Most of these people have spent the last few years in closed-door cultivation, pouring all their resources into opening acupoints, all for the sake of making a name for themselves in this Warband ranking competition.
As for our Fearless Warband, our numbers in these two metrics are basically on par with theirs, with a gap of no more than five percent. So, in the Fourth Level Division, our chances are still fifty-fifty."
"But,"
Her tone shifted, becoming incredibly grave. "In the Fifth Level Division, we are at a massive disadvantage."
On the light screen, the data for the Fifth Level Division was tinged a glaring red.
"Among the Iron Blood Warband’s Fifth-level Martial Artists, the total number of members practicing a Top-grade Acupoint Opening Technique exceeds five thousand! And among them, their core Combat Power—those with a life force index above 5,000—is over twenty-two hundred strong!"
"As for our Fearless Warband, those two numbers are twenty-one hundred... and nine hundred seventy."
As the last number was read out, the very air in the conference hall seemed to freeze.
The gap was just too big.
"To summarize,"
The Female Martial Artist delivered her final summary. "The battle situation in the Fourth Level Division, as well as the sixth through ninth level divisions—five divisions in total—can be predicted to be evenly matched. The key to victory or defeat rests almost entirely on the Fifth Level Division.
And in this high-stakes division, our numbers of high-end Combat Power don’t even reach half of theirs.
This gap is astronomical, and it will directly impact the final overall Warband rankings."
The data was clear, the facts, cold.
After a long silence, the Battle Commander, Feng Zhiyu, who had been listening quietly all along, finally spoke.
"I understand."
His voice was calm.
"Fluctuations in resource reserves are normal. Throughout the tens of thousands of years of Canaan’s history, the relationship between the Fearless Warband and the Iron Blood Warband has always been one of ebb and flow. One grows stronger as the other weakens, and we push each other forward in our mutual pursuit of first place. This is a historical tradition, and a form of healthy competition."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over every core member present, his tone tinged with an unquestionable resolve.
"However, I am about to graduate. I will not allow the first-place honor that the Fearless Warband has held for thousands of years to slip to second place on my watch."
"Everyone understands the weight the Fifth Level Division carries. Does anyone have any ideas on how to break this impasse?"
His question was like a boulder dropped into a lake, yet it failed to cause a single ripple.
’Break the impasse?’
’How could they possibly break the impasse when facing a deficit of nearly three thousand elite Fifth-level Martial Artists with life force indexes over 5,000? This wasn’t a gap that could be closed with strategy. It was a gaping chasm in raw Hard Power.’
You could hear a pin drop in the conference hall.
In the midst of this oppressive silence, someone suddenly spoke.
"Battle Commander, speaking of which, that ’Qin Beast’ who’s become so famous on the forums recently is one of ours."
"Oh?"
Feng Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. To prepare for his graduation trial, he had been on a secret off-campus mission for fifty years and had only just returned. He really hadn’t been paying much attention to the latest developments on the forums.
"Qin Beast?"
"Yes, Battle Commander."
The Female Martial Artist who had presented the initial analysis immediately pulled up another file and displayed it for Feng Zhiyu. "His real name is Qin Feng. He was just promoted to Fifth-level Martial Artist. His record is nothing short of phenomenal."
"He practices the supreme ’Great Sun Acupoint Opening Method,’ and according to our internal records, he has cultivated at least eight First-level Killing Techniques and one Second-level Killing Technique to the Control Realm.
Furthermore, during his potential assessment as a new student, his physical aptitude data completely maxed out the testing pod."
"Most importantly, it took him less than forty years to open all three hundred and sixty Great Sun Acupoints required by the Top-grade Acupoint Opening Technique to Perfection.
His temperament, comprehension, and Will are all absolutely top-tier.
He recently won the Newcomer’s Cup by an overwhelming margin, earning him the moniker ’Qin Beast.’ Among the current student body, he is without a doubt the man of the hour."
"Just a moment ago, the system showed that he submitted his application to participate in the upcoming Warband ranking competition."
Feng Zhiyu listened quietly, his fingers tapping gently on the armrest as his eyes rapidly scanned the complete file on Qin Feng on the light screen.
From his rise as a Star of Enlightenment to his repeated record-breaking runs in the Canaan Tower and his uncontested victory in the Newcomer’s Cup—every single achievement highlighted the young man’s extraordinary nature.
But after a moment, he slowly shook his head.
"One person alone can’t necessarily turn the tide for the entire Fifth Level Division."
His assessment was calm and objective. "He just became a Fifth-level Martial Artist. He probably hasn’t even figured out the Qi Meridian Method yet, so his life force index will be stuck at 3,600 for a long time. Over the next thirty years, he’ll have to perform missions to earn Contribution Points while also cultivating. His schedule will be extremely tight. Potential is one thing, but converting it into immediate Combat Power takes time."
He made his decision. "For now, let’s just observe. We’ll list him as a key person of interest, but we can’t pin all our hopes on one person."
With that, he looked up and asked an even more critical question.
"Among our Warband’s Fifth-level Martial Artists, are there any who practice a Top-grade Acupoint Opening Technique and have already reached the ’minor limit’ of 7,200 for their life force index?"
The question was met with dead silence.
After a long moment, someone finally answered with difficulty, "...No, Battle Commander."
"Not a single one?"
"...Not a single one. Currently, our Warband’s highest-level Fifth-level Martial Artist has a life force index of 6,810. He’s still some distance from the minor limit of 7,200."