In the arena, the Star River swirled.
Before starting the matchmaking process, Qin Feng first pulled up his personal information panel.
[ID]: Qin
[Rank]: None
[Ranked Record]: 0 Wins, 0 Losses
[Points]: 0
[Self-Introduction]: None
[Enemy Evaluations]: None
His gaze lingered on the "Self-Introduction" field for a moment. Then, he reached out and tapped the virtual screen a few times.
A new line of text replaced the blank space.
[Self-Introduction: Practitioner of the Thousand Army Spear]
Just as he finished this small edit, he was matched with an opponent.
[Matching you with an opponent for your first placement match...]
[Match Found!]
A stream of data flashed before Qin Feng, finally coalescing into his opponent’s detailed information panel.
[ID]: Venus-Alpha
[Rank]: First Rank
[Points]: 85
[Record]: 121 Wins, 135 Losses
[Self-Introduction]: Sagittarius Arm, Venus Seventh Planet Defense Army, member of the Third Gun Skill Squad.
[Enemy Evaluations (10+)]: His spearmanship is solid, but that’s all there is to it; A textbook opponent; His thrusts are fast, be careful; Good at defensive counters; ...
At the other end of the arena, light and shadow gathered, slowly forming a tall man dressed in a standard-issue light Combat Suit.
In his hand, he also held a three-meter-long Alloy Long Spear.
[Please select your weapon and armor]
An equipment selection screen appeared before Qin Feng as well.
He chose a standard-issue Long Spear and light composite armor, nearly identical to his opponent’s.
In this perfectly fair competitive environment, the influence of external items was minimized. The contest came down to pure skill, awareness, and mastery.
[5, 4, 3, 2, 1...]
[Battle, Begin!]
The moment the countdown hit zero, Alpha moved.
He pushed off with his feet, his body lunging forward like a cheetah. His Long Spear was held steady and level, its tip aimed straight at Qin Feng’s throat, creating a faint sound as it cut through the air.
It was a battlefield thrust so standard it could have been in a textbook.
Its speed, power, and angle were all impeccable.
Facing this swift strike, Qin Feng’s figure only shifted slightly to the side.
He didn’t even raise his spear to block, simply evading the deadly tip by a hair’s breadth.
At the same time, the Long Spear in his hand moved.
It wasn’t a thrust or a sweep, but an incredibly nimble upward "flick."
The shaft of his spear struck the underside of his opponent’s spear shaft with precision.
CLANG!
A crisp clash of metal on metal.
A pure and clever force was transmitted along the spear’s shaft.
Alpha’s confident thrust instantly lost its aim. The tip of his spear flew up uncontrollably, revealing a massive opening.
Qin Feng’s movements were seamless, without the slightest pause.
The instant he flicked Alpha’s spear away, Qin Feng’s wrist trembled. The tip of his spear shot out like a striking viper, and though he moved second, his attack landed first. From an unbelievable angle, it jabbed toward the wrist of Alpha’s forward hand.
Alpha had no time to react. He only felt his wrist go numb, followed by a piercing pain, and his fingers loosened instinctively.
CLANK!
The Long Spear in his hand slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.
The match was decided.
The entire process, from the first exchange to the end, took no more than two seconds.
[Victory!]
[Through practical combat, you have summarized your experience in spear application. Thousand Army Spear proficiency +1.]
A series of cold system prompts sounded.
Alpha’s figure dissolved into motes of light.
Before disappearing, he faced Qin Feng and gave a standard military salute, expressing his respect for a stronger practitioner’s skill.
Qin Feng withdrew his spear and stood still, calmly watching it all unfold.
An easy victory in the first match.
He didn’t pause for a moment, immediately choosing to start matchmaking for the second match.
[Matching you with an opponent for your second placement match...]
[Match Found!]
[ID]: Mad Demon Staff
[Rank]: First Rank
[Points]: 152
[Record]: 355 Wins, 340 Losses
[Self-Introduction]: My staff sweeps all before it. I’ll take on any challenger.
[Enemy Evaluations (Excerpts from 999+)]: Haven’t won in eight hundred years?; The pressure is too intense, gives you no room to breathe; Terrible sportsmanship, just disgusting...
The opponent’s figure materialized: a brawny, bald man with a powerful build and bulging, knotted muscles.
He carried a 2.5-meter-long metal staff as thick as a bowl. Its shaft was covered in carvings of ferocious beasts.
[Battle, Begin!]
This time, Qin Feng did not wait.
The instant the countdown ended, he seized the initiative and attacked.
The Long Spear in his hand transformed into a silver flash of lightning, thrusting straight at his opponent’s center.
Faced with this thunder-fast thrust, the brawny man named "Mad Demon Staff" didn’t dodge or evade. A vicious sneer even appeared on his face.
He gripped his staff with both hands and smashed it downward!
WHOOSH—
The heavy staff carried an overwhelming force, stirring up a gale as it brutally smashed toward the tip of Qin Feng’s spear.
CLANG!!!
A huge bang, far heavier and louder than before, exploded across the arena.
Qin Feng felt an irresistible, terrifying force travel up from the tip of his spear. The impact numbed the web of his hand, and his entire arm trembled.
His thrust, which had concentrated all his strength, had been casually smashed aside head-on.
Before he could even steady himself, his opponent’s second strike was already upon him.
The brawny man flipped his wrist, and the heavy staff seemed to become weightless in his hands. It transformed into a sky full of afterimages, like an impenetrable black storm bearing down on Qin Feng.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
A rapid series of jarring impacts rang out, enough to make one’s teeth ache.
Qin Feng did his utmost, pushing the defensive Techniques of the Thousand Army Spear to their limit.
His Long Spear danced before him, forming a silver wheel of light that constantly blocked, deflected, and dissipated the attacks pouring in from all directions.
However, his opponent’s staff technique was simply too wild and too tricky.
At times, the staff’s afterimages were wide and sweeping, heavy and powerful. At others, they were nimble and bizarre, specifically targeting the blind spots in his defense.
Under the storm-like assault, Qin Feng’s defensive perimeter was compressed bit by bit, forcing him to retreat step by step.
He couldn’t even find the slightest opportunity to counterattack.
The opponent’s offense was relentless, each blow heavier than the last, and the pressure was almost suffocating.
"Hah!"
The brawny man let out a roar as the momentum of his staff changed again.
His staff suddenly swept out horizontally, letting out a sharp whistle as it tore through the air, aimed straight for Qin Feng’s lower body.
Qin Feng hurriedly changed his Technique, lowering his spear shaft to block.
CLANG!
Another loud crash.
At the very instant the spear and staff met, the brawny man’s wrist trembled again.
The staff slid up along Qin Feng’s spear shaft as if it were alive.
Startled, Qin Feng tried to pull his spear back and retreat, but it was too late.
The brawny man sneered, closed the distance, and thrust his staff forward with the momentum.
THUD!
The heavy end of the staff slammed solidly into Qin Feng’s chest.
An immense force struck him, and Qin Feng was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, landing heavily on the arena floor over ten meters away.
[Defeat!]
[In this bitter defeat, you have gained a deep understanding of the oppressive power of staff techniques and reflected on the shortcomings of your own spear skills. Thousand Army Spear proficiency +3.]
The cold system prompt announced the end of the one-sided battle.
Qin Feng got up from the floor. The suffocating feeling in his chest from the heavy blow, though virtual, was still incredibly real.
He looked at the bald, brawny man who was shouldering his staff and giving him a rude gesture, and slowly let out a breath.
A complete loss.
No excuses.
His opponent had crushed him in every aspect: power, Techniques, and experience.
Qin Feng wasn’t discouraged. He simply committed every detail of the battle to memory, then, expressionless, began matchmaking for the third match.