After ending the conversation, Qin Feng lay quietly on his bed.
He knew things were definitely not as casual as his father had made them sound.
Being cut in line meant his uncle’s family would have to squeeze into their tiny home for even longer. Besides, it might not even be a simple case of being cut in line. If it were, his uncle wouldn’t be so anxious.
An invisible pressure and an even stronger desire to grow more powerful intertwined in his heart.
’Only by becoming strong enough can I gain enough of a voice. Only then can I stop my family from worrying about these kinds of things.’
It was just like how his acceptance into Qiming First High School had immediately led to his father and uncle being considered for promotions.
He had to become stronger and stronger!
Qin Feng took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and opened his personal data panel.
These were the results of his twenty days of arduous training.
[Name]: Qin Feng
[Life Force Index]: 14.03
[Martial Artist Level]: Second Level Martial Artist
[Refining Methods]:
Intermediate Imperial Body Refining Method (Adept)
[Proficiency]: 120 / 1,000
[Note]: When the "Intermediate Imperial Body Refining Method" reaches Perfection, you will undergo your first [Life Evolution].
Emperor Meditation Method (Novice)
[Proficiency]: 22 / 100
[Effect]: Nail of Favor x1: Your Meditation method cultivation speed is slightly amplified.
[Killing Methods]:
Thousand Army Spear (Greater Success)
[Proficiency]: 5,011 / 10,000
[Effect]: At your current realm, comprehension when practicing spear techniques is moderately increased.
[Mastered Killing Techniques]: Thousand Soldiers’ Evasion, Flowing Light Chasing Shadow, Thousand Soldiers Guarding
[Merit Points]: 130
[Imperial Arena Data]:
[ID]: Qin
[Rank]: First Rank
[Points]: 253
[Ranked Match Record]: 324 Wins, 264 Losses
Looking at this brand-new panel, Qin Feng began to silently analyze his progress.
First was the progress of his physical body.
His Life Force Index had reached an astonishing 14.03.
In these twenty days, he had poured almost all his time and energy into practicing the "Intermediate Imperial Body Refining Method." Coupled with the more abundant resources he had compared to last month, this rate of progress was well worth the sweat he had shed.
This number was definitely at the top tier among all the new students.
His punching power had reached 7,931 kg.
His 100-meter dash speed had soared to 39.2 m/s.
Second was the killing method, "Thousand Army Spear."
The three major killing techniques—Thousand Soldiers’ Evasion for offense, Flowing Light Chasing Shadow for speed, and Thousand Soldiers Guarding for defense—were now all completely mastered by him.
Now, he was well-rounded in both offense and defense, with no obvious weaknesses.
Next would be the patient grind of raising his proficiency to Perfection, bit by bit. There was no rushing it.
In these twenty days, he had fought two hundred official ranked matches. His win rate had stabilized at around 55%, and his points had steadily climbed to 253 in the First Rank.
As for the "Emperor Meditation Method," he only increased its proficiency a little every now and then. Although it was slow, the effects were tangible.
The growth of his Mental Power was profound and mysterious; he couldn’t quite explain it himself.
But he could clearly feel that his mental acuity was getting better and better. His memory, cognitive abilities, and his capacity to analyze and assess battle situations had all greatly improved.
This was the foundation that allowed him to quickly adapt to the brutal competition of the second year.
’With this level of strength, even if there are some monsters out there, I should be able to get into the top ten of the freshman tournament.’
’The top ten get a 500 merit point reward. After that, I just need to complete a few more practical combat class missions...’
’And a B-rank contract will be within reach.’
Qin Feng thought.
After half an hour of practicing his meditation method, he fell into a deep sleep.
The night passed without event.
-----------------
「The next morning.」
Sunlight passed through the Energy Shield above Qiming First High School, scattering before the magnificent Beikai Tower.
This building, named after a section of the Imperial Starry Sky Great Wall, was one of the school’s landmarks. The massive plaza in front of it was already bustling with people.
Qin Feng, Shi Potian, and Qian Duoduo arrived together at the assembly point right on time.
Several thousand students had already gathered in the plaza. They were distinctly separated into three areas according to their school year, yet all maintained a solemn silence, with only a low murmur flowing through the crowd.
"Brother Qin! Over here!"
A resonant voice called out.
Qin Feng followed the voice and saw the burly Tie Lin.
He was waving excitedly in their direction, accompanied by several other students from Class 1-3.
Tie Lin strode over, his face beaming with excitement. "Brother Qin, you’re here! That ’Entrench’ stance you taught me last time—I went back and practiced it for ten days. I feel like the foundation of my spear technique is several times more stable!"
He eagerly shared his training insights with Qin Feng. As for the "lesson of one staff strike" back then, he held no grudge at all, only heartfelt gratitude and admiration.
Qin Feng smiled and exchanged a few words with him.
His gaze swept over the freshman area where Tie Lin was standing.
It looked like a lot of people, but Qin Feng did a rough estimate and figured there were only about two hundred-plus.
Keep in mind, Qiming First High School had enrolled a total of fifteen thousand new students this year, spread across nearly three hundred first-year classes.
And now, just over two months after the start of school, only these mere two hundred-odd students had reached the standard of a Second Level Martial Artist or a C-rank contract and had the guts to sign up for the inter-school league.
On average, that was less than one person per class.
In Qin Feng’s perception, although these freshmen all had formidable auras, none of them possessed a Life Force Index that could put any pressure on him.
The vast majority of them had a Life Force Index hovering between 10.0 and 12.0.
Qin Feng’s gaze then shifted to the upperclassmen area next to them.
The atmosphere there was completely different.
The second-year students were the most numerous, with a dense crowd of over two thousand people.
Each one of them was like a drawn sword, their aura heavy and sharp.
With a single glance, Qin Feng spotted a familiar figure in the crowd—Sun He.
And in his perception, the life force fluctuations of almost everyone in that area were no lower than Sun He’s.
They were powerful auras, like rushing rivers. Every single person’s Life Force Index stood firmly above 18.0.
At the very front of the upperclassmen area stood a small handful of people.
There were only a dozen or so of them, yet they were like an insurmountable mountain range, suppressing the auras of the thousands of underclassmen behind them.
They were the third-year students.
They just stood there quietly, not deliberately releasing their auras, but the vast, abyss-like fluctuations of their life force made Qin Feng’s heart clench.
Every single one of them had a Life Force Index of 30.0.
The goal of these upperclassmen was to seize the Qiming General Star!
Some of them had even approached 30.0 last year, but they deliberately held off on applying for graduation and didn’t learn higher-level killing methods to refine their bodies. They did all this just to wait for this competition and fight for the title of Qiming General Star!