novelTele Chapter 18 Bai Lingxue's Challenge!
Chapter 18 Bai Lingxue's Challenge!
When Wang Xing opened the door, the house was quiet.
My mom, Yang Xiaoxia, got an urgent job tonight to provide nursing care for a new mother who just finished her postpartum period. She also has to work the night shift, so she probably won't be back until this time tomorrow.
He quickly heated up his food, finished eating, cleaned up the dishes, and went into the training room to begin practicing the Tide Stance.
As he practiced, Wang Xing thought of Sun Donglai.
"On the bus just now, that fat guy didn't say a word, and he didn't even touch the snacks."
Wang Xing knew Sun Donglai too well. From childhood to adulthood, this was always how the kid acted whenever he had something on his mind. But today's silence was different; it contained something much heavier.
"It must be because I went on stage with Bai Lingxue to receive the award, which made him envious..."
Wang Xing tried to stop thinking about Sun Donglai.
The effects of the Blood Abyss Pill he took yesterday haven't been fully absorbed yet. He can clearly feel his blood and qi barrier loosening, and he's just one step away from reaching level 7.4 in blood and qi.
"A breakthrough will definitely be achieved in three days at most."
Wang Xing calmed his mind, abandoned all distractions, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the practice of stance training.
Breathing and blood circulation are perfectly synchronized, and a faint aura of blood and qi emanates from the body, which is particularly noticeable in the dimly lit balcony.
……
In the stillness of the night, as the city slumbers, Wang Xing logs into the Beidou Yuan Universe.
The metallic-textured interface unfolded, and he went straight into the single-player arena matchmaking mode, starting four matches in a row without any delay.
The battle ended, and the score on the metaverse panel jumped rapidly, eventually settling at 6412/10000.
Wang Xing's eyes lit up as he watched his points increase.
"The Gold rank not only offers a 50,000 RMB cash reward from the school, but also unlocks advanced modes in the Metaverse such as team battles, survival mode, and monster simulation combat."
"This one-on-one random matchmaking often results in opponents with vastly different skill levels, making the points accumulation efficiency too low... It no longer meets my needs."
After exiting the matchmaking interface, Wang Xing didn't rush into the fifth match.
During the battle just now, there were several times when his movements and swordsmanship combined with that "biting" feeling... The Tiger's Journey Through Nine Mountains footwork and the Three Forms of Breaking Army swordsmanship naturally blended together.
"Go practice in the simulator module quickly."
The simulator module is a paid feature; Wang Xing spent 500 points to redeem two hours of private simulator time. However, he had a coupon for a ten-game winning streak, which deducted all his points.
Environment Setting: Moonlit Mountain Peak
The hatch opens, and the scenery changes.
A huge silver moon hung overhead, its cool light bathing the entire mountain peak. Wang Xing stood on the edge of the cliff, with a bottomless abyss below and a continuous, undulating black mountain range in the distance.
He drew his virtual longsword, its blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
"The Three Forms of Breaking the Army, the Third Form—Moon Slash!"
Holding a virtual battle blade, Wang Xing moved his feet, his movements flowing like a tiger traversing nine mountains, his figure as swift as a tiger. At the same time, his wrists flicked, the blade flashing sharply, repeatedly practicing the three moves of the Breaking Army Style: chopping, slashing, and sweeping.
Although the training in the simulator is not as realistic as in real life, the insights gained are genuine.
He practiced his movements and swordsmanship repeatedly, tirelessly training for two whole hours. When he unleashed the final strike, sword energy erupted in the virtual training arena, as if the air itself was being torn apart, and Wang Xing's aura suddenly surged.
[The A-grade martial art, the Three Forms of Breaking the Army, has been mastered!]
A system notification sounded in my mind.
Wang Xing sheathed his sword and stood there, his eyes filled with joy.
"Before, I only had a minor mastery of swordsmanship, skilled but not refined. Now, the sword moves with my heart, and I can act spontaneously... The next step is perfection, which is the realm where the sword is the heart and the heart is the sword. I still need some time."
This is his first fully mastered martial arts technique. Although it is only A-level and far less powerful than S-level martial arts, it excels in its solid foundation and balanced offense and defense.
[User ID: Wang Xing, you have 2 minutes left in the simulation pod trial.]
Wang Xing quickly exited the simulation pod and continued cultivating inside, but this would consume points.
The moment I exited the simulator, a notification came from Xingyuan's mind.
Your agility has increased from 95% to 98% of Tier 2.
"My movement skills have improved as well!"
Wang Xing smiled.
"And it's only 2% away from reaching the third tier of movement technique!"
This virtual training session has perfected my swordsmanship and advanced my movement skills.
The harvest was truly bountiful!
.........
The next day, at four in the morning.
The city was still asleep when Wang Xing appeared at the school's training grounds.
The campus was deserted in the early morning. Wang Xing continued to devote himself to practicing his swordsmanship and movement techniques, further refining and perfecting the three moves of the Breaking Army Formation.
After two and a half hours of practice, it was already bright outside.
Wang Xing glanced at the time; it wasn't even 7 a.m. yet. "It's still early. I'll go to the mecha modification room first and apply some lubricant to the joints of the Tiger-type mecha to ensure its smooth operation."
As Wang Xing walked through the teaching building, he noticed that award posters featuring him and Bai Lingxue were displayed in the corridors, on the bulletin boards, and even at the stairwells.
On the right is Bai Lingxue, wearing a silver-white school uniform, with long hair reaching her waist, and a cool and aloof demeanor like the moon.
He sat to the side, wearing a blue and white school uniform, tall and straight with sharp eyes.
Two posters hung side by side, with the words "Outstanding Senior Students, Role Models" written below.
Wang Xing's lips twitched, thinking to himself that even schools can come up with gimmicks.
He then went to the door of the modification room, took out the access card given to him by Lü Yun, and prepared to open the door. At this moment, a fierce shout suddenly came from behind him.
"Wang Xing! You stop right there!"
Wang Xing turned around.
A tall, thin boy with a slightly parted hairstyle and a silver star badge of the Yuanpei Class pinned to his school uniform collar strode over, his face showing obvious anger and arrogance.
Cheng Kai!
Wang Xing remembered him because his ranking was often very close to his own, fluctuating between 15th and 20th place year after year. Sometimes Wang Xing was one place higher, and sometimes Cheng Kai was one place higher, like two fierce rivals.
"How dare you use Teacher Lü's private modification studio?"
Cheng Kai pointed at Wang Xing, raised his voice, and said confidently:
"This is a special area that Teacher Lü set up exclusively for Bai Lingxue! You, a student from a regular class, do you even deserve to use these resources? Just because you won a 'Person of the Year' award? Even I, a respectable student from the Yuanpei Class, don't have the right to use these resources in the modification room, so what gives you the right?!"
Wang Xing immediately had the answer in his heart.
This mecha modification room was a special place that Lü Yun had set up for him. Lü Yun had said before that only two people were allowed to come here—his niece Lü Mufei and himself.
But Cheng Kai said this at this moment...it must be because Lu Yun became the Qi and Blood teacher of the Yuanpei Class a few days ago, and seeing that Bai Lingxue's talent was too good, he also gave Bai Lingxue the right to use this mecha modification room.
As for Cheng Kai in front of us...
As the saying goes, "The tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind."
As a student in a regular class, I broke with convention and became a prominent figure in the senior year, standing on equal footing with Bai Lingxue. This already attracted a lot of jealousy from Bai Lingxue's supporters... Cheng Kai was obviously one of them.
Furthermore, since our rankings on the leaderboard were already quite close, and I now possessed the modification workshop resources that he lacked, my dissatisfaction was completely ignited...
In short, this guy is just looking for trouble.
"What do you want?"
Wang Xing spoke in a flat tone.
"Duel with me!"
Cheng Kai raised his chin slightly, his eyes gleaming with eager excitement: "Our grades are almost identical, so what makes you think you have so many resources? Let's have a one-on-one duel at the training grounds this noon, are you in?"
Wang Xing laughed, shook his head, and said, "I'm not interested."
Wang Xing couldn't be bothered to participate in such a meaningless duel.
"Not interested?"
Cheng Kai's face instantly flushed red, and he shouted angrily, "Do you think I'm too weak to be your opponent? Are you insulting me?!"
"You're quite self-aware," Wang Xing said with a faint smile.
Wang Xing really didn't want to have a one-on-one fight with Cheng Kai.
Firstly, Wang Xing genuinely lacked interest. Cheng Kai's performance was similar to his, but that was because of the 15% bonus from the Void Element skill. In reality, the difference between the two in actual combat was quite significant.
Secondly, who knows if the other party has any secret modifications or anything? With the exam just around the corner, it would be a huge loss if I were to be tricked and get hurt.
Wang Xing wouldn't do something that's risky and has no reward.
"hateful!"
Cheng Kai was trembling with rage. He stepped forward, ready to attack, "You have to fight me one-on-one today, or don't even think about entering this modification workshop!"
"shut up!"
A clear, sharp shout suddenly rang out, interrupting Cheng Kai's rant.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a brown Martin boot stepping up the stairs.
It was Bai Lingxue!
She was dressed in a neat Yuanpei Class uniform, her long, ink-black hair cascading over her shoulders, her skin as white as snow. At this moment, a look of displeasure appeared on her perfectly oval face, and she seemed to exude a cold aura, her innate sense of oppression making the air in the corridor seem to freeze.
"Cheng Kai, you provoked us on campus and challenged us to a fight. Do you think your previous demerits weren't enough and want to add another one?"
Bai Lingxue walked up to the two of them and stared coldly at Cheng Kai.
"I……"
The moment Cheng Kai saw Bai Lingxue, his arrogance vanished in an instant.
He shrank his neck, his face filled with unease.
Bai Lingxue is the class monitor of the Yuanpei Class, so it's her duty to manage. Moreover, the Academic Affairs Office has extremely strict control over actual fighting, and if it's reported, he will definitely be severely punished.
"You've caused trouble for no reason, and you're bringing shame to the entire Yuanpei Class. Apologize to Wang Xing immediately."
Bai Lingxue said in an unquestionable manner.
Cheng Kai: "I'm sorry."
Wang Xing looked at Cheng Kai, who was bowing and apologizing, and laughed.
Not a buddy...
That's all the apology you've given?
He thought he had encountered the kind of unruly, brainless villain from a novel, but he didn't expect that this guy was actually just a delusional teenager.
"Rise."
Wang Xing didn't bother to argue and turned to swipe his card to enter the modification room.
"Wait, Wang Xing."
Suddenly, Bai Lingxue's voice came from behind again.
Wang Xing turned to look at the other person: "What's up?"
"My name is Bai Lingxue. We went up on stage together to receive the award yesterday, so you should recognize me."
A hint of fighting spirit flickered in Bai Lingxue's cold eyes, and her tone was straightforward and frank:
"You consistently rank among the top students in the grade despite being in a regular class. In reality, you single-handedly defeated a level six Bone-Cracking Dog and even made an exception to become a prominent figure. Teacher Lü even gave you the privilege of having a dedicated modification room... This strength and treatment makes me curious about your abilities, and at the same time... I'm also quite resentful."
"I want to fight you!"