Chapter 73: Meeting Sun He Again

Chapter 73: Encounter with Sun He Again

“His efficiency in absorbing the medicinal liquid’s spiritual energy is twice mine.”

Shi Potian leaned against the edge of the bath barrel, murmuring to himself.

“Absorption is only the first step. After absorption, there’s utilization and transformation. His efficiency in converting that energy into vitality index is probably far higher than mine as well.”

A deep sense of helplessness, mixed with a bitter smile, spread across his face.

“He’s practically a freak.”

According to his original plan, increasing his vitality index by 1 point every ten days meant that with another three or four months of hard training, he could push it to 20.0, meeting the minimum standard for advancing to senior year.

But what about Qin Feng?

His speed was twice as fast.

Perhaps in just two months, or even less, he could reach 20.0.

The most crucial point was that while this freak was frantically strengthening his physical body, his progress in killing techniques was equally terrifyingly fast.

“Monster…”

Shi Potian let out a long sigh, rose from the bath barrel, dressed himself, and left the bathing room.

…

In the cafeteria.

Qin Feng, Shi Potian, and Qian Duoduo—the trio from Dorm 402—gathered again.

“Sigh, you two are getting more and more freakish,”

Qian Duoduo said, speaking indistinctly while wolfing down his food. “I’ve been training like crazy, and my vitality index is only just at 9.0. I estimate by the end of the month, I might reach 10.0 and apply to advance to sophomore year. For that, I’ve completely set aside my killing techniques.”

He looked at Qin Feng and Shi Potian, his eyes full of envy.

Just then, the wrist terminals of all three let out a crisp notification sound.

A compulsory announcement from the Academic Affairs Office popped up.

[Qiming No.1 Advanced Martial Arts High School · Academic Affairs Office Announcement]

[Subject]: Registration Notice for the 2337th Session of the “Qiming Star Inter-School League”

[Event Time]: Officially begins in ten days; the schedule is expected to last seven days.

[Eligibility]: All currently enrolled students of this school.

[Registration Method]: Interested participants should submit their registration applications to their respective homeroom teachers within three days. Late applications will not be accepted.

[Note]: The inter-school league concerns the honor of the school. We hope all students will actively sign up, strive hard, and win glory for the school!

“Here it comes!” Qian Duoduo’s eyes lit up.

Without any hesitation, all three immediately opened their homeroom teachers’ private chat channels, composed their messages, and sent their applications.

[Qin Feng]: Teacher Lin Yue, I apply to register for the inter-school league.

[Shi Potian]: Teacher, I apply to register.

[Qian Duoduo]: Teacher! I want to sign up! Count me in!

Almost simultaneously, all three received an automatic reply from their teachers: “Received.”

“Hehe, finally made it in time,”

Qian Duoduo said excitedly. “Even though I’m just going to fill a spot and experience the atmosphere of a top-tier event, the thought of sparring with geniuses from all over Qiming Star is thrilling!”

Shi Potian’s face was calm, but his eyes burned with fighting spirit: “My goal is the top ten.”

“What about you, Old Qin?”

Qian Duoduo looked at Qin Feng.

“Same for me,” Qin Feng replied.

“Tch.”

Qian Duoduo and Shi Potian both flipped him off simultaneously. “Aren’t you aiming for first?”

Hearing their teasing, Qin Feng shook his head helplessly.

“Qiming Star is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers; no one can guarantee they’ll take first. I have no knowledge of the geniuses from other schools—who knows what freaks are out there.”

This wasn’t modesty; it was fact.

Qiming No.1 Advanced Martial Arts High School implemented a nearly information-siloed, fully enclosed management system.

The school’s focus was entirely on pushing and cultivating students to their limits. Information about the outside world, especially about other competitors, was almost completely blocked.

Students spent all their time on training, combat practice, and point competitions, leaving them no energy or channels to learn about the geniuses from the other six top martial arts high schools.

“That’s true,”

Shi Potian nodded in agreement.

Qian Duoduo seemed to know some inside information and spoke up: “I heard that back in our year’s middle school exams, among the top ten candidates across Qiming Star, only two enrolled in Qiming No.1 High, and they weren’t even in the top five. Apparently, the top five had a gap in scores that was off the charts.”

Those who could get into Qiming No.1 High were already one-in-ten-thousand geniuses.

Yet those even more monstrous than them had all gone to other schools.

“So, you see,”

Qin Feng smiled, finishing the nutritious meal on his plate cleanly, “I’ll set a small goal first—fight for a spot in the top ten and at least earn the credit point rewards.”

After lunch, the three went their separate ways.

Qin Feng didn’t pause for a moment and went straight back to the public martial arts arena in the A-class district.

He skillfully opened the subspace network terminal.

His consciousness sank into the subspace network, selecting the private domain, and soon the familiar dark-gold interface of Qiming No.1 High’s private domain appeared before him.

He glanced at his personal data.

[ID]: Qin Feng

[Private Domain Points]: -280

[Record]: 34 Wins / 420 Losses

Over the past ten days, he had spent almost every afternoon here.

Wins increased slowly, but losses piled up faster.

Every time he encountered an upperclassman, he still hadn’t managed a single victory.

His points had long since turned into a glaring negative number.

“Continue.”

Without any hesitation, he pressed the [Start Matching] button.

Data streams flashed before his eyes. A few seconds later, the match was made.

Light and shadow coalesced, and he appeared on a desolate Gobi battlefield.

When he clearly saw the young man opposite him—holding dual short clubs, with a well-proportioned build—Qin Feng’s gaze sharpened slightly.

It was Sun He.

Ten days ago, he had been the first opponent Qin Feng encountered after advancing to the second year of high school.

Sun He clearly recognized him as well, a hint of a playful smile appearing on his face.

He did not immediately assume an attacking stance, but instead raised his hand and waved amiably at Qin Feng.

Qin Feng gave a slight nod, acknowledging the greeting.

The next second, the horn signaling the start of battle sounded.

Sun He's aura suddenly changed.

He was like a cheetah poised to spring, his legs slightly bent, then he suddenly exerted force, and the ground beneath his feet instantly burst open into a shallow pit.

His entire body turned into a blurry afterimage, charging forward at a speed far exceeding Qin Feng's.

It was still that same ferocious, unparalleled offensive!

Qin Feng's pupils abruptly contracted, but he did not choose to retreat as he had ten days ago.

He took a deep breath, his feet planted firmly on the ground like iron trees with deep roots, holding the three-meter-long spear horizontally in front of him, assuming a steady defensive posture.

"Clang!"

Sun He's first short rod, carrying the force of a thunderbolt, slammed heavily onto Qin Feng's spear shaft.

A tremendous force transmitted through, shaking Qin Feng's entire body backward half a meter, the muscles in his arms instantly tensed to their limit.

So heavy!

But—blocked!

Before he could catch his breath, Sun He's second short rod, from an extremely tricky low-angle trajectory, came up like a venomous snake, aiming straight for his lower abdomen.

Qin Feng's eyes sharpened, he exerted force from his waist, and the butt of the spear swung downward like a scorpion's tail.

"Clang!"

Another crisp, loud sound.

Sun He's attack was precisely parried.

"Interesting."

Sun He chuckled softly, and his assault became even more ferocious.

His twin short rods, in his hands, seemed to transform into two indestructible lightning bolts, sometimes as fierce as hammers, sometimes as nimble as whips, from all directions—above, below, left, right—launching a relentless, mercury-like onslaught at every vital point on Qin Feng's body.

For a moment, across the entire Gobi battlefield, only a dense, continuous clashing of metal could be heard, like rain beating on banana leaves.

(End of this chapter)