The edge of the sword tore through the air with a sharp whistle.

"So fast!"

"Chen Che’s sword!"

The students all held their breath, thinking Chen Che’s sword was simply too fast.

And Chen Che was actually fighting to a standstill against the same illusion that had defeated Huang Zhongfei and Ye Youwei one after another?

"The Vast Sword?" Huang Zhongfei exclaimed in surprise, recognizing the Swordsmanship.

This was the Vast Sword, learned in the first year of Martial Arts Class. It was part of the Sixty-Third Set of Radio Exercises, which everyone privately called ’Elementary Student Swordsmanship.’ Many prestigious elementary schools even used it for their break-time exercises.

But he never would have imagined that Chen Che would completely shatter his understanding by executing such a ’useless’ swordsmanship style so terrifyingly!

"How is this swordsmanship so powerful in his hands?"

"Just how did he train?"

"Holy crap, I’m starting to wonder if we even learned the same swordsmanship!"

He wasn’t the only one; many other students felt the same way.

...

Inside the Void Illusion Realm.

CLANG!

Spear and sword met.

Amid a shower of sparks, the two figures shot backward.

’This is tougher than I thought,’ Chen Che sighed inwardly.

In Yunzhou, he had easily slain Zhao Ang. That was because Zhao Ang’s Cultivation Technique and Martial Techniques were several tiers below those of the Cultivators here on Earth Element Star.

But this illusion was different. It was a simulation based on the students of the Immortal Sects on Earth Element Star. Its True Essence was several times denser than Zhao Ang’s; Chen Che was only barely holding his own thanks to his combat experience.

’It’s either mutual destruction or a desperate fight for survival!’

An image of a similar opponent he had faced in Yunzhou flashed through his mind, and a ferocious glint appeared in Chen Che’s eyes.

BOOM!

Just as he was thinking this, the illusion let out a low roar as its aura suddenly exploded, and its entire body swelled in size.

"Not good. The fight’s dragged on for too long. It triggered the rage mechanic!"

’This is bad,’ Chen Che thought.

The Void Illusion Realm was said to be a highly realistic combat simulation, so naturally, unexpected situations could occur. If a candidate’s Cultivation was lower than the illusion’s and they survived the stage for too long, it would trigger the ’rage’ mechanic.

Under this mechanic, the illusion’s combat power would be amplified.

"Go!"

Chen Che shouted, pointing into the air with his left hand.

In that instant, a fierce wind surged.

In the blink of an eye, the shattered blades of grass that had been scattered through the air suddenly froze in the void. Each blade was infused with True Essence, making them translucent and crystalline, as if forged from jade. Their edges shimmered with a razor-sharp light!

After a moment’s pause, they shot toward the illusion like a volley of ten thousand arrows!

BOOM!

Facing Chen Che’s attack, the illusion planted its feet and sank its stance, seeming to transform into a mountain peak.

At the same time, the Long Spear in its hand thrust forward slowly. The move seemed unremarkable, yet it carried immense power, like a Flood Dragon parting the waves. Everywhere it passed, the sky full of grass blades was instantly turned to dust. No matter how many sharp arrows flew, the spear blasted a clear path through them all.

"Holy crap!"

The students erupted in a sudden outcry.

Even from outside the testing area, they could feel the terror of that spear thrust!

"If that were me in there, that one thrust would have killed me instantly!" Huang Zhongfei even forgot to breathe.

"How is he going to block that?"

More people stared wide-eyed, not daring to blink as they watched.

Even Li Xiaoshuang and Wei He had unconsciously sat up straight.

Chen Che’s expression hardened.

He gripped his sword with both hands, his body’s True Essence flaring to its absolute limit in an instant.

He extended his sword, hooking it around the tip of the spear. Then, in a single fluid motion, he coiled, guided, and flicked, deflecting and dissipating nearly half of the thrust’s Strong Force before bringing his sword down hard on the illusion’s spear!

CLANG!

The sound was like the tolling of a great bell.

In that instant, a gale erupted from the point of impact, tearing the surrounding grassland to shreds.

CRACK!

At the same time, with a crisp snap, the sword in Chen Che’s hand could no longer hold and shattered into a thousand pieces.

"What a shame..." Wei He shook his head and sighed.

Many of the students were also filled with regret. Chen Che had held on for so long, only to be defeated in the end.

"It’s over. Everyone, line up and prepare to head back to the classroom!"

Li Xiaoshuang also let out a long sigh and prepared to stand up. Chen Che’s ability to fight for so long had certainly exceeded his expectations. He looked back at the students behind him and said coldly, "Those of you who didn’t perform well on this test will go back and write a five-thousand-word self-criticism. And remember to get your parents to sign it."

"Ah!"

Zong Yudao and a few of the other struggling students stared wide-eyed.

Everyone, including the two teachers, Li Xiaoshuang and Wei He, believed the battle was over.

Just then, Chen Che did something completely unexpected. Faced with the illusion’s spear, not only did he not dodge, he didn’t even try to block. Instead, he took a step forward, allowing the Long Spear to run him through.

PFFT!

The instant the Long Spear pierced his chest, his speed, instead of decreasing, actually increased. He took another step, closing the distance to the illusion in a flash, and threw a punch at the same time!

"Is this a suicide tactic?"

Many students stared, unable to believe their eyes.

WHOOSH!

The illusion was terrified and, at the last moment, prepared to abandon its spear and retreat.

But Chen Che’s punch was too fast, completely exceeding the illusion’s reaction time. In the instant it began to pull back, under the disbelieving gazes of the students, the punch landed lightly on its chest!

THUD!

The illusion’s body shuddered and was sent flying into the air.

At the same time, its chest caved in by three inches, and the imprint of a fist appeared on its back in the corresponding spot.

"Die!"

With a furious roar, adrenaline surged through Chen Che’s veins.

At that moment, the Qi and Blood in his entire body felt like it was boiling, churning like a raging sea. The Strong Force around him swelled violently. He immediately unleashed the True Martial Seventeen Scattering Hands, striking with both fists in a rapid-fire barrage. An immense, overwhelming power, like a flash flood, poured into his hands.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

In the blink of an eye, his all-out, life-risking assault slammed relentlessly into the illusion. On the thirteenth strike of the Scattering Hand, the illusion could no longer hold on. Its body exploded and vanished on the spot. Its Long Spear spun once in mid-air before plunging into the ground with a THUD.

The crowd was dead silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the Jade screen of the Void Illusion Realm. The final, last-second reversal had been brief but incredibly intense, like a real life-or-death battle. It was on a completely different level from their own previous tests.

In the arena, only Chen Che remained. Thick steam rolled off his body and refused to dissipate—a sign that his Qi and Blood had been pushed to their absolute limit!

"Hiss... So painful!"

The five senses were realistic, and that naturally included pain. This was specifically designed to prevent candidates from using suicide tactics to score points, which they might do if the pain was dulled. Once he came to his senses, the agony washed over him, pulling Chen Che out of his previous ’combat state’.

’I got carried away again!’

The moment his sword shattered, he had almost forgotten this was an exam, treating it like a life-or-death battle back in Yunzhou.

DING!

A pleasant chime echoed from the void—the notification that Chen Che had passed the stage.

At the same time, the Illusion Realm expanded once more, and a river even appeared in the distance.

Obviously, this meant Chen Che had entered the sixth stage.

"Wait!"

Chen Che froze for a second, then hurriedly shouted, "I forfeit the exam..."

He had exhausted all his strength and risked death just to defeat the opponent in the fifth stage. In his current state, there was no point in continuing to the sixth.

As his words fell, the expanding world suddenly froze, like a computer that had crashed.

Then, cracks spread across the entire world like in shattered porcelain, and it rapidly broke apart into butterfly-like fragments. Chen Che felt a huge force sweep over him, and by the time he opened his eyes again, he was back outside the testing area.

At the same time, the Jade Token behind him had already calculated his score: 150 points.