The arena was covered in blood.
Qin Feng stood quietly. His left hand, completely ruined, hung limp at his side, a mangled mess of flesh and blood—a shocking sight.
But his entire bearing remained extraordinary. He stood as straight as a spear, like an immovable mountain.
Far across from him, Lei Yi had collapsed against the Energy Shield at the edge of the arena. He gasped for breath, blood constantly flowing from the corner of his mouth and the wound on his shoulder blade.
He looked at Qin Feng. In his eyes, unfocused from blood loss, there was not a trace of resentment—only a deep, heartfelt admiration and awe.
"When it comes to a life-or-death battle... your experience... is far greater than mine."
Lei Yi coughed up a mouthful of bloody foam and continued in a hoarse voice, "That counter just now... You... you must have used it a few times, maybe even dozens of times, right?"
Qin Feng nodded slightly and answered calmly, "That’s right."
"I’ve seen many desperate fighting styles, especially trading injury for a chance to get in close by sliding down a spear shaft. After seeing it so many times, I naturally developed a counter."
In virtual battles, everyone dared to trade blow for blow.
Qin Feng had faced the crisis of an enemy trapping his long spear and forcing their way into close quarters too many times. He had even experienced someone sliding down his spear with a short staff firsthand from Sun He.
This counter—flicking the spear to dislodge the force and trading an injury for an attack—was the optimal solution Qin Feng had developed through countless failures.
If an opponent trapped your long spear to get close, the best method was to flick the spear, lifting it off the ground for an instant.
An opponent would never expect such a sudden flick of the spear. It would catch them off guard for a split second, causing their core stance to crumble and their strength to dissipate. Though it relied on surprise, that momentary loss of focused power was enough to decide life and death.
"I lost."
"Completely and utterly."
Lei Yi struggled to stand but ultimately failed. Leaning against the Energy Shield, he faced Qin Feng and gave him an Imperial Army salute.
Qin Feng returned the salute as a sign of respect.
The referee took a deep breath, shaking himself out of the shock from the brutal battle.
He summoned all his strength and announced at the top of his lungs:
"The winner of this match is—from Qiming First Martial Arts High School, Qin Feng!"
"And he is also the champion of this year’s Qimingxing Inter-School League Freshman Tournament!"
The entire stadium first fell deathly silent.
Then, an unprecedented roar erupted, a tsunami of sound like a volcanic eruption!
Cheers, applause, and shouts merged into a wave of sound that soared to the heavens, nearly blowing the roof off the "Crown of the North Pole" arena!
Qin Feng tightly gripped his blood-soaked long spear, returning a salute with his mangled left hand.
Across from him, Lei Yi lay half-conscious in a corner of the blood-strewn arena, gritting his teeth as he struggled to execute an Imperial Army salute. The two respected each other, separated by the expanse of the bloody stage.
Members of the medical team had just rushed onto the arena, running toward the two men bathed in blood.
At the same time, the referee was still roaring himself hoarse.
The camera froze on this scene.
This image was later used many times as a promotional cover by the "Qiming Spectator" organization.
-----------------
After Qin Feng and Lei Yi were carried off the stage by the medical team at top speed, the brief silence in the "Crown of the North Pole" arena was finally, completely shattered.
The atmosphere didn’t calm down with the end of the battle. Instead, it was like a furnace into which high-octane fuel had been thrown—it utterly exploded!
The tsunami of sound was so powerful it seemed capable of shattering the simulated, brilliant Star River.
"The Qiming Newcomer King! A new legend is born today!"
"So strong! That battle was a work of art! They both used a Great Success Killing Technique, but Qin Feng’s spear arts are clearly a level above Lei Yi’s staff techniques! Lei Yi has only just entered the Great Success stage, his foundation is unstable. But Qin Feng—every one of his moves was fluid and perfect. He’s probably about to touch the threshold of ’Perfection’!"
"It’s more than just the difference in their level of mastery! Didn’t you see that final exchange? Lei Yi was trading injury for injury, a life-or-death gamble! And what was the result? Qin Feng broke it in a way that was even more vicious, more seasoned—a way I couldn’t even comprehend! That reaction speed and Combat Wisdom... he doesn’t seem like a first-year high school freshman at all!"
"That guy is definitely a Madman who lives in the Imperial Arena! Only in a place like that can you hone such terrifying combat instincts!"
The audience’s discussion precisely hit upon the core of the issue.
The Imperial Arena, a vast virtual network built within a Subspace Dimension, offered simulated combat, but the experience was indistinguishable from reality. Pain, fatigue, exhaustion, and even the experience of death at the moment of being killed were all fed back to the user’s psyche with 100% fidelity.
This immense mental burden was something ordinary people could hardly bear.
Therefore, at high schools like Qiming First High School and Star River Military Affiliated High School—schools that used a brutal, militarized grade point management system, forbade students from using family resources, and offered no way out without a desperate struggle—students were forced to dive madly into the Imperial Arena. They fought tooth and nail for the initial, massive 50 grade points needed to advance to a C-rank contract.
As for the students from most other Martial Arts High Schools, especially the talented ones who had family support, they had more comfortable and safer ways to train.
To them, the Imperial Arena was more of a platform for occasional experience and sparring. After a dozen or so matches in a single day, the intense mental shock and painful experience would create a huge sense of aversion.
They simply couldn’t understand the kind of madness seen in the students from Qiming First High School.
「Observation Tower, Top Floor.」
The atmosphere here was just as heated.
Professor Gu Yue was calm and composed. He stroked his beard, an irrepressible smile on his face, his eyes filled with relief and pride.
’This disciple I had such high hopes for didn’t disappoint me in the end.’
The shock had not yet completely faded from the faces of the masters from the other schools.
The master from Dubhe Martial High School, while regretful about Lei Yi’s defeat, was also very satisfied with his disciple’s brilliant performance and willingness to risk his life.
The other masters crowded around, congratulating Professor Gu Yue with a mixture of envy and even a hint of sourness in their tone.
"Lao Gu, congratulations! Your Qiming First High School has really produced another incredible prodigy!"
"Indeed! This year’s Qiming Newcomer King is the most impressive one in the last ten tournaments! A duel between two monsters using Great Success Killing Techniques—it really opened our eyes!"
"Now we finally understand! No wonder Lord Zhou specifically asked about this Qin Feng. It turns out the kid is a terrifying character who’s been hiding his true strength!"
Amidst the chorus of congratulations, Master Gu Yue was grinning from ear to ear.
"Not at all, not at all."
Master Gu Yue stroked his beard and said pretentiously, "This kid still needs more training. He hasn’t yet met the standards Qi Yi High School sets for its students. He still has a long way to go."
This remark earned him a wave of eye-rolls.
Master Gu Yue, however, was thoroughly enjoying himself.