Wang Hu suppressed the reluctance and regret in his heart. He understood the principal’s mind was made up and could only let out a small sigh before changing the subject:

"The procedure is simple. I’ve already prepared the application form. According to school regulations, the first-class scholarship can only be decided after the final overall rankings are announced. The process is complex, and the number of awards is fixed. With the semester about to end, I’m afraid it’s too late to apply for it, and we can’t make an exception."

"It’s fine." Huang Yuanting’s gaze returned to the screen, his expression softening slightly:

"I’ll grant him a special dispensation for this semester’s second-class scholarship, in the amount of ten thousand yuan. This money should solve his immediate problems and be enough to buy some basic Qi and Blood Potions. Notify him to get the paperwork done as soon as the assessment is over."

"Yes! Thank you, Principal Huang!" Wang Hu breathed a sigh of relief. Securing this money for Li Wen made all his efforts on the student’s behalf worthwhile.

...

The Virtual Arena.

Li Wen was completely unaware of the events unfolding in the outside world.

At this moment, Li Wen’s five senses were heightened to their absolute limit by [Absolute Focus].

He had blocked out all external interference, even his perception of time’s passage.

The arena was his universe; the green-robed man, his only enemy.

His world was reduced to cold calculations, perfect dodges, and precise control over every muscle fiber. ’How can I exert my strength to deflect more of the staff’s power? How can I swing my saber a fraction faster to parry? How can I twist my body at this impossible angle?’

Saber flashes and staff shadows blurred, fast as an interwoven storm of light.

The arena floor spiderwebbed with fine cracks from the force of their blows.

Each breath was a searing pain. Every block made his bones groan under the unbearable strain. His organs felt as if they’d been violently displaced. The web of his hand had long since torn open, dyeing the saber hilt red with blood.

But the fire in his eyes only burned brighter!

The minute-long stalemate felt like a century.

Under the extreme pressure of [Absolute Focus], Li Wen felt he was about to touch upon a deeper level of his saber technique. Many previously obscure aspects of the Rainbow Light Saber Skill suddenly became crystal clear.

However, there are limits to human endurance.

The chasm between their realms was not one that talent and willpower alone could easily bridge.

After dozens of high-intensity exchanges, his body’s fatigue finally surpassed the optimization and coordination limits of [Absolute Focus].

The green-robed man keenly perceived a minuscule error in his deflection!

A surge of hidden force, like water from a burst dam, rammed from the tip of the staff into Li Wen’s saber.

CLANG!

The immense force struck. The web of Li Wen’s hand ripped open completely, and the Standard Rapier was nearly knocked from his grasp. In that instant, his balance was broken!

In that split second, his old strength was spent and new strength had yet to form. His body experienced a fatal, thousandth-of-a-second delay!

That was enough! A baleful light flashed in the green-robed man’s eyes. His staff struck like a venomous dragon emerging from its cave—fast, ruthless, and precise!

In an instant, it became a straight line of death, carrying the power and speed of a master at the pinnacle of Minor Achievement, ignoring Li Wen’s final, futile attempt to block.

SHUK! The cold tip of the staff pierced Li Wen’s throat with perfect precision! Intense pain briefly submerged his consciousness as a white light of death devoured his vision.

Everything faded to nothingness.

「Reality. Virtual Room Three.」

"Ugh... HAAH—!" Inside the virtual pod, Li Wen’s eyes shot open, his chest heaving violently like a drowning man gasping for air.

The intense feeling of suffocation and the shadow of virtual death sent his heart hammering in his chest. A phantom pain of the piercing blow seemed to linger in his throat.

"Ssss..." The immense backlash from forcibly deactivating [Absolute Focus] struck him.

It was as if his soul had been ripped from its skeletal frame. An indescribable weakness and a violent, tearing sensation in his mind washed over him, more intense than ever before.

A needle-like pain pricking his brain made him grunt. His vision swam with black spots, and his body felt completely hollowed out, too limp to muster even a shred of strength. Even the simple act of lifting his hand to remove the helmet felt monumentally heavy.

But accompanying the pain was an unprecedented sense of fulfillment and... a pleasant surprise!

’A battle! A true, all-out, life-or-death struggle, fighting from a disadvantage! The gains were immense!’

He panted, fighting against the immense weakness and pain, as he pried off the helmet and the metal sensor clips from his hands and feet. He even swayed as he sat up.

’...My ranking should be secure,’ he thought, recalling the statistics he saw just before exiting the virtual world.

In his group, the second batch of examinees, only five people were still fighting.

Considering the first batch of examinees generally scored higher, this meant his "Martial Dao Skill Score" was solidly in the top six of his own group.

Adding the six from the first batch who had successfully defeated the yellow-robed man, there were only eleven people ahead of him in total.

There were still two more batches of students. Logically, each batch wouldn’t produce more than five top performers on average. His final overall rank had an excellent chance of breaking into the top thirty!

"Phew..." At this thought, Li Wen let out a long breath. Despite his terrible physical and mental state, an irrepressible smile touched his pale, sweat-slicked face.

After just over ten days of desperate training, he had leaped from the bottom of his class at the mid-term assessment to the school’s top tier—cracking the top thirty!

The speed of his progress could only be described as meteoric!

’I’ve completed my mid-term goal of getting into the top ten of the class.’ Achieving this short-term goal meant he would receive the sizable "Most Improved Award" and "Class Top Ten Award," enough to trade for three Level 1 Qi and Blood Potions!

’Next up... the Feixing Class!’ He clenched his fist, his gaze growing resolute once more.

His physical constitution was his weak point, but with resources and a clear goal, he was confident he could catch up during the break!

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Li Wen fought back immense fatigue and waves of nausea, struggling to his feet to push open the heavy door of the virtual pod.

The outside air rushed in, carrying with it a clamor of voices.

The moment he stepped out of the virtual room, as if activated by his thoughts:

[DING!]

The familiar and welcoming translucent virtual panel automatically unfolded before his eyes.

A notification promptly refreshed:

[You have engaged in a thrilling, limit-breaking battle against a higher-realm opponent. Your comprehension of the "Rainbow Light Saber Skill" has deepened significantly. Saber Skill Experience +20]

[Techniques: Saber Arts · Advanced (Complete), Saber Arts · Pinnacle (Entry 4→24/100)]

"Twenty-four points!" Li Wen’s pupils constricted. An immense joy instantly filled his heart, almost washing away his body’s extreme discomfort!

’One battle, a direct increase of 20 experience points! This effect is...’

But he quickly calmed down, his joy turning to contemplation. ’It can’t be this simple.’

He knew very well how difficult it was to improve. If one could gain this much experience from a single high-intensity virtual battle, then experts at the Unity Realm would be a dime a dozen.

The reality was that the vast majority of Martial Artists were stuck in the Martial Artist Realm their entire lives, unable to even touch the threshold of the Super Martial Artist level.

...

(PS: Hey friends... um... it’s the end of the month. Don’t let your monthly passes expire.)