Kyoto No. 2 High School.
Yan Tao angrily slammed his fist against the wall, his face contorted in rage.
"Damn it, that guy's a smurf*, aargh!"
He was just practicing his daily matches today, who knew he'd run into a smurf.
"What a shameless bastard! She's clearly incredibly strong, yet she pretends to be a Second Rank mid-stage player to smurf! What a piece of trash!"
Xuan Tianwen, who had just walked in, burst into laughter upon seeing this.
"That sounds like a crushing defeat. Who did you lose to? Liu Fufeng or Mu Bing?"
Yan Tao grimaced. "Neither. It was a new account. Her battle count was zero..."
Xuan Tianwen showed a hint of curiosity.
"How could that be? Your strength isn't weak even at the Third Rank early-stage. Our school's Virtual Heavenly Mirror expert only matches this year's senior students, so there shouldn't be many who could defeat you so easily, right?"
Yan Tao clenched his fist. "Defeat? It's more than that! I couldn't even fight back! That girl's magical beast slapped me away with a single blow, even shattering my Heavenly Flame Meteor Pendant with a single slap!"
Xuan Tianwen's pupils contracted, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes.
He knew very well how powerful Yan Tao's Heavenly Flame Meteor Pendant was—a top-grade advanced martial skill, with near-perfect proficiency. Even a Third Rank mid-stage would have to think twice before trying to oppose it.
"What's her name? I'm going to challenge her and see if she's some genius who popped up from some school!"
Yan Tao's eyes lit up. "Brother Tian, ​​you have to help me get revenge! That bastard bullied my Little Silver, you have to help me fight back!"
"Tell me her name. I'll challenge her in the Virtual Mirror."
"I remember her name is Ling Qingxue."
...
In the virtual space, Wu Liang was having a blast, instantly defeating several opponents.
Seeing that he wanted to continue playing, Ling Qingxue stopped him.
"Let's play another time. I still need to go to the Spirit Gathering Room to cultivate. Don't you want to go to the secret place to kill monsters?"
"What's the rush? I can clear a low-level secret place in a few days. Let me play one last time. The feeling of smurfing is so satisfying!" Wu Liang said excitedly.
Back then, he loved smurfing, and now this place was practically his holy land!
Among those of the same level, not even one could withstand three slaps from him.
"My winning streak has reached five! It'll be a long shot to get at least a hundred!"
"That's the last time. After this, I absolutely have to go to the Spirit Gathering Room to cultivate!" Ling Qingxue gritted her teeth.
She was only one step away from the late stage of the Second Rank. With the boost from the Spirit Gathering Room, a week would be enough to break through.
Now, with only three months left until the martial arts exam, she was still quite a distance from breaking through to the Third Rank.
"Alright, alright, Little Xuexue, your breakthrough is too slow. I'll save more resources for you in the future," Wu Liang said helplessly.
Ling Qingxue gritted her teeth, feeling discouraged again...
Just as she was about to enter random matchmaking, a battle request popped up in the virtual space.
"Hey, someone's challenging us, right? Quickly accept! It must be those guys I just defeated looking for revenge!"
Revenge?
Beating them again would be more like it!
Ling Qingxue glanced at the request panel. The two words "Xuan Tianwen" made her expression serious.
"Xuan Tianwen, the genius of Kyoto No. 2 High School, is currently a Third Rank martial artist, and may even have broken through to the mid-stage!"
In the previous life, Xuan Tianwen had won third place in the martial arts exam. His magical beast, the Thunder Flood Dragon, possessed the bloodline of the Nine Heavens Thunder Dragon and had activated its bloodline divine skill during the exam, making it incredibly powerful. It was unknown whether the Thunder Flood Dragon had activated its bloodline at this point.
Wu Liang might not be a match for him right now.
Both being Third Level magical beasts, their bloodlines were evenly matched, though the Taotie was significantly stronger than the Nine Heavens Thunder Dragon.
Ling Qingxue hesitated, looking at him. "Are you sure? This guy is very strong. I haven't even had a chance to make a move yet."
Wu Liang raised his chin, his eyes showing disdain.
"I'm incredibly powerful now. Even if a god descended to the mortal realm, I could take them down one-on-one. Little Xuexue, just hide behind me and watch me take them on!"
Ling Qingxue sighed and nodded in agreement.
The scene changed, and a tall young man appeared before them. Not only that, but Yan Tao, whom Wu Liang had previously defeated, was also present.
"How can it be two against one?" Wu Liang looked at Ling Qingxue in surprise.
Yan Tao scoffed. "Where did this idiot come from? I'm just observing. I don't have a real form, so I can't interfere with you. I'm here to see how my brother Tian kicks your ass."
Xuan Tianwen, standing directly in front, focused his gaze on Ling Qingxue and Wu Liang, his expression full of confusion.
He had never seen this person before, and Ling Qingxue was clearly at the Second Rank mid-stage, which couldn't be faked, yet her magical beast was strangely at the Third Level early-stage.
Normally, martial artists would prioritize their own cultivation, maintaining their vital energy and spiritual power in the lead, to avoid the risk of their beast turning against them.
No one wanted to gamble on whether their magical beast's bestial nature would break the contract.
"Friend, could you tell me which school you are from?" Xuan Tianwen asked gently.
Ling Qingxue replied calmly, "Linjiang Middle School. Let's just fight. I have other things to do later."
Xuan Tianwen's expression stiffened. He was clearly a higher-level opponent, yet his aura was inferior.
He frowned slightly. "I came to challenge you not to avenge Yan Tao, but to learn from you. However, your level is too low. You have no chance against me..."
His implication was that he didn't want an unfair victory.
"It's my magical beast that wants to fight. Let it fight you. I'll just watch."
Ling Qingxue knew that her current strength was inferior to Xuan Tianwen's. His vital energy was quite deep, indicating he had just broken through to the Third Rank mid-stage.
He would definitely break through to the late stage in three months.
At this moment, Ling Qingxue was indeed destined to lose, given the difference in rank.
And her opponent wasn't just anyone; he was a genius among geniuses!
She hadn't expected to encounter Xuan Tianwen on her very first day with the Virtual Heavenly Mirror.
Receiving the command from Xuan Tianwen, the enormous Thunder Flood Dragon behind him slowly crawled forward. Its body radiated terrifying lightning, its scales gleamed menacingly, and its single horn pointed to the sky.
Third Level mid-stage, one level higher than Wu Liang.
Moreover, this Thunder Flood Dragon possessed a very strong bloodline aura, likely already at the King Level!
Wu Liang was thrilled. This Thunder Flood Dragon was an excellent opponent. Only an opponent of this level could excite him.
His body suddenly grew larger, his muscles bulging, radiating a primordial ferocity.
Scarlet sun patterns flowed beneath his skin, and the Black Flame Phoenix wings on his back unfurled, releasing scorching heat waves from the burning black flames.
"Roar!"
The Flood Thunder Dragon roared, sensing an extremely dangerous aura emanating from Wu Liang.
Without further probing, the dragon launched its attack first.
Its massive jaws opened, and a thick pillar of lightning, several meters in diameter, tore through the sky, crashing down towards Wu Liang with a destructive energy.
Excitement flashed in Wu Liang's beastly eyes. He didn't dodge or evade, but instead activated his 'Greed' and 'Damage Reduction' skills.
Facing the raging lightning pillar, he abruptly raised his forepaw, now fused with the fiery dragon claw, its tip burning with a mixture of red and black flames, and slammed it down on the lightning pillar.
Two-colored energies surged, and a sonic boom echoed throughout the virtual space.