Several more months passed.
It had been a full eleven months since Qin Feng first arrived on this battlefield.
On this day, after consuming his final Spiritual Energy Potion, his vitality index steadily reached 30.0!
He had officially reached the limit for a Third-level Martial Artist.
And after countless hours of honing, the proficiency of both his Thousand Army Spear and Fierce Owl Fist had surpassed ninety-nine thousand points!
He was just a hair’s breadth away from the final realm of Control, separated only by a membrane as thin as a cicada’s wing.
...
「One month later.」
Qin Feng once again encountered a lone Level 3 Green-skinned Warlord wielding a giant Power Claw.
This time, he did not retreat.
He held a brand-new, more durable Long Spear and took the initiative to charge forward.
A heaven-shaking battle erupted once more.
Flashes of blades and swords—no, it was the clash of spear and claw—unleashed sonic booms across the battlefield.
At the most exhilarating moment of the fierce battle, Qin Feng’s mind once again entered that mysterious and profound state of enlightenment.
This time, all his insights, all his techniques, all his understanding—everything fused together into a perfect whole!
The Long Spear in his hand moved.
[Fierce Owl Body Technique] allowed him to close the distance in an instant!
With the [Dragon Body Technique], his body carved an unbelievable arc as he charged, perfectly evading the swing of the Power Claw!
The Intent of the [Fierce Owl Technique] filled his spear tip with a tyrannical power that could tear through anything!
And the ultimate speed of [Flowing Light Chasing Shadow] compressed it all into one-hundredth of a second!
A glint of spear light, indescribable in words and seemingly forged from all light and shadow, flashed and vanished!
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
The Level 3 Armored Green Skin, still in its claw-swinging posture, froze, its massive body going rigid.
On its incredibly thick chest armor, tough enough to withstand small artillery shells, an inconspicuous yet bottomless hole had appeared.
Through the small hole, one could see that its enormous heart had been utterly pulverized by the force.
’It’s done!’
’I finally did it!’
"Hahaha—"
Qin Feng roared with laughter.
One year.
He’d done it!
He’d really done it!
"I’ll name this killing move... ’Fierce Owl Chasing Shadow’!"
Qin Feng retracted his spear and stood tall, murmuring to himself.
’It’s done!’
The moment he successfully named it, his system panel began to refresh frantically!
[Ding! Your killing art, Thousand Army Spear, has broken through its bottleneck. Current realm upgraded to: Control!]
[Ding! Your killing art, Fierce Owl Fist, has broken through its bottleneck. Current realm upgraded to: Control!]
[Control: You have completely mastered the True Intent of this killing art. You can now evolve and sublimate it to create a brand-new Combat System that is uniquely your own.]
Qin Feng had done it.
Although he had only created a single killing move so far.
But this was an excellent start.
Countless Martial Artists went their entire lives, even reaching the seventh or eighth level, still using others’ killing arts!
He, Qin Feng, had already forged his own path!
From now on, as long as he continued to draw from the strengths of many schools and perfect this system, he would one day create a refined killing art that was truly his own, perfectly suited for him!
His improvement over the past year was immense!
Qin Feng raised his head and looked at the smoke-filled sky, his eyes now completely free of confusion.
"It’s time to go back."
When Qin Feng’s figure reappeared in the cold, familiar Martial Arts Room C-709, the dense, murderous aura born from blood and fire had not yet completely dissipated from his body.
He stood there silently, like a long spear piercing the heavens—its sharpness concealed, yet its presence as profound as a deep abyss and as imposing as a great mountain.
Lin Yue’s gaze fell upon the young man before her and lingered for a long time.
Her eyes held a complex mix of emotions, a sentiment too deep for words.
This past year, as Qin Feng’s "Guardian," she had personally witnessed the birth of a legend with her own eyes.
In her mind, it was as if a film was replaying at high speed.
She remembered how, one year ago, when Qin Feng first arrived on this battlefield, his vitality index had just broken 20.0. He had struggled immensely just to break the defense of a Level 2 Armored Green Skin.
And now, standing before her was a genuine Third-level Martial Artist whose vitality index had already reached the 30.0 mark!
She remembered how, one year ago, Qin Feng’s killing arts were Thousand Army Spear at the Perfection realm and Fierce Owl Fist at the Minor Success Realm. His combat style, though solid, still lacked true power.
And now, both of his killing arts had broken through to the legendary realm of "Control"!
He had even begun to create the prototype of his own unique killing move!
She remembered how, one year ago, when facing a Level 3 Armored Green Skin, Qin Feng was defeated in a single blow. She had to ignominiously fish him out of the battlefield, where he had barely escaped death.
And just now, she had watched with her own eyes as Qin Feng, all by himself, faced a top-tier Level 3 Armored Green Skin head-on and killed it with a single, heaven-shattering spear strike!
From a greenhorn recruit who had to be constantly vigilant on the battlefield, he had grown into an Iron Blood Warrior who could dominate this meat grinder and influence the tide of local skirmishes...
All of this had happened in just one short year.
"Not bad."
Finally, Lin Yue slowly spoke, uttering two words.
Her voice carried a trace of relief and admiration that even she herself hadn’t noticed.
"I originally thought that no matter how talented a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy was, his mental fortitude would still be limited. The kind of bitter struggle and arduous cultivation that goes on day after day for decades, that nearly self-abusive persistence... only those Elder Martial Artists who have struggled on the Martial Dao path for thirty, fifty, or even a hundred years could possibly achieve that."
"But you did it."
Lin Yue’s gaze grew incredibly sharp.
"You can endure loneliness. In this restless era, that is a quality rarer than talent."
As his Guardian, she knew every detail of Qin Feng’s life this past year.
She knew that in the three hundred-plus days and nights of this year, Qin Feng’s life consisted of only three things: combat, cultivation, and brief periods of recovery and sleep.
He had severed nearly all non-essential contact with the outside world.
Other than making a scheduled video call to his family on Qiming Star every so often to let them know he was safe, he hadn’t communicated with a single friend or classmate.
No entertainment, no recreation, not even a single moment of what could truly be called "rest."
Other young men his age, even those martial arts geniuses known for their self-discipline, couldn’t completely give up their basic need for social interaction.
They would regularly eat with a few friends, chat and vent on private networks, all to relieve the pressure from high-intensity cultivation.
Most ordinary teenagers were still addicted to virtual reality games and the various pleasures brought about by the boom in Spiritual Technology.
But Qin Feng was different.
He was like a true ascetic, a Madman who had completely abandoned all worldly desires in his pursuit of the ultimate Martial Dao.
He had unreservedly poured all his energy, all his passion, his very life, into the act of cultivation.
This purity, this obsession, made Lin Yue—an Advanced Martial Artist who had seen her fair share of geniuses—feel a sincere sense of admiration.
"Go on,"
Lin Yue’s voice softened considerably. "Organize your gains and summarize your progress from this year. When you’re finished, we’ll submit the mission and return to Qiming Star."
"Alright."
Qin Feng nodded without another word.
He sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and completely immersed his consciousness within himself.
A detailed and frankly terrifying data panel slowly unfolded in his mind.
[Name]: Qin Feng
[Vitality Index]: 30.01
[Martial Artist Level]: Third-level Martial Artist
[Base Stats]:
[Fist Strength]: 110,922 kg
[Speed]: 351 m/s
...
Seeing these two lines of base stats, even Qin Feng couldn’t help but feel a ripple of emotion.
He knew very well that a normal Third-level Martial Artist who followed the Intermediate Imperial Body Refining Method step-by-step would have a maximum fist strength of around 40,000 kg.
Their maximum speed would be about 150 m/s.
His stats were several times higher than theirs!
This was the overwhelming hardware advantage brought by a physical aptitude that was comparable to an embryonic Starry Sky Giant Beast and surpassed the Gold-Standard Human Class III!
And these were just the on-paper stats without using any killing arts.
If he used his killing arts, the numbers would be even more absurd!
He shifted his gaze further down.
[Refining Methods]:
Advanced Imperial Body Refining Technique (Perfection)
[Killing Arts]:
Thousand Army Spear (Control)
[Mastered Killing Techniques]: Thousand Soldiers Guarding, Flowing Light Chasing Shadow, Thousand Soldiers’ Evasion
[Self-Created Killing Move]: Fierce Owl Chasing Shadow
Fierce Owl Fist (Control)
[Mastered Killing Techniques]: Fierce Owl Technique
[Self-Created Killing Move]: Fierce Owl Chasing Shadow
...
’Both at Control!’
He had successfully crossed the seemingly insurmountable threshold from Perfection to Control!
Control meant that he was no longer just "using" the killing arts; he now truly "understood" them.
He could deconstruct and reconstruct any Technique or sliver of True Intent from these two killing arts at will, integrating them into his own Combat System.
The technique, [Fierce Owl Chasing Shadow], was only the beginning.
In the future, he would be able to create more, stronger, and more suitable techniques, eventually forming a complete Combat System unique to him, Qin Feng!
Finally, there was his Meditation method.
[Meditation Method]
Emperor Meditation Method (Minor Success)
[Proficiency]: 12 / 1,000
[Effects]:
Nail of Favor x1: The speed at which you practice your Meditation method receives a moderate Amplification. Your Mental Power is more condensed, and your perception is more acute.
During this year of high-intensity, life-and-death battles, his mind had also been tremendously tempered.
Unwittingly, his Emperor Meditation Method had also broken through to the Minor Success Realm.
This made him calmer in battle and more perceptive of opportunities.
His few critical moments of enlightenment were inextricably linked to this.
After carefully sorting through all his gains, Qin Feng slowly opened his eyes.
His mind was crystal clear.
His immense progress this year was undeniable.
But to him, the leap in strength was actually secondary.
The most important and precious gain was his temperament.
Just as Lin Yue had said, he had become more mature and more resilient.
He now truly possessed the pure and unshakable heart of a Martial Artist.
Those negative traits deeply rooted in human genes—things like laziness, greed, the craving for comfort, the addiction to pleasure—had all vanished from him.
They had been incinerated completely by the blood and fire of the battlefield.
All that remained was the unending pursuit of a higher Martial Arts Realm.
"Teacher, I’ve finished organizing."
Qin Feng stood up and said to Lin Yue.
"Good. Then let’s return."
Lin Yue nodded, operated her terminal for a moment, and then sent a return teleportation invitation to Qin Feng.
Qin Feng accepted.
The familiar sensation of being pulled through space returned.
The scene before his eyes began to blur and distort.
When everything became clear again, the acrid smell of smoke and blood was gone.
In its place was the fresh, familiar air of Qiming Star.
They had returned to Qiming First High School, to the familiar rooftop terrace of Beikai Tower, the highest point on campus.
Below them was the brightly lit, peaceful, and serene campus.
Above them was the deep, vast night sky, glittering with starlight.
A year ago, he had also stood in this very spot, filled with confusion about the future and a thirst for power, as Lin Yue sent him to that unknown battlefield.
A year later, he stood here again.
The confusion was long gone, replaced by the indestructible heart of a true expert.