In the Spectator Hub of the virtual world, Sophia Reed watched intently as a live stream unfolded. Hundreds of viewers filled the channel, but her focus was on the instructor—a man in jeans demonstrating swordsmanship.

  “Seventy percent of a swordsman’s strength lies in footwork,” the man declared. A virtual bandit, Base Combat Rating (BCR) 500, materialized and lunged with a machete.

  “The sword is an extension of your arm. Control the distance.” The instructor glided backward, evading each swing. “Strike when they’re vulnerable.” His blade flashed, piercing the bandit’s throat. The foe dissolved.

  “Swords lack reach and raw power,” he explained, “but speed and precision win battles.”

  Sophia jumped as Ethan Gray appeared beside her. The Spectator Hub allowed friends to join shared streams.

  “Studying swords?” Ethan asked, settling in.

  “I’ve trained for years, but my BCR is only 156,” Sophia sighed. “I barely clawed my way to Lunar Rank ★0. Three straight losses.”

  “It’s day one,” Ethan reassured. “Most are stuck at Stellar Rank.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Sophia gestured to the instructor. “Liam Carter—Olympic fencing medalist, Solar Rank ★28. His tutorials help.”

  Ethan nodded. Liam acknowledged him with a glance.

  “No Celestial-tier sword streamers?” Ethan asked.

  “Only three Celestial players are live,” Sophia said. “Xia’s entire Celestial pool is 32. All men.”

  Ethan browsed his friends’ streams. Over a hundred were live, including Nathan Hale—Solar Rank ★32—dominating a snowy battlefield.

  Nathan’s Livestream – Snowfield Arena

  Nathan darted like a shadow, his silver spear skewering a shield-and-hammer foe. Chat exploded:

  “32 wins, 1 loss! Monster!”

  “BCR 970?! Solar Rank’s doomed!”

  “Exploit your strengths,” Nathan narrated, chasing a dual-blade opponent. “Speed trumps power.”

  Ethan smiled. Nathan’s thriving here.

  Sophia pulled up three pinned Celestial-tier streams:

  

  
1. Marcus Quinn – Spear Master (formerly "Panda Zhang Qian")


  
2. Eliza Sharpe – Olympic Gold Medalist, dubbed "The Marksman" for her peerless accuracy.


  
3. Victoria Hale – Two-time Women’s World Champion, known as "The Iron Valkyrie" for her battlefield dominance.


  

  “Women are rising,” Sophia noted. “Gene evolution erased physical gaps.”

  Suddenly, a new stream dominated the Hub:

  Xia National Broadcast – 10M+ Viewers

  Host Lena Liu beamed beside two coaches. “Welcome to Xia’s inaugural official livestream! Our focus: the first-ever Celestial-tier match!”