High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices-Chapter 123: Zhao Qingwei’s Goal

Jiang Qin leaned in curiously. "A new professor? Who is it?"

Zhao Qingwei shook her head slightly. "I can’t reveal the name just yet; it was news from my family. He was previously affiliated with the Federation Science Academy and rarely takes on students directly. If I’m fortunate enough to become his disciple, it might help me break through some of my future bottlenecks."

She cultivated the *Flowing Shadow Sword*, also a B-level Martial Art, which followed a path of extreme speed and precision, but it wasn’t a family inheritance.

Still, on the path of the Fast Sword, there were many seniors worth learning from, and her current situation was a perfect example of that.

As long as she could become a familiar face to him, even if she ultimately failed to become his disciple, as a student of Star Martial University, she wouldn’t be completely turned away if she asked a few questions.

Jiang Qin nodded, though she didn’t seem to fully understand. She knew Zhao Qingwei had strong opinions when it came to Martial Arts, so she didn’t press the matter.

Instead, she opened her personal terminal, projecting the interface for the Star Martial Battle Network.

"Let’s not talk about that. Quick, look at the rankings! Someone passed you!" Jiang Qin pointed at the light screen, her tone indignant on her friend’s behalf. "It’s this Shen Wei. He came out of nowhere, and his clear time is over a minute faster than yours!"

On the light screen, Shen Wei’s name was displayed prominently in first place.

Zhao Qingwei glanced at it, her expression unchanging, as if she weren’t the one who had been surpassed.

"It’s just a time record," Zhao Qingwei said lightly. "The Earth-Split Bear in the fourth stage... as long as you find the right method and fight it a few times, it’s not hard to set a new record. I can’t be bothered with this right now. I’m busy trying to break through the fifth stage."

At the mention of the fifth stage, her brow furrowed slightly, and a rare look of frustration appeared on her face.

"The fifth stage? You mean that White Ape with the staff?" Jiang Qin asked. She had only just passed the third stage herself and had only heard rumors about the fifth.

"Yes, the Mountain-Splitting White Ape." Zhao Qingwei nodded, a hint of resignation in her voice. "This White Ape is harder to deal with than all the previous Star Beasts."

She recalled her previous attempts, her expression growing grave. "The Star Beasts in the first few stages all have clear specializations. The Star-Spotted Wolf is fast but has weak defense, the Iron-Spine Lizard has strong defense but is slow, the Poison Fang Bats rely on venom and numbers to win, and the Earth-Split Bear has immense strength but is slow to turn."

"To defeat them, you just need to use your Martial Arts to target their weaknesses, and you can pass with relative ease," Zhao Qingwei said. "For example, against the Iron-Spine Lizard, you just use a Fast Sword to attack the weak spot on its abdomen. Against the Poison Fang Bats, you can use a Spiritual Technique to stun them and break their formation."

"Of course, that’s my method. Others surely have different ways to target these weaknesses."

"But this Mountain-Splitting White Ape is different." Her voice grew heavy. "Its strength rivals the Earth-Split Bear’s, its speed surpasses the Star-Spotted Wolf’s, and its defense is astounding. It also has a Qi and Blood Barrier, so normal attacks can’t even break its defense."

"What’s worse, its Recovery Power is also very strong; shallow wounds heal quickly. And it uses a long staff... With its immense power and speed, it has almost no openings."

Jiang Qin was left speechless. "That’s insane! Doesn’t that mean there are no tricks you can use?"

"No tricks." Zhao Qingwei shook her head, her tone firm. "It’s too well-rounded. Whether I try to wear it down with hit-and-run tactics or attack it head-on, nothing seems to work."

"I’ve tried four times. Each time, I’d use up over half my Qi and Blood without dealing it any fatal damage before it sent me flying with its staff."

The *Flowing Shadow Sword* she practiced was all about speed, relying on quickness and difficult angles to win.

But against the Mountain-Splitting White Ape, her speed advantage was greatly diminished. The White Ape wasn’t slow either, and the occasional sword strikes she landed only caused negligible damage.

And while her sword was sharp, breaking through the White Ape’s defense required a massive amount of Qi and Blood. Over time, she was the one who ended up being worn down by the ape.

"So, what are you going to do?" Jiang Qin asked with concern.

"What else can I do? I can only meet it head-on." Zhao Qingwei’s eyes narrowed, a stubborn glint in them. "I’m already adjusting my Sword Techniques, trying to incorporate more explosive power into my fast attacks to break its defense in a single strike."

"But that will take time to perfect. I’ve been practicing it for the past few days."

’She had originally thought that with her talent and mastery of the *Flowing Shadow Sword*, she could clear the fifth stage in a week at most.’

But now, it seemed it wouldn’t be that easy.

Jiang Qin nodded and didn’t say any more. She picked up her terminal and looked at it again, muttering, "This Shen Wei is pretty amazing, too. Clearing the fourth stage in 4 minutes and 3 seconds... that’s so much faster than you. I wonder how he did it..."

Just as she finished speaking, the terminal’s screen flickered, and the leaderboard automatically refreshed.

Jiang Qin’s gaze subconsciously fell on the screen. The next second, her eyes shot wide open, her expression froze, and she let out a sudden cry, "Qingwei! Quick, look!"

Her voice was so loud that it made the nearby potted plant tremble.

Zhao Qingwei jumped, startled. "What is it? Why are you making such a big fuss?"

"No! Quick, look at the leaderboard!" Jiang Qin excitedly grabbed Zhao Qingwei’s arm and shoved the terminal in front of her face. "Xu Wuyi... that Xu Wuyi, he’s cleared the fifth stage!"

"What?" Zhao Qingwei’s pupils contracted violently, her calm facade instantly shattering. She instinctively leaned closer to the terminal screen, her eyes locked on the top of the leaderboard.

[Freshman Challenge Leaderboard]

First Place: Xu Wuyi (Stages Cleared: 5)

Second Place: Shen Wei (Stages Cleared: 4)

Third Place: Zhao Qingwei (Stages Cleared: 4)

Fourth Place: Li Hao (Stages Cleared: 4)

...

The lines of text came into sharp focus. At the very top of the list was Xu Wuyi’s name, and in the "Stages Cleared" column, the number "5" was shining brightly!

Zhao Qingwei’s breath caught in her throat. She stared at the "5" in disbelief, even subconsciously rubbing her eyes, thinking she must have misread it.

"This... How is this possible?" Her voice held a faint, almost imperceptible tremor. It was one of the few times in her life she had lost her composure.

She knew better than anyone just how difficult the Mountain-Splitting White Ape was to deal with.

She had practiced the *Flowing Shadow Sword* for so many years, possessed considerable talent, and had access to top-tier resources, yet she was still completely stumped by the White Ape, failing to clear the stage even after four attempts.

"Xu Wuyi?" She murmured the name, as if searching for information in her memory. "The top scorer from Dongjiang Province?"

She had a vague impression of him. He seemed to be a dark horse this year, but in the information circles she moved in, he hadn’t received much attention.

After all, the Federation was vast. New provincial top scorers emerged every year, but very few of them ultimately reached the apex.

Besides, when it came to Martial Arts heritage and resources, these provincial top scorers—with the exception of those from a few specific states and provinces—definitely couldn’t compare to her.

’So how did Xu Wuyi clear the fifth stage?’

After a moment of silence, Zhao Qingwei stood up and walked toward the villa’s built-in training room.

"Where are you going?" Jiang Qin called after her.

"To train." Zhao Qingwei’s voice was firm, and she didn’t look back. "If someone else can do it, then so can I."

She was going to the Battle Network to face that Mountain-Splitting White Ape again.