Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Ninety-One: Comparing People Only Leads to Frustration

“How so?” The teacher, unable to grasp Liu Mao’s meaning, turned to look at him in confusion.

Liu Mao had no intention of hiding anything and explained, “This student, he trains diligently and puts in tremendous effort. The problem is, his talent isn’t high. If his aptitude were even a bit better, with how hard he works, he wouldn’t only be at the third stage of Spirit Accumulation now. Isn’t it a pity?”

The teacher was surprised by his words.

He couldn’t help but look at Wang Jue again, a spark of interest igniting for this young man.

When his gaze fell upon Wang Jue, he frowned and said, “That can’t be right, Lao Liu. You say his cultivation is only at the third stage of Body Tempering—how could he have lasted this long?”

At this point, fewer than twenty candidates remained in the examination halls. Those who had lasted this far were, without exception, at least at the first stage of Spirit Accumulation.

Wang Jue was the only one still in the exam with just Body Tempering cultivation.

“To tell the truth, I’m puzzled myself…” Liu Mao’s gaze remained fixed on Wang Jue, his brows furrowed. “Where did a Body Tempering third stage get so much star energy to last this long?”

Just then, four more candidates finished their assessments.

Now, only fifteen remained.

The teacher from Harmony Tenth High pondered, then suddenly said to Liu Mao, “Hey, Lao Liu, is it possible he’s mastered his martial technique to proficiency, or even perfection?”

“I’ve considered that… but his talent is lacking,” Liu Mao replied with a bitter smile. “Even though cultivation and martial techniques don’t seem directly related, both require talent.”

He naturally hoped his student could persist a little longer; the longer he lasted, the greater the honor.

“But do you think there could be someone with average talent for cultivation, but exceptional talent for martial techniques?” the other teacher laughed. “Of course, whether he fits that description, we can simply ask him when he finishes.”

“That’s reasonable,” Liu Mao nodded.

Neither of them considered whether Wang Jue might be playing guerrilla with the star beasts inside, deliberately stalling for time. After all, the longer one stays in the exam, the more star beasts there are, and their strength increases. Without enough power, stalling only hastens your defeat.

After a few more minutes, several more candidates finished, but Wang Jue remained standing.

“There are only twelve left now. I never expected Wang Jue to still be going,” said Zhou Xiaowei, a fellow student, counting the remaining participants. He thought to himself, “I’m sure his cultivation can’t be just Body Tempering third stage!”

Anyone with half a brain would realize that a Body Tempering third stage among candidates whose weakest are at Body Tempering seventh stage couldn’t possibly last this long.

His younger brother, now in eighth grade, was at Body Tempering third stage and took regular beatings. Zhou himself had passed through that stage and understood its limits well.

He remembered Wang Jue had always been at the very bottom of their class’s rankings.

Almost every martial arts student had mocked him, and if it weren’t for the support of his childhood friend—Luo Shui, the class’s top student and a fierce defender—who knows how badly he might have been bullied.

Yet, how much time had passed?

Not even a month!

This guy seemed entirely changed. Seeing the current situation, it was possible he’d place in the top ten of their group.

Zhou’s feelings grew complicated.

He himself was at Body Tempering seventh stage, yet hadn’t lasted as long as a third stage.

Of course, he wasn’t the only spectator thinking along those lines.

When Zhong Jinghua, one of the school’s top ten, saw Wang Jue still hadn’t finished after his own exam ended, he was surprised.

Especially as the number of candidates dwindled and Wang Jue remained, Zhong’s eyes grew more astonished, his emotions increasingly conflicted.

Not only students from other classes at Tenth High, but even those from other schools were paying attention to Wang Jue.

With only a handful left, everyone else was a notable figure at their respective schools.

Compared to these luminaries, Wang Jue stood out all the more.

In a crowd of Spirit Accumulation stage candidates, a Body Tempering stage was as glaring as a thousand-watt bulb, prompting many who had already finished to inquire about him.

“Did we see a ghost? Which school is he from?”

“Huh… Who is that guy? He’s still in the exam with just Body Tempering?”

“No way, how could he last this long? Is he playing hide-and-seek with the star beasts?”

“Do you think that’s possible? The longer you stall, the more beasts there are, and the quicker you die.”

“Sun Lei, is he from your school?”

“When did your school produce such a monster? I’ve never heard of him before.”

“…”

Meanwhile,

Wang Jue was locked in fierce combat with the star beasts.

With a flash, he moved at lightning speed, his sword trembling in his hand, its light swirling as he thrust it straight into the skull of a second-level star beast.

“Roar!”

No time to catch his breath after slaying the beast, Wang Jue sensed several claws slashing toward him from behind, nearly enveloping him.

His whole body bristled as he dodged, but one claw still grazed his back.

A fiery pain shot through him, blood staining his shirt.

Wang Jue gritted his teeth, retreated a few steps, and instantly widened the distance.

Just as he prepared to counterattack, another star beast appeared before him.

From this newcomer, Wang Jue felt immense danger.

Compared to the second-level beast, his expression grew solemn.

A third-level star beast.

He knew just how strong they were, having hunted with Lan Yiyi and the others before.

Even now, his strength was leagues ahead of what it once was.

But at his peak, fighting one-on-one, he still couldn’t win.

After all, there was a gap of two major realms between them.

A Body Tempering stage defeating a Red Star stage?

That was pure fantasy!

So far, Wang Jue had slain around thirty star beasts.

His star energy was nearly depleted, and though his injuries weren’t severe, they weren’t insignificant either.

Especially as his stamina was beginning to fail.

Let’s not forget, his cultivation was only at Body Tempering stage—even at tenth stage, it was still Body Tempering.

Both the total star energy stored and his physical attributes were undeniably inferior to those of Spirit Accumulation stage warriors.

Even if his strength couldn’t be measured by realm alone.

If his foundational sword and footwork techniques hadn’t reached mastery—allowing him to unleash power greater than Spirit Accumulation sixth stage—he’d have been torn apart by these beasts long ago.

“Roar!”

The third-level star beast roared, its gaze locking onto him, charging forward without hesitation.

He knew instantly: this was not an opponent he could handle!

“No way, I can’t provoke this one. Anyway, sooner or later I’ll die; if I can take down one more before falling, that’s good enough!”

Wang Jue’s gaze swept the field, locking onto the nearest remaining second-level beast.

Without hesitation, he tapped his foot, channeling what little star energy remained, and rushed toward the beast.

“Die!”

A few rapid movements brought him before the beast; he leapt high, sword glowing as he ignored the attacks coming from behind, slashing down with all his might…

…

Meanwhile,

In the virtual combat hall,

A cluster of onlookers grew increasingly focused on Wang Jue, their conversations revolving around him.

Among them, a short-sleeved youth and his friend in a tank top were the most outspoken.

“Wow, only eleven left now. That guy still hasn’t finished—looks like he’s about to break into the top ten!” the short-sleeved youth murmured, eyes fixed on Wang Jue. “I have to admit, he’s terrifyingly strong. I heard he’s only at Body Tempering third stage, yet he’s lasted this long…”

“If he isn’t hiding his cultivation, I’ll never believe it,” his friend in the tank top replied, thoughtful. “But even so, if he’s still only at Body Tempering, to last this long, his martial skills must be perfected!”

“Exactly. Otherwise, he’d never have lasted with his strength,” the tank top youth agreed. “By the way, at our school, I don’t think anyone’s reached perfection in martial techniques. I haven’t heard of anyone at other schools achieving it either.”

He didn’t believe himself ill-informed—perfection in martial arts was simply too rare. Many with higher cultivation were stuck at proficiency, separated from perfection by a thin veil, yet unable to break through.

“That’s true. Achieving perfection in martial arts is incredibly difficult,” the short-sleeved youth sighed. “I reached proficiency in basic sword techniques half a year ago, but I still haven’t broken through to perfection, and it’s almost driven me mad. I had hoped to succeed before the exam, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

He’d wanted to perfect his sword work before the assessment, hoping that with Body Tempering ninth stage, he could at least make the top twenty, if not the top ten.

Instead, he barely scraped into the top thirty; to say he wasn’t frustrated would be a lie.

After all, the higher you rank in the exam, the better your chances of being selected.

“You’re not alone. I feel like I’ve hit a bottleneck—no matter how I practice, I can’t reach perfection, as if trapped by invisible chains,” the tank top youth rolled his eyes, a strange feeling rising in his heart. “Comparing yourself to others really is infuriating…”