A bit of sweat trickled down Victor's jaw.
'Hmm is this my limit without using qi?'
He proceeded to smash another...
By the time he smashed the fourth ball of Level 8, the onlookers were already roaring in excitement.
"He might actually beat her!"
"Nah impossible, I just found out he's B ranked."
Even Veyla narrowed her golden eyes slightly.
Victor entered Level 9.
And here… he met his match.
The balls at this stage felt like trying to crush a slab of star-forged steel.
He tightened his grip and gritted his teeth.
For thirty seconds he squeezed but it didn't crack.
[ Failure — Final Score: Level 8 Completed, Level 9 Attempted ]
Victor stumbled out of the zone while rolling his shoulders and laughing softly.
"Damn, man, you almost made it!" Danny said before slapping him on the back.
"Better than me too," Derek muttered with a scowl with a half-impressed look.
Amara beamed at him. "That was amazing!"
Victor shook his arms out while grinning. "Guess I need to train my finger muscles more."
From her corner, Veyla watched silently but she didn't say a word.
Night blanketed the Academy grounds in an endless velvet hush, broken only by the sounds of distant mana lamps and the quiet shuffle of last-minute stragglers moving between dorms.
Most students had long since cleared out from the personal training centers after exhausting themselves through grueling routines.
Victor, Danny, Amara, and Derek had all spent hours here and eventually even Derek and Amara had wandered off somewhere. Likely into some cozy corner to suck each other's faces off, Victor thought dryly.
Danny eventually stretched and yawned like a giant bear. "Bro, I'm dead. Food, shower, sleep. Not necessarily in that order."
Victor chuckled. "Enjoy eating soap and shampoo."
Danny snorted and lumbered away toward the dorm buildings.
Victor, on the other hand, turned back just as he got to a point.
There was still a little itch at the back of his mind.
He couldn't get over the fact he had been so close earlier when trying the grip challenge. And now… he was curious. What if he really tried? Like, no holding back?
A mischievous grin appeared at the corner of his lips.
Victor snuck back into the personal training area.
It was near empty now except for a few students lazing around or half-dozing against the walls.
The Grip Crush Challenge arena glowed faintly... lonely without any challengers.
Victor cracked his knuckles and then very quietly, he let his qi out.
It wasn't overwhelming, but it was dense.
Every fiber of muscle and bone saturated with his cultivation energy.
A faint tremor shook the surrounding floor tiles as his body subtly shifted into a high-resonance state.
A couple of students nearby glanced up in confusion and frowned. One even adjusted his glasses and muttered, "Earthquake?"
Victor whistled innocently and stepped through the shimmering barrier.
He didn't even register his name this time — didn't want to leave a trace. He tapped [Guest Mode] and smirked.
Ball floats toward him.
It exploded instantly into splinters.
He crushed the balls so fast that they barely finished materializing.
He breezed through Level 4, Level 5, and Level 6 as if he were popping grapes at a family picnic.
"Maybe they should call this challenge 'Squeeze Baby Tomatoes' instead," he muttered to himself while chuckling as another ball disintegrated.
By the time he hit Level 7 and 8, the balls started putting up a tiny bit of resistance—but Victor simply increased the pressure in his fingertips, snapping them like candy wrappers.
At Level 9, the same balls that were a challenge for him earlier now folded like paper in his grip.
By Level 10—the supposed peak of Veyla's monstrous strength—Victor didn't even slow down.
He squeezed one, two, three balls in quick succession.
Each one shattered with a thunderous bang.
Some students still lingering in the background started to notice. They looked toward the Grip Challenge space with raised eyebrows.
"Whoa, someone's doing Level 10? Who is that?"
"I can't see clearly, it's guest mode."
Meanwhile, Victor grinned devilishly.
New balls floated toward him.
Their surfaces glittered like reinforced mana glass. Every pulse of mana inside them screamed 'danger' and 'stubbornness.'
Victor grabbed the first.
It vibrated like a miniature earthquake against his palm.
Victor just smiled wider. "Is that all, sweetheart?"
He focused and tightened his hand slowly but steadily.
With a harsh CRACK, the ball exploded into sparks.
Cheers and mutters rose from the sidelines.
Victor's forearms bulged under the stress but his body radiated a steady mist of qi around him like a second skin.
Still, one by one, he crushed every ball that dared float near him.
By Level 14, Victor was sweating slightly—but still moving.
The balls were ridiculous now. Probably denser than the bones of some of the spiritual beasts he fought back in Ascendant Realms.
Each grip took him several seconds of pure force and concentration.
He crushed the final ball of Level 14 and breathed heavily, letting the adrenaline simmer.
He knew Level 15 would probably require him to push far deeper into his cultivation, maybe even use his bloodline strength beyond his current limit.
Better to leave a little mystery.
After casually shaking his arms, Victor exited the zone.
Above the training field, the new high score flashed in big golden letters:
> Unknown — Level 14 Complete
The spectators who had been lazily watching earlier were now scrambling to their feet while whispering loudly.
Victor had already slipped away with wind dash before anyone could see his face.
He couldn't help but chuckle under his breath.