Ling Feng

The entire world seemed to have been pressed into a mute button.

The clamor, explosions, screams, and roars from moments before... all vanished.

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

Everyone—whether fleeing citizens, injured people and security officers preparing for a desperate last stand, or even those in the command center—stood frozen like clay or wood sculptures, staring blankly ahead at the dust-shrouded beast corpse.

A figure had somehow already stood there, steady and unmoving.

A young man.

Tall and straight-backed, dressed in simple, clean-cut casual combat attire that looked neat and sharp, with only a badge embroidered with a cluster of flame pinned to his chest.

His face was calm, carrying a hint of youthful sharpness, but his eyes were extraordinarily steady, as if instantly killing a Flying Star Stage Late Phase demon beast was no more than brushing a speck of dust from his clothes.

In his hand, he held a long blade, its entire body a deep blue with smooth lines, unstained by a single drop of blood, radiating only a faint, soul-shaking chill.

"Huff..." The Xinhuo Branch Hall Master struggled to stand from the rubble, spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, and looked at the young man before him, his voice laced with shock and barely concealed awe: "May... may I ask who you are, sir?"

The young man casually twirled the blade, and with a crisp "shing," the deep blue long sword slid gracefully back into its sheath, the motion fluid and seamless, carrying a natural, effortless smoothness.

"Xinhuo University, Ling Feng." His voice was not loud, yet it reached the ears of everyone nearby with perfect clarity.

After a brief silence came a thunderous uproar and the wild joy of survival!

"We're alive! We're saved!"

"Thank heavens!"

"He killed that beast? Oh my god! He's so strong!"

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

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

"Oh my, he looks younger than me?!"

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

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

"Our Jiangnan Province... no, our entire Huaxia Kingdom might not produce one in decades! The peerless prodigy—'Blade Demon' Ling Feng!"

"Yes! That's him! I heard he's only a senior! But word is, he's been dazzling since his freshman year. Back in high school, all four major martial arts factions in the country set their sights on him at once, sparing no cost to sign him to an SS-level Contract! That's one level above even an S-level—an SS-level!"

"SS-level?! No wonder... terrifying! A Flying Star Stage Late Phase demon beast, one slash! Just one slash!"

"Prodigy! This is what a true genius looks like!"

Li Wen, who had just returned, did not join the crowd's cheers.

He carried his backpack, his body pressed tightly against the cold car body, trying to calm his violently pounding heart from the shock and the lingering pressure of that invisible might.

His gaze was locked firmly onto that young man named Ling Feng.

Ling Feng was calmly exchanging a few words with the Hall Master and the county leader who had barely managed to stand, completely ignoring the pointing fingers, worshipful murmurs, and awed exclamations directed at him.

That composure, that effortless strength, formed a stark contrast with the surrounding chaos and the still-terrified crowd.

The terrifying might of a Flying Star Stage Late Phase demon beast, the oppressive pressure of power like an abyss or a prison... the helplessness of seeing two of the county's top experts instantly crippled... and then this Ling Feng.

That descending slash, brilliant as a meteor yet silent as a mountain... and the word repeated like rolling thunder through the crowd—"SS-level Contract"!

These pieces of information struck Li Wen's mind like successive thunderclaps!

His fingers gripping the backpack strap turned white at the knuckles from the force.

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

On one end, the masses struggled to survive; on the other, a favored son of heaven like Ling Feng, who, in a moment of crisis, decided everything with one slash, drawing the gaze of ten thousand!

A gap? This could no longer be called a gap! It was a vast chasm that inspired both awe and deadly temptation!

Once, Jiang Lingyun, who had signed a B-level Contract early at No. 1 High School, had seemed like an unattainable genius in Li Wen's eyes.

But now, an SS-level Contract genius had appeared before him in such an overwhelmingly dominant fashion!

How many chasms lay between B-level and SS-level? How many times greater was the power Ling Feng displayed compared to the rumored strength of Jiang Lingyun?

"Xinhuo University...", "Senior...", "SS-level Contract..."

These keywords were branded into his mind like hot iron.

A flame seemed to ignite in his chest! It was not envy or jealousy, but a crystal-clear, burning desire! A refusal to sink into mediocrity, a fierce will to climb to the peak!

The bus heading home eventually detoured away under the guidance of rescue personnel.

Li Wen sat by the window, watching the rapidly passing, gradually dimming city lights outside.

He remained silent, but his eyes were completely different.

The setting sun bathed the interior of the bus in a warm orange glow, also illuminating a newfound, rock-solid light in Li Wen's eyes.

Power... Xinhuo University... SS-level...

These words echoed in his heart over and over, finally coalescing into a silent but unshakable resolve.

The sun was setting in the west, but the flame in his eyes had just been kindled.

Time flew by, and the final fifteen days of winter break passed in a blur of Li Wen's near-self-destructive cultivation.

The date arrived at February 13th.

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

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 18]

[Realm: Unranked (Level 7.1)]

[Class: Scholar lv5 (1280/1600)]

[Skill: Blade Art · Top-tier (Minor Success 99/100)]

[Technique: Fracture Edge Gold Sha Method (Major Success 99/100)]

The new panel information clearly surfaced before Li Wen's eyes.

The 24 Level 1 Blood Qi Potions had been completely exhausted a few days ago, pushing his physical level to 7.1.

The progress of the technique Fracture Edge Gold Sha Method was equally astonishing.

It was only one symbolic "1" point of experience away from the critical juncture marking perfection and complete transformation.

Once it reached perfection, he would no longer need to activate Absolute Focus when cultivating the basic method from then on.

But at this moment, what truly gave Li Wen a subtle sense of "stagnation" was the blade art.

Rainbow Light Blade Art felt as if it were wrapped in an invisible membrane, stuck at the limit of Minor Success 99/100.

No matter how he drove the blade art these past few days, how meticulously he studied every detail, or how many times he attempted it under Absolute Focus.

That final barrier leading to Major Success was as stubborn as the hardest alloy, blocking his path.

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

In recent days, in the familiar top-tier martial arts room of Xinhuo Hall, the Minor Success Rainbow Light Blade Art danced in his hands like a butterfly threading through flowers, carrying a chilling smoothness and coldness.

But, it was just missing that little something.