-----------------
After a moment of dead silence, the entire "Arctic Crown" Arena was completely drowned in a deafening roar of discussion.
"I... Shi Dang, one of the three top contenders, was instantly killed by a single spear strike after activating his bloodline?"
"A dark horse! He’s absolutely the biggest dark horse of this league! Where on earth did this monster, Qin Feng, come from?!"
"Quick, look him up! Get me Qin Feng’s file, now! What? He ranked over 67,000th on the high school entrance exam? Are you kidding me?!"
In the viewing area for Dubhe Martial High School.
Lei Yi, who had just instantly killed his own opponent, had been watching Shi Dang’s fight.
His sharp gaze was locked on the arena’s large screen, fixed upon Qin Feng’s unnaturally calm face.
’The Thousand Army Spear... at the Great Success Realm.’
’And that final move... That was... Flowing Light Chasing Shadow...’
’Such a fast spear, and such a powerful Dragon Body Technique. Perfectly integrated... impressive.’
’Qin Feng...’
-----------------
In the viewing area for Golden Dragon Martial High School.
The smile on Li Qing’s face had vanished completely, replaced by an unprecedented gravity.
The throwing knives that had been dancing nimbly between his fingers also came to a stop, clenched tightly in his palm.
’Great Success Spear Technique... what a monster.’
’He’s on the same level as Lei Yi. No... he’s even more dangerous than Lei Yi!’
’A... true monster!’
-----------------
On the top floor of the Observation Tower.
The lead instructor from Star River Military Affiliated High School shot up from his seat, his face a mask of shock. He cried out in disbelief,
"Even a full-power attack from someone with a life force index of 17 or 18 might not be able to break Shi Dang’s Stone Blood Body in a single hit!"
"Great Success Spear Technique... How is that possible?"
"A freshman has achieved the Great Success Spear Technique?"
"And with the Thousand Army Spear, which is widely considered the most difficult?"
Master Gu Yue spoke with admiration,
"’Using a point to break a surface.’ The killing move, ’Flowing Light Chasing Shadow,’ can concentrate all power into a single point, which erupts at the moment of contact with the target..."
"He can integrate his Body Technique, fusing it with his skills and using it so fluidly in actual combat. That is, without a doubt, the Great Success Spear Technique."
"Haha, he’s progressing so quickly..."
-----------------
In the "Qiming Viewing" building in the Hongye Commercial District, Qin Dahai leaped to his feet in excitement. He pumped his fists, his fierce eyes glistening with proud tears. He roared, completely ignoring the strange looks from those around him.
"That’s my boy! Way to go!"
His uncle and aunt cheered wildly.
His younger brother and sister cheered as well.
"Big brother won!"
"Big brother will definitely get first place!"
-----------------
Amidst the shock, uproar, and discussion from the entire crowd, Qin Feng calmly walked off arena number 073.
He retracted his spear and turned, his movements as fluid as flowing water, as if he had just finished an ordinary ranked match.
And for Qin Feng, that was indeed the case.
The opponents in his ranked matches were much tougher to deal with than Shi Dang. In the Imperial Arena’s ranking system, some of the guys who deliberately chose Heavy Armor had even stronger Defense Power than those with the Stone Man Bloodline.
’I hope this freshman tournament ends quickly.’
’Once I get the academic points from the freshman tournament, I can go back to grinding my life force index.’
’My life force index is my weak point.’
Qin Feng muttered to himself as he returned to the Qiming First High School viewing area.
He didn’t notice at all that he had suddenly become the biggest dark horse in the Qiming School-Level League!
No one had expected that in the very first round, Shi Dang, a favorite to win the championship, would be defeated outright.
And by the Great Success Spear Technique, no less!
A freshman with the Great Success Spear Technique!
When those two concepts were put together, the students of Qiming Seventh High School could only think of one word—monster!
Defeating Shi Dang was only the beginning.
In the matches that followed, Qin Feng used his actions to show every spectator on Planet Qiming the meaning of true "dominance."
The arena announcer’s voice had already shifted from initial shock to a familiar, passionate excitement.
"Ladies and gentlemen! In the second-round match that just concluded, Qin Feng from Qiming First High School has once again ended the fight with a clean and decisive instant kill! His opponent didn’t even last three moves against him! This is the second time today we’ve witnessed his Great Success Spear Technique!"
"Beautiful!"
"An utterly flawless strike! So clean and decisive!"
On the giant holographic screen, the fight replay looked like a fast-forwarded movie.
In the second round, Qin Feng’s opponent was a freshman who used dual blades.
The moment the match began, the student rushed forward like a whirlwind in a preemptive attack.
However, Qin Feng simply stood his ground. Seeing through the attack, he flicked his Long Spear casually. His reactive strike landed first, the shaft of the spear accurately smacking against his opponent’s dual blades.
An irresistible surge of power erupted, sending the student and his weapons flying right off the arena.
The entire exchange took no more than three seconds.
In the third round, his opponent was a student renowned for his defense, wielding a tower shield and looking like a small mountain.
The student had just assumed his strongest defensive stance when Qin Feng’s figure closed in like a phantom.
He didn’t use any killing moves, merely tapping the tip of his Long Spear lightly into the gap between his opponent’s tower shield and breastplate.
"CRACK!"
With that crisp sound, the student’s vaunted tower shield defense collapsed in an instant, like a balloon pricked by a needle.
He stared at Qin Feng, his face filled with horror, before giving a wry smile and jumping off the arena of his own accord.
In the stands, the chatter about Qin Feng had quietly begun to change.
If his victory against Shi Dang in the first match had only made him the "biggest dark horse of the tournament," then now, he had become an out-and-out "monster" in everyone’s eyes.
The spectators began to chant his name.
But down below the arena, Qin Feng’s expression remained perfectly calm.
To him, these fights were less stressful than getting brutally owned by the second-year veterans on the Qiming First High School Private Domain.
In the Imperial Arena’s ranked matches, the bizarre and tenacious fighting styles of the Martial Artists who would do anything for points far surpassed these talented but conventional freshmen.
To put it bluntly, Qin Feng felt like he was stomping noobs.
The announcer’s voice, tinged with unconcealed disappointment, once again rang throughout the arena.
"The draw for the fourth round is complete! Oh! It seems Lady Luck always sides with the strong! Contestant Qin Feng has a bye this round!"
A sigh of disappointment rippled through the stands.
Immediately after, the results of the fifth-round draw were announced.
"...Unbelievable! In the fifth-round draw, contestant Qin Feng has received another bye! What astonishing luck!"
The consecutive byes left the audience not knowing whether to laugh or cry. They had wanted to see more of his fluid spear technique, but now they couldn’t even be spectators.
It wasn’t until the sixth round that Qin Feng’s name finally reappeared on the match list.
"Alright! The sixth round is officially underway! Contestant Qin Feng finally takes the stage again! His opponent is the genius contestant from Beidou Martial High School, Zhang Lie! He is an expert who has reached the Lesser Success level of his killing arts! This is sure to be a clash of titans!"
The announcer did his utmost to hype up the atmosphere.
On the arena stage, Zhang Lie’s assault was indeed fierce.
His saber technique was grand and sweeping. The flashing light of his blade fanned out, forming an impenetrable curtain of light that descended upon Qin Feng.
However, in the face of such a ferocious attack, Qin Feng remained as unshakable as a mountain. Thousand Soldiers Guarding!
The Long Spear in his hands seemed to come alive, its movements so tight that not even a drop of water could pass through.
CLANG CLANG CLANG! CLANG CLANG CLANG!
The incessant, dense sound of striking metal filled the air as countless sparks erupted from the collisions between the spear shaft and the saber’s edge.
Zhang Lie used his full strength, the light of his saber flashing faster and faster, yet he could not break through the spear’s seemingly unhurried defense.
Behind the afterimages of the spear, Qin Feng moved as if taking a leisurely stroll through a courtyard.
At the twenty-ninth second of the match, Qin Feng’s eyes caught a tiny opening that had appeared in his opponent’s form due to the relentless assault.
’Now!’
His defensive spear stance suddenly changed. The Long Spear struck like lightning—a reactive Thousand Soldiers’ Evasion that landed first!
"CLANG!"
With a loud report, the Long Saber in Zhang Lie’s hand was sent flying high into the air by an irresistible force. It spun a few times before embedding itself in the far edge of the arena.
Zhang Lie stood frozen on the spot, his face a mask of disbelief.
The thirty-second timer ran out, and the referee loudly announced the result.
The entire arena once again erupted in a tidal wave of awe at the terrifying "Great Success Spear Technique."