Chapter 71: The Bet

Chapter 71: The Wager

In the cafeteria, within the exclusive dining area for C-rank contracts.

Qin Feng and Shi Potian sat across from each other, silently eating their C-rank energy meals from their plates.

"Those second-year upperclassmen are truly strong."

In the end, it was Shi Potian who broke the silence first.

Qin Feng nodded, swallowing the food in his mouth: "They've fully adapted to the teaching system here. Over a year of high-intensity ascetic training isn't something we newcomers can catch up to in a short time."

"After all, anyone who gets into Qiming No.1 High School isn't stupid."

"I saw some upperclassmen with nearly ten thousand matches in the Imperial Arena, and that's while also fighting in private domains. When it comes to effort... haha."

Shi Potian chuckled: "Effort is the most basic quality. No one who's made it this far hasn't worked hard."

Both saw the same feeling reflected in each other's eyes.

That sense of helplessness from being utterly crushed on all fronts, and the fiercer fighting spirit born from it.

Their efforts were still far from enough.

They had to work harder!

They had to put in ten times, a hundred times more effort than them, just to catch up, or even surpass!

After dinner, instead of returning to the dormitory, they once again entered the public martial arts hall in the A-grade zone.

Qin Feng threw himself back into practicing the *Intermediate Imperial Body-Tempering Method*.

The pressure from those dozens of crushing defeats in the afternoon was all transformed into the driving force to torment his flesh.

Sweat soaked his training uniform. The soreness and tearing sensation in his muscles instead gave him a solid sense of satisfaction.

It wasn't until half past eight in the evening that he dragged his exhausted body back to the dormitory.

After running the *Imperial Meditation Method* for half an hour, Qin Feng fell into a deep sleep, his body and mind both craving thorough rest.

...

Meanwhile.

On the rooftop of the principal's office building at Qiming No.1 Martial Arts High School.

The night wind was cold, brushing against a woman dressed in a female instructor's uniform.

She was tall and slender, with a beautiful face and a neat short haircut that stirred slightly in the wind. Her eyes were as calm as autumn waters.

Leaning against the rooftop railing, she gazed down at the brightly lit campus below.

She was Qin Feng's new homeroom teacher, the mentor of Class Seven, Second Year—Lin Yue.

Beside her, the space twisted faintly, and a holographic projection composed of data streams silently coalesced into form.

It was none other than Wu Shangfeng's eternally stern face.

"Instructor Wu, a late-night visit—what advice do you have?"

Lin Yue did not turn around. Her voice was crisp and pleasant, yet carried a hint of detachment.

"I've brought you a good seedling."

Wu Shangfeng got straight to the point, his voice as emotionless as his face. "Qin Feng. You should have already seen his file."

"Naturally."

Lin Yue nodded. "Two months into school, from outside the top sixty thousand in the entrance exam to first in his grade. In practical combat class, an epiphany on the spot, slaying a Nurgle cultist. In the cafeteria, a single lesson with his staff, subduing Tie Lin. His track record truly deserves the title 'genius.'"

"Since you know he's a genius, you should also understand my purpose here."

Wu Shangfeng said, "Increase his intensity. Assign him more tasks in solo practical combat classes. Prioritize high-difficulty missions. Don't let him waste his time."

Lin Yue's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Instructor Wu, I deeply respect that you brought out a student like Qin Feng. But his teaching plan is now my responsibility."

She turned around, facing Wu Shangfeng's projection directly, her tone calm but firm. "I believe what he needs now is steady progress, consolidation."

"Consolidation?"

Wu Shangfeng said gravely, "For mediocrity, that's called consolidation. For a genius, that's called wasting time. Lin Yue, do you know how much a top-tier genius can improve in a single year?"

He raised one finger: "One year. Give him one year, and he can claim the 'Qiming War Star.'" Qiming War Star!

This was the highest honor for all martial arts high school students on Qiming Star, representing the undisputed strongest of their generation.

Every student who earned this title was an unprecedented prodigy.

And once a student obtained the title of "Qiming War Star," the homeroom teachers who taught them in their first, second, and third years would all receive generous rewards from the Imperial Ministry of Education and the Military Department.

Moreover, the shorter the time the student took, the more astonishing the rewards.

"One year?"

Lin Yue shook her head. "Instructor Wu, I admit he's outstanding. But one year from now, it's absolutely impossible. As far as I know, the fastest record for obtaining the Qiming War Star in history was two years and three months, which was the third time participating in the inter-school league. Qin Feng is indeed a genius, with astonishing insight in killing techniques. He's been enrolled for three months now. It shouldn't be hard for him to win the Qiming War Star in the inter-school league two years from now. Winning it next year is almost impossible. And... are you in such a hurry for his sake, or for the doubled official rewards from compressing the time?"

Her words now carried a hint of accusation.

"You're stunting his growth! You'll ruin him!"

"Petty woman's view!"

Wu Shangfeng's voice also turned cold. "Geniuses should be nurtured in the way of geniuses! Only between life and death, tempered by blood and fire, can he grow at the fastest pace! Two years? Waiting two years, and the opportunity will be long gone! That would be the greatest betrayal of his talent!"

The two clashed head-on, one advocating steady progress, the other extreme pressure.

For a moment, the atmosphere was tense.

Yet both their starting points were for Qin Feng's benefit.

"Different philosophies, no use talking more."

Lin Yue took a deep breath, calming her emotions. "Let's let the data speak."

"Data?"

Wu Shangfeng retorted, "What data? The data from his freshman tournament? I dare say, this time in the freshman tournament, he'll easily make the top three. What's there to see in data like that?"

His confidence almost overflowed from the screen.

Lin Yue fell silent.

She knew Wu Shangfeng was telling the truth.

Given the strength Qin Feng had displayed, he truly had few rivals among the freshmen.

"Then let's look at it differently."

Wu Shangfeng's mind turned quickly. "Let's not look at his ceiling, but his floor. Let's see how long it takes him to gain a foothold in the second-year private domains."

He pulled up a set of data and projected it between them.

"Currently, the second year has a total of 13,321 enrolled students. Let's use the 10,000th rank as the dividing line. How long do you think it will take him to break into the top 10,000 on the leaderboard?"

This proposal made Lin Yue's eyes light up.

It was indeed an excellent observation metric.

It tests the capacity for sustained, steady progress and adaptability.

"Good."

Lin Yue nodded, then stated her terms, "I'll give him three months. If within three months he can break into the top ten thousand, I'll acknowledge your 'extreme pressure' theory, and for subsequent combat missions, I'll prioritize increasing his share."

She paused, her tone turning exceedingly grave.

"But if, after three months, he fails to achieve that, then Instructor Wu, you must admit that your methods are too aggressive. From then on, Qin Feng's training plan must follow my pace entirely. Slow down the rate of improvement, lay a solid foundation at every stage. Steady and sure, build up strength. You should know that obtaining the Qiming Star General is already a very impressive record—why insist on achieving it within a year?"

"It's a deal."

Wu Shangfeng agreed without a moment's hesitation, crisp and clear.

As his words fell, his holographic projection dissolved into countless specks of light, vanishing into the night wind.

On the rooftop, only Lin Yue remained.

She stood silently, calling up Qin Feng's private data, gazing at his record of 3 wins and 40 losses that afternoon, sinking into a long contemplation.

(End of chapter)