Translator: CinderTL
The next morning, Feng Qi was awakened by the ringing of his phone.
Groping for the device on his bedside table, he glanced at the screen and saw it was Bai Fusheng calling.
He answered, and Bai Fusheng's aged voice came through the line:
"The Ministry of Education's approval just came through."
Hearing this, Feng Qi's drowsiness vanished instantly. He immediately asked, "What's the verdict?"
"Approved. The Ministry stated they won't provide financial support, but they will allow you to conduct Virtual Technology research at Star City Academy and provide you with workspace, accommodation, and meals."
Though he had anticipated this outcome, receiving confirmation still filled him with excitement.
"Thank you, Grandmaster. You've been a tremendous help."
"No need to thank me. The higher-ups have been paying close attention to you lately. This approval is largely due to your own merits—after all, you've already earned the Human Outstanding Contribution Silver Medal at such a young age."
"Besides, several of your cultivation techniques are still under review. The higher-ups are very optimistic about you receiving the Human Outstanding Contribution Gold Medal. Vice Minister Liu from the Ministry of Education even called specifically to inquire about your recent progress and asked me to urge you to focus on cultivation studies and not waste your talent."
Feeling pleased, Feng Qi immediately responded with a smile, "Grandmaster, rest assured, I won't neglect my research in cultivation studies. As I explained in detail yesterday, if Virtual Technology succeeds, its impact will far surpass even creating a Five-Star Cultivation Technique."
"As a genius, I must excel in both domains and achieve results in both."
Hearing Feng Qi's boastful words, Bai Fusheng couldn't help but roll his eyes on the other end of the line.
Despite Feng Qi's assurances, Bai Fusheng still seemed uneasy. He continued, "Telling me this is pointless. Remember our agreement: I'm giving you three months. If you don't make progress, abandon Virtual Technology immediately and stop wasting your time."
"Please wait and see. I guarantee I won't disappoint you," Feng Qi reiterated his promise before asking, "Grandmaster, have you contacted Fang Zhiyou's parents yet?"
"I've contacted them. It's hard to explain over the phone, so I've arranged a meeting. I'll try to persuade them in person."
Hearing this, Feng Qi was deeply moved.
It was clear Bai Fusheng was taking his concerns to heart. Feng Qi had expected a phone call, but he never imagined his grandmaster would go to such lengths. Thinking of this, he immediately said:
"Grandmaster, remember to wear your dashing Principal's Robe when you go."
Bai Fusheng: ...
"Is that really necessary?"
"Absolutely! It'll give you the momentum to intimidate them right from the start. Then you can take the initiative in the conversation. Oh, and don't forget your Principal's Certificate—if you're going to show off, you might as well go all out."
"Alright, enough of this nonsense. I'm heading out now."
"Safe travels, Grandmaster! May you return victorious!"
After hanging up, Feng Qi clenched his fist in excitement.
Although he hadn't yet acquired the Photographic Memory ability, copying the Savior's Code and algorithms wasn't urgent. The priority was to have Fang Zhiyou perfect the architecture of the Future Virtual Engine.
There were also artistic aspects that needed refinement.
Ironically, the code and algorithms—the very problems Fang Zhiyou considered most challenging—were the easiest for Feng Qi to handle.
Even if he didn't acquire the Photographic Memory ability by then, he could still repeatedly travel between reality and the Dream Realm to meticulously copy down the Savior's Code and other crucial information.
He glanced at the time—7:20 AM.
After getting out of bed and washing up, he left his dormitory and headed toward the Academy Cafeteria.
Though the Autumnal Equinox had passed, the weather remained sweltering.
As the most talked-about figure at Star City Academy recently, Feng Qi was greeted warmly by every student he encountered on his way to the cafeteria. He responded to each greeting with a smile and a nod.
Upon entering the cafeteria, the 24-hour air conditioning created a refreshing contrast to the oppressive heat outside, making it feel like stepping into another world.
Today was the Ghost Festival, and the cafeteria had prepared a variety of festive dishes, including wheat oil cakes, flower buns, lai fun noodles, jiao bing dumplings, boiled duck, and other regional specialties from across the country.
After filling his tray with food, Feng Qi made his way to the north corner of the cafeteria and sat down across from Mu Qing, who was already digging in. Lin Ran hadn't arrived yet.
Watching Mu Qing devour her meal, Feng Qi smiled and said, "Senior Sister, I need your help with something today."
Mu Qing, mid-bite, looked up. After swallowing her food, she asked curiously, "Sure, what is it?"
"Aren't you going to ask what kind of help I need?"
"As long as it's not murder or arson, I'm in," Mu Qing said, a dazed, adorable smile spreading across her face.
"It's definitely not murder or arson. Here's the situation: the academies in the eastern region are jointly hosting a New Student Team Competition soon. Every New Student Combat Class can participate, and I'd like you to help me temper the arrogance of our classmates."
Mu Qing's expression froze in surprise. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
"Use your strength to make them feel defeated. Grind down their pride so I can start Team Battle training later."
Hearing this, Mu Qing hesitated. "I tend to go overboard. I'm afraid I might hurt them."
"Don't worry, they're tougher than you think. Just adjust your approach as needed."
Mu Qing nodded obediently. "Okay, I will."
Feng Qi then began eating as well.
A moment later, Lin Ran arrived, carrying a tray. He sat down next to Feng Qi, yawned, and greeted, "Brother Qi, Senior Sister, good morning!"
Feng Qi was surprised by Lin Ran's appearance. "What were you up to last night? Didn't get enough sleep?"
"I've been researching a Devour Art Magic to accelerate digestion. It's been a real headache."
"Didn't succeed?"
"I succeeded, but it's still incomplete and has major problems."
"Tell me more."
Under the curious gazes of Feng Qi and Mu Qing, Lin Ran said with a hint of embarrassment, "The Devour Art Magic is mostly successful. Anything I eat digests rapidly in my stomach. But there's a major drawback."
"What's the drawback?"
"I spent all night on the toilet yesterday, and I clogged the dormitory's sewer system."
Feng Qi shuddered. "Don't talk about that while we're eating. It's ruining my appetite."
"But Brother Qi, you asked me to explain," Lin Ran protested, sounding slightly aggrieved.
"Oh, right, Brother Qi, the Devour Art Magic isn't entirely useless. I've discovered it has some significant applications."
"For example, if Frontline Domain Warriors mastered this technique, they could reduce the time spent eating in the Domain Field while accelerating energy absorption and stamina replenishment."
Feng Qi gave him a thumbs-up. "Excellent."
He had never doubted Lin Ran's talent for Art Magic Research. After all, Lin Ran would become the founder of a major Art Magic school in the future, and Future People considered him one of history's most gifted Art Magic researchers.
Feng Qi showered Lin Ran's achievements in Art Magic with lavish praise.
I need to praise him, praise him relentlessly, and hopefully praise him so much he abandons cultivation arts altogether.
They finished breakfast amidst casual conversation.
After Mu Qing finished eating, Feng Qi and Lin Ran accompanied her to Teaching Building Two.
When Feng Qi arrived at Combat Class Three's classroom, Liu Yue and the other new students were already there.
Standing at the doorway, Feng Qi smiled and announced, "Today's class will be held in the Gymnasium. Everyone, please come out."
At his instruction, Liu Yue and the others rose to their feet and followed him to the Gymnasium located east of Teaching Building Two.
After informing the Gymnasium administrator of their purpose, Feng Qi led the new students into the No. 3 Body Tempering Arena.
This 1,800-square-meter arena was lined with racks displaying various types of cold weapons along its sides, serving as a training ground for students' combat practice.
The arena's floor tiles were made from a special material produced within the Domain Field, boasting exceptional hardness.
Yet even with this durability, the tiles still required frequent replacement.
Star City Academy spared no expense on such matters, allocating substantial annual funds for the maintenance and upgrades of its infrastructure.
Leading the class to the center of the arena, Feng Qi turned to face them. "I have an announcement," he began. "Our class will be participating in the upcoming New Student Team Competition. As a combat class, combat training is essential, but first, I need to assess your individual skill levels."
"Let's start with everyone reporting their current skill ratings. Monk, you're up first."
At Feng Qi's instruction, the monk nodded immediately, a smile spreading across his face as he replied,
"My current strength is unranked in the latest assessment," the monk announced.
Feng Qi: ...
After the monk finished introducing himself, the Xia Family Brothers began to share their strength rankings:
"Xia Long, black iron lower stage in the most recent assessment."
"Xia Hu, black iron lower stage in the most recent assessment."
"Xia Bao, black iron lower stage in the most recent assessment."
Feng Qi was somewhat surprised by the Xia Family Brothers' strength. He hadn't expected them to have already reached the black iron lower stage.
Achieving this level of strength at their age was truly remarkable.
Black iron-tier strength was sufficient to join a domain combat team and become a frontline domain warrior.
The average strength of this year's freshmen at the academy typically ranged between Martial Artist Ninth Stage and below black iron-tier.
"Yan Yue, Martial Artist Ninth Stage."
"Xu Hongyun, currently unranked, but I'll work hard to improve!" Little Fatty declared earnestly.
"Liu Yue, yet to undergo strength assessment," Liu Yue added.
During the subsequent self-introductions, Lin Ran was the only one whose strength had reached the black iron upper stage. The rest were considered unranked.
As for Mu Qing, she hadn't even been tested yet.
Since she never attended classes or participated in the academy's physical examinations and other assessments, she had no official strength rating.
After hearing their introductions, Feng Qi nodded.
"Alright, Lin Ran, spar with Liu Yue to roughly assess his current strength level."
Lin Ran never refused Feng Qi's requests. He immediately nodded, stepped to the center of the training ground, and grinned at Liu Yue.
"Come on, Liu Yue."
Lin Ran exuded confidence in his abilities, convinced he was the strongest in the class. While he acknowledged Liu Yue's strength, he was certain he would prevail.
Faced with the challenge, Liu Yue shrugged and positioned himself opposite Lin Ran.
"Brother Qi, can we use art magic? I'd be no match in a pure physical fight."
"Yes!" Feng Qi replied instantly.
"Good."
With that, Lin Ran turned his gaze to Liu Yue, his expression turning serious.
"Shall we use swords?"
"This sword is not meant to be used against its own kind," Liu Yue replied.
Lin Ran nodded in understanding.
"That Liu Yue bastard is such a fucking show-off! I can't stand him," Xia Long growled, glaring at Liu Yue.
"Me too, Big Brother," Xia Hu agreed.
"Me too, Big Brother and Second Brother," Xia Bao chimed in.
As the crowd retreated to a safe distance, Feng Qi remained close. Unexpected situations could arise during the match, and his presence would provide a measure of security.
Glancing at Lin Ran and Liu Yue, he announced, "Begin."
Lin Ran struck first. With a swift hand gesture, he channeled spiritual energy, causing the air to ripple. Several fireballs materialized out of thin air and hurtled toward Liu Yue.
But before the fireballs could reach their target, Liu Yue unleashed a torrent of sharp sword energy from his body, shattering the flames into scattered sparks.
In the next instant, Liu Yue pointed forward. The Jianlan sword behind him trembled violently, and its fierce sword energy solidified into a near-tangible white blade that shot toward Lin Ran like a thorn.
Lin Ran was clearly familiar with Liu Yue's techniques. After performing a series of rapid hand seals, he merged his internal spiritual energy with the ambient energy, tracing the trajectories of an art magic spell. Several spiritual energy shields materialized before him.
However, Lin Ran had underestimated Liu Yue's power.
To his disbelief, the sword energy pierced through the layers of spiritual energy shields, its momentum undiminished.
Fortunately, Lin Ran reacted swiftly. With another decisive hand seal, an external force yanked him aside, narrowly evading Liu Yue's sword energy assault.
The white sword energy shot forward, leaving a bowl-sized hole in the specially reinforced wall in the distance.
Hiss! The crowd gasped, their faces betraying their astonishment.
"The Art Magic Genius Lin Ran... surely your true strength lies beyond this?" Liu Yue taunted.
"I'll get serious now."
Facing Liu Yue's provocation, Lin Ran took a deep breath and rapidly crossed his hands before him.
His internal spiritual energy surged along the pathways dictated by his hand gestures. With a sudden grab toward Liu Yue, a massive spiritual energy hand materialized and slammed down upon him.
Jianlan trembled, fierce sword energy erupting from his body as he attempted to shatter the massive spiritual energy hand.
At that moment, Lin Ran continued to weave hand seals.
By the time Liu Yue shattered the spiritual energy hand, Lin Ran had already completed three art magic trajectories. The specially designed floor tiles beneath Liu Yue's feet twisted, locking his ankles in place.
Instantly, lightning bolts and ice thorns materialized from thin air, hurtling toward him.
Lin Ran's hand seal speed was astonishing, and the art magic trajectories formed with lightning-fast precision. Fortunately, Liu Yue reacted swiftly, unleashing sword energy to intercept the lightning and ice thorns, shattering each one.
But before he could catch his breath, Lin Ran had already completed another three art magic trajectories, unleashing a fresh wave of attacks.
This was Lin Ran's true strength.
The greatest advantage of Hand Seal Flow Art was its unparalleled speed in casting spells.
When Lin Ran truly focused, he became a living art magic turret, his hands blurring as he wove seals, rapidly generating a relentless barrage of spells that crashed down upon Liu Yue.
Forced into a purely defensive stance, Liu Yue had no opportunity to counterattack.
His composed expression finally shifted to one of intense concentration.
His right hand moved in continuous arcs before him, his index finger guiding sword energy to intercept and shatter every spell Lin Ran unleashed.
The sheer intensity of their clash left the other new students utterly stunned.
Over ten minutes later, Liu Yue once again shattered Lin Ran's art magic with his sword energy. His gaze sharpened as he raised his hand and pointed sharply forward.
Immediately, the Jianlan sword on his back trembled, emitting a wisp of white smoke.
The white smoke coalesced in mid-air, forming a perfect replica of Jianlan. With a flick of Liu Yue's wrist, the ethereal sword shot toward Lin Ran like a meteor.
Surging sword energy erupted outward, creating a swirling vortex of blades. The white mist sword energy carved deep, jagged scars into the ground as it streaked across the arena.
"I surrender!" Lin Ran suddenly shouted.
Hearing this, Liu Yue pointed a single finger at the white mist sword energy, causing it to dissipate into nothingness.
"Damn it, man, you're way too strong! Is this the kind of power a freshman should have?" Lin Ran grumbled, his face twisted with frustration as he stared at Liu Yue's impassive expression.
After a barrage of art magic attacks, he realized he couldn't even breach Liu Yue's sword energy defenses.
By now, his spiritual energy was nearly depleted. Even if he had managed to withstand Liu Yue's final strike, defeat would have been inevitable.
The fact that Liu Yue hadn't even drawn Jianlan from its sheath throughout the entire battle only deepened Lin Ran's frustration. It was clear Liu Yue hadn't even shown his true strength.
Lin Ran had always believed himself to be the strongest in their class, but this first battle had shattered that illusion.
At that moment, he mentally adjusted his ranking in the class, placing himself behind Liu Yue as the second strongest.
At least Xia Long and the others were no match for him.
A smile crept across Feng Qi's face as he watched Lin Ran's defeat.
Lin Ran's strength had never been in combat. If raw power were the sole measure, he would never have earned a place in history.
Feng Qi had long anticipated Lin Ran's loss to Liu Yue.
Turning to Mu Qing, who stood some distance away, Feng Qi called out, "Senior Sister, why don't you test Liu Yue's strength?"
Mu Qing nodded vigorously and stepped forward to face Liu Yue.
Liu Yue's expression turned bewildered. He clearly didn't understand why Feng Qi would send the unassuming Mu Qing to challenge him.
Lin Ran, who had moved to Feng Qi's side, looked equally surprised. He couldn't help but ask, "Brother Qi, why are you making Senior Sister test Liu Yue's strength? It's too dangerous! Even standing far back, I barely withstood the sword energy's assault with multiple spiritual energy shields. Aren't you worried she'll get hurt?"
Feng Qi grinned. "Open your eyes and watch closely. This is what true dominance looks like."
(End of the Chapter)
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𝟏𝟒 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 | 𝟖.𝟒𝐤 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 | 𝟏𝟒.3𝐌 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 [𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦]