“Incognito Mode engaged.” Sun Yi adjusted the Phantom Mask as he stepped onto the plaza.

He looked like an NPC now—generic face, standard-issue robes, and a suppressed energy signature that screamed ‘middle management mediocrity.’ He bypassed the crowd of junior disciples grinding in the main square and headed straight for the restricted access zone: The Foundation Establishment Battle Tower.

Traffic was low here. Perfect for a confidential beta test. Sun Yi ignored the few elites milling about and stepped into the portal. System initialization complete.

The simulation loaded a jagged valley. Texture quality: High. Environmental effects: White mist, obscuring vision.

ROAR.

The mist parted. A massive unit barreled out—a Sky-Soaring Tiger. Five meters of muscle and aggression, equipped with aerodynamic wings. A standard Rank 2 Demon Beast.

Sun Yi analyzed the threat profile. Unlike the buggy, underpowered Rank 1 mobs from the Qi Refining tower, this thing radiated actual pressure. It was a proper benchmark for the Foundation Establishment engine.

“Velocity check,” Sun Yi muttered internally.

The tiger’s wings snapped open, generating a localized hurricane. It vanished, turning into a streak of motion blur.

“Latency zero.”

Sun Yi’s eyes widened. It was fast. Faster than the projected specs.

The beast materialized in his face, a paw the size of a boardroom table crashing down. Sun Yi didn’t dodge. He needed to test the structural integrity of his new build. He channeled power into his right fist and punched up.

BOOM.

Fist met claw. The impact force was catastrophic. Sun Yi’s knees buckled, and the virtual ground beneath him shattered, spiderwebbing out in a crater of digital debris.

“Hardware integrity holding,” Sun Yi noted, gritting his teeth against the G-force traveling up his arm. “But shock absorption needs work.”

The tiger didn’t wait for a performance review. It snapped its jaws at his head.

Sun Yi threw a left hook into the beast’s jaw, knocking its head aside. The hit registered, but the damage output was suboptimal. This chassis was tough.

“Engage Mobility Protocol: Wind Thunder Step.”

He flickered sideways, leaving an afterimage. He flanked the beast, winding up a haymaker aimed at its ribs.

Whap.

The tiger’s tail whipped around like a steel cable, intercepting his fist. The collision sent a shockwave through the valley. Sun Yi skidded back, his arm numb.

“AI difficulty level: Hard,” he thought, shaking out his hand. “Reaction times are pre-programmed perfectly.”

The tiger pivoted, claws glowing with a cold, metallic sheen. It swiped again, tearing the air apart.

“Physical stress test complete. Deploying external assets.”

Sun Yi mentally pinged his inventory. The Dragon Roar Sword shot out, a streak of golden capital piercing the gloom.

Slashed.

The sword aimed for the skull, but the tiger banked hard, dodging the strike with terrifying agility. The blade carved a trench into the earth instead.

“Evasive maneuvers? Clever girl.”

The beast roared, enraged by the weaponized escalation. It pounced. Sun Yi met the charge head-on.

Man and beast collided in a flurry of fists and claws. The air churned. It was a stalemate—his raw specs matched the beast, but he couldn’t close the deal efficiently.

“Fine. Let’s optimize the DPS.”

He micro-managed the Dragon Roar Sword with his mind while trading blows. The golden blade looped around, seizing a window of opportunity while the tiger was locked in a grapple.

Shing.

The sword slashed across the tiger’s back. The beast tried to tank the hit with a surge of demonic energy, but the Golden Sword Art pierced the defense like it was vaporware. Blood sprayed.

The injury was superficial, but it triggered the rage state. The Sky-Soaring Tiger accelerated, turning into a homing missile of fur and fury.

“Bring it.”

Sun Yi’s eyes flashed. He triggered the Wind Thunder Step again, meeting the rush.

For the next hour, he turned the valley into a data processing center of violence. His physical body held up. His energy reserves drained. But the Dragon Roar Sword whittled the beast down, cut by cut.

Finally, the tiger collapsed, dissolving into light particles.

“Target eliminated.”

Sun Yi stood panting in the reset lobby, sweat dripping down his generic face. His internal battery was in the red.

“Analysis,” he wheezed.

Current Build: Foundation Establishment Level 1 equivalent.

Viability: Can handle standard market competitors.

Issue: User error. Combat efficiency is low. Too much wasted movement.

“I have the hardware,” Sun Yi critiqued himself, wiping his brow. “But the software is lagging. I need to train the neural network.”

He sat down, meditating for an hour to recharge his stamina.

“Reset instance.”

He stood up, eyes burning with the determination of a CEO during crunch time. He didn’t just want to win; he needed to automate the victory.

Flash.

He was back in the rocky valley. The Sky-Soaring Tiger spawned again, roaring its challenge.

“Round two,” Sun Yi muttered, cracking his neck. “Let’s optimize this workflow.”

He charged.

Another hour later, the tiger fell. Faster this time. The data was accumulating. The algorithm was learning.

Sun Yi grinned. It was time to grind.