This post immediately triggered an even more heated debate.
Replies:
"I think the first possibility is more likely. How many stories have we seen about geniuses falling from grace? Maybe he really hit a bottleneck."
"Bullshit! Look at that killing intent radiating off him. Does that look like someone who’s hit a bottleneck? I’m betting on the second one! He was definitely on some kind of secret mission!"
"Hiss... If that’s the case, Senior Qin Feng’s strength might be far more terrifying than we imagined?"
All sorts of speculation and so-called "inside information" ran rampant, shrouding Qin Feng’s return in an even thicker veil of mystery.
But what truly brought the forum’s atmosphere to a fever pitch was the appearance of a third hot topic.
[Hot Topic #3 (Third-Year Section): The Wolf Is at the Door! With the Return of Newcomer King Qin Feng, Where Is This Year’s ’Qiming General Star’ Competition Headed?]
This post aimed its spear directly at the most significant event of the year at Qiming First High School.
Original Post:
"To all my fellow third-years, that man is back.
We all know that this year’s ’Qiming General Star’ title was supposed to be in the bag for seniors like Feng Ruyun, Li Dao Yi, and Zhao Wuji.
But now, the biggest variable has appeared.
Qin Feng. This monster who claimed the ’Newcomer King’ title in less than four months of enrollment and returned a year later radiating a terrifying killing intent. His target, without a doubt, is also the ’Qiming General Star’.
Let’s have a rational discussion. Based on the tip of the iceberg he’s shown so far, what are his chances of winning? Will our ’iron triangle’ be broken because of him?"
This post blew up the entire third-year section.
Countless top-tier third-year experts, who had long been lurking, all emerged to voice their opinions.
Replies:
"Hmph, what alarmist nonsense. No matter how strong he is, he’s only been training for less than two years. His foundation and depth are on a completely different level from Senior Feng Ruyun and the others."
"That’s right. Winning the ’Qiming General Star’ isn’t just about talent; it’s about the accumulation of hard work over time. He might be a dark horse, but winning the championship is absolutely impossible."
"You can’t say that. Did you forget how he won Newcomer King last year? No one thought he could win. I’ll take a conservative stance—I think he at least has the strength to break into the top ten."
"I just talked to Sun He, and he looked grim. He only said one thing: ’You’re all underestimating him.’ I have a feeling this isn’t so simple."
...
Just as the second and third-year upperclassmen were causing a massive uproar with their fervent discussions about Qin Feng’s return...
A slightly comical and discordant voice quietly appeared in the forum’s public section.
[New Post: Newbie here. Um... who is this Qin Feng you’re all talking about? Is he famous?]
The poster’s ID was "First-Year Little Newbie."
In the year Qin Feng was gone, Qiming First High School had enrolled an entirely new class of freshmen, full of vitality and dreams.
To them, the name "Qin Feng" was completely unfamiliar.
Their idols were this year’s Newcomer King. The hot topics they discussed were the prominent figures in their own grade.
The appearance of this post instantly made the originally tense and solemn atmosphere of the forum a bit strange.
After a brief silence, some of the second-year upperclassmen started to reply.
Replies:
"Pfft... A relic of a bygone era. Are there really freshmen who don’t know God Qin anymore?"
"To the junior upstairs, let me fill you in. Qin Feng was the ’Newcomer King’ of our year, which is now your second year. And he’s the most unreasonable, most monstrous Newcomer King in the history of Qiming First High School."
"’Unreasonable’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. Let’s put it this way: all those second-year seniors you look up to now? A year ago, every single one of them got their faces ground into the dirt by him."
The freshmen’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued.
"For real? Was he that amazing? Details! We want proof!"
And so, some second-year students who loved a bit of drama began their "archaeological dig."
They rummaged through the forum’s depths, unearthing one "ancient divine post" after another from a year ago that had long since gone silent, and linked them below the new thread.
[Historical Divine Post #1: "A Lesson With One Staff! Newcomer King Qin Feng’s Cafeteria Display of Power, Subduing Second-Year Expert Tie Lin in a Single Move!" (Surveillance Video Attached)]
[Historical Divine Post #2: "Data Analysis! From Dead Last at Enrollment to Newcomer King, to Defeating Senior Sun He Who Had Reached Perfection in a Killing Art, Just How Terrifying Is Qin Feng’s Growth Curve?"]
[Historical Divine Post #3: "Newcomer King Battle Analysis! The Duel Against Thunder-Wind Staff Lei Yi, a Textbook Counter-Strategy for Long Weapons Against Close-Range Fighters!"]
When these legendary old posts, along with the clear-quality surveillance video of "A Lesson With One Staff," were presented to all the freshmen...
The entire freshman class erupted.
"HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! This video! ’A Lesson With One Staff,’ the air of a Grandmaster! This is too damn cool!"
"Oh my god! His vitality index was only 1.23 when he first enrolled? Th-this... how is that possible?!"
"So, before us, there was such an Immortal of a senior?!"
As for the upperclassmen who already knew all this, watching the familiar yet strange scene unfold on the forums, only a single, heartfelt sentiment remained in their hearts.
That deviant, that monster.
The man who defied all reason, who had shrouded their entire first year like a nightmare, was back.
The commotion in the cafeteria was like a stone tossed into a lake; the ripples it created quickly spread throughout all of Qiming First High School.
Just as Qin Feng and his two friends walked out of the cafeteria, his wrist terminal began to vibrate wildly.
Friend requests, private messages, and battle invitations to the Imperial Arena flooded in one after another like a tidal wave.
The senders included curious second-years, battle-hungry third-year seniors, and even some unknown freshmen who had caught wind of the news.
They all wanted to personally experience just what terrifying heights the legendary "Newcomer King’s" strength had reached after his year-long absence.
In response, Qin Feng merely gave it a calm glance before activating do-not-disturb mode.
In his current state, he was completely unsuited for any form of sparring.
After saying goodbye to Qian Duoduo and Shi Potian, he went straight back to dorm 402 and shut himself in.
For the next three days, Qin Feng did not take a single step out of his dorm.
He refused all visitors and communications, completely immersing himself in a state of deep self-adjustment.
Sitting cross-legged on the living room floor with his eyes tightly shut, he circulated the "Emperor Meditation Technique," which he had long since cultivated to the Minor Success Realm.
Qin Feng could clearly "see" it. A cold and violent killing intent, forged on Purgatory-VII Planet and steeped in a year of blood and slaughter, had long since merged with his spirit, Will, and very soul. It now coiled like a dormant black dragon deep within his sea of consciousness.
In a peaceful environment, this dragon would unconsciously radiate a heart-stopping pressure.
What Qin Feng had to do was use his own Mental Power—similarly forged and tempered to be incomparably condensed and resilient—to create a "sheath" for this dragon.
A "Heart’s Sheath" that would allow him to retract and release this killing intent as he pleased.
This process was far more mentally taxing than fighting a high-intensity battle.
He needed to use his Mental Power to sort through, soothe, and gain control over that violent aura, over and over again.
Fortunately, the Emperor Meditation Technique at the Minor Success Realm had granted him a Mental Power strength and resilience far exceeding that of Martial Artists at his level.
On the first day, he could only manage to stop the killing intent from leaking out unconsciously.
On the second day, he could already make eye contact with someone without them feeling that soul-piercing coldness.
On the third day, when he opened his eyes again, his entire disposition had changed once more.
The murderous aura that seemed capable of freezing the very air had been perfectly retracted into his body.
Right now, he looked just like an ordinary teenager with a calm and slightly introverted demeanor.
Only the occasional glint of light that flashed in the depths of his profound, star-like eyes would betray his terrifying inner power.
During these three days, he also took a moment to submit his registration for this year’s Qiming Inter-School League on the academic affairs system.
The application was approved almost instantly.
Meanwhile, the huge uproar on the campus forums caused by his return also gradually died down over these three days.
The students of Qiming First High School were, after all, not ordinary teenagers.
After the brief period of heated discussion and clamor, they quickly refocused their attention on their own training.
Because every one of them knew that no matter how spectacular someone else’s legend was, the only thing that could determine their own future was the power they held in their own hands.
This was the unique trait of Qiming First High School’s students—extremely self-focused and extremely pragmatic.
...
「Three days later.」
Qin Feng felt his condition was more or less adjusted.
He left his dorm and headed for the private Martial Arts Room reserved just for him, planning to get a feel for things and do some adaptive training before the league began.
However, just as he arrived at the Martial Arts Room, he found a familiar figure waiting quietly outside the door.
It was Sun He.
Seeing the bloodshot eyes and slightly weary expression, Qin Feng immediately realized that Sun He had likely been waiting here for more than just one day.
Qin Feng subconsciously opened his wrist terminal and switched to the Subspace private network.
Sure enough, in his list of blocked messages, Sun He’s profile picture had a "99+" unread message indicator.
"Hm?"
A trace of embarrassment appeared on Qin Feng’s face.
"Senior, my apologies."
He said apologetically, "A few days ago, there were just too many people messaging me for duels on the Subspace private network, so I turned off notifications. That’s why I didn’t see your messages."
"It doesn’t matter."
Sun He waved his hand, not a hint of impatience on his face. On the contrary, he seemed to let out a sigh of relief, having finally met with Qin Feng.
His gaze carefully swept over Qin Feng from head to toe.
He was stunned to discover that after just three days, the suffocating, terrifying killing intent on the young man before him had vanished without a trace. He was now like a piece of gentle, uncarved jade, having returned to his natural state.
This terrifying level of control over his own aura surprised Sun He even more.
"Junior Brother Qin Feng,"
Sun He took a deep breath and got straight to the point. "May I ask? Your strength right now... what level has it reached?"
Qin Feng looked at his extremely solemn gaze and knew this was not just simple curiosity.
He fell silent for a moment before answering truthfully, "My vitality index just reached 30.01. As for Killing Arts, I have reached the Control Realm in both Thousand Army Spear and Fierce Bird Fist."
"HISS—"
Even though he had anticipated it, upon hearing the answer with his own ears, Sun He couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath of cold air.
B-Both in the Control Realm?!
His body trembled slightly from the extreme shock.
He finally understood completely.
His previous judgment wasn’t just correct—he had still, in fact, vastly underestimated the terrifying extent of the monster standing before him!