Chapter 25: Cold Weapons

Bang! Bang! “Three rings!”

“Seven rings!”

“Nine rings!”

……

On the training ground, the machine gun’s muzzle spewed flame; targets five kilometers away either remained utterly still or shattered instantly, only to be replaced by new ones.

“Fixed-target test complete. Next challenge: single moving target!”

As instructor Jiang Dingjun finished speaking, Jiang Ding leapt up, cradling a two-hundred-kilogram machine gun, sprinting forward while aiming and firing.

Sun Xiao’s face darkened further as he drew his silver spear and walked toward the two.

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In the distance, tank engines roared and shells exploded with deafening force.

“Has Jiang Ding broken through to Inner Qi realm?”

But he couldn’t say anything—furious, yet helpless.

The other students, as if waking from a dream, grabbed their weapons and began warming up, hastily sharpening blades—even dull ones gleamed.

The surroundings fell utterly silent.

Zhang Dingjun pointed at Jiang Ding: “Jiang Ding, as the top-ranked student in Cold Weapon Inner Qi assessment, someone doesn’t accept it—anyone want to challenge him?”

“I lost.”

“Qi Refining realm test.”

“Anyone else?”

The classmates murmured among themselves, their curses laced with envy.

“I accept it.”

In short, even if mortals possess the ability to harm Qi Refining cultivators, it doesn’t mean they can be compared to them.

!.

Hua Bing frowned, her handsome, spirited face showing clear annoyance.

One hit grants eighty percent of the score; two hits earn full marks.

Jiang Ding smiled—he really had gotten some luck this time.

“I’ll do it, damn it.”

After half the session, instructor Zhang Dingjun floated away to begin testing the Qi Refining students.

The machine gun’s bullet speed is 1254 meters per second; late-stage Qi Refining cultivators have 0.5 to 0.8 seconds to react—just fire ten consecutive rounds to form a bullet curtain and lock them down.

“Three rings!”

……

In Jiang Ding’s drone feed, the five-kilometer target moved—suddenly darting in an S-pattern at the speed of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, occasionally bursting forward with several times its normal velocity.

Now see how you act during your cultural exam!

Cultivators using special magical devices are extremely rare, but not nonexistent.

……

Meridians aren’t sealed pathways; as true qi flows through the first primary meridian, the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian and its ten main channels, minor damage occurs, allowing slight qi to seep into subsidiary meridians, still refining and nourishing them. “Yes, train.”

Sword at waist, seated in lotus position.

Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators typically have a spiritual sense range of 70 to 100 meters—meaning, without engraved concealment or invisibility talismans, they’ll be detected at that distance and can react in advance.

Hot Weapon total score: 60 points. Scores above 40 require a Qi Refining cultivator to pilot a tank. A score of 35 is already considered high.

A moment of silence fell; many turned toward that direction—even Sun Xiao, Li Hu, and others who had nearly perfected Inner Qi—wore complex expressions.

He drew a plain, ordinary blue steel sword, gripping the hilt tightly, and instantly felt calmer, his scattered thoughts vanishing.

Thoughts raced, but his body couldn’t react fast enough—one round and his head would fall! Then came flashing swordlight, swirling red silk, massive shields blocking, spiritual light scattering—fighting against a crowd of muscle-bound warriors below Inner Qi realm felt like celestial artistry, with technical depth beyond comprehension.

Wu Tianli looked at Hua Bing, his voice impossibly gentle—even a fool would understand his feelings.

Feet moved like wind, yet his upper body remained as still as a mountain.

“Lucky break!”

Jiang Ding stood silently, sheathing his sword, refining and nourishing his meridians.

“Damn! No wonder his machine gun score jumped so dramatically!”

Jiang Ding ignored them, lifting a camouflage tarp to reveal a large pile of swords, spears, halberds, and daggers laid out on the ground.

“Get lost!”

Two days passed; the second meridian, the Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian and its ten channels, were mostly refined—progress slower than expected.

"... don't believe... not..."

“Jiang Ding, comprehensive Hot Weapon test score: 35 points.”

Having grown used to being crushed in every cultivation session, with no real chance of victory, it was better to conserve energy for a better ranking.

A few minutes later.

Grandma here is Qi Refining sixth layer, owns top-grade magical equipment, and since childhood was taught by my father, a Foundation Establishment cultivator—like this top spot was handed to me by your kindness.

“Of course, Rongcheng’s local conditions are limited—this is a simplified exam format,” Zhang Dingjun explained. “In major cities or during the Gaokao, students enter the Grand Void Illusion—Education Network zone to fight; scores vary from first to last place.”

Currently, only three students in the class are Inner Qi cultivators—four including Jiang Ding.

Jiang Ding’s heart steadied.

This is meaningful—on the battlefield, Qi Refining cultivators are almost always attacked in groups, with ten or dozens aiming simultaneously.

He is Qi Refining fifth layer, the only one who can threaten Hua Bing.

All eyes turned to Wu Tianli.

“Next candidate: Li Junhao.” Unless in battlefield formations with Spirit-Substance Radar or same-tier cultivators guiding positions, even large squads of soldiers struggle to harm late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

Sun Xiao silently sheathed his silver spear and stepped back into the crowd.

Luo Feng sighed and retrieved his inkstone.

The flying sword’s speed isn’t particularly fast—it’s still below sonic velocity, and the eye can barely track its flight path—but it’s too agile, too sharp!

“I challenge.”

“Next challenge: dual moving targets!”

Progress was swift; the Inner Qi combat ended quickly—Sun Xiao took second place, Li Hu third… Li Junhao, unsurprisingly, came last, earning the minimum 5 points.

The girls around them instantly grew sour.

That’s not bad.

The miss rate surged sharply; even the teachers and classmates watching showed no surprise.

Of course, this also relates to the school’s strong faculty, skilled in both Qi Refining and cultural instruction—many students with excellent martial potential choose Rongcheng Seventh High, where teachers often include Pre-Nascent Soul cultivators better suited to this kind of teaching.

Sun Xiao raised a gleaming silver metal spear, sneering: “My ‘Heavenly Flow Spear’ is nearly perfected—I refuse to believe…”

Zhang Dingjun continued asking, utterly unfazed.

Li Junhao walked into the range, cradling the machine gun, brimming with confidence.

Furthermore, the smelting of Anti-Magic Steel demands extremely high industrial technology; external cultivators cannot cheaply produce Anti-Magic Steel bullets unaffected by spiritual sense—but they can spend heavily to forge special magical devices with range rivaling machine guns and greater maneuverability.

“Yes!”

“Eight rings!”

“So cool…”

Jiang Ding, standing nearby, felt every hair on his body stand on end the moment the silver flying sword appeared—his spine turned icy.

“Hua Bing, please instruct me.”

Clang! Jiang Ding drew his sword halfway—a faint white light shimmered along the blade.

Half an hour later, instructor Zhang Dingjun returned with fourteen Qi Refining students, surprised to see the ground littered with students practicing vigorously.

If no hit, measure the average distance of ten bullets from the target—that’s the usual case.

“Yes!”

As for the reason, Jiang Ding had already researched and understood it.

This still assumes restrictions on invisibility, flight, earth-dodging, wood-dodging, and other possible techniques.

“Begin Inner Qi assessment now.”

“Qi Refining total score remains unchanged: first place 35 points, second 33, and so on, minimum 20.”

“Miss!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Li Hu and Liu Meimei stepped forward, fearless.

Zhang Dingjun pointed at Hua Bing: “Hua Bing, Qi Refining sixth layer, top-ranked in Cold Weapon Qi Refining assessment—anyone here doesn’t accept it?”

The students exchanged glances, some resentful, but none stepped forward.

As for constantly refining meridians with stillness like Jiang Ding, one must at least have perfected the “Young Eagle Soaring Decree.”

Jiang Ding glanced at him, exhaling a long breath.

“Now begin Cold Weapon test.”

But there are ways around it.

Golden Seal! “Bang!”

“Ha.”

Inner Qi!

Under normal circumstances, an entire class struggles to hit dual moving targets and must instead be ranked by the average distance of bullets from the target.

"Damn!"

A classmate at Qi Refining fourth level stepped forward, holding an inkstone—this was also the most common defensive magic treasure among Immortal Sect cultivators; besides, facing off against other cultivators, win or lose, was always beneficial.

Zhang Ding casually said: "Total score is 40 points, for the Inner Qi realm: first place gets 25, second place 23, and so on, down to a minimum of 5."

"Miss!"

Li Junhao frowned in despair: "Ah, it's all over."

Li Junhao and Sun Xiao, waiting to be tested and watching the match, cursed—full of envy.

Hua Bing flicked his finger, and a silver-glowing flying sword shot forth from nowhere, striking the inkstone straight on, forcing it back several steps; then, relentless, the swordlight wove into a net, swiftly wearing down the spiritual glow on the inkstone’s surface.

"Student Luo Feng, pay attention."

Inner Qi realm martialists, unless truly gifted beyond measure and excelling in academic subjects by a full grade above Qi Refining students, could never even step onto the Immortal Path.

After waiting a moment and hearing no objections, he continued: "Second place in the Inner Qi realm: Sun Xiao. Does anyone dispute this?"

A thread of Inner Qi flowed from the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, surging into the ten primary channels of the Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian, refining and nourishing them.

In the clashing of weapons, victories and defeats arose constantly; even when mistakes occurred, the weapons never touched the bulletproof vest before Zhang Dingjun’s mental shield formed in an instant, blocking all blows without a single injury.

Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators moved too swiftly, their spiritual sense reacted too keenly, and the shooting distance was five kilometers—even a curtain of bullets struggled to hit, with deviations of dozens or even hundreds of meters being commonplace.

In just a few breaths, Luo Feng staggered and retreated rapidly, but the silver flying sword found an opening, cleaving the inkstone from his grip, piercing his shield, and coming to rest firmly against his chest.

Only when the Qi Refining first and second level students competed did Jiang Ding finally regain a sliver of confidence.

Their flying swords and daggers flew no faster than arrows, and weren’t particularly agile; if he could land multiple hits, he was certain he could shatter the spiritual intent embedded in their magic treasures.

But there was nothing to be proud of.

Immortal Sect Qi Refining cultivators focused their main training on tank driving and anti-aircraft machine gun operation; melee combat was merely an elective hobby.

(End of Chapter)