In the ranked match mode, under continuous winning streaks, Li Yuan occasionally matched against those Gold Stage experts with over 500 points,
but they were ultimately in the minority. Most of the time, the system prioritized matching players with similar point totals.
"Since creating 'Dragon Hidden in the Rocky Ravine,' my spear technique ability has significantly improved. My win rate against lower-ranked Gold Stage martial path experts has increased dramatically," Li Yuan mused. *He felt a bit fatigued but remained filled with determination.*
His points kept soaring, up until now.
"Ordinary adults, with insufficient spiritual power, likely need to rest after six or seven battles a day. At most, they can fight twenty to thirty rounds per day—any more would harm their mental state and affect their real-world cultivation," Li Yuan's eyes gleamed. "As for me, I've completed two hundred virtual battles in a single day and still maintained peak condition."
*Why have Li Yuan's martial arts skills been soaring over the past year?*
It wasn't just because he truly had comprehension in spear techniques.
The real connection lay in his continually strengthening spiritual power.
The stronger his spiritual power, the better his control over his body during daily cultivation, leading to faster improvements in spear techniques.
Similarly, stronger spiritual power allowed him to engage in more virtual battles.
Throughout the year, the number of virtual battles he participated in equaled three, or even five years' worth of training for many others.
*How could Li Yuan's martial arts skills not progress rapidly under these circumstances?*
"I've got to win the final match."
"Fifty thousand bucks. It's mine." Li Yuan clicked on the option box—start matchmaking.
Beep—match successful.
"Entering ranked match. Opponent is Gold Stage, 499 points… countdown starting: 10, 9…"
...
In a live-stream room on the Starry Skies Fighting Network, the title read, "Path to Martial Arts Scholar: Furious Charge to Gold Stage 500 Points."
The live-stream room featured an elf-costumed girl appearing around seventeen or eighteen years old and… a middle-aged commentator.
"Brothers."
"Xiu'er aspires to become South Bright City's top martial arts scholar. Last time during school's martial arts test, she scored over 360 points in martial arts skills… today, she's attempting to surpass 500 points in the Gold Stage."
The girl occasionally tilted her head, appearing quite adorable while waiting for a match.
The middle-aged commentator, though, was visibly excited.
"Gold Stage 500 points—don't just look at South Bright City; even across Jiangbei Province, there are fewer than fifty individuals under eighteen who've reached this stage. Let's see if Xiu'er succeeds on her third attempt today," the commentator said quickly.
"Oh! The match succeeded!"
"Opponent has 496 points—seems like another martial path expert trying to break Gold Stage."
"During today's earlier two attempts, Xiu'er faced opponents with over 600 points; this time, the opponent only has 496 points… Let's see what happens… 5, 4…" the commentator said excitedly.
Gold Stage martial arts streamers were as numerous as weeds.
But underage streamers reaching Gold Stage were exceedingly rare—the allure of high school scholarships, plus an elf-costumed, attractive girl—all these gimmicks drew significant attention.
This girl streamer named "Xiu'er" enjoyed considerable popularity on the Starry Skies Fighting Network.
Currently, there were over two thousand viewers watching.
Of course, as minors weren't allowed to stream alone until they surpassed sixteen years old, live sessions required a guardian's accompaniment and streaming hours were legally capped weekly.
"Looks like this one might work."
"Opponent only has 496 points; way weaker than the previous guys."
"Destroy him!"
"Xiu'er's fought over 30 rounds already today—her win rate stands at 56.6%, which is great. Sending her some tips."
"I've been watching her live-streams for two years now."
"It's all about nurturing. One day, she'll be the top martial path scholar—I'm waiting for it."
"She'll definitely win." Numerous text comments, voice comments, and image comments flooded the screen… along with various tips and rewards.
Suddenly.
Swish! The live-stream transformed into an arena where a boy holding a long spear appeared at the opposite end.
"Boy?"
"The opponent looks young. Could he also be underage?"
"Definitely an adult—this is just their virtual appearance. If not, then couldn't he also compete for the top high school scholar spot?" The audience debated.
...
In the arena.
"Hmm? So many spectators?" Li Yuan had just stood on the platform when he noticed that what was previously an empty viewing platform had suddenly filled with spectators, packed densely.
At a glance, there were probably thousands of people.
"A major streamer?" Li Yuan's gaze swept across the crowd, finally landing twenty meters away on the elf-costumed girl holding a silver spear.
In normal Gold Stage matchmaking, even encountering a streamer with over a hundred spectators was rare.
Encountering a major streamer with thousands of viewers? That was a first for Li Yuan today.
Li Yuan had the option to mute the spectator platform's audio or block outside noises—but he chose not to.
"Streamer?"
"Seems to be a teenage girl streamer?" Li Yuan caught fragments of audience chatter. "Let's see how strong she is."
Actually, Li Yuan had toyed with the idea of streaming himself. He'd thought about earning money through streaming to ease his family's financial burden… but he quickly realized:
This industry was far too complicated.
Unless one became a "Sun Eclipse Stage" supreme expert, achieving fame was near impossible.
A streamer's popularity wasn't solely determined by martial arts skills.
Being good in combat didn't guarantee success in broadcasting.
Nothing lucrative ever came easy.
Plus, Li Yuan had a clear understanding: Virtual combat was merely a tool for honing martial arts skills; real-world cultivation was the essence.
Earning money ultimately served the purpose of enhancing cultivation.
He refused to put the cart before the horse.
"Xiu'er?" Li Yuan glanced at the elf girl's username, vaguely recalling seeing her stream video before.
But he hadn't retained much of an impression, as she probably wasn't among the top streamers.
"Hello."
"Could you let me win this round?" The elf girl grinned while holding the silver spear, her demeanor playful and adorable.
Li Yuan frowned slightly.
Swish!
The elf girl suddenly lunged. With a physical quality rating of 8.0, her speed was lightning-fast, charging toward Li Yuan.
"Xiu'er is at it again with her underhanded tactics."
"Stab him!"
"This kid was probably conned, doesn't seem to know Xiu'er's stream." The spectator platform roared with comments.
"Thud!" The silver spear went for a straight thrust!
"A direct thrust?"
Li Yuan didn't hesitate for a second. His left hand gripped the shaft, his right hand supported the spear, countering with a middle-level straight thrust.
It resembled a move where both parties risk mutual destruction.
But Li Yuan's spear was nearly three meters long, half a meter longer than hers… and Li Yuan's character model was taller with a longer armspan.
That meant his spear would undoubtedly strike first.
A longer reach equals greater strength.
"Bang~"
The moment the spear tips collided, the elf girl's silver spear abruptly quivered, unleashing terrifying force in an attempt to deflect Li Yuan's weapon… clearly, she had noticed the disadvantage of her shorter spear.
"Bang~"
But Li Yuan, as if anticipating this, shook his spear simultaneously, pitting force against force.
Then, Li Yuan glanced sideways, swiftly retreating backwards, landing solidly to dissolve the shock's impact.
"Whoosh!" The spear wind howled wildly.
The elf girl's follow-up thrust missed, the point halting barely an inch from Li Yuan's head.
*Despite continuous collisions, she could keep her spear steady and attack in succession… This must be a killing move.* Li Yuan dodged the attack and assessed: *I need to stay cautious.*
In typical fights, repeated impacts often transmitted force through the shaft to disrupt the wielder's movements—they'd have to reset before acting again.
This opponent, however, could strike continuously, signaling a particularly refined combo.
Killing moves referred to extraordinary techniques blending vigor to achieve offensive and defensive combos impossible for average fighters.
"What swift reactions! What skilled movement techniques." The elf girl's delicate face revealed astonishment.
This combo was one of her signature killing moves, effective for ambushing opponents and resolving battles within three strikes.
…"Skillful movement!"
"So steady!"
"Hidden masters exist among common folk!"
"Xiu'er got countered." The spectator platform burst into laughter; for them, the outcome wasn't the main concern.
...
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"
The spears clashed repeatedly; both were spear technique masters, their physical models moving rapidly, constantly probing.
Each sought to catch the other's opening and seize the chance.
Li Yuan remained absolutely steady, sticking to defense, prioritizing not making mistakes over pressing an advantage. He blocked the elf girl's silver spear every time.
*Virtual battles serve to hone spear techniques—whether I fight one round more or less carries little weight.* Li Yuan's mind remained calm, unmoved by urgency.
The elf girl, however, grew increasingly anxious.
She heard the sighs from mounting platform spectators, including sarcastic remarks like "Boring," "Just hit already," "Rush him!" "Circling endlessly," "Are these two putting on a show?" "Can't live up to the name Xiu'er," "All showboating with nothing to back it up," and so on.
The elf girl desired victory, not just the thrill of breaking 500 points to claim her reward—she longed for entertaining her audience.
"This guy's like a turtle."
"At this pace, it'll take over five minutes, and half the audience might leave—I can't wait any longer." She steeled herself, charging aggressively.
"Clang!" "Bang~"
Spears collided thrust after thrust. Li Yuan retreated steadily as the elf girl advanced boldly.
"An opening." The elf girl's eyes gleamed brightly.
Within ten exchanges, Li Yuan had nearly been driven to the arena's edge—surely her victory was close. But.
"Whoosh!" After defending the entire bout, Li Yuan suddenly erupted, thrusting his spear forward with incredible speed.
"Screech~"
The spear tore through the air sharply, producing a piercing screech!
"Oh no." The elf girl "Xiu'er" gasped, just beginning to retreat when the spear tip had already pierced her throat.
The speed was overwhelming!
After close to two minutes of battle, during which she held a clear advantage for over ninety percent of the time, she found herself defeated in one blow amid the momentary exhaustion from the rapid exchanges.
*Streaming martial arts fights brings entertaining content for viewers who reward gifts or cheer,* Li Yuan thought while drawing back his spear, glancing at the lively spectator platform nearby. *But growth reliant on external influence often becomes entangled by it.*
*Pure combat should transcend distractions. Life-and-death duels are measured solely in resolve.*
"Your spear techniques match mine in proficiency, but your focus wasn't entirely on the fight." Li Yuan stared at the disappearing figure of the elf girl. "That's why you lost."
Life-and-death combat was never decided entirely by physical qualities or martial arts techniques.
It heavily relied on one's mindset.
Having cultivated the Solid Rock Cultivation Technique, Li Yuan's mental resilience was exceptionally strong.
"Congratulations, Guardian Yuan—you've won this Gold Stage match, earning +10 points."
"Congratulations, Guardian Yuan—you've reached 500 points in the Gold Stage and qualified to claim the 50,000 Blue Star Coins reward."
"Congratulations, Guardian Yuan—you've entered the 'Blue Star Youth Board,' ranked #4684 globally, #1224 in Xia Country District, #47 in Jiangbei region. For detailed rankings, access via the following…"