High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices-Chapter 148: Astonishing Energy Level

"Golden Jade Skills?" Shen Wei had apparently never heard of it.

"It’s a rare form of Superior Martial Arts that cultivates both internally and externally. Even among B-level Martial Arts, it’s considered top-tier," Xu Zhi explained, his tone grave.

"It’s said to originate from the ancient Buddhist Sect’s concept of a Golden Body, but it also incorporates the Daoist School’s Jade Marrow Nourishing Way. Once mastered, the body becomes like precious gold and jade, granting astonishing defensive power and boosting the user’s Life Energy Level."

"That’s because the essence of the Golden Jade Skills isn’t Horizontal Martial Arts Training, but a form of Inner Cultivation."

"It directly tempers a Martial Artist’s bones, refining their Martial Bone to be like gold and jade—indestructible. And with powerful bones, the Qi and Blood they generate will naturally be powerful as well."

He looked at Xu Wuyi and said seriously, "Old Xu, if Luo Liang is really practicing the Golden Jade Skills, you have to be careful. At this stage of development, that technique is practically what you’d call an ’Absolute Defense.’"

"Unless you possess an offensive technique of the same caliber or have mastered some form of Penetrating Power, it will be incredibly difficult to break through his defense."

A brief silence fell over the communication channel.

The appearance of a martial art like the Golden Jade Skills was beyond their expectations.

His powerful defense, coupled with his impressive Life Energy Level, made Luo Liang seem virtually invincible.

Faced with everyone’s worried gazes, Xu Wuyi showed no trace of nervousness or fear. Instead, he smiled and said,

"Once you’re in university, everyone gets exposed to more High-tier Martial Arts and has a better chance to discover their own talents. It’s good to see so many skilled people emerging."

A glimmer of battle lust appeared in his eyes. "I just hope we see more and more cases like Luo Liang’s in the future."

Shen Wei’s eyes widened. "Don’t jinx it! It’s easy for you to be so magnanimous, but I can’t stand the thought of being surrounded by geniuses!"

Xu Zhi and the others felt the same way.

The more powerful people you have around you, the faster you improve.

Everyone understood the logic, but they were young, after all. Who could calmly accept being effortlessly surpassed by one stranger after another?

Xu Wuyi didn’t explain, simply saying, "No martial art is invincible. The Golden Jade Skills must have its limits. Just because Li Hao couldn’t break his defense doesn’t mean no one can."

"I’ll take this fight."

"Oh? You’re confident you can win?" The others were suddenly intrigued.

Xu Wuyi shook his head slightly. He wasn’t some prophet who could see the future; he’d only know for sure after they fought.

However, he did already have a preliminary plan for how to deal with the Golden Jade Skills.

...

Xu Wuyi’s public acceptance in the sparring section of the intranet was just a single, concise word: "Accepted."

This instantly brought the already heated discussion to a fever pitch.

"Xu Wuyi accepted the challenge!"

"So soon? I thought he’d take a few days to think it over!"

"Now we’ve got a real show to watch! Will Luo Liang’s defense prove invincible, or will Xu Wuyi come out on top?"

"The betting’s open, the betting’s open! Bet on the winner, bet on the loser, bet on how many seconds it’ll last!"

All sorts of posts flooded the intranet forums as nearly every freshman’s attention was captured by this sudden top-tier duel.

The time was set for noon the next day, at the number one main arena in the Battle Network’s public competitive zone.

For public challenges of this nature, as long as both parties agreed, the system would automatically generate a match room and grant spectator access.

...

Shortly before twelve noon the next day, the virtual spectator stands of the number one main arena were already a sea of people. Over half of the freshmen class was present, and the roaring din threatened to tear the roof off the virtual stadium.

Shen Wei, Yu Peiling, Xu Zhi, and Zeng Bonan had snagged front-row seats early on, their expressions a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.

After all, the Golden Jade Skills and 18.9 Life Energy Level that Luo Liang had displayed were incredibly intimidating.

"Look over there!" Yu Peiling suddenly indicated with a glance to the area ahead and to their side.

The group followed her gaze and saw Qin Rui sitting alone in that section, arms crossed. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s, a clear sign of his intense interest in the coming duel.

Not far from him, Zhao Qingwei was also sitting quietly, her best friend Jiang Qin at her side.

"Even they showed up..." Xu Zhi murmured. "Looks like everyone wants to gauge Xu Wuyi’s true strength."

Just then, a white light flashed on the arena. Luo Liang, dressed in sharp training gear and wearing an arrogant expression, landed in the center of the stage.

He had clearly prepared for this moment. With a proud posture, his gaze swept over the roaring crowd before finally landing on Zhao Qingwei. He flashed what he thought was a charming smile and even gave a little wave.

Zhao Qingwei’s brow furrowed instantly. Her expression visibly soured, and she immediately turned her head away, ignoring his "warm" gesture.

A few stifled chuckles could be heard from the crowd, causing the smile on Luo Liang’s face to freeze for a second. He sheepishly lowered his hand.

He took a deep breath, refocused his attention on the arena, and waited for his opponent to arrive.

At twelve o’clock sharp, the entrance on the opposite side flashed with light, and Xu Wuyi’s figure appeared right on time.

He was dressed in a simple black training uniform as usual, his expression placid as he walked toward the arena with a steady gait.

However, the moment he set foot on the arena floor, the massive light screen hanging above the stage refreshed to display his basic information.

[Name: Xu Wuyi]

[Life Energy Level: 19.9]

[Affiliation: Star Martial University - East Courtyard]

"WHOOM—!"

The entire spectator section fell deathly silent for an instant, before erupting with a roar more explosive than anything that had come before!

"19.9?! Are you kidding me!"

"Isn’t Qin Rui only at 19? And I heard he used at least ten Blood Circulation Potions to get there. But Xu Wuyi..."

"Isn’t he from a commoner family? How did he train to get that high?"

"A monster! A real monster has appeared!!"

Cries of alarm, doubt, and admiration blended together, the noise nearly overwhelming the virtual stadium’s sound barriers.

Shen Wei slapped his thigh and burst out laughing. "I knew it! Xu Wuyi was definitely holding back! 19.9! A Half-Step Martial Artist! That brat Luo Liang must be stunned speechless!"

Yu Peiling and the others were also in shock. Though they knew Xu Wuyi improved at a divine speed, they had no idea what his specific Energy Level was.

In their usual spars, everyone would fix their Energy Levels to be the same. Xu Wuyi would even deliberately lower his at times to prevent the gap from being too wide for a proper match.

But this Energy Level, just a single step shy of an official Martial Artist, was still far beyond what they had anticipated.

On the arena stage, the arrogance on Luo Liang’s face instantly crumbled. He stared intently at the number on the light screen, almost believing he was hallucinating.

’19.9?’

’How is that possible!’ 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

He had given it his all, relying on his family’s resources and the unique properties of the Golden Jade Skills, just to barely reach 18.9. He’d thought that would be enough to crush most of the top freshmen and solidify his position in the highest tier.

But Xu Wuyi’s 19.9 felt like a basin of ice water being dumped over his head, plunging him into a bone-chilling despair.

After all, part of the reason he had defeated Li Hao was his advantage in Life Energy Level. Now, that very advantage had been turned into a disadvantage.

"Prepare for battle!" The system’s cold, mechanical prompt rang out.

Luo Liang reacted almost reflexively, letting out a sharp grunt as the Qi and Blood in his body began to circulate madly!