145. Coby's Rank up Journey

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It made him involuntarily immerse himself in it, as if he had become a part of that world himself, discussing swordsmanship with "Li Chungang" and competing with "Wang Xianzhi".

"That's enough."

He sighed softly, sat back down on the stone chair, and his finger glided across the screen.

The fragments of the crystal cup and the dried wine stains were casually brushed aside. At this moment, he only wanted to continue exploring the world of swordsmanship that captivated his heart.

The morning light grew stronger, and the sea of clouds outside the ancient castle was dyed gold.

And this World's Greatest Swordsman was still immersed in the martial world of words, pursuing the ultimate sword path that transcended reality...

When he read the passage about "A single sword strike opens the Gate of Heaven," his breath hitched slightly.

"Sword light like snow, splitting the sea of clouds, the Gate of Heaven opens wide, sword intent reaches the sky!"

Just a few lines of text, yet they seemed to paint a magnificent picture of the sword path in his mind—a realm he had pursued his entire life but had never witnessed with his own eyes!

He suddenly stood up, the black blade "Yoru" was in his hand before he knew it, its cold edge reflecting the rising morning light.

"The true sword path..."

At the edge of the cliff, the sea of clouds churned, and the morning mist permeated the air.

Hawkeye stood silently here, slowly raising his black blade, its tip pointed directly at the sky.

Around him, an unprecedented sword intent was gathering—it wasn't just Haki, nor was it pure slashing, but a realm close to the "path," as if resonating with nature, breathing with all things.

"So that's how it is..."

In his golden eyes, a long-dormant fighting spirit burned fiercely.

"This is... the sword path worth pursuing."

The blade trembled slightly, the air seemed to be torn apart by an invisible force, and the sea of clouds subtly showed a tendency to split in two under his gaze.

At this moment,

He was no longer the "World's Greatest Swordsman" who looked down on the Sea, but a seeker who had found his direction again on the path of swordsmanship.

The world in the Tomato Free Novel opened a brand new door for him.

...

Marine Headquarters, Morning Training Ground

The first ray of morning sunlight had just pierced through the clouds, and Coby was already sweating heavily on the training ground. His fists, wrapped in blood-stained bandages, pounded against the special target repeatedly, making dull thudding sounds.

"998...999...1000!"

After finishing the last set of boxing training, Coby didn't bother wiping the sweat from his face and immediately took out his phone to check the time—5:30, completing his morning training half an hour earlier than yesterday.

"There's still time!" His eyes lit up. "Before Helmeppo wakes up, I must catch up to his rank!"

Thinking of Helmeppo's smug expression yesterday when he showed off his Eternal Diamond rank, Coby's teeth itched with frustration.

Their strength was clearly comparable, so why could that guy reach Eternal Diamond first?

As for the "curse of the diamond league being deep as the sea," he didn't believe such nonsense!

"Coby!" A passing soldier greeted him. "You're here so early again today."

"Ah, yes!" Coby quickly returned the greeting, but his finger had already unconsciously tapped the icon for Honor of Kings. "Uh... I'm going to... uh... study a new training plan!"

He quickly walked towards the rest area, eager to enter the ranked match.

While the loading screen was up, he bit his lip nervously: "I must win three games in a row today!"

However, reality was harsh—

First game, matched with an AFK teammate;

Second game, encountered an opponent suspected to be Vice Admiral Garp's smurf account (that tank with the ID "Iron Fist of Love" was too suspicious);

The third game was even more ridiculous. Their jungler was actually a fanatical follower of Admiral Akainu, and all he did the entire game was spam "Absolute Justice!" in the public chat.

As long as any teammate did something that fed the enemy, he would immediately execute absolute justice and not let that guy win!

If it were an opponent, it would have been better, but now that guy was his teammate, so without surprise... they lost the third game!

"How could this happen..." Coby slumped onto the bench, looking at another fallen star, wanting to cry but having no tears.

Just then, Helmeppo walked over sleepily: "Yo, losing points so early?"

"Shut up!" Coby jumped up. "Today I must..."

Before he could finish, the assembly horn suddenly sounded.

Bogard's voice came over the broadcast: "Everyone assemble at the training ground immediately! There's an urgent mission!"

Helmeppo patted his shoulder gleefully: "Looks like someone's plan to climb ranks is ruined~"

Coby put away his phone in frustration and anger, not forgetting to turn back and make a fierce declaration before leaving: "You wait for me! I'll stay up all night tonight to catch up to you!"

On the training ground in the distance, Vice Admiral Garp munched on a senbei, smiling as he watched the backs of the two young men: "Youth is truly wonderful~ But..." He secretly took out his phone. "That last game was pretty good, hehe."

On the phone screen, below the ID "Iron Fist of Love," the rank symbol for "Eternal Diamond IV" was clearly displayed...

After the morning passed,

The so-called urgent mission was just an urgent training session, and by the time the training ended, it was already noon.

Marine Headquarters, Cafeteria Corridor,

The midday sun streamed through the glass windows of the corridor. Coby walked with a dejected look, his combat boots dragging on the floor with dull sounds.

He stared at the glaring "Eternal Diamond II 3 stars" on his phone screen, feeling utterly miserable—not only did he not gain any points this morning, but he even lost three stars in a row!

"Hey, hey, don't be so down~" Helmeppo put an arm around his shoulder, grinning widely. "It's just losing three stars, right? It's a small issue!"

Coby gave him a dead-eyed stare: "Of course you think it's a small issue, you're already Eternal Diamond..."

"Oh dear~" Helmeppo suddenly sighed dramatically, pulled out his phone from his pocket, and shook it. "Speaking of which, I still have five 'Star Protection Cards' here!"

He opened the item inventory and deliberately brought the screen close to Coby's eyes. "Look, the system gave them to me, might as well use them~"

Coby's eyes widened instantly.

Star Protection Cards!

Those were divine artifacts that automatically deducted when you lost stars in ranked matches!

Why didn't he have any!

He was clearly working so hard!

Damn it!

"But then again..." Helmeppo clicked his tongue regretfully. "With my current strength, I don't need them at all. Keeping them here is just a waste."

He suddenly leaned in and lowered his voice: "The most annoying thing is, these things can't be transferred! Otherwise, I would definitely help you reach Eternal Diamond!"

After saying that, he even shook his head pretentiously. "It's such a shame~ Truly such a shame~"

Coby's fists clenched.

Helmeppo whistled and turned around gracefully towards the cafeteria counter, and before leaving, he "considerately" reminded him: "Oh, right, the cafeteria has special blueberry pie today~ I heard eating sweets can relieve the depression of losing streaks!"

BAD NEWS:

This book will no longer be updated from Sunday as in the future chapters the quality is deteriorating.

Sorry for the inconvenience.