Chapter 213 - 106: Holy Shit! Third Grade?

Chapter 213: Chapter 106: Holy Shit! Third Grade?

This chasm-like gap was not something that could be easily crossed by simply accumulating Qi and Blood!

’Perhaps... only by comprehending Overlapping Waves Intent and Fast Gun Intent, and combining all three, would I have the slightest chance of defeating a Fourth Grade as a Third Grade!’

The thought, filled with fierce longing, flashed through Lin Yi’s mind, but it also made him realize the gap before him more clearly.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The battle grew more intense.

Lin Yi was completely on the defensive.

He used the defensive move "Continuous Drizzle" from the Water Source Spear technique. He spun the Owl Dragon Long Spear, creating an impenetrable defense, barely managing to block the mechanical puppet’s furious barrage of attacks.

Sweat soaked his Martial Arts Uniform, and his breathing grew heavy.

Seventeen minutes and forty-six seconds!

This was already his limit!

Finally!

The shadow of a fist, too fast for the eye to follow, broke through Lin Yi’s net of spear defenses like a phantom. With a shriek that tore through the air, it shot straight for his face!

Lin Yi’s pupils contracted. He wanted to dodge, but it was too late!

WHOOSH!

The cold metal fist, carrying the aura of death, stopped steadily just an inch from his forehead!

The force of the wind sent the loose strands of hair on his forehead flying wildly.

"Cadet Lin Yi, current result: Stage Nine. Survival time: 17 minutes, 46 seconds."

The cold, synthesized voice of the combat room’s control hub echoed once more, announcing the end of the challenge.

Lin Yi let out a long, heavy breath, his chest heaving violently.

Looking at the motionless mechanical puppet before him, a flash of unwillingness crossed his eyes, but it was overshadowed by a hunger for a higher realm of power.

"I failed!"

He muttered to himself, his tone tinged with regret but also ignited with a fiercer fighting spirit.

The alloy door behind him hummed lowly as it slowly slid open to the sides.

Lin Yi regulated his breathing, wiped the sweat from his brow, and, holding the Owl Dragon Long Spear, strode out of the combat room.

The scene outside the door made him pause.

The hallway was already a sea of people!

A dense mass of bobbing heads filled the space. Nearly every cadet had heard the news and rushed over, packing the area so tightly it was impenetrable.

The moment Lin Yi’s figure appeared in the doorway,

the entire hallway instantly erupted in a deafening tsunami of exclamations and discussions!

"He’s out! Lin Yi is out!"

"Stage Nine for seventeen minutes and forty-six seconds! Oh my god!"

"Is he even human? I haven’t even passed Stage Four yet! This is just depressing!"

"He’s only been in the camp for ten days! On his tenth day, he reached Stage Nine and lasted this long! With this kind of rocket-like improvement, clearing Stage Nine is a sure thing!"

"The first in a hundred years! Is the first prodigy in the training camp’s hundred-year history to clear Stage Nine about to be born right before our eyes?!"

Countless gazes focused on Lin Yi.

They were filled with extreme shock, adoration, envy, and even a trace of awe.

Lin Yi’s gaze swept quickly through the crowd and instantly locked onto a figure with an ashen face who was trying to quietly retreat—Li Hao!

A barely perceptible smile touched the corners of Lin Yi’s mouth. He strode through the crowd and walked directly up to Li Hao. His voice, clear and resonant, instantly cut through the surrounding noise. "Li Hao!"

Li Hao’s body stiffened. His expression turned even uglier, as if he’d just swallowed a fly. ℴ

Lin Yi didn’t give him a chance to react. While operating the communicator on his wrist, he announced loudly:

"Weren’t you so certain about wanting a duel with me before? I have time now, so let’s get started! As for the wager, let’s go with the 1000 points you mentioned. That shouldn’t be too much for you, right?"

Before he had even finished speaking, he had already sent a formal challenge invitation to Li Hao through the training camp’s internal dueling platform.

The crowd immediately went wild!

"A duel? Li Hao challenged Lin Yi? When did that happen?"

"My god, has Li Hao lost his mind? He hasn’t even passed Stage Six!"

"Isn’t he just asking for humiliation? Lin Yi is a beast who just broke the Tier Eight record and challenged Tier Nine!"

"Look at Li Hao’s face! Hahaha, it’s darker than the bottom of a pot!"

The gazes—some shocked, some mocking, some gloating—pricked Li Hao’s skin like physical needles.

He felt his face burn with shame. He wished he could find a hole to crawl into and disappear.

When he had been talking tough earlier, how could he have ever imagined Lin Yi would be this monstrously talented?

For Lin Yi to bring this up publicly in front of everyone was a blatant, naked humiliation!

"Hmph!"

Li Hao squeezed a cold snort through his teeth. His face instantly darkened, and he didn’t dare to look Lin Yi in the eye, much less respond.

He spun around abruptly, pushed through the crowd, and fled in disgrace without a backward glance, leaving a chorus of unabashed laughter and pointing fingers in his wake.

Watching Li Hao’s hastily retreating back,

Lin Yi shrugged helplessly, thinking to himself with a bit of regret:

’I should’ve just accepted his challenge before I went to test.’

I missed out on 1000 points!

He had assumed a proud and arrogant guy like Li Hao would force himself to get beaten up in the ring just to save face. He never expected the guy to just chicken out completely.

Just as Lin Yi put away his communicator and prepared to leave the noisy center of the crowd,

"The instructors are here!"

"Hello, Instructors!"

"Hello, Instructors!"

a sudden commotion came from the back of the crowd.

A wave of greetings rose and fell.

The packed crowd parted automatically like the tide, clearing a path.

Head Instructor Zhao Jun and Deputy Instructor Liu Haimo were seen striding over quickly,

wearing expressions of undisguised astonishment.

They had been in the command building discussing the subsequent elite training program.

Suddenly, they received an urgent message that Lin Yi had cleared Stage Eight.

They immediately dropped everything and rushed over as fast as they could.