At the center of the impact, Qin Feng, Long Spear in hand, stood as steady as a mountain, utterly unmoved.

With just a slight tremor of his spear-wielding wrist, the shaft of the weapon coiled and undulated like a draconic serpent, completely dispersing the terrifying rebound force.

His opponent, Qin Yonglin, on the other hand, looked as if he had been struck head-on by a charging Starry Sky Giant Beast. His large frame shuddered violently as he was driven back dozens of steps—THUD! THUD! THUD!—each footfall leaving a deep imprint on the alloy arena before he finally managed to steady himself.

He looked up, his arm numb and tingling. For the first time, an expression of profound shock mingled with the fervent battle lust in his eyes.

A Vitality Index of eighteen thousand!

In just one year, Qin Feng had reached a Vitality Index of 18,000—the first major threshold! Surpassing it would make him a Seventh-Level Mountain and Sea Martial Artist!

"Good! What incredible power!"

Far from being discouraged, Qin Yonglin licked his lips in excitement.

The crowd below fell into a sudden, dead silence, which was immediately shattered by a deafening roar of astonishment.

"My heavens! In a head-on clash, senior Qin Yonglin was actually knocked back?"

"Th-this... what kind of monstrous strength is that?! Has Qin Feng’s Vitality Index reached 18,000 too?"

"How could he have improved so quickly?"

After the initial shock, a well-informed upperclassman quickly provided an answer.

"It’s his physical aptitude! Have you all forgotten? When Qin Feng enrolled, he made the detection pod explode!"

"Exactly! And his Top-grade Primordial Acupoints! That stuff doesn’t just grant incredible cultivation speed; the Amplification to one’s physical constitution is comprehensive! The combination of those two monstrous talents is what created the monster we see today!"

...

On the arena stage, the battle continued without a moment’s pause.

Having gained the upper hand with a single strike, Qin Feng pressed his advantage relentlessly.

He executed an Advancing Step, his form flickering as he moved, and the *Raging Tides* Long Spear in his hands became a thousand phantoms, enveloping Qin Yonglin from all sides.

Qin Yonglin, too, had fully entered a combat state. He unleashed the full essence of the Nine Elements Staff technique, its shadowy afterimages flying to form a protective barrier around him like an unbreakable tortoise shell.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG—

The tip of the spear and the aura of the staff clashed wildly within inches of each other, the crisp, dense sounds blurring together like a sudden, violent downpour.

At times, they would launch into the air, twisting and turning in acrobatic maneuvers that left behind a trail of afterimages.

At others, they would land to exchange blows on the ground, and the alloy arena groaned under the strain of their footwork and the impact of their stray power.

In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged hundreds of blows.

Qin Feng’s focus was sharper than ever.

In his eyes, Qin Yonglin’s every move seemed to slow down infinitely.

He wasn’t concerned with victory or defeat. He was like a greedy sponge, frantically absorbing everything about his opponent.

Every exertion of force from Qin Yonglin, every variation in his staff technique, every operational trajectory of his "Mental Power-Spiritual Energy Aggregation Module," was clearly captured, recorded, and analyzed by Qin Feng.

His understanding of the top-tier Nine Elements Staff technique was deepening at a terrifying rate.

To the audience below the stage, however, the scene looked entirely different.

In their eyes, this was no longer an evenly matched battle, but one of complete and utter suppression!

Qin Feng’s figure was erratic and unpredictable, his attacks a relentless, unending tide.

Meanwhile, the veteran powerhouse Qin Yonglin was completely on the defensive, barely able to hold on, with almost no opportunity to retaliate.

"Th-this... Qin Feng’s progress is just too fast, isn’t it?"

"It’s only been one year! A year ago, he was getting beaten down by senior Qin Yonglin in the arena, and now he’s the one doing the suppressing?"

"It’s more than just suppression! Look at senior Qin Yonglin’s face—he’s clearly starting to struggle!"

In the crowd, a first-year student sighed in admiration, "Top-grade Primordial Acupoints on top of a constitution that could burst a detection pod... that’s just too unbeatable. The rate of his Vitality Index growth must be dozens of times faster than ours."

An upperclassman beside him overheard, shook his head, and sighed. "You only see his glory now. But have you ever considered this? Choosing Top-grade Primordial Acupoints means enduring the tedious Qi Meridian Stage for hundreds of years."

"You have to watch as everyone around you breaks through to the sixth level one by one, cultivating powerful Fourth-level Killing Techniques and exploring the mysteries of Mental Power, while you’re stuck like an ascetic monk, opening one acupoint after another, day in and day out... Could you endure that kind of loneliness and pressure?"

The first-year student was struck speechless by his words and fell silent.

Indeed. Behind the glory lay a level of sacrifice and perseverance that most people could never imagine.

...

In another corner of the crowd.

On Ning Jing’s perpetually stoic, "iceberg" face, the corner of his mouth was twitching uncontrollably.

Nissan, who was standing beside him, nudged him with a thick elbow and roared with laughter. "Hey, Ning Jing! You see that? Better get ready. Weren’t you the one yelling about wanting to challenge Qin Feng? You can have your glorious moment on stage after this match!"

Dragon Jade, in a rare display of mischief, chimed in with a playful smile. "That’s right, Ning Jing. We’re all waiting to see you go up there and ’teach’ our junior, Qin Feng, a lesson."

"..."

Ning Jing’s cheek twitched a couple more times, and he finally let out a helpless sigh. "Alright, alright, you two can stop teasing me."

"That guy... he’s an absolute freak! It’s one thing for his Vitality Index to progress this fast, but he’s already reached Perfection in his killing technique, too. It’s completely off the charts!"

...

The battle raged on.

From start to finish, the entire duel had actually lasted no more than fifteen seconds.