The cultivation of martial weapons was divided into four realms.
The first realm: Resemblance in Form.
Imitating a cat to draw a tiger, with standardized movements—this was the stage the vast majority of students were in.
The second realm: Unity of Intent.
Heart and intent in harmony, intent and qi in harmony, qi and strength in harmony.
Techniques were no longer rigid movements, but possessed their own spirit and purpose, able to move according to one’s will and exert force with precision.
Students who could reach this step had all cultivated since childhood, and also needed sufficient comprehension.
As for Lin Ye’s background, Chen Meng knew it well.
His family circumstances were very ordinary. Even supporting him alone through the martial track was extremely difficult.
Naturally, it was impossible for him to have attended any extracurricular tutoring classes.
Then there was only one possibility.
This kid before him truly had extraordinary talent in staff techniques!
He had made up his mind.
Such an unpolished jade—he had to personally take it in hand and carve it a little, to see just what quality it truly possessed!
“Everyone!”
Chen Meng’s voice broke the silence within the arena.
“Free sparring begins now!”
Before his words had even fallen, he stepped out from the high platform.
His figure flickered slightly in midair, and in the next instant, he had already appeared before Lin Ye.
All the students froze.
Chen Meng paid no attention to anyone else. His burning gaze fixed on Lin Ye as he said in a deep voice, “Your staff technique should have already touched upon a trace of the proper path.”
“But true martial skills are tempered through life-and-death combat.”
“Come. Let’s have a match.”
As he spoke, the data of Chen Meng’s virtual avatar began to adjust at high speed.
The blood-red “LV37” marker above his head dimmed and dropped at a speed visible to the naked eye.
LV15… LV10… LV5…
In the end, it stopped steadily at “LV2”!
Exactly the same level as Lin Ye at this moment!
This was the advantage of virtual space. If two people did not want to compete in raw strength and only wanted to spar in martial skill, then the system could perfectly control their strength at the same level.
Immediately afterward, light flashed.
A long spear, silver-white from end to end, its spearhead flickering with a chilling cold gleam, appeared in Chen Meng’s hand.
The atmosphere of the entire arena was ignited in an instant!
“Holy shit! Teacher Chen is personally stepping in to guide Lin Ye!”
“Teacher Chen suppressed his strength to the same level as Lin Ye!”
“Teacher Chen’s weapon is the spear! It’s said that back when he was in the army, he was famous for his Longdan Spear!”
And just as Chen Meng took out the spear and his aura climbed to its peak,
inside Lin Ye’s mind, the cold system notification arrived right on schedule.
【Ding!】
【Provocation from a high-level adventurer detected!】
【This is your first official battle as a BOSS!】
【Emergency Mission Issued: Fight or Die!】
【Mission Requirements: Withstand Adventurer Chen Meng’s attacks for more than one minute, or inflict effective damage on him.】
【Mission Rewards: EXP +150, Skill Point +1, unlock new mechanism: Soul Furnace!】
【Please note: This mission is a unique trigger mission and will not be triggered again in the future.】
【Remark: Crush him! Let this adventurer who knows not the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth understand who the challenger truly is!】
Seeing this scene,
the top students in the various classes also turned incomparably solemn.
They understood very clearly what it meant to receive Chen Meng’s personal “feeding of moves.”
It was a kind of recognition!
There were more legends about Chen Meng than anyone else in the entire No. 1 High.
No one knew his past.
They only knew that even the principal was polite before him.
There were even rumors that his strength, placed in the whole of Dongjiang, was not lacking at all. It was only because he had suffered hidden injuries in his early years while fighting the alien races and could no longer fight at full strength that he had eventually retreated to the third line and become a martial track teacher.
Chen Meng had never given anyone private instruction before.
But at this moment, though it was called a duel, everyone knew Chen Meng intended to guide Lin Ye.
Emotions of envy and jealousy began to arise in the hearts of several top students.
A nobody—what right did he have?
No matter what others thought, this battle was about to begin.
At the center of the arena,
Lin Ye tightened his grip on the long staff in his hand, feeling the warm, smooth texture transmitted from the shaft.
His heart pounded madly in his chest.
Adrenaline surged wildly.
Cold sweat seeped from Lin Ye’s forehead.
He could feel that the aura of Chen Meng opposite him had changed.
He was no longer that stern teacher who almost never smiled and always wore a rigid expression in daily life.
He was a spear.
A killing spear that had drunk blood and seen life and death!
That formless pressure, passing through the virtual data, still stabbed his skin with a faint ache.
“Are you ready?”
Lin Ye clenched the long staff in his hand and answered, “Please instruct me, Teacher!”
In the next instant,
Chen Meng moved!
There were no flashy movements, no unnecessary probing.
He simply stepped forward, man and spear moving as one. A streak of silver light tore through the air and thrust straight toward Lin Ye’s throat!
Fast!
Accurate!
Ruthless!
This spear contained the killing intent of a battlefield refined through countless trials, sealing off every path of retreat for Lin Ye.
The hearts of all the watching students clenched fiercely.
They seemed to have already seen the scene of Lin Ye’s throat being pierced by a single spear strike, his body scattering into points of data light.
However, at the instant the spearhead was about to touch his skin,
Lin Ye’s eyes suddenly focused!
【Staff Force · Heavy Staff Form!】
He did not dodge, because there was no time.
Instead, he likewise took one step forward, exerting force from his waist and back. His qi and blood flowed through both arms, and the long staff in his hand suddenly swept upward from below!
The long staff drew an incomparably heavy and fierce arc, meeting that fatal spearhead head-on!
Clang—!
The thunderous clash of metal rang out, exploding through the arena!
Lin Ye only felt a tremendous force transmit through the staff shaft, shaking the webbing between his thumb and forefinger until it went numb. His entire body retreated several steps beyond his control.
Chen Meng, however, merely swayed slightly before steadying his footing.
The difference was immediately clear!
But he had blocked it!
Lin Ye had actually blocked Chen Meng’s spear strike!
The whole arena was stunned!
“Holy crap! He blocked it?”
“What fast reactions…”
Only Lin Ye’s expression darkened.
The gap was too great.
If this had been on a battlefield, if this had been a true life-and-death struggle, then in that instant when his center of gravity was unstable, Chen Meng’s spearhead should already have pierced into his heart.
But now, Teacher Chen did not continue attacking.
That spear just now had only been a test.
A trace of surprise flashed through Chen Meng’s eyes.
That spear strike of his had seemed simple, but in reality, it contained three layers of force. For an ordinary student, even their staff would have been directly sent flying.
But Lin Ye had not only received it—he had done so with a fighting style that purely used force to break technique.
Interesting.
“Again!”
Chen Meng shouted in a low voice, and his spear momentum abruptly changed.
The long spear that had originally been straight and fierce seemed to transform in his hands into a silver flood dragon. Spear shadows layered upon one another, flipping and darting up and down, enveloping Lin Ye from every direction!
Fast and slow combined, feint and reality giving birth to one another!
Every move was as quick as lightning, its angle extremely tricky, and every technique stayed close to Lin Ye’s vital points.
This was true battlefield spear technique. It had not the slightest beauty to it. Its only purpose was to kill!
Facing this storm-like offensive, the pressure on Lin Ye abruptly increased.