The news of Qin Feng’s successful promotion to a C-level contract barely made a ripple in the vast waters of Qiming First Martial Arts High School.
Besides Qian Duoduo and Shi Potian from dorm 402, and a few teachers, almost no one knew.
For the tens of thousands of students at the Martial Arts High School, their attention remained focused on the traditional geniuses who topped the overall rankings.
A name ranked somewhere past nine-hundredth place, even one that had achieved a shocking perfect score in combat simulation, would quickly be buried under an avalanche of new information.
This was exactly what Qin Feng wanted.
What he needed wasn’t empty fame, but a low-key, efficient increase in strength.
...
「The next morning, at five o’clock sharp.」
The sky was still a deep, inky blue. In the distance, the Qiming Core Area was outlined in gold by the faint light of dawn.
Qin Feng’s biological clock woke him from his deep sleep with pinpoint accuracy.
Unlike usual, he didn’t head straight to the public Martial Arts Room today. Instead, after washing up, he walked alone toward the school’s administration building.
He was going to collect his first batch of resources from his C-level contract.
Administration Building, Academic Affairs Office Resource Distribution Center.
When Qin Feng arrived, the place was empty.
In the duty room, an old man with white hair and a white beard, dressed in a loose-fitting training uniform, sat leisurely sipping a cup of hot tea.
It was Professor Gu Yue.
Seeing Qin Feng enter, Professor Gu Yue put down his teacup. A look of undisguised admiration appeared in his perpetually narrowed eyes.
"You’re here."
"Good morning, Professor Gu."
Qin Feng bowed respectfully.
"Mm."
Professor Gu Yue nodded. From a temperature-controlled metal cabinet beside him, he took out a silver briefcase stamped with Qin Feng’s name and student ID, placing it on the counter.
"These are your resources for the month. Take them."
As he spoke, he opened the briefcase, revealing the neatly arranged items inside.
Two glass tubes filled with a viscous, pale golden liquid—Mid-Level Spiritual Energy Potions.
Two dark brown blocks that resembled compressed biscuits—Mid-Level Physical Healing Bath Packages.
And one slender syringe containing a clear blue liquid—a Subordinate Mental Power Enhancement Potion.
"The Medicated Bath Package needs to be dissolved in a large amount of water. It’s best to use a bathtub, and make sure there’s enough water to submerge your entire body, including your head. Only then can it fully repair every hidden injury in your body."
"The Spiritual Energy Potion can be consumed orally. Its properties are gentle, but the energy is immense. After taking it, you must perform high-intensity Body Refining Technique training to completely absorb its medicinal power. Otherwise, the stagnant energy will damage your meridians."
Professor Gu Yue instructed him in detail.
"As for this Mental Power recovery potion, it can be used to recover. You can use it after high-intensity battles in the Imperial Arena..."
He paused, looked at Qin Feng, and said, "But remember, you cannot privately purchase other Mental Power potions. You can only use the ’safe’ potions recommended by the school. External aids are, after all, just external aids. The cultivation of Mental Power relies more on your own Will and comprehension. You mustn’t become over-reliant."
"I understand."
Qin Feng committed every word to heart.
Professor Gu Yue nodded in satisfaction. He mulled it over for a moment, then decided to offer one more piece of advice.
"Qin Feng, do you know what these C-level contract resources mean for a First-level Martial Artist with a life force index of only 3.0?"
"That... it’s a waste?"
Qin Feng pondered for a moment before giving his answer.
"You’re half right."
Professor Gu Yue smiled. "Not a waste, but an ’overdose.’ It’s like forcing a child to eat an adult strongman’s meal. If you force it down, not only will it fail to help them grow, but they might just eat themselves to death."
"These resources are prepared for Second Level Martial Artists. Their bodies have already undergone a round of tempering and are strong enough to withstand such a massive energy impact. But you are not there yet."
"Therefore, if you want to maximize the effects of these resources and not get ’killed by them,’ you have only one option."
Professor Gu Yue raised a single finger, his tone turning serious.
"And that is, in the time to come, to push your physical body to its limits, again and again, without rest! Only when your body is utterly depleted, like a dry sponge, will it frantically absorb this external energy to repair itself and grow."
"So, my advice to you is to set aside your combat techniques for now. You only need to maintain about ten ranked matches in the Imperial Arena each day to keep your feel for combat and your battle awareness sharp. That will be enough."
"You must devote ninety percent of your energy to practicing the *Imperial Body Refining Technique*! Practice without considering the cost, without questioning the reason, and without holding anything back! Practice until you can’t stand up, then use the medicated bath to recover and the potions to replenish. The next day, you continue!"
"Yes, Professor."
Qin Feng bowed deeply once again.
Professor Gu Yue’s words were like clouds parting to reveal the sun, allowing him to instantly grasp the most crucial and correct path for his future training.
After bidding farewell to Professor Gu Yue, Qin Feng returned to his dorm, carrying the silver briefcase full of precious resources.
On the way, he had already formulated a new training plan for himself, one that could only be described as insane.
From now on, his daily schedule would be:
Morning: Continuous Extreme Body Refining Technique training.
Late morning: Continue Body Refining Technique training.
Afternoon: Still Body Refining Technique training.
Evening: Ten ranked matches in the Imperial Arena, followed by a review session. This part would take about two and a half hours.
Before bed: Half an hour of *Emperor Meditation* practice.
Guarantee eight hours of sleep daily; all other waking hours would be dedicated to the *Imperial Body Refining Technique*.
It was a plan that was as monotonous as it was brutal.
But Qin Feng’s eyes showed only calm and determination.
Back in his dorm, he carefully sorted and stored the resources from the briefcase.
Looking at the potions, which emitted an alluring sheen, he couldn’t help but think to himself:
’Right now, I can only keep these things in my dorm. Once I reach the Fourth-level Martial Artist rank, my Subspace Network Pass will get a permission upgrade, opening up a small storage space. By then, it’ll be much more convenient to carry resources or store spoils of war.’
Pushing the stray thoughts from his mind, he didn’t hesitate, directly twisting open one of the pale golden Mid-Level Spiritual Energy Potions.
A strange, faintly sweet fragrance filled the air.
He tilted his head back and drank the honey-thick golden liquid in one gulp.
BOOM—!
An unimaginably vast, yet gentle and pure energy, exploded in his stomach like a bursting dam, then transformed into countless warm currents that surged toward his limbs and bones!
Qin Feng could even feel every cell in his body groaning with pleasure as it was washed over by this energy.
Not daring to delay for even a second, he immediately rushed out of his dorm and headed straight for the public Martial Arts Room.
Arriving at his usual corner, he took a deep breath and assumed the starting stance of the *Imperial Body Refining Technique*.
As the Cultivation Technique activated, the vast energy rampaging through his body seemed to find an outlet, and it began to be guided in an orderly fashion to temper his muscles, fascia, and bones.
Sweat flowed from his forehead like a stream, instantly drenching his training uniform.
His body cried out, unable to bear the strain.
But at the same time, the endless energy from the Mid-Level Spiritual Energy Potion transformed into the gentlest nourishment, rapidly repairing the muscle fibers torn by the extreme exercise and replenishing his spent stamina.
[*Imperial Body Refining Technique* in operation. Mid-Level Spiritual Energy Potion taking effect. Qi and blood activity greatly increased. Proficiency +1]
[Your body is being rapidly repaired and strengthened. Proficiency +1]
[Energy is abundant. Your training effectiveness has been greatly amplified. Proficiency +1]
[...]
On the panel deep within his consciousness, the numbers representing his proficiency were jumping at an unprecedented, frantic pace.
Limit!
Recovery!
Improvement!
This most basic and yet most core trilogy of Martial Dao cultivation was now operating in a perfectly high-speed cycle within Qin Feng’s body.
The recovery and improvement steps, in particular, reached a jaw-dropping speed thanks to the near-infinite energy supplied by the Mid-Level Spiritual Energy Potion!
His body was like a dry sponge thrown into an ocean of energy, greedily and madly absorbing every last wisp of it, converting it into his own solid foundation.
His life force index also began to skyrocket at a visible rate amidst this extreme tempering and nourishment.
Though the number on the panel only ticked up slowly, in increments of 0.01...
...in Qin Feng’s own perception, he could clearly feel his strength, speed, and endurance undergoing earth-shattering changes with each passing moment.
The feeling was like welcome rain after a long drought—utterly exhilarating and intoxicating.
Time slipped by quietly amidst the monotonous yet fulfilling extreme training.
Qin Feng became a statue of cultivation, forgetting hunger, forgetting fatigue, and throwing his entire body and soul into this war against his own limits.
His rate of improvement was at least three times faster than before.
If he continued at this terrifying pace, perhaps it would be just as Qian Duoduo had joked.
In a month, his life force index might just break the 10.0 barrier, allowing him to officially step into the ranks of Second Level Martial Artists.
Qin Feng trained in silence.
After a single day, his proficiency in the *Imperial Body Refining Technique* had actually increased by 200 points!
At a rough estimate, it was highly possible that he could practice the Body Refining Technique to Perfection and break a 10.0 life force index in about a month!
’I can do this!’
Qin Feng’s eyes burned like torches. ’When my life force index gets close to 10.0 at the end of this month, I can register for the Qiming Star Inter-School Martial Arts Tournament. I’ll enter as a first-year and snag 500 academic points if I make the top ten!’