Time is the most impartial and yet most ruthless measure in the Cosmos.
For Martial Artists immersed in arduous cultivation, it flows by silently, yet leaves a profound mark on every inch of their bodies.
In the blink of an eye, another month had quietly passed.
The night was deep.
At Qiming First Martial Arts High School, the lights were blazing in the exclusive public Martial Arts Room for Class Three, Year One.
Amidst the lively training ground, Qin Feng sat cross-legged in a corner, meditating.
His eyes were closed, his breathing long and steady. He was like an ancient, unchanging statue, completely integrated with the surrounding tranquility.
He wasn’t meditating, but quietly sensing the improvements within his own body.
The immense energy of the last Mid-Level Spiritual Energy Potion and the gentle medicinal power of the final Mid-Level Flesh Repairing Medicine Bath were now intertwined. Like the most skilled craftsman, they were performing the last, most perfect polishing and reshaping of his every muscle, every bone, and even every cell.
In his vision, the number representing the essence of his life was making its final, most critical sprint.
9.998...
9.999...
At this moment, time itself seemed to stretch on infinitely.
Finally, amidst the convergence and sublimation of countless warm currents of energy, the formless barrier restricting the leap in his life’s level was shattered with a BOOM!
[Vitality Index: 10.00]
[Vitality Index: 10.01]
’Success!’
...
This past month had been the most tedious, yet also the most fulfilling, that Qin Feng had ever experienced in his life.
He had strictly followed the grueling training regimen he had set for himself, squeezing out every last ounce of energy from every minute and every second.
Every day, he spent over thirteen hours practicing the Extreme Body Refining Technique, repeatedly pushing his physical body to the brink of collapse and Rebirth.
Meanwhile, the massive, unending supply of top-tier resources from his C-rank contract provided the most solid and reliable support for this frenzied transformation.
His gains were enormous—enough to make any of his peers despair.
Qin Feng called up his system panel, where the results of his month of arduous cultivation were clearly displayed.
[Name]: Qin Feng
[Vitality Index]: 10.01
[Martial Artist Level]: Second Level Martial Artist
[Refining Techniques]:
Beginner Imperial Body Refining Technique (Perfection)
[Proficiency]: 10000 / 10000
[Effect]: At the current realm, passively increases Vitality Index by 0.001 points per hour. Body recovery speed and energy absorption efficiency are slightly increased.
Emperor Meditation Technique (Entry)
[Proficiency]: 12 / 100
[Effect]: Nail of Favor x1: Your cultivation speed for meditation techniques receives a slight Amplification.
[Killing Techniques]:
Thousand Army Spear (Minor Success)
[Proficiency]: 992 / 1000
[Mastered Killing Techniques]: Thousand Soldiers’ Evasion
First was the Imperial Body Refining Technique.
Fueled by a mountain of resources and daily, relentless, extreme cultivation, he had forcibly completed a journey in one month that would take an ordinary person several years, or even more than a decade.
His proficiency had skyrocketed from just over four hundred points, crossing the chasm between "Minor Success" and "Major Success," and finally breaking the Ten Thousand Points mark to reach the ultimate state a Cultivation Technique could achieve: Perfection.
Correspondingly, his Vitality Index had soared from 3.42 a month ago, steadily breaking the 10.0 barrier to reach 10.01, officially stepping into the ranks of a Second Level Martial Artist.
Furthermore, there was the passive effect of a 0.001 Vitality Index increase per hour. While the numerical value hadn’t changed, the Vitality Index represented physical strength. Now that Qin Feng was a Second Level Martial Artist, each point increase in his Vitality Index signified a greater improvement in his physical body.
The passive effects of increased recovery speed and energy absorption efficiency were also extremely useful. These were a Martial Artist’s most fundamental and valuable "talents."
As for his appearance, Qin Feng’s height had shot up by five centimeters during this month of skeletal development, reaching 1.85 meters.
His figure was no longer that of a slender youth but had become tall and well-proportioned, exuding a sense of fluid power.
His features were resolute, with sharp brows and bright eyes, having shed his previous immaturity.
His overall physical qualities—whether strength, speed, endurance, or recovery—were now several times greater than they had been a month ago!
Second was his Thousand Army Spear.
Although he had dedicated ninety percent of his energy this month to cultivating his Body Refining Technique,
the ten high-intensity ranked matches in the Imperial Arena he fought every day without fail, along with his meticulous post-match reviews, still allowed his spear technique to improve steadily.
[Imperial Arena Data]:
[ID]: Qin
[Rank]: First Rank
[Ranked Record]: 182 Wins, 151 Losses
[Points]: 131
In one month, he had fought a total of over 330 ranked matches.
His win rate, after an initial surge, had finally stabilized at around fifty-five percent.
His points had also risen from fluctuating around one hundred to the current 131.
This was Qin Feng’s current limit. Over 300 matches was not a small number and was enough to be representative of his performance.
When he was matched against "locals" in the same point bracket, the fights were exhilarating, a back-and-forth exchange between well-matched adversaries. It was a case of meeting one’s match. If he encountered a "rank climber," however, he would be utterly crushed. Fortunately, he rarely met them, having run into them only two or three times in over 300 matches, usually when he was on a winning streak.
Qin Feng speculated that as long as he had a winning streak, he would be judged as having improved in skill and matched against stronger opponents.
Perhaps this was one of the Imperial Arena’s mechanics.
As for his spear technique proficiency, its growth wasn’t slow either, increasing from over four hundred points to the current 992.
He was just one step away from the next realm, "Major Success."
’Flowing Light Chasing Shadow...’
Qin Feng could clearly feel that the killing move, centered on ultimate speed and piercing power, was already brewing in his mind. All he needed was the right opportunity, a moment of sudden inspiration, to master it completely.
Finally, there was the Emperor Meditation Technique.
His persistence in practicing for half an hour every day before bed had allowed his proficiency to slowly increase by 12 points.
Although the Minor Success Realm at 100 points was still a long way off, this daily grind of polishing his Mental Power had made his Will increasingly tenacious and pure.
After reviewing his enormous gains from the past month, Qin Feng stood up and left the public Martial Arts Room.
Back in the dormitory, Qian Duoduo and Shi Potian were already resting in their respective rooms.
Qin Feng didn’t disturb them. He returned to his room, activated his wrist terminal, and placed a call home.
A light screen flickered to life, and the familiar faces of his father, Qin Dahai, and his uncle, Wang Ming, appeared on the screen at the same time.
They seemed to be eating together. A few simple, home-cooked dishes were on the table, and the atmosphere was very warm.
"Dad, Uncle."
Qin Feng greeted them with a smile.
"Xiaofeng!"
Seeing him, his uncle Wang Ming immediately put down his chopsticks, his face beaming with irrepressible excitement. "You called at the perfect time! I was just about to share some good news with you!"
"Uncle, did you pass the exam for that designer certificate?"
Qin Feng asked.
"I did more than just pass!"
Wang Ming’s voice rose a few decibels as he puffed out his chest with pride. "Beginner Power Armor Designer certification! Passed on the first try! And my mentor said I have a real talent for structural science! I’m an official designer in the design department now. Starting next month, my monthly salary will be one hundred thousand Imperial Coins! I’ll even have the chance to go to headquarters for further study and test for the Middle Level and advanced certificates!"
"That’s great, Uncle."
Qin Feng was genuinely happy for him.
"It’s all thanks to you, kid!"
Wang Ming said with emotion, "If you hadn’t made us proud and gotten into Qi Yi High School, I never would have had the chance to even come into contact with things I couldn’t have dared to dream of before."
"That’s because of your own talent, Uncle. A good judge of character discovered you."
Qin Feng praised him with a smile, then turned to his father, who had been watching them with a gentle smile. "Dad, how’s your health? Have you still been feeling that burning pain lately?"
"Much better, much better."
A relaxed smile appeared on Qin Dahai’s face, and a hint of warmth entered his usually deep eyes.
"My job is cushy now, so I just focus on recuperating every day. Plus, with money being less tight now that I don’t have to save up resources for you, I’ve had a few deep treatment sessions at the medical center, and they’ve worked very well. The fire poison left behind by that ’Flame Demon’ is getting weaker and weaker."
"Another two or three months of treatment, and it should be completely gone. Then I can get my arm regenerated."
"..."
Hearing this news, Qin Feng was finally able to put his mind at ease.
His family’s well-being was his greatest motivation to advance bravely and without distraction.
"And you, son? How are you doing at school?"
Qin Dahai asked with concern.
"I’m doing great, Dad."
Qin Feng smiled and briefly told them about his progress.
"My Vitality Index just broke through to 10.01, so I’m officially a Second Level Martial Artist now. The school has plenty of resources, and I’m making rapid progress in all areas."
"What?! 10.01?!"
On the other end of the call, Qin Dahai and Wang Ming were both stunned, their faces then erupting in incredulous, ecstatic joy.
It had only been two months!
From 3.01 when he started school to 10.01 now!
This rate of improvement was simply unheard of!
"Good, good, good!"
Qin Dahai was so excited he repeated the word "good" three times, his eyes turning slightly red.
"At the end of next month, I plan to sign up for the Qiming Star Inter-school Martial Dao League."
Qin Feng continued.
"A league! Can we watch? Will it be live-streamed?"
Wang Ming asked immediately.
"Yes, I’ll send you the link to the live stream then."
"That’s wonderful!"
Qin Dahai said, "Son, we’ll definitely watch your matches together then!"
After catching up with his family for a little longer and reminding them to take care of their health, Qin Feng hung up the call.
He was just about to go wash up when his wrist terminal chimed with a notification.
It was a message from the class group chat for Year One, Class Three.
The head teacher, Wu Shangfeng, had tagged everyone in the group.
[Wu Shangfeng]: Everyone must rest early tonight. Tomorrow’s combat class mission will be difficult. Assemble at 7 a.m. in the Year One, Class Three Martial Arts Room. No one is allowed to be late. @All Members
Seeing this message, Qin Feng’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He walked out of his room and knocked on Qian Duoduo’s and Shi Potian’s doors.
The two of them came out quickly, having clearly seen the notification in the group chat as well.
"Looks like tomorrow’s mission won’t be simple,"
Qian Duoduo analyzed, rubbing his chin. "Teacher Wu notified us a day in advance and even emphasized that the mission would be difficult."
"High difficulty also means more academic points as a reward."
A glint of fighting spirit flashed in Shi Potian’s eyes.
He had been crazily practicing his killing techniques this month, making great progress with his Ninefold Thunder Saber.
As for his Vitality Index being stuck at 9.98, it was all to compete for the academic points in this month’s exam and secure a C-rank contract in one go. Now that there was an even more difficult mission, Shi Potian was naturally excited.
"Mm, no matter what the mission is, it’s never wrong to be fully prepared."
Qin Feng nodded. "We have to get a good rest tonight."
The three of them discussed it briefly, speculating on what they might face tomorrow, but there was too little information to draw any real conclusions.
So, they stopped overthinking it, returned to their rooms, and went to bed early.