"My advice is to use all your points on Qi Blood Potions for the time being."
Wang Wenhai looked at Xu Wuyi, his tone resolute. "Your Basic Body Refining Technique has already reached the Minor Success Realm. Your foundation is so solid, you'd rank in the top three of all the students I've ever taught."
"This is a massive advantage. It means the upper limit of your Qi and Blood conversion efficiency is far beyond that of an ordinary person. The only thing holding back your progress right now is your total volume of Qi and Blood."
"You have to take advantage of this golden period to push your Life Energy Level to 11 as quickly as possible. Once you break through to Level 11, your body will undergo a minor transformation. Both the quality and capacity of your Qi and Blood will increase, and only then will you be able to truly unleash the power of your Minor Success Realm Body Refining Method."
"Moreover, only at Level 11 will you be eligible to apply for more advanced virtual training modules on the Battle Network and access a deeper level of Martial Arts knowledge."
A Martial Arts Teacher's duty is to help students identify and correct their weaknesses, shoring up the shortfalls in their Martial Arts framework.
And in Wang Wenhai's eyes, a student like Xu Wuyi was actually the easiest to teach—because he had no weaknesses.
To have cultivated the Basic Body Refining Technique to the Minor Success Realm at his current Life Energy Level... his foundation was so solid that probably only a handful of people in all of Dongjiang Province could compare.
Therefore, Xu Wuyi didn't need any of those fancy frills. He just needed to steadily increase his Qi and Blood.
Xu Wuyi listened attentively, knowing Teacher Wang's insight and experience were far beyond his own.
"Use them all for Qi Blood Potions... I understand." Xu Wuyi had no objections.
Strength was the foundation. As long as his Life Energy Level went up, everything else would fall into place.
"Of course, after Level 11, you'll need to start taking D-Level Qi Blood Potions. Don't go and buy a whole stock of E-Level Potions at once," Wang Wenhai added as a reminder.
Xu Wuyi wasn't foolish enough to make that kind of mistake and immediately nodded in agreement.
"Also," Wang Wenhai changed the subject, "just increasing your Qi and Blood isn't enough. For the combat portion of the Martial Arts College Entrance Examination, if you want to get an S-class rating or higher, you'd best learn to use a weapon."
"An S-class rating..." Xu Wuyi frowned slightly, a flicker of doubt in his mind. 'But I thought the exam doesn't test weapon proficiency?'
The specific rules for the Federation's Martial Arts College Entrance Examination flashed through his mind.
The practical combat portion of the exam was divided into two parts:
First, a match against an examiner to receive a base rating. Then, a match against other students with the same rating to determine a final score.
There was a reason for this system.
Apparently, in the early years, the exam only consisted of the first part—scoring was based solely on the match against the examiner. However, they gradually realized this method couldn't fully gauge a student's true skill level.
The reason was simple: in a match against an examiner, students faced no mortal danger. They also lacked any real will to win, because no one could possibly defeat a Martial Master Level examiner.
As a result, the so-called "practical combat" test became an exercise in students showing off their abilities, which led to the development of "test-taking techniques" that strayed further and further from the meaning of the two words "actual combat."
So, starting thirty years ago, the Federation introduced a dual-rating system.
The placement match determines a student's approximate rating, and then pure combat determines their precise score.
If there was a major discrepancy between a student's performance in actual combat and their initial rating, it was quite common for them to be moved up or down a level.
"It's true the exam doesn't test weapons," Wang Wenhai said. "But you also need to understand that those who learn them have two advantages."
"First, after mastering a weapon-based Martial Art, you can apply its principles to your unarmed combat. After all, most High Grade Martial Arts are weapon-based."
Unarmed Martial Arts are primarily D-level, with a few at C-level. Anything higher is usually a secret, guarded technique.
Weapon-based Martial Arts are the opposite; they are almost all C-level or higher. You hardly ever see a D-level Martial Art for weapons.
Xu Wuyi nodded. It was like studying some college-level material before taking a high school exam.
Even though that advanced material wouldn't be on the test, it didn't stop you from using that knowledge to figure out the answer first, then working backward to find the solution.
"The second reason is the difference in combat experience."
At this, Wang Wenhai looked at Xu Wuyi again. "You've been on the Battle Network for a while now. Have you noticed that there are very few true experts among your opponents in the arena?"
"That... is true." Xu Wuyi hesitated for a moment before nodding in admission.
The Junior Stage is mostly filled with high school students and some Social Martial Artists of average skill.
With their Life Energy Levels equalized, there weren't many people who could even take a single punch from him, let alone give him a satisfying fight.
There were surely some experts in the mix, but they were too few and far between. Everyone's online schedules were different, so the probability of getting matched with one was very low—so low that it was better to just arrange a private match.
The situation might be a little better on the Middle Level stage.
But the Middle Level stage would raise his Life Energy Level directly to 20. Xu Wuyi wouldn't be able to adapt to a body like that, so there would be no point in training there.
"And that's the problem," Wang Wenhai said with a smile. "You don't improve much by playing against weak opponents."
"Once you reach a certain skill level, the only way to improve is in Rank Battles. But those battles don't have weapon restrictions. You can't just go in there with your bare fists, can you?"
Now, Xu Wuyi truly understood.
'The experts all fight with weapons; only kids mess around with fists and feet. If I want to spar with real masters, I have to learn a weapon.'
"Teacher Wang, I'm willing to learn." Having figured this out, Xu Wuyi no longer hesitated and spoke with conviction.
Wang Wenhai nodded. He tapped a finger in the empty air, and a screen of light unfolded, displaying holographic images of common weapons: sabers, spears, swords, staffs, and more.
"You have time now, so you can start learning a weapon-based Martial Art on the Battle Network and lay the groundwork early."
"The Battle Network has an assisted training mode that can help you quickly master the basic stances and force-application techniques. While it can't completely replace real-world practice, it's enough to get you to the Entry Level and help you find a path that suits you."
Wang Wenhai looked at Xu Wuyi. "Is there any particular weapon you're interested in?"
Xu Wuyi's gaze swept across the various weapons on the screen as he recalled his own fighting style.
'Solid defense, adept at seizing opportunities, a single, decisive strike...' he thought. 'What kind of weapon suits a style like that?'
Xu Wuyi's aptitude for comprehension wasn't bad, but he wasn't a born genius. When it came to weapons, he was completely in the dark.
Besides, as far as he knew, weapons were primarily offensive, designed for killing.
'A weapon that excels at defense... I can't just use a shield, can I?'
As if reading his mind, Wang Wenhai shook his head. "Not all weapons are purely for offense... Coincidentally, you've fought a lot of arena battles lately, so you should have enough points. You can have the Battle Network's AI recommend a Martial Art for you."
"It can do that?" Xu Wuyi was surprised. He actually didn't know much about the Battle Network.
His Spiritual Power was limited, so most of the time he could afford to "be online" each day was spent on improving his combat skills. He had no time to explore the vast Star Martial Battle Network.
The points Wang Wenhai had mentioned were a private currency exclusive to the Star Martial Battle Network.
They could be earned by competing on the Battle Network or acquired by donating Federation Credits, but they couldn't be traded.
The points were mainly used to purchase virtual services, and were essentially the Battle Network's way of encouraging Martial Artists to engage in combat.
So, Xu Wuyi spoke into the air, "AI, based on my profile, please recommend a weapon-based Martial Art suitable for my current level that emphasizes defense and counter-attacking."