Chapter 143: Chapter 141: 20 Seconds! The Crowd Falls Silent, the Path of the Sword Cultivator Begins

The day of the final assessment arrived, clear and bright.

When Han Feng arrived at the five-hundred-meter-high air defense watchtower, he could clearly feel the atmosphere had changed.

The usual hustle and comparisons were gone, replaced by a solemnity so thick it almost felt solid.

As he stepped onto the rooftop platform, many gazes immediately converged on him.

Among them were several A Level Students, who were normally incredibly arrogant, yet now they took the initiative to nod at him in acknowledgment.

Their gazes were complex, a mixture of reverence and scrutiny.

In just half a month, Han Feng had earned everyone’s respect with his impeccable and absolute strength.

"Han Feng, it’s the final run today. Make it a good one!"

Wang Meng walked over and gave his shoulder a solid punch.

"Tch, why bother cheering him on."

Gu Yun curled his lip, an anime-themed coin flipping between his fingertips.

"Anyway, first place will definitely go to one of those posers from the Celestial Wings Society again."

"But... our Sharp Sword Society’s reputation is riding on you today."

The instructor, Qin Yueyao, appeared right on time.

She was dressed in the same practical black combat suit, her gaze as cold as frost.

"For the final assessment, the rules are the same: a high-speed descent while being harassed by three drones."

"This is your final combat simulation before entering Suspended Mountain."

"Give it everything you’ve got."

The assessment proceeded in an orderly fashion.

The students’ scores had largely plateaued. Facing drones with even faster reaction times, just maintaining their previous scores was the best they could do.

Sun Hao finished with a time of 32 seconds. It was a remarkable score, but any trace of his former arrogance was long gone from his face.

Zhang Hao remained as steady as a mountain, landing with a time of 24 seconds and drawing a ripple of quiet gasps.

When it was Sun Rui’s turn, he once again demonstrated his terrifying dominance.

He shot down like a bolt of cyan lightning tearing across the sky, locking in a final time of 21 seconds.

The record stood like an unshakable mountain.

"Next, Han Feng."

As the entire crowd watched with bated breath, Han Feng walked to the edge of the platform.

Over the past half-month, he hadn’t just drastically boosted his proficiency in the Sword Control Technique.

More importantly, his Cultivation had already reached the peak of the Body Tempering Realm!

Body Tempering Tenth Layer, Perfection!

The moment he leaped into the air, Han Feng felt the entire world change.

The Qi Blood in his body, as viscous as liquid mercury, surged and roared. An unprecedented, immense power filled every fiber of his being.

Within his five-meter-radius Energy Perception Field, every minute movement of the three drones transformed into a crystal-clear data stream in his mind.

’Dodge?’

’He couldn’t even be bothered.’

BANG!

A muffled explosion erupted mid-air!

Like a fortress wall, the Profound Turtle Shield on his left arm blocked a drone’s flanking impact with absolute precision!

He used the violent force of the impact to spin, channeling the momentum into his right shoulder!

Like a battering ram, he slammed viciously into another drone!

Brutal!

Overbearing!

This was no longer gliding, let alone flying!

This was brute force in its purest, most direct form, clearing a straight-line path of death to the ground!

Sword Control Technique—unleashed!

Qi Blood Power at the Perfection Realm surged through his entire body without reserve. The frame of the Ghost Bat wingsuit groaned under the strain, emitting a painful hum!

On the ground, everyone looked up, aghast.

All they could see was a black figure, like a meteor falling from the heavens, plummeting straight to the earth with an unstoppable, do-or-die momentum!

At the last second, he executed his signature, physics-defying U-shaped pull-up.

He bled off his momentum and landed.

Effortlessly and silently.

The number on the timer plunged the entire arena into a deathly, seemingly eternal silence.

[Time: 20 seconds.]

A perfect score!

Qin Yueyao walked over to the scoreboard and wrote down Han Feng’s final score.

Then, at the end of his entry, she heavily drew two digits.

"10 points!"

Once the assessment was over, Qin Yueyao announced the final point rankings.

"First place, Sun Rui, 158 points."

"Second place, Zhang Hao, 150 points."

...

"Seventh place, Han Feng, 141 points."

The announcement of his rank sent another ripple of irrepressible commotion through the crowd.

A B Level Student had actually crushed the scores of most A Level Students, securing a firm spot in the top tier!

After all, the strongest students present were only at the Third Layer of the Meridian Passage Realm.

And Han Feng, with his Body Tempering Realm Cultivation, had bested most of the experts in the Meridian Passage Realm.

"Alright, time for point redemption."

Without any further ado, Qin Yueyao led everyone to the logistics department.

At the logistics department, a massive holographic screen displayed a dazzling array of redeemable items.

Each item was marked with its point cost and remaining stock.

Topping the list was the [Space-Breaking Talisman], an item everyone coveted.

It cost 80 points, and there was only one available.

As the first-place student, Sun Rui didn’t hesitate for a second. He stepped forward and redeemed the Talisman.

"Sigh, and it’s gone."

Gu Yun winced as if he’d been physically hurt.

"That thing’s a second life in a pinch."

As the top-ranking students made their selections, the rare items on the screen were grayed out one by one.

The [Soul-Stabilizing Pearl], which could resist Spiritual Contamination, was claimed by Zhang Hao.

A number of powerful Tier Two offensive talismans were also quickly snatched up.

By the time it was Han Feng’s turn, the few items he’d had his eye on had vanished.

But he wasn’t worried.

As seventh in the rankings, he still had plenty of options.

"Han Feng, redeem this one."

Zhang Hao walked over, pointing to an inconspicuous, disc-shaped item on the screen.

[Yang Suppressing Disc]: A Tier Two Middle Grade Auxiliary Spiritual Artifact. When activated, it creates a ten-meter-radius Yang Attribute Energy Field for thirty minutes, effectively dispelling and suppressing malevolent Spirit Bodies. Can automatically absorb Spiritual Qi to recharge once per day. Cost: 70 points.

"In the Suspended Mountain Secret Realm, the greatest danger isn’t the Demon Beasts, but the ’Gray Period’ that happens every twelve hours."

Zhang Hao lowered his voice, his expression grave.

"During the Gray Period, invisible Spirit Bodies roam about, their sole purpose to corrode a person’s spirit."

"If one gets you, at best you’ll lose control of your mind. At worst, you’ll go completely insane."

"This Yang Suppressing Disc is the best piece of equipment for team defense."

A flicker of understanding crossed Han Feng’s eyes as he immediately grasped the item’s strategic value.

"Redeem the [Yang Suppressing Disc]."

points were deducted.

He then turned his attention to another item.

[Floating Feather]: A special consumable. When activated, it can negate most downward force for three seconds. Cost: 40 points.

It was an essential life-saving tool. If his wingsuit was ever damaged, this would be his last hope.

"Redeem the [Floating Feather]."

Another 40 points were deducted.

points left.

"Don’t waste your remaining points on anything flashy but useless,"

Zhang Hao continued to advise.

"Spend it all on these."

The screen displayed [Tier One Upper Grade·Concentration Potion], 1 point per vial.

[Suspended Mountain Secret Realm Detailed Information (Elite Edition)], 1 point per copy.

And the [Calm Heart Pendant], a Tier One Upper Grade item that could generate a weak mental protection field by consuming Spirit Coins, reducing the interference during the Gray Period. Cost: 20 points.

Without hesitation, Han Feng spent all his remaining points.

He redeemed one copy of the information, one [Calm Heart Pendant], and 10 vials of Concentration Potion.

All 141 of his points were spent, converted into immediate combat readiness.

Once the redemptions were complete, Qin Yueyao announced, "This concludes the intensive training."

"The Secret Realm will open in half a month. You will be notified of the specific time and location for assembly."

"For the next half-month, if you don’t want to die, train on your own."

With that, she turned and left.

The students dispersed in small groups, but Zhang Hao called out to Han Feng, Wang Meng, and Gu Yun.

"We from the Sharp Sword Club will be teaming up for this mission."

He looked at Han Feng, his expression serious.

"But I have a question."

"Are you proficient with any melee weapons?"

Han Feng paused for a moment before shaking his head.

"I was a Mechanic before. I never formally learned how to fight with weapons; I’ve always just trained in hand-to-hand combat."

Hearing this, Zhang Hao’s brow furrowed slightly.

"No matter how good your marksmanship is, it has its limits."

"The environment in the Secret Realm is complex. There are places where you can’t fire a gun, and you’ll always run out of ammunition eventually."

"More importantly, once a Demon Beast gets close, you won’t even have time to draw your gun."

He looked at Han Feng, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"You have to prepare a melee weapon."

"A blade, a spear, a sword, a halberd—anything will do. You need to at least be able to defend yourself."

For once, Gu Yun was serious. "Yeah, Brother Hao is right."

"The Demon Beasts in the Secret Realm are like phantoms, especially the fast ones like the Shadow Cat. By the time you see it, its claws are already in your face."

Han Feng understood they were looking out for him and nodded solemnly.

"I understand. I’ll do my best to master a weapon over the next half-month."

"Good."

Seeing that Han Feng had taken his advice to heart, Zhang Hao breathed a sigh of relief.

"You have to have a weapon, just in case."

...

After saying goodbye to Zhang Hao and the others, Han Feng returned to his B Level apartment.

He opened his personal terminal and glanced at his account balance.

The fifty-thousand Contribution Point bonus from the Falcon Third Generation project, plus his monthly B Level Student stipend of another fifty-thousand, had already been deposited.

Balance: 127,800 Contribution Points.

He opened the academy’s official store and directly filtered for the "Weapons" category.

A dazzling array of melee weapons filled the screen—blades, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battle-axes, hooks, and tridents—it had everything imaginable.

But Han Feng’s gaze ultimately landed on the "Longsword" category.

Since his system was the [Sword Immortal Cultivation Assistant], and his body’s Root Bone had become a [Sword Bone], his Dao had been set from the very beginning.

He had only one choice.

He filtered for Tier One Upper Grade longswords, and a jet-black longsword soon caught his eye.

[Tier One Upper Grade·Black Tungsten Gold Longsword]: The blade is forged with high-purity Black Tungsten Gold, making it sharp and durable. Qi Blood Transmission Rate exceeds 70%. Price: 78,000 Contribution Points.

The price was steep, but the "70% Qi Blood Transmission Rate" made him purchase it without a second thought.

The higher the transmission rate, the greater the power and the lower the stamina cost when he wielded the sword with his Qi Blood.

Next, in the "Cultivation Technique Manuals" section, he purchased the most basic swordsmanship guide.

[Essentials of Basic Swordsmanship]: Price: 5,000 Contribution Points.

After the payment was successful, in less than ten minutes, a logistics robot delivered a heavy longsword and a data card to his door.

Han Feng picked up the Black Tungsten Gold Longsword.

It felt cool and heavy in his grasp.

The blade was pitch-black, reflecting no light, as if it could swallow it whole.

He gave it a test swing. The heavy blade cut through the air with a low whistle, feeling immensely powerful.

His path as a Sword Cultivator began now.