Chapter 63: The Second Monthly Exam

Chapter 63: The Second Monthly Exam

Data is the most direct reflection of one’s strength.

Over the past month, his strength had undergone earth-shattering changes.

First came the foundational cultivation method.

The *Primary Empire Body-Tempering Method* had reached perfection; active cultivation now yielded negligible results for him, having already advanced to a Second-Class Warrior.

This afternoon’s arduous training had proven that point.

Qin Feng had charted a clear path for himself.

He had great hope that by next year, before the next Qiming Star Inter-School Competition’s veteran student event, he could push his life force index to the limit of a Third-Class Warrior.

By then, he would have the chance to strive for the legendary highest honor of Qiming Star students—the “Qiming War Star.”

Next came his combat techniques.

After the *Thousand Troops Spear* advanced to “Great Mastery,” the proficiency cap had risen from 1,000 points to 10,000 points.

A single afternoon of high-intensity ranked matches had boosted his proficiency by over a hundred points.

With “Thousand Troops Part the Way” for frontal assault, “Flowing Light Chasing Shadows” for ultimate armor penetration, and the elusive “Wandering Dragon” footwork, his combat system had now taken initial shape.

Balanced in offense and defense, effective at both close and long range.

Yet, to face chaotic battles or enemies with overwhelming offensive power, he would need to master the third killing move—*Thousand Troops Guard*—for absolute certainty.

Having sorted everything out, Qin Feng closed the panel, his heart calm.

The path was clear; all that remained was to walk it unwaveringly.

One year—he gave himself one year!

His goal: to reach the limit of a Third-Class Warrior within a year, seize the Qiming War Star, and truly lay the first foundation for stepping into the starry sea.

…

The next day, the monthly exam arrived as scheduled.

The morning’s cultural subject tests passed without a ripple.

For Qin Feng, whose mental strength had already improved with his entry into the *Emperor’s Meditation Method*, subjects requiring vast memorization and comprehension posed no difficulty.

The afternoon’s practical combat test, however, caused quite a stir within the class.

The first item: Life Force Index Test.

Students lined up, one by one stepping onto the precise testing instrument, resembling a small transmission pod.

“Beep—Chu Lan, Life Force Index: 9.821.”

“Beep—Shi Potian, Life Force Index: 10.003.”

“Beep—Qian Duoduo, Life Force Index: 8.055.”

Numbers representing the class’s top tier flashed on the display, drawing murmurs of surprise.

Shi Potian had quietly crossed the threshold of a Second-Class Warrior before the last practical exam, so this was no shock.

But when Qin Feng stepped onto the tester, nearly everyone’s gaze converged on him.

They all wanted to know the physical level of this “technical” representative, who had slain a Level 14.5 monster head-on with his uncanny spear skills.

Under the crowd’s watch, Qin Feng stood still, and the instrument’s hatch closed.

A red light slowly scanned his body from top to bottom.

Seconds later.

“Beep—”

A crisp prompt.

On the display, a number slowly emerged and finally settled.

[10.067]

When that number appeared, the entire testing room fell into an eerie, deathly silence.

Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief at the figure.

10.067!

Higher than Shi Potian, who had just broken through!

“Second-Class Warrior! Qin Feng… his life force index has also surpassed 10.0?”

“My god! I thought… I always thought he won against Kelo purely through spear technique!”

“So his physical condition has already reached the standard of a Second-Class Warrior!”

“Monster… a true monster! Both cultivation and combat techniques have reached the highest tier!”

“One month, such rapid progress.”

“Is it the effect of the C-level contract resources?”

“Not just that—he’s diligent. He arrives at the martial arts room at five every morning, and he’s kept it up for two months. I only lasted half a month.”

Murmurs and exclamations rose and fell.

If before, Qin Feng had been seen as a “dark horse” or “genius” compensating for his shortcomings with extraordinary insight,

now, with that final shortcoming completely filled and even surpassing most others,

his image in everyone’s eyes had quietly undergone its final transformation.

It was that of a true, undisputed, all-around— “monster.”

Facing the gazes around him, mixed with shock and awe, Qin Feng’s expression remained unchanged.

“Passive enhancement is really not bad.”

“A slight improvement every day.”

“Many grains of sand make a tower, many bits of fur make a coat.” Qin Feng calculated silently in his mind.

He stepped off the tester and returned to the line.

The second item of the practical combat test was simulated duels.

This time, the students’ opponents were no longer each other, but the school’s instructors themselves, who would personally assess and guide each student’s combat ability one-on-one.

When it was Qin Feng’s turn, he saw a familiar figure.

Goatee beard.

Professor Gu Yue.

“Come on.”

Professor Gu Yue gestured for Qin Feng to open the subspace network, his consciousness entering the Imperial Arena, and then invited him to a friendly match.

Consciousness shifted, and the two appeared on the starry arena platform.

Both life force indices were locked at 10.0.

"Are you ready, boy?"

Professor Gu Yue looked at him with a cheerful smile, unarmored, holding a standard-issue longspear in his hand.

"I'm ready, Professor."

Qin Feng bowed in salute, also unarmored, a standard-issue longspear in his hand.

Before the battle began, Professor Gu Yue did not rush to act; instead, with keen interest, he called up Qin Feng's arena statistics.

When he saw Qin Feng's record of "205 wins, 168 losses," a total of nearly four hundred ranked matches, even he allowed a glimmer of genuine admiration to flash in his eyes.

"Not bad, very good."

Professor Gu Yue stroked his beard.

"On the path of martial arts, talent is certainly important, but diligence is the sole foundation that determines how far one can go."

"It seems you have truly understood the meaning of those four words: 'Heaven rewards the diligent.'"

"Let me see what kind of progress these nearly four hundred bloody battles have brought you."

As his words fell, the countdown also came to an end.

Professor Gu Yue's figure moved.

There was no startling momentum, no terrifying pressure.

He simply thrust his spear forward.

Yet, that simple thrust made Qin Feng's pupils contract sharply.

That single spear seemed to seal off all his space for evasion, as if it contained some universal truth—inescapable, unblockable.

Qin Feng gritted his teeth and persevered; the two engaged in a spear duel on the arena platform.

Professor Gu Yue's strength was astonishing—he held the rank of Warrior. Even if his life force index were the same as Qin Feng's at 10.0, he could easily kill Qin Feng in an instant. But he only used the Thousand Army Spear, forcing Qin Feng into desperate straits move by move, constantly feeding him techniques.

...

The battle ended an hour later.

Qin Feng was defeated without any suspense.

But when he exited the Imperial Arena, his entire demeanor was transformed.

In that past hour, Professor Gu Yue, using the Thousand Army Spear against Qin Feng, had pointed out, analyzed, and even forcibly "fed" him all his shortcomings and flaws in the most direct way.

This was a Warrior-level "private lesson," far more precious than any arduous training.

When Qin Feng opened his system panel again,

[Thousand Army Spear Proficiency +100]

[Thousand Army Spear Proficiency +100]

[Thousand Army Spear Proficiency +100]

[Killing Technique]:

Thousand Army Spear (Mastery)

[Proficiency]: 412 / 10000

[Mastered Killing Moves]: Thousand Army Clears the Way, Flowing Light Chases Shadows

His spear proficiency had surged by a full 300 points in this "examination"!

Three hundred points—if he had fought in the Imperial Arena without rest, it would have taken him at least three or four days to comprehend these insights.

If he hit a bottleneck, even seven or eight days might not yield such improvement.

But under Professor Gu Yue's "hands-on" teaching, he gained such understanding in just one hour.

His Thousand Army Spear proficiency reached "Mastery" at 412 points, a major step closer to the perfection of 10,000 points.

Outside the martial arts hall, the other students had waited for an hour. Watching Qin Feng walk out with renewed vigor, followed by Professor Gu Yue with his cheerful smile, their faces no longer showed any surprise or envy.

They had grown accustomed to it.

This monster named Qin Feng seemed to deserve any special treatment as a matter of course.

"Go back and review carefully, watch the recordings—your spear technique should still improve a bit."

"In one hour, many things cannot be fully understood."

"Spending several days reviewing this battle is not excessive."

Professor Gu Yue smiled and offered guidance to Qin Feng.

"Your student understands."

Qin Feng nodded, bowed, and expressed his gratitude.

(The chapter ends)