’Such immense power...’
The webbing between Qin Feng’s thumb and forefinger was numb, and his arm trembled uncontrollably.
He could feel that after his opponent donned the Power Armor, its strength, speed, and endurance had all reached a terrifying level, nearly on par with his own.
In terms of pure physical attributes, the odds were nearly forty-sixty—he was the forty, and his opponent was the sixty!
The real gap lay in their Slaughter Realms!
His opponent’s was at the Perfection Realm!
"Again!"
Qin Feng’s will to fight, rather than diminishing, only surged as he charged forward once more.
This time, he changed his strategy. His spear technique became fluid and supple.
Deceitful Serpent’s Emergence!
His figure became erratic and unpredictable. The Long Spear was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, stabbing again and again from the most difficult angles at the seams and joints of the Power Armor.
But the Green Skin Lord’s combat instincts were terrifyingly sharp.
Its massive Power Claws moved in an impenetrable flurry, precisely blocking Qin Feng’s attacks every time and always forcing him back with even more ferocious power.
"Fierce Owl Chasing Shadow!"
It was still useless.
All of Qin Feng’s ultimate moves were easily neutralized by his opponent.
The battle fell into a stalemate.
Or rather, it was Qin Feng desperately holding on by himself.
Ten minutes later, Qin Feng failed to dodge in time and was struck in the chest by the edge of a Power Claw.
BANG!
His entire body felt as if it had been hit by a sledgehammer. He was sent flying backward, and his consciousness instantly faded to black.
First challenge: failure.
...
"Again!"
As consciousness returned, Qin Feng initiated the challenge again without hesitation.
Second time... failure.
Third time... failure.
...
He challenged it ten times in a row.
Each time, he used every trick up his sleeve.
Each time, he managed to last longer than the last.
There were even a few times when he seized an opportunity to viciously thrust his Long Spear into the seams of the Power Armor, leaving wounds on the Green Skin Lord’s body that were deep enough to show bone.
But in the end, he would always be defeated at the final moment due to that slight gap in their Slaughter Realms.
He was either overpowered by sheer force or worn down until his stamina was completely depleted.
After being blasted out of the arena for the tenth time, Qin Feng finally stopped.
He didn’t immediately issue another challenge. Instead, he sat cross-legged before the Light Gate and began a deep analysis of his fights.
’My Dragon-Serpent Spear has been thoroughly consolidated at the Great Success Realm through these ten consecutive high-intensity battles. I’ve also mastered two ultimate moves: Divine Dragon’s Tail Whip and Deceitful Serpent’s Emergence.’
’After putting on its Power Armor, the Green Skin Lord’s pure strength, speed, and endurance are about the same as mine, maybe even slightly better. The real difference in our power lies in our Slaughter Realms.’
’Once my Dragon-Serpent Spear also breaks through to the Control Realm and is fully integrated into my repertoire of slaughter techniques, I’ll be able to slay this Green Skin Lord with ease.’
’Or... I could wait until my life force index increases a bit more, allowing me to crush it with absolute physical superiority.’
Qin Feng’s train of thought became incredibly clear.
He stood up and glanced at his Contribution Points balance.
[Contribution Points: 40]
The initial 1 point, plus the 39 points earned from clearing a total of thirty-nine battles—from Battle 33 to Battle 71—plus what he had accumulated before, brought his total to 40 points.
Although he hadn’t cleared the whole thing, his gains from this trip to the Canaan Tower were still immense.
Not only had he consolidated his strength and honed his slaughter techniques, but he had also earned the start-up capital for his next round of cultivation.
’Time to go back.’
Qin Feng turned and left the Canaan Tower.
The next time he returned, he would surely be stepping over the Green Skin Lord’s corpse!
---
The alloy doors of the quiet room slid open silently, welcoming back the long-missed sunlight and gentle breeze of the outside world.
Qin Feng walked out slowly. He had been in seclusion for fifteen months. Adding the time he had previously spent in the Canaan Tower honing his spear skills and earning Contribution Points, a year and a half had quietly passed.
He raised his head, feeling the perfectly simulated, warm sunlight of the Canaan Star Martial Arts University’s Ecological Park. A sense of being in another world washed over him.
Qin Feng had Hammer pull up the Imperial Standard Time calendar.
His fingertip slid lightly across the light screen. When he saw the final date, even with his now-unflappable state of mind, he couldn’t help but be slightly taken aback.
’It’s already... been three years.’
Qin Feng calculated silently in his mind.
From the moment he entered Canaan Star Martial Arts University, filled with both apprehension and longing, until now, exactly three Imperial Years had passed.
’Time really flies.’
’I’m twenty years old now.’
He murmured with emotion.
The experiences of the past three years flashed through his mind like a fast-forwarding scroll of images.
From the poverty and struggles when he first entered the university to the humiliation of being defeated in one move at the Newcomer’s Cup;
From the repeated defeats in the Canaan Tower to the bloody battles of his first team mission;
From being stunned by the incomprehensible power of the elite disciple Baze to emerging from seclusion now with a qualitative leap in strength.
It all felt like it had happened just yesterday.
’This is what the early days at a Starry Sky Martial Arts University are like.’
’The beginning is always the hardest. You have to give it your all just to adapt to the rules here, to snatch your first cultivation resources from among billions of missions and countless powerful competitors. During this process, progress is bound to be slow and painful.’
’But as long as you can endure this stage, once your own strength grows, you’ll naturally gain access to missions with higher rewards and obtain more resources. Like a rolling snowball, the speed of your power increase will only get faster and faster.’
This was an incredibly cruel, yet incredibly fair, law of selection.