「Two days later, in the Red Realm Arena.」

CLANG! CLANG!

Two figures clashed wildly on the specially-made stone ground. Flashes of steel from saber and spear filled the air as their weapons collided, sending sparks flying.

A powerful, sturdy figure, like a crocodile, brandished his Saber Technique to devour his opponent.

He attacked at will, his saber light sharp and fierce, slashing out in an instant like a furious gale.

He slit his opponent’s throat, causing them to dissipate into the void of the arena.

[Yang Jian, unfortunately, you have died.]

Lin Qi materialized in his personal space. His brow was furrowed, only relaxing after a moment.

’I lost again. Without a Tier Two Spear Technique, I still can’t win against true experts.

’It’s a shame. I feel like I was so close.’

Lin Qi quickly analyzed the fight in his mind. He had hit a bottleneck; his Spear Technique hadn’t improved for three or four days.

He wasn’t used to this.

「The next day in class.」

Zhang Cheng shook his head as he looked at Lin Qi, who had come to him for advice.

"You’re really something else. Your Spear Technique is still only Tier One, yet you managed to defeat an opponent from Songbai Middle School who has a Tier Two Saber Technique. You’re a genius."

With that, he lifted the Long Spear in his sturdy, muscular arms and began to speak.

"Regarding the division of Realms for Spear Technique, Tier One Spear Technique is also called the Foundation Realm. The movements are standard, and you’ve trained the basic blocks, parries, and thrusts into muscle memory, to the point they’ve become instinct."

"You can use your Spear Technique smoothly in battle, but your force generation is crude. All you need is constant training to improve your proficiency."

"Tier Two Spear Technique is also known as the Proficient Realm."

"Not only do you need to master every one of the Techniques in a Black Iron Level Secret Manual, but when you execute them, your Spear Technique must be seamless and fluid, like flowing water. You can attack at will, and your force generation is skillful."

"When your Martial Arts reach Tier Two, the difficulty of mastering the three major Killing Techniques from a Black Iron Level Secret Manual will drop significantly."

Lin Qi nodded repeatedly, a look of dawning comprehension on his face. He had latched onto the key phrase: force generation.

SWISH! SWISH!

As he spoke, Zhang Cheng brandished his Long Spear, his techniques flowing smoothly from one to the next.

His Spear Technique and his body were one. His movements weren’t fast, but they were exceptionally fluid, making it impossible to find an opening.

Lin Qi’s eyes lit up. The more he watched Zhang Cheng demonstrate his Spear Technique, the more profound it seemed.

"With a Tier Two Spear Technique, a thrust is like a Spiritual Snake striking from its den—swift and precise, able to accurately strike an opponent’s vitals."

"When executing an upward flick, power is transmitted from the legs, through the waist, to the arms in a single, fluid motion. You can send an enemy’s weapon or an incoming object flying high, easily neutralizing their attack."

"When parrying, your arms move nimbly, like a whirlwind..."

Zhang Cheng explained as he demonstrated.

"Lin Qi, when you can do what I’ve described, you will have achieved Perfection in your Tier Two Spear Technique."

"The most crucial aspect of a Tier Two Spear Technique is force generation—fully mobilizing the large muscle groups of your limbs and torso, just like with a Fist Technique."

"But the difficulty is much higher, because you need to channel that power through the Long Spear. It takes more effort to make the Long Spear feel like an extension of your own arm."

Lin Qi couldn’t stop nodding, countless ideas popping into his head.

"I understand, Teacher Zhang!"

After thanking him, Lin Qi turned and left.

Zhang Cheng nodded. "Not bad. I just gave him a little pointer, and he got it."

Lin Qi returned to his personal Martial Arts Room, grabbed his Training Lance, and began swinging it ferociously.

He started with the Basic Spear Skill: blocking, parrying, thrusting, smashing, chopping, piercing, flicking...

He calmed his mind and focused his Perception on the state of his muscles’ force generation.

SWISH! SWISH!

The shaft of the spear swung, its tip quivering as he unleashed a continuous series of thrusts.

He transitioned from the > to the >.

Lin Qi’s aura changed dramatically. He swung his spear with immense power, his presence spreading outwards like a tidal wave as formidable strength burst from his muscles.

Lin Qi’s Spear Technique grew more and more proficient. The transitions between his Techniques became smoother, the hitches fewer and fewer.

As he executed the Spear Technique, a multitude of muscles in his body generated force simultaneously, channeling it into the Long Spear, making it strike like a Spiritual Snake—swift and precise.

In an instant, Lin Qi’s gaze fell upon a single, transparent bead of sweat trickling down his body.

He abruptly thrust his Long Spear, piercing the air and streaking across the space.

POP!

The spear tip pierced the bead of sweat with perfect accuracy, causing it to burst.

[Through practicing your Spear Technique, your proficiency has greatly increased, breaking through to Tier Two. Spear Technique +3%]

[Through practicing your Spear Technique, your Body Technique proficiency has greatly increased. Body Technique +2%]

[You have completed one effective training session. Template Fusion Degree +0.1%]

[Spear Technique: Tier One 99% → Tier Two 2%]

[Body Technique: Tier One 91% → 93%]

[Template: True Monarch Erlang Yang Jian]

[Fusion Degree: 7.9% → 8.0%]

Lin Qi withdrew his spear, immediately focusing on the feeling he’d just experienced. A moment later, he looked at his status panel.

His Spear Technique had finally broken through to Tier Two. Lin Qi could clearly feel that his execution was much smoother, and he had a stronger grasp of each Technique.

Of course, the most crucial part was his new understanding of force generation. His muscles no longer applied power crudely.

His force generation had become more refined and smooth, allowing his Spear Technique to unleash even greater power.

Finally, Lin Qi’s gaze fell on his Template’s Talent.

’Ever since the Fusion Degree reached 5%, every single point of increase has become more and more difficult.’

As he thought this, he felt a pain spreading through his muscles and bones. The transformation of his body had begun again.

’My Talent is getting more and more terrifying. Every 1% increase is a huge boost.’

While Lin Qi endured the pain, bits of information also flowed into his mind.

His mind expanded, and he came to understand many things. Every 1% increase in Fusion Degree was a massive improvement.

And every 10% was a major threshold. The improvements from his Template’s Talent would become even more exaggerated in the future.

If he were to convert it into numbers, perhaps at 10%, every 1% increase would grant 10 units.

At 20%, every 1% would be 100 units; at 30%, 1,000 units; at 40%, 10,000 units...

As it was, reaching 10% would probably give him a Talent that was top-tier among humans.

If he reached 20%, or even higher, the improvements would be even more terrifying.

HUFF...

Lin Qi clenched his fists. The pain only made his eyes shine brighter. ’As long as my Talent is improving, what’s a little pain like this?’

This also made Lin Qi even more expectant. With such a powerful Talent, it was entirely possible for him to Awaken a Special Ability before the Seventh Realm.

Time passed quickly. As the midterm exams approached, the students of every major high school grew more and more anxious.

Every day, countless Martial Arts Students trained desperately from dawn till dusk, pouring sweat, all for the sake of earning a few extra points on the exam.

「Midterm Exams, November 10th.」

In the Elite class classroom, the only sounds were the rustling of turning pages and the scratching of pens on paper.

Lin Qi answered the questions quickly, his eyes scanning like a Radar and his pen moving as if guided by a divine hand.

As he spent more and more time on Martial Arts, the best he could do in his academic classes was to ensure he didn’t fall behind.

Even so, he was still first in his grade for academics.

BRRRRING!

"Time’s up. Everyone stop writing."

The exam ended. The proctor collected the test papers, and afterward, all the students left the room.

"Brother Qi, let’s go. Time to eat. The Martial Arts test is next," Jiangtao said, taking out a Stimulant Potion and drinking it.

"Alright!" Lin Qi also drank a vial of Stimulant Potion and headed to the cafeteria with Jiangtao.

「One hour later, in the Martial Arts Classroom.」

"What is this machine? I’ve never seen one before!"

Countless students were gathered, surrounding a massive, white, cylindrical machine fitted with two mechanical arms and a clear electronic screen on top.

Lin Qi also looked at the machine curiously. It was his first time seeing it as well.

"Quiet!"

A resonant voice came from the doorway, and the classroom instantly fell silent.

Zhang Cheng strode into the classroom like a meteor, still accompanied by two people, and came to stand beside the crowd.

He walked to the center of the crowd, patted the new instrument, and began to speak.

"The traditional method for determining Qi and Blood Value was to calculate it from Fist Power and speed using a model."

"However, some students have Fist Power and speed far exceeding that of ordinary people, so this method had a large margin of error. It was also time-consuming and labor-intensive, and has now been phased out."

"This is Blue Star’s latest technological achievement—the Qi and Blood Tester. It can accurately measure everyone’s Qi and Blood Value with an accuracy rate as high as 99%."

"From now on, all major exams will use the Qi and Blood Tester directly."

When Zhang Cheng said this, many people’s eyes lit up. ’It’s that convenient?’

"The test will now officially begin. When I call your name, come over to be tested."

"First up, Xu Chenhui!"