"No, I should be the one thanking you."
Ba Yan looked up, his resolute eyes gleaming with a bright light. "If it weren’t for you, for the perfect pressure you put on me, pushing me to my absolute limit, I don’t know how many more years I would have lingered at the threshold of the Control Realm."
"It was you who helped me find my own path."
He was overcome with emotion.
For him, the value of this exhilarating battle had far surpassed victory or defeat.
He had finally broken through the paper-thin barrier that had troubled him for years, truly stepping into the domain of Control.
"But what a pity."
A bitter, regretful smile appeared on Ba Yan’s face. "In the end, it’s my first time stepping into this realm. My application of ’Control’ is still too crude, too unrefined. If I had comprehended this slash half a year earlier, the outcome of today’s battle... might have been different."
His [Heart’s Desire Slash] seemed incomparably mighty, but in reality, it was just a preliminary, forceful fusion of several killing techniques. The Will and power within it had not yet truly melded into a perfect whole.
If he were given enough time to polish and familiarize himself with it, the power of this move could increase by at least another thirty percent.
By then, Qin Feng’s [Dragon’s Hoard] might not have been able to secure victory in a single strike so easily.
Qin Feng simply nodded calmly upon hearing this.
"I understand."
Of course he understood.
He had gone through similar experiences countless times.
He recalled when he had fused the [Fierce Owl Technique] and [Flowing Light Chasing Shadow] to create his own [Fierce Owl Chasing Shadow].
The difference in power, efficiency, and timing between the first time he used it, the tenth time, and the hundredth time was like the difference between heaven and earth.
Even the [Wind and Thunder Chasing Shadow] technique, which he had comprehended in a mid-battle breakthrough during the just-concluded quarterfinals, still had significant flaws and room for improvement.
The path of the Martial Dao is a path of endless learning.
Comprehension is only the beginning.
True strength comes from being forged and refined a thousand times over, from the exquisite art of controlling every last bit of power with microscopic precision.
Seeing the knowing look in Qin Feng’s eyes, Ba Yan knew that the other man completely understood him.
He couldn’t help but sigh again, reaching out to pat Qin Feng’s shoulder firmly.
"Go on."
His eyes held the purest blessings and expectations.
"Congratulations, Junior Brother, on securing a spot in the top three."
"You... you’re a real monster."
"After you’re promoted to an elite disciple from the group stage, find a mentor and have them help you choose some killing techniques. The ones a mentor picks are better than what an assistant would choose. Assistants just filter based on your physical data, but a mentor will personally assess your meridians to find what suits you best."
After speaking, he followed the referee’s guidance, dragging his injured body step by step off the arena platform.
Although his retreating figure looked a bit battered, the new, harmonious aura of the Control Realm that came from his recent breakthrough gave him the air of someone who had been completely reborn.
Qin Feng watched Ba Yan leave, then turned his gaze to the stands, smiling faintly at his friends who were cheering for him.
...
Down below the central main arena, the stands, holding tens of millions of spectators, had already erupted into a boiling sea of commotion!
"He won! Qin Feng! He actually defeated Ba Yan!"
"My God! That final move, ’Dragon’s Hoard,’ was ridiculously cool! The Long Spear was like a black dragon. The moment it appeared, I felt my very soul tremble!"
"A monster! He’s not a dark horse anymore! He’s a thoroughbred monster! A ten-year student, defeating a veteran prodigy whose life force index was nearly forty points higher and who had mastered two Second-level Perfection Killing Techniques! What even is that?!"
"You’ve got to be kidding me! I bet one million Imperial Coins on Senior Ba Yan! My heart aches!"
"Hahaha! I made a killing! I started betting on Qin Feng back in the round of sixteen! Dinner at Taotie Residence tonight, my treat!"
The sounds of discussion, cheers, wails of despair, and the chimes of betting accounts rapidly transferring funds all merged into a fanatical symphony.
In that moment, Qin Feng’s name was repeated over and over by countless people in a near-frenzied tone.
He was no longer just an attention-grabbing genius.
With a victory of the highest caliber, he had truly cemented his legendary status in this year’s Newcomer Cup!
"Look! Look at the forums! The ’Canaan Hidden Dragon List’ has been updated!"
Just then, a sharp-eyed spectator let out a surprised shriek.
These words instantly captured everyone’s attention.
Countless people eagerly opened their personal terminals.
The "Canaan Hidden Dragon List."
This wasn’t an official ranking from Cannan Star Martial Arts University, but rather a big data model jointly established by several of the university’s most authoritative information agencies in collaboration with a number of intelligence departments.
This list didn’t focus on a student’s current, instantaneous Combat Power, nor did it use simple wins and losses as its sole criterion.
What it measured was "potential."
It would perform a comprehensive analysis of dozens of complex data points for each student—including enrollment time, cultivation speed, physical aptitude, comprehension of killing techniques, combat performance, and even Mental Power—to ultimately produce a relatively objective "potential ranking."
This list was highly prestigious and widely recognized by the students of Canaan Martial Arts University.
Every person on this list was a genius among geniuses.
And now, as people opened the newly refreshed list, still marked with a "HOT" tag, a familiar name had appeared out of nowhere—in an extremely domineering fashion—in a position that took everyone’s breath away!
[Canaan Hidden Dragon List]
[Rank 1000: Qin Feng]
"One thousandth place?! Am I seeing things? He just appeared out of nowhere at rank one thousand?"
"This is insane! Absolutely insane! The Hidden Dragon List only includes a hundred thousand students in total. On what grounds can a newcomer who’s just started to make a name for himself be ranked so high?"
"Exactly! You have to realize, the ones ranked ahead of him are all the most elite Demons from every grade level, and many have already advanced to the sixth-level Soaring Realm!"
[Name: Qin Feng]
[Student ID: GX7382901]
[Reasoning for Inclusion:]
[1. Cultivation Speed: In ten years of enrollment, has achieved a life force index of 532.0.]
[2. Killing Technique Comprehension: In the current Newcomer Cup, the student has publicly demonstrated at least four Level 1 Killing Techniques that have reached the Control Realm (Spear Arts x2, Fist Arts x1, Staff Arts x1).]
[3. Physical Potential: According to data from the student’s entrance examination ten years ago, during the third test, ’Physical Potential Assessment,’ he caused the B-rank assessment pod’s data to overflow, making an accurate measurement impossible. The similarity model provided by the system judged his potential level as: ’Young Starry Sky Giant Beast.’]
[In conclusion:]
[This student possesses unprecedented comprehension of killing techniques, the highest recorded physical potential in history, and a cultivation speed sufficient to rank in the top one hundred of all time.]
[Based on a comprehensive assessment of his cultivation speed, physical potential, and comprehension of killing techniques by the data model, he is ranked 1000th on the ’Canaan Hidden Dragon List.’]
When this cold, objective, yet incredibly impactful data analysis was presented before everyone,
the entire Glory Colosseum fell utterly silent.
’Physical potential that broke the machine... no wonder his strength and stamina were on par with Ba Yan’s.’
’Four techniques at the Control Realm.’
At that moment, no one questioned the validity of this ranking any longer.
In fact, they even began to think... for a thoroughbred Demon like him, wasn’t rank one thousand... a little too low?