Chapter 100: Chapter 81: The Infinite Arena

That sound was like a switch being flipped.

CRASH!!!

The top half of the thick alloy block slid forward a short distance along a perfectly straight, white line so fine it was almost invisible to the naked eye.

Only then did it lose its support and come crashing to the ground. The severed surface was as smooth as a mirror, gleaming with the luster of metal that had been instantly melted by extreme heat and then solidified.

That white line—the mark left by the Shadow-Stealing Form—had already vanished after slicing through the target, as if its existence was only for the end result of "penetration," without any care for a showy process.

Li Wen held his post-strike stance, panting lightly.

His Spiritual Power felt completely drained, leaving a dull, empty ache in his sea of consciousness. His entire body throbbed with a dense, searing pain from being pushed beyond its limits.

But his eyes were astonishingly bright, like stars that had just pierced through the gloom of the night sky.

An uncontrollable thread of exhilaration coursed through his exhausted body.

’I did it... Shadow-Stealing... This is... the pinnacle of pure speed...’

He looked down at the standard-issue longsword in his hand. Under the extreme burst of power, its blade even showed faint traces of heat distortion.

He felt the aftershock of the vacuum left by the air being brutally torn apart slowly dissipating, and his gaze finally fell upon the special alloy, now severed in two.

The smooth, mirror-like surface of the cut reflected his sweat-drenched yet sharp and imposing face. More than that, it seemed to reflect a path leading to a higher realm, to a blade edge of even purer "speed."

[You have gained insight from practicing the Sky Rainbow Five Forms: Shadow-Stealing Form. Body Control Power +3]

[Skill: Bladework · Unity Realm (Body Control 77→80/100)]

Two panel messages appeared before his eyes.

’As expected of a High Tier blade art that leads directly to Blade Intent. Just executing it once increased my control by so much.’

Gazing at the panel, the last trace of doubt in Li Wen’s heart completely vanished.

All he needed to do now was fully comprehend this form, and that would be the day he achieved his blade’s momentum.

He didn’t leave the training area immediately. Instead, he slowly sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing.

During the recovery process from his immense Primordial Spirit consumption, every detail of his successful [Shadow-Stealing Form] was replayed and seared into his mind, aided by his passive ability of instantaneous and permanent comprehension. That pure, white line, born from a single thought, flashed over and over.

This imprint would surely become the sharpest beginning for his blade’s edge.

After a short rest, Li Wen entered the virtual world again. Having finally managed to use the Shadow-Stealing Form, he naturally wanted to experience that ultimate speed a few more times.

His gaze swept over the dozens of data-stream portals in the initial space before finally landing on an energy vortex from which he could faintly hear a clamor of shouts. It was marked with glowing words: [Infinite Arena].

’This is the place.’ Li Wen stepped inside.

After a brief sensation of streaking light, the scene before him changed dramatically.

A tsunami of noise instantly engulfed him.

He found himself in a strange, infinitely vast space that felt like being in the middle of a cosmic nebula.

As far as the eye could see, countless huge platforms—the rings of the Infinite Arena—floated like stars in the boundless void.

Each ring was encased in a faint membrane of light that isolated it from the outside, ensuring that the energy fluctuations from battles wouldn’t leak out and disturb others. However, sound and visuals could still pass through clearly.

The platforms varied in size and shape. Some were as flat as a mirror, suitable for pure collisions of power; others were covered with jagged rocks and crumbling ruins, designed specifically for tactical combat in complex terrain.

Some even simulated extreme environments like storms, seas of sand, or gravitational anomalies to meet the needs of different Martial Artists.

The background was a deep and magnificent nebula with a rotating galaxy, forming a majestic yet grim tableau.

Countless virtual figures zipped between the rings, fighting and shouting.

Flashes of swords and blades crisscrossed the void, accompanied by the roar of exploding energy. Interspersed were the triumphant roars of victors, the angry shouts of the defeated, and the fervent cheers and commentary of onlookers.

The air was thick with a primal, pure scent of combat hormones, stoking the competitive spirit of everyone present.

The rules of the Infinite Arena clearly materialized in Li Wen’s consciousness:

Combat Modes:

Matchmaking: Randomly finds an opponent. No pressure of rank promotion or demotion. Mainly used for familiarizing oneself with skills, practicing tactics, or simply enjoying a fight.

Ranked Battle: Official matches that affect rank, glory, and potential rewards. Victories earn points, while losses deduct them, leading to promotion or demotion.

Ranked Tiers: From lowest to highest, they are: Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, and King.

Nine distinct tiers, each leap between them representing a huge jump in strength.

New Account Mechanism: When first entering Ranked Mode, players must complete placement matches.

Typically 5-10 matches. The system determines a player’s starting rank based on their win/loss record and the strength of their opponents.

Time Limit: Members of factions other than the "Virtual Corporation" have a basic daily time limit for combat in the Infinite Arena, regardless of their level.

This limit stems from the high cost—the Infinite Arena is powered by a massive pool of computing resources provided by the "Virtual Corporation." High-intensity, highly realistic combat consumes an astronomical amount of "data" every second.

Therefore, the Virtual Corporation charges other factions a fee.

Lifting the Limit: After the basic time is used up, players can spend Fire Hall points to purchase additional time. The more you invest, the longer you can fight.

Spectator Mechanism: Virtual spectator stands are set up below the rings. Any member can enter a specific ring to watch by paying a small fee in points or by having the relevant permissions.

Additionally, the system has a live-streaming function, and combatants can choose to broadcast or record their matches.

Li Wen took in the atmosphere of the seething battlefield and, without hesitation, issued a command to the system: "Begin ranked placement matches!"

"Identity confirmed: Li Wen, member of the Fire Hall’s Bluestone Branch. First time entering Ranked. Initiating placement match process. Now matching you with an opponent of similar strength..."

Meanwhile, on another flat, bronze ring designated "GYD-734."

A burly, middle-aged man named "Vajra Tiger_Old Jin," dressed in rather flashy battle armor emblazoned with a cartoon tiger head.

He wiped away a bead of virtual sweat, his face beaming with unrestrained excitement and a broad smile.

His virtual stream room was suspended in a corner of the ring, with comments scrolling by rapidly:

[666! Old Jin’s got this in the bag! A three-win streak in Silver!]

[I told you the streamer’s on fire today! Whoever he faces is gonna get skewered!]

[Don’t jinx it, don’t jinx it! A jinx will make him throw the match!]

[Streamer, that move where you poked the guy’s butt with your spear was hilarious! Hahaha!]

[Getting cocky after winning two promo matches? Hurry up and finish the last one! I’m waiting for the epic scene where you get to Gold and get wrecked by a top player!]

Old Jin watched the rapidly scrolling comments and chuckled, winking at the invisible camera.

"Alright, guys, calm down! What do you mean, ’cocky’? This is called unstoppable momentum! You see those last two matches? My opponents weren’t scrubs for Silver-rank, were they?"

"And they still got completely owned by me, Vajra Tiger! This is the last promo match. Watch your Brother Hu steamroll his way to that Gold medal! After this, I’ll be a man with a ’gold standard’!"

In real life, he was a High-level Martial Artist under the Mercenary Alliance. He had struggled for many years as a mercenary in the wilderness, walking the line between life and death several times, and had only just recently managed to cross the threshold into the Unity Realm.

Before his breakthrough, he had been stuck at the peak of Silver, failing in his attempts to reach the Gold rank several times.

This time, however, he felt he was in peak condition. Having won two tough promotion matches in a row, his confidence was at an all-time high.

He was a small-time entertainment streamer. His skills weren’t top-tier, but his easy-going, boisterous personality made for great streaming content.

[Match found! Your opponent is ready.]

The cold system notification chimed.

Vajra Tiger_Old Jin’s spirits lifted. He gave his spear a flashy twirl, puffed out his chest, and strode toward the center of the ring, ready to welcome the "final stepping stone" on his path to Gold.

However, as the light on the other side solidified and revealed his opponent’s figure, the smile on Old Jin’s face froze instantly.

His confident gaze turned to one of astonishment, and then his expression collapsed like a frostbitten eggplant. All the energy seemed to drain out of him.

Appearing before him was a teenager who looked no older than seventeen or eighteen.

He wore the standard black combat uniform of the Fire Hall. His face, though youthful, was composed, and a simple, unadorned standard-issue longsword hung at his waist.

The young man stood there quietly, his eyes calm and free of any extraneous emotion.

"..." It felt as if a fishbone was stuck in Old Jin’s throat. He turned his head toward the "camera" of his virtual stream below the ring, forced a smile that was uglier than a crying face, and lamented with a pained expression:

"It’s over, guys... Fuck! What rotten luck! I knew the promo matches wouldn’t be this easy! The bullshit I was just spouting is still warm, and I’ve run into another damn ’monster’!"

In the spectator stands below, many people had a moment of realization the instant they saw Li Wen, followed by a wave of knowing laughter and sympathetic comments:

"Hahahahaha! That’s a huge slap in the face for Old Jin!"

"Love to see it! I love watching streamers turn into cowards the moment they meet a genius!"

"Tsk tsk... Look at his age. He’s definitely a high school student, the kind of prodigy who just got an early contract from one of the four major factions!"

"Our condolences, Old Jin. If you can last ten seconds in this match, it’s a win!"

"Ten seconds? You’re giving Old Jin too much credit. Which of the contracted seeds from the four major factions isn’t above the Unity Realm? Wrecking someone like Old Jin, who just barely stepped into the Unity Realm, is as easy as eating and drinking for them."

The members of the four major factions had two clear origins:

One type was Martial Artists recruited from all strata of the Blue Star Federation, like Old Jin, who were mostly long-time adults.

The other type was young, talented seeds like Li Wen, who had demonstrated world-shocking potential during high school and were signed to contracts ahead of time!

The latter were extremely rare, but every one of them received resources and training at the outset that were beyond the reach of ordinary people. They were true "monster-level" existences.

After all, even to sign the lowest-level D-rank contract with one of the four major factions, one had to reach the Unity Realm in high school.

In the Infinite Arena, a young face meant one of two things: a university martial arts student, or a high school student.

...

(PS: The Infinite Arena is a public platform, mainly used by people from the four major factions and university martial arts students, but members of some small and medium-sized factions are also present.)