In the virtual combat scenario, Lin Rui stood with his saber grounded, eyes closed to conserve his energy.
Unaware of the audience he had gathered, he hurriedly rested.
In simulated combat, though Lin Rui's body was virtual and wouldn't tire physically, the mental and spiritual drain was very real.
After fifty-three consecutive battles, Lin Rui's spirit inevitably wore thin.
Thus, this practical assessment was also a test of pressure.
Many students performed well at first, but after one or two hours of constant fighting, their performance deteriorated, due to weak stress resistance and excessive mental and spiritual expenditure, preventing them from unleashing their full capabilities in battle,
Only five seconds before the battle began did Lin Rui open his eyes,
He saw the name above his opponent's head—Weide (First City University)
Lin Rui's eyebrows lifted, his gaze intense.
He knew this person; on the day he crossed over, he had heard from his classmates about the famous 'Top Ten' of the 58th class.
Among the special students of their cohort, these ten individuals were at the very pinnacle of the pyramid.
From the year 4159 when they entered, these ten ranked top in all foundational assessments over many other special students from Base City Nine and were universally acknowledged as geniuses.
The one before him, Weide, was ranked fourth among the Top Ten!
Weide was also looking at Lin Rui.
Both were virtual entities created by the system, identical in height and build, and even their clothing was the same, without any difference.
Yet, Weide was carefully sizing up Lin Rui, his eyes filled with puzzlement, "You're from Mingde University? What's your current ranking? Why haven't I heard of you before?"
That Lin Rui could be matched with him meant that his ranking must be within the top fifty-four.
Yet Weide recognized everyone at this level, as the circle of top students was quite small.
How had this guy suddenly emerged, especially from a university notorious for being subpar?
Lin Rui glanced sideways at his ranking, "Fifteen."
This Weide was different from the previous Wang Linna, his demeanor showing no sign of disrespect, so Lin Rui's attitude was also different.
Weide was taken aback by the response, "Fifteen?"
He hadn't expected Lin Rui's ranking to be so high.
Immediately, Weide massaged his forehead with a headache, realizing he was in trouble.
Anyone who could make it to the top twenty was not to be underestimated.
The trouble was that he knew nothing about Lin Rui, hadn't gathered any intelligence in advance, nor had he prepared any strategies specifically for him.
Weide didn't know what kind of Sword Dao the other was proficient in and hadn't prepared any strategies for combat.
But in the next instant, the blood in Weide's body started to boil, and his eyes surged with fighting spirit.
This was going to be an interesting fight!
This guy, not originally a seeded candidate, had managed to break into the top fifteen from tens of thousands of special students in just three hours!
His blade technique must present a distinct landscape, different from that of the Top Ten!
Those old rivals had already bored Weide.
In the instant the countdown ended, Weide suddenly drew his sword, moving as fast as a shadow.
All his moves were extremely quick, leaving Lin Rui catching only glimpses of afterimages.
This was Weide's signature 'Instant Shadow Sword', a sword technique legendary for its speed.
Luckily, Lin Rui's Red Thunder Blade was also known for its swiftness.
In an instant, countless sparks flew between them, emitting a series of crisp, piercing 'ding ding' sounds.
Lin Rui's blade speed was already very fast, yet Weide's sword speed was even better by a notch or two.
Thus, Lin Rui had to fully defend and constantly shift his steps from side to side, contending with Weide.
His body continuously flickered with electricity, his blade slashing in all directions, each clash numbing Weide's wrists.
"You're really good, you know,"
Weide's eyes filled with awe.
He had tried to assess Lin Rui's strength as highly as possible before the fight, even treating him as a nearly Top Ten level opponent.
But he never imagined he had still underestimated Lin Rui—this was the level of the Top Ten!
Although Lin Rui was constrained to defense by his sword light, Lin Rui himself stood firm like a resilient pine, his stance as deep and immovable as a mountain, his blade screen flawless.
His footwork was also stable, the blade moving with his body, calm and deliberate, every step with a purpose.
Under the relentless strikes of Weide's sword, Lin Rui stood immovable like a mountain.
Could it be that this guy's Red Thunder Blade had also reached the Great Achievement? How did such a freak emerge from Mingde University, which was universally dubbed a rubbish pile?
Weide knew the weakness of his Instant Shadow Sword; though the sword was fast, it consumed a great deal,
Though the physical strength of this virtual entity was unlimited, Weide's spiritual power was not, so despite currently having the upper hand, if the battle dragged on, he would surely lose.
Weide tried several times to perform his secret technique, hoping to defeat his opponent with the 'Instant Shadow Seven Consecutive Strikes', his most skilled move which was perennially successful in past battles.
Even the number one among the Top Ten could inadvertently fall to his consecutive seven strikes.
The problem was that each time Weide commenced the first move of Instant Shadow Seven Consecutive Strikes, Lin Rui would detect it, bursting out with high blade speed to disrupt Weide's moves, rendering his subsequent chain techniques ineffective.
Wade's combat experience was extremely rich, and after several failed attempts, he decisively changed his tactics.
The sparks flying from their weapons became even more dazzling, and the 'ding ding' sound of their metal clashing intensified, resembling iron forging, vibrating the eardrum.
Lin Rui had initially enjoyed this battle.
This was the first formidable opponent he had encountered in this actual combat assessment.
The opponent's mastery of the "Instant Shadow Sword" was definitely top tier among the participants with different physiques in this session.
Wade's combat experience and swordsmanship skills were far superior to Lin Rui's, and almost every exchange greatly inspired Lin Rui, deepening his understanding of his own Red Thunder Saber.
Lin Rui's situation was like having top-level skills in an online game.
Although the skills were top-level, the extent to which Lin Rui could utilize its combat strength still depended on him.
Lin Rui was learning from Wade, and although their martial paths were different, the principles were the same. He only needed to watch a few times to learn and could mimic it afterwards.
However, as Wade's sword momentum changed, Lin Rui's gaze also slightly hardened as he looked at the long saber in his hands.
Was this guy planning to decide the match in this manner? Did he also want a quick resolution?
Meanwhile, in the conference room at the Ministry of Education.
Fang Kongfang exclaimed, "Worthy of being one of the top ten, his Instant Shadow Sword has clearly reached the Great Achievement. He has integrated and mastered it, his skill is impeccable, and he's not even 18 yet? Such accomplishments in the martial arts at such a young age are indeed monstrous, monstrous!"
Next to him, Wang Dabo, the Chairman of the Second City University, had a face turning shades of green and black, knowing Fang Kongfang was praising his own student in a roundabout way.
At the meeting, several attendees were at least at major-general level in martial cultivation, and figures like Director Li and Fang Kongfang even had life levels that had stepped into general class. Couldn't they see that although Wade seemed to have the upper hand, Lin Rui actually had a higher chance of winning?
This young man's Red Thunder Saber was not only impeccable in execution but also magical in technique!
As long as he could hold on for fifty to sixty seconds, Wade would definitely lose in the end.
Wang Dabo even suspected that this young man's Red Thunder Blade Technique had transcended its original limitations and entered the Grandmaster Realm!
If Wade was a monster, what level was Lin Rui, who could defeat him?
As Wang Dabo was thinking this, he heard the Chairman of First City University from the top of the table sigh, "Wade is in trouble. This kid's Red Thunder Saber has already reached the Grandmaster Realm. Mingde University has produced a remarkable figure this year."
This chairman was bewildered, wondering how Mingde University, with its faculty and student quality, could have nurtured such a freak?
On another side, the Chairman of Rejuvenation University also nodded slightly, "His saber technique is indeed at the Grandmaster level. It's the limitations of this special body that have restricted the power of his saber technique; otherwise, Wade might not last fifty seconds!"
In the actual combat assessment, the participants used special bodies that all had complete Dantians, meridians, and chakras, and their physical qualities were identical.
However, their Dantians, meridians, and chakras were just at the standard of an average person from Tianji Star, equivalent to a second-grade quality implant from the Earth Federation.
If Lin Rui had used better meridians and chakras, the power of his saber technique would have increased several times.
"It's still too early to talk about winning or losing."
Wang Dabo was unwilling to see Fang Kongfang pleased with himself, his eyes slightly resentful, "Although Lin Rui's blade technique is powerful, it clearly lacks real combat experience. Look at Wade, now he is slashing at exactly the same spot on Lin Rui's saber each time, and Lin Rui's saber is almost about to give way."
Fang Kongfang heard this and gave a cold laugh. Wasn't that obvious? Who among them couldn't see it?
Certainly, Wade's sword was indeed slashing at the middle section of Lin Rui's long saber, aiming to forcibly break it.
However, Lin Rui had the same intention.
This kid was quick to react. He too wanted to break Wade's sword. In the last ten seconds, each of Lin Rui's slashes had also landed at the same spot on Wade's sword blade, steadily widening the notch there, showcasing Lin Rui's unparalleled control over the long saber in his hand.
But Fang Kongfang's eyes still revealed some doubts.
If Lin Rui had realized Wade's intention, why still respond in this manner?
Didn't he know that Wade's "Instant Shadow Palm", also mastered to the Great Achievement Realm, was ranked among the top three for close-combat prowess in the "Top Ten" of the fifty-eighth competition session?
However, in the next instant, Fang Kongfang's expression brightened, noticing that a thin thunder snake and a similarly slender fire snake suddenly gathered around Lin Rui's body.
The tails of those twin snakes of thunder and fire were coiled around Lin Rui's waist, winding up to the wrist of his right hand.
The Director Li, who had been silently watching the battle, raised his bushy eyebrows, "It's the Red Thunder Snake Hand, clever boy!"
The many university presidents present didn't catch on at first, looking towards Director Li with puzzled eyes.
Director Li chuckled, "You might not have heard of it. This is a secret move that can only be mastered by simultaneously mastering the Red Thunder Palm and Red Fire Stance to the Great Achievement Realm. Its power is immense, capable even of killing beyond one's level! Lin Rui began to gather his strength five seconds ago and is nearly ready—"
Before he could finish his words, both Wade and Lin Rui's sword and saber shattered upon impact, scattering into dozens of metal fragments in all directions.
Wade's spirits immediately lifted, although his sword was also broken, close-quarters combat with bare hands was his specialty.
—It was his turn now.
But at that very instant, a dazzling flame and lightning suddenly burst out from Lin Rui's body.
Lin Rui's altered form then charged at Wade like a charging tyrannosaur, appearing instantly before him.
Wade's pupils contracted, his expression incredulous.
What kind of martial art was this? How could it be so fast? And the power of that fire and lightning was simply unimaginable. Wade barely had time to react before Lin Rui stamped a hand on his chest.
His chest collapsed instantly, and his body flew like a cannonball, crashing heavily against the empty wall dozens of meters away.
The system's synthesized female voice followed, "The victor has been decided! Please note, this combat scenario will conclude in thirty seconds."
Wade's mind was nearly blank, with only two thoughts left—had he really lost? This Lin Rui was simply a monster!
Meanwhile, everyone in the Ministry of Education's conference room was also looking at each other, all seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes.
Since Lin Rui could use the powerful secret move "Red Thunder Snake Hand," it meant his Red Thunder Palm and Red Fire Stance had been mastered to above the Great Achievement Realm!
This was clearly a martial arts genius with a talent even greater than Wade's!