Dead silence.
It was like the absolute, heart-pounding silence ten thousand meters below the ocean’s surface, a stillness unchanged for eons.
Everyone stared, stunned, like ducks with their necks wrung. They watched the young man on the stage slowly retract his spear and stand tall, and they watched Feng Ruyun’s form dissolve into a shower of light, his expression a mixture of bewilderment and bitterness before he vanished.
Their minds went blank.
What had they just seen?
A... one-sided, utterly predictable... downright bullying... beatdown.
Feng Ruyun, one of the top experts among the third-years, master of a Double Perfection Killing Technique, with a life force index that had long surpassed the 30.0 mark... had faced the former newcomer king, who had only been back for three days. And yet, he hadn’t managed to land a single decent counterattack.
This completely overturned their understanding of the very concept of "strength."
The dead silence lasted for a long half-minute.
Finally, like the first crack appearing on a frozen lake, a single, trembling comment scrolled across the screen.
Then came the landslide, the tsunami. The long-suppressed, overwhelming shock erupted into a torrent of text that flooded the screen!
First-Year Discussion Board.
Here, the first to erupt were cries of pure, unadulterated awe and admiration.
"I... The fuck? It’s over already?"
"What just happened? Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Senior Brother Feng Ruyun... looked like he was just getting pummeled from start to finish?"
"Is this the legendary Senior Brother Qin Feng?! This is just... too strong! That was Senior Brother Feng Ruyun!"
"Senior Brother Feng didn’t even force him to use his ultimate move!"
"Too strong! So damn cool! From this day forward, Senior Brother Qin Feng is my one and only god! Who objects?!!"
A year ago, the name "Qin Feng" meant nothing to them.
But now, in just one minute, that name had been branded deep into their very souls in the most domineering, unreasonable way possible, becoming a synonym for "invincible."
Compared to the freshmen’s fanaticism, the second-years felt a strange sense of "satisfaction" on top of their shock, a feeling of ’I knew it’.
"I knew it... I knew it would be like this! That monster never disappoints!"
"It’s been a year, and he’s gotten even more monstrous!"
"The most terrifying part is his strength and speed! They both have a life force index of thirty, but their performance stats are worlds apart."
In contrast to the shock of the underclassmen, the experts who had once competed on the same level as Feng Ruyun—some of whom had even been personally "taught" a lesson by him—could only react with endless horror and existential dread.
[Li Dao Yi]: "...I take back what I said before. This isn’t a ’variable’ anymore. This is... a higher-dimensional attack."
[Zhao Wuji]: "Ruyun... didn’t lose unfairly. If it had been me up there, the result would have been no different. We... and he... are no longer in the same league."
"To cultivate a killing technique to the ’Control’ Realm as a Third-level Martial Artist... That’s just too rare."
"I fought Feng Ruyun a few days ago. I lasted three minutes against him before his Blazing Flame Saber almost shattered my Dao Heart."
Just as the entire spectator channel was reeling from this victory, sinking into an even deeper state of shock...
A long, detailed analysis, posted by an anonymous ID with an IP address from the instructor’s office area, was stickied and featured. It quietly appeared, offering the most authoritative answer to everyone’s questions.
[Detailed Analysis: "On the True Value of the ’Control Realm’ and Why It’s Called ’The Starting Point of Legends’"]
"Seeing such a lively discussion, this old-timer on the verge of retirement decided to join in on the fun and explain to you students what the ’Control Realm’ truly means."
"First, you must understand that the four stages—Entry, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Perfection—are all, in essence, about ’learning’ and ’imitating.’ You are learning the most perfect techniques and power-generation skills created by your predecessors. The better you can ’imitate’ them, the higher your stage."
"The ’Control Realm,’ however, is on a completely different dimension. It means you no longer need to ’imitate.’ You have completely and thoroughly grasped the core True Intent and underlying principles of the killing technique. You can deconstruct, reassemble, and evolve the technique as you please, even incorporating the essence of other killing techniques into it."
"To put it simply, reaching the ’Control Realm’ means that the killing technique created by your predecessors has become your personal ’library of materials.’ You can use these materials to create a unique Combat System that is truly your own. The moves Student Qin Feng just used might have looked like basic techniques, but in reality, every single one was a ’creation’ he improvised on the spot—the most suitable response for that moment in battle. That is ’Control’."
"Second is its difficulty. I can tell you all unequivocally: in the entire history of Qiming First High School, there has not been a single recorded student who has cultivated any killing technique to the ’Control Realm’ while enrolled. Student Qin Feng is the very first."
"Furthermore, looking at the entire Empire, the vast majority of seventh, eighth, and even ninth-level Advanced Martial Artists may never cultivate a top-tier killing technique to the ’Control’ Realm in their entire lives. It requires not just hard work, but also those ephemeral things we call ’comprehension’ and ’talent’."
"..."
This detailed analysis struck everyone’s hearts like a heavy hammer.
’So the Control Realm is that unattainable!’
Today, they had actually witnessed history being made at their school!
...
Private Martial Arts Room B-17.
Qin Feng’s consciousness returned. He looked at Sun He, who was standing beside him, having also just exited spectator mode with a look of shock and ecstasy still on his face, and smiled.
"Thanks, Senior Brother."
Sun He snapped back to his senses. He faced Qin Feng, clasped his fist in a martial salute, and bowed deeply.
His voice trembled with gratitude.
"I, Sun He, will remember this favor. In the future, Junior Brother, if there’s anything at all you need me for, just say the word. Even if it means climbing a mountain of knives or plunging into a sea of fire, I, Sun He, won’t even bat an eye!"
He knew that Qin Feng’s battle hadn’t just been a wake-up call for Feng Ruyun; it had also saved the precarious brotherly bond between them.
"Senior Brother, you’re exaggerating."
Qin Feng waved his hand and helped him up.
"I’m not!"
Sun He’s eyes were unyieldingly firm. "I, Sun He, am a man of my word!"
He paused, then added, "Well, I’m going to go find Ruyun. He must be taking this hard right now."
"Go on."
Sun He thanked him again, then turned and left in a hurry.
...
In another private Martial Arts Room, the one belonging to Feng Ruyun.
Feng Ruyun sat on the floor, utterly dejected. His eyes were vacant as he stared at the virtual screen before him.
On the screen, a recording of the battle he had just fought played over and over again on a loop.
Once, twice, ten times, a hundred times...
The longer he watched, the more completely his pride crumbled.
Sun He sat quietly to the side, not speaking or disturbing him, simply pouring him a cup of hot tea.
An unknown amount of time passed—perhaps ten minutes, perhaps an hour.
Feng Ruyun finally turned off the screen.
He looked up, his face, which was usually full of confidence and pride, now held nothing but endless bitterness.
"I... didn’t lose unfairly."
He began to speak slowly, his voice hoarse.
"First, with our life force indexes being nearly identical, his strength, speed, and stamina far surpassed mine. That’s a difference in physical potential. Compared to his inhuman constitution, my body feels like it’s made of clay."
"Second..."
He paused, an even more bitter expression appearing on his face.
"Two... killing techniques at the ’Control’ Realm. That... that’s just a little too monstrous."
The Control Realm.
To him, the term felt like something from another dimension.
It was so distant, so difficult, that he had never even considered that he might one day be able to strive for that realm.
He would rather spend more time learning another Perfect Killing Skill to increase the breadth of his abilities; he had never dreamed of touching the domain known as "Control" in terms of depth.
Because he knew his own limits.
That realm was so difficult that the thought of even attempting to reach it had never crossed his mind.
And yet Qin Feng, a junior brother who had enrolled two years after him, had done it.
And with two techniques, no less!
He thought back to a year ago, to the boy who couldn’t even last eight seconds against him.
Then he thought of the god-like demon from moments ago, who had played with him as if he were a toy in the palm of his hand.
Feng Ruyun could only sigh in his heart, a weak, awe-filled exclamation.
’A monster. He’s truly... a monster.’
Sun He still said nothing, just listening quietly.
Feng Ruyun fell silent again for a long time before slowly turning his head to Sun He. "Ah He," he asked, "how much time is left before the special recruitment exams for the top 100 Starry Sky Martial Arts Universities in the Canaan Star System close?"
"Sixty-three Empire standard hours remain."
Sun He answered immediately.
"Sixty-three hours... There’s still time."
A glimmer of light rekindled in Feng Ruyun’s eyes.
He let out a long breath, as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
He looked at Sun He, a smile of relief spreading across his face.
"Ah He, I was wrong to blame you before."
"I’m no longer competing for the ’Qiming General Star’."
With that, he stood up, opened his terminal, and, without the slightest hesitation, submitted his graduation application.
...
「A few hours later.」
A piece of news that was enough to shake the entire Qiming First High School quickly exploded on the campus forums.
[BREAKING! Third-Year Strongest Trio Feng Ruyun, Li Dao Yi, and Zhao Wuji Simultaneously Submit Graduation Applications, Officially Withdrawing from the ’Qiming General Star’ Competition!]
This news hit the already buzzing forums like a depth charge, throwing them into a complete frenzy.
Anyone with a discerning eye knew what this meant.
This was no coincidence.
After personally witnessing Qin Feng’s crushing, chasm-like power, these three experts who stood at the very pinnacle of the third-year pyramid had all, independently, made the most rational and wisest choice.
They knew they couldn’t compete.
And since they couldn’t compete, they wouldn’t.
Rather than stay behind and be the green leaves to his red flower—a tragic supporting role—it was better to make a clean break, catch the last train, and fight for a better future for themselves.
This news once again gave every student in the school a new, subversive understanding of Qin Feng’s power.
He was so powerful that all the geniuses of his generation were willing to step aside and clear the way for him!