Data was the most direct reflection of strength.
Over the past month, his strength had undergone a world-shaking transformation.
First was the foundation: his Body Refining Technique.
The "Primary Imperial Body Refining Technique" had reached Perfection. For him, having already advanced to a Second Level Martial Artist, the effects of active cultivation were now negligible.
This afternoon’s arduous training session had proven this point.
Qin Feng had mapped out a clear path for himself.
He had high hopes of pushing his life force index to the limit of a Third-level Martial Artist by next year—before the veteran’s bracket of the next Qimingxing Inter-School League.
At that time, he would have a chance to compete for the legendary highest honor for a Qimingxing student—the "Qiming General Star."
Second were his killing techniques.
After his Thousand Army Spear advanced to "Major Accomplishment," its proficiency cap also increased from 1,000 to 10,000 points.
This afternoon’s high-intensity ranked matches alone had caused his proficiency to skyrocket by over a hundred points.
With the frontal assault of Thousand Soldiers’ Evasion, the ultimate defense-break of Flowing Light Chasing Shadow, and the unpredictable movements of the Wandering Dragon Body Technique, his current Combat System was beginning to take shape.
It was balanced in both offense and defense, effective at any range.
However, if he were to face a chaotic battle or an enemy with an extremely powerful offense, he would need to learn the third killing technique, Thousand Soldiers Guarding, to have absolute certainty.
With his review complete, Qin Feng closed the panel, his mind perfectly calm.
The path was clear. All that remained was to walk it, unwavering.
One year. He gave himself one year!
His goal: to reach the limit of a Third-level Martial Artist within a year, seize the Qiming General Star, and truly take his first step into the Star Sea.
...
The monthly exams arrived as scheduled the next day.
The morning’s academic exams were uneventful.
For Qin Feng, whose Mental Power had improved since he began practicing the Emperor Meditation Technique, subjects requiring extensive memorization and comprehension no longer posed any difficulty.
The afternoon’s combat practical, however, caused quite a stir in the class.
The first event: the life force index test.
The students lined up, taking turns stepping into the precise testing instrument, which resembled a small teleportation pod.
"BEEP—Chu Lan, life force index: 9.821."
"BEEP—Shi Potian, life force index: 10.003."
"BEEP—Qian Duoduo, life force index: 8.055."
One after another, numbers representing the top tier of the class appeared on the display, drawing gasps from the crowd.
Shi Potian had already quietly broken through to Second Level Martial Artist before the last practical, so that wasn’t a surprise.
But when Qin Feng stepped onto the tester, almost every eye in the room focused on him.
They all wanted to know what level of physical conditioning this "technique-focused" representative—who had slain a level 14.5 monster with his miraculous spear skills—actually possessed.
Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Qin Feng stood still, and the instrument’s door sealed shut.
A red light slowly scanned his body from top to bottom.
A few seconds later.
"BEEP—"
A crisp tone sounded.
On the display, a number slowly materialized and finally locked into place.
[10.067]
When this number appeared, the entire testing room fell into a strange, deathly silence.
Everyone’s eyes widened, staring at the number in disbelief.
10.067!
Even higher than Shi Potian, who had just broken through!
"A Second Level Martial Artist! Qin Feng... his life force index broke 10.0 too?"
"My God! I thought... I always thought he beat Kro purely through spear techniques!"
"So his physical conditioning has also reached the standard of a Second Level Martial Artist!"
"A monster... a true monster! His Body Refining Technique and killing techniques are both at the highest level!"
"One month... his progress is so fast."
"Is this the effect of a C-rank contract’s resources?"
"It’s not just that. He’s incredibly diligent. He’s been showing up at the Martial Arts Room at five a.m. sharp every day for two months. I only lasted half a month."
Discussions and exclamations rose and fell in waves.
If the previous Qin Feng was seen as a "dark horse" or a "genius" who used his extraordinary comprehension to compensate for his own shortcomings, then now, with this final weakness not just shored up but having surpassed most others, Qin Feng’s image in everyone’s eyes had quietly completed its final transformation.
He was a true, undisputed, utterly flawless—"monster."
Facing the surrounding gazes, which were a mixture of shock and awe, Qin Feng’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
’The passive enhancement effects really aren’t bad.’
’There’s a slight improvement every day.’
’Every little bit adds up,’ Qin Feng calculated silently.
He stepped off the tester and returned to the line.
The second part of the combat practical was simulated combat.
This time, the students’ opponents weren’t each other, but the school’s instructors, who would personally enter the field to assess and guide the students’ combat abilities one-on-one.
When it was Qin Feng’s turn, he saw a familiar figure.
The goatee.
Professor Gu Yue.
"Come on."
Professor Gu Yue gestured for Qin Feng to open the Subspace Network and enter the Imperial Arena with his consciousness, then invited him to a friendly match.
Their consciousnesses flowed, and the two appeared on a starry arena.
Their life force indexes were both locked at 10.0.
"Ready, kid?"
Professor Gu Yue looked at him with a grin, unarmored and holding a standard-issue Long Spear.
"I’m ready, Professor."
Qin Feng bowed in salute, also unarmored and holding a standard-issue Long Spear.
Before the battle began, Professor Gu Yue didn’t rush to attack. Instead, he pulled up Qin Feng’s Imperial Arena data with great interest.
When he saw Qin Feng’s ranked match record of "205 wins, 168 losses," totaling nearly four hundred matches, even he couldn’t help but show a flicker of sincere admiration in his eyes.
"Not bad, not bad at all."
Professor Gu Yue stroked his beard.
"On the path of the Martial Dao, talent is certainly important, but diligence is the sole foundation that determines how far a person can go."
"It seems you’ve truly understood the meaning of the four words, ’Heaven rewards the diligent’."
"Let me see what kind of progress you’ve made in exchange for these nearly four hundred bloody battles."
As soon as his voice fell, the countdown ended.
Professor Gu Yue’s figure moved.
There was no astonishing momentum, no terrifying pressure.
He simply thrust his spear.
Yet, this simple thrust made Qin Feng’s pupils shrink violently.
That single strike seemed to seal off all his escape routes, as if it contained some fundamental principle of the universe. It was unavoidable and unstoppable.
Qin Feng gritted his teeth and persevered, and the two clashed with their spears on the arena floor.
Professor Gu Yue’s strength was astounding. He held a Fighter Rank, and even with his life force index matched with Qin Feng’s at 10.0, he could have easily killed him in an instant. But he only used the Thousand Army Spear, move by move, to force Qin Feng into desperate situations, constantly feeding him pointers.
...
The battle ended after an hour.
Qin Feng was defeated, as expected.
However, when he exited the Imperial Arena, his entire demeanor was completely refreshed.
In that last hour, Professor Gu Yue had used the Thousand Army Spear to duel Qin Feng, pointing out and dissecting every one of his shortcomings and openings, even forcefully "feeding" him the solutions in the most direct way possible.
This was a Fighter Level "private lesson," more precious than any amount of arduous training.
When Qin Feng opened his system panel again.
[Thousand Army Spear Proficiency +100]
[Thousand Army Spear Proficiency +100]
[Thousand Army Spear Proficiency +100]
[Killing Techniques]:
Thousand Army Spear (Major Accomplishment)
[Proficiency]: 412 / 10,000
[Mastered Killing Techniques]: Thousand Soldiers’ Evasion, Flowing Light Chasing Shadow
His spear proficiency had skyrocketed by a full 300 points during this "exam"!
Three hundred points! If he were to grind in the Imperial Arena without sleep, it would take him at least three or four days to grasp these principles.
If he hit a bottleneck, he might not achieve such an improvement even after seven or eight days.
But under Professor Gu Yue’s "hands-on" instruction, he had gained so much insight in just one hour.
His Thousand Army Spear proficiency had reached 412 points at the Major Accomplishment level, another huge step toward the 10,000 points needed for Perfection.
Outside the Martial Arts Room, the other students had been waiting for an hour. Seeing the energized Qin Feng walk out, followed by a beaming Professor Gu Yue, their faces showed no trace of surprise or jealousy.
They were already used to it.
It seemed only natural for this monster named Qin Feng to receive any kind of special treatment.
"Go back and review this properly. Watch the recording a lot. Your spear skills should be able to improve some more."
"You can’t figure out everything in just one hour."
"It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to spend a few days reviewing this battle."
Professor Gu Yue smiled as he advised Qin Feng.
"I understand, Professor."
Qin Feng nodded and bowed in gratitude.