Chapter 74: Escorted by a Thousand Armies

Chapter 74: A Thousand Troops in Guard

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Qin Feng was completely trapped in a passive defense.

The long spear in his hands, driven by his will, transformed into an impenetrable curtain of steel.

The spear tip struck, thrust, parried, and deflected; the shaft blocked, held, intercepted, and swept.

He unleashed every basic defensive move from the "Thousand Troops Spear Art" to the utmost of his ability.

Beneath his feet, the "Wandering Dragon" footwork activated, no longer merely to create distance, but to shift and weave within a confined space, coordinating with the spear's changes, constantly adjusting his center of gravity and defensive angle, seeking to neutralize the terrifying force behind each of Sun He's attacks with minimal effort.

Distance control!

Under extreme suppression, he precisely managed the gap between himself and his opponent, neither allowing the enemy to close in fully nor letting him drift beyond the range of defense.

Qin Feng fought with exhilarating abandon.

Over these ten days, he had been brutally schooled by over four hundred senior students in every conceivable way. Each crushing defeat felt like a profound lesson.

He had long grown accustomed to this rhythm of survival under extreme pressure.

His mind was now a blank slate, all his focus poured into the pure exchange of offense and defense before him.

In his eyes, Sun He's staff technique seemed to slow down.

He could clearly catch the subtle twitch of the opponent's shoulder muscles with each exertion; he could predict the trajectory and landing point of the short staff's swing; he could sense the strongest and weakest points in every attack.

Just before the short staff descended, his long spear would appear, as if by some ghostly instinct, at the most opportune spot, at the most cunning angle, using the most economical motion to dissolve the violent assault into nothingness.

A mysterious, ineffable feeling quietly sprouted in his heart.

"Defense is not mere blocking."

"It is redirecting force, guiding it, borrowing momentum."

"The spear is not just a weapon for attack; it is an extension of my body, the bulwark of my will."

"The space around me is my domain. Within this domain, wherever the spear's shadow reaches, that ground is my sovereign territory."

"The spear technique is like a net; the footwork, like a fish."

"The spear moves with the heart's desire, as if it were an extension of my arm. The curtain of steel is watertight, like a thousand troops and ten thousand horsemen guarding my body, keeping all external foes at bay!"

"At the same time, the footwork shifts and turns, merging seamlessly with the spear technique, moving as the heart wills!"

"This is... the Thousand Troops in Guard!"

Epiphany!

Under the storm-like, extreme pressure from Sun He, Qin Feng's understanding of the third killing move of the "Thousand Troops Spear Art"—[Thousand Troops in Guard]—finally shattered the last veil of obscurity!

Hum—

The long spear in his hand seemed to emit a faint hum.

In the next moment, his entire defensive posture underwent a qualitative transformation.

If before he had been like a reef struggling to withstand a storm,

Now he had become an absolute defensive barrier, completely isolating the storm outside.

His spear technique no longer showed any rigidity.

Every block was perfectly timed, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Sun He's attacks, though heavier and faster, fell upon his spear curtain like mud sinking into the sea, effortlessly dissipated into nothing.

Not only that, but Qin Feng's spear tip began to carry a faint hint of counterattack in the gaps of his defense.

It was no longer passive blocking; instead, while parrying, he would redirect the opponent's force to the side and, in the same motion, thrust his spear tip toward the enemy's open space.

The balance of offense and defense was quietly reversing.

Sun He found the fight increasingly uncomfortable.

He felt as if he were attacking a rapidly spinning iron ball covered in spikes.

Every one of his strikes was deflected with exquisite precision, and sometimes even turned back against him, using his own force to threaten him.

His proud close-quarters suppression was being gradually driven out of effective attack range by Qin Feng's new defensive system.

He simply could not breach that seemingly thin yet unbreakable spear curtain!

"This guy...!"

Sun He was inwardly shocked.

But as a battle-hardened senior, he immediately adjusted his strategy.

He no longer sought to kill Qin Feng at close range; instead, he poured all his strength into each attack, abandoning finesse, relying solely on pure, absolute power for a brute-force crushing.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Each collision between the short staff and the long spear produced a heavy sound like a battering ram.

Although Qin Feng had grasped the "Thousand Troops in Guard" and was no longer inferior to Sun He in technique—even surpassing him in the subtlety of defense—the vast gap in their Vitality Index could not be fully bridged by skill alone.

With every hard block, a terrifying force that could not be completely neutralized surged through the spear shaft into his arms.

His tiger's mouth began to go numb.

His muscles screamed in agony.

His very bones seemed to tremble.

He clenched his teeth, relying on sheer willpower to hold on.

One minute...

One minute and ten seconds...

One minute and twenty seconds...

"Crack!"

A faint tearing sound rang out.

Qin Feng felt a searing pain in his right tiger's mouth, and could no longer grip the long spear.

The alloy spear flew from his hands.

Both tiger's mouths were split open, drenched in blood.

The outcome was decided.

Sun He's figure instantly closed in, and a short staff lightly tapped against Qin Feng's chest.

[Battle Ended]

[Victor: Sun He]

[Time: 1 minute 22 seconds]

Exiting the arena, consciousness returned to reality.

There was no trace of dejection on Qin Feng's face; instead, it was filled with the joy of epiphany.

A Thousand Troops Guard.

He had finally comprehended this killing move.

[You have comprehended the killing move: A Thousand Troops Guard]

[Thousand Troops Spear proficiency increased by 2000 points]

[Killing Art: Thousand Troops Spear (Great Completion)]

[Proficiency: 4320/10000]

The proficiency of Thousand Troops Spear had already reached over 4300 points, which greatly surprised Qin Feng.

It was only a little more than half the proficiency away from perfection.

This epiphany was a tremendous improvement.

"To obtain the Qiming General Star, I need at least one perfected killing art—no, even one might not be enough."

Qin Feng pondered in his mind.

There were already senior students in their second year who had perfected killing arts; those in their third year were surely even stronger, perhaps mastering multiple killing arts.

"It's still too far off. I won't think about it for now."

Qin Feng shook his head, and his consciousness once again entered the subspace network, then into the private domain, and began matching!——

On the other side, in a single student dormitory, Sun He also withdrew from the subspace network.

His expression was indescribably complex.

"Ten days."

"Ten days ago, he could only last 32 seconds under my attacks."

"Ten days later, he held out for 1 minute and 22 seconds."

Sun He couldn't help but curse.

"Damn."

"What a fucking monster."

"In terms of technique, Qin Feng is now on par with me, and even deeper than me in his understanding of defense."

"What remains now is purely the gap in physical constitution."

"This rate of progress is just too fast."

Sun He let out a heartfelt exclamation in his mind.

(End of chapter)