The wind blew fiercely, the grass swayed in waves.
Huang Hao's virtual avatar slowly dissipated.
But Xu Zhou paid no heed to it. He looked at the long knife in his hand, a look of joy in his eyes.
"Second Level Saber Technique!"
Xu Zhou exclaimed excitedly, "I thought I'd have to practice hard for a long time, but unexpectedly, I made a breakthrough in the battle."
Before, he was just a threshold away from reaching the second level of the saber technique.
And just now, Xu Zhou and Huang Hao fought until the last moment, almost completely exhausted, yet it sparked his will to survive.
It was precisely this experience of life and death that allowed him to break through the limits and naturally comprehend the second level of the Mountain Breaking Saber Technique.
"The power of the second level saber technique has increased by more than several levels compared to before."
Xu Zhou rejoiced, "If the battle earlier were to happen again, I am confident I could defeat Huang Hao in two moves."
This battle was extremely intense for him.
After all, Xu Zhou's Qi-Blood was slightly lower than Huang Hao's, and there was no gap in their realm of combat techniques.
Plus, in the virtual world, the virtual avatars have a continuous supply of Qi-Blood.
If Xu Zhou hadn't made a breakthrough during the fight, he wouldn't have won this battle at all.
Of course, all this was in the past now.
Now that Xu Zhou had comprehended the second level saber technique, he was enough to be among the top even in Linjiang First High School!
Just then, a loud voice suddenly echoed in the virtual world.
"Xu Zhou is victorious."
"Top 100 ranking changes, Huang Hao's rank drops by one."
"24th in the First Year Top 100: Xu Zhou!"
As this voice echoed, Xu Zhou came to his senses and then smiled slightly.
From today on, he was also a member of the Top 100 list!
In the next second, his figure slowly dissipated from the virtual world.
...
At this moment, in the cuboid building hall.
Song Qi's phone suddenly popped up with a message.
He opened his phone and saw that it was from the school's platform, so he quickly clicked to check it.
When he saw the detailed content of the message, Song Qi's expression suddenly shook, and an incredulous look appeared on his face.
"Top 100 ranking changes? Huang Hao's rank dropped?"
"That kid... won?"
Splat!
Song Qi's phone dropped onto the table; he opened his mouth wide, looking in disbelief at virtual pod number 5.
At the same time, many students in the hall also saw the message published by the school.
In the next moment, everyone gasped in amazement.
"My goodness... he really won?"
"Holy shit!"
But before people from other classes could react.
The crowd in Class Eight of Year One had already erupted with huge cheers.
"Xu Zhou! Xu Zhou! Xu Zhou!"
The entire class shouted in unison at this moment.
No one was stunned, no one doubted, and no one cared about how Xu Zhou won.
All there was were unified cheers of solidarity!
At this moment, Xu Zhou's name reverberated throughout the vast cuboid hall.
While students from other classes, looking at Class Eight's fervent display, were utterly shocked.
Many found it hard to understand why Class Eight was so enthusiastic.
But when they put themselves in their shoes, if someone insults their class, insults their teacher, and at a critical moment, such a genius steps forward to redeem the entire class's reputation,
they would likely be just as crazy, even worship him like a god!
...
Meanwhile, teachers and leaders from all grades at the school also received the news about the changes to the Top 100 list.
In the school conference room.
The teachers were still discussing solutions.
Just then, a teacher suddenly exclaimed, "Look! The Top 100 list has changed!"
"Xu Zhou defeated Huang Hao and is now 24th on the Top 100 list!"
"What did you say?"
Including the principal, all the teachers were stunned upon hearing the news.
Soon, they picked up their phones to check, and when they saw the detailed message, they showed astonishment.
"Xu Zhou is on the Top 100 list?"
"How is this possible? Isn't he supposed to have beast-like talent, with very slow cultivation speed?"
"24th on the Top 100 list in Year One, that rank should at least have Qi-Blood over 80 card, right?"
The teachers were all shaken.
Even though it's only the Year One Top 100, students making it onto the list are one-in-a-hundred talents!
But Xu Zhou clearly has a beast-like talent?
The principal suddenly said, "Cao Yong, are you aware of Xu Zhou's strength before awakening?"
Cao Yong nodded and said solemnly, "Before awakening, Xu Zhou's Qi-Blood was only around 70 card!"
These words caused all the teachers' expressions to change.
Liu Kaiqi frowned suddenly, speaking up, "That's impossible! The top thirty of the Year One Top 100 all have at least 80 card Qi-Blood!"
"Could Xu Zhou's Qi-Blood have increased by 10 card in just half a month?"
"Even with S-level talent, cultivation speed doesn't increase so fast!"
Hearing this, a rare smile appeared on Cao Yong's face. He nodded and said, "Indeed, Xu Zhou now has proven that ordinary S-level talent can't compare to him!"
These words made the previously suspicious teachers finally come to their senses.
Immediately, everyone showed a look of surprise.
Cao Yong was right.
Xu Zhou defeating Huang Hao was not just winning a battle; more importantly, he proved his talent to everyone!
No matter how his strength came about,
at least this move was enough to shatter all rumors!
The teachers all showed delighted expressions. Does this mean the school's crisis has been resolved?
"Let's go check out the virtual pod!" Cao Yong suddenly spoke up.
The principal nodded, "Yes, first confirm if the news is true. If it is, it'll be not too late to celebrate then."
With that, everyone nodded, all with anticipation, standing up to head outside.
In the seats, only Liu Kaiqi had a grim expression, because it was he who spread the news. Now that Xu Zhou showcased such overwhelming strength, it was nothing short of a public slap in his face.
That was the least of his worries.
The key issue was that since the school had stirred up such a big incident, some explanation must be given to the outside world.
If it cannot be proven that Xu Zhou's S-level talent is fake, then the school could only push all the blame onto Liu Kaiqi and others.
In this case, his punishment afterward might not just be as simple as guarding the gate but something much more severe!
At this thought, Liu Kaiqi's face became even gloomier.
...
Within the campus, the news spread like wildfire.
"Xu Zhou defeated Huang Hao and ranked 24th on the Top 100 list!"
"Changes in the Year One Top 100 list, Xu Zhou made it onto the list!"
Now, Xu Zhou's name had long become the focal point of Linjiang First High School.
Any news about him would capture the attention of all the school's students.
And the news of Xu Zhou defeating Huang Hao and getting on the Top 100 list instantly ignited the entire school.
From Year Three to Year One, thousands of students were in an uproar.
They wondered about the alleged beast-like talent, which supposedly couldn't be cultivated?
How did he suddenly climb onto the Top 100 list?
And ranked as high as 24th!
"Is it that easy to get on the Year One Top 100 list?"
"Nonsense! Those on the Year One Top 100 list mostly started training from the third year of junior high! Those ranked in the top thirty have achieved nearly 80 card Qi-Blood and have also cultivated combat techniques, their strength is fierce!"
"Oh my god! Does that mean they can defeat me in one move?"
"Is Xu Zhou really that strong? Were Huang Hao and Huang Yunxuan bluffing?"
"Wow, that would be surprising if true!"
"I'm not so sure. If Xu Zhou truly is top-tier S-level talent, shouldn't he be hitting the first spot on the Top 100 list? But he's only 24th!"
"This, either Cao Yong is lying, or the Huang Hao brothers are lying!"
"Which one is the truth? It's hard to tell, truly hard to tell!"
Students from all grades were discussing it animatedly.
...
In Class One of Year One, students were whispering among themselves, but many would occasionally glance at Huang Hao's spot.
Huang Hao sat cross-legged, with a sullen face.
He just got back to the classroom not long ago, and due to the incident of him "leaking information," his classmates began to secretly distance themselves from him, fearing being implicated.
Originally, Huang Hao wasn't too concerned, confident he wouldn't be severely punished.
But now, Xu Zhou had actually defeated him in the virtual world!
Those words he uttered before had now become slaps directed back at himself, one slap after another!
Huang Hao's face was gloomy as water.
"Ding!"
At this moment, his phone suddenly received a message.
He opened it and saw it was from Huang Yunxuan.
Huang Yunxuan: "Disable Xu Zhou."
Looking at the message from his brother, Huang Hao clenched his hand tightly, his face livid.
He lifted his head and saw his old buddies in the class were whispering privately, pointing fingers at him.
Seeing this, Huang Hao finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Enough!"
Huang Hao shouted and said in a deep voice, "Do you all really think I was making up lies before?"
"Those words were spoken by the homeroom teacher of Class Two, Year Three, Teacher Liu Kaiqi himself! Do you think Teacher Liu would speak recklessly?"
Huang Hao coldly said, "Moreover, if I were truly spreading rumors, the principal and teachers would have already come forward to clarify!"
When these words came out, everyone exchanged glances and raised their eyebrows.
Listening, it seemed reasonable!
Seeing this, Huang Hao continued, "As for Xu Zhou, he only defeated me from three months ago!"
"Also, he fought with my virtual image in the virtual world for an hour, only to barely win."
"A normal person's stamina is not enough to sustain a high-intensity battle for an hour!"
As his words fell, the students of Class One widened their eyes.
A student exclaimed, "Do you mean, did Xu Zhou use some prohibited means?"
One of Huang Hao's buddies immediately stood up and said, "I told you! How could that guy Xu Zhou possibly be a match for Brother Hao?"
There was also skepticism, "If Xu Zhou really used some prohibited means, wouldn't Teacher Song Qi have noticed?"
Huang Hao gave him a glance and continued:
"I know some of you still don't believe it, but that doesn't matter because facts speak louder than words!"
"You all will soon know the gap between Xu Zhou and me!"
Saying that, Huang Hao grabbed his long sword and stood up with a cold face.
"Xu Zhou, I will personally take you down." Huang Hao thought to himself, "Don't blame me for being ruthless; you brought this upon yourself!"
He carried his long sword, his face cold, as he marched out the door.
Seeing this scene, the crowd in Class One was in an uproar.
Was Huang Hao going to find Xu Zhou for revenge?
He was defeated in the virtual world, and if he gets defeated in reality, it would be an utter disgrace!
But Huang Hao also had a point; the virtual world's him was him from three months ago.
The current Huang Hao was stronger than he was three months ago! Can Xu Zhou still win?
The students of Class One exchanged glances, all showing a look of curiosity.
Seems like there's going to be a good show!
They all got up and hurried after Huang Hao.