Slowly, the basic movements began to speed up, the moves flowing into the patterns of the Shocking God Spear.

The surging of his Qi and Blood gradually intensified, and his focus of Spiritual Power grew ever sharper.

The wind from his spear began to howl within the Cultivation Room as black afterimages of the weapon crisscrossed through the air.

Xu Wuyi was completely immersed, trying again and again to reproduce the epiphany from his mind.

Sometimes it was smooth, other times it was sluggish.

Whenever he felt sluggish, he would stop, furrow his brow in thought, and adjust the minute angles of his Qi and Blood transport or change how he applied his Spiritual Will.

Sweat soon drenched his training clothes. Veins throbbed at his temples, and a familiar, pulsing ache spread through his sea of consciousness—a sign of his rapidly depleting Spiritual Power.

But he paid it no mind, his entire Heart and Spirit focused on the long spear in his hand.

Time slipped by in his state of deep concentration.

Outside, the sky gradually darkened. Anna silently adjusted the lighting in the Cultivation Room, and a soft, cool light bathed the space.

After countless repetitions, inspiration suddenly struck Xu Wuyi.

The next time he executed a straight thrust, just as his Spiritual Will flared and he tried to trigger an eruption of Qi and Blood, he no longer consciously tried to "fuse" them.

Instead, he naturally "infused" this one thrust with his own understanding of the "Mountain" Intention’s defense and the "Inferno" Intention’s eruption, along with the resolute, indomitable will he felt in battle.

The spear was still the same Meteor Iron Long Spear, and the thrusting motion was nearly identical to all the ones before.

But the feeling... it was completely different!

An intangible "momentum" suddenly formed as the spear tip shot forward!

It wasn’t the simple pressure of Qi and Blood, nor was it the stagnating sensation of the Soul Suppressing Domain. It was a more condensed, sharper, and fiercer intention—one that felt as if it could pierce the very boundary between the spiritual and material worlds!

At the tip of the spear, a nearly imperceptible speck of dark gold light flashed and vanished.

It wasn’t the Undying Flame being actively triggered. Rather, his highly condensed Spiritual Will had drawn out the trace of "Inferno" True Intention from deep within his Qi and Blood, allowing its sharpness to manifest naturally!

"TSS!"

The long spear struck the specially made alloy mannequin, letting out a short, sharp, piercing sound.

There was no large dent or crack on the mannequin’s chest—only a tiny hole with an incredibly smooth edge!

The alloy around the hole had taken on a dull, dark luster, as if it had been instantly seared by extreme heat and then rapidly cooled.

Upon closer inspection, countless web-like micro-fractures radiated outward for about an inch before abruptly stopping.

’This is an extremely concentrated piercing force!’

Xu Wuyi held his thrusting stance and slowly exhaled a long breath. The air he expelled was so hot that it left a faint white trail in the air.

He’d done it.

A sense of natural accomplishment and profound understanding washed over him.

The intangible barrier that had stymied him for nearly a month had silently shattered.

In his mind, the panel for the Martial Arts Diligence Record silently updated:

[Martial Art: Shocking God Spear]

[Current Realm: Entry Level (0.4%)]

[Martial Arts Trait: Thrust (Basic Level)]

[Evaluation: Spiritual Intention is newly formed. A thrust to shock the soul.]

’The Shocking God Spear... I’ve finally reached the Entry Level!’

Xu Wuyi withdrew his spear and stood tall. He felt the depletion of his Qi and Blood, but a slight smile touched his lips.

The higher the tier of a martial art, the more crucial personal understanding became. In fact, it might even be the most important part.

Ten people practicing ten different Basic Fist Techniques might all end up with similar results. But if those same ten people practiced the same High-tier Martial Art, the results could be ten completely different styles.

The Shocking God Spear was no exception. From the very moment he reached the Entry Level, Xu Wuyi had already developed something uniquely his own.

Or perhaps, it was precisely because of this that he was able to reach the Entry Level at all.

’Thrust...’

In the Martial Arts Trait column, there was only the single, simple word "Thrust." Even when Xu Wuyi focused his consciousness on it, no further information appeared.

However, as Xu Wuyi recalled his recent epiphany, he had a hunch that this trait was related to his personal comprehension.

...

「Tuesday morning. Star Martial Battle Network, Teacher Han’s personal space.」

Xu Wuyi’s consciousness projection materialized and pushed open the familiar door to the meeting room.

The lighting inside was soft and the furnishings were unchanged, but the main seat where Teacher Han usually sat was empty. On the coffee table, however, steam was still rising from two cups of virtual green tea.

’Looks like Teacher Han hasn’t arrived yet.’

His gaze shifted to the side, and just as he expected, he saw a figure in daffodil-yellow standing by the window. Her back was to the door as she seemed to be watching the virtual river of stars flow by outside.

Hearing the door open, the figure spun around, her ponytail whipping through the air in a neat arc. It was Qiao Zhiyao.

She was wearing the same daffodil-yellow training clothes as before, which made her skin seem even fairer and her large eyes sparkle.

A smile immediately bloomed on her face when she saw Xu Wuyi, but it held a hint of mischievous eagerness.

"Senior Brother Xu, you’re here!" Qiao Zhiyao’s voice was bright as she approached with light steps. "Teacher Han seems to have been caught up in something. He told us to wait for a little while."

"Okay." Xu Wuyi nodded and walked to his usual spot, preparing to sit and regulate his breathing.

However, just as he reached the chair and before he could turn, he heard the faint sound of something cutting through the air behind him!

There was no killing intent, but the attack was sudden, aimed straight for his back!

Xu Wuyi didn’t even turn his head. His combat instincts, honed by long periods in perilous environments, had his body sidestepping on pure reflex.

"WHOOSH!"

A fair, delicate-looking fist, yet carrying considerable force, grazed past his side. The Fist Momentum was enough to lift the hem of his training clothes.

Xu Wuyi finally turned around completely. He looked at Qiao Zhiyao, who, far from being discouraged by her missed punch, had eyes that were shining even brighter. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"Junior Sister Qiao, what was that...?"

"A spar! Please give me some pointers, Senior Brother Xu!" Qiao Zhiyao answered, bold and justified.

Her footwork was nimble. It was clearly the Basic Step Technique from the Basic Body Refining Technique. Though not a High Tier technique, she used it with considerable proficiency.

"Just listening to Teacher Han’s lectures and watching you train isn’t enough, Senior Brother. It always feels like I’m missing something. I’ve improved a lot recently, so watch out!" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Without waiting for his reply, she gave a sharp cry and rushed forward again.

This time, she unleashed a fluid combination of fists and palms. The hard work she’d put in was evident in the smooth transitions between her moves. Her Qi and Blood Transport fueled her Fist Momentum, which faintly thundered like wind and lightning. She already possessed the might of a Martial Artist approaching Level 20.

Xu Wuyi could see it clearly: Qiao Zhiyao’s Life Energy Level had indeed surpassed 19 and was steadily approaching the Level 20 threshold.

Such a rate of progress would absolutely place her among the very top tier of freshmen at Star Martial University.

The talent and resources of the Qiao Family’s direct lineage were beginning to truly show their might now that she had found the right path.

Faced with this sudden invitation to spar, Xu Wuyi simply shook his head slightly. He wasn’t displeased in the least; in fact, he found it rather amusing.

He had just returned from the perilous Celestial Spirit Star Realm, and the tension from it hadn’t fully subsided. A playful spar like this with Qiao Zhiyao was actually a strange, yet welcome, change of pace.