"Please," Xu Wuyi said, holding his spear in one hand with the tip angled toward the ground.

He had no intention of striking first.

Song Xingxian took a deep breath, and the Qi and Blood throughout his body surged.

A faint blue, star-like glow emerged from his body, seeming to resonate with the longsword in his hand—this was a phenomenon that occurred when one cultivated the Song Family’s Galaxy Sword Manual to a certain level.

"Starfall!"

He let out a low cry and charged forward. His longsword left its sheath completely, its gleam like a meteor crashing to earth as it thrust toward Xu Wuyi’s heart with unstoppable momentum.

This sword strike was fast, precise, and ruthless, its Sword Momentum infused with the Mental Realm of ’Star Fall.’ Before the sword even arrived, a heavy, oppressive feeling had already enveloped the arena.

In the spectator seats, many knowledgeable audience members held their breath.

"Song Xingxian’s Galaxy Sword Manual has improved again!" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"An ordinary level 34 Martial Artist would have a hard time taking that strike."

"Let’s see how Xu Wuyi handles it..."

Xu Wuyi stood his ground, his gaze calm as he watched the rapidly enlarging gleam of the sword.

In his Spiritual Perception, the trajectory of the strike was perfectly clear. The "Star Fall" Mental Realm contained within the Sword Momentum was like a heavy meteor crashing down—it did indeed possess some power.

But that was all.

’The Mental Realm lacks depth, and the integration of his Spirit with the Sword Technique is still a bit awkward.’

’A sword strike like this, I could have handled it easily even before training under Flame Venerable. And now...’

The spear moved.

There were no fancy moves, no gathering of power, just a simple, direct thrust.

The dark red spear tip, though moving second, arrived first, striking the side of the sword’s tip with absolute precision.

TING—

A crisp collision rang out.

Song Xingxian felt that the force transmitted through his sword wasn’t particularly immense, but the angle was incredibly tricky, perfectly disrupting the focal point of his Sword Momentum.

What was even more terrifying was a scorching hot and brilliantly righteous Spiritual Will that traveled up the blade and instantly slammed into his sea of consciousness.

He felt as if he were seeing a great sun rise, its light immeasurable. Before this great sun, the "Star Fall" Mental Realm within his Sword Momentum was as faint and insignificant as a firefly’s glow.

His Sword Momentum crumbled.

Song Xingxian let out a muffled grunt and retreated three steps, his face pale.

The hand gripping his sword trembled slightly, not from a lack of strength, but from being crushed on a spiritual level.

"Your Swordsmanship is decent," Xu Wuyi said, retracting his spear. "But your spiritual attainment is insufficient, and your Mental Realm is superficial. If you can’t delve deeper, you will never reach the top."

The words were blunt, but Song Xingxian couldn’t refute them. The Spirit Shock he had just experienced had shown him the gap between them with painful clarity.

He gave a bitter smile and sheathed his sword. "I’ve been taught a lesson. I concede."

[Victory! Points +1.]

Xu Wuyi’s thirtieth consecutive victory.

The spectator channel erupted.

"One strike! Another one-strike win!"

"But Song Xingxian is one of this year’s top students at the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy! He couldn’t even withstand a single strike?"

"What did Xu Wuyi just say? Insufficient spiritual attainment? Just how strong is he?"

"A monster... a true monster..."

Xu Wuyi paid no mind to these discussions. He left the arena, returned to the preparation room, and waited for his next match.

A few minutes later, the light and shadows shifted again.

He was slightly taken aback by his next opponent.

Dressed in a black, form-fitting combat suit, with a slender build and an aura as cold as a blade, it was none other than Li Hao.

[Opponent: Li Hao]

[Affiliation: Star Martial University]

[Life Energy Level: 32.8]

Li Hao clearly hadn’t expected to be matched with Xu Wuyi so soon either.

His eyes were as sharp as ever, his twin blades already in hand, showing no intention of backing down.

"Xu Wuyi," he said briefly, by way of greeting.

"Li Hao." Xu Wuyi nodded.

The two attended the same university and had even carried out missions on the same team. While not close friends, they were familiar with each other.

Xu Wuyi didn’t finish him in an instant as he had with his other opponents.

He wanted to see how much Li Hao had improved over the past year or so.

"Please." Before Li Hao’s voice had even faded, his figure vanished like a phantom.

The next instant, he appeared to Xu Wuyi’s left, his twin blades slashing out in a cross. The gleam of the blades was chilling as they aimed for his waist and ribs.

The attack was silent and incredibly fast—precisely the kind of assassination tactic Li Hao excelled at.

Xu Wuyi shifted his feet slightly and swept his spear horizontally.

CLANG! CLANG!

The spear’s shaft precisely parried the twin blades.

Li Hao used the force of the impact to fly back. His figure blurred again, reappearing on the right. The gleam of his blade was like a viper striking, thrusting toward the back of Xu Wuyi’s neck.

Without even turning his head, Xu Wuyi thrust his spear out with a backhand motion.

The tips of the spear and blade collided, sending sparks flying.

Li Hao was forced back again, but the fighting spirit in his eyes only grew stronger. His figure continuously flickered across the arena, launching attacks from every angle.

Fast, deceptive, and dangerous.

Li Hao pushed the essence of assassination to its limits. Every strike was lethal, and combined with his uncanny Body Technique, an ordinary Martial Artist would have long been thrown into a panic.

But Xu Wuyi remained in the same spot, the range of his footwork never exceeding three feet.

The spear in his hand seemed to have a life of its own. Whether he was thrusting, sweeping, or parrying, he precisely intercepted Li Hao’s every attack.

After thirty exchanges, Li Hao’s breathing started to become ragged.

The high-intensity bursts of speed and evasion were taking a heavy toll on him.

Xu Wuyi, however, was still calm and composed, as if the exchange had just been a warm-up.

"Your Body Technique and blade skills are well-integrated," Xu Wuyi suddenly said. "But you focus too much on speed and trickery, and you lack a grand, upright foundation. Against an opponent with truly powerful Spirit, your Illusions will have nowhere to hide."

As his voice fell, a faint golden light flashed in his eyes.

Li Hao was just about to dodge again when he suddenly felt the air around him congeal, and his movements slowed by half a beat.

What was even more terrifying was that even though he had clearly used his Body Technique to create three Illusions, they dissipated like bubbles under Xu Wuyi’s gaze.

His true body was completely exposed.

The spear’s tip, at some unknown moment, had come to rest three inches from his throat.

Li Hao froze and slowly retracted his twin blades.

He was silent for a moment before saying in a low voice, "I’ve been taught a lesson."

[Victory! Points +1.]

Before Li Hao’s figure dissipated, he gave Xu Wuyi a deep, long look.

In his thirty-second match, Xu Wuyi met Tana.

[Opponent: Tana]

[Affiliation: Star Martial University]

[Life Energy Level: 33.1]

"Haha! It’s finally my turn!" Tana grinned excitedly, hoisting her signature jet-black Heavy Hammer over her shoulder and revealing two canine teeth. "Xu Wuyi, let me see the results of your special training!"

"Alright," Xu Wuyi said with a smile.

Tana had a straightforward personality, and her fighting style was similarly grand and sweeping.

She wasted no more words, swinging her Heavy Hammer and charging forward like a whirlwind.

The Heavy Hammer crashed down with a terrifying gust of wind—simple, brutal, and brimming with power.

Xu Wuyi didn’t meet it head-on, instead sidestepping lightly to avoid the blow.

The Heavy Hammer smashed into the arena floor, the alloy plates denting slightly, a testament to its immense power.

Her first strike having missed, Tana didn’t pause for a moment. She swept the Heavy Hammer horizontally, the air whistling around it.

Her offensive was like a sudden storm, one hammer strike after another, her momentum growing stronger and stronger as if she intended to smash the entire arena to pieces.

Xu Wuyi weaved through the shadows of the hammer, his Step Technique unhurried.

He carefully observed Tana’s Techniques, noticing that while her Hammer Technique was fierce and powerful, her control over her strength was not refined enough. Many of her moves were overextended, resulting in a slightly longer gap for Replenishing Qi.