Lightning-type E-rank? My Space-time-type S-rank can't be hidden anymore!

The air in the arena exploded the moment the spear tip collided with the sword blade.

The icy blue ice crystals and silvery white lightning intertwined, emitting a sharp screech.

The shockwave swept outwards from the point of impact, stirring up dust from the ground and creating a ring of grayish-white shockwaves around the edge of the stands.

Su Qingyue felt a sudden jolt in the tiger's mouth where she was gripping the sword.

The force emanating from the sword was astonishing, completely unlike the power a fellow ability user of the same level should possess.

Her Ice Phoenix Sword almost flew out of her hand, and she used the force to drift backward, barely managing to steady herself by tapping her toes on the ground three or four times.

She looked up, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes.

Lin Yuan, on the other side, remained completely still.

The spear remained in its upward-pointing posture, the residual lightning on its tip crackling and casting an inconspicuous light and shadow on half of his face.

His breathing was steady, his steps were firm, and even his expression remained unchanged.

That sword strike just now wasn't even a warm-up for him.

"Again."

His voice was calm, without any hint of provocation, yet it made Su Qingyue's heart sink.

In the stands, Qin Ruolan leaned forward slightly, her fingers unconsciously gripping the armrests of her seat.

"First tier, ninth level".

Her voice was very soft, but Ye Lin, who was sitting next to her, heard it clearly.

"What?"

"That kid's lightning-type ability is at the sixth level of the first tier." Qin Ruolan's pupils contracted slightly.

"And it wasn't a recent breakthrough—his ability fluctuations are extremely stable, and his foundation is more solid than most people's."

Ye Lin frowned.

She certainly trusted Qin Ruolan's judgment; a fifth-tier ice-type ability user's perception was among the top three of everyone present. But the problem was—

"Ten days ago, on the day of his awakening, his record was F-rank, not yet at the next level." Ye Lin's voice carried a hint of disbelief. "Ten days, from zero to the sixth level of the first rank?"

"more than."

Gu Cheng's voice interrupted from the side.

This man, who always looked like he hadn't slept properly, had now taken the cigarette he was holding into his hand.

His eyes narrowed to slits, his gaze fixed on the black-haired boy in the center of the room, his tone unusually serious.

"Look at his bones."

Lei Meng was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened.

The National Martial Arts Academy is founded on physical skills and has a far greater understanding of body structure than the other three schools.

Lei Meng's ability to become a physical training instructor suggests he has excellent judgment.

His attention was entirely on Su Qingyue just now, but after Gu Cheng reminded him, he finally took a closer look at Lin Yuan.

Then his expression changed.

The muscles and bones of martial artists are different from those of ordinary people.

The higher the number of bone tempering cycles, the more subtle changes will occur in the density, structure, and even the external contour of the bones.

This change is imperceptible to ordinary people, but to a master like Lei Meng who specializes in physical skills, it is as conspicuous as a lighthouse in the dark.

He saw Lin Yuan's fingers gripping the gun, and the joints of each finger bone exhibited a near-perfect mechanical structure.

He saw the way Lin Yuan coordinated his forearm ulna and radius when he exerted force, and the smoothness of it was something that could not be achieved with three or four rounds of bone tempering.

He saw that when Lin Yuan took a step forward, every bone in the entire power chain, from his toes to his ankles to his knees to his hips, was precisely transmitting power with almost zero loss.

Lei Meng's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"Eight wheels."

His voice was somewhat hoarse.

"At least eight rounds."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people around him all changed.

Qin Ruolan suddenly turned to look at him: "Are you sure?"

"I teach physical skills," Lei Meng said in a deep voice.

"I can tell the number of Bone Tempering Wheels below the fourth level with just one glance. That kid's skeletal structure, power generation method, and joint linkage efficiency—all of them are above the seventh wheel. Seven wheels is the minimum, and he's probably at least the eighth."

He paused, then added a sentence that silenced everyone.

"Moreover, his bone tempering wasn't achieved through drugs or superficial enhancements. His bone structure is naturally formed, and his foundation is solid; it was honed through real combat."

An eerie silence fell over the main stands.

The professors from the four universities fell silent.

They are all worldly people.

Five-stage bone tempering is not uncommon in the four major universities; which one of those who can be specially admitted is not a genius?

With enough resources invested, six rounds of development wouldn't be a problem.

But it's different above the seventh wheel.

Reaching the seventh level requires not only resources and talent, but also the ability to endure the pain of bone tempering.

The excruciating pain that penetrates to the bone is so intense that someone with a weaker willpower could faint on the spot.

Those who could endure eight rounds were all individuals with an almost obsessive and unwavering will.

More importantly, this boy named Lin Yuan was just an F-level "trash" ten days ago.

Without family resources, without guidance from renowned teachers, and without any external assistance.

Ten days.

From F-level to E-level, from never entering a new rank to the sixth level of the first rank, from an ordinary person to the eighth level of bone tempering.

This can no longer be explained by the word "genius".

Gu Cheng suddenly chuckled, put the cigarette back in his mouth, and mumbled something indistinctly.

"Interesting. This is fucking interesting."

The battle in the center of the arena continues.

Su Qingyue stopped testing the waters.

She discovered that no matter how she attacked, the long spear opposite her could always appear at the most opportune moment in the most fatal position.

Her sword was fast, but Lin Yuan's spear was even faster. Her ice-based abilities had a wide range of applications, but Lin Yuan's lightning-based abilities had a stronger explosive force.

She changed her tactics, but Lin Yuan was even faster.

What alarmed her even more was that Lin Yuan seemed to always be able to anticipate her movements.

Every time she prepared to exert force, Lin Yuan's spear tip would point at the joint where she would exert force.

Every time she tried to create distance to unleash a wide-range ice-type skill, Lin Yuan's lightning would block her movement in advance.

Every time she tried to use Lin Yuan's strength against her, Lin Yuan's power would suddenly change at the last moment, causing her to miss her chance.

This is not a difference in level of understanding.

This is an absolute crushing defeat in terms of combat experience.

Su Qingyue bit her lip, and the Ice Phoenix Sword drew an arc in front of her.

With his ice-type superpower fully activated, a thick layer of frost formed on the ground wherever the sword passed, and countless ice spikes shot out from the ice surface, piercing towards Lin Yuan from all directions.

This is the most ferocious move in the Su family's ancestral sword technique—"Frosty Splendor Fills the Sky".

Lin Yuan's response was simple.

With a flick of his wrist, he spun around, the spear shaft crackling with lightning as he swept across the room.

"Thunder Strikes the Nine Heavens - First Form: Awakening of Insects".

The gunshots rang out like thunder in spring.

The ice spikes that shot towards them turned to dust in the lightning, and the frost-covered ground was torn apart by the wind from the gunfire, with shards of ice flying everywhere.

Su Qingyue only saw a silvery-white arc of light magnify before her eyes, and instinctively raised her sword to block.

clang--

A crisp sound.

A fine crack appeared on the blade of the Ice Phoenix Sword.

Su Qingyue retreated seven steps, each step leaving a deep footprint in the ground.

Her breathing finally became erratic, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her hand holding the sword trembled slightly.

Lin Yuan, on the other side, continued to breathe steadily.