Chapter 19: The Golden Expert
Chapter 19: The Golden Expert
"Wan Xiao and Zhou Qi, they're all big blabbermouths," Li Yuan thought helplessly.
On the day of his duel with Lin Lan Yue, before the end of the evening self-study session, the news had already spread throughout the entire senior year.
Lin Lan Yue was a celebrity, and Li Yuan also had some fame.
All sorts of rumors were circulating.
The most important reason was that in the past few years, Lin Lan Yue had never dueled with other classmates, and Li Yuan was the first.
Initially, Li Yuan held the belief that 'the innocent have nothing to fear,' and couldn't be bothered to pay attention. Later, he realized how naive he had been.
Today, over 300 people had come to the Starry Sky Combat Network to watch their battle, and most of them were classmates.
The number was constantly approaching 400.
This was already a shocking number, after all, it was just a personal duel, and no one was live-streaming it.
"Brother Yuan, look how awesome I am! I brought the entire class to cheer you on!" Zhou Qi, with his yellow spiky hair and leather pants, waved from the spectator stand.
With 70% realism in the virtual network, the entire arena and its surroundings looked almost identical to reality, making it a bustling scene with hundreds of people gathered around the ring.
"Go for it!"
"Brother Yuan, your long spear must be itching for action."
Amidst the noisy voices, many people held up banners and glow sticks, all free props provided by the system.
There were quite a few supporters for Li Yuan.
However, the majority of the spectators were still cheering for Lin Lan Yue, as she had good grades and was beautiful, making her very popular... especially among the male students.
Most male students were quite devoted, only liking pretty eighteen-year-old girls.
Moreover, Lin Lan Yue was only seventeen.
...
In the arena.
"Prepare." Li Yuan's thoughts moved.
A 30-meter-wide arena instantly changed its lighting from red to green.
Li Yuan and Lin Lan Yue's virtual bodies disappeared in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, a giant countdown appeared above the arena: 30, 29, 28...
"Both duelists' ranks are below the Meteor Rank, the system has ruled that their physical qualities are at Grade 8.0."
"You have 24 seconds left, please select your weapon. If time runs out, the system will automatically choose for you."
In the preparation area, the system's voice echoed in Li Yuan's ears.
"Grade 8.0 physical qualities." Li Yuan felt the changes in his physical strength, already accustomed to it.
"Weapon Scheme One," Li Yuan said directly.
As an 'old bird' who had participated in over a thousand battles on the Starry Sky Combat Network, he chose different weapon schemes for various battle types and opponents.
Li Yuan's chosen weapon scheme was one of five options.
"Selected weapon: Standard Long Spear No. 9, length 2.3 meters, weight..."
"Armor: Light Armor No. 4, weight..." A flood of data flashed before Li Yuan's eyes.
The 2.3-meter-long spear was considered a shorter spear, and Li Yuan would be at a disadvantage if he faced off against other long spear users.
A longer spear would be less agile, so it might not necessarily be advantageous... A slightly longer weapon would suffice.
"Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it gives its all. Besides, there are also 2,000 Blue Star Coins at stake," Li Yuan thought to himself.
Li Yuan never wasted anything.
...
The area around the arena was bustling with people, and the number of spectators had already exceeded 400; not all of them were students, there were also a few outsiders.
For example—Teacher Xu Bo and Principal Tan Zhenlong.
"It's quite lively."
Principal Tan stood in the corner, wearing a hat that concealed his true appearance, ensuring no student could recognize him.
"Indeed, it's lively," Xu Bo smiled, "Look, it's about to begin."
Principal Tan nodded; he was here at Xu Bo's invitation, mainly because he had nothing else to do.
As the top seed of the senior year, Principal Tan naturally paid attention to Lin Lan Yue.
In the arena.
The countdown reached 3, 2, 1... Whoosh! Whoosh!
Li Yuan and Lin Lan Yue reappeared on opposite sides of the arena, both fully geared up and holding their weapons.
The most eye-catching aspect was still the golden emblem above their heads.
"Golden Rank?"
"Golden Expert?"
"Both of them are Golden Rank?" In an instant, exclamations of surprise rippled through the crowd around the arena.
"Brother Yuan has reached the Golden Rank? The last time we played Last Man Standing, he was still at the Silver Rank," Zhou Qi, Wan Xiao, and the others widened their eyes in surprise.
"He's been secretly leveling up behind our backs?" Yan Zhou said, "Next time, we'll have to get Brother Yuan to take us on Last Man Standing."
"Golden Expert? Both of them?" Li Tianyou, standing among the crowd, stared at the golden emblem above Lin Lan Yue's head, "Has Lan Yue reached the Golden Rank too?"
Lin Lan Yue didn't know Li Tianyou.
However, this didn't stop Li Tianyou from falling for Lin Lan Yue at first sight.
There were many senior boys who secretly admired Lin Lan Yue, but few dared to express their feelings.
"Damn, Li Yuan is also Golden?" Gu Qiang Han stared at the emblem above Li Yuan's head, "No wonder Teacher Xu praised Li Yuan so much."
The fact that both duelists were Golden Rank instantly heightened the atmosphere.
"Oh? Both Golden Rank?" Principal Tan was also slightly surprised, "I wonder if they've reached the special recruitment qualification. If they have, they can apply for the Top Scholarship."
"Old Tan, I've told you, these two students are extraordinary," Xu Bo said, "Otherwise, why would I bring you here?"
Not just senior students, even many students at the Martial Arts University couldn't reach the Golden Rank.
The Starry Sky Combat Network had nine ranks: Bronze, Silver, Golden, Meteor, Bright Moon, Sun Devouring, Superb, Legendary, and Martial Sage.
It was extremely rare for minors to reach the Golden Rank.
Even many self-proclaimed Martial Arts experts were mostly at the Bright Moon Rank, and few had attained the Sun Devouring Rank.
Those at the Superb Rank and above? Those who had reached such heights were already top-tier Martial Arts experts in reality, and they wouldn't be streaming.
At least, Li Yuan had never seen a Superb Rank expert while watching streams.
The most he had seen were some at the Superb Rank in battle videos.
"You managed to break through?" Lin Lan Yue looked at Li Yuan, her voice cold.
Upon witnessing Li Yuan's advancement to the Golden Rank, Lin Lan Yue wasn't surprised in the slightest, as she had anticipated this outcome.
"Does she have some hostility towards me?" Li Yuan vaguely sensed.
The next instant—
"Boom!" Lin Lan Yue made her move.
Her crimson light armor made her appear like a blazing flame, and she dashed towards Li Yuan with lightning speed.
With an 8.0 Vitality Grade, her burst speed reached 18 meters per second, and her standard punch power was 800 kilograms.
The arena's diameter was only 30 meters.
From the moment she initiated her attack, Lin Lan Yue could reach Li Yuan in a maximum of 2.2 seconds.
"Ssss!" A crimson longsword slashed towards Li Yuan like lightning.
"Rip!"
Li Yuan grinned, gripping his long spear tightly, and his body suddenly shifted, thrusting it forward with force.
Middle Strike Style!
"Clang!" The crimson longsword collided with the spear, causing the spear to tremble and deviate slightly, while the sword, like a venomous snake, swiftly turned and stabbed again.
"That sword technique..."
"It's somewhat bizarre, with such powerful burst strength, even stronger than my direct stab with the spear. Is it a skill from an advanced cultivation technique?" Li Yuan was astonished.
He had heard that Lin Lan Yue cultivated the 'Blazing Heaven Cultivation Technique', one of the seven advanced cultivation techniques.
Each cultivation technique was divided into various parts, including foundation practice techniques, breathing techniques, fist techniques, and more.
Li Yuan had never come across advanced cultivation techniques before.
However, he knew that it was an advanced version of one of the seven basic cultivation techniques, the 'Flame Cultivation Technique'.
"The 'Flame Cultivation Technique' specializes in offense, and this advanced technique should be the same. A head-on offensive isn't my forte, and her sword technique is at the third rank." Li Yuan's spear technique instantly changed: "Be cautious."
He swiftly retracted the spear, no longer taking the initiative to attack, but instead using it to block and parry.
Simultaneously, Li Yuan began moving his body, using his footwork to dissipate the force.
"Clang!" "Clang!" The sword and spear shadows clashed, transforming into over ten moves in the blink of an eye.
"His footwork and foundation are incredibly stable." Lin Lan Yue was also surprised: "My 'Fire Sea Sunken Ship' move was effortlessly deflected by his spear."
In Lin Lan Yue's perception, Li Yuan, who was solely focused on defense, resembled a turtle.
It was impossible to breach his defense.
...
"So fast!"
"In this clash, Lin Lan Yue's continuous sword strikes, how is Li Yuan able to block them all?"
"Impressive!"
"His footwork is exquisite."
"Li Yuan's spear technique is remarkably stable." Most of the spectators were amazed.
They had witnessed higher-level live duels and combat recordings.
However, deep in their subconscious, those were martial arts experts, and their classmates shouldn't be this powerful.
"Do you know what it means to be the top martial arts student in the grade?"
"I've said it before, Lin Lan Yue isn't a match for Brother Yuan."
"Brother Yuan, hurry up and finish her off!"
"Brother Yuan's spear is renowned for its endurance!"
"Even the attacks from Xu Class can't be blocked by Brother Yuan for several moves, let alone Lin Lan Yue?"
The students from Senior Year (2) Class were excited.
Although their skills weren't exceptional, they understood a basic martial arts principle: the side that couldn't break through the defense often consumed more stamina.
"His defense is indeed remarkable."
"This sword technique should be a variation of 'Fire Sea Sunken Ship', with aggressive attacks." Principal Tan was also commenting, slightly astonished: "Li Yuan managed to block it. His spear technique is indeed stable, and he must have comprehended a defensive killing move."
"Xu Bo, you've nurtured a fine disciple." Principal Tan smiled.
Principal Tan immediately fell silent.
"Hmm?" Xu Bo smiled without saying more, continuing to spectate. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he shook his head repeatedly: "Lin Lan Yue has become careless."
...
On the arena, Lin Lan Yue continuously unleashed her sword techniques, each strike like a raging flame, relentlessly pressing forward.
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"
Li Yuan's spear either swept horizontally, slashed vertically, or he used his footwork to retreat, occasionally thrusting forward to force her to back off.
Lin Lan Yue was unable to close the distance.
After cultivating the 'Foundation Pillar' move, Li Yuan focused solely on defense, already exuding a sense of stability akin to a solid rock.
"The fifty-seventh move."
Li Yuan silently counted in his mind: "She's been attacking continuously, consuming a lot of stamina, and her sword's momentum is weakening."
"She's getting anxious."
"In a life-and-death battle, anxiety often leads to mistakes. Wait for the right moment."
On the fifty-ninth move, Li Yuan keenly detected a subtle change in her sword's aura.
The sixty-third move.
"Whoosh!" The sword light blazed like fire, incredibly swift.
Lin Lan Yue continued her fierce assault, determined to break through Li Yuan's defense. Her sword technique was fierce, but unknowingly, she had slightly relaxed her defense.
After all, from start to finish, Li Yuan had never launched an offensive, only focusing on defense.
"Now's the time!" Li Yuan's eyes widened,
"Boom!"
Li Yuan completely ignored Lin Lan Yue's sword strike, and his spear trembled, resembling a hidden dragon within countless mountain valleys, suddenly bursting forth with a direct thrust.
Spear Skill - Valley Hiding Dragon!
"Not good!" Lin Lan Yue instantly sensed something amiss, feeling Li Yuan's aura shift abruptly, like a sleeping beast baring its fangs.
The aura was astonishing.
"There's no time to retreat." Lin Lan Yue realized, her eyes flashing with a cold glow, without a moment's hesitation.
Instead of backing off, she fiercely swung her sword to stab,
"Thud!"
The spear, like a dragon, pierced through the armor, penetrating Lin Lan Yue's chest, blood gushing out, and her body instantly vanished into nothingness.
The light armor couldn't withstand Li Yuan's spear.
"Ssss!"
The next instant, the raging longsword also pierced Li Yuan's shoulder, blood splattered."
"Clang!" The longsword fell to the ground.
On the arena, only the injured Li Yuan remained.
"The spear is longer than the sword, giving me an extra 0.1 seconds of reaction time." Li Yuan shook his head, then revealed a smile.
"One minute, two thousand Blue Star Coins."
"Truly enjoyable!"
(End of Chapter)
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