Chapter 48: He Is the True Elite!
The night was as dark as ink, dotted with countless stars.
At the Yali High School sports field.
Shi Yu was unaware of the turbulent power struggles behind the scenes among the elite families vying for him, nor did he yet comprehend the spatial disturbances occurring around the Luoxiao Mountains.
Such information was still circulating only among the upper echelons, not yet reaching the common populace.
He was simply following his own plan, continuously cultivating his skills.
At this moment, Shi Yu’s figure darted swiftly across the sports field, constantly shifting directions.
He was diligently practicing the “Starstride Voidstep” body technique he had purchased from the Primordial Network.
This cultivation method encompassed nine levels.
Each level of the technique contained the profound mysteries of the stars and the arcane secrets of the void.
If a practitioner could comprehend its true essence and reach the highest tier, they could walk upon the void itself, soaring above the heavens.
Of course, Shi Yu considered such descriptions to be somewhat exaggerated.
To truly ascend and fly like a bird in the sky for extended periods required either advanced flying battle armor or cultivation elevated into the Transcendent Realm.
No matter how exquisite the body technique, it ultimately depended on the cultivator’s own strength; otherwise, it was but a castle in the air, an illusion.
Still, this “Starstride Voidstep” was indeed extraordinary.
Especially its meditative principles, which embodied the meaning of the stars, resonated harmoniously with the “Heavenly Gang Universe Staff Technique,” complementing each other perfectly.
If both techniques were employed simultaneously—feet treading the stars, hands wielding the Heaven Gang Universe staff—the resulting offensive power would be incomparable to before.
Following the method’s guidance, Shi Yu controlled his breathing rhythm, each step seeming to traverse between stars.
Beneath the starry night, his silhouette left streaks of flowing light that quickly dissipated.
“Starstride Voidstep: Level One, progress increased from 11% to 12%.”
Shi Yu pondered. At this rate, including the time spent in the Journey to the West, he could master the first level by the end of July.
Once mastered, the speed enhancement alone would be considerable.
By comparison, cultivating the “Five Sacred Mountains Gathering Yuan Technique” to raise his Nascent Yuan Realm strength granted a 10% speed boost per level.
Yet “Starstride Voidstep” conferred a 15% speed increase per level!
...
Shi Yu returned from the sports field to the Martial Arts Hall.
In the deep night, the school’s Martial Arts Hall stood like a solitary lighthouse, still glowing with light.
Inside the training hall, spanning thousands of square meters, someone was still steadfastly training.
As expected, it was Li Luoke.
He was always the earliest to arrive and the last to leave, a consistent habit.
At this moment, Li Luoke trained alone, practicing his swordsmanship.
Each stroke of his blade was clean and sharp, like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves—both powerful and elegant.
Initially, his sword skills ranked just below Shi Yu’s, among the best in their class.
Amid a dazzling flash of his blade, Li Luoke sheathed his sword and stood upright.
“Good!”
Shi Yu’s voice echoed in the vast Martial Arts Hall. Since mastering various cultivation techniques, his horizons had broadened greatly.
He immediately noticed Li Luoke’s significant progress in swordsmanship.
Li Luoke turned in surprise, not expecting anyone to still be at school so late.
“Yu Shen?”
He blurted out Shi Yu’s nickname. “So late, you’re still here?”
Shi Yu chuckled; he couldn’t just say he was back to sleep...
“I was just running on the sports field... saw someone still in the Martial Arts Hall, so I came over to check.”
“I thought it might be you—sure enough, it was.”
Li Luoke sheepishly scratched his head. “I figure the more I practice, the better. A fist never leaves the hand, a song never leaves the mouth. If I don’t practice swordsmanship for a few days, my hands get rusty.”
Shi Yu looked at him with deep feeling.
In Li Luoke, he clearly saw a reflection of his own past.
With no one else to rely on, only oneself to fight desperately.
After a moment of silence, Shi Yu sincerely said, “Want to spar with me and practice swordsmanship?”
A flicker of surprise passed over Li Luoke’s brow. Gazing at the tall, handsome youth opposite him, serious and pure-eyed, he almost thought he saw a faint divine golden light shimmering deep within those eyes—both awe-inspiring and intoxicating.
“Sure!”
Li Luoke nodded firmly.
The two young men stood in the center of the Martial Arts Hall, several meters apart, each holding a standard Daxia broadsword, their postures upright.
Li Luoke moved like a leopard, swift and fierce, charging at Shi Yu.
His broadsword flashed from its sheath, a sharp blade of light slashing downward.
This strike was like a dragon emerging from the sea, mighty and unmatched.
However, Shi Yu’s expression remained calm as he took a small step to the left, narrowly evading the horizontal slash.
The next moment,
From the corner of Li Luoke’s eye twitched a blade of cold light, striking like an antelope’s horn from his blind spot!
The timing, angle, and speed of this swordplay were all exquisite to the utmost.
Dangerous!
Li Luoke unleashed all his potential, fully erupting the first level of his Nascent Yuan Realm.
“Clang!!!”
The crisp clash of blades echoed through the training hall.
Li Luoke stumbled back several paces, his posture disrupted.
“Is the gap really this big...?”
That thought filled his mind; victory or defeat decided in a single move.
But Shi Yu did not press the advantage.
Once Li Luoke regained his footing and looked up, he saw Shi Yu nodding in acknowledgment, signaling him to attack again.
“This isn’t just a duel; it’s one-on-one guidance!”
Suddenly, Li Luoke understood why Shi Yu had invited him to spar.
Yu Shen was here to help him refine his swordsmanship.
In a trance, Shi Yu’s figure seemed to transform into Teacher Lin.
Standing before him was no longer a peer but a school instructor guiding him.
Li Luoke’s heart trembled deeply.
Yet he was a man of firm will.
After a moment, he took a deep breath, gripped his sword with both hands, and fixed his gaze on his opponent.
With a fierce shout, he charged forward once more!
Even if facing a mountain, he would be fearless and undaunted.
...
Though Shi Yu’s face remained composed, he was inwardly surprised.
What astonished him was not Li Luoke’s swordsmanship but his strength, speed, and reflexes.
At the first clash of blades, the force transmitted through the edge immediately revealed a problem.
In Shi Yu’s memory, Li Luoke’s previous fist strength was about 460 kilograms—that was the figure from the final tests.
Yet now, the force felt through the sword had reached the 500-kilogram level.
Such growth in so short a time could only mean one thing.
Shi Yu turned his blade, parrying Li Luoke’s sword.
“Have you already advanced to the first level of the Nascent Yuan Realm?!”
Li Luoke panted and nodded, “Just advanced yesterday morning.”
“Whoa...”
This time Shi Yu was truly shocked.
Most of the city’s training class students hadn’t reached this realm yet, including Jiang Chenchen and Wan Song from Yali.
Yet his own classmate had quietly stepped onto this stage.
How were those elite students in the city training class to face this?
Shi Yu looked at the sweat-drenched Li Luoke before him.
He felt deeply moved.
Perhaps today it wasn’t he teaching Li Luoke.
Rather, it was Li Luoke’s effort and struggle inspiring Shi Yu.
Li Luoke might not be a genius in the traditional sense, but he was undoubtedly a genius born of hard work.
He was truly the elite student who belonged in the city training class!