011. The authorization code is..." Li Yuan suddenly said.

Quickly.

"Master, I've taken over the control of the martial arts room. I'm pleased to serve you," a gentle female voice responded.

"Activate the martial arts technique evaluation system."

"Activate the video analysis system," Li Yuan continued, then opened the weapon cabinet beside him.

Inside were various weapons, including six spears of different lengths and weights.

Li Yuan took out his usual type of standardized spear and placed it on the weapon rack beside him.

Then, he silently began to practice the "Rock Technique."

"A bet of two thousand Blue Star Coins?" Li Yuan thought as he felt the slight changes in his muscles and bones, also pondering today's events.

Li Yuan didn't take the upcoming match to heart; he was never worried about losing.

Losing wasn't shameful.

The opponent was the top student and a martial arts prodigy.

Winning or losing? As long as it helped his martial arts progress and didn't cost him anything, what did it matter?

"Dongfang Ji, the greatest warrior of human civilization, lost more than once on his path to growth," Li Yuan thought. "Martial arts is my way; external factors can't disturb my heart."

"Failure is just part of the journey."

Li Yuan had read many biographies of Dongfang Ji.

His concept of "martial arts is my way" didn't mean that he represented martial arts but rather that "martial arts is my path."

"As long as you wholeheartedly pursue martial arts, you shouldn't care about others' opinions, whether praise or criticism," Li Yuan thought with clear eyes. "Practicing my way, my heart, and my thoughts is the true essence of martial arts; this is my path."

In simple terms, it meant following your own path and letting others talk.

In martial arts, the goal is to surpass oneself.

"However."

"College admissions are based on rankings. Sparring with Lin Lanyue can also help me understand the current level of martial arts techniques among these top senior year students," Li Yuan pondered.

...

In Room 4001, the private martial arts room.

"Sis, are you really going to spar with him? If he loses, he won't lose anything," Gu Qianghan grumbled on the side.

"Two thousand Blue Star Coins doesn't mean much to me," Lin Lanyue said, her voice clear and cold like pearls falling on a jade plate.

She was practicing a set of boxing techniques, with her fists and palms generating faint sounds of air bursts.

"It's not about the money."

"It's about face," Gu Qianghan shook his head. "You're the top student, and he's only ranked in the twenties. Losing would be embarrassing."

"Face?"

Lin Lanyue abruptly stopped her punches and fixed her sharp gaze on Gu Qianghan. "Are you pursuing face in your martial arts training?"

Gu Qianghan quickly shook his head. "Of course not, but..."

"Shut up."

Lin Lanyue frowned. "Aunt spoiled you. You always seek out sparring partners to show off your skills and gain face? No wonder you dare to engage in private duels."

"Sis, I really won't dare anymore," Gu Qianghan hurriedly said, but secretly thought, aren't you also looking for a duel?

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking."

"I want to spar not to defeat him, but to see how impressive the spear skills praised by Teacher Xu really are," Lin Lanyue said coldly. "As for winning or losing?"

"If I lose, will it stop me from getting into Starry Sky University?"

"It's two o'clock. Get back to your martial arts room and train," Lin Lanyue frowned.

"Alright," Gu Qianghan turned and left, not wanting to stay another second.

.....

Close to the end of class, inside Martial Arts Room 4011.

[Your spear technique level has increased from 47% of the third level to 48% of the third level.]

Li Yuan noticed the notification in his vision and abruptly retracted his spear.

"Another one percent increase?"

"Since creating the 'Dragon Hidden in the Ravine' technique, my spear skills have been improving faster," Li Yuan thought. "However, creating the 'Mountains and Rivers' technique I have in mind will take some more time."

Creating such perfect body-force techniques becomes relatively easier after developing one or two.

Eventually, every move will be perfect, reaching the fourth level of spear technique.

....

Soon after, Li Yuan left the elite building. Before he could reach the cafeteria, he saw a group of classmates approaching from a distance.

It was Zhou Qi, Yan Zhou, and the others, who seemed to have been waiting for a while.

"Yuan, we heard you're going to spar with Lin Lanyue to decide who has the best martial arts skills?"

"No, I heard it's to determine who is the true top student in the grade."

"Huh? I heard Yuan challenged Lin Lanyue..."

"I heard that if Yuan wins, Lin Lanyue agreed to date him..." The group chattered.

Li Yuan: "..."

"Stop!" Li Yuan shouted, and the surroundings fell silent.

"Who told you that?" Li Yuan asked.

"Wan Xiao mentioned it first in the class group chat. Didn't you see the messages?"

"It's all over the place," Zhou Qi laughed. "Yuan, tell us, are you really going after Lin Lanyue?"

The others were also curious.

"There is a bet," Li Yuan frowned. "But it's just a regular spar, nothing more."

"I'm going to eat now. I have training later," Li Yuan turned and headed to the cafeteria.

The group exchanged glances.

"A regular spar?"

"If it's just a regular spar, would Yuan need to hide it? And why leave so quickly?" Zhou Qi shook his head. "There's definitely more to it."

"Yeah, I think so too."

.....

Sunday afternoon, 1:50 PM.

On the Blue Star Virtual Network, Starry Sky Combat Network.

Personal duel platform, room number 8673795.

"Spectator count: 369?" Li Yuan's virtual avatar stood on the stage, holding a long spear, looking at the displayed spectator count and the densely packed virtual avatars in the stands.

Li Yuan frowned.

"Yuan, go get her! Beat Lin Lanyue!"

"Yuan, crush her!"

"Senior Year Class 2, Yuan is the best!"

"Lin Lanyue, beat Li Yuan!"

"Li Yuan looks so arrogant; he deserves a beating."

"I think he's quite handsome, more handsome than both of my boyfriends." Various voices echoed from the stands.

In the virtual world, people's behavior tended to be more unrestrained than in reality.

Li Yuan couldn't understand why an ordinary virtual duel had turned into such a spectacle.

But now, Li Yuan just felt that the high realism of the virtual network wasn't always a good thing.

"Li Yuan, get ready," Lin Lanyue stood on the other side of the stage, holding a long sword.

Her virtual appearance was very similar to her real appearance.

However, her long hair was now short and dyed red, giving her a wilder look.