High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices-Chapter 122: Leaderboard Changes

「Meanwhile, in the Public Rest Area of the Star Martial Battle Network.」

Shen Wei had just withdrawn from the Star Beast Hunting Ground. As his consciousness returned to his personal space, he couldn’t suppress a look of exhilaration.

The Earth-Split Bear of the fourth stage did indeed have astonishing defense, but against his wild and domineering Seven Kills Saber, it was still no match.

He hadn’t adopted Xu Wuyi’s strategy of kiting and attrition. Instead, he launched a direct, frontal assault.

Relying on the intimidating power of his Seven Kills True Intention and the extreme lethality of his saber technique, he managed to hack down the tough-hided Earth-Split Bear in under five minutes!

His completion time was set at 4 minutes and 3 seconds.

This was a full minute and forty-five seconds faster than the previous first-place holder, Zhao Qingwei, whose time was 5 minutes and 48 seconds!

"Hmph, the fourth stage was nothing special!"

In high spirits, Shen Wei eagerly opened the leaderboard.

[New Student Challenge Leaderboard]

First Place: Shen Wei (Stages Cleared: 4)

Second Place: Zhao Qingwei (Stages Cleared: 4)

Third Place: Li Hao (Stages Cleared: 4)

Fourth Place: Xu Wuyi (Stages Cleared: 4)

...

"Hahaha! First place!"

Seeing his name high atop the leaderboard, Shen Wei couldn’t help but laugh out loud. The frustration from being bested by Xu Wuyi earlier seemed to vanish in an instant. ’Zhao Qingwei, Xu Wuyi, so what if you’re geniuses? When it comes to slaying Star Beasts in actual combat, my Seven Kills Saber is what truly shines!’

Zhao Qingwei specialized in the Fast Sword, and Xu Wuyi a defensive Spear Technique. Neither style excelled in raw killing power. When it came to clear speed, his Seven Kills Saber obviously had the greatest advantage.

With his hands on his hips, he stood on the bluestone floor of his personal space, repeatedly admiring the glittering gold letters of "First Place" on the leaderboard. The more he looked, the more satisfied he felt.

He even started to wonder if he should contact Xu Wuyi and ’casually’ share the ’good news.’

’Once everyone else arrives at the end of the month, who knows how long I’ll be able to keep this top spot. I need to make sure I enjoy it while I can...’ he thought smugly, already scheming how to "subtly" show off.

However, he had been basking in the joy of reaching the top for less than two minutes.

The leaderboard screen before him refreshed without any warning.

The smile on Shen Wei’s face froze. His eyes shot wide, as if he had just seen something impossible.

At the very top of the leaderboard, his entry, "First Place: Shen Wei (Stages Cleared: 4)," had been replaced by a new line of information:

[First Place: Xu Wuyi (Stages Cleared: 5)]

His own name, in turn, had slipped down to second place.

"Wha—?!" Shen Wei cried out, nearly biting his tongue in shock.

He rubbed his eyes hard and leaned closer to the screen, staring intently at the line of text.

[First Place: Xu Wuyi (Stages Cleared: 5)]

There was no mistaking it.

"Five... The fifth stage?!" Shen Wei felt his brain seizing up. "He... he cleared the fifth stage?! The one with the staff-wielding White Ape?!"

He’d tried the fifth stage himself, right after defeating the Earth-Split Bear.

That White Ape’s strength, speed, and Staff Technique were all freakishly powerful. He had lasted less than a minute before the ape’s elusive bone staff had him running for his life. He couldn’t even mount a proper counterattack before suffering a bitter defeat.

Granted, he had inflicted considerable damage on the White Ape, but its advantage over the Earth-Split Bear lay in its incredibly powerful Life Force.

Once the Earth-Split Bear’s defenses were breached, its injuries would severely hamper its performance, effectively weakening its combat effectiveness.

The White Ape, however, wouldn’t lose any force behind its staff strikes even if it were grievously wounded. It might even fly into a rage and become even more aggressive.

This meant there were no clever tricks to be used; it could only be defeated in a head-on clash.

Shen Wei had originally assumed that no one could pass the fifth stage at this point. He figured his first-place rank for clearing the fourth stage would hold at least until more geniuses arrived.

But reality dealt him a crushing blow.

Not only had Xu Wuyi passed it, but he had done so right after Shen Wei had claimed the top spot—before his seat was even warm. With what felt like a completely crushing display, Xu Wuyi cleared the fifth stage and ruthlessly kicked him back down.

Shen Wei stared at Xu Wuyi’s name on the screen, mouth agape, unable to speak for a long time.

His earlier smug satisfaction and his carefully conceived plans to ’subtly’ show off had all evaporated, leaving only utter astonishment and a feeling of not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He recalled his earlier spar with Xu Wuyi: the man’s bizarre Spear Technique that could interfere with one’s Heart and Spirit, and his ridiculously powerful Qi and Blood foundation.

"This guy... He’s a real monster!"

After a long while, Shen Wei finally muttered to himself. His expression was complicated, filled with both the bitterness of being surpassed and a strange sense of relief, as if he had expected it all along.

’Being born in the same era as a guy like him is both a curse and a blessing.’

’It’s a curse because there’s always a mountain looming over you. It’s a blessing because with a mountain like that up ahead, you don’t dare to slack off for even a second. You have to push yourself to the absolute limit just to keep up.’

Shen Wei took a deep breath, the fighting spirit in his eyes rekindling.

"The fifth stage, is it... Fine! Xu Wuyi, you just wait! Once I’ve made another breakthrough with my Seven Kills Saber, we’ll see how I chop down that White Ape too!"

He didn’t linger any longer and logged out of the Star Martial Battle Network.

The Virtual Pod opened, and he sat up. The dumbfounded, vacant look on his face was gone, replaced by an intense desire to train.

...

「Hidden Dragon Garden, Villa 9.」

Unlike Xu Wuyi’s residence, the interior of Villa 9 had a softer style, clearly having been meticulously arranged by its owner.

The living room was spacious and bright. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, a small, exquisite courtyard was visible. Several unidentifiable, rare flowers bloomed leisurely under a climate-control system.

Two young women were sitting on a plush sofa.

One of them wore the freshman uniform of Star Martial University, yet the simple attire couldn’t conceal her exceptional aura.

Her jet-black hair was tied simply behind her head, revealing a smooth forehead. Her features were cool and aloof. She was none other than Zhao Qingwei, who had previously held the top spot on the New Student Challenge Leaderboard.

The young woman sitting across from her, Jiang Qin, was the same age but had a much livelier disposition. She was currently cupping a hot drink, chattering away.

"Qingwei, I still don’t get it. With your qualifications, why did you pick Star Martial in the end? Didn’t the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy send a special enrollment offer right to your house?"

Jiang Qin blinked, her tone laced with confusion.

They both hailed from the Capital, Xingjing, came from similar family backgrounds, and had known each other since childhood.

In Jiang Qin’s opinion, the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy seemed like a more fitting place for Zhao Qingwei. After all, given their family backgrounds, it wasn’t as if they were lacking in basic resources.

In fact, accessing cutting-edge equipment would have undoubtedly been more convenient at the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy.

Zhao Qingwei lifted the glass of water in front of her and took a delicate sip.

She gazed at the man-made stream in the courtyard outside the window. "To me, the difference between universities isn’t significant. Ultimately, progress in the Martial Arts depends on the individual."

"As for the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy..." She paused, a flicker of anticipation in her eyes. "I received word that a new professor is joining Star Martial University next semester. His research in certain domains is something I am very keen to learn from."