Chapter 141: Dominating the Battlefield, Military School Students Completely Convinced! (Fourth Update)

Chapter 141: Dominating the Battlefield, the Cadets Utterly Subdued! (Fourth Update, Begging for Monthly Tickets~)

Qin Feng sat silently in a corner of the drop pod for three full days.

When he opened his eyes again, nearly a hundred figures had sparsely gathered in the once-empty drop pod hall.

Without exception, each of these individuals had their aura honed to the extreme, carrying an indelible iron-blooded ferocity.

Their eyes were as sharp as eagles, their postures as straight as pines; even at rest, their bodies subconsciously maintained a stance ready to strike at any moment.

This was the military temperament that could only be forged through the true baptism of blood and fire.

As Xiong Yanfu had said, among the examinees of Canaan Starry Sky Martial University, a considerable number were top graduates from the empire’s various military martial high schools.

They might be inferior to ordinary martial high school students in theoretical knowledge, but in practical combat experience—especially in fighting the Zerg—they held an unparalleled advantage.

Qin Feng did not attract much attention.

Everyone was chatting in low voices.

“What’s the fastest time for the first task?”

“I heard the fastest is called ‘Tiemu,’ from Qiangang Military Martial High School—took one month and twenty-five days.”

“That’s fast. I got lucky; I squatted for half a month and found one, then chased and ground it down for a month before killing it.”

“…”

A bald student nearby, wiping his combat blade, looked at Qin Feng and struck up a conversation: “Hey, I’m Lei Meng. How long did it take you?”

“One month and twenty-seven days.”

Qin Feng replied calmly.

“You graduated from a military school too? Heavy killing intent.”

Lei Meng laughed.

“No, I graduated from an ordinary high school.”

Qin Feng shook his head.

“Graduated from an ordinary martial high school?”

“To complete the hunt in one month and twenty-seven days as an ordinary martial high school grad—that’s some terrifying strength.”

Qin Feng ignored these comments, instead seizing the key point in Lei Meng’s words, and asked, “You all… squatted for less than half a month to find a level-4 transport bug? Then chased it for over a month?”

“That’s right!”

Lei Meng patted his chest matter-of-factly. “Those of us who made it here first—frankly, besides having decent skills, it’s mostly luck. Look, this exam is basically a grind. As long as your luck isn’t too bad, you find a lone, weaker level-4 transport bug on your first try, then tail it without aiming for a one-hit kill. Slowly wear it down—poison, traps, whatever—chip away at its vitality, and after a month or so, you’ll grind it to death. I ground for a full month and three days before that thing finally croaked. Exhausted me.”

“Yeah, same here.”

Another female student nodded. “I was luckier—squatted for seven days and found one, then spent over twenty days playing hide-and-seek with it before I got a chance to kill it. Bottom line, we’re all pretty lucky to be the first batch out.”

Listening to the chatter, Qin Feng’s expression turned odd.

So… everyone did it this way?

Squat until you find the target, then use the spirit of “dripping water wears through stone,” spending about a month to literally grind a level-4 transport bug to death?

Only he had the worst luck—first encounter was a trap, fleeing in panic;

Second time, he waited for a group of level-3s and had to give up;

Only on the third try did he finally seize an opportunity.

And he didn’t “grind”—he struck hard in the shortest time, then, risking encirclement by the swarm, pursued relentlessly and killed it within the time limit.

From this perspective, his hunting method was the outlier.

Qin Feng couldn’t help but shake his head with a wry smile.

So, this first test really didn’t fully reflect strength.

Luck played too big a role.

Those truly terrifyingly powerful monsters might, right now, be wandering the vast Gobi due to bad luck, still searching for their first prey.

Or maybe there really were crazy types who gave up on the “soft target” transport bugs and stubbornly challenged the offensive Zerg?

He stopped thinking about it.

The exam ranking didn’t reward Imperial Contribution Points, and he didn’t care.

His goal was clear—pass the exam and become an official student of Canaan Starry Sky Martial University. That was all.

Just as he was pondering, a cold mechanical prompt sounded through the subspace network in everyone’s minds simultaneously.

[Queue count has reached one hundred.]

[The second test is about to begin.]

[Task 2: Team Coordination.]

[Task Objective: Successfully capture a ‘target area’ occupied by the Zerg.]

[Target Area Coordinates: Planet G19182-B11, East Longitude 134.8°, North Latitude 76.2°.]

[Warning: Target area is a high-density Zerg firepower camp.]

[Space deployment imminent. All examinees, immediately enter your designated drop pods.]

[Countdown: 30, 29, 28…]

Before the voice finished, the floor in the center of the hall split open, and ten massive metal drop pods slowly rose.

The relaxed expressions on the examinees’ faces, who had been chatting moments ago, vanished instantly, replaced by absolute solemnity and focus.

Without a moment’s hesitation, their figures flickered as they each dashed toward the nearest drop pod.

Qin Feng followed the flow and entered one.

Rumble—

The hatch closed, and violent tremors came.

The drop pod, like a shell fired from a giant electromagnetic cannon, was hurled out of the space fortress, turning into a burning meteor, dragging a long tail of flame, and plunging unflinchingly toward the orange-yellow planet below.

The fierce friction as it pierced the atmosphere turned the entire pod crimson, with terrifying G-forces enough to flatten ordinary steel into a thin sheet.

But the geniuses inside sat as steady as mountains, their faces unchanged.

After an unknown time, the violent shaking abruptly stopped, followed by a heavy, deafening “thud.”

The drop pod had successfully landed.

“Psssh—”

The sound of high-pressure gas venting, and the thick hatch slowly opened.

Blinding orange-yellow sunlight and the stench of scorched air surged into the pod.

At that moment, the team channel on the subspace network automatically established.

Before anyone could make out the scene outside, a rapid, cold, emotionless roar exploded in everyone’s ears.

“All attention! This is a Zerg artillery camp! Estimated large numbers of level-3 gun-cannon bugs, over eight hundred! These things are long-range living turrets—weak in close combat, but their psychic cannon fire can easily melt our flesh!”

Around the gunbugs, there must be a vast number of guardian bugs, balanced in offense and defense! At the center of the camp, there must be a fourth-level commander!

"At all costs, prioritize killing the commander! Once the commander dies, the swarm will fall into chaos!"

"Everyone, form squads of ten, immediately establish a defensive formation, listen to my command, and advance with alternating cover! I am Tiemu, and I will command this battle!"

The voice belonged to the one whom Lei Meng had mentioned earlier—the first to complete the hunting mission from the Qiangang Military Martial Arts Academy genius—Tiemu.

His words, like a command, instantly infused soul into this temporary hundred-person team.

Almost the moment his voice fell, the students from various military martial arts academies, with an almost instinctive reaction, spontaneously formed ten standard combat squads.

They held various weapons, in a perfect tactical formation, stepping out of the drop pods without any hesitation.

Though a few graduates from ordinary martial arts academies were a beat slower, they quickly caught on and joined the nearest squad, completing the formation.

And the moment they stepped out of the pod—

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Cataclysmic artillery fire swept in from all directions!

Spiritual energy beams, imbued with terrifying power, rained down like a storm, instantly blasting the drop pods they had just exited into a pile of burning scrap metal.

The earth trembled violently, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder and ozone.

Looking around, they found themselves in a massive ring-shaped valley.

The valley walls were densely packed with countless bugs!

Those were the gunbugs!

They rooted themselves on the rock walls like fixed turrets, continuously pouring their deadly "ammunition" down into the valley floor.

And in front of them stood rows of guardian bugs, wielding bone shields and sharp bone blades, forming an unbreakable wall of flesh and blood, shielding the gunbugs behind them.

The entire valley was a meticulously designed, perfect death trap.

"First, second, and third squads, advance in a wedge formation! Fourth and fifth squads, cover the flanks! Everyone else, follow! Don't stop, charge!"

Tiemu's roar rang out again, his commands clear and decisive.

"Kill!"

The hundred geniuses erupted in a thunderous battle cry.

Various attacks soared into the sky, spiritual energy flickering continuously, as they withstood the first wave of artillery fire.

The battle, in an instant, entered its most frenzied, most brutal climax!

Qin Feng was assigned to the first squad, personally led by Tiemu. They were the spearhead of the hundred-person team, bearing the brunt of the fiercest attacks.

"Hold the line!"

Lei Meng roared, slashing his blade to shatter three spiritual energy beams.

But more attacks followed.

A thick spiritual energy beam bypassed Lei Meng's defense and shot precisely at a teammate behind him.

The teammate's pupils contracted; he wanted to dodge but was too late.

In that critical moment, a black spear shadow, as if emerging from the void, arrived after the fact, striking the spiritual energy beam with pinpoint accuracy.

"Thousand Troops Guard!"

At the tip of Qin Feng's spear, a vortex of highly compressed blood energy formed instantly, deflecting the spiritual energy beam to the side, where it blasted a huge crater into the ground.

"Fine spearwork! Brother, you saved my life! Thank you!"

The teammate who had narrowly escaped death shouted in relief.

Qin Feng did not respond; his gaze had already locked onto the gunbug on the valley wall that had fired that fatal shot.

Beneath his feet, he alternated between the Fierce Bird Step and the Wandering Dragon Technique, weaving through the gaps in the artillery fire, leaving only afterimages in his wake.

He was not only the sturdiest shield of the team but also the sharpest spear!

"Seventh squad, thirty degrees left front, three o'clock direction! There's a gap in the guardian bug formation!"

Tiemu's shout echoed across the battlefield.

But that gap seemed like a trap with its jaws wide open; dozens of guardian bugs were quietly flanking from both sides, ready to swallow the advancing seventh squad whole.

"No time!"

The seventh squad leader cried out in despair.

But a figure moved faster than his voice.

Qin Feng appeared before the gap like a teleport, facing dozens of ferocious guardian bugs alone.

"Thousand Troops Repel!"

Without a trace of fear, his spear transformed into a sweeping black dragon of destruction, its overwhelming power blasting the front seven or eight guardian bugs, along with their chitin shields, into the air!

"Excellent breach!!!"

Tiemu couldn't help but shout in the channel at the sight.

Qin Feng's domineering strike had torn a massive hole in the bug encirclement, buying precious time for the seventh squad to catch their breath and reorganize.

He alone stood like an invincible general at the forefront of the entire line, holding the pass against ten thousand, carving out a relatively safe space for his teammates behind him.

Under his lead, the hundred-person team, like a red-hot blade, cut irresistibly into the bug army's formation.

"Quick! That gunbug is gathering spiritual energy..."

A scout's warning had barely left his lips when a streak of light flashed before his eyes.

On the distant rock wall, the gunbug, its cannon mouth open and brewing terrifying energy, now had a bloody hole through its head, its massive body convulsing as it tumbled from the cliff.

Qin Feng's figure had somehow already appeared beside its corpse. With a flick of his spear, he pinned another guardian bug attempting a sneak attack to the ground.

Fast! Too fast!

His speed, his spear technique, his grasp of battle opportunities—all surpassed the understanding of these geniuses.

In the eyes of his teammates, Qin Feng seemed omnipresent.

When the line was about to break, he would stand like a mountain, blocking the front.

When a teammate fell into crisis, his spear would always arrive in time.

When the enemy showed the slightest flaw, he would transform into the deadliest reaper, instantly reaping lives.

He was the sole ruler of this brutal battlefield!

Driven by Qin Feng, this terrifying war machine, the hundred-person team's advance grew faster and faster.

They swept through like a storm, crushing everything in their path, until they finally reached the valley's center.

There, a fourth-level commander, noticeably larger than the other bugs, with a complex brain-like structure on its head, was emitting sharp, piercing shrieks.

"That's it! All forces, focus fire! Kill it!"

Tiemu issued the final assault order.

"Kill!"

A hundred geniuses poured all their strength, holding nothing back, into the commander.

Though the commander was no master of direct combat, its psychic shocks and the exquisite coordination of its surrounding guards still brought great trouble to the group.

Yet, before absolute power, any struggle was futile.

Qin Feng charged at the forefront, his long spear weaving into an impenetrable curtain of light, intercepting every lethal attack the commander fired, while his spear tip, like a viper striking, left bloody holes in the guards around the commander one after another.

Under his relentless suppression, the guards around the commander were swiftly cleared.

"Now!"

Qin Feng roared, exposing the commander fully within the attack range of the group.

"Boom!"

Hundreds of attacks, each carrying the full force of the geniuses, struck the commander simultaneously.

The pitiful fourth-level commander couldn't even let out a complete wail before being torn to shreds in an instant.

With the commander's death, the entire valley's swarm seemed to have its soul ripped away.

They let out terrified shrieks, their once-tight formation collapsing instantly as they scattered like headless flies.

"Don't let them escape!"

Tiemu made a decisive call, issuing another command, "If their pheromones spread, they'll immediately summon stronger reinforcements! Then we'll be forced to hold the camp defensively! Full pursuit, leave none alive!"

"Understood!"

The group responded in unison.

And a single figure, the moment Tiemu gave the order, had already turned into a black lightning bolt, charging into the fleeing swarm.

It was Qin Feng!

He activated the Fierce Bird Step, his speed skyrocketing to its peak, leaving long afterimages across the battlefield, moving several times faster than the others.

His long spear, in his hands, became the most efficient harvesting machine.

Pfft!

One thrust pierced through the head of a third-level cannon bug.

Pfft! Pfft!

Two more thrusts, and two third-level guard bugs attempting to resist had their carapaces easily punctured, their innards crushed.

Even the formidable defense of a third-level guard bug, before his "Mastery Realm" spear technique and terrifying strength, was as fragile as thin paper, unable to withstand a few of his strikes.

What should have been a pursuit battle turned into a one-sided massacre under his hand.

The routed swarm of over seven hundred bugs fell in droves under his chase.

The other team members followed closely, desperately mopping up the remaining enemies.

But their efficiency was worlds apart from Qin Feng's.

When the last bug fell and the entire valley finally returned to a deathly silence, the crowd stared at the figure standing with spear in hand, drenched in blood yet unharmed, their eyes filled with indescribable shock and awe.

In the pursuit battle just now, nearly half of the routed seven hundred-plus bugs had died by his spear alone!

[Mission successful.]

[Team objective: 'Target area' successfully captured.]

[Assessment: Perfect.]

The cold prompt echoed in everyone's minds, declaring the end of this brutal battle.

No one cheered; all eyes were locked onto Qin Feng.

Overwhelming!

Unparalleled overwhelmingness!

This "War Star" from Qiming Star, with a personal display that could only be described as a dimensionality reduction strike, had completely conquered every prodigy present.

—

On the black high platform, the atmosphere was entirely different from before.

If Qin Feng's first assassination mission had brought the mentors "surprise," then this time, the crushing dominance he displayed in the team battle left these stellar-level experts, who had seen countless geniuses, in "awe" and "admiration."

On the light screen, the image of the ring-shaped valley on planet G19182-B11 was still frozen.

Bug corpses littered the ground, broken weapons lay scattered, and the hundred prodigies, though exhausted, still couldn't hide the reverence in their eyes.

And all those reverent gazes were focused on the figure at the center, standing with spear in hand, like a demon god.

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

The old man Mu Lin, clutching his gourd of wine, took several gulps before letting out a long sigh, his eyes brimming with undisguised admiration and emotion.

"This kid's 'Thousand Army Spear' is far more than just 'Mastery'—it's practically a killing art born for the battlefield!"

As his words faded, the fiery red-haired female mentor Yue Hong, with her alluring figure, chimed in, "Old Mu is right. The power of the 'Mastery Realm' lies not in the might of individual moves, but in the understanding and control of the entire battle situation. Plus, the 'Thousand Army Spear' is one of the supreme killing techniques created by the Imperial Military for group combat, emphasizing 'momentum.' Look—"

She waved her hand, pulling up a replay of the battle.

"Whether it was the precise defense at the start, the forceful breach of the encirclement in the middle, or the pinpoint elimination of those high-threat cannon bugs later, every single thrust of his appeared at the most critical position, neither too much nor too little. Under his coordination, the entire hundred-man team captured a fortified camp that would have troubled an ordinary thousand-man legion, with almost zero casualties. This kind of battlefield dominance... surpasses even military academy students."

"It's not just the spear technique."

The refined mentor Lü Lan pulled up a set of data and said, "According to the system's real-time feedback, throughout the entire high-intensity battle, his endurance was three times that of opponents at the same level! And during the final pursuit, the instantaneous burst power of each of his attacks consistently peaked above 270,000 kilograms—just as stable as when he killed the transport bug!"

He turned to Yu Han beside him, a hint of disbelief in his tone: "Senior Yu Han, you've seen much. This kind of physical constitution is undoubtedly far beyond the standard of a Golden Standard Human III-level. It's practically a juvenile star beast in human skin!"

At these words, all the mentors chimed in agreement.

Mentor Yu Han still wore his gentle smile, nodding in concurrence: "Indeed, a fine seedling. Whether in temperament, insight, or strength, he's flawless. The combat power he's shown now is unquestionably the strongest among this batch of new students."

A spear technique at the Mastery Realm, a monster-level physique, near-perfect battle intelligence...

All of this combined was enough to make him a peerless genius that any top-tier martial university would go mad for.

But... was that all?

In Yu Han's mind, the imposing and unyielding figure of Lord Zhou Xiong surfaced once again.

A Black Hole-level existence commanding endless star rivers, with countless experts under his banner—would he really personally descend, breaking millennia-old rules, just for these reasons?

No, that couldn't be.

Yu Han was absolutely certain in his heart that Qin Feng must harbor a deeper secret—one hidden even from him and the higher-ups of Jianan Star Martial University.

"It couldn't be a Chosen One."

This thought suddenly struck Yu Han, startling even himself.

After careful consideration, he found it entirely possible.

"Observe for a few years, and it should become clear."

Yu Han took a deep breath.

...

When the faint glow of spatial teleportation flickered and slowly faded, Qin Feng found himself back at the starting point—the vast, boundless recruitment plaza of Jianan Star Martial University.

Yet the sight before him made him pause in slight astonishment.

The once empty plaza was now packed with a sea of people.

Tens of thousands of figures were scattered across every corner of the square; most of them hung their heads in dejection, their eyes dim, bearing wounds from battle to varying degrees, yet utterly devoid of any will to fight.

A thick atmosphere of loss and defeat enveloped the entire plaza.

Beside them, volunteer martial artists in uniform occasionally wove through the crowd, handing out recovery potions.

“These… are they all who’ve already passed the second mission?”

Lei Meng stared at the vast assembly of “defeated soldiers” before him, muttering in disbelief.

“No, that can’t be.”

Tie Mu, standing beside Qin Feng, shook his head, and even his perpetually calm face showed a trace of gravity.

“It’s only been two months since the assessment began. Even if those who came later were incredibly efficient, there’s no way tens of thousands could have completed the first two tasks in such a short time. If I’m not mistaken, these people were either severely injured during their missions or judged unable to finish them, and were ultimately rescued early by volunteer martial artists and deemed eliminated.”

At these words, every member of the hundred-man squad around Qin Feng felt a chill run down their spines.

Qin Feng’s gaze swept over those young, unwilling faces, and a pang of emotion stirred within him.

A million prodigies, gathered here—what soaring spirits they once had.

Yet in just two months, harsh reality had brutally slammed nearly eighty thousand of them from the clouds back to the ground.

This assessment was like a vast, merciless sieve, ruthlessly sifting out those lacking in strength, resolve, or even luck.

And this was only the beginning.

There were still four full months until the assessment ended.

It was foreseeable that as time passed, even more would be eliminated by this cruel machine.

Jianan Star Martial Arts University, this martial arts sanctuary that had stood for 2.2 billion years in the Jianan Star System, had its threshold built from the bones and dreams of countless geniuses.

When Qin Feng withdrew his gaze, found a relatively open spot on the ground, sat cross-legged, and prepared to regulate his breathing, a subtle scene unfolded.

The hundred-man squad he belonged to—the ninety-nine prodigies who had just fought side by side—after a brief exchange, unexpectedly and as if by unspoken agreement, took seats around him at a short distance, centering on him.

They said nothing, but their actions spoke volumes.

Tie Mu, Lei Meng, and those unruly military martial arts high school graduates all now instinctively regarded Qin Feng as their core.

In this world where strength reigned supreme, this was the purest, most direct form of respect.

Not because of his title “Qiming Star General,” nor because of his “Control Realm” cultivation, but because in that bloody battle just now, Qin Feng had conquered every one of them with undeniable power.

He was the undisputed leader of this hundred-man squad!

Feeling the faint, reverent, and trusting gazes around him, Qin Feng felt no pride or complacency. Instead, he recalled the footage Teacher Wu Shangfeng had once shown him—the inauguration ceremony of Lord Zhou Xiong.

That day, in that magnificent hall spanning the starry sea, Lord Zhou Xiong had stood there just as quietly.

Below him were hundreds of thousands of stellar-level experts and tens of thousands of galactic-level experts.

They came from different planets, with different pasts, but their eyes resembled those of the ninety-nine prodigies now looking at him.

It was an absolute, unwavering loyalty and trust.

“So this is ‘momentum’…”

A sudden realization dawned in Qin Feng’s heart.

A true strong one, a true leader, need not command with words; their very existence is an invisible field of force that naturally attracts and gathers the power around them.

He had only just revealed his edge among a hundred people, and already he earned such respect.

But Lord Zhou Xiong had forged his vast momentum through tens of thousands of years of battle in the endless starry battlefield, amidst countless blood and fire.

Compared to him, he was still far, far behind.

Just as Qin Feng was lost in thought, the voice of a volunteer martial artist rang clearly through the plaza’s amplification system, reaching everyone’s ears.

“Attention, all assessment candidates who have completed the first two tasks.”

“The subsequent assessment will be conducted uniformly after the six-month mission period ends.”

“During this time, please rest and wait in the designated areas of the plaza. Cultivation is permitted, but any form of private combat is strictly forbidden.”

“I repeat: please wait, assessment candidates. There are still four months until the end of this assessment.”

“…”

A four-month waiting period.

This news stirred a small commotion across the plaza.

Qin Feng pushed aside all other thoughts, quickly gathered his focus, and shut out all external distractions.

“Four months—just the time I need to break through the first acupoint.”

“I’ve already mastered the ‘acupoint-seeking’ technique of the Great Sun Acupoint Opening Method and located the first acupoint. Next comes the most critical step—constructing the ‘acupoint shell’!”

His consciousness sank completely into his spiritual sea.

The Great Sun Visualization Method began to circulate slowly, and a phantom golden sun, radiating endless light and heat, rose within his sea of consciousness.

At the same time, the spiritual energy in his body started to flow along the profound and mysterious path of the Great Sun Acupoint Opening Method, thread by thread, converging toward the first acupoint he had already locked onto, located in his chest.

Qin Feng entered a state of deep cultivation, oblivious to all else.

In his world, there was nothing left.

Only the blazing sun illuminating his sea of consciousness and the grand project about to begin—a creation of heaven and earth within his own body.

Qin Feng cultivated in stillness, awaiting the end of the first two assessments.

(End of this chapter)