Chapter 55: Breakthrough! Global 996
"Clang!"
"Clang!" Li Yuan's long spear shifted continuously, deflecting three claw strikes in quick succession. He then executed a nimble roll, narrowly evading another two claws that aimed to cut him down.
"Thud!" As he rolled back to his feet, Li Yuan instinctively counterattacked, his spearhead flashing as it pierced through the eye socket of an approaching Fish Spirit, shattering its brain.
"Kill count +1," the system announced.
Compared to his previous four attempts at the promotion match, Li Yuan's spear technique hadn't fundamentally improved. The biggest progress was in his movement skills, allowing him to better handle the Fish Spirits' encirclement.
"Too clumsy," Li Yuan thought. "In terms of physical fitness, these Fish Spirits are likely around level eight, maybe even close to level nine, significantly stronger than me. But their skill level is probably just at the peak of the second stage."
In a one-on-one fight, Li Yuan could easily kill a Fish Spirit in a single encounter. However, their sheer numbers posed a significant challenge. Even ants can overwhelm an elephant, and these Fish Spirits wielded claws capable of exerting over a thousand kilograms of force.
"Roar!" "Howl!!" The Fish Spirit warriors howled in fury at the death of their comrade, their red eyes fixed on Li Yuan, determined to kill him.
"Thud!" "Thud!" Li Yuan deftly dodged and blocked, only occasionally launching a sudden spear attack. Most of the time, he focused on defense. However, whenever he found an opportunity to strike, the Fish Spirits either died or were seriously injured.
"Despite their numbers, the spatial constraints mean that at most three or four can attack me at once," Li Yuan noted, constantly using leverage to counterattack.
Time ticked by.
"Kill count +1"
"Kill count +1" The system notifications continued.
In less than a minute, six Fish Spirits lay in pools of blood, and the pressure on Li Yuan eased slightly.
Suddenly, one Fish Spirit let out a shrill cry, its four arms flailing wildly, claws slashing like knives. One of its claws clipped the end of Li Yuan's spear.
"Thud!" The unexpected force sent a jolt through Li Yuan's arm, slowing his movements.
In a life-or-death battle, even a slight delay could mean the difference between life and death.
"Whoosh!" "Swoosh!" Several green figures lunged at Li Yuan, leaving him no space to escape. Six clawed strikes came from all directions.
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Boom!" Li Yuan blocked two claws with his spear but felt a tremendous impact on his back as if he had been struck heavily. His whole body went numb, and he coughed up blood.
Whoosh! Li Yuan steadied himself, mustering all his strength to dodge another incoming claw. But more claws were coming, just as his old strength waned and new strength hadn't yet surged.
"This isn't good," Li Yuan thought, feeling a tingling fear of death.
In his previous four promotion matches, he had been overwhelmed and killed twice. The third time, he managed to kill three Fish Spirits. The fourth time, he killed five.
He thought his improved movement skills would give him a chance this time, but he realized he had underestimated the difficulty of the Meteor Rank promotion match.
After killing six Fish Spirits, the remaining six seemed to go berserk, their speed and power becoming even more exaggerated.
"Kill! I need to be faster! Faster!" Li Yuan's eyes reddened, going completely berserk, knowing he had little chance of survival. He unleashed his spear technique with all his might. In that instant, he felt his blood boiling, as if his body's survival instincts had kicked in.
His entire being—spirit, will, and body—reached a peak state of harmony and power.
"Whoosh!" At that moment, Li Yuan felt as if he had broken through some barrier, his control over his body becoming incredibly precise.
His spear's speed and power surged. The spearhead traced a semicircle in the air.
"Thud!" "Thud!" The spear deflected a claw and slashed through the throats of two Fish Spirits. Blood sprayed out.
"Kill count +1"
"Kill count +1"
The system notifications flashed in quick succession.
"Boom!" "Thud!" The other Fish Spirits' attacks finally landed, claws tearing into Li Yuan. One particularly precise strike hit his neck.
The world spun, and pain shot through Li Yuan's consciousness before it vanished.
The Meteor Rank promotion match, his fifth attempt, had failed.
Kill count: eight.
...
In his personal space within the Starry Combat Network, Li Yuan stood in a daze, not feeling disappointed at his failure. Instead, his eyes were filled with excitement and joy.
"That final spear strike?" Li Yuan recalled.
In that moment of unprecedented pressure, he had only one thought: faster! Faster!
There were no deliberate techniques, just a desperate will to land a blow before dying.
In that madness, his entire body reached a state of perfect harmony. This allowed him to counterattack in his final moments, killing two more Fish Spirits.
"Perfect transmission of force, without the slightest hindrance," Li Yuan thought, looking at his skill interface.
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Skill Level: Spear Techniques (Third Stage 99%), Movement Techniques (Third Stage 99%), Fist Techniques (Fourth Stage 0%)
____
"The breakthrough happened," Li Yuan realized, eyes shining. "My fist techniques have reached the fourth stage. Fist techniques focus on the union of body and mind, naturally the first to break through."
"Ha ha ha!" Li Yuan couldn't help but laugh out loud, feeling an unprecedented sense of relief and joy. "My fist techniques reached the third stage 99% three or four months ago. My spear techniques reached the third stage 99% two months ago. I've been training my spear techniques like mad these past months," he said with a glimmer in his eyes. "But I couldn't break through."
"Last night, my teacher told me to keep practicing on my own, and I might break through at any moment."
"I didn't expect it to happen so soon, in a single promotion match," Li Yuan thought, elated.
Failing the promotion match but breaking through in martial arts skill, Li Yuan knew this wasn't a breakthrough achieved in life-and-death, but a culmination of countless hours of training, understanding, and a bit of luck.
This breakthrough opened up a new world for him.
"Master," said the cheerful girl beside him, "Congratulations on breaking into the top 1000 of the Blue Star Youth Rankings. Your current rank is 996."
"996?" Li Yuan was momentarily stunned, then noticed a system message.
"Defender Yuan, for killing eight guardians in the promotion match, your rank in the Blue Star Youth Rankings has risen from 1132 to 996 globally, 243 in China, and 9 in the Jiangbei region."
Li Yuan had been too excited to notice the message earlier.
"996?" Li Yuan murmured. "The opponent I faced earlier also had 996 points. Maybe 996 is my lucky number today?"
"But I'm clearly aiming for 007," he joked to himself before dismissing the ranking.
The Blue Star Youth Rankings were based on rank points and promotion match performance. Each promotion attempt had caused his ranking to surge. This time, he broke into the global top 1000, an impressive feat given the competition.
Li Yuan glanced at the statistics: "Blue Star Youth Rankings, 2042-2043 term, total ranked participants: 36,874."
In half a year, the rankings had grown from over 4000 to over 30,000. He couldn't see the detailed list but could see the total number. This allowed every ranked martial arts talent to have a rough idea of their standing, preventing blind arrogance.
"If I had another chance at the promotion match, I might pass the Meteor Rank," Li Yuan thought. "But there's no chance now."
After failing a promotion match, there was a seven-day cooldown period.
"Little Jade, how many have reached the Meteor Rank in the Blue Star Youth Rankings?" Li Yuan asked casually.
"As of today, 164," the green-clad Little Jade replied. "The list of names is not disclosed."