The High Martial Era

At first, Parker assumed it was something akin to the "system" or "status panel" he had read about in novels.

But after extensive experimentation, he confirmed that the interface only had detection capabilities—like an incredibly advanced Cultivation Assessment Device.

It couldn't directly enhance his martial cultivation.

"Still, the Grand Sun Astral Sutra I obtained through the Divine Palace Interface has already provided me with immense benefits."

Parker silently reflected.

As he pondered, he stepped back onto the Silver Combat Arena and picked up his black spear.

Parker's gaze fell on his teacher, Brandon Hughes, standing ten meters away. The interface before his eyes shifted, displaying a string of information:

[Target identified. Vitality Rank exceeds detection limit (Current detection limit: 16.6)]

"Mr. Hughes, please guide me." Parker cupped his fists in salute before his figure suddenly shot forward. In an instant, he covered several meters, unleashing his full power. His spear roared like a dragon, tearing through the air with a sharp whistle as it thrust straight toward Brandon Hughes.

"Hmm? This spear technique…!" Brandon Hughes' eyes lit up with surprise.

The spear tip tore through the air, producing a sharp whistle.

"So fast!"

"Parker's spear…" Most of the students held their breath, their eyes fixed on him. His spear was too fast—crossing several meters in the blink of an eye.

Parker and Mr. Hughes were less than ten meters apart, and with Parker's spear nearly three meters long, combined with his explosive speed—its tip was already aimed straight at Mr. Hughes' chest.

"Midline Thrust?" Logan Pierce gripped his spear tightly, recognizing the move.

Spearmanship is vast and ever-changing, but at its core, it consists of fundamental techniques: blocking, parrying, thrusting, piercing, chopping, recoiling, flicking, coiling, and twisting.

The Midline Thrust was the most common, yet also the most crucial.

Its essence lay in a direct, level stab—taking the shortest path between two points, striking forward like an arrow.

It was all about precision, speed, and power.

"Same move, but if that spear were aimed at me, I'd be dead already," Logan Pierce thought to himself, a chill running down his spine.

Within the Arena

"A straight thrust? Using his weapon's reach and strength advantage?" Mr. Hughes immediately grasped Parker's intent.

As the saying went: 'A saber strikes like a fierce tiger, a sword moves like a wandering dragon, a staff sweeps a broad path, while a spear carves a single line.'

A staff was shorter than a spear.

In a head-on exchange, the longer spear would naturally strike first, and Parker's speed and power far exceeded Mr. Hughes' level-5 explosive strength.

Boom!

This time, Mr. Hughes didn't dodge like before. Instead, he stepped forward, swinging his staff in a smooth arc, striking the spearhead with lightning precision. Borrowing force against force, he sent the spear's tip veering off course—just barely avoiding the fierce strike.

Hiss!

But Parker had anticipated this. The instant his spear rebounded from the impact, he instinctively followed through, using the force to twist his body at the waist. In one fluid motion, he spun the spear around a full 180 degrees, hacking down like a battle axe toward Mr. Hughes.

This time, they were even closer, and his burst speed was at its peak.

"Haha!" Mr. Hughes suddenly chuckled, as if he had foreseen the attack. With a swift retreat, he dodged the brutal strike once again.

He dodged that too?!

Parker's heart clenched—his teacher's reaction speed was terrifyingly fast.

But before he could process it…

Whoosh!

A blurred shadow of the staff swept toward him, seizing the moment when his spear had just missed its mark.

"Retreat!"

Parker instantly shifted his footwork, leaping backward while bringing his spear up to block.

Bang!

Weapons collided.

Yet Parker didn't feel the usual impact force—it was as if his spear had been caught, trapped by the opponent's staff.

It felt uncomfortable.

Whoosh!

Mr. Hughes advanced again, closing the distance, his staff striking with unpredictable speed and force.

Swoosh!

Parker was forced to retreat. His spear was a long weapon—it needed space to unleash its full power.

Yet, to his shock, no matter how he moved, he couldn't create that space. Every time he tried to reposition, Mr. Hughes' staff would land at the perfect moment, constantly forcing his spear into passive blocks.

The staff was sometimes violent, sometimes gentle—ever-changing and elusive.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Their weapons clashed over ten times in an instant, forcing Parker back to the edge of the silver arena.

Bang!

A final staff strike swept across. Parker felt a dull pain in his chest, his body involuntarily staggering backward.

He took several steps before finally coming to a stop.

The full-body training armor protected him, and Mr. Hughes hadn't used overwhelming strength—this was just a sparring exercise. A single hit wasn't enough to cause real harm.

"I lost."

Parker raised his spear in surrender, his voice tinged with helplessness. "Mr. Hughes, even with my overwhelming advantage in speed and strength, I couldn't even last twenty moves against you."

The gap in skill was just too vast.

The arena fell into dead silence.

All the students stared in shock at Parker and Mr. Hughes.

The exchange had been brief but intense, resembling a real battle far beyond the level of the Martial Skill Assessment they had just undergone.

"You've already blocked more than ten of my moves." Mr. Hughes, who was usually cold and composed, revealed a rare smile. "Your spear technique has improved significantly since the end-of-term exam last semester. I had to give it my all to defeat you."

Give it his all?

Parker sighed inwardly. This was merely Mr. Hughes using his full power at a Level 5 physical constitution.

If their raw strength and speed had been equal, Parker doubted he could have lasted even three moves.

This was the difference in Skill Mastery Level.

"During last semester's final exam, my spear technique and footwork were both at 99% of the second rank. I only broke through afterward," Parker thought to himself. "By that logic, Mr. Hughes' Skill Mastery Level must be at least fourth rank."

Without other points of reference, Parker wasn't entirely sure of the precise differences between first, second, and third rank as shown on his Divine Palace Interface.

But he could make a rough judgment—among his classmates, only a handful, like Knox Xavier, had likely reached second rank in cold weapon techniques.

At the same time, Parker was certain of one thing.

If his spear technique and footwork had improved, it would definitely be reflected in his interface's data.

Beep!

On the classroom's rear display, Parker's Martial Arts Proficiency Score appeared—365 points.

"So high?"

"He broke 360 points," Logan Pierce's eyes lit up.

"This is already at the difficulty level of the university entrance exams. He's only just entered his final year, and his Martial Arts Proficiency Score has already increased so much from last semester?"

"With a score like that, he's probably among the top in the entire city."

"By the time the entrance exams arrive, Parker might even have a shot at becoming the city's top scorer in Martial Arts Proficiency."

"He's definitely getting into Martial Cultivation University."

"If only my spear technique were as strong as Parker's..."

"Who's got some water? Wake him up from his daydream."