Chapter 104: Task Codename: Meat Grinder

Chapter 104: Mission Codename: Meat Grinder

...

Meanwhile, in another more spacious high-level martial arts room.

Seven or eight senior students from the third year were gathered there.

In the center of the arena, Feng Ruyun was engaged in a live sparring session with another senior student.

Feng Ruyun wielded a horse-slaying saber, his blade technique fierce and domineering, each swing carrying a heavy sound of wind splitting.

His opponent struggled to defend, but was forced back step by step.

"Brother Feng's 'Blazing Flame Blade' has improved again! It feels like he's not far from the realm of mastery!"

"Yeah, so strong! With Brother Feng's strength, next year's 'Qiming Star General' is definitely in the bag!"

The senior students watching from the side showered him with flattery and admiration.

A few minutes later, the sparring ended.

Feng Ruyun sheathed his saber and stood upright, his breath steady, a confident smile on his face.

He looked at Sun He, who had just walked in, and asked gently, "A He, looking for me?"

Sun He nodded, glanced at the others around, seeming hesitant.

"It's fine, they're all brothers, just say it directly."

Feng Ruyun said nonchalantly.

Sun He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and said in a low voice, "Brother Feng, I came to persuade you of something."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Give up next year's 'Qiming Star General'."

Sun He said word by word, "Apply for graduation now, you can still catch the last batch of recruitment tests for Starry Sky Martial Universities this year, no need to wait another year. With your strength, you could even compete for Canaan Starry Sky Martial University."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire martial arts room fell silent.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Sun He in shock.

The smile on Feng Ruyun's face froze. He frowned and asked in confusion, "A He, what do you mean? Why should I give up?"

"Yeah, Sun He! What kind of joke is that?"

Another senior student couldn't help but say, "Brother Feng's vitality index has already reached 30.0! And he's mastered two complete killing techniques: 'Blazing Flame Blade' and 'Iron Wall Fist'! He's definitely the strongest contender for next year's 'Qiming Star General'! You know how rich the honor and rewards of 'Qiming Star General' are, how can you just say give up?"

Everyone felt Sun He's words were unreasonable.

Sun He looked at their puzzled expressions and said bitterly, "Because, next year's competition, Qin Feng will participate."

"I know he will."

Feng Ruyun's face darkened, "Do you think I'm not as good as him?"

"No, that's not what I mean."

Sun He hurriedly explained, stammering, "I'm afraid... afraid..."

"Afraid he'll defeat me? Causing me to waste a whole year in vain?"

Feng Ruyun heard this and suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

The other senior students also joined in the laughter.

"A He, did that kid mess up your brain?"

One senior student teased, "He's a freshman who's only been in school for four months. Even if he won the Freshman King and had some luck, there's no way he can threaten Brother Feng next year, right?"

"Exactly!"

Another chimed in, "You lost to him because he just got the Freshman King reward and his strength skyrocketed, catching you off guard. But to think he can take the 'Qiming Star General' in his second year? That's never happened before!"

They all thought Sun He was acting as a mediator because he had gotten close to Qin Feng.

Sun He looked at their dismissive smiles, opened his mouth to explain Qin Feng's freakish, unreasonable strength.

But Feng Ruyun waved his hand, stopping him.

Feng Ruyun's face had completely turned cold, his eyes sharp as knives, fixed on Sun He.

"I, Feng Ruyun, ranked first in the Qiming Star middle school exam, first in the monthly exams after enrollment, advanced to the second year in two months, participated in the Qiming School League for the first time three months after enrollment and won that year's Freshman King, the second time I entered the senior student competition and made it into the top five hundred, the third time I entered the top ten, and missed the Qiming Star General by luck..."

"With such a record, I still need to participate in the Qiming School League for the fourth time to be confident in winning the Qiming Star General."

"And you think Qin Feng can win it in his second time? His record is no different from mine!"

Feng Ruyun took a deep breath and patted Sun He on the shoulder.

"A He, we are brothers through life and death, so I'll take what you said today as nonsense."

"But if you ever say such things again, disturbing my martial heart..."

"Then I'd rather not have you as a friend."

The cold words made Sun He's heart sink.

He knew that if he said more, he would only completely anger Feng Ruyun and destroy their friendship.

Sun He could only shut his mouth, swallowing all his words back down.

"Alas..."

Sun He sighed helplessly in his heart.

He knew that his persuasion, in Feng Ruyun's eyes, was an insult to his strength.

But the reason he risked being hated or even breaking off their friendship to say these words was precisely because he regarded Feng Ruyun as a true brother.

Back then, in the senior student competition, it was Feng Ruyun who stood up for him recklessly, beating that student from Golden Dragon Martial High to death on the stage, avenging him.

He had always remembered that debt of gratitude. That was why he didn't want to see his proud friend, on that stage watched by thousands next year, crash into the wall of Qin Feng's despair-inducing height.

Because that guy... was truly an out-and-out freak!

Qin Feng didn't know that after he left, Sun He, because of his words, had risked breaking with his best friend to make a doomed persuasion attempt.

At this moment, he was immersed in his own unshakable training rhythm.

That night, when the last trace of mental energy was exhausted through the operation of the "Imperial Meditation Method," Qin Feng ended a full day of training.

He didn't go to sleep immediately. Instead, he sat on the floor of his private martial arts room, quietly reviewing.

The benefits of having a Golden Standard Human Class II physical constitution were obvious.

Whether in strength, speed, or training efficiency, he had achieved a comprehensive, qualitative leap.

But at the same time, a new problem emerged.

He found that his consumption rate of various resources containing spiritual energy had become abnormally fast.

A bottle of intermediate spiritual energy potion, which would take an ordinary second-level martial artist several days to fully digest and absorb, he could drain all its energy in one day. Even advanced spiritual energy potions only lasted a few more days.

A B-grade energy meal could barely satisfy his hunger.

Simply put, his "engine" was too powerful, causing the "fuel consumption" to be astonishingly high.

At the current rate of consumption, the B-rank contract resources issued by the academy each month are barely sufficient.

If I complete the Intermediate Imperial Body Forging Method and undergo my second life evolution, then go to the Qiming Thunder Pool to elevate my physical constitution to Gold Standard Human Level III... by then, the resources from the B-rank contract will likely be far from enough.

Qin Feng calculated silently in his mind.

Improving the vitality index is like building a ship; physical potential is the level of the ship's blueprint. The stronger the ship, the more spiritual energy resources are needed to build it.

"It seems I still need to find a way to accumulate merit points. Either upgrade the resource contract to A-rank, or directly use merit points to exchange for the resources I need at the school's exchange center."

He glanced again at his data panel; the vitality index had already reached 19.82.

"At the current pace, in at most two or three days, I can break through the 20.0 threshold."

He thought for a moment, then opened the wrist terminal formed from the warp network pass, preparing to contact Teacher Lin Yue to apply for early departure to the Qiming Thunder Pool.

However, just as his finger touched Lin Yue's communication avatar, a newly received message from Lin Yue automatically popped up.

It was a mission brief in an extremely formal format.

[Mission Codename: Meat Grinder]

[Mission Rank: A-rank (Long-term)]

[Mission Location: Cadia Sector, Planet Purgatory-VII]

[Mission Background: The war between the Empire and the Greenskin Orks on Planet Purgatory-VII has lasted one hundred and fifty years. The entire planet has turned into a bloody meat grinder amidst the flames of war. Countless Greenskins follow their "Waaagh!" instinct in battle, growing stronger the more they fight. The Empire needs the bravest warriors to go to this planet, hunt down Greenskin elites, and curb the expansion of their combat power.]

[Mission Objective: Free hunting.]

[Merit Point Reward Rules:]

[- Kill a Level 1 Greenskin (vitality below 10.0): no merit points.]

[- Kill a Level 2 Greenskin (vitality 10.0-20.0): 10 merit points each.]

[- Kill a Level 3 Greenskin (vitality 20.0-30.0): 100 merit points each.]

[- Note: The standard for A-rank contract promotion is 10,000 merit points.]

[Start Time: Ten days from now.]

Looking at this mission brief filled with the scent of blood and fire, Qin Feng's eyes narrowed.

An A-rank contract requires ten thousand merit points.

According to the reward rules of this mission, it means he needs to independently slay one hundred Level 3 Greenskins with a vitality index above 20.0.

This difficulty is by no means small.

Qin Feng pondered for a moment, then directly replied to the message.

[Qin Feng]: Teacher Lin, received. Before the mission starts, I would like to apply to go to the Qiming Thunder Pool to improve my physical constitution.

The message was sent, and within ten seconds, Lin Yue's reply arrived.

[Lin Yue]: Okay. The latest batch of Qiming Thunder Pool usage permissions happens to open tomorrow and lasts for seven days. The timing works. Meet at the top floor of the Corona Building at eight tomorrow morning, and I'll take you there.

"Good."

Qin Feng replied with one word and closed the terminal.

The plan had undergone a small change due to this sudden mission.

"Leaving tomorrow means my vitality index probably won't reach 20.0 yet, so the second life evolution won't trigger."

"But a small boat is easy to turn; there's no need to rigidly follow the original plan."

Qin Feng's mindset was good.

"Perhaps, by first elevating my physical constitution to Gold Standard Human Level III, then triggering the life evolution provided by the panel, the two combined could produce unexpected effects, even... surpassing the limits of humanity?"

A bold guess arose in his mind.

After all, he still didn't know exactly what effect the [Life Evolution] provided by the system panel had.

In that case, let nature take its course.

Go to the Qiming Thunder Pool first, then undergo life evolution.

(End of chapter)