Time was consumed in an almost extravagant manner.
For the geniuses immersed in arduous cultivation, the passage of day and night lost all meaning. The only measure was the surging power within their bodies and the ever-clearer comprehension of the Martial Dao in their minds.
In the blink of an eye, a month slipped by.
「Central Cultivation Hall—Public Martial Arts Room.」
"BANG!"
A dull, heavy thud resounded in the punch-testing area.
Qian Duoduo's massive frame, like that of an enraged bear, threw a fist that carried a vicious, howling wind, smashing it fiercely onto the specialized punching target.
On the electronic screen above the testing machine, numbers jumped frantically before finally settling.
[1987 KG]
"Hah… Hah…"
Qian Duoduo gasped for breath, sweat pouring down his round cheeks, but his eyes shone with excitement.
"Not bad."
Shi Potian, standing to the side, nodded and gave an objective assessment. "Your explosive power has increased by nearly ten percent. You're about to reach the entry level for the 'Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique.'"
All killing techniques were inextricably linked to fist techniques.
A direct increase in explosive punching power usually represented progress in comprehending killing techniques.
"Hehe, I have to thank you and Qin Feng for keeping an eye on me, Brother Shi."
Qian Duoduo gave an honest, simple laugh. "If it weren't for you guys, I'd probably still be sleeping my days away in the dorm."
"My turn."
Shi Potian walked over to another testing machine. He didn't use a weapon, simply standing there calmly and adjusting his breathing.
The next second, he moved.
A standard straight punch, completely unadorned yet fast as lightning, carried a sharp, unstoppable momentum as it precisely struck the center of the target.
[4998 KG]
A punch force of nearly five thousand kilograms.
"Brother Shi is on another level. He's about to break through to Second Level Martial Artist."
Qian Duoduo clicked his tongue in amazement.
Shi Potian retracted his fist and glanced at the data. His face was expressionless, clearly unsurprised by the result.
His gaze turned to the last person.
"Qin Feng, you're up."
Qin Feng nodded and stepped forward.
He also used no weapon, merely taking a basic punching stance before throwing a punch.
[1389 KG]
"Great improvement."
Shi Potian said, surprised, as he looked at the number.
A month ago, Qin Feng's base punch force was less than 1,000 kilograms.
In just one month, the Amplification was significant.
His life force index alone shouldn't account for such a large improvement.
This meant Qin Feng's comprehension of killing techniques was extremely high, far surpassing their own.
Although they were stronger than Qin Feng, when it came to their rate of progress… they were far behind him.
Qin Feng's killing technique had definitely reached the entry level!
'As expected, no one who gets into Qi Yi High School is a simple character.'
Shi Potian mused to himself.
"Just testing punch force is boring. Come on, let's test our killing techniques!"
Qian Duoduo's interest was piqued. He raised the heavy hammer in his hand and took a stance. "Qin Feng, you attack me first! Let me see how your Thousand Army Spear is coming along!"
"Alright."
Qin Feng walked to the weapon rack and took down the familiar Alloy Long Spear.
He gripped the spear with both hands, and his entire demeanor changed in an instant.
His usual calm was replaced by an aura as heavy as a mountain and as deep as an abyss.
"Be careful."
The moment the words left his mouth, Qin Feng moved.
With a shift of his feet, his figure lunged forward like a phantom. The Long Spear in his hands transformed into a silver streak of light, stabbing straight for Qian Duoduo's chest.
Qian Duoduo's pupils shrank. Not daring to be careless, he immediately blocked with his hammer held horizontally.
"CLANG!"
A crisp clang of metal on metal rang out.
The tip of Qin Feng's spear precisely struck the body of Qian Duoduo's hammer. A condensed burst of force erupted, shaking Qian Duoduo and forcing him back half a step.
Before he could stabilize himself, Qin Feng's spear technique changed. The thrust became a sweep, whistling through the air as it aimed for his lower body.
Qian Duoduo hurriedly brought his hammer back to defend, but Qin Feng's assault was like flowing mercury—relentless and unending.
Taps, thrusts, deflections, blocks… the most basic spear techniques were executed with effortless ease, linked together seamlessly, forcing Qian Duoduo into a flustered, passive defense.
To the side, Shi Potian's eyes revealed an unconcealable astonishment.
Ten minutes later, Qin Feng retracted his spear and stood still.
He was exhausted.
As for Qian Duoduo, while he seemed to be frantically parrying, his life force index was actually far higher than Qin Feng's. He was now only breathing a little heavily.
"No more, no more!"
He waved his hands repeatedly. "Qin Feng, you monster! It's only been a month! How is your spear technique more practiced than mine?"
"Says you."
Qin Feng gave a wry smile. "I could work myself to death and still not break your defense! My life force index is still too low. My strength, speed, and endurance can't keep up with you."
"Qin Feng."
Shi Potian also walked over. He looked at Qin Feng, his voice low. "If this were the Imperial Arena, under equalized stats, Xiaopang would definitely not be able to beat you. Your Thousand Army Spear must have reached the entry level a while ago, right?"
"Yeah."
Qin Feng nodded.
"Entry level?"
Qian Duoduo's eyes went wide. "Brother Shi, you're not kidding, are you? The Thousand Army Spear is recognized as the most difficult First Level Gun Skill to practice! He reached the entry level in just one month?"
"His Technique transitions are smooth, his force generation is masterful, and he already has his own rhythm. Those are the signs of the entry level."
Shi Potian gave his professional judgment.
He looked at Qin Feng and continued, "Your rate of progress is fast. Very fast."
"Hehe, that goes without saying."
Qian Duoduo sidled up, a proud look on his face as if he shared the honor. "Our Qin Feng is a rising star! This just shows how high his comprehension is!"
Shi Potian didn't refute him.
To cultivate a spear technique widely recognized as the most difficult to the entry level in just one month.
Such speed could not be explained by hard work alone.
There had to be an element of talent, or rather, "comprehension," involved.
What they didn't know was that on Qin Feng's panel, the results of his month of arduous cultivation were clearly displayed.
[Name: Qin Feng]
[Life Force Index: 2.98]
[Martial Artist Level: First-level Martial Artist]
[Refining Method: Imperial Body Refining Technique (Minor Accomplishment)]
[Proficiency: 312/1000]
[Killing Technique: Thousand Army Spear (Entry)]
[Proficiency: 31/100]
[Effect: At the current realm, comprehension for cultivating spear techniques is slightly increased.]
[Realms: Entry, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, Perfection, Control.]
[Refining Method: Emperor Meditation Technique (Uninitiated)]
[Proficiency: 9/10]
[Reaching 10 Proficiency will advance to Entry Level.]
In one month, his Body Refining Technique proficiency had crazily increased by nearly three hundred points, at a rate of 7 to 10 points per day.
His life force index had also soared to nearly 3.0 as a result.
And the Thousand Army Spear, just as Shi Potian had said, had successfully reached the entry level, with its proficiency at 31 points.
The slowest progress was with the Emperor Meditation Technique. In one month, its proficiency had barely reached 9 points, just one point shy of the entry level.
"Let's go. Time to eat."
Qin Feng closed the panel and said to the other two.
「…」
In the public cafeteria, they sat at their usual spot by the window.
The three of them discussed their upcoming plans while eating their nutritional meals.
"Phew, we finally made it through the first month."
Qian Duoduo gulped down a large mouthful of water and let out a long sigh. "Tomorrow is our first practical combat class, and the day after that is the monthly exam. After the exam, we'll have to figure out a way to earn merit points."
Shi Potian paused, raised his head, and looked at the two of them.
"The resources from a D-rank contract can no longer keep up with my cultivation speed. I suspect you two will soon face the same problem, so we have to raise our contract levels as soon as possible."
"Exactly."
Qian Duoduo immediately perked up, pulling up his own data panel and swiping across it. "I already looked into it. To get from D-rank to C-rank, you need 100 merit points. From C to B, 1,000. From B to A, 10,000. And for the legendary S-rank, you need a whopping 100,000 merit points!"
He smacked his lips. "There are a few main ways to earn merit points. The first is our practical combat class tomorrow. I heard the teacher will grade our performance during the mission and award points directly. If you do exceptionally well, you might even get dozens of points in one go."
"Second, the monthly exam the day after tomorrow. As long as you place in the top 100 of our year, you get merit points as a reward. The higher your rank, the richer the reward. I heard if you make it into the top ten, you can get over a hundred points at once, enough to upgrade directly to a C-rank contract!"
"Besides that, there are some achievements that aren't restricted by your strength."
Qian Duoduo looked at Qin Feng. "For example, your rank in the Imperial Arena. Or some of the school's test courses, like the 'Gravity Copperman Alley' or the 'Counter-Current Racetrack.' As long as you achieve a certain result, the school gives you a one-time reward of merit points. For newcomers, this is pretty much the most direct way to get them."
Hearing this, Shi Potian nodded. "There's one more thing. We've been cultivating our killing techniques for a month; it's time to test them in the arena. Real combat is the fastest way to improve your fighting skills."
"Right!"
Qian Duoduo slapped his thigh. "That's exactly what I was thinking! Starting today, we have to add the Imperial Arena to our daily training plan! We can split our afternoon killing technique practice time, spend half of it fighting in the arena, or even spend all of it there."
"Sounds good."
Qin Feng agreed.
"I have no problem with that."
Shi Potian was concise. "We can add each other as friends. It's better to practice with people you know first. No need to rush into ranked matches to climb the ladder."
"Alright!"
Qian Duoduo clenched his fists, his face filled with motivation. "Then our training plan needs an update. We're adding the Imperial Arena and the 'get merit points' phase. From now on, our schedule will be tighter, and our days will be even busier."
The meal ended with the three of them planning and looking forward to the future.
"Let's go. We should get to bed early tonight for the practical combat class tomorrow."
"I heard for the practical combat class, our homeroom teacher accepts a mission and then takes us to complete it… If we're lucky, we can get a lot of merit points."
"If you're unlucky, you could also die."
"…"