His saber training ended.

Next, he began circulating the Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill.

His Divine Sense turned inward once more. This time, he immersed his consciousness in the surging torrent of blood and energy within his body.

What he saw stunned him.

His Divine Sense seemed to have transformed into countless invisible threads, precisely guiding every wisp of blood and energy. These threads directed the flow to strike every minute part of his body that needed tempering, with unerring accuracy.

It targeted everything, from the fibrous bundles deep within his skin to the compact bone at the tips of his skeleton, and even the nigh-unreachable fascial spaces between his organs.

In the past, circulating his Cultivation Technique had relied on instinct and experience, making it an inefficient, brute-force process with inevitable deviations.

But under the absolute control of his Divine Sense, the efficiency of his physical tempering skyrocketed.

It was like a crude blacksmith suddenly obtaining a high-powered microscope and micro-engraving tools; every strike was precise and on point, and the energy utilization reached an unprecedented height.

He concluded his cultivation after more than an hour.

Unlike the draining emptiness of the past, this time he was filled with a deep, satisfying sense of exhaustion.

His muscle fibers seemed to breathe, greedily absorbing the energy that had just been so efficiently utilized. A tingling warmth spread through him—a clear sign of rapid enhancement.

Feeling the solid warmth coming from deep within his sinews and bones, a sharp glint flashed in Li Wen’s eyes.

’The rate of my physical improvement... it’s even faster now.’ The discovery left him immensely satisfied.

Ever since witnessing Ling Feng’s world-shocking slash during that devastating beast tide, his goal had long since surpassed the scope of the four great academies.

Fire Hall University—that brilliant star hanging at the apex of Blue Star’s Martial Dao—that was his true battlefield.

And to set foot in that hallowed hall, top-tier skill was the key, but a powerful physical body was the foundation.

Being a mere junior-level Martial Artist was nowhere near enough for the Fire Hall University selections. He had to break through the Martial Artist Realm as quickly as possible and race down that path.

...

Time flowed like a blade through quicksand. In that silent process of refinement, two days passed in a flash.

「March fourth. The night was cool and still.」

The private Martial Arts Room was spacious and silent, only the fluorescent light strips overhead emitted a low hum.

Li Wen stood in the center of the room, holding a perfectly ordinary, standard-issue long saber.

He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling, his gaze as deep and still as an abyss.

He drew in his aura until it was compressed to its absolute limit, like a volcano on the verge of eruption, contained within the most delicate vessel.

That final, invisible membrane of the Unity Realm was now as clear as a thin veil covering his eyes.

It was within reach!

Not a possibility, nor a hope. It was an inevitability!

’Tonight!’ An indescribable, heroic feeling surged through him.

Just over a month ago, he had been a student from the regular class, struggling to even reach the advanced stage of Minor Achievement.

But now, with his saber skill at the peak of perfection, he stood before the gates of the Unity Realm—a threshold countless Martial Artists only dreamed of reaching.

This leap was born from countless days and nights of grueling, sweat-drenched practice. It came from the life-and-death struggles that had honed him in the virtual world, and from the profound insight granted by the mysterious space he had opened in his sea of consciousness.

This was more than just a leap in power. It was the ultimate validation of his past perseverance and choices.

His goal: the Fire Hall! Starting from the very bottom, he was carving his way through the thorns, step by step, toward the summit!

SHIIING!

A clear, resonant ring of the saber suddenly shattered the silence!

Li Wen moved.

He didn’t activate [Absolute Focus]. His Divine Sense spread out naturally, merging perfectly with his physical senses.

With a flick of his wrist, the standard-issue long saber turned into a streak of light and slashed out fiercely.

The sixty-four forms of the Rainbow Light Saber Skill flowed from his hands like a veritable Star River! Slashes, parries, thrusts, sweeps, chops, points...

In his hands, the basic forms seemed to take on a life of their own, becoming intricate and profound.

He began with the first form, "Long Rainbow," the edge of his blade trembling, kicking up glints of cold light.

The second form, "Rainbow Shadow," followed closely, the light of the blade drawing a graceful arc.

Then came "Startled Rainbow," "Flowing Glow," "Dawn Break," "Fading Sun"...

Form followed form, each one flowing seamlessly into the next.

The arcs of his blade grew denser, more fluid, whipping up sharp vortexes of air within the enclosed room.

The air seemed to be interwoven with countless sharp threads.

His control via Divine Sense was pushed to its absolute limit. The transitions between forms were no longer forced or rigid; they flowed into one another as naturally as water finding its course.

Before the momentum of one form had faded, the optimal point of exertion and trajectory for the next was already crystal clear in his perception. Guided precisely by his Divine Sense, his muscles, sinews, and blood energy erupted with power in the most efficient way imaginable.

Sixty, sixty-one, sixty-two, sixty-three... Li Wen felt as if he had become a single drop of water in that surging river. The saber technique was no longer a set of forms, but a rhythm, a breath, a natural principle of the world itself!

The sixty-fourth form—"Sun Piercer"!

As the last form was executed to its end, in the instant between the old force being spent and the new force being born...

HUMMM!

In his sea of consciousness, the small, jade-like figure sitting cross-legged suddenly opened its eyes!

Guided by his Divine Sense, every bit of feedback from his body achieved perfect harmony.

He didn’t pause. He didn’t force the generation of new power. Instead, in a state that was profound beyond description, he took everything—the sixty-four ever-flowing forms, every move that contained the very essence of the saber skill, the kinetic energy of his surging blood and qi... and fused it all into one.

In the infinitesimal gap before the old momentum died, using his Divine Sense as a guide and his perfected Blade Intent as the core, he detonated it all in an instant!

’Long Rainbow Pierces the Sun!’ The silent thought exploded in his mind.

SWISH—!

A distorted streak of light, its speed indescribable, suddenly flared.

Li Wen’s figure vanished from his spot!

It wasn’t "speed" caused by a mere afterimage. Rather, in that instant of ultimate eruption, his power was so highly condensed and compressed that his very existence seemed to be warped, stretched, and condensed by the extreme speed and force.

A startling, blood-red afterimage was briefly seared onto the trajectory in space—an anomaly created by his blood energy being stretched at extreme speed and rubbing against the air.

PSHH—!

A short, sharp sound, like metal tearing through silk, rang out.

Almost at the same instant the saber rang out, Li Wen’s figure had already appeared at the opposite diagonal end of the Martial Arts Room.

He maintained a perfect final stance, his motion frozen, as if he had never moved at all.

But on the tip of the standard-issue long saber in his hand, a single, condensed drop of water that would not disperse refracted a rainbow of colors under the light.

That was a phenomenon that could only occur after an ultimate burst of power, when one’s blood and energy were highly condensed.

Along the path his blade had just traced, the air seemed to have been cleaved by an invisible edge, forming a straight, fleeting vacuum that was instantly filled by the displaced air.

Silence. After the ultimate speed came an absolute stillness.

Li Wen slowly lowered his arm, his gaze falling upon the mirror-smooth body of the blade.