Chapter 40: Li Yuan's Strength
In late December, Jiangcheng had already entered winter, with temperatures hovering around zero degrees Celsius. However, within the Guanshan sub-hall of Starlight Martial Hall, the temperature was maintained at a constant and comfortable 20 degrees Celsius.
Room 7024.
Two men, fully equipped with protective gear, including tightly fitting helmets, were engaged in an intense battle with cold weapons.
"Kill!" One figure, almost 1.8 meters tall in shoes, wielded a silver spear. His steps moved like a dragon's, and the spear swiftly turned into a blur as it thrust towards his opponent.
Fast! Precise! Ruthless!
The other figure, nearly two meters tall and extremely burly, held a saber in one hand and a shield in the other. His reactions were even faster, countering with preemptive strikes.
The large shield smashed down like an indestructible copper wall, colliding fiercely with the incoming spear.
"Boom~" Li Yuan, holding the spear, felt as if he had struck a steel plate. The terrifying force rebounded through the spear. An ordinary warrior would have felt their arm go numb from such a collision.
"Stick!" Li Yuan's spear moved fluidly, retreating to absorb the force. Even the spear itself moved back, minimizing the impact.
Retreating did not mean he was at a disadvantage. Sometimes, only by dissipating the force could the body avoid injury.
"Whoosh!" The spear thrust again, whistling through the air. In an instant, it seemed to create dozens of illusions, enveloping the opponent.
This was 'Mountains and Valleys', one of the five ultimate moves of the Rock Spear Technique, specializing in group attacks and confusion.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Numerous blade lights burst forth, clashing with the spear shadows. The black-armored warrior wielding the saber and shield retreated eight steps but managed to block Li Yuan's entire set of attacks.
"Watch out." Li Yuan suddenly shouted, his voice like thunder.
Luckily, this was a soundproof room, or they would definitely be complained about for disturbing the peace.
After more than twenty consecutive thrusts, Li Yuan's momentum had reached its peak. Accompanied by his shout, his spear roared like a dragon, striking down with terrifying force.
This was 'Rock Steadies the World', the most ferocious of the five ultimate moves of the Rock Spear Technique. It turned the spear into a heavy cudgel, a war halberd, or an unstoppable rolling boulder.
The transition between the two ultimate moves was extremely quick. The black-armored figure instinctively raised his shield to block the spear strike.
"Bang~" The fierce collision left the black-armored figure somewhat battered, but he managed to withstand the impact, retreating only slightly.
"Stop!"
"Li Yuan, you've won." The black-armored figure spoke with a hint of resignation and a touch of admiration.
Li Yuan retracted his spear and stood still.
Clack~
Clack~ Both men removed their helmets.
"Li Yuan, your spear skills have improved at an astonishing rate. You connected two ultimate moves in your last attack, right?" The man with the shield was a bearded middle-aged man with a scar on his face.
"Yes." Li Yuan smiled and nodded. "It's from the basic chapter of the second-level manual 'Starry Spear Technique'. I just recently mastered the connection between these two ultimate moves."
Indeed, in the past few days, Li Yuan had finally grasped the last of the five ultimate moves, 'Rock Steadies the World', in the virtual network.
Today was the first time he used it in actual combat.
"Impressive."
"I've been your sparring partner for two months, and your spear skills have progressed frighteningly fast. At first, my saber skills could suppress you, but now my skills are inferior to yours." The bearded man sighed. "Just now, I used a physique around level 8.0, with superior speed and strength, yet I couldn't suppress you."
"The last strike, I estimated my body strength at nearly level 9.0, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to block it."
Li Yuan laughed.
Using 'Rock Steadies the World' directly in combat could easily be dodged by the opponent. The best approach was to build momentum with 'Mountains and Valleys' and then land a decisive blow.
"Your spear skills," the bearded man looked at Li Yuan, "are already a notch above my saber skills, almost approaching the fourth stage."
"Not quite there yet." Li Yuan shook his head. "I haven't fully mastered the basic chapter of the second-level manual. I still need your help, Uncle Hu."
"Haha, no problem." The bearded man laughed. "Shall we switch roles? You defend, and I attack?"
"Sure." Li Yuan nodded.
This bearded man, named Fang Longhu, was an ordinary instructor at Starlight Martial Hall and a level 15 warrior. He was recommended as a sparring partner by Instructor Xing for Li Yuan.
Twice a week, one hour each session, costing 10,000 Blue Star coins per session.
A sparring partner needed to be significantly stronger than the person they were training with. At least a level 15 warrior could better control the situation in combat with Li Yuan.
Half an hour later, Li Yuan finished today's sparring session and saw off Fang Longhu.
"Whoo!"
"Actual combat is much more exhilarating than virtual battles." Li Yuan murmured to himself, feeling excited.
Virtual battles could comprehensively train various techniques, but they lacked a sense of realism. Actual combat was the ultimate goal.
"Each real battle makes me feel my spear skills and movement techniques improve faster." Li Yuan thought to himself, "It's just a pity that real combat opportunities are rare."
First, real combat could easily lead to injuries, and recovery would take a long time, delaying training.
Second, good sparring partners were hard to find and expensive, something ordinary people couldn't afford.
"A professional sparring partner like Fang Longhu, aside from his daytime job at the Martial Hall, can earn hundreds of thousands of Blue Star coins each month just from sparring." Li Yuan thought.
Fang Longhu had essentially given up on becoming a source warrior, spending little on martial arts and only maintaining his physical condition. Hence, he could easily earn millions annually.
"Martial arts training is a money pit, but if you achieve even a small success, you can earn a lot without taking risks." Li Yuan thought. "A level 15 warrior can make such money, so can a source warrior. No wonder Hall Master Wan didn't mind giving me one million Blue Star coins."
"My spear skills."
"Tonight, they've improved by another 1%. Lately, the progress has been slowing down." Li Yuan thought, his vision displaying the Divine Palace panel.
_____
Life Level: 7.7 (Unranked)
Physical Fitness Index: 80 (Measures various aspects such as explosive power, endurance, speed, constitution, and mental strength)
Punching Power: 724 kg
Speed: 17.3 m/s
Mental Strength: 14.2
Physical Training Method: "Rock Training Method"
Mental Training Method: "Observing the Great Sun Starry Sky Sutra"
Skill Level: Spear Techniques (Third Stage 88%), Movement Techniques (Third Stage 65%), Fist Techniques (Third Stage 99%)
Note: A latent high-level spirituality within the body remains unawakened
____
"At my recent progress rate, it will take at least another month to improve my spear techniques to 99% of the third stage." Li Yuan thought, "Going from the third to the fourth stage is a major bottleneck."
"This step has trapped countless powerful warriors."
In the past few months at Starlight Martial Hall, Li Yuan had met many warriors.
Through his training, he gradually understood the significance of the fourth stage of skill.
"Among the dozen or so level 16 and above warriors I know at the Martial Hall, aside from Instructor Xing, none have reached the fourth stage of skill." Li Yuan shook his head slightly.
Most first-level warriors had martial arts skills at the third stage level. Most of them weren't even as skilled as Li Yuan currently was.
"Mr. Xu Bo's staff techniques can easily crush mine." Li Yuan recalled the past two months.
Every week, he received guidance from Mr. Xu Bo.
"Why hasn't a teacher with such high skills become a source warrior? Is it due to an injury?" Li Yuan had many speculations.
Feeling well-rested, Li Yuan pushed these thoughts aside.
"Never mind."
"Keep practicing the spear."
"I just mastered the five ultimate moves of the Rock Spear Technique. If I can connect them perfectly, I might reach 99% of the third stage." Li Yuan was very excited. "I aim to get my spear techniques close to 99% before the midterm exams in January."
There were only ten days left until the midterm exams.
"Whoo!"
"Whoo!" Li Yuan continued practicing his spear techniques, and in no time, another hour passed. It was already past 8 PM.
He put his spear back into the weapon cabinet.
Sweating all over, Li Yuan first took a refreshing hot shower in the rest area.
Then, he took a carefully packaged bottle of medicine from the therapy room.
"Source Power Essence Pill."
"It's been about 20 days since the last one. It's time for another dose." Li Yuan carefully took out an essence pill.
He was very cautious. After all, each pill was worth 100,000 Blue Star coins.
The Source Power Essence Pill, with a thumb-sized, purplish glow, emitted a tempting aroma.
He swallowed it directly.
Li Yuan returned to the center of the martial arts room, spreading his legs and bending his knees, standing firm like a rock, focusing his mind.
Soon, a hot and domineering energy began to spread from his chest to his limbs, causing Li Yuan's body to tremble slightly.
This was source power.
"Ah~ so comfortable!" Li Yuan enjoyed the sensation.
"Sizzle~"
"Sizzle~" The muscles, tendons, and bones within Li Yuan's body seemed to devour the source power like a ravenous beast, growing stronger.
Your life level has increased from 7.7 to 7.8 Your punching power has increased... Your burst speed has increased...