47: Chapter 47 Ling Feng

The entire world seemed as if the mute button had been pressed.

The clamor, explosions, cries, and roars of the previous moment... all vanished.

Only the flying dust remained, along with the dull thud of that rolling, massive beast head.

Everyone, whether they were fleeing citizens, wounded and security officers about to make a desperate last stand, or even the people in the command center, all stared blankly like clay sculptures at the space in front of the dust-shrouded beast corpse.

A figure, at some unknown point, had already stood there steadily.

A young man.

He had a tall and straight build, wearing simple casual athletic gear that looked clean and sharp, with the only exception being a badge pinned to his chest embroidered with a cluster of Kindling.

His expression was calm, carrying a hint of the sharp edge unique to youth, yet his gaze was exceptionally steady, as if insta-killing a Late Stage Flying Star Rank Yao Beast was merely brushing a speck of dust off his clothes.

He held a long blade in a slanted grip; it was deep blue throughout with sleek lines, the blade unstained by even a drop of blood, merely emitting a faint, soul-stirring chill.

"Whew..." The Branch Hall Master of the Kindling Hall struggled to stand up from the ruins, spitting out bloody foam. Looking at the young man before him, his voice carried suspicion and an undisguisable shock: "May... may I ask who Your Excellency is?"

The young man casually twirled the blade. With a "shing" sound, the deep blue long blade lighty returned to its sheath, the movement as smooth as flowing water, carrying a sense of natural, seamless fluidity.

"Kindling University, Ling Feng." His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone nearby.

After a brief silence, there was a mountain-shaking, tsunami-like uproar and the wild joy of surviving a disaster!

"We lived! We're saved!"

"Thank God!"

"He's the one who killed the Yao Beast? Heavens! Too strong!"

"Kindling University? He's actually a student?"

"Kindling University! The top martial arts university on Blue Star!"

"My god, looking at his age, he seems even younger than me?!"

"Ling Feng?! I know him! It's him!"

"Who? Tell us quickly!" Countless people pricked up their ears.

"Our Jiangnan Province... no, our entire Huaguo might not produce such a peerless Prodigy in decades! The 'Blade Demon' Ling Feng!"

"Yes! It's him! I heard he's only a senior! But rumors say he was radiant from the moment he entered university; as early as high school, he was scouted by the four major domestic martial arts giants simultaneously, who spared no expense to sign him to an SS-rank contract! That's an SS-Rank, one level higher than S-Rank!"

"SS-Rank?! No wonder... too terrifying! A Late Stage Flying Star Rank Yao Beast, one strike! Just one strike!"

"A Prodigy! This is a true Genius!"

Li Wen, who had rushed back, did not join the crowd in cheering.

Carrying his backpack, his body leaned tightly against the cold car frame, trying to calm his violent heartbeat caused by shock and the remnants of that invisible pressure.

His gaze was locked firmly on the young man named Ling Feng.

Ling Feng was currently conversing indifferently with the Hall Master and the County Leader who was barely supporting himself, turning a deaf ear to the pointing, worshipful gazes, and exclamations directed at him.

That composure, that powerful ease in handling weight, formed an extremely sharp contrast with the surrounding mess and the panicked crowd.

The terrifying might of the Late Stage Flying Star Rank Yao Beast, that abyss-like and prison-like sense of power pressure... the feeling of powerlessness as the two top experts in the county were instantly heavily injured... and then this Ling Feng.

That strike that descended from the heavens, brilliant as a meteor yet silent as a mountain... and those words repeatedly emphasized in the crowd, passing through like rolling thunder—"SS-rank contract"!

This information, like claps of thunder, exploded one after another in Li Wen's heart!

His fingers gripping the backpack straps turned slightly white from the force.

The ladder of power and status unfolded so clearly before his eyes.

On one end were the common masses struggling to survive; on the other end were favored children of heaven like Ling Feng, who, in a moment of crisis, decided the outcome with a single strike! Receiving the attention of ten thousand people!

A gap? This could no longer be called a gap! This was a massive chasm that made one stand in awe, yet was filled with fatal temptation!

Previously, Jiang Lingyun from First High, who had signed a b-rank contract in advance, was already an unattainable Genius in Li Wen's eyes.

But now, a Genius with an SS-rank contract had appeared before his eyes in such a domineering and peerless manner!

How many gulfs lay between B-Rank and SS-Rank? How many times stronger was the power Ling Feng displayed compared to the rumored power of Jiang Lingyun?

"Kindling University...", "Senior...", "SS-rank contract..."

These few keywords were etched into his mind like brands.

A ball of fire seemed to be ignited in his chest! It wasn't envy or jealousy, but an incomparably clear, incomparably scorching longing! A strong desire to refuse to sink and to vow to climb to the Peak!

The bus going home finally detoured and left under the guidance of rescue personnel.

Li Wen sat in a window seat; outside the window were the rapidly passing, gradually dimming city lights.

He remained silent, but his gaze was already completely different.

The light of the setting sun plated the interior of the bus with a layer of warm orange-red, also illuminating that unprecedented, rock-solid light in Li Wen's eyes.

Power... Kindling University... SS-Rank...

These few words echoed repeatedly in his heart, finally transforming into a silent yet incomparably firm determination.

The sun sank in the west, but the fire in his eyes had only just begun to burn.

...

...

Time flew by, and the last fifteen days of winter break vanished rapidly amidst Li Wen's almost self-torturing cultivation.

The date came to February 13th.

In the early morning, weak light filtered through the window, illuminating the settled sharpness deep in his eyes.

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 18 years old]

[Realm: Unranked (Level 7.1)]

[Class: Scholar lv5 (1280/1600)]

[Skill: Blade Technique - Top Tier (Minor Achievement 99/100)]

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method (Major Achievement 99/100)]

New panel information floated clearly before Li Wen's eyes.

The 24 level 1 qi and blood potions had been completely exhausted several days ago, pushing his Physical Body Rank to level 7.1.

The progress of the Cultivation Technique "Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method" was likewise divine in speed.

He was only missing that last symbolic "1" point of experience from the critical point that marked Perfection and total transformation.

Once he reached Perfection, he would no longer need to activate Absolute Focus when cultivating the basic method in the future.

But at this moment, what truly made Li Wen feel a subtle sense of "stagnation" was his Blade Technique.

The "Rainbow Light Saber Technique" seemed to be wrapped in an invisible thin film at the limit of Minor Achievement 99/100.

No matter how he pushed the Blade Technique these past few days, how he scrutinized every detail, or how many times he tried while in the state of Absolute Focus.

That final sliver of a barrier leading to the Major Achievement Realm was like the hardest alloy, stubbornly blocking the way.

His blade was already fast enough, the trajectory tricky enough, and the foundation solid enough.

In recent days, in the familiar top-tier martial arts room of the Kindling Hall, the Minor Achievement Realm "Rainbow Light Saber Technique" was executed in his hands like a fluttering butterfly, carrying a heart-palpitating fluidity and forest-like chill.

But, it was just missing that tiny little bit.