The afternoon sun spilled through the tall, floor-to-ceiling windows of the Martial Arts Room, casting a warm halo of light.
Qin Feng’s figure weaved and shifted within that halo.
Once again, he had entered that wondrous state known as "flow."
It was as if the entire world had fallen silent.
The clamor and distractions of the outside world were completely sealed off by an invisible barrier.
In his consciousness, only the standard movements of the Imperial Body Refining Technique remained, along with the ultimate Control over his muscles, sinews, and qi and blood.
Every exertion of force, every breath he took, achieved a perfect harmony and unity with the rhythm of his body.
The immense energy from the Mid-Level Spiritual Energy Potion circulated steadily and efficiently within him. Like the most refined fuel, it continuously powered the high-speed cultivation machine that was his body.
His mind was highly focused, yet incredibly relaxed.
In such a state, time seemed to lose all meaning.
In the blink of an eye, the afternoon slipped away.
It wasn’t until the electronic clock on the wall pointed to 7:30 PM that Qin Feng slowly ceased his practice, withdrawing from that selfless state of "flow."
He exhaled a long, searing white breath. It condensed into a straight arrow in the cool air, lingering for a long time, a sign of the abundant and refined Spiritual Energy within him.
An unprecedented sense of power filled his entire being.
He could clearly feel that his body had undergone an earth-shattering transformation compared to just a day ago.
Qin Feng raised his hand, summoning his system panel and simultaneously activating the physical data monitoring function on his wrist-mounted terminal.
Two light screens materialized side by side in front of him.
[Name]: Qin Feng
[Life Force Index]: 3.42
[Martial Artist Level]: First-level Martial Artist
[Refinement Techniques]:
Imperial Body Refining Technique (Minor Accomplishment)
[Proficiency]: 618 / 1000
Emperor Meditation Technique (Initiate)
[Proficiency]: 0 / 100
[Effect]: Nail of Favor x1: Your Meditation technique cultivation speed is slightly amplified.
[Killing Techniques]:
Thousand Army Spear (Minor Accomplishment)
[Proficiency]: 489 / 1000
[Mastered Killing Techniques]: Thousand Soldiers’ Evasion
[Real-time Physical Data]
[Name]: Qin Feng
[Life Force Index]: 3.42
Looking at the crystal-clear data on the light screens, Qin Feng gained an intuitive understanding of his rate of improvement.
In just one day, with the support of top-tier resources, his Body Refining Technique proficiency had skyrocketed by 200 points.
His Life Force Index had also steadily increased by 0.21, and he estimated it would rise a bit more after a night’s sleep.
Considering the "positive feedback acceleration" effect—where greater strength leads to higher absorption efficiency—he could easily stack his Life Force Index to 10.0 within a month.
This rate of progress was truly astounding.
In the days to come, all Qin Feng had to do was repeat today’s monotonous yet efficient training, day after day.
First, he would raise his Life Force Index to 10.0. Then, he would continue to desperately hone his skills, pushing his strength to its absolute limit before the Qiming League began.
’If I only had a D-rank contract, D-rank Energy Meals, and two low-level Spiritual Energy Potions per month, my recovery speed would be ten times slower.’
’But now that my resources have been replenished, I can reach 10.0 in a month. This is the power of resources.’
Qin Feng reflected with emotion.
Understanding the importance of resources in his heart, he knew he had to secure a good ranking in the upcoming Qiming High School League and aim for a B-rank contract!
...
At 8:00 PM, the cafeteria was much less crowded.
Qin Feng, Qian Duoduo, and Shi Potian each carried their trays and sat at their usual spot.
While enjoying his C-rank nutritional meal, Qin Feng opened his wrist-mounted terminal, preparing to follow Qian Duoduo’s suggestion and check out the legendary "campus forum."
However, the moment he connected to the Subspace Network, a rapid series of "BEEP BEEP BEEP" notifications exploded from his terminal.
[User "Sword Dance Allure" has sent you a friend request.]
[User "Mad Blade Li" has sent you a friend request.]
[User "Sikong Yao" has sent you a friend request.]
[...]
In just one afternoon, his friend request list had piled up with nearly a hundred entries.
He opened the request list and gave it a cursory glance.
The IDs were a motley collection, but without exception, their personal profile pages all listed the same affiliation: Qiming First Martial Arts High School.
A trace of confusion appeared on Qin Feng’s face.
"What’s going on?"
Beside him, Qian Duoduo leaned over, glanced at the dense list of friend requests on the light screen, and immediately burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, I knew this would happen!"
He said with schadenfreude, "Qin Feng, the news about you getting a C-rank contract has completely blown up on the campus forum! After you left at noon, someone uploaded a video of you getting your meal. That post has over ten thousand replies now!"
"Now, the whole school knows that the first-year class has a monster who got a C-rank contract just over a month after enrolling. Nine times out of ten, these people adding you as a friend want to spar with you in the Imperial Arena and see your strength for themselves. Of course, they’re definitely not convinced."
Qian Duoduo chuckled. "After all, your combat simulation score was almost three hundred points higher than second place. To many, that’s unbelievable. They won’t believe it until they fight you themselves."
"A bunch of energetic kids."
Shi Potian, standing by, gave a rare smile and commented, "You scored 500 because the maximum score is 500. They scored in the 200s because that’s all their strength is worth. It’s a gap they won’t understand until they experience it in a fight."
Hearing this, Qin Feng just shook his head.
He reached out and swiped across the light screen.
[Reject All Friend Requests]
[Confirm]
The hundred-odd friend requests were cleared in an instant.
He had neither the time nor the energy to deal with these challenges or prove anything to anyone.
’Is it useful to me?’
’It’s useless.’
His time now was incredibly precious.
Every minute, every second, had to be spent on improving his own strength.
He had to race against time to push his strength to its peak before the Qiming League, fight for a good ranking, claim those rich grade point rewards, and then get promoted to a B-rank contract.
This was the royal road that would allow him to snowball his resources and leave everyone else far behind.
As for the opinions and challenges of others, what did they have to do with him?
The strong never need to prove themselves to the weak.
Qin Feng considered this one of his strengths. He knew with perfect clarity what he needed most right now, allowing him to distinguish between primary and secondary priorities and, in turn, make the most correct decisions.