Chapter 129: Aim High to Achieve the Middle

Chapter 129: Aim High, Settle for the Middle

The clamor of the outside world could not disturb Qin Feng in the slightest.

After casting aside those recruitment letters from Starry Sky Martial University, he once again sank into a deep state of cultivation.

His physical body sat serenely upon the chair, breathing steady and long.

Meanwhile, his mind had long since plunged into the boundless sea of consciousness, visualizing the majestic figure of an emperor treading upon endless star rivers, cloaked in eternal radiance.

The cultivation of the *Emperor’s Meditation Method* was like sailing against the current—not a single day could be slackened.

At the same time, he remained linked to the holographic viewing device, overlooking the battles of the freshman tournament below.

This was a technique of dual focus; Qin Feng had discovered that after achieving minor success in the *Emperor’s Meditation Method*, he could accomplish it with ease.

The freshman tournament progressed swiftly.

Under the brutal single-elimination system, the number of participants dwindled visibly.

In just a day and a half, the thousands of freshman prodigies from various martial high schools of Qiming Star were reduced to the final four.

The semifinals officially commenced.

One of the matches pitted a junior from Qiming No.1 High against a freshman from Golden Dragon Martial High.

Qin Feng’s attention was slightly drawn to this match.

On the arena, the battle had already reached its conclusion.

The junior from Qiming No.1 wielded a nimble and swift short sword, his footwork elusive and his sword strikes ruthless—clearly an outstanding seedling nurtured under Qiming No.1’s educational system.

His opponent, a student from Golden Dragon Martial High, brandished a massive mountain-cleaving axe, his style broad and unrestrained, brimming with wild aggression.

Every swing of his axe was heavy and forceful, carrying a ferocious aura that threatened to shatter both opponent and blade together.

The two had been locked in combat for nearly ten minutes. In the end, the Qiming No.1 junior, slightly inferior in practical experience, made a minuscule error of a few tenths of a second during a transition between moves.

This mistake, in a duel between experts, was fatal.

The Golden Dragon student seized the opportunity with precision. Letting out a beastly roar, he channeled a blinding burst of spiritual energy into his mountain-cleaving axe. With a single, powerful stroke—*Cleaving Mount Hua*—he slammed it viciously onto the short sword the junior had hastily raised to block.

*Clang—!!!*

A piercing, metallic clash rang out!

The short sword flew away with a clatter. The immense force struck the junior like a thunderbolt, sending him hurtling backward. His chest heaved with surging blood and qi, and a visible depression appeared—he had clearly suffered severe internal injuries.

The outcome was decided.

Everyone could see that the Qiming No.1 junior had completely lost his combat ability.

Struggling, he opened his mouth, ready to utter the words “I surrender.”

But in that instant, a sudden change occurred!

The Golden Dragon student, seeing his opponent utterly defenseless, showed no intention of pulling back. Instead, a vicious, undisguised murderous intent flashed in his eyes!

He did not cease his attack; instead, he channeled all his spiritual energy into his right leg, launching himself like a cannonball. A brutal knee strike aimed directly at the fallen junior’s head—a lethal blow!

If that strike connected, even if it didn’t kill, it would surely shatter the skull, leaving the victim to spend the rest of his life in a repair pod—a miserable fate!

This happened so fast that many students in the audience hadn’t even registered it.

“Stop!”

At this critical moment, a cold and commanding shout rang out like a thunderclap across the arena.

A figure in official referee attire appeared between the two combatants like a phantom.

He simply extended one hand, like an insurmountable iron gate, and precisely blocked the vicious knee strike.

*Thud!*

A dull sound.

The referee stood motionless.

The Golden Dragon student let out a grunt, repelled by a gentle yet irresistible force, stumbling backward for over ten meters before crashing to the ground in disgrace.

The referee’s icy gaze, like two sharp swords, locked onto the attacking student.

For a student who intended to kill, if he later encountered someone who wanted to kill him, the referee would not intervene.

“Match over. The outcome is decided.”

The cold words echoed across the silent arena.

Only then did the audience snap out of their daze.

Immediately, the Qiming No.1 High section erupted into chaos!

“Holy shit! That scumbag from Golden Dragon Martial High can’t take a loss, can he!?”

Qian Duoduo leaped from his seat, his chubby face flushed red as he cursed loudly, “If you can’t afford to lose, you go for the kill? What the hell is that?!”

Beside him, Shi Potian remained silent, but his fists were clenched so tightly they cracked. An icy, murderous aura uncontrollably radiated from him, dropping the temperature of the surrounding air by several degrees.

More Qiming No.1 students directly hurled thunderous, furious insults and boos at the Golden Dragon section.

“Trash! Everything from Golden Dragon Martial High is this kind of sore loser trash!”

“If you can’t win, you go for the kill—really brings honor to your school!”

“What’s that bastard’s name? Write it down! Don’t let me draw him in next year’s senior tournament!”

The crowd was seething, the noise deafening.

Qin Feng slowly opened his eyes.

His brow furrowed slightly.

His gaze passed over the clamoring crowd and landed on the distant, golden-red section of the audience. There was a hint of confusion in his eyes.

There was no need.

It was just a freshman tournament; victory and defeat are common in battle. There was absolutely no reason to go for such a lethal strike.

It didn’t make sense.

Unless…

“Those damned bastards!”

Qian Duoduo was still cursing indignantly. He took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself.

“What’s going on?”

Qin Feng looked at him and asked calmly, “Is there a personal grudge between them?”

“Personal grudge?”

Qian Duoduo let out a cold laugh. The anger on his face gradually gave way to a heavy, blood-soaked historical weight.

“Old Qin, this is no longer a personal grudge.”

“This is a blood debt between our Qiming No.1 High and their Golden Dragon Martial High—fifty years in the making!”

“Fifty years?” Qin Feng’s brow furrowed even deeper.

"That's right."

Qian Duoduo nodded and began to recount to Qin Feng that blood-soaked past.

"About fifty years ago, during the inter-school league tournament of that year, a genius senior from our school, due to some personal grudges, had all his meridians severed and his martial foundation shattered on the arena by a student from Jinlong Martial Arts High School, who disregarded the rules. Though he was saved in the end, his physical aptitude regressed, leaving him with chronic ailments, and his progress slowed to less than a tenth of before. That senior, disheartened, took his own life."

"From then on, the feud was set in stone."

"Over these fifty years, every inter-school league tournament has become a battlefield for mutual revenge between us and them. Underhanded tricks, dirty moves—all sorts of methods, endless in variety. Every year, students are severely injured on the arena by the other side."

Qian Duoduo's voice grew heavier as he spoke.

"Take last year, for instance, when you were in the freshman competition. In the senior competition, Sun He fell into their trap!"

"I remember."

Qin Feng's eyes sharpened instantly.

"At that time, Sun He was matched against a student from Jinlong Martial Arts High School named Zhao Mang. Zhao Mang fought with extreme ferocity, using a nearly suicidal move to gravely injure Sun He. If not for Sun He's solid foundation, he would have died right there on the arena!"

"Later,"

"during the quarterfinals, Feng Ruyun was pitted against that Zhao Mang."

"In that match, Brother Feng truly fought with all his might. Just before Zhao Mang could shout 'I surrender,' he chopped off his head with a single slash!"

"Instant death! That avenged Sun He's blood debt! But Brother Feng was also severely wounded, and his recovery was incomplete, causing him to stop at the top ten. That's precisely why Sun He holds Brother Feng in such high regard, treating him as a brother for life."

Hearing this, Qin Feng finally understood.

He understood why Sun He would humble himself to beg Qin Feng for Feng Ruyun's sake.

It wasn't just friendship—it was a bond forged through life-and-death sacrifice!

"So,"

Qian Duoduo let out a long, heavy sigh, summarizing, "Last year, Brother Feng killed one of their top geniuses. This year, those lunatics from Jinlong Martial Arts High School will definitely retaliate twofold."

"Everyone in our school with a chance at ranking is under their close watch. Especially... you."

Qian Duoduo finally fixed his gaze on Qin Feng.

Qin Feng, last year's freshman king, the one most likely to claim the 'Qiming General Star.'

Without a doubt, he would be Jinlong Martial Arts High School's primary, first-priority 'hunting' target.

"I understand."

Qin Feng slowly nodded, his eyes regaining their calm.

He once again turned his gaze toward the direction of Jinlong Martial Arts High School.

This time, his gaze seemed to pierce through the barriers of space, meeting another pair of eyes looking back at him with pinpoint precision in midair.

The owner of that gaze was none other than the leading figure of Jinlong Martial Arts High School this year—'Golden Dragon' Chen Tian.

The moment their eyes locked, a radiant, friendly smile suddenly bloomed on Chen Tian's face.

He even nodded amiably at Qin Feng, as if that conflict brimming with killing intent had nothing to do with him or his school.

Qin Feng withdrew his gaze, expressionless.

...

Scene shift.

Inside the viewing area of Jinlong Martial Arts High School.

'Golden Dragon' Chen Tian slowly retracted his gaze from Qiming No. 1 High School, and the smile on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by an icy, bone-chilling indifference.

He opened his wrist terminal and entered a group chat with only a few members.

In the chat were all the top senior students from Jinlong Martial Arts High School whose vitality indices had reached 30.0.

With his fingers, he quickly typed out a cold, concise command.

[Target: Qin Feng, last year's freshman king.]

[In the senior competition, whoever is matched against him, remember one thing.]

[Don't hold back. Fight to kill.]

Message sent.

Within the group chat, several replies immediately popped up.

[Got it, Tian Ge.]

[Don't worry, leave it to me.]

[Perfect timing. I want to see just how much this freshman king is really made of.]

Chen Tian watched his subordinates' responses, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

He knew some might think his command was overkill.

So he added another line.

[Don't underestimate him. This guy's talent is more terrifying than we imagine. This year, we might still be able to suppress him, but next year, the 'Qiming General Star' will definitely be his for the taking.]

[We can't give him that chance.]

[I know that under the tight surveillance of the referee team, killing someone on the arena is extremely difficult. Timing, location, and human factors—all must align perfectly. Last year, Zhao Mang was careless, and that's how Feng Ruyun seized the opportunity to take him down in a desperate exchange.]

[Our plan isn't necessarily to kill him.]

[It's to 'aim high, hit the mark.']

[All of your targets are to attack with the resolve to kill him in every single move. That way, even if the referee stops it in time, it will be enough to gravely injure him! Waste one or two months of his training time, disrupt his training rhythm, or even damage his martial foundation!]

[As long as we achieve that, our strategic goal is met.]

[Do you all understand?]

The cold text laid bare their malicious, venomous plan in the group chat.

[Understood!]

[Got it, Tian Ge!]

(End of chapter)