The silence in the cafeteria lasted only for a moment.
After Qin Feng and Tie Lin left, the suppressed chatter erupted like a bursting dam, instantly sweeping through the entire cafeteria.
At almost the exact moment Tie Lin bowed in thanks, a quick-thinking student had already uploaded the full video they had recorded to the Qi Yi High School campus forum.
He gave the post an incredibly provocative title.
[LIVE REPORT! Top-Ranked Student Qin Feng’s ’One-Staff Lesson,’ Second-Ranked Combatant Tie Lin Humbly Concedes!]
The video wasn’t long, only three minutes in total.
It covered everything from Tie Lin issuing the challenge to Qin Feng picking up the iron staff and taking the "Coiled" stance, then to his completely unreserved, on-the-spot explanation, and finally ending with Tie Lin’s heartfelt bow of gratitude.
The entire process was crystal clear.
The post landed like a bomb, instantly blowing up the entire campus forum.
The number of views and replies skyrocketed at a rate you could practically see.
"Holy shit! I was right there! Qin Feng’s opening stance... his presence was overwhelming! My knees went weak from more than ten meters away!"
"Is... Is that the ’Coiled’ stance from the `Thousand Army Spear`? The pressure is immense. I don’t remember feeling this much pressure from Tie Lin’s version."
"To the person above, don’t be an idiot. Tie Lin only has the ’form,’ but Qin Feng has mastered the ’spirit’ and ’intent’! Didn’t you listen to Qin Feng’s explanation? That’s the understanding of someone at the Great Success Realm!"
"That’s insane... He’s not just powerful himself, he can break down his understanding and explain it so simply to others. What kind of monstrous aptitude is that?"
"But the most important thing is his character! Tie Lin was clearly there to challenge him, but not only did Qin Feng not get mad, he genuinely taught him without holding anything back. That kind of magnanimity... I’m sold."
"That does it, I’m officially a fan! From this day on, I’m Qin Feng’s number one supporter!"
The buzz around the video even surpassed the previous discussions about the monthly exam results.
Before this, Qin Feng’s title as "Number One in the Grade" was, for many, just a cold, distant statistic.
But now, thanks to this video, the name had come to life, taking on an aura that was almost like that of a Grandmaster.
Meanwhile, the person at the center of the storm, Qin Feng himself, had long since returned to his dorm, room 402.
The commotion outside was of no concern to him.
He sat cross-legged on his bed with his eyes shut, circulating the Emperor Meditation technique while replaying every detail of his ranked matches in the Imperial Arena over and over in his mind.
Shi Potian was also training. A faint, cold energy emanated from him, and his aura was as still and heavy as ice.
Only Qian Duoduo couldn’t sit still. He was excitedly forwarding all the hot topics and epic replies from the forums to the trio’s private group chat.
"Old Qin, you’ve blown up, you’ve totally blown up! Right now, at least a third of the posts on the forum are about you."
"Some people have even started a betting pool on whether you’ll win the freshman championship in the upcoming inter-school tournament."
"Old Stone, people are analyzing you too. They’re saying you’re the only first-year who can go toe-to-toe with Old Qin in terms of Hard Power."
Qin Feng and Shi Potian exchanged a glance, and were just about to say something.
A crisp notification chime sounded from both Qin Feng’s and Shi Potian’s wrist terminals at the same time.
PING!
Shi Potian lifted his wrist, and a virtual screen materialized in front of him.
[Qiming First Martial Arts High School - Notice from the Dean’s Office]
[To: Shi Potian (Student ID: GY1031471), Year 1, Class 3]
[Your application for promotion to a C-rank contract has been approved. Effective immediately, your student contract level is upgraded to C-rank. Your resource privileges have been updated accordingly. Please proceed to the designated area tomorrow to collect your C-rank resource allotment.]
[Sender: Administrative System]
"Nice one, Old Stone!"
Qian Duoduo immediately leaned in, his face a mask of envy. "Congratulations! You’re a C-rank big shot now, too! From now on, our dorm will have two C-rank powerhouses and one little D-rank rookie."
Shi Potian nodded in acknowledgment of the congratulations.
But he then glanced at Qin Feng, who had also finished his training, and said, "You were still faster."
"C-rank contract resources are distributed monthly. On top of that, the number of Middle-Level Potions and Middle-Level Medicated Bath Packages you receive increases by one each subsequent month. Since Qin Feng was promoted a month before me, he’ll get access to more resources sooner. The gap between us will only grow wider."
Shi Potian’s tone was flat, as if he were merely stating a fact, but Qian Duoduo could still detect a faint hint of... envy.
PING!
Another notification sounded, and this time, all three of their terminals lit up.
The sender was their homeroom teacher, Wu Shangfeng.
Qin Feng and Shi Potian glanced at each other, both realizing this must be the response to their promotion applications.
They opened the message at the same time.
On the virtual screen was one of Wu Shangfeng’s characteristically concise notices.
[NOTICE]
[FROM: Wu Shangfeng]
[TO: Qin Feng, Shi Potian]
[RE: Approval of Second-Year Promotion Application and Explanation of New Academic System]
[1. Your application to advance to the second year has been approved by the Principal’s Office.]
[2. New class assignments are as follows:]
[Qin Feng: Year 2, Class (7)]
[Shi Potian: Year 2, Class (25)]
[3. As of tomorrow, you will officially be second-year students. The second-year program operates under a completely new academic management system. The specific regulations are listed below. Memorize them.]
[I. Instructional Model: Fully self-directed study. The second year will no longer have fixed academic or Martial Dao theory classes. Students are responsible for scheduling all their own study time. Instruction for the Body Refining Technique will be conducted on the Qimingxing First Martial Arts High School private network within the Subspace Network. There are no resident instructors.]
[II. Combat Courses: Unscheduled, individual combat practice. Note: All second-year combat courses are conducted in a solo mission format; you will no longer operate as a class. Based on your individual strength and areas of expertise, specialized mentors will help you select and undertake various missions available on the Subspace Network.]
[III. Performance Evaluation: Monthly exams are eliminated in favor of a point-based ranking system. The sole criterion for evaluating second-year students is ’points.’ On the 1st of each month, all second-year students will be ranked according to the points they earned in the previous month. Merit-based rewards will be distributed based on these rankings.]
[IV. Acquiring Points: Imperial Arena - Qiming First High School (Year 2) Private Server. All second-year students must compete in this exclusive private server to earn points.]
[a. Matchmaking: Completely random. Not restricted by vitality index.]
[b. Historical Recordings: The private server contains combat recordings of the most outstanding graduates in the history of Qiming First High School. Students may freely choose to battle these legendary alumni. Victory grants a large number of points.]
[The above are the core principles of the second-year program.]
[Finally, we hope that in the near future, you too will become distinguished graduates, challenged by those who come after you, and that your own recordings will be forever preserved in the history of Qiming First High School.]
[Wu Shangfeng]
The long notice was packed with a huge amount of information.
When Qin Feng and Shi Potian finished reading the last line, both fell silent.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the dorm room grew tense.
"This..."
"This Imperial Arena private server... fighting for points... what’s that all about?"
Shi Potian asked, his brow furrowed, getting to the heart of the matter.
He clearly didn’t understand the intricacies of these rules as well as Qian Duoduo did.