Chapter 83: The Order from the Provincial Hall Master
Virtual Network, Starry Sky Combat Network.
In a vast combat space with no spectators around, two experts with virtual physical fitness both at 10.0 were engaged in an intense battle.
Both were masters of spear techniques.
One looked to be around forty years old, burly, and clad in silver armor.
The other was a young man in black armor.
"Clang!"
"Clang!" "Clang!"
Both displayed extremely refined spear techniques. The middle-aged man's spear shadows shifted continuously, with thrusts, sweeps, strikes, and slashes, forcing Li Yuan to defend himself with the Starry Spear Technique.
"Bang!" "Boom!" The spears clashed like lightning, and occasionally, Li Yuan would counterattack once or twice.
"Incredible."
"The Meteorite rank, every opponent here is a master at the fourth stage, each one extremely tough to handle." Li Yuan felt unprecedented pressure but was also incredibly excited.
Only by dueling with experts could one improve.
If you always fight against weaklings, you will eventually become one yourself.
Suddenly.
"Boom!" "Swish, swish, swish!" The middle-aged man's spear burst out, transforming into over ten spear shadows, enveloping Li Yuan like a torrential downpour.
These spear shadows were actually consecutive thrusts.
But the speed was so terrifying that it seemed simultaneous to the ordinary eye.
"Clang!" Li Yuan, with his sharp vision, desperately blocked six spears.
"Shlick~"
The seventh spear from the middle-aged man finally broke through Li Yuan's defense.
But at that moment.
"Kill!" A glint of determination and madness flashed in Li Yuan's eyes. Ignoring the opponent's spear aimed at him, he launched a desperate attack with his spear.
In that instant!
Li Yuan felt his mental and physical synchronization reach a new height, with his mind gaining deeper control over his body.
[Your spear technique has advanced from fourth stage 4% to fourth stage 5%] the divine palace panel indicated.
But Li Yuan had no time to pay attention to it. His eyes were fixed on his spear: "Kill! Faster! Even faster!"
Boom!
The spear, like a dragon emerging from a rocky abyss, carried a terrifying killing intent, thrusting straight at the middle-aged man, making his scalp tingle.
"Shlick!" That terrifying thrust pierced through Li Yuan's throat and head, making him disappear from the arena in an instant.
"Shh~"
The tip of Li Yuan's spear also slashed across the middle-aged man's face, causing blood to splatter.
The battle ended, with a clear victor.
"Where did this crazy youngster come from?" The middle-aged man stood in the arena, his heart still pounding.
"If he didn't adjust his age, he's probably only seventeen or eighteen."
"I used three major killing moves in succession and barely defeated him." The middle-aged man felt admiration.
In the virtual network, appearance and age could only be adjusted by a maximum of five years.
...
Starry Sky Combat Network, Personal Space.
"That was exhilarating!"
"Haha, what a rush." Li Yuan appeared instantly, not caring about winning or losing.
He pursued the essence of combat itself, aiming to learn from each fight.
He wasn't expecting to reach 300 points immediately.
"12 points?" Li Yuan glanced at the screen, which displayed his rank points.
Ranked Match: Meteorite Rank.
Points: 12 (1000 points to participate in promotion match)
Win Rate: 22%
...
In the past two hours, Li Yuan had fought 18 matches, winning only 4 and losing 14.
More losses than wins.
"At least I win occasionally." Li Yuan grinned.
When he was still in the Golden rank, he had no chance against Meteorite rank experts.
At least now, he could fight back.
Moreover, after dozens of battles, he gradually understood the patterns, fighting mostly against opponents below 500 points in the Meteorite rank.
"These experts' martial arts skills are similar to Tian Dazhuang's." Li Yuan pondered. "Most should not exceed the fourth stage, 30% level."
"With my current rate of improvement."
"I should reach 300 points in the Meteorite rank by the time of the college entrance exams." Li Yuan was looking forward to it.
This was already much faster than he had anticipated.
Additionally, from this invitation event, Li Yuan had already earned several million Blue Star Coins.
And he signed a special training contract with Kunlun Martial University, ensuring enough resources for the short term.
So, Li Yuan wasn't in a hurry.
"But apart from the first 500,000 Blue Star Coins, the rest has to wait." Li Yuan muttered to himself. "Hopefully, nothing goes wrong."
Otherwise, he would be in trouble.
...
At six o'clock, Li Yuan exited the virtual network and, as usual, went to the martial arts room.
He began his daily basic cultivation practice.
Gu Qianghan was still asleep.
Li Yuan practiced his stances and punches while opening the holographic screen.
He tuned into the 'Astral Realm Channel' of China.
The Astral Realm Channel specifically reported news from various Astral Realms within the Seven Star Alliance.
When there was no war, it mainly broadcast documentaries about different Astral Realms. During wartime, it often provided live coverage from the front lines, making it very popular.
Recently, all attention was on the 'Level-2 Astral Realm: Luo Bu Sea' conflict.
"Yesterday, news came from the front lines of the Luo Bu Sea Astral Realm..." The host read out the news.
Li Yuan listened quietly.
Despite participating in the invitation event these days, Li Yuan had been closely following the news about the Luo Bu Sea Astral Realm, hoping for good news.
Unfortunately, until today, although the news was often favorable, there was no update on Base No. 3.
At 6:26.
"We interrupt with a breaking news update."
The host's voice suddenly became urgent: "Just now, the front-line support teams from Starlight Martial Hall and Starry Sky Martial Hall, in cooperation with the combat mech corps, successfully opened the transport route from Base No. 5 to Forward Base No. 3."
"Forward Base No. 3 has not fallen! It has not fallen!"
"The military has organized..." The host's voice was excited, clearly very moved.
Outside the screen.
Li Yuan abruptly stopped his practice, staring wide-eyed at the screen.
In his mind, only the host's words echoed: "Base No. 3 has not fallen."
Not fallen!
"If Base No. 3 has not fallen, does that mean Uncle is still alive?" Li Yuan felt even more anxious.
Without hesitation.
Li Yuan began searching for news about 'Base No. 3' on his smart wristband.
Unfortunately, he couldn't find more information for now.
...
On the fifth day of the event, there were no assessments, just some tours and explanations.
According to the schedule.
The activities would end in the morning, and after lunch, all students would head back.
Around nine o'clock, during the tour.
"Li Yuan, why do you seem distracted and keep checking your wristband?" Wu Dongdong asked curiously. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing much." Li Yuan forced a smile.
Inside, Li Yuan was extremely worried.
If there had been no news, even as hope faded, he would have remained composed despite his anxiety.
But now, seeing a glimmer of hope, he felt more restless.
"Dongdong." Lin Lanyue frowned slightly, giving a look.
Wu Dongdong, not being foolish, immediately realized something was off. She obediently nodded and walked ahead without asking more.
"Li Yuan, don't worry too much."
Lin Lanyue walked beside Li Yuan, whispering, "The route to Base No. 3 has been cleared. Our Xia Country's forces have gained the upper hand and are gradually driving them back, waiting for a complete breakout."
"According to the reports, most of the trapped personnel are still alive. Your uncle should be fine." Lin Lanyue's eyes were bright.
Li Yuan couldn't help but look at Lin Lanyue.
"The day you fainted, Teacher Xu told me." Lin Lanyue smiled faintly.
"Thank you." Li Yuan whispered.
Many classmates knew about his uncle in the Luo Bu Sea, so it wasn't exactly a secret.
...
At eleven o'clock in the morning.
In Jiangcheng, Starlight Martial Hall's Jiangcheng Branch.
As the core of Starlight Martial Hall in Jiangcheng, there were several buildings here, their combined area as large as four or five Guanshan branches.
The central building was only accessible to L3 members of Starlight Martial Hall and a few service personnel. Others were not allowed to enter.
On the sixth floor, in a large office with a retro decoration.
"Hall Master Fei." Wan Qinghe bowed slightly.
In the Jiangcheng Branch, there were few people to whom Wan Qinghe would show such respect.
But the sixty-year-old man in a black robe sitting at the desk had this qualification.
He was Fei Qian, the Hall Master of the Jiangcheng Branch and one of the top five figures in Starlight Martial Hall in Jiangbei Province.
"Little Wan."
"You submitted an application early this morning, hoping to upgrade Li Yuan's contract from B-level to A-level in advance." Fei Qian smiled. "I didn't respond for a few hours, and you came here in person. Is it that urgent?"
"Hall Master Fei."
"It's not that I'm anxious, but I'm worried about unexpected changes." Wan Qinghe suppressed his anxiety. "Have you seen the documents?"
"I have." Fei Qian smiled placidly, showing no emotions. "And then?"
"Li Yuan, aside from not having awakened his martial spirit, excels in every other aspect." Wan Qinghe could hardly contain himself. "According to my investigation, his probability of successfully creating a technique exceeds 40%!"
"In the future, his probability of becoming a level 29 source warrior is extremely high."
"He definitely deserves an A-level contract." Wan Qinghe looked at Fei Qian. "Kunlun Martial University directly gave him an S-level special training contract."
"Although university S-level contracts are not entirely equivalent to ours, it says a lot."
"More importantly!"
"I worry that if we keep the original contract without upgrading, the military or Starry Sky Martial Hall will poach him." Wan Qinghe's voice carried a hint of urgency. "Hall Master Fei, you are always wise. Please consider this carefully."
Wan Qinghe's words held deep meaning.
Fei Qian smiled and was about to speak when the office's intelligent assistant chimed in: "Master! Important communication! It's a call from Provincial Hall Master Yang. Should I connect?"
Fei Qian immediately stood up, his expression becoming solemn: "Connect!"
Wan Qinghe, startled, also became respectful.
Provincial Hall Master?
Wan Qinghe was merely a district hall master; Fei Qian was a city hall master. Although their ranks differed significantly, they were both source warriors.
Thus, Wan Qinghe wasn't too intimidated by Fei Qian.
But a Provincial Hall Master? That was a true heavyweight, the top leader of Starlight Martial Hall in Jiangbei Province.
The rank difference was not just in position but in power.
According to Starlight Martial Hall's regulations, a Provincial Hall Master must be a flying warrior.
A flying warrior was an existence that stood above source warriors.
"Beep~"
The communication was established, just a voice call.
"Fei Qian." An icy female voice came from the dark screen.
"Provincial Hall Master." Fei Qian became respectful.
"I have reviewed the report you submitted this morning." The cold female voice said. "You may grant Li Yuan an A-level contract and increase all resource allocations by 20%."
"Also, inform him."
"Before he turns 20, if his technique reaches the fifth stage, he will be upgraded to an S-level contract and given a 'Stellar Earth Marrow Crystal'."