Chapter 62: Spear Technique Breakthrough: Second Rank (Requesting Follow-Up)

Two days later

In the Crimson Arena

“Dang dang~”

Two figures clashed furiously on specially made rock ground, blades flashing, spears darting, weapons colliding and spraying sparks everywhere.

A powerful, muscular figure moved like a crocodile, swinging his blade to devour his opponent.

At will, the blade’s light was sharp, slashing out in an instant like a gale.

He slit his opponent’s throat, turning him into nothingness that vanished across the arena.

【Yang Jian, unfortunately, you are dead】

In his personal space, Lin Qi appeared; his furrowed brow slowly relaxed.

“Lost again. Without breaking through to second-rank spear technique, I still can’t defeat true experts.”

“Pity—I felt I was just a hair away.”

Lin Qi rapidly analyzed the previous battle in his mind; he had hit a bottleneck—his spear technique had shown no progress for three or four days.

It made him uneasy.

…

The next day, in class

Zhang Cheng shook his head at Lin Qi’s inquiry:

“You’re a freak—your spear technique is still first-rank, yet you defeated a rival from Songbai High who mastered second-rank blade technique. True genius.”

Saying this, he lifted his long spear with his sturdy, muscular arm and said:

“Spear technique ranks: first-rank is called the Foundation Realm. Movements are standardized—you train the basic techniques—parry, snatch, thrust—until they become muscle memory, even instinct.”

“You can execute them fluidly in battle, with crude power; just keep training to improve proficiency.”

“Second-rank spear technique is called the Proficient Realm.”

“You must master every single move of the Black Iron-level manual, execute them seamlessly like flowing clouds and water, at will, with refined power application.”

“At second-rank martial arts, the three killing techniques of the Black Iron-level manual become significantly easier to master.”

Lin Qi nodded repeatedly, as if grasping something—he caught the key word: power application

“Shua shua!”

As he spoke, Zhang Cheng swung his long spear; the techniques flowed together smoothly.

Spear and body became one; the speed wasn’t fast, but the motion was extraordinarily fluid, leaving no openings to exploit.

Lin Qi watched with shining eyes; the more he watched Zhang Cheng, the deeper the technique seemed.

“At second-rank spear technique, when thrusting, the spear is like a spirit snake emerging from its cave—swift and precise, striking the opponent’s vital points accurately.”

“When lifting, power travels from the legs through the waist to the arms, all in one continuous motion, easily raising the enemy’s weapon or incoming strike.”

“When parrying, the arms move with supple agility, like a whirlwind…”

Zhang Cheng demonstrated as he explained.

“Lin Qi, when you achieve what I’ve described, your second-rank spear technique is complete.”

“And the most crucial part of second-rank spear technique is power application—fully mobilizing the large muscle groups of your limbs and torso, just like fist techniques.”

“But it’s harder, because you must channel that power through the long spear—you need far more effort to make the spear feel like an extension of your arm.”

Lin Qi nodded incessantly, ideas flooding his mind.

“I understand, Teacher Zhang!”

After thanking him, Lin Qi turned and left.

Zhang Cheng nodded: “Good. I just casually pointed it out, and he grasped it.”

Lin Qi returned to his martial arts chamber, grabbed his training spear, and swung it violently.

Starting with basic spear techniques: parry, snatch, thrust, rebound, chop, pierce, lift…

He calmed his mind, carefully sensing the state of his muscles’ power application.

“Shua shua!”

The spear swung, its tip trembling, thrusting continuously without pause.

Transitioning from Basic Spear Technique to Mountain-Shattering Spear Technique

Lin Qi’s aura changed dramatically; he swung the spear with overwhelming force, like tidal waves spreading outward, power bursting from his muscles.

His spear technique grew increasingly proficient, movements flowing smoothly, obstacles diminishing.

In the instant he executed each technique, dozens of his muscles fired simultaneously, channeling their force into the spear—like a spirit snake emerging from its cave, swift and precise.

In that instant, Lin Qi’s gaze fell on a single drop of transparent sweat dripping onto his skin.

He thrust his spear forward with all his might, piercing the air, slicing through space.

“Puh!”

The spear tip pierced the sweat drop with perfect precision, splashing it apart.

【You improved spear technique proficiency significantly through practice; broke through to second-rank; Spear Technique +3%】

【You improved body movement proficiency significantly through practice; Body Movement +2%】

【You completed an effective training session; Template Fusion +0.1%】

【Spear Technique: First-rank 99% → Second-rank 2%】

【Body Movement: First-rank 91% → 93%】【Template: Erlang True Person · Yang Jian】

【Fusion: 7.9% → 8.0%】

…

Lin Qi sheathed his spear and immediately felt the sensation he had just experienced; after a moment, he looked at the panel again.

His spear technique had finally broken through to second-rank; he clearly felt it flowing more smoothly, with greater mastery over each technique.

Most crucially, he now understood power application—his muscle exertion was no longer crude.

Power application had become more refined and fluid, allowing his spear technique to unleash far greater power.

Finally, Lin Qi’s gaze settled on the template talent.

“Since fusion reached 5%, each additional point has become harder to achieve.”

As he thought this, pain surged through his muscles and bones—his body’s transformation had begun again.

“My talent grows more terrifying with every upgrade; each 1% increase is a massive leap.”

!

As Lin Qi endured the pain, fragments of information seeped into his mind.

His thoughts expanded—he understood many things: every 1% increase in fusion was a massive leap.

Every 10% was a threshold; future template talent upgrades would become increasingly extreme.

In numerical terms, at 10%, each 1% increase might equal a 10-unit gain.

At 20%, each 1% equals 100 units; at 30%, 1000 units; at 40%, 10,000 units…

Right now, 10% might already grant him human-top-tier talent.

At 20%, or higher, the boosts would be even more terrifying.

“Huh~”

Lin Qi clenched his fist; the pain made his eyes shine brighter—this pain meant talent growth. What was pain compared to that?

It also made Lin Qi even more eager—such a powerful talent made it entirely possible for him to awaken a special ability before reaching the Seventh Realm.

…

Time passed quickly; the mid-term assessment drew near, and students across all universities grew increasingly anxious.

Every day, countless martial arts students rose before dawn and trained until late, drenching themselves in sweat, all to earn a few extra points in the assessment.

Mid-term assessment: November 10.

In the Elite Class classroom, only the sound of turning pages and pens scratching on test papers could be heard.

Lin Qi answered questions rapidly, his gaze scanning like radar, his pen moving as if guided by divine will.

As he spent more time on martial arts, he could only maintain his academic performance—no decline.

Even so, he remained the top student in academics.

“Ding ling ling!”

“Time’s up. Everyone stop writing.”

The exam ended; the proctor collected the papers. Afterward, all students left.

“Brother Qi, let’s go eat—we’ve got the martial arts test coming up soon.” Jiang Tao pulled out a stimulant and drank it.

“Alright!” Lin Qi drank a vial of stimulant too, then headed to the cafeteria with Jiang Tao.

…

One hour later, the martial arts classroom.

“What’s this machine? Never seen it before!”

A crowd gathered around a massive white cylindrical machine, equipped with two mechanical arms and a clear electronic screen on top.

Lin Qi also stared curiously at the machine—he had never seen it before either.

“Quiet!”

A loud voice rang from the doorway; the classroom instantly fell silent.

Zhang Cheng strode in, still accompanied by two others, and walked straight to the group.

He stepped into the center of the crowd and patted the new device:

"Traditional blood qi values were calculated using models based on punching power and speed."

"But some students have punching power and speed far exceeding normal levels; this method has significant errors and is time-consuming and laborious, so it has been phased out."

"This is our Blue Star’s latest scientific achievement—the Blood Qi Detector, capable of accurately measuring everyone’s blood qi value with a 99% accuracy rate."

"From now on, all major assessments will use the Blood Qi Detector directly."

When Zhang Cheng said this, many eyes lit up—so convenient?

"The assessment is now officially starting. I will call your name; come forward for testing."

"First, Xu Chenhui!"

……

(End of Chapter)