A light flashed. Just three seconds later, the notification for a successful match chimed.
「The scene changed.」
Qin Feng’s figure appeared on a cold, alloy ring.
Opposite him stood a tall, lanky second-year student holding a standard-issue longsword. His face showed a mix of casual confidence and arrogance at seeing a first-year.
"Well, little junior, aren’t you lucky? You got matched with me."
The upperclassman casually twirled his sword. "Let me introduce myself. Wang Meng, second-year, class three. Shunyun Sword, great accomplishment."
The moment he finished speaking,
Qin Feng moved.
He activated the Dragon Body Technique. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, he shot across the dozens of meters between them in an instant.
The upperclassman’s expression changed. He clearly hadn’t expected Qin Feng to be so fast.
He hastily raised his sword to block.
But Qin Feng’s spear was faster!
With a simple, unadorned thrust, the tip of his spear, radiating a bone-chilling cold, struck the weak point of his opponent’s blade with unerring precision.
CLANG!
A crisp sound rang out.
The upperclassman felt an irresistible force travel up the blade. The web of his thumb trembled violently, and the longsword was nearly knocked from his grasp.
Before he could regain his footing, Qin Feng’s second and third strikes followed, relentless as maggots on a corpse.
Thrust, flick, parry, sweep, bind!
A fluid series of spear techniques, like an inescapable net, completely enveloped the upperclassman.
The upperclassman swung his sword passively, attempting to defend himself, but found his every block clumsy and feeble.
His opponent’s every strike landed at the precise moment his own strength was spent, just before he could muster more. The frustration was so intense he could have spat blood.
The battle lasted a mere one minute and twenty-three seconds.
With a crisp, clean Thousand Soldiers’ Evasion from Qin Feng, the upperclassman’s longsword was sent flying high into the air.
Qin Feng’s spear tip stopped just before his throat, not a millimeter off.
The lights and shadows dissipated, and the victory notification chimed.
Qin Feng exited the private network, a hint of surprise in his eyes that he himself hadn’t even registered.
’I won?’
’Just... that easily?’
’I have to remember, before the league tournament, I would have been easily crushed by any of the second-year students.’
’Even after I finally grasped Thousand Soldiers Guarding, it only let me last for a little over a minute before I was defeated by brute force overwhelming my technique.’
’But now, I won with such ease and grace.’
He began to review his current strength.
First was the most direct data, displayed on his terminal.
[Name]: Qin Feng
[Vitality Index]: 16.12
[Martial Artist Level]: Second Level Martial Artist
[Permission Level]: Level Three
[Private Domain Points]: -280
[Record]: 34 Wins / 420 Losses
A Vitality Index of 16.12. This figure was already comparable to most of the lower-ranked second-year students.
As for the upperclassmen with a Vitality Index above 18, while they were still stronger, the gap was no longer an insurmountable chasm. ’As long as their Killing Skill isn’t at the Perfection realm, I feel I can contend with them.’
Second was his unique "Celestial Dao Rewards the Diligent" system panel.
[Name]: Qin Feng
[Vitality Index]: 16.12
[Martial Artist Level]: Second Level Martial Artist
[Refining Methods]:
Intermediate Imperial Body Refining Method (Great Accomplishment)
[Proficiency]: 150 / 10,000
[Effect]: At the current realm, passively increases Vitality Index by 0.001 per hour. Body recovery speed and energy absorption efficiency are greatly increased.
[Note]: When the "Intermediate Imperial Body Refining Method" reaches the Perfection realm, you will undergo your second [Life Evolution].
Emperor Meditation Method (Entry Level)
[Proficiency]: 35 / 100
[Effect]: Nail of Favor x1: Your Meditation cultivation speed receives a minor amplification.
[Killing Skills]:
Thousand Army Spear (Great Accomplishment)
[Proficiency]: 6,155 / 10,000
[Effect]: At the current realm, comprehension in spear techniques receives a medium boost.
[Mastered Killing Techniques]: Thousand Soldiers’ Evasion, Flowing Light Chasing Shadow, Thousand Soldiers Guarding
[Merit Points]: 1,130 Points
His Intermediate Imperial Body Refining Method had reached Great Accomplishment, granting him a level of Control over his own strength and efficiency in energy circulation that far surpassed his previous state.
And the proficiency for his Thousand Army Spear had reached over six thousand points.
This level was already on par with the Slaughter Realm of most upperclassmen.
But that still didn’t explain why he had won so easily.
Qin Feng pondered for a moment before attributing it to the change in his physical aptitude.
That Starry Sky Giant Beast Type II genetic enhancement Potion had elevated his physical potential to "Gold Standard Human, Level II."
This wasn’t just a name.
It meant that for the same Vitality Index, his explosive power, endurance, speed, and reflexes had all been massively enhanced due to a fundamental change in his physiological structure.
At the same Vitality Index, his actual performance metrics were a huge step above other Martial Artists of the same level!
’First, I’ll grind in the private domain and raise my rank. Once I hit a wall, I’ll head to the Gravity Room and test just how high my current striking power and speed have become.’
With a plan in mind, Qin Feng stopped overthinking it and immersed his consciousness in the private network once more.
[Begin Matchmaking]
For the next two days, Qin Feng became a tireless fighting machine.
He began a frantic, all-out grind for points in the private network.
He fought by day and by night.
When his Mental Power was depleted, he would exit the private network, rest for a moment, and then immediately throw himself back into the fray.
When he got hungry, he went to the cafeteria for an Energy Meal.
When he got tired, he would lean back in his chair and take a short nap.
His private network record skyrocketed at a terrifying pace.
From an initial thirty or forty wins, he climbed to one hundred, two hundred, three hundred...
His rank, which had been near the bottom of the second-year class, shot upward like a rocket.
13,000th place...
10,000th place...
8,000th place...
On the night before the monthly settlement, when Qin Feng found himself trading wins and losses in grueling three-minute-long battles, he knew he’d reached his limit.
His rank finally settled at—6,852nd place!
In just two days, he had fought nearly seven hundred matches with a win rate of sixty percent!
The benefits of such high-intensity, high-frequency combat were also obvious.
His Thousand Army Spear proficiency had skyrocketed by over twelve hundred points in those two days!
[Proficiency]: 7,411 / 10,000
He was another big step closer to the Perfection realm!
’The private network’s monthly settlement is at midnight tonight. I’ll go grab a bite. I’m done fighting for now.’
Qin Feng considered his options. ’With my current strength, it’ll be difficult to climb any higher.’
’Reaching the six-thousands puts me in the upper-middle tier, which is already pretty good.’
’To reach the very top of the second-year class, I’ll need the physique of a top-tier Second Level Martial Artist and a Perfect Killing Skill.’
Qin Feng called for Xiaopang, and the two of them headed to the cafeteria together.