Starry Sky Professional

Li Wei said, "Do you feel like your throat is burning? Even before the location was confirmed, I had secretly set up a 'Blazing Fire Poison', and you..."

He hadn't finished speaking when he saw Fang Xing leap forward, landing in front of him as if flying.

"Flying with the flesh... No, you've achieved External Scene?"

Li Wei was appalled, and the two black daggers in his hands flickered like serpent tongues, making a last desperate struggle.

Smack!

In the next moment, Fang Xing raised his right hand, striking down with a palm.

The two daggers flew high up, while his golden-glowing hand hardly paused before slapping Li Wei in the face, distorting his features...

"Ah! Crazy!"

Li Wei was kicked off the battle stage, touching his face with lingering fear.

"I didn't expect Fang Xing to have reached External Scene, rendering the Blazing Fire Poison nearly ineffective... Even the mixed poison on me is the same."

Experts of the External Scene can envelop themselves with domain power, making them opponents that alchemists loathe encountering.

Moreover, in this virtual space, no matter how deep the poison, as long as he quickly defeats the opponent, he can pass the stage, after which his body will be refreshed...

"However, it won't be that simple next time. The poison that can destroy a domain... I'm still a bit short of formulating it..."

Li Wei planned to head to the virtual laboratory to work on a poison formulation from his ideas.

What he liked most about the virtual space was that he could experiment freely without worrying about killing someone or himself.

Of course, the key point was that the raw materials for making poisons are exorbitantly expensive, but in virtual space, they cost next to nothing.

He could hone his skills here before configuring them in the real world.

Who knows how many resources it saved!

Just then, he overheard two girls nearby discussing, "Did you also encounter the face-slapping demon?"

"Yeah, that person is so fierce, slapping people’s faces as soon as he arrives, so rude."

"I heard he's a new student from Blue Star University's Martial Arts Department, and he was even more ruthless upon entrance, slapping a girl's face so hard it vanished..."

"Later, that girl even became his junior sister. I wonder if she has nightmares at night..."

"Face-slapping demon, terrifying indeed!"

…

Li Wei checked and found that in such a short time, Fang Xing was already on a fast winning streak.

It's only natural. A martial artist with external prowess is undoubtedly a formidable expert in this virtual arena.

Even if his habits and sense of humor might be slightly...

"Fang Xing, the Face-Slapping Maniac..."

Li Wei touched his own cheek.

Although he knew it was just an illusion, it seemed to throb with pain...

Concerning external matters, Fang Xing was oblivious.

He immersed himself in the arena, getting acquainted with the power he gained post-breakthrough.

Initially, his opponents were all weak, dispatched easily with a casual punch or slap.

It wasn't until he cracked into the top ten thousand that things got interesting.

"Hm?"

Fang Xing opened his eyes, pausing at the sight of a new adversary.

"Boss..."

Opposite him, Song Jingang waved enthusiastically. "I heard you broke through to the external scene and were dominating the virtual arena, so I immediately logged on... Had to queue for quite a while to match with you..."

"You came just in time. Let me test the maximum strength of Danpo Realm's defense," Fang Xing nodded, casually grabbing at the air as a dazzling blade of light formed, coalescing into a misty green long knife.

This was a deeper utilization of domain power and external scene true energy after his advancement.

"Alright, but Boss, let's agree beforehand — just don't hit my face!"

Song Jingang hurriedly interjected.

"What do you mean by not hitting the face?"

Fang Xing was puzzled.

"Boss, don't you know? Your name's already spread outside. People are calling you the Face-Slapping Maniac..."

Song Jingang's voice trailed off as he spoke.

"Face-Slapping Maniac?"

Fang Xing's expression darkened. The green knife in his hand crackled like thunder, striking Song Jingang’s ‘Vajra Body’ defense in an instant.

“Ah! Boss... it wasn't me who shouted!”

Song Jingang's body shone with a golden light, shattering like an eggshell, a hint of grievance still on his face.

And then...

He saw a golden hand descending from the sky...

'Face-slapping maniac, truly lives up to his name.'

Before slipping into darkness, only this thought lingered in Song Jingang's mind.

Fang Xing, his face darkened, exited the battle platform and checked the network. Sure enough, there were plenty of comments.

“Sigh... my reputation has been hit, I'm out.”

He quickly instructed Little Blue to log off, leaving the gathered crowd with nothing to watch as they reluctantly departed.

“Made it into the top ten thousand today... in a couple more days, I should break into the top hundred. Securing a challenge spot before the end of the month should be no problem.”

Over the next two days, Fang Xing kept his head down, grinding through the battle platform, indifferent to the tumult of the outside world.

Meanwhile, the freshman from the Martial Arts Department found themselves surprised by his relentless ascent, as he finally shed his quiet and devoted reputation to seize the forefront.

Fang Xing did not disappoint, securing the sixty-sixth position before month's end, successfully locking in a challenge spot.

The end of the month arrived quickly.

Gu Jiantong eagerly entered the virtual chamber and arrived at the Blue Star Community.

Around the battle platform, students from various schools had already gathered, eagerly watching the four screens surrounding the platform.

Through these interfaces, they could spectate any match they desired.

“No doubt, it's gonna be Dark Star winning again this time.”

“I'm betting on Luo Kai. Rumor has it he's upgraded his own mech significantly, crafting weapon modules in the virtual mech factory capable of annihilating Exoteric martial artists...”

“What's that against our President Hu Yan? At least he’s easy on the eyes.”

...

Many students tuned in to watch the battles, rallying behind their favorite experts, their chatter creating a lively buzz.

Gu Jiantong's eyes narrowed slightly, noting his own ranking: “One hundred and eight... damn it, if I were Exoteric, I'd have climbed up already.”

Even he had to admit, Fang Xing, the face-slapping maniac, was truly formidable, especially in his mastery and breakthroughs!

Though Gu Jiantong had achieved his own domain, the spiritual force within his Mud Palace still fell just a bit short.

Amidst contemplating his future path, Gu Jiantong pondered which martial art best complemented light harnessing.

Thus, he planned to breakthrough into the Outer Realm only after this academic year ended.

Who could have foreseen that Fang Xing would quietly accomplish it first?

Even so, Gu Jiantong chose not to rashly breakthrough; instead, he aimed to advance further with his own strength.

Alas, the three elite academies were brimming with prodigious talents, many of whom were senior students.

He ultimately found himself constrained by his current state, remaining at the gall level, and regrettably placed beyond the top hundred, relegated to being a mere spectator today.

"Gu, my classmate..."

At that moment, someone nearby greeted him with a cheerful smile.

"Oh, it's Yin Huanzhen..."

Gu Jiantong nodded, recalling Yin Huanzhen, a classmate who could exchange a few moves with him.

"The top hundred on the battle ranking are predominantly at the Outer Realm level. It’s extremely difficult for us to establish a foothold there..."

Yin Huanzhen suddenly inquired, "Who do you think Fang Xing will challenge?"

"If it were me, I'd certainly go straight for Dark Star!"

With a raised eyebrow, Gu Jiantong continued, "Hu Yan Qiushui is just a woman, Luo Kai merely relies on his mecha advantage... Only Dark Star’s sword intrigues me... Of course, Dark Star is too formidable, and Gu Zhen also holds potential... He failed last time, this time he’s bound to aim for the top ten!"

The greatest frustration for Gu Jiantong during the college entrance exam was his actual defeat to two individuals: Fang Xing and Gu Zhen.

Though proud and uncompromising in speech, internally, he acknowledged these two as his true rivals.

Now that both opponents were set to compete, anticipation surged within him.

...

Inside the battle arena.

Fang Xing sat in his lounge, studying the battle listing.

"Hmm... The top ten must accept ten challenges today, no more, no less... Who should I choose?"

His gaze flitted over the youthful Dark Star, the muscled Mecha Master Luo Kai, then to Hu Yan Qiushui, whose eyes were like autumn waters and figure graceful and tall, evoking a smile.

"Hu Yan Qiushui, the student council president, is quite attractive..."

His fingers paused at the ninth place.

"I'm not foolish enough to challenge Outer Realm pinnacles just after entering it myself..."

"The tenth spot is considered an easy target, attracting too many challenges and becoming troublesome... Ninth place is just right."

On the ninth rank of the battle list is someone named 'Wu Lie,' hailing from Sacred Armor University, and he's a mecha master!

'According to the classification in the virtual space, this Wu Lie is a fifth-tier mecha master, which means when he dons his mecha, he can rival external scenery martial artists... I should witness this myself.'

Fang Xing summoned the battle invitation button and clicked send.

It didn't take long for him to see that Wu Lie had accepted his challenge.

"Hmm, there are three matches scheduled before mine... Let's hope nothing unexpected happens."

If Wu Lie loses, he will automatically relinquish his spot, and the previous battle schedule will naturally become void.

Fang Xing waited another half-hour, when a notification sound suddenly echoed in his ears.

A faint smile appeared on his face as he moved.

When he reappeared, he was already hovering above a city ruin.

He stood atop a tall building, gazing at Wu Lie who was positioned on the roof of another skyscraper not far away.

Wu Lie was entirely encased in a pitch-black mecha, only his face exposed under the visor, appearing darker-skinned, with a pair of blue eyes.

"Fang Xing, do you know why I chose you?"

He moved his mecha, creating a voice.

"Because I'm a newbie and easy to bully?"

Fang Xing guessed in response.

"No... It’s because you, face-slapping fanatic, were ruthless when you faced my sister before, and I promised her that I'd teach you a good lesson if I ever got the chance!"

Wu Lie roared, as two guns materialized on his mecha's arms: "Eat my bullets!"

Da-da!

Da-da!

A storm of metal bullets swept through where Fang Xing stood, but only struck the concrete walls in vain.

Tap, tap!

Fang Xing leaped with a step, his form twisting in midair, continuously closing in on Wu Lie.

"Dance of the Sky Steps?"

The vision before Wu Lie filled with massive data, the mecha's built-in intelligence calculating Fang Xing's route.

"Don’t think you’re the only one who can fly!"

Flames erupted beneath his feet, propelling him forward with the menacing grace of the Grim Reaper spreading its wings, soaring skyward!

(End of Chapter)