Chapter 25: Thousand Army Spear

Chapter 25: The Thousand-Army Spear

At the lectern, Wu Shangfeng watched as all the students confirmed their weapon choices in front of their respective seats. He nodded, a hint of satisfaction flickering across his face.

“Very good.”

His voice echoed through the martial arts room. “Choosing is only the first step. Next, based on each of your physical conditions and the weapons you’ve selected, I will pick the most suitable, matching ‘killing technique’ for you.”

With a wave of his hand, an empty space in front of the lectern rose up, revealing a human body data collection platform emitting a soft white glow.

“Now, I will call out names. The student whose name is called, step forward.”

“Shi Potian.”

The first name was that of the class’s acknowledged strongest.

Shi Potian rose from his seat, his face expressionless, and walked up to the lectern, standing on the data collection platform.

Wu Shangfeng approached him, his movements professional and precise.

First, he had Shi Potian assume a few basic stances, carefully observing his center of gravity and habitual force application.

Then, he reached out, starting from Shi Potian’s shoulders, along his arms, spine, hips, and legs, pressing and feeling all the way down.

His fingers, like the most precise scanners, sensed the explosive power of every muscle, the density of every bone, and the flexibility of every tendon in Shi Potian’s body.

The entire process lasted less than a minute.

Wu Shangfeng withdrew his hands, walked to the holographic screen on the lectern, and tapped rapidly on it with his fingers.

“Your body combines strength and speed, with a stable core and excellent coordination. You chose the blade, seeking the most direct lethality. This ‘Ninefold Thunder Blade’ suits you well.”

He dragged a virtual martial arts manual from the screen and transmitted it in front of Shi Potian.

“‘Ninefold Thunder Blade’ is renowned for its speed, ruthlessness, and precision. Every strike is lethal, emphasizing overwhelming force to end the battle in the shortest time. Take it and practice hard.”

“Yes, teacher.”

Shi Potian accepted the manual, gave a slight nod, turned, and walked down from the lectern.

“Next, Qian Duoduo.”

Qian Duoduo scampered up eagerly.

Wu Shangfeng conducted a detailed physical examination for him as well.

“Your lower body is extremely stable, and your bone density far exceeds ordinary people. You’re naturally built for heavy weapons,” Wu Shangfeng said, looking at the test data. “You chose the hammer. This ‘Mountain-Shaking Hammer Art’ is your perfect match. This technique is bold and unrestrained, relying on raw power to overcome finesse. At its highest level, it can shake mountains. Its drawback is immense energy consumption. Your physique exactly compensates for that.”

“Thanks, teacher! Hehe!”

Qian Duoduo hugged the thick manual of ‘Mountain-Shaking Hammer Art’ and trotted back cheerfully.

One by one, students were called to the lectern.

Wu Shangfeng displayed his astonishing professionalism as a top-tier martial arts high school homeroom teacher.

He always pinpointed each student’s physical traits and matched them with the most suitable killing technique.

Whether it was mainstream weapons like blades, spears, swords, or halberds, or obscure ones like whips, ropes, or hooks, he handled them all with ease, as if reciting his own treasures.

“Next, Qin Feng.”

Finally, it was Qin Feng’s turn.

He rose from the back row and walked with steady steps onto the data collection platform.

Wu Shangfeng’s gaze fell upon him.

This time, the examination lasted longer than for anyone before.

He not only carefully felt Qin Feng’s bones, tested his muscle flexibility and arm span, but also had him perform the complete set of basic body-tempering techniques, observing the flow and transmission of power throughout his body.

After a long while, Wu Shangfeng withdrew his hands, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He walked to the screen, his fingers continuously filtering and comparing, as if making a difficult decision.

Finally, from the list of spear-type killing techniques, he selected a manual that looked the most ancient and complex.

“Your body is very special,” Wu Shangfeng said, looking at Qin Feng, his voice low. “It seems slender, but your foundation is exceptionally solid. Flexibility, coordination, and explosive power are all in near-perfect balance. You chose the spear. I originally wanted to pick a spear technique specializing in speed or power for you, so you could develop combat effectiveness quickly.”

He paused, then shifted his tone.

“But that would waste your talent. Your physical condition can support a more difficult path, one with a higher ceiling.”

He transmitted the chosen manual in front of Qin Feng.

On the cover were three ancient seal-script characters: “Thousand-Army Spear.”

“‘Thousand-Army Spear,’” Wu Shangfeng said, a note of solemnity in his voice. “This spear technique was not created by any single master. It was summarized, refined, and created by the Imperial Military over thousands of years of interstellar warfare, from countless brutal, large-scale battles. It is the standard-issue spear technique best suited for the battlefield.”

“Its basic part includes all the skills needed to enter the way of the spear: parrying, blocking, pointing, sweeping, thrusting… It encompasses all the fundamentals of spearplay, balancing offense and defense.” “Beyond that, it has three core killing moves.”

Wu Shangfeng held up three fingers.

“The first move, ‘Thousand-Army Rout.’ This move is bold and unrestrained, with overwhelming force. A single horizontal sweep of the spear is like sweeping away a thousand troops, ideal for breaking enemy formations on the frontal battlefield.”

“The second move, ‘Flowing Light Chasing Shadows.’ This move excels in speed. The spear shoots out like a dragon, swift as flowing light, emphasizing surprise and a single fatal strike. It is the perfect method for assassination and pursuit.”

“The third move, ‘Thousand-Army Guard.’ This move focuses on defense. The spear’s momentum is unbroken, impenetrable as water. Once unleashed, it is like ten thousand troops guarding you, as solid as a fortress, allowing you to stand undefeated amid enemy encirclement.”

“Offense, speed, defense; body movement, power, technique… This ‘Thousand-Army Spear’ integrates and unifies all the roles a long spear can play.”

“The spear is already hard to master, and ‘Thousand-Army Spear’ is recognized as the most difficult among all first-level spear techniques. You will need to spend a great deal of time slowly comprehending, learning, and integrating it.”

Wu Shangfeng looked at Qin Feng, his gaze sharp.

“I entrust it to you, hoping you won’t let your talent down. You have the ability to wield it.”

He added, “Also, remember that all killing techniques are divided into five realms: Entry, Minor Success, Major Success, Perfection, and Mastery.”

“‘Entry’ means you have mastered the basic moves of the technique.”

“‘Minor Success’ means you can use it proficiently in combat.”

“‘Major Success’ means you have grasped its essence and can unleash it at will.”

“‘Perfection’ means you have completely integrated the technique into your bones, achieving unity of arm and spear, man and weapon as one.”

“As for the final ‘Mastery’ realm,” Wu Shangfeng’s tone carried a hint of longing, “it means you have completely transcended the technique, standing above it. You can modify and simplify it at will, and even use it as a foundation to create your own, more powerful killing technique.”

Qin Feng accepted the ‘Thousand-Army Spear’ manual and nodded solemnly.

“Yes, teacher.”

“Alright, go back down.”

Wu Shangfeng waved his hand. “This first killing technique is a free gift from the school under your D-level contract. In the future, if you want to learn more techniques, you’ll need to upgrade your contract level or exchange them with your grade points.”

Qin Feng walked down from the lectern and returned to his seat.

Next, Wu Shangfeng continued calling names one by one, selecting and imparting suitable killing techniques for the remaining students.

When the last student received his manual, the afternoon martial arts class drew to a close.

Wu Shangfeng straightened up and swept his gaze across the room.

"Alright. The body-tempering method, the meditation method, and the killing technique—I have taught you all of them. As your homeroom teacher, I have done what I needed to do."

A meaningful smile spread across his face.

"Starting tomorrow, in this classroom, aside from one monthly practical combat class that I will personally lead, all other time will be yours to arrange freely."

"In other words, self-study."

These words, like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, instantly stirred up towering waves in the hearts of all the new students.

Self-study?

Qiming First Martial Arts High School actually lets students study on their own?

"I know what you're thinking."

Wu Shangfeng seemed to have anticipated their reaction. "You thought that entering a top martial arts high school would mean famous teachers chasing after you every day, teaching you hand in hand? Dream on."

He let out a cold laugh.

"Here, no one will force you to cultivate. If you want to learn, train on your own. If you want to improve, find your own methods. The school provides the top-tier resources and platforms, but how you use them is your own business."

"Of course, if you encounter a bottleneck in your cultivation that you cannot solve on your own, you can come seek a teacher's guidance. However—"

He shifted his tone. "That is not free. If you want me, or any teacher in the school, to give you special tutoring and guidance, you can—but you'll have to trade it for performance points."

"Or, work hard to raise your contract level. At C-level contract, you will naturally get one free opportunity for guidance from a famous teacher each month. At B-level, you get three!"

"Finally, one more reminder."

Wu Shangfeng looked at the school calendar on the wall. "One month from now will be your first monthly exam. Students who rank at the top will receive a large number of performance point rewards."

After saying this, Wu Shangfeng paid no further attention to the shocked, bewildered, and lost students below. He turned around and left the classroom directly.

The entire martial arts room fell into a dead silence.

Qin Feng sat in his seat, carving every single word of the homeroom teacher's speech into his heart.

No hand-holding from teachers; everything depended on oneself.

To obtain extra guidance, one had to fight, to compete, to earn performance points.

This extreme, competition-driven law of the jungle made Qin Feng feel a hint of pressure, but more than that, a surge of excitement from deep within.

(End of chapter)