With a thought, the strange state representing absolute focus instantly activated within his Sea of Consciousness.

HUMMM!

A profound and subtle change took place.

When [Absolute Focus] was activated, the power of the Primordial Spirit that had merged with his physical body seemed to instantly find the most efficient energy-saving mode.

Those operations that had required immense force to sustain—correcting the subtle nodes—became exceptionally easy and smooth.

It was like switching from "forcing it in manual" to "optimal autopilot."

The rate at which his Primordial Spirit’s power drained plummeted, decreasing by several times at least. The consumption went from a floodgate being opened to a gentle, steady stream.

Of course, his control over his physical body also decreased considerably. The boost to Li Wen’s power was now estimated to be only about twofold.

However, his control over his physical body still easily surpassed a state of one hundred percent control.

The power and speed of every slash remained at their peak.

"Brilliant!" Li Wen couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. "This feeling... is amazing!"

He lost himself in the moment, brandishing his long saber. His movements were simple and fluid, yet their power was breathtaking.

He savored the exhilarating sense of control as every ounce of power was perfectly transmitted through his body, finally erupting from the tip of his blade. It was as if he had become the most precise of war machines.

He was captivated, immersed in this wonderful feeling of immense power and absolute control.

A minute later, feeling that more than half of his Primordial Spirit’s power was depleted and sensing a faint trace of fatigue from the spot between his brows, Li Wen finally stopped.

Though he was tired, the light in his eyes shone brighter than ever before.

’A state of one hundred percent control... This is the foundation for entering the Realm of Power! The great power contained in that slash from Ling Feng... perhaps it’s not so far out of my reach after all!’ He clenched his fists.

...

After that night, Li Wen’s life fell into an extremely rigid routine, a straight line between three points:

Home, school, and the county’s central hospital.

At the crack of dawn, he would already be in the private Martial Arts Room, meticulously guiding the power of his Primordial Spirit to merge with his physical body while in his [Absolute Focus] state, focused on improving that all-important degree of bodily control. The gleam of his saber flowed, his qi and blood roared, and he made progress with every passing second.

During his morning academic classes, he was completely focused. His powerful Spiritual Power made his efficiency in absorbing the classroom knowledge astonishing.

In the afternoon, during the Flying Star Class training, Fang Chengwu’s explanations were always incisive, and the combat simulations relentlessly pushed every student to their limits.

Li Wen eagerly absorbed this nourishment, integrating his new insights into his own cultivation.

In the evenings, he would without fail appear at his father’s bedside. After his surgery, his father, Li Hong, was recovering well. The color had returned to his face, and the dullness in his eyes had been replaced by hope.

The time Li Wen spent with him was short, but the firm confidence and care he conveyed were the best medicine.

In the dead of night, the private Martial Arts Room was once again Li Wen’s battlefield.

Under the inner vision of his Primordial Spirit, the perfected Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill purely and efficiently transported every drop of absorbed energy to all parts of his body, nourishing his rapidly strengthening physique.

Time slipped by quietly, woven from diligence and sweat.

...

「In the blink of an eye, it was March 17th.」

Monday morning.

In the Flying Star Class’s academic classroom, the academic advisor walked to the podium, holding a grade report.

"The results for last week’s weekly test are out. Overall..."

The academic advisor’s gaze swept over the students below, finally landing on Li Wen with undisguised approval.

"A special commendation for Li Wen! In this weekly test, he once again received an ’Excellent’ rating in all six subjects! His total score is first in the class! Congratulations, Li Wen!"

A wave of enthusiastic applause erupted, mixed with gazes of envy and admiration. Li Wen nodded calmly, his heart completely serene.

’Academics, in his current plans, had long since become a mere tool for leveling up his [Scholar] profession.’

[Ding! Academic weekly test concluded!]

[Acquired: Comprehensive Subject Evaluation "Excellent" *6 → Experience +60 *6 = +360 points!]

[Acquired: Class Rank #1 → Experience +140 points!]

[Total Experience Gained: 500 points!]

As the notifications appeared in his mind, a warm spiritual current, far more turbulent than before, surged into his Sea of Consciousness!

[Profession: Scholar Lv 6 (2792/3200) → Scholar Lv 7 (92/6400)]

Along with the crystal-clear level-up notification, a spiritual torrent, several times more powerful than the one from leveling up to Lv 6, flooded into Li Wen’s Sea of Consciousness!

WHOOSH—

The void-like space of his Sea of Consciousness, located between his brows, felt as if it were being forcibly stretched and expanded by an unseen power.

The small, jade-like figurine seated at the center seemed to be bathed in a blessed rain, its form growing a full size larger at a visible rate.

The gentle light radiating from it grew more condensed and profound. The total amount of Spiritual Power it contained had more than doubled since before the level-up.

It sat there quietly, cross-legged, as if it had become the central celestial body of this mental universe. The power of the Primordial Spirit it emanated became vaster and more effortless to wield.

’The spiritual growth from leveling up is truly immense!’

Li Wen was both shocked and overjoyed. ’The amount of Spiritual Power gained with each level-up is probably equivalent to the sum of all previous levels combined! This is completely exponential growth! No wonder the higher a Scholar’s level, the more terrifyingly effective their assistance to cultivation becomes!’

After more than ten days of accumulation, his status panel quietly updated:

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 18]

[Realm: Unranked (Level 7.5 → 7.9)]

[Profession: Scholar Lv 7 (92/6400)]

[Skill: Blade Technique · Unity Realm (Control 75/100)]

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill (Perfected)]

The gains were enormous!

Scholar Lv 7, Primordial Spirit strengthened.

The explosion of Spiritual Power from the Scholar level-up directly nourished and strengthened the Primordial Spirit in his Sea of Consciousness.

This enhancement not only slightly expanded the range of his Divine Sense and improved its scanning precision, but more importantly, it significantly boosted his endurance when maintaining the fusion of his Primordial Spirit’s power with his physical body.

This provided a solid foundation for him to continue improving his degree of control.

Physical body leaped to Level 7.9!

With the efficient operation of the perfected Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill, a sufficient supply of Qi and Blood Potions, and the limit-optimizing cultivation under the dual buffs of his Primordial Spirit and [Absolute Focus], Li Wen’s body tempering speed remained as astonishing as it was at lower levels.

In just over ten days, his physical body’s level broke through several barriers, leaping from Level 7.5 to 7.9! He was only 2.1 levels away from the threshold of a true Martial Artist!

His strength, speed, reaction time, and durability all rose in tandem.

Control soared: 30% → 75%!

This was the most crucial area, and the one where Li Wen had invested the most effort.

Through his day-after-day of meticulous cultivation—fusing his Primordial Spirit’s power into his physical body—his control over every inch of his bodily tissues had advanced by leaps and bounds, soaring from an initial estimate of 30% to a staggering 75%!

With every slash and every exertion of force, he could call upon a greater proportion of his qi and blood. His movements became smoother and more flawless, and the loss of power during transmission was drastically reduced.

However, standing at the 75% control milestone, Li Wen could clearly feel it—the difficulty was increasing exponentially.

Previously, raising his control from 30% to 50% or 60% had been relatively easy.

But as his degree of control increased, the remaining 25% represented deeper, more stubborn muscle memory, more subtle nodes of qi and blood circulation, and more difficult-to-coordinate instinctive reactions.

Every single percentage point of improvement required several times more time and mental effort to hone, comprehend, and overcome than the last.

’The closer I get, the slower the rate of improvement,’ Li Wen thought, his brow slightly furrowed as he sensed the changes in his body. ’At this rate, even though it’s still far beyond what an ordinary person could imagine, to perfect the final 25% and achieve true one hundred percent control... it will probably take another month or so of meticulous, arduous training.’

He looked up, his gaze seeming to pierce through the solid walls of the Hongyi Building and into the distance.

The final countdown had begun for the first major mock exam, an event that would shake the entire province.

He could feel the power that had long been accumulating deep within his body growing more and more turbulent, surging in tandem with his soaring control and rising physical level.

His Unity Realm blade technique, paired with this increasingly perfect body of control, quietly awaited its moment to erupt with earth-shattering brilliance in that highly anticipated examination hall.