"Master Sun."
Facing the statue, Qin Feng gave an Imperial Army salute, his voice low. "I am Qin Feng, a junior. I have come to ask for your guidance."
His Will, like a stone tossed into a placid lake, sent a clear ripple through the deep logic of the private network.
[Challenger Detected: Qin Feng]
[Challenge Target: Heroic Spirit Hall, Serial No. 17, Sun Chan Hall (Imperial Calendar, Graduating Class of 34771)]
[Confirm Challenge?]
"Confirm."
Qin Feng made his choice without hesitation.
The instant he spoke, the magnificent hall before him began to ripple and distort like waves on water. It ultimately dissolved into countless iridescent streams of data that scattered in every direction.
A moment later, he found himself standing on a vast, boundless plain made of smooth, pure-white metal.
A hundred meters in front of Qin Feng, brilliant golden streams of data converged out of thin air. Like a myriad of dancing fireflies, they rapidly sketched, wove, and filled out a space, finally coalescing into a distinct human form.
It was a young man whose face was identical to the statue’s.
He wore the classic black-and-white, standard-issue light armor of Qiming First High School. His posture was ramrod straight, and his amiable face held a hint of carefree nonchalance.
His eyes, however, were no longer the gentle, encouraging ones Qin Feng remembered. They were filled with an absolute, empty calm, reflecting only the logic and data of combat.
He wore a Finger Tiger on his left hand that glinted with a dull metallic luster; his right hand hung naturally at his side.
[Data Imprint "Sun Chan Hall" loading complete.]
[Preparing for battle... 3... 2... 1... Begin!]
The instant the cold system prompt sounded, an identical set of light armor materialized over Qin Feng’s body. A menacing, three-meter-long spear forged from high-strength alloy appeared in his hand.
As his hand closed around the spear, a familiar sensation washed over him, as if the weapon were an extension of his own bloodline. With it, Qin Feng’s entire aura underwent a dramatic transformation.
If before he was like a silent, immovable boulder, now he was a peerless, deadly weapon poised to pierce the very heavens!
He didn’t immediately press the attack.
He held a deep respect for his benefactor, even if this was just a data imprint.
Across from him, Sun Chan Hall also remained motionless. His data imprint perfectly replicated his fighting style from all those years ago.
As a Martial Artist specializing in close-quarters combat, he would never carelessly expose himself to the reach of a long spear. Instead, he was waiting—waiting for his opponent to reveal an opening, for the perfect moment to charge.
The air seemed to freeze.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Feng was the first to break the silence.
With a single step, his body slid forward dozens of meters like a phantom. He used no flashy techniques with his spear—just a simple, direct thrust!
VMMMM—!
The tip of the spear tore through the air, letting out a sharp hum.
The speed of this thrust far surpassed the sound barrier, even forming a visible white shock cone at the tip.
Fast! It was unbelievably fast!
Yet, in the face of this earth-shattering thrust, Sun Chan Hall’s data imprint reacted in a way that made Qin Feng’s eye twitch.
He didn’t block or retreat. Instead, the instant the spear was about to strike him, his entire body drifted half a meter to the left, like a willow catkin on the wind, following a trajectory that seemed to defy the laws of physics.
Chasing Cicada Body Technique!
Qin Feng’s pupils constricted slightly.
’I only used seventy percent of my strength for that thrust, but it was so fast an ordinary Third-level Martial Artist wouldn’t have even had time to react.’
Yet Sun Chan Hall’s data imprint had dodged it with such ease, a testament to the profoundness of his Body Technique.
As the thrust missed, Qin Feng flicked his wrist. The spear instantly shifted from a straight lunge to a horizontal sweep. Carrying immense force, the shaft carved a great crescent of death through the air, sweeping toward Sun Chan Hall’s waist just as he landed.
The *Thousand Army Spear*’s killing technique—[Thousand Soldiers’ Evasion]!
This technique was heavy and powerful, covering a massive area, designed specifically to counter agile opponents.
Faced with the unavoidable sweep, Sun Chan Hall’s data imprint finally stopped dodging.
His feet seemed to root themselves to the ground as he brought his left arm across his chest, forming the Golden Bell Stance.
Golden Bell Stance!
CLANG—!!!
A great boom, like the tolling of an ancient bell, reverberated throughout the "arena."
A visible shockwave radiated wildly in all directions from the point of impact.
Sun Chan Hall’s data imprint had, through sheer force, withstood Qin Feng’s earth-shattering sweep.
However, the alloy ground beneath his feet, unable to fully dissipate the terrifying force, cracked and splintered. He was sent sliding back a good dozen meters before he managed to regain his footing.
His left arm, still held in the Golden Bell Stance, was trembling slightly.
’My strength and speed both surpass Master Sun’s peak condition back in his day.’
In just a single exchange, Qin Feng came to a direct conclusion.
His own life force index was 30.01, while Sun Chan Hall’s at graduation had been 30.23—seemingly a negligible difference.
But Qin Feng’s body was different. It had been transformed by the "Starry Sky Giant Beast Type II Gene Enhancement Potion." He had also broken the record set by Sun Chan Hall himself in the Qiming Thunder Pool. Finally, he had even undergone the system’s "Life Evolution," reaching a terrifying level comparable to an Embryonic Stage Starry Sky Beast.
His fundamental stats completely eclipsed those of any genius at the same level, including Sun Chan Hall from two thousand years ago.
On a technical level, his *Thousand Army Spear* had reached the Control Realm, while all of Sun Chan Hall’s killing techniques were still at the Perfection level.
’A single word of difference, yet they are worlds apart.’
’My apologies,’ Qin Feng thought, his gaze suddenly turning sharp and severe.
He would end this unevenly matched battle with his strongest spear technique.
In the next instant, the long spear in his hand seemed to vanish from reality.
There was no afterimage, no sound of displaced air. Even light itself seemed to be swallowed by the point of its tip.
[Flowing Light Chasing Shadow]!
This was the ultimate strike, one he had comprehended from the three great killing techniques of the *Thousand Army Spear*. It fused his own Will with the essence of the Control Realm!
It was the pinnacle of speed and precision!
Alarm bells blared within the combat logic of Sun Chan Hall’s data stream, just as he regained his footing. He almost instinctively pushed his Chasing Cicada Body Technique to its absolute limit, his entire form blurring into a faint afterimage as he attempted to evade once more.
This time, however, his Body Technique failed.
A killing technique from the Control Realm carried with it a trace of Intent, locking it onto its target.
No matter how he dodged, that cold glint of death followed him like a shadow, unerringly locked onto his throat.
Pfft.
It was a sound so faint it was nearly inaudible.
The entire world seemed to freeze, as if someone had pressed pause.
Qin Feng’s figure appeared behind the data imprint of Sun Chan Hall, still holding his thrusting stance.
The tip of the Alloy Long Spear had stopped with perfect precision, less than a millimeter from the imprint’s throat.
The terrifying energy contained within the spear tip had completely annihilated the space around it, creating a tiny pocket of Absolute Vacuum.
A fraction of an inch further, and it would have been a fatal blow.
[Battle Over]
[Challenger "Qin Feng" is Victorious]
[Time Elapsed: Thirty-seven seconds]
The cold system prompts announced the outcome of the battle.
The data imprint of Sun Chan Hall before him slowly dissolved into a cloud of light particles, vanishing into the air.
Qin Feng slowly withdrew his Long Spear and stood quietly in place. His face held no joy in his victory; instead, it was a mask of an indescribably complex emotion.
’That was too easy.’
’From start to finish, I didn’t feel any real pressure.’
’This wasn’t a duel. It was a one-sided slaughter.’
He had won, but the victory felt hollow, devoid of any sense of accomplishment.
’My strength and speed completely surpass Master Sun’s.’
’My spear technique is at the Control Realm, while all of Master Sun’s killing techniques are only at Perfection.’
’I was wielding a three-meter long spear. With my reach advantage, I already had an absolute edge in terms of weaponry.’
Qin Feng replayed the battle in his mind. The more he analyzed it, the more dissatisfying it felt.
This wasn’t the battle he wanted.
What he wanted to experience was the true artistry of Master Sun, the skill that had been unmatched in his era!
He wanted to face the flawless close-combat system born from the complete mastery and integration of the Six Gates Perfection Killing Techniques!
"This... is just bullying," Qin Feng muttered to himself. His eyes hardened with new resolve.
He lifted his head and spoke to the empty arena in a deep voice, "Challenge again."
[Confirm Again?]
"Confirm!"
VMMMM—
The space before him wavered, and the cloud of light particles reconverged.
The familiar figure appeared before Qin Feng once again.
He had the same amiable face with its hint of nonchalance, the same absolutely calm eyes that held only the logic of combat.
But this time, Qin Feng’s hands were also empty.
[Preparing for battle... 3... 2... 1... Begin!]
The word "Begin" was still echoing through the arena when the data imprint of Sun Chan Hall moved!
His body shot forward as if shoved by a giant, invisible hand. He crossed twenty meters in an instant, practically skimming the ground like a shadow chasing the cry of a cicada, and appeared right in front of Qin Feng!
Chasing Cicada Body Technique!
This time, it wasn’t for evasion, but for an all-out charge!
Fast! It was too fast!
The charge was so fast it was like teleportation, making Qin Feng’s heart leap into his throat.
He had no time for any superfluous movements; he could only act on instinct, crossing his arms to shield his chest.
Sun Chan Hall’s attack was already upon him, a torrential onslaught!
His left hand, armed with the Finger Tiger, carried an unstoppable, piercing aura as it shot toward the vital spot on Qin Feng’s ribs.
The force behind it felt like it could shatter a thick Stone Stele!
Lesser Stele-Splitting Hand!
At the same time, his right palm became as heavy as a mountain and as broad as a seal. Accompanied by the dull whoosh of displaced air, it struck at Qin Feng’s temple from an incredibly cunning angle!
Prajna Palm!
Left and right, sharp and heavy, hard and soft—paired with his phantom-like Body Technique, the two attacks formed a seamless, deadly combination in just a tenth of a second!
This was Sun Chan Hall’s true fighting form!
His Six Gates Killing Techniques complemented each other perfectly. He was just one step away from achieving Six Gates Control!
Utterly terrifying!