Grinding to Become the Master of the Universe

It took a full four to five minutes. With seamless coordination from a nearby Sword and Shield Warrior who tanked the frontal assault, Qin Feng finally found an opportunity. He put all his strength into one thrust, piercing a gap near the Level 2 Green Skin’s eye and killing it.

[Killed Level 2 Green Skin. Points Acquired: 10]

However, before he could even catch his breath, another, even taller creature had already noticed him—a Level 3 Green Skin nearly five meters tall.

That Level 3 Green Skin let out an earth-shattering roar and took huge strides, charging straight for him like an out-of-control heavy truck!

Alarm bells screamed in Qin Feng’s mind!

Without a second thought, he turned and ran.

But it was too late.

The Level 3 Green Skin’s speed far exceeded his imagination.

In just two strides, it was right behind him. A giant Wolf Fang Club, forged from a railroad track, came sweeping toward him with a roar that tore through the air!

In desperation, Qin Feng could only turn and block.

"BOOM—!"

A deafening crash.

Qin Feng felt as if he’d been hit head-on by a small meteor.

The Alloy Long Spear in his hand instantly bent into an exaggerated arc, then shattered inch by inch.

He was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string, tumbling a dozen times across the ground before coming to a stop.

It felt as if every bone in his body had shattered.

If not for his physical body, which surpassed Gold III, that blow alone would have been enough to severely injure him on the spot.

The Level 3 Green Skin took a heavy step forward, preparing to deal the final blow.

Just then, a figure appeared silently beside Qin Feng.

It was Lin Yue.

She merely shot the Level 3 Green Skin a cold glance, making no move to attack it. Instead, she grabbed the heavily injured Qin Feng, soared into the sky, and vanished from above the battlefield in an instant.

...

Several tens of minutes later, in a safe cave behind the war zone.

Qin Feng barely regained the ability to move after downing an entire recovery Potion.

He leaned against the cave wall, recalling the experience, a bitter expression appearing on his face for the first time.

’I thought that with my current strength, coming to this so-called Trial Ground, even if I couldn’t dominate, I’d at least be able to go on a killing spree and rack up points.’

But reality had given him a resounding slap in the face.

’On a battlefield against these fearless, well-equipped members of the Alien Race, just surviving for ten minutes makes you a seasoned veteran!’

’And this isn’t even a true, kill-or-be-killed war between races!’

’Here, there are Guardians, completely safe respawn points, and ample logistical support.’

’What would a real battlefield be like? How much more cruel and hopeless!’

Qin Feng slowly let out a long breath, completely crushing the last vestiges of arrogance that had sprouted from his sudden increase in power.

His eyes became calm again, but now held a new depth and resilience.

His goal was no longer the nebulous idea of "farming points."

It was simply—

To survive.

To cooperate with every unfamiliar comrade at his side and survive.

In this meat grinder of a battlefield, he had to kill as many enemy combatants as possible and hone his own killing style.

That was the only thing he should be doing right now.

Not far away, Lin Yue, hidden in the shadows, took in every detail of Qin Feng’s subtle yet incredibly profound change in mindset.

The corners of her mouth curved into a barely perceptible, appreciative arc.

’This kid is growing faster than I expected.’

"Are you recovered?"

Lin Yue’s voice came from the cave entrance.

"I am."

Qin Feng stood up, stretched his muscles and bones, letting out a series of crisp "CRACKLE-POP" sounds.

"If you’re recovered, then get back to it."

Lin Yue’s voice was calm and steady, as if she were talking about the most ordinary thing in the world.

"Yes, Teacher."

There wasn’t the slightest trace of fear or retreat in Qin Feng’s eyes. In its place was an unprecedented calm and focus.

Before, he had come here with a "kill monsters and level up" mentality, like an arrogant Hunter.

But now, he saw himself as just an ordinary soldier.

...

When Qin Feng once again set foot on the battlefield, shells exploding all around, his entire fighting style had undergone a dramatic transformation.

He no longer acted like a Lone Ranger, trying to find isolated Green Skins to fight one-on-one.

Instead, he proactively and quickly integrated himself into the nearest front line formed by human Martial Artists.

This was a temporary assault squad of seven or eight Martial Artists. Their objective was to destroy a Green Skin heavy-weapon emplacement three hundred meters ahead, constructed from sandbags and sheet metal.

There, three heavy machine guns and two mortars were frantically pouring firepower onto the human positions.

"Left flank! You, in the red shorts! Follow my lead! We charge in three seconds!"

The squad’s temporary commander, a burly, bald man with a face full of scars, roared himself hoarse.

Qin Feng didn’t need the order.

The moment the bald man gave the command, he was already moving.

His figure was like a ghost, hugging the ground, using every crater and piece of tank wreckage for cover as he silently flanked the weapon emplacement.

His movements didn’t attract the attention of a single Green Skin.

"Charge!"

With the bald man’s order, the frontal assault began.

Several Martial Artists roared, charging forward under a dense hail of bullets.

The Green Skins’ attention was instantly drawn to the frontal assault.

’Now’s the time!’

Like an arrow loosed from a bow, Qin Feng’s figure shot out from the shadows on the flank!

The Long Spear in his hand was no longer making wide, sweeping attacks. Instead, he employed the rhythmic Body Technique from the ’Fierce Bird Fist Art,’ moving at an exceptionally tricky angle. His entire body was like a raptor gliding low to the ground, moving with incredible speed!

The three Green Skin machine-gunners in front of him didn’t even have time to turn their guns.

"SHLK!"

"SHLK!"

"SHLK!"

Three flashes of cold light flared and vanished.

The throats of the three Green Skin machine-gunners were pierced with absolute precision, and their massive bodies crashed to the ground.

The entire process was fluid and seamless, executed with extreme speed!

After destroying the machine gun nest, Qin Feng didn’t pause for a moment. He spun, his Long Spear striking like a viper’s tongue, thrusting straight at the two Green Skins operating the mortars!

[Flowing Light Chasing Shadow]!

Only after eliminating all threats did he give the all-clear signal to his teammates on the front line.

The bald man and his team charged up. Seeing that all the Green Skins had been killed, he couldn’t help but give Qin Feng a thumbs-up.

Qin Feng nodded without a word and vanished once more into the smoke of the battlefield.

Like a Ghost, Qin Feng weaved through the vast battlefield.

The comrades by his side changed, one group after another.

Sometimes, he would encounter experienced old soldiers like the bald-headed man.

They didn’t even need to exchange words; a look or a hand signal was enough to form perfect tactical coordination.

Together, they had taken out Green Skin command posts and surrounded and annihilated powerful Level 2 Armored Green Skins. The feeling of shared life and death, of mutual trust, made Qin Feng truly appreciate how good it was to have teammates with such seamless coordination.

But more often, he encountered rookies just like him, stepping onto a battlefield of this scale for the first time.

During a battle where they were besieging a Level 3 Armored Green Skin, Qin Feng and four other Martial Artists had finally managed to break the beast’s leg armor, limiting its mobility.

He was about to seize the opportunity to attack its vulnerable joints.

But a young Martial Artist behind him, responsible for covering fire, grew overconfident and broke away from the group. He drew the Green Skins’ concentrated fire, and an artillery shell rained down from the sky, smashing into a wrecked vehicle next to Qin Feng!

"BOOM—!"

The violent explosion instantly sent Qin Feng flying.

The Level 3 Green Skin seized the opportunity to break free. It roared and smashed another teammate, severely injuring them, before quickly escaping.

"Are you a fucking idiot?!"

Qin Feng scrambled to his feet. Seeing their efforts ruined at the last second and his fallen teammate, he burned with rage and couldn’t help but curse.

The young Martial Artist was already pale with fear, standing frozen on the spot.

Situations like this happened often on this battlefield.

There were veteran Martial Artists full of trust, who could coordinate perfectly without words.

There were also overconfident fools who hadn’t properly understood their role.

This was the true face of War.

Through these repeated trials, Qin Feng’s heart grew tougher and colder, transforming him into a veteran.

His killing style also improved slowly but surely through this high-intensity combat experience.

He became more and more adept at using the Perfection Realm of the ’Thousand Army Spear’ in battle.

He gradually came to understand that the so-called "Control" was not just an improvement of skill, but an evolution of one’s state of mind.

’To reach the ’Control’ realm, you need a tremendous amount of grinding, but you also need that flash of sudden enlightenment.’

In the lulls between battles, Qin Feng constantly thought and sought enlightenment.

Time flew by amidst this endless cycle of fighting and contemplation.

「Three days and three nights.」

For a full seventy-two hours, Qin Feng barely closed his eyes for a moment.

His body was already covered in wounds, large and small.

His stamina was also at its limit. Every time he swung his Long Spear, his arms felt as heavy as lead.

Mental fatigue washed over his consciousness like a relentless tide.

After another difficult kill on a Level 2 Green Skin, he felt completely exhausted and weak.

He knew he had reached his limit.

"Teacher, requesting permission to return."

He sent the request through his internal channel.

The moment the words left his mouth, a figure appeared silently beside him.

Lin Yue grabbed him, shot into the sky, leaped into a flying vehicle, and quickly left the battlefield.

...