3: Chapter 3 Jianghai Wuhan University

In the center of the field, Gu Feng faced Qin Yan's fierce and swift thrust.

Shifting his weight again, he tilted his body slightly, letting the spear tip graze past his chest in a hair-raisingly close dodge.

However, Qin Yan seemed to have anticipated that this strike might miss.

The moment the spear's momentum was spent, he suddenly dropped his wrist and exerted force from his waist and hips.

The forward-thrusting long spear abruptly changed direction.

Using the pulling force, the shaft of the spear swept horizontally like a whip, attacking Gu Feng's lower body!

The transition was fluid and natural, without any hint of hesitation!

Gu Feng let out another soft exclamation of surprise, clearly somewhat caught off guard.

With a light tap of his toe, he drifted back half a step, perfectly evading the sharp horizontal sweep.

Qin Yan pressed his advantage relentlessly, his blood Qi surging within him as the long spear seemed to come alive in his hands.

Stabbing, thrusting, whipping, slamming, entangling, circling, seizing, lunging, tapping, parrying...

He executed basic Spear Techniques with ease, combining them into a continuous offensive that enveloped Gu Feng.

But Gu Feng's footwork was far too superb; he consistently dodged with minimal movement in the blink of an eye.

The training blade was still held casually in his hand, never once used to parry.

Unable to land a hit after a long struggle, Qin Yan's heart gradually sank.

Teacher Gu's reaction speed and combat experience far exceeded his imagination.

Just then, Gu Feng, who had been dodging all along, finally made his move.

Spotting a tiny opening as Qin Yan retracted his spear, his training blade shot out like a bolt of lightning.

It flicked upward with precision, the back of the blade hitting the spear's pressure point—a textbook "overcoming force with skill" disarming technique!

"Here it comes!"

This thought flashed through the minds of all the students.

Everyone before him, without exception, had lost their weapon to this move.

Seeing this, Qin Yan's muscles tensed instantly.

He didn't try to resist that clever flicking force head-on.

Instead, following the direction of the opponent's force, he violently twisted the spear shaft while simultaneously pressing his wrist down!

*Screech—*

The back of the blade grated harshly against the spear shaft, making a sharp sound.

The long spear vibrated violently, and Qin Yan felt a massive force transfer through it, numbing his entire arm.

But he gritted his teeth, his Stance Training rooting him to the spot as he forcefully stopped the spear from being flicked away!

Although he stumbled slightly and looked a bit disheveled, the long spear remained firmly in his hand!

"Eh?"

Gu Feng was truly surprised this time.

He could clearly feel that in that split-second exchange, Qin Yan had not only controlled his strength extremely well,

But more importantly, his control over the spear and his instantaneous reactions far surpassed those of the other students.

"Nice!"

A student couldn't help but whisper in excitement.

"He actually... blocked it?"

"Qin Yan is incredible!"

A flash of admiration crossed Gu Feng's eyes as he spoke, "Not bad, Qin Yan."

Though it was only a four-word evaluation, the entire hall fell silent again for a moment.

"Gu Class... actually praised someone?"

A student muttered in disbelief.

"Nonsense! If you could last that many moves under Gu Class and block that strike, he'd praise you too!"

"Who are you looking down on? The tides change every thirty years; don't look down on a youth just because he's poor."

However, the gap in their Martial Arts Skill was ultimately too vast.

In the subsequent exchange, Gu Feng increased the pressure.

He became faster, and his angles became more cunning.

Finally finding another opening, he used the training blade to skillfully parry and lead the spear away.

With a *clang*, Qin Yan could no longer maintain his grip, and the long spear fell to the ground.

But it was a glorious defeat.

"Qin Yan, very good."

Gu Feng looked at him, his tone much softer. "Your Spear Technique skill should have already broken through to the high-stage of the first rank, right?"

"Yes, Teacher Gu," Qin Yan replied respectfully, calming his ragged breathing.

In his mind, however, he thought of the System panel that only he could see.

On that translucent interface, it clearly displayed: Spear Technique Skill: rank 1 (66%).

According to his findings, skill proficiency from 1%-30% was early stage, 31%-60% was middle stage, 61%-90% was high-stage, and above 90% was Peak.

At 66% progress, he was firmly in the high-stage of the first rank.

"Good, keep it up."

Gu Feng nodded, his tone carrying a trace of subtle expectation.

"Work even harder from now on, and strive to raise your skill another level before the College Entrance Examination.

If you can get a high score of 8 or more in Martial Arts Skill, even if your blood Qi is a bit weak, your hopes of getting into a key martial university will greatly increase."

"I will work hard, Teacher Gu!"

Qin Yan responded solemnly.

Gu Feng said no more and scanned the list. "Next, number 34, Yue Luna."

Qin Yan picked up his long spear and walked back to the group.

His friend Zhou Yuan immediately approached excitedly, lightly punching his shoulder. "Brother Yan, that was amazing!

In the whole class, only you have this honor—praised by Gu Class for your Stance Training, and now praised for your Martial Arts Skill!"

Qin Yan smiled and wiped the sweat from his brow. "It's nothing special.

If you could grit your teeth and persist in practicing for six hours every day, Gu Class would definitely praise you too."

The reason he could repeatedly gain Gu Feng's recognition was partly due to his startling rate of improvement,

But more importantly, it was his almost masochistic level of hard work.

Once, he had arrived at the school gym at four in the morning for extra spear practice and happened to be spotted by Gu Feng, who also had a habit of early morning exercise.

Gu Feng was a veteran who had retired after being wounded on the battlefield, and what he admired most were students who were willing to endure hardship and had resilience.

"Six hours? Spare me!"

Zhou Yuan immediately clutched his head in an exaggerated cry of agony. "I feel like I'm falling apart after practicing for four hours a day.

Six hours isn't Cultivating; it's suicide!

Brother Yan, I'm not a ruthless person like you. My goal is very practical—I'll be thanking the heavens if I can just get into our Linhai Martial Arts University."

Their Ordinary Class (1) was the strongest class besides the Elite Class.

In last year's martial arts College Entrance Examination, 25 students from Class (1) made it into martial universities.

Zhou Yuan's class rank was around 20th.

Qin Yan smiled and didn't say anything more.

He knew well how difficult it was to maintain high-intensity training for over six hours every day.

If not for the System in his mind that could transform his sweat into clear 'Skill Points,' allowing him to see a tangible progress bar grow with every effort,

He would likely have found it difficult to persist in such tedious and even painful bitter cultivation for long without seeing obvious progress.

Many people eventually give up not because they can't handle the hardship,

But because they gradually lose the confidence to see the dawn amidst endless repetition and slow climbing.

...

In the center of the field, Wang Ping, ranked 11th, also stepped up.

His Spear Technique was indeed fierce and rapid, but in the end, he still failed to force Gu Feng to use a second strike.

Qin Yan carefully observed every one of Wang Ping's movements, comparing them to his own.

He reached a conclusion: in terms of Martial Arts Skill alone, he should now be able to rank within the top ten of the class.

Half an hour later, the last student—Lin Yang, the top-ranked student in the class—was also defeated.

Though he lasted the longest, he still failed to even touch the hem of Gu Feng's clothes.

Gu Feng sheathed his blade and stood still, his gaze once again sweeping over the silent students, his face as calm as water.

"I am very disappointed with your performance today."

His cold words were like a heavy hammer striking the heart of every student.

"There are only three full months left until the College Entrance Examination.

With the level of blood Qi and skill you've shown today, what do you plan to use to get into your dream martial universities?"

His gaze first fell on Lin Yang, who stood at the very front. "Lin Yang, has your blood Qi value broken through 8 Cal?"

"Has your Martial Arts Skill reached the second rank?

With your current level, what makes you think you can get into Jianghai Martial University?!"

Lin Yang clenched his fists tightly and pursed his lips, offering no rebuttal.

He knew Gu Feng was telling the truth.

Jianghai Martial University, as the number one martial arts school in Jianghai Province,

Had a very clear admission line last year: a minimum blood Qi requirement of 8 Cal and a Martial Arts Skill assessment score of 80.

Currently, he failed to meet the standard for both.

Gu Feng's reprimand echoed in the empty hall, each word like a whip lashing the students' nerves.

Everyone fell silent.

An invisible sense of oppression spread, mixed with anxiety about the future and shame over their own inadequacies.