High Martial Arts: Liver Becomes the Master of the Universe

Chapter 41 Reencounter with Zhou Yu
……

For the next period of time, Qin Feng was completely immersed in the grueling qualifying matches.

In the third match, he encountered a sword and shield warrior with only 75 points.

The opponent's defenses were impenetrable, but their offensive power was somewhat lacking.

Using the distance advantage of his spear, Qin Feng constantly harassed and probed the enemy. After a stalemate of nearly ten minutes, he seized upon a minor mistake by his opponent, thrusting out his spear and securing a hard-fought victory.

【victory! 】

[In the difficult battle to break through the defenses, you learned how to deal with shield-wielding enemies, and your "Thousand Armies Spear" proficiency increased by 2.]

In the fourth match, the opponent was a dagger assassin with a score of 140.

The opponent's movements were unpredictable, like a ghost, always able to launch attacks from the most unbelievable angles.

Although Qin Feng's spear had a huge advantage on the front lines, it seemed somewhat clumsy against such a flexible and unpredictable opponent.

He exerted all his strength, even using his trump card, "A Thousand Armies Repel".

The spear swept across, but couldn't touch a single leaf; the difference in movement was too great!

With the dagger slicing through his throat, Qin Feng was defeated once again.

【fail! 】

"Movement techniques, the movement techniques inherent in the Thousand Army Spear technique, are derived from chaotic battles. One should consider that enemies are on all sides, and respond to all changes with unchanging tactics... If just now..."

Qin Feng continued to reflect, silently analyzing and reviewing the previous battle.

One advantage of the Imperial Arena is its ability to save video footage.

Players can review their battle footage at any time to analyze the game and identify areas for improvement.

Qin Feng studied it carefully for forty or fifty minutes before letting out a long breath, having gained a great deal of insight into movement techniques.

[Proficiency in "Thousand Armies Spear" +3]
-
The fifth match, a victory.

The opponent is an axe warrior with a score of 92.

【victory! 】

[You defeated a power-type opponent and gained a new understanding of how to overcome strength with skill. Proficiency in "Thousand Army Spear" +1]

The sixth match ended in defeat.

The opponent was an archer with a score of 128, who was kited to death.

【fail! 】

[Being suppressed by ranged enemies, you realize the importance of footwork and close combat; your "Thousand Armies Spear" proficiency increases by 2]

The seventh match ended in defeat.

The opponent was a boxer with a rating of 115, and he was taken down by a combination of punches after getting close.

【fail! 】

[After being defeated in close combat, you begin to think about how to leverage the advantages of the spear at extremely close range. Proficiency in "Thousand Army Spear" +2]

Eighth match, victory.

The opponent is a whip user with a score of 88.

【victory! 】

[You successfully countered the attack from a soft weapon, gaining a deeper understanding of weapon counters. Proficiency in "Thousand Armies Spear" +1]

Ninth match, victory.

His opponent was a swordsman with a score of 95. The two fought for over a hundred rounds, and Qin Feng ultimately won by a narrow margin of half a move.

【victory! 】

[You narrowly escaped victory in a high-intensity exchange of fire, honing your fighting spirit and marksmanship. Your proficiency in "Thousand Armies Spear" increases by 2.]

……

Time flew by amidst victory and defeat.

When the ninth battle ended, Qin Feng's ranking tournament record was set at four wins and five losses.

The opponents you can beat generally have scores below 100.

However, he would find it extremely difficult to fight against martial artists with more than 110 points, and his win rate would be very low.

After these nine intense real-world battles, Qin Feng has gained a clear understanding of his own abilities.

His current marksmanship level is around 100 points among the first-tier warriors in the Imperial Arena, but the number of battles he has fought is too low to be absolutely accurate.

After all, you might encounter someone with a thousand matches and a rank of 1, or you might encounter someone who suddenly becomes enlightened and rushes to rank up.

You need to play a lot of matches to figure out exactly where you are in the ranking.

At the same time, he also figured out the matchmaking rules for placement matches.

The placement matches appear to be randomly matched within a range of scores.

That's why he encounters strong players like "Madman Stick" with a score of 152, as well as new-level goalkeepers with only 75 points.

This resulted in his combat experience being extremely inconsistent.

He either easily crushes his opponent or is crushed by them; there are very few truly exhilarating and evenly matched duels that allow him to fight to his heart's content.

However, once the ranking is finalized, the Imperial Arena will prioritize matching him with opponents of similar scores, resulting in a much better combat experience. "Hoo..."

Qin Feng left the queue and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air on the virtual arena.

Nine consecutive high-intensity life-or-death battles, even if the body is not actually injured, the mental exhaustion is enormous.

Every offensive and defensive maneuver, every opportunity to seize, requires a high degree of concentration.

At that moment, he felt his brain getting heavy and a deep sense of exhaustion washing over him.

He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to practice the "Emperor's Meditation Method".

Although he couldn't truly cultivate in the virtual world, this visualization allowed his mind to find a moment of peace and relief.

About ten minutes later, the mental fatigue subsided slightly.

He opened his eyes, and his gaze became clear and firm again.

There's only one game left.

He stood up and opened the ranked mode again.

[Matching you for your tenth placement match...]

【Successful match! 】

The information panel of the final opponent slowly appeared.

Qin Feng's gaze swept over the area, and then he paused slightly, slightly taken aback.

[ID]: Zhou Yu
[Rank]: First Rank

Points: 98
[Record]: 15 wins, 5 losses

[Self-introduction]: I am skilled in using the Nine-fold Thunder Blade.

[Enemy Evaluation (1)]: The number one noob at Enlightenment Star Thunder Martial Arts School.

……

at the same time.

Located countless light-years away from Qiming First Martial Arts High School, on another life-bearing planet—Qimeng Star.

Inside a magnificent and expansive martial arts hall, hundreds of people are gathered at this moment.

The main hall's decor exudes a rugged, iron-and-blood atmosphere, with walls cast entirely of black alloy and adorned with enormous banners embroidered with golden lightning bolts and crossed swords.

This is the emblem of the Thunder Chapter, one of the Empire's main battle chapters.

This hall is the Thunder Martial Hall, an affiliated institution under the Thunder Legion, dedicated to discovering and cultivating talented reserve soldiers for the legion.

At this moment, at the very front of the main hall, seven or eight powerful figures dressed in martial hall uniforms sat upright.

Their aura was deep and composed, their gazes sharp and piercing; simply sitting there, they exuded the air of a grandmaster, profound and imposing.

Below them, sixty or seventy boys and girls, around fifteen or sixteen years old and dressed in matching training uniforms, stood holding their breath, their eyes all focused on the center of the hall.

There, a tall, beautiful young woman had her eyes closed, her mind completely absorbed in the Imperial Arena.

She is Zhou Yu.

Today is Thunder Martial Arts Academy's annual "Killing Technique Assessment Day".

Zhou Yu, the most outstanding genius among this year's trainees, is undergoing her final assessment—completing the ranking match in the Imperial Arena and reaching 100 points.

The surrounding students were watching Zhou Yu's battle through the giant holographic screen above the main hall, their voices rising and falling, filled with envy and amazement.

"Senior Sister Zhou Yu is too strong! I heard she's only been practicing the Ninefold Thunder Blade for two months, yet she's already reached the 'minor completion' level!"

"Yes, she's a monster! I've been practicing for almost a year and I haven't even fully mastered the first level of power yet, while she can already skillfully use the second level of power."

"She just won against an opponent with a score of 110. She played so beautifully!"

"If I win this match, I'll reach 100 points. Hey, my opponent is someone without a rank. His ID is 'Qin,' and his self-introduction is 'Practitioner of the Thousand-Army Spear.'"

"Gunsmanship? That's not easy to fight. The spear is the king of weapons, and it's extremely difficult to master. However, this 'Qin' is just a newbie without any rank. Senior Sister Zhou Yu should have no problem defeating him."

"It's hard to say. Those who dare to choose the Thousand Army Spear are usually geniuses with extraordinary comprehension."

"Yes, everyone knows that the Thousand Army Spear is powerful, but there are not many mentors who dare to choose the Thousand Army Spear for their students, and even fewer students dare to learn it."

The trainees' discussions were filled with anticipation for the upcoming battle.

The battle scene between Zhou Yu and Qin Feng on the light screen has been fully loaded.

The countdown numbers began to slowly tick.

[5, 4, 3…]

"Oh? It's you?"

The countdown hadn't ended yet, and Zhou Yu raised an eyebrow.

Qin Feng remained silent, gripping his standard-issue spear tightly, recalling the scene when he first entered the Imperial Arena and was beheaded with a single blow.

Back then, he hadn't practiced any killing techniques and couldn't even understand the mark left by that slash. Now, he wanted to test how much he had improved since entering the academy!

How much progress have we made this month!

　Four chapters during the free period! I'm asking for support and hope you'll continue reading, dear readers! The author is putting in a lot of effort!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)