That student from the Inner Department

Almost everyone was speculating about the identity of the rapidly ascending "Silver Fox" on the leaderboard. Yet, regardless of the discussions among the crowd, the achievements of "Silver Fox" continued to soar at a pace of more than once a day, never missing a beat. 

Ten five-star performances. 

Eleven five-star performances. 

Twelve five-star performances. 

By the time "Silver Fox" reached a consecutive twelve five-star performances, only "Thunder Python," with thirteen consecutive five-star performances, and "Firefly," with fourteen consecutive five-star performances, remained ahead on the leaderboard. 

... 

... 

In the evening, the stone halls within the yellow walls stood in serene silence. 

A gentle stream of warm sunlight bathed these ancient stone structures, creating an exquisite ambiance. 

Lin Xi and Jiang Xiaoyi once again appeared at the entrance of the "Blade and Gun" stone hall. 

Both bore five golden pentagonal badges on their shoulder armor, signifying that after today, Lin Xi's record would become thirteen consecutive five-star performances. 

Since their encounter with the "Spirit Vulture," Lin Xi had placed great emphasis on achieving five-star ratings. In recent days, he had frequently reverted to his abilities prior to reaching the tenth stop during battles, resulting in a significantly slower progress in this stone hall compared to his direct assault on the spear formation. 

However, during these past ten days, Lin Xi's combat prowess had markedly improved. 

After achieving five consecutive five-star ratings, Lin Xi heeded An Ke Yi's advice and exchanged his earned credits, along with the unused credit from breaking the spear formation record, for a "Mountain and Sea Lilac Pill." 

At this moment, his true cultivation level was nearing that of a mid-level soul warrior, enabling him to effortlessly lift weights of one hundred and eighty pounds. His archery skills had also progressed to the point where he could consistently hit targets a hundred paces away while running, with three or four arrows striking the bullseye and the remaining five or six arrows landing close by. 

When standing still and calmly drawing his bow, he could now shoot static objects within a hundred paces with remarkable accuracy. 

As for the training he received from Xu Shengmo, although he still wielded the Qingfeng sword, the number of times he practiced drawing the sword had increased to one thousand three hundred daily. He had also incorporated the thrusting and reverse slashing techniques into his repertoire, creating a three-strike killing sequence that proved invaluable in the heat of battle. 

Throughout these days of sparring with various opponents, Lin Xi had also integrated some of An Ke Yi's killing techniques into his swordplay. 

The reason Qingluan Academy is regarded as a sanctuary within the Yunqin Empire is due to the strength of its practitioners and the prowess of its professors and lecturers. The brief teachings from ordinary instructors often yield results that surpass those of regular practitioners by tenfold or even several dozens of times. Moreover, Xu Shengmo, Tong Wei, and An Ke Yi are among the elite of the younger generation within the academy, and their insights into combat and footwork, even the simple back armor that trains Lin Xi's balance, have provided him with immense benefits. 

Given Lin Xi's current level of cultivation, it is likely that the "Spirit Vulture" would not stand a chance against him without expending considerable energy or soul power. 

In the past three days, Lin Xi had fully relied on his own strength to achieve five-star ratings, applying all his abilities to the training within the "Blade and Gun" stone hall. 

He had not disappointed Vice Dean Xia, who had been watching him from the serene courtyard at Tian Shu. 

For just yesterday, he had truly passed through this stone hall and opened the bronze back door. 

However, as the record for the "Ceasefire" system was sixty-seven breaths with one sword and two spear strikes, he had taken over seventy breaths to pass through, during which he had been struck three times by blades and four times by spears, all while enduring the rigorous training of the Wind Walker, leaving him somewhat sore all over. 

Thus, the true challenge of breaking the record would come today. 

To achieve a decisive victory over the "Blade and Gun" record, Lin Xi had specifically discussed it with Tong Wei, who had agreed. Therefore, the Wind Walker training this afternoon was merely to familiarize Lin Xi with the new "Spiral Flower" arrows. Thus, apart from feeling a slight fatigue in his arms, Lin Xi's condition was at its peak. 

Having gained experience from a previous attempt, the once daunting stone hall no longer appeared as terrifying. 

At this moment, Lin Xi brimmed with confidence! 

Qin Xiyue believed him to be someone who, as the academy's chosen one, was shameless and indolent, lacking diligence in his cultivation. Yet, she remained oblivious to the fact that due to certain convictions and possessing abilities akin to Dean Zhang, he worked harder and endured more than anyone else. 

... 

"Best of luck!" 

Jiang Xiaoyi patted Lin Xi's armor and exclaimed enthusiastically. 

Lin Xi smiled faintly and replied, "I should succeed." 

Jiang Xiaoyi couldn't help but smile back at him, rephrasing, "You will certainly succeed." 

Having witnessed Lin Xi's numerous battles firsthand, particularly his performances in the spear formation and the "Blade and Gun" formation, he had learned a great deal and was increasingly convinced that Lin Xi was someone he would admire and learn from for a lifetime. However, the words of Li Wu that day had awakened him to the realization that even if he could not compete with the brilliance of the moon, he could still shine in his own right. Thus, he now looked up to Lin Xi and followed him without feeling inferior, feeling fortunate and proud to be contemporaries and classmates, potentially fighting side by side. 

Lin Xi moved; the challenge commenced! 

Compared to his initial entry into the spear formation, his movements were now nearly twice as swift, exuding an aura of lightning speed. His toes seemed to skim the water's surface as he darted forward, and as the mechanisms in the hall triggered, long knives and spears surged menacingly from the walls, he had already dashed seven steps into the hall. 

The black longsword in his hand danced like a tempest, deftly evading the threatening blades and spears, striking with a force unmatched by the old. 

This was a scene visible only to practitioners, a black figure racing like lightning, surrounded by descending blades and spears, many narrowly missing him, yet none affecting his momentum. 

After traversing a full one hundred and twenty steps, Lin Xi was finally struck by a treacherous blade slicing down from his knee, followed by a spear that knocked him to the ground. 

However, he did not linger long; he quickly rose again. Though he had fallen four times, Lin Xi had already reached the bronze stone hall's back door. 

Though he was nearing his limits, his body trembled with muscle fatigue and near cramping pain, the black longsword in his hand felt unbearably heavy, yet his heart soared with joy. 

For this time, he had persevered solely through his own strength to reach this point. Surpassing any new student's diligence and suffering had rewarded him richly, allowing his cultivation speed to accelerate remarkably. 

"Back!" 

After touching the cold and heavy bronze door, Lin Xi coughed and gasped, calling out those two words. 

... 

The challenge began anew, and Lin Xi's state reached its pinnacle once more. 

He moved through the hall with a speed that left even Li Wu, who remained hidden in the shadows, astonished, embodying a fluidity akin to flowing clouds and rushing waters, unstoppable by any force. 

After leaping over one hundred and twenty steps, he deftly avoided a treacherous black knife slicing swiftly from below his knee with a perfectly timed step, never allowing his form to falter. 

At one hundred and sixty steps, he countered a black spear arcing toward him from behind with a reverse slash, sending it flying. 

At one hundred seventy steps... one hundred eighty steps... still, no blade or spear could touch him! 

As he approached the final ten steps, a scene that left Jiang Xiaoyi and Li Wu in profound shock unfolded: Lin Xi soared into the air once more, and within the dim hall, it was as if a black flower had bloomed. 

This time, a black long knife struck him, yet unlike before, he adjusted his body with precision mid-air. With a final thrust, he twisted and exerted force, launching his sword as if a general leaping to strike from horseback, delivering a powerful blow against the bronze door. 

"Clang!" 

The full force of his strike, combined with Lin Xi's momentum, sent sparks flying from the bronze door as the three-layer steel-forged black longsword bent into a semi-circle, nearly breaking. 

Yet, beneath the weight of Lin Xi's strike, the heavy bronze door slowly creaked open with a deep rumble, sunlight cascading down and illuminating Lin Xi's black armor, making it shimmer brilliantly. 

"Ah..." 

Lin Xi exhaled deeply, glancing at the open bronze door. Behind it lay the unchanged wild grass and stone halls, yet to him, it remained a beautiful sight. He slowly turned around to see Li Wu approaching in the spacious stone hall. He offered a sincere bow without a trace of arrogance, a tremor of excitement in his voice as he asked, "Teacher, how long did I take this time?" 

Li Wu regarded Lin Xi, who held the slightly bent black longsword, and returned a respectful bow, replying, "Fifty-nine breaths, with one blade strike." 

In his heart, Li Wu believed Lin Xi would undoubtedly achieve greatness, thus even as a student, he was already deserving of his respect. 

"Still a bit slower than that student from the Inner Department... but significantly faster than the Ceasefire record," Lin Xi remarked with a satisfied smile, clearly recalling that the Ceasefire record was sixty-seven breaths, with one blade and two spear strikes. 

"You broke the Ceasefire record, earning an additional credit reward. Combined with the credit from your recent consecutive five-star performances, you now have two credits available," Li Wu said, taking the parchment from Jiang Xiaoyi and beginning to amend the records. 

Seeing that Li Wu had no further instructions, Lin Xi bowed once more and prepared to leave, eager to explore what the next stone hall entailed and to return quickly. For today, Instructor Mu Qing had already announced that their wilderness survival course would depart early tomorrow for a deeper part of the Tian Mountain Range, and this time, the duration would be longer. Since the wilderness survival course prohibited bringing food, the new students, having learned from previous experiences, would surely aim to eat as much as possible tonight. If he returned late, he might find himself unable to fill his stomach, making the coming days of training even more arduous. 

However, just as he stepped through the bronze back door of the stone hall and glanced at the slightly bent black longsword in his hand, recalling the painful bump on his head from last time, Lin Xi couldn't help but smile and childishly ask, "Teacher, you said I was the first to break through this door with my head. Does that mean I am the first to cleave it open with a sword this time?" 

"That is not the case." Li Wu, standing in the dim stone hall, unexpectedly shuddered and shook his head slowly, "You are the second." 

"The second?" Lin Xi was taken aback, a flash of realization igniting in his mind as he exclaimed, "The first couldn't possibly be that student from the Inner Department who holds the record, could it?" 

Li Wu in the dark stone hall remained silent, nodding solemnly. 

"Is he a senior who graduated long ago? Where is he?" Jiang Xiaoyi, intrigued, blurted out, only to feel a bit awkward afterward, sheepishly asking, "Teacher... is it permissible to speak of this?" 

"I can only tell you that he is still alive." Li Wu took a deep breath, his nails digging into his flesh from the pressure, though Lin Xi and Jiang Xiaoyi could not perceive it. After another deep breath, he continued slowly, "Perhaps you will see him in the future."