Thunder Martial Hall, the viewing gallery.
On the light screen, the Gunman with the ID "Qin" used an incredible body technique to dodge Zhou Yu’s desperate counterattack. In the very instant he twisted his body to its limit, poised to strike with his spear, a faint, almost imperceptible dark-golden light flared above his left brow bone, vanishing as quickly as a shooting star.
The light was so subtle, so brief, that to the students completely focused on the intense battle, it was nothing more than an illusion amidst the crisscrossing lights and shadows.
However, to the seven or eight powerful masters from the Martial Hall seated in the very front row, this scene was like a detonating star dropped into the placid lake of their hearts!
WHOOSH—
Almost at the same time, seven or eight figures shot up from their seats in unison!
Every one of them stared wide-eyed, their faces etched with incredulous shock. They were fixated on the figure on the screen, who had just delivered the kill shot and now stood with his spear at rest.
The air seemed to freeze in that moment.
One of them, the oldest-looking master with a goatee, slowly turned his head, directing a questioning gaze at the stern-faced, middle-aged Martial Artist beside him.
The middle-aged Martial Artist didn’t speak, but merely gave an extremely slow and solemn nod.
He then looked at another man, a burly figure built like a bear.
The burly man gave an affirmative look in return, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he seemed to be forcibly suppressing something.
Seven or eight gazes met silently in the air, each person’s eyes reflecting the same shock and confirmation.
They hadn’t been mistaken.
After confirming this, the group slowly sat back down, but their ramrod-straight backs and tightly clenched fists silently spoke of the extreme turmoil within their hearts.
They didn’t communicate on the spot, but simply continued to watch the light screen with an unprecedentedly fervent and complex gaze until the battle was completely over.
...
On the stage, the outcome was decided.
After giving a military salute, Zhou Yu’s figure dissolved into motes of light and vanished completely.
Inside the virtual connection pod, Zhou Yu slowly opened her eyes.
Her face was still flushed from the exhilarating battle. Though her eyes held a hint of disappointment in defeat, they shone more brightly with the satisfaction and joy of having met her match and gained valuable insight.
Her consciousness withdrew from the Imperial Arena and came before the several masters of the Martial Hall. She bowed deeply in greeting.
"The assessment... I failed."
"No matter."
The goat-bearded master in the lead waved his hand, his voice much gentler now. "Your performance in this battle has already exceeded our expectations. Victory and defeat are but the fortunes of war. Besides, you faced an opponent you shouldn’t have encountered at your level."
"I request a brief rest. I want to process what I learned from that battle and review the recording a few more times."
Zhou Yu’s voice was resolute, her eyes shimmering with a thirst for knowledge.
"Very well."
The goat-bearded master agreed without hesitation. "Go. Meditate on it well. This epiphany will be far more valuable to you than winning or losing a single assessment."
"Thank you."
Zhou Yu bowed again, then sat down cross-legged on the spot, pulled up the battle recording from the Imperial Arena, and immediately entered a state of single-minded review.
Watching her become so immersed, the masters from the Martial Hall exchanged glances. An invisible network of Telepathy instantly formed between them.
The goat-bearded master’s voice trembled in their minds.
’...The Nail of Favor. I didn’t see that wrong, did I?’
’No, we all saw it.’
The stern-faced, middle-aged Martial Artist immediately affirmed.
’That was the Nail of Favor!’
The burly man’s voice boomed like a thunderclap in their minds.
’Fuck! No wonder he’s so vicious! I was wondering how someone who hadn’t studied the Ninefold Thunder Saber could have a deeper understanding of it than Zhou Yu, exploiting every flaw so precisely... Turns out he’s one of the Emperor’s chosen, a hand-picked genius.’
Another Martial Artist asked urgently.
’What about his file? Pull it up, now! Is he a Martial Artist from our Thunder Warband’s jurisdiction? Which Martial Arts Hall’s prodigy is he?’
A tall, thin Martial Artist in charge of intelligence replied immediately, his voice laced with unconcealable disappointment.
’I’ve already checked. He doesn’t belong to us. His registered location is Qiming Star, in the Cygnus Arm. That’s the Extreme Warband’s jurisdiction. He’s from a school called Qiming First Martial Arts High School. Their Martial Hall, it seems, is called Starry Martial Artist University, and their model is different from ours.’
The goat-bearded master stroked his beard, his expression complex.
’Extreme Warband... He cannot be allowed to go unnoticed. Old Seven, you are to contact the Extreme Warband’s representative in that area. Send them this "Qin’s" battle recording, along with our assessment. A genius of this caliber must receive the highest priority.’
The middle-aged Martial Artist known as Old Seven respectfully complied.
’Yes, Teacher. I’ll see to it at once.’
A younger-looking Martial Artist remarked with a sigh.
’Speaking of which, the Extreme Warband’s school model really does seem to be better at producing top-tier geniuses. We’ve been promoting the Emperor Meditation method for a long time, but those who can attract its gaze at the First Rank are few and far between.’
The burly man retorted with disdain.
’Tch. Most of the ones produced by the school model are just greenhouse flowers. They’ve never been through true blood and fire. All show and no substance.’
The goat-bearded master spoke slowly.
’I wouldn’t say that. From what I know, the Extreme Warband’s Martial Arts High Schools have brutally realistic combat curricula, even deploying students directly to border planets to fight the Alien Races. It is our Martial Arts Hall model that is too reliant on a student’s family background and self-discipline. Who knows how many geniuses from humble origins we’ve let slip through the cracks. If this "Qin" were born here, he probably wouldn’t even get a chance to get his foot in the door with the Thousand Army Spear.’
Someone added with a bitter laugh, getting to the heart of the matter.
’That’s true, but... where would we get that kind of money? The Extreme Warband has been guarding the front-line Star Zones for years. They’re crawling with masters, have innumerable military honors, and are filthy rich. They can convert entire planets into military academies... their students even get fucking guaranteed basic resources. Of course you can pull that shit off when you have money. You all know what a fucking mess it became when poor Warbands like us tried to copy their school model. Forget guaranteed resources—around here, even geniuses have to scrap and claw for what they get.’
His words plunged everyone into silence.
In the end, everything came down to resources.
A single experimental reform by high-level Martial Dao masters, or a single failed war in the Star Sea against the myriad races, could directly affect the educational policies of countless Educational Planets for thousands of years and hundreds of generations...
Qin Feng was born at the right time, and in the right place.
’That kid... born in the right place at the right time.’
’Ain’t that the truth.’
’Contact the Extreme Warband. Nothing else matters.’
...
「Meanwhile.」
Qiming First Martial High School, Public Martial Arts Room.
Qin Feng had no idea what kind of waves his placement match had caused in a distant star system.
At this moment, just like Zhou Yu, he was immersed in the recording of the exhilarating battle he had just fought.
He froze the frame at the exact moment he executed the "Wandering Dragon" Body Technique to dodge Zhou Yu’s close-range saber strike.
He zoomed in on the image and slowed it down to its limit.
In that hair’s breadth of a moment, a pinpoint of dark-golden light did indeed appear on his left brow bone, like a dying ember, flickering for less than one-hundredth of a second.
He paused the video, reached up, and carefully felt his own brow bone.
The skin was smooth, the bone even. There was nothing there.
He then pulled up his system panel.
[Refinement Method: Emperor Meditation Method (Initiate)]
[Effect: Nail of Favor x1: The speed of your Meditation Method practice is faintly amplified.]
He recalled the feeling from that instant.
A cool stream of energy had surged from deep within his brow, instantly spreading through his entire brain. It had made his mind more focused than ever before, his thought processes seemingly breaking their limits. Every movement of his body had followed his will perfectly, and he had entered a profound and mysterious state of selfless epiphany.
’So this is the true use of the Nail of Favor...’
He determined that it must be a passive effect with a certain chance to trigger only when his mind was in a state of extreme, high-level concentration.
After confirming that this thing was not harmful to him, but rather a huge boon, Qin Feng stopped worrying about it and refocused his attention on reviewing the battle recording.
Once, twice, three times...
From an observer’s perspective, he calmly analyzed his and Zhou Yu’s every move, every decision.
His spear technique, Zhou Yu’s saber technique, their respective strengths and weaknesses, the rhythm of the battle...
「An hour later.」
Qin Feng let out a long, turbid breath, his eyes shining with a brilliant light.
All the experience and insights from that battle had been thoroughly digested and absorbed by him, becoming the most solid cornerstone on his path of the Martial Dao.
He pulled up his personal panel.
[Killing Method: Thousand Army Spear (Minor Accomplishment)]
[Proficiency: 418/1000]
’A single moment of enlightenment directly added over three hundred proficiency points...’
He was a little surprised by this number himself.
This was almost equivalent to the sum of his painstaking training over the past half-month.
’That final spear move, Thousand Soldiers’ Evasion, still wasn’t perfect.’
He savored the memory of that final, killing blow.
’Back then, if my speed had been just a little faster, my power a little more concentrated—if I hadn’t focused on the sweep but instead pursued the ultimate ’point’—perhaps... I could have comprehended the second killing move of the Thousand Army Spear.’
The prototype of that move was already forming in his mind.
’Flowing Light Chasing Shadow... I’m just one step away.’
He closed the panel and exited the battle recording.
As soon as he exited, a system notification from the Imperial Arena popped up.
[Respected Martial Artist "Qin," greetings.]
[Congratulations, you have successfully completed your placement match.]
[Your rank has been assessed as: First Rank]
[Your initial score is: 0]
[Rank Rules: While in the First Rank, when your score reaches 300 points, you will be able to start the promotion match for the Second Rank.]
[Note: Points awarded for victory and deducted for defeat are measured based on your combat performance and are not solely determined by the win/loss outcome.]
[May your martial fortune flourish!]
He opened his personal profile.
[ID]: Qin
[Rank]: First Rank
[Ranked Record]: 6 Wins, 4 Losses
[Score]: 0
[Enemy Evaluation (1)]: A worthy opponent.
In the [Enemy Evaluation] section, there was a new entry.
Qin Feng guessed this was left by Zhou Yu.
He rested for a moment, allowing his exhausted mind to recover.
Afterward, he stood up again, his gaze returning to its calm and focused state.
’I’m on a hot streak. I can’t waste it.’
’I have to ride the afterglow of this enlightenment, push through in one go, and grind my score up to the absolute limit of my current abilities!’
Qin Feng estimated that to be around one hundred points, not too different from Zhou Yu.
He clicked on the Ranked Mode again.