Zhao Mu stepped forward and stopped in front of the Combat Technique Puppet.
Inside the monitoring room, Jiang Jiu slowly rose from his seat, his eyes fixed on the screen.
Perhaps today, he would witness a miracle.
A miracle involving a trainee who dared to challenge an Advanced Combat Technique Puppet after only one month in Qingfeng Camp.
Not defeat it, of course.
That was simply impossible.
Even instructors like Jiang Jiu couldn't defeat a Combat Level 9 Advanced Combat Technique Puppet.
In his opinion, if Zhao Mu could survive five minutes without being knocked down, it would already be considered a victory.
Zhao Mu stood quietly before the puppet.
His training halberd pointed diagonally toward the ground as he assumed his starting stance.
The red glow in the puppet's eyes intensified.
For a brief moment, it almost seemed alive.
Its gaze locked onto Zhao Mu.
Target confirmed.
The puppet twisted its wrist.
The next instant—
A terrifying surge of Combat Level 9 Spirit Power erupted from its body.
The dense energy flowed like liquid mercury, perfectly controlled without the slightest waste.
Blue streams of Spirit Power wrapped around the alloy staff in its hands like flowing water.
Then the puppet moved.
A silver-gray blur shot forward.
Its speed was so fast that even Zhao Mu felt a moment of dizziness.
How powerful was a Combat Level 9 Advanced Combat Technique Puppet?
Simply put, it could defeat someone like Shao Han in fewer than ten moves.
Yet Zhao Mu had already prepared himself.
Instead of defending, he charged forward.
The two figures rushed toward each other at astonishing speed.
Zhao Mu's speed was not inferior to the puppet's.
In fact, he was slightly faster.
Clang!
The training halberd and alloy staff collided violently.
The metallic impact echoed throughout the training hall.
In the distance, Lu Yan and Zhuo Yun felt their eardrums sting from the sound alone.
The battle had begun.
The puppet's attacks were not merely fast.
They were ruthless.
Every strike targeted a vital point.
Every move aimed to disable or kill.
This was completely different from the combat puppets used for ordinary training.
Normally, the puppets avoided dangerous attacks because their purpose was to help trainees improve.
But Advanced Difficulty ignored such restrictions.
The puppet fought like a true enemy.
Its only goal was to eliminate the opponent standing before it.
That savage fighting style alone was enough to make most trainees lose their composure.
But Zhao Mu remained calm.
The Demon Clown talent was active.
At the same time, the proficiency of Hegemon's Formation-Breaking Halberd increased at an astonishing rate.
The growth speed was more than three times faster than before.
As expected.
Only by constantly challenging one's limits could one achieve the fastest improvement.
Zhao Mu felt immense pressure.
It was as though he was fighting another version of himself.
Both possessed flawless techniques.
With his Basic Halberd Mastery already at maximum proficiency, every move he executed was refined to perfection.
And the Advanced Combat Technique Puppet was the same.
Their exchange resembled a deadly dance.
Whenever one attacked, the other already seemed to know how to respond.
Attack and defense flowed seamlessly.
Neither side left behind even the slightest opening.
Their upper bodies clashed continuously through weapon exchanges.
Meanwhile, Zhao Mu's footwork remained equally flawless.
Every shift in position.
Every turn.
Every adjustment.
All were executed with perfect timing to ensure maximum efficiency and power.
His Light Spirit Steps were incredibly swift.
Now that he had reached Combat Level 6, the enhancement from Spirit Power had pushed his speed to an entirely new level.
As a result, despite fighting an opponent three Combat Levels above him, Zhao Mu showed no disadvantage whatsoever.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The training hall echoed with the sounds of violent combat.
It felt as though two battle maniacs had been unleashed upon the arena.
Weapons collided again and again.
Each impact produced a deafening shockwave.
Yet Zhao Mu's grip never wavered.
When it came to physical strength, he had absolute confidence.
Relying solely on the superiority of his physique, he had managed to compensate for the enormous difference in Combat Levels.
And unlike Shao Han, who had only awakened a month ago and still possessed an unstable foundation, the puppet represented perfection.
Its Spirit Power control was flawless.
Its combat techniques were flawless.
Its tactical decisions were flawless.
According to Qingfeng Camp's legends, the Advanced Difficulty setting had never truly been intended as training.
Its purpose was to show trainees how far they remained from perfection.
For countless generations, defeating the Advanced Combat Technique Puppet had been the ultimate goal of every trainee before graduation.
Unfortunately, very few ever succeeded.
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Mu and the puppet had exchanged more than one hundred moves.
Their speed continued to increase.
To keep up with one another, both sides pushed themselves harder and harder.
This was no longer a simple battle.
It was a competition of endurance, skill, and growth.
Inside the monitoring room, Jiang Jiu's eyes widened further and further.
Eventually, he stood frozen in disbelief.
This wasn't what he had imagined.
He had expected Zhao Mu to struggle desperately just to survive.
To defend.
To endure.
To resist.
Yet Zhao Mu was doing the exact opposite.
He was attacking head-on.
And somehow...
He seemed to be gaining the advantage.
"How is that possible?!"
"How is he doing this?!"
Jiang Jiu couldn't help shouting.
His mind simply couldn't comprehend what he was seeing.
After all, who could possibly defeat a perfect version of themselves?
What he didn't know was that Zhao Mu possessed an advantage no ordinary person could imagine.
The longer the battle lasted—
The stronger he became.
---
Hegemon's Formation-Breaking Halberd
Intermediate Battle Technique
Proficiency: 225...
226...
227...
228...
Every exchange increased his mastery.
Every clash accelerated his growth.
Because the puppet was the perfect opponent.
Its pressure was neither too weak nor too strong.
Every attack forced Zhao Mu to improve.
Every defense deepened his understanding.
As a result, his halberd technique advanced at an astonishing speed.
The Zhao Mu of one minute later was already stronger than the Zhao Mu of one minute earlier.
The difference was small.
Almost imperceptible.
But countless tiny improvements would eventually accumulate into a qualitative transformation.
Three minutes passed.
Finally, the balance of the battle began to shift.
Clang!
Zhao Mu swung his halberd with both hands, slashing toward the puppet's neck.
If the strike connected, the system would immediately judge the puppet defeated.
The puppet reacted instantly.
Its alloy staff moved into position and blocked the attack.
But this time—
Something changed.
Its body sank slightly.
Only a fraction.
Yet Zhao Mu noticed it immediately.
From that moment onward, he began gaining the upper hand.
He pressed forward aggressively.
Step by step.
Attack after attack.
His footwork disrupted the puppet's balance and gradually forced it backward.
To its credit, the puppet responded perfectly.
Even under increasing pressure, it showed no signs of panic.
But the momentum had already shifted.
Five minutes later—
The Advanced Combat Technique Puppet had been pushed entirely onto the defensive.
It could only block.
It could no longer attack.
At the same time, another notification appeared before Zhao Mu.
Hegemon's Formation-Breaking Halberd
Intermediate Battle Technique
Proficiency: 232
Inside the monitoring room, Jiang Jiu collapsed back into his chair.
His face was filled with shock, excitement, and disbelief.
After a long silence, he finally muttered:
"A true prodigy..."
"A prodigy has emerged from Qingfeng Camp."
---
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)