Chapter 27: Give You a Lesson (Request Follows)

As the match began, the curly-haired man instantly unleashed his power, shooting forward like a lightning bolt.

He felt exhilarated: “Lucky day! Hah! I got a newbie—perfect chance to have some fun crushing a noob.”

So fast!

Lin Qi was secretly startled—no wonder he was a True Person; his movements were agile and crisp, nothing like the stiff, mechanical motions of the AI.

“Swoosh~”

Lin Qi pushed off with his feet, muscles in his thighs coiling and blood qi exploding simultaneously as he swung his black great spear forward, the shaft trembling to draw a radiant circle in the air, spinning a dazzling spear bloom.

“Shhh~”

The curly-haired man swung his great sword, icy light engulfing the space as sword shadows surged forward, launching the first strike with wind-like speed.

“Clang! Clang! Clang~”

In the center of the arena, sword and spear collided instantly; the crisp ring of metal on metal echoed all around.

Icy sword light, suffused with lethal intent.

The curly-haired man unleashed sword shadows, attacking from every direction.

Shadow Rise Form!

So fast!

Lin Qi was startled—the curly-haired man’s strikes were lightning-fast, leaving no time to react before the blades were already before his eyes.

The sword technique he used clearly had one defining trait: speed.

“Too slow! Too slow!”

“Bro, if your speed’s this sluggish, how are you gonna survive in the arena?”

The curly-haired man suddenly taunted.

Lin Qi froze slightly—AIs never spoke.

“Shhh!”

A single thrust shot out, icy light flashing—suddenly piercing through the spear, appearing right before Lin Qi’s face, ready to kill him in the next instant.

“Newbie, welcome to the Crimson Realm!”

The curly-haired man laughed, and though his words were spoken, his movements grew even faster!

Retreat!

Lin Qi jolted awake, his body snapping into motion, arm slamming sideways as the spear instantly shifted position.

“Clang~”

After the spear and sword clashed, the great sword veered off course.

“Puff!”

A sharp blade slashed across Lin Qi’s face, drawing a bloody line; the pain jolted his nerves, forcing his body to instinctively stagger backward.

Lin Qi frowned—too close. One fraction slower, and that blade would’ve pierced his eye. He’d nearly died.

A formidable opponent!

The curly-haired man was surprised: “You dodged that?”

“Kid, you won’t be so lucky next time.”

With that, he blurred forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, spinning his sword into a flurry of icy light as he attacked again.

“Huu~”

The battle offered no respite—the terrifying killing intent surged once more.

Lin Qi exhaled, heart pounding violently, blood surging through his veins, his eyes growing sharper.

He recognized the sword technique: The Swift Shadow Sword Art, a Black Iron-grade manual.

Swift as wind, coming and going without trace.

The strikes were lightning-fast, the technique mastered even better than his own.

“Truly strong!”

His eyes brightened further; every major muscle group in his body tensed, blood qi surging through him as he exploded forward, veins bulging on his arms.

His speed surged dramatically; the spear swung with overwhelming momentum, radiating fierce energy.

In his vision, the curly-haired man’s blade thrust, his body twisting and turning, sword and motion perfectly synchronized, moving like lightning.

Shadow Pierce Form!

But Lin Qi saw it clearly now.

Solutions flashed into his mind.

Left!

He tilted his head, shifted his body, letting the blade graze past his cheek, then ducked low—dodging again.

Two near-fatal strikes evaded in one second!

The curly-haired man froze in shock.

“Now!”

At the critical moment, Lin Qi seized the split-second hesitation in the curly-haired man’s stance, coordinating waist and hand to unleash a sudden thrust—his black great spear shot forward.

Point Break!

With precise thrusting, he shattered the Swift Shadow Sword Art.

In the curly-haired man’s eyes, a sudden glint of spear tip flashed—brimming with lethal intent.

“Puff~”

The sharp spear tip pierced his heart, blood spurting wildly!

【Battle Ended: “My Great Sword” is dead!】

“How?”

“Bang!”

The curly-haired man collapsed to the ground, his vision filled with a figure in a black mask looming above him—beneath the mask, cold, indifferent eyes stared down.

“Thank you for the lesson.”

“I—”

The curly-haired man tried to speak, but dissolved into nothingness within the arena.

When the curly-haired man opened his eyes again, he was back in his personal space.

“Damn it, I actually died.”

He was frantic, face twisted in frustration.

“I lost to a newbie?”

“Yeah, I must’ve been careless—that’s why he won.”

The curly-haired man comforted himself with an excuse, eager to rematch and reclaim his pride.

He immediately opened matchmaking, desperate to crush “Yang Jian” and restore his honor.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

【Battle Ended! Congratulations, “Yang Jian,” you’ve won! +3 points】

【Record: 1/10】

!

【Win Rate: 100%】

【Points: 3】

Lin Qi also retreated to his personal space, his gaze locked on his own interface.

【You engaged in a fierce battle with a strong opponent. “Crushing Mountain Spear Art” proficiency increased significantly. Spear Art +2%】

【You engaged in a fierce battle with a strong opponent. Mobility proficiency increased significantly. Mobility +3%】

【Spear Art: Stage One 80% → 82%】

【Mobility: Stage One 70% → 73%】

…

“Huu~”

Lin Qi smiled as he saw the stats rise, though the mask hid his expression.

“That curly-haired man was truly strong—his spear realm far surpassed mine, and his sword technique was lightning-fast. I nearly lost.”

Recalling the battle, Lin Qi still felt a chill—the tension, the thrill, were sensations he’d never experienced before.

His mind was razor-focused; victory or defeat hinged on a fraction of a second—his spear moving just 0.1 seconds too slow, and he’d be dead.

“But after one fight, the gains were enormous. I’ve gained new insight into the ‘Crushing Mountain Spear Art.’”

“Spear Art and Mobility improved too fast—every fight boosts them.”

“Again!”

Lin Qi selected another match.

Three minutes later, two figures appeared in the arena—this time, Lin Qi’s opponent was a beautiful woman in green combat gear, wielding a long sword.

“Newbie, let me give you a lesson!”

The woman stared at Lin Qi with a predatory grin, like a hunter eyeing prey.

But what met her was a black great spear.

…

Soon, an hour passed.

【Battle over. Unfortunately, you have died, Yang Jian.】

【Record: 5/10】

【Win rate: 80%】

【Ranking feature unlocked. View it? Yes/No】

“Phew~”

In his personal space, Lin Qi’s face was pale.

“The feeling of death is truly unpleasant!”

“Even though the pain of death was reduced to 20%, it’s still unbearable.”

“My opponent was too strong. There’s a huge gap in our realms—he likely already reached over 90% of First Stage.”

Lin Qi recalled the battle: after his first match, he was matched with four more opponents of similar strength; he grew increasingly comfortable and won three of them.

But in the final match, the opponent was far too powerful. Even with his acute intuition, he was no match—he was cut down in a single slash.

“Ranking feature?”

“Yes!”

Lin Qi clicked “Yes,” and the interface began to change.

【Chi Realm Arena Rankings (Tianhai Branch）】

【Nickname: Yang Jian】

【Points: 12】

【Rank: 328】

……

Lin Qi frowned. 328th? Did that mean there were 328 people stronger than him in the Chi Qiong Martial Arts Gym?

He shook his head. It might be tied to points or win rate—his points were too low, hence the low rank.

【Friendly reminder: Your trial time is about to end!】

Just as Lin Qi was about to continue exploring, a notification popped up: his trial time had three minutes left.

“An hour passed so quickly?”

Lin Qi shook his head, sighing inwardly at how fast time flew—he also felt mentally fatigued.

It was time to log off. His gains today were already substantial; he was grateful to Guo Heng for bringing him to experience “Chi Realm.”

……

(End of Chapter)