Chapter 87 - 74: Thousand Soldiers Guarding
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!
Qin Feng was completely on the defensive.
He urged his Long Spear on, transforming it into an impenetrable curtain of steel.
He dotted, stabbed, flicked, and deflected with the spear’s tip, while parrying, blocking, intercepting, and sweeping with its shaft.
He executed every basic defensive technique from the *Thousand Army Spear* to the absolute peak of his ability.
He activated the "Wandering Dragon" Body Technique, but not to create distance. Instead, he twisted and turned within a confined space, his movements coordinating with his spear. He constantly adjusted his center of gravity and defensive angles, trying to neutralize the terrifying force of Sun He’s attacks at the lowest possible cost.
Distance control!
Even while suppressed to his absolute limit, he precisely controlled the distance between them. He didn’t let his opponent get too close, nor did he let him pull away to an undefendable range.
Qin Feng was fighting with exhilarating focus.
For the past ten days, he had been brutally beaten in every way imaginable by over four hundred senior students. Each crushing defeat was a profound lesson.
He was long accustomed to the rhythm of fighting for survival under extreme pressure.
His mind was a perfect blank, all his focus poured into the pure exchange of offense and defense before him.
In his eyes, Sun He’s cudgel technique seemed to slow down.
He could clearly see the subtle twitch of his opponent’s shoulder muscles with every exertion. He could predict the trajectory and impact point of the swinging cudgel. He could feel the strongest and weakest points within each attack.
Just before his opponent’s cudgel landed, his Long Spear would miraculously appear in the perfect position. It would meet the attack at the most difficult angle, using the most efficient motion to neutralize the ferocious blow.
A profound, almost mystical feeling began to blossom in his heart.
’Defense isn’t just simple blocking.’
’It’s deflecting, guiding, and borrowing force.’
’The spear isn’t just a weapon for attack. It’s an extension of my body, a bulwark of my Will.’
’The space around me is my domain. Within this domain, wherever my spear’s shadow reaches is my sovereign territory.’
’The spear technique is the net, the Body Technique is the fish.’
’The spear technique changes with my thoughts, moving as an extension of my own arm. The curtain of spear light is impenetrable, like a thousand armies guarding my body, letting no enemy pass!’
’At the same time, the Body Technique twists and turns, the footwork and spearwork merging into one, moving as my heart desires!’
’This... is... Thousand Soldiers Guarding!’
Epiphany!
Under the storm of Sun He’s relentless pressure, Qin Feng’s understanding of *Thousand Army Spear’s* third ultimate technique—Thousand Soldiers Guarding—finally broke through the final barrier!
HUMMM—
The Long Spear in his hand seemed to let out a faint hum.
The next moment, his entire defensive posture underwent a qualitative change.
If, before, he was like a reef struggling to hold on in a storm...
...then now, he had become an absolute defensive bulwark that completely sealed the storm out.
His spear technique was no longer the least bit rigid.
Every parry seemed perfect, a matter of course.
Sun He’s attacks, though clearly stronger and faster, vanished without a trace upon hitting the curtain of spear light, like a stone sinking into the ocean.
Not only that, but Qin Feng’s spear tip began to carry a faint, almost imperceptible hint of a counterattack in the gaps of his defense.
It was no longer a passive block; while parrying, he guided his opponent’s force to the side and, following the momentum, pushed his own spear tip toward an opening in his opponent’s guard.
The momentum of offense and defense had quietly reversed.
Sun He found it increasingly difficult to fight.
He felt as if he were attacking a high-speed, spinning iron ball covered in spikes.
His every attack was deflected with exquisite finesse. His opponent even borrowed the force of his own blows to threaten him in return.
His much-prided close-quarters pressure, in the face of Qin Feng’s brand new defensive system, was being pushed, little by little, out of its effective range.
He simply couldn’t break through that curtain of spear light, which seemed thin but was in fact indestructible!
"This guy...!"
Sun He was horrified.
But he was, after all, a battle-hardened senior student and immediately adjusted his strategy.
He no longer sought to finish Qin Feng up close. Instead, he poured all his strength into every single attack, abandoning technique for pure, absolute power in a display of brute-force crushing.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Every collision between the short cudgel and the Long Spear produced a heavy boom like a battering ram.
Although Qin Feng had comprehended "Thousand Soldiers Guarding" and his technique was no longer inferior to Sun He’s—even surpassing it in defensive subtlety—
the huge gap in life force index between him and Sun He was something technique could not completely make up for.
With every head-on block, a terrifyingly immense force that he couldn’t completely deflect surged madly up the spear shaft and into his arms.
The webbing of his hands began to go numb.
His muscles screamed in agony.
His very bones seemed to tremble.
He gritted his teeth, holding on desperately with his tenacious Will.
One minute...
One minute and ten seconds...
One minute and twenty seconds...
CRACK!
A faint tearing sound was heard.
Qin Feng felt a heart-wrenching, sharp pain from the web of his right hand, and he could no longer hold onto his Long Spear.
The Alloy Long Spear flew from his grasp.
The webbing of both his hands had split open and was covered in blood.
The match was decided.
Sun He’s figure instantly closed in, and he gently tapped Qin Feng’s chest with a short cudgel.
[Battle Over]
[Victor: Sun He]
[Time: 1 minute, 22 seconds]
Exiting the arena, his consciousness returned to reality.
There wasn’t the slightest bit of dejection on Qin Feng’s face; instead, it was filled with the joy of his recent epiphany.
Thousand Soldiers Guarding.
He had finally comprehended this ultimate technique.
[You have comprehended the ultimate technique: Thousand Soldiers Guarding]
[*Thousand Army Spear* proficiency increased by 2000 points]
[Combat Art: *Thousand Army Spear* (Mastery)]
[Proficiency: 4320/10000]
The proficiency for *Thousand Army Spear* had reached over 4300 points, which was a pleasant surprise for Qin Feng.
He was just over halfway to Perfection.
This epiphany was a huge step forward.
’To get an Enlightenment General Star, I’ll need at least one combat art at the Perfection level... No, even one isn’t enough.’
Qin Feng thought to himself.
There were already second-year senior students with combat arts at Perfection. The third-years must be even stronger, maybe even having mastered multiple combat arts.
’That’s still a long way off. I won’t think about it for now.’
Qin Feng shook his head. His consciousness entered the Subspace Network again, went into his private domain, and started matchmaking!
-----------------
Meanwhile, back in his private dorm, Sun He also logged out of the Subspace Network.
His expression was complex beyond description.
"Ten days."
"Ten days ago, he could only last 32 seconds against me."
"Ten days later, he held out for 1 minute and 22 seconds."
Sun He couldn’t help but curse.
"Fuck."
"Fucking monster."
"On a technical level, Qin Feng is already on par with me. His understanding of defense might even be more profound than mine."
"The only thing left is the raw difference in our physical stats."
"This rate of progress is just too fast."
Sun He sighed with sincere admiration.