High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices-Chapter 42: Waiting for Rice for the Pot

The students watching from the sidelines held their breath, their gazes fixed on the match.

Zeng Bonan’s brow was tightly furrowed. He could see that Xu Wuyi’s defense was already exceptional. If it were him, he probably would have been defeated long ago under Teacher Wang’s assault.

Hu Haobo was sweating just watching. He felt that Xu Wuyi’s occasional explosive counter-attacks were actually quite formidable, yet they couldn’t even touch the hem of Teacher Wang’s clothes.

If he went up there himself, not only would his attacks be useless, but his sloppy defense would get him subdued in an instant.

Liu Jing stared intently at the center of the training ground. She felt that no matter what she did, she wouldn’t last a minute.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Xu Wuyi’s breathing grew heavy; his stamina was hitting rock bottom.

The intense focus was a massive drain on his stamina and Heart and Spirit. He felt the spear in his hands grow heavier and heavier, his footwork no longer as nimble as it was at the start.

Wang Wenhai, however, still looked completely at ease. The glint of his saber remained a dense web, his steps as elusive as ever.

He even had the leisure to speak. "Do you feel it? Your defense is too passive. You lack the ability to actively change the rhythm."

Before his voice had faded, the light from his saber shifted again!

This time, Wang Wenhai’s speed suddenly jumped a level. His figure flickered like an Illusion, launching a rapid assault from three different directions at once!

Xu Wuyi gritted his teeth. He spun his long spear like a wheel, executing [Back Wind Sweep] to its absolute limit. A dense flurry of crisp CLANGS rang out as he barely managed to block the entire offensive.

But while he could block the saber, he couldn’t block the immense concussive force that came with it.

The moment he blocked the final saber strike, his Qi and Blood churned, and his movements paused for a nearly imperceptible instant.

Wang Wenhai, who had been constantly moving, suddenly froze in place before darting forward, skimming the ground like a phantom.

The saber in his hand transformed into a bolt of lightning, piercing through the not-yet-closed afterimages of the spear and stopping steadily just before Xu Wuyi’s throat.

The cold touch of the blade met his skin.

Xu Wuyi’s movements froze instantly, as if all the strength had been drained from his body.

"You lose." Wang Wenhai calmly retracted his saber and stepped back.

Xu Wuyi stood rooted to the spot, looking at the placid Wang Wenhai, and couldn’t help but shake his head in resignation.

Three minutes. In just three minutes, while at the same Level, he had been completely suppressed, unable to even mount a single effective counter-attack.

He hadn’t had any chance to use the "mountain" True Intention he had just comprehended.

For one, his spear never had a real opportunity to strike Teacher Wang, so he couldn’t unleash its power. For another, this sparring session was meant to hone his techniques.

If he had tried to force the situation by using his True Intention of Martial Arts, it would have defeated the purpose.

Even in the college entrance exams, since the rating from the initial battle was only for reference, some candidates would hide a portion of their strength just to gain an advantage in the actual matches.

Of course, they couldn’t hide too much. Someone who should be rated A-level but hid their strength to get a D-level rating would have a hard time bringing their score back up, even if they crushed three opponents.

"Next, Zeng Bonan." Wang Wenhai didn’t offer any immediate comments, instead calling the next person directly.

Xu Wuyi silently walked to the side of the court, picked up his water bottle, and chugged a few mouthfuls. Then he closed his eyes, carefully replaying the fight in his mind.

Teacher Wang’s fighting style had opened a new window for him.

He never realized a fight could be fought like this—not by seeking a single killing blow, but by gradually eroding the opponent’s stamina and will through precise control and changes in rhythm.

This style was the perfect counter to his current approach, which relied on defense to find an opening for a fatal counter-attack.

’What should I do?’ Xu Wuyi’s mind raced. ’If I can’t find a chance to counter-attack while defending, should I just abandon defense and go on an all-out offensive, like I did against Li Mo?’

He immediately dismissed the thought.

Against an opponent of Teacher Wang’s caliber, a blind offense would only lead to a faster death.

Teacher Wang’s Saber Technique was exquisite and his footwork was nimble; he would never give him an opportunity for a life-or-death, close-quarters struggle like Li Mo did.

Even if he fought Li Mo again, Li Mo himself wouldn’t make the same mistake. Winning that fight was mainly due to his opponent’s carelessness; he couldn’t count on that every time.

’Maybe... what I need isn’t some earth-shattering counter-attack, but a more conventional method of countering?’

The thought flashed through his mind like a spark.

He remembered the [Silk Binding Force] he had just mastered.

[Silk Binding Force] was insidious and cunning. It excelled at infiltrating during defense, disrupting the opponent’s Qi and Blood and their control over their weapon.

If he could use it skillfully, countering with [Silk Binding Force] while blocking an attack, could he perhaps effectively disrupt Teacher Wang’s fluid, seamless rhythm?

It didn’t need to be a single, decisive blow. It just needed to be like a thorn, constantly pricking him, making him uncomfortable and forcing him to adjust, thereby creating more space and opportunities for himself.

’No wonder the new move after reaching Minor Achievement in "Wind-Settling Spear" is this kind of Yin Soft Power... It seems my predecessors encountered the same problem I’m facing now, which is why they devised this path.’

’It can be used not only against powerful enemies, but also against mobile, hit-and-run opponents.’

’The way of Martial Arts, with its cycles of creation and destruction, is truly marvelous!’

At this thought, Xu Wuyi opened his eyes. His gaze fell upon Wang Wenhai, who was now sparring with Zeng Bonan in the center of the training ground, and his eyes lit up with renewed spirit.

...

The sparring sessions ended quickly. Every student went up to face one of the two teachers. The matches varied in length, but without exception, everyone was defeated.

Of course, this was to be expected. The length of time each person lasted, however, was to some extent a reflection of their strength.

Aside from Xu Wuyi, who managed to last three minutes, everyone else was defeated within a minute without any suspense.

Even a Martial Artist like Zeng Bonan, who also specialized in defense, only lasted a little over thirty seconds against Wang Wenhai’s saber.

The sparring sessions for all twenty-four students, plus the teachers’ feedback afterward, took less than an hour in total.

Today, each of the two teachers was responsible for half the students. They would switch for the next session in five days. The time in between was for the students to reflect, optimize, and adjust their combat strategies.

...

As the days until the joint exam drew closer, Xu Wuyi’s life became monotonous but fulfilling.

Aside from the mandatory academic classes and practicing the Basic Body Refining Technique, he poured every spare moment he could find into polishing his [Silk Binding Force].

In his sea of consciousness, the numbers on the Bronze Ancient Scroll faithfully recorded his sweat and effort:

[Wind-Settling Spear Current Realm: Minor Achievement (5.3%)]

The rate of improvement was much slower than when he was at the Entry Level, but every jump in percentage meant his control over this Yin Soft Hidden Force had grown a little more refined.

In the Battle Network’s Rank Battles, he no longer relied solely on the powerful attacks of [Cloud-Pushing Force], and began to consciously use [Silk Binding Force] in his defense.

The effect was immediate.

In several battles, when his opponents confidently swung their weapons, trying to forcefully break through his [Back Wind Sweep], that bizarre trembling power would travel up their weapons.

In minor cases, it would deform their techniques. In severe cases, it would make their wrists go numb and sore, instantly neutralizing most of the threat.

This created more than one opportunity for a desperate comeback, and his Rank Points had already reached 50 points in the Second Rank.

The point range for the Second Rank was 200 points, with a clear distinction in skill roughly every fifty points.

Before reaching 50 points, Xu Wuyi had been able to maintain a sixty to seventy percent win rate and climb the ranks, relying on the boost from his True Intention of Martial Arts and the special effects of [Silk Binding Force].

But after 50 points, the opponents he faced were clearly on another level. Their Life Energy Levels were often about one Level higher than his, and their Martial Arts were extremely refined.

Facing those opponents, his win rate plummeted. He could barely win one or two matches out of ten. The points he worked so hard to earn would quickly be lost again.

On the other hand, ever since he comprehended the True Intention of Martial Arts, his efficiency in practicing the "Basic Body Refining Technique" had increased once again.

His Qi and Blood surged through his body. The circulatory pathways seemed to have been widened slightly by an invisible force, and the growth from each completed cycle was much more significant.

As a result, his digestion speed for the D-Level Qi Blood Potion also increased considerably.

He had originally estimated that it would take four to five days to fully absorb one Potion, but now that time had been shortened to about three days. His efficiency was almost back to the level it was before he reached Level 11.

However, this also led to a problem—the Federation currency sponsored by the school was no longer enough.

’Good thing the three-school joint exam is coming up. If I get first place, there’s a two hundred thousand reward. I’m desperate for the money!’