The next morning.
Feng Qi was awakened by the sound of his phone ringing.
Groggily reaching for the phone on his bedside table, he saw the caller ID—it was Bai Fusheng.
Pressing the answer button, Bai Fusheng's elderly voice came through from the other side:
"The Ministry of Education just approved your application."
Hearing those words, any lingering sleepiness immediately vanished. Feng Qi sat up and asked eagerly, "What's the result?"
"The application was approved. The Ministry won't provide you with financial support, but they will allow you to conduct virtual technology research within Star City Academy. They'll also provide workspace and accommodations, including meals."
Although Feng Qi had anticipated this outcome, hearing the confirmation filled him with excitement.
"Thank you, Shi-gong! You've really helped me out."
"No need to thank me. Recently, the higher-ups have been paying a lot of attention to you. The approval has much to do with your achievements—after all, it's not every day someone as young as you earns the Outstanding Contribution to Humanity Silver Medal."
"On top of that, you still have several cultivation techniques pending review and testing. The higher-ups seem optimistic about you potentially earning the Gold Medal for Outstanding Contributions. Even Vice Minister Liu from the Ministry of Education called to inquire about you. He asked me to advise you to focus on your research in cultivation studies and not waste your talent."
Feeling elated, Feng Qi replied with a grin, "Shi-gong, don't worry. I won't neglect my work in cultivation studies. Like I told you yesterday, if virtual technology succeeds, its impact could be even greater than creating a five-star cultivation technique."
"A true genius must excel in multiple fields and produce results in all of them."
Hearing Feng Qi's confident words, Bai Fusheng couldn't help but roll his eyes on the other end of the line.
Still skeptical, he added, "Don't just talk big. Remember our agreement—I've given you three months. If you can't produce results by then, drop this virtual technology research and stop wasting your time."
"Just wait and see, Shi-gong. I promise you won't be disappointed." Feng Qi reaffirmed his determination, then asked, "By the way, have you contacted Fang Zhiyou's parents?"
"I have. Talking over the phone wasn't enough, so I've arranged to meet them in person. I'll persuade them face-to-face."
Hearing this, Feng Qi was deeply moved.
It was clear how much effort Bai Fusheng was putting into this matter. Feng Qi had expected him to simply make a phone call, but he hadn't anticipated that Bai Fusheng would take the initiative to meet Fang Zhiyou's parents in person.
"Shi-gong, make sure to wear your dashing principal's uniform when you go," Feng Qi suggested.
Bai Fusheng: …
"Is that really necessary?"
"Of course it's necessary! It'll give you an aura of authority. That way, you can dominate the conversation from the start. Oh, and don't forget to bring your principal's badge—you have to go all out when making an impression."
"Enough nonsense. I'm heading out now."
"Safe travels, Shi-gong. Wishing you a triumphant return!"
After hanging up, Feng Qi clenched his fist in excitement.
Although he had yet to unlock the Infinite Memory ability, copying the code and algorithms for Savior wasn't an immediate priority. The critical task was first having Fang Zhiyou refine the "Future Virtual Engine" framework.
Additionally, there was the matter of perfecting the visual design.
Ironically, the coding and algorithm aspects, which Fang Zhiyou would find the most challenging, were the easiest for Feng Qi to handle.
Even if he didn't gain the Infinite Memory ability, he could always travel back and forth between reality and the future dream realm multiple times to meticulously copy down Savior's codes and content.
Glancing at the time, he saw it was already 7:20 a.m.
Feng Qi got out of bed, freshened up, and left his dorm, heading toward the academy cafeteria.
Although autumn had arrived, the weather remained sweltering.
As one of the most talked-about figures at Star City Academy recently, Feng Qi was greeted warmly by the students he passed on the way to the cafeteria.
He responded to each greeting with a polite smile and nod.
Upon entering the cafeteria, he was immediately greeted by the cool air of the 24/7 air conditioning. It was a stark contrast to the heat outside, almost like stepping into another world.
Today was the Ghost Festival, and the cafeteria had prepared a variety of traditional holiday dishes.
The offerings included wheat pastries, flower buns, lai fen noodles, dumpling cakes, and poached duck, among other regional Ghost Festival specialties.
After filling an entire tray with food, Feng Qi made his way to the northern corner of the cafeteria and sat down across from Mu Qing.
At that moment, Lin Ran had yet to arrive.
Watching Mu Qing devouring her food, Feng Qi smiled and said, "Senior, I need your help with something today."
Mu Qing looked up from her meal. After swallowing her mouthful of food, she asked curiously, "What is it?"
"Aren't you going to ask what kind of help I need first?"
"As long as it's not anything illegal, I'm in." Mu Qing replied with a playful, innocent smile.
"It's definitely not illegal. Here's the situation: the Eastern Region academies are hosting a freshmen team battle soon. Every freshmen combat class is participating, and I want you to help humble our class a bit."
Mu Qing looked puzzled.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"Use your strength to crush their confidence. Teach them some humility so I can move on to team battle training."
Hearing this, Mu Qing hesitated.
"I'm not good at holding back. What if I hurt them?"
"Don't worry. They're tougher than you think. Just gauge the situation as you go."
Hearing Feng Qi's assurance, Mu Qing nodded obediently.
"Alright, I'll do it."
With that settled, Feng Qi began eating as well.
A few moments later, Lin Ran arrived, carrying his food tray. He sat down beside Feng Qi and greeted them with a yawn, "Morning, Qi-ge. Morning, Senior!"
Noticing Lin Ran's tired demeanor, Feng Qi raised an eyebrow.
"What were you up to last night? Didn't get enough sleep?"
"I've been experimenting with a new digestion-boosting technique. I'm calling it 'Devour.' It's been a headache."
"Didn't work out?"
"It worked, but it's not perfected. There's a huge problem."
"Tell me more."
Under Feng Qi and Mu Qing's curious gazes, Lin Ran scratched his head awkwardly and explained, "The Devour technique functions as intended. Whatever I eat gets digested rapidly in my stomach. But there's one major drawback…"
"What's the drawback?"
"Last night, I spent the whole time in the bathroom. I think I clogged the dormitory's drainage system," Lin Ran admitted sheepishly.
Feng Qi felt a wave of nausea and quickly said, "Don't talk about that while I'm eating—it's ruining my appetite."
"Qi-ge, you were the one who asked," Lin Ran replied, looking aggrieved.
"Anyway, Qi-ge, the Devour technique isn't completely useless. I realized that in certain situations, it could be extremely beneficial," Lin Ran added quickly, changing the topic.
"For instance, if front-line domain warriors mastered this technique, they could minimize the time spent eating while rapidly absorbing energy and restoring stamina."
Hearing this, Feng Qi gave him a thumbs-up.
"Brilliant."
Feng Qi had never doubted Lin Ran's talent for technique research.
After all, Lin Ran would go on to become the founder of a major school of techniques in the future and was regarded as one of the most gifted figures in the history of technique research.
When it came to Lin Ran's accomplishments in techniques, Feng Qi didn't hold back on praise.
Compliment him. Compliment him hard. Compliment him until he gives up on cultivation studies.
The trio continued chatting while eating breakfast.
Once they finished, Feng Qi and Lin Ran waited for Mu Qing to finish her meal before heading together to the second teaching building.
When they arrived at the Combat Class Three classroom, Lü Yue and the other freshmen were already present.
Standing at the doorway, Feng Qi smiled and announced, "Today's lesson will be held in the gym. Everyone, follow me."
Hearing Feng Qi's instructions, Lü Yue and the others stood up and followed him to the gymnasium east of the second teaching building.
After informing the gym's administrator of their plans, Feng Qi led the group into Training Arena Three within the gym.
The arena, spanning 1,800 square meters, was lined with racks on both sides displaying various types of cold weapons. It was specifically designed for combat training.
The arena's floor tiles were made from special materials sourced from domain fields, offering exceptional durability.
However, even with such resilience, the tiles frequently needed replacement due to the rigorous training sessions.
Star City Academy spared no expense in maintaining and upgrading its facilities. Every year, significant funds were allocated for these purposes.
Leading the students to the center of the arena, Feng Qi turned to face them and said, "I have an announcement: our class will be participating in the upcoming freshman team battle. As a combat class, battle training is naturally essential, but first, I need to assess everyone's current abilities."
"Let's start with each of you reporting your strength ratings."
"Monk, you go first."
Hearing Feng Qi call on him, the Monk nodded and grinned as he said, "My strength rating from the last evaluation is… unranked."
Feng Qi: …
After Monk's introduction, the Xia family brothers took their turns reporting their strength ratings:
"Xia Long, my latest strength rating is Black Iron Lower Tier."
"Xia Hu, my latest strength rating is Black Iron Lower Tier."
"Xia Bao, my latest strength rating is Black Iron Lower Tier."
Feng Qi was a bit surprised by the Xia brothers' strength levels. He hadn't expected all three of them to have reached the Black Iron Lower Tier.
At their age, achieving this level was already impressive.
A Black Iron-tier warrior could join a domain combat squad and become a front-line fighter.
Most freshmen in this cohort were generally at the pre-Black Iron level, somewhere in the nine stages of basic martial arts.
"Yan Yue, Martial Artist Ninth Stage."
"Xu Hongyun, I haven't reached the stages yet, but I'm working hard!" The chubby boy said earnestly.
"Lü Yue, I haven't undergone a strength evaluation yet," Lü Yue added.
As the students continued introducing themselves, it became clear that, aside from Lin Ran, who had reached Black Iron Upper Tier, most of the others were unranked.
Mu Qing hadn't been tested either, as she never attended class or participated in the academy's physical examinations.
After listening to everyone's introductions, Feng Qi nodded and said, "Alright, Lin Ran, spar with Lü Yue and give me a rough assessment of his strength."
Lin Ran, never one to refuse Feng Qi's requests, immediately nodded and stepped to the center of the arena with a playful grin.
"Lü Yue, let's do this."
Lin Ran exuded confidence. He firmly believed that he was the strongest in the class. While Lü Yue was undoubtedly strong, Lin Ran was convinced he would win.
Lü Yue, however, merely shrugged and stepped forward to face him.
"Qi-ge, can I use techniques? If it's just a physical brawl, I don't stand a chance."
"Go ahead," Feng Qi replied immediately.
"Good."
With that, Lin Ran's expression turned serious as he focused on Lü Yue.
"Do you need a sword?"
"This blade doesn't strike comrades." Lü Yue's tone was calm.
Hearing this, Lin Ran nodded in understanding.
"That Lü Yue guy is so full of himself. I can't stand him," Xia Long grumbled.
"Big Brother, same here."
"Big Brother, Second Brother, me too," Xia Hu and Xia Bao chimed in, nodding vigorously.
As the others moved to a safe distance, Feng Qi stayed close, just in case any unforeseen incidents occurred during the match.
"Start," Feng Qi commanded after a glance at Lin Ran and Lü Yue.
Lin Ran made the first move. With one hand forming seals in front of him, the surrounding spiritual energy began to ripple, manifesting into several fireballs that shot directly toward Lü Yue.
Before the fireballs could reach him, Lü Yue's sharp sword aura erupted from his body, disintegrating the fireballs into scattered sparks.
Then, with a swift motion of Lü Yue's hand, he pointed forward. The sword behind him quivered, releasing a sharp, almost tangible white energy that streaked toward Lin Ran.
Lin Ran, familiar with Lü Yue's tactics, quickly formed multiple seals with his hands, blending his internal spiritual energy with the external flow, creating several protective barriers of spiritual energy in front of him.
But Lin Ran underestimated Lü Yue's strength. To his disbelief, the sword aura pierced through the layers of shields effortlessly and continued its unrelenting advance.
Reacting quickly, Lin Ran formed another seal. A sudden external force pulled him sideways, narrowly avoiding the attack. The white sword aura surged past him, leaving a bowl-sized hole in the specially reinforced wall at the far end of the arena.
"Hiss!" The crowd collectively gasped, their faces betraying their astonishment.
"Lin Ran, the so-called technique prodigy, surely you can do better than this," Lü Yue teased, his tone calm yet laced with provocation.
"I'll get serious now," Lin Ran responded, taking a deep breath as his hands moved rapidly to form seals.
His spiritual energy surged along the pathways dictated by his hand gestures. With a sharp motion, he extended his hands toward Lü Yue, summoning a massive spiritual energy hand that slammed down from above.
Lü Yue's sword vibrated, and sharp sword energy emanated from it, slicing toward the descending spiritual hand.
Meanwhile, Lin Ran didn't let up. His fingers danced as he completed three more seals. Beneath Lü Yue's feet, the specially reinforced floor tiles distorted, locking his legs in place. Lightning and ice spikes materialized out of thin air, shooting directly at him.
Though Lü Yue reacted swiftly, sending out waves of sword energy to shatter the lightning and ice spikes, Lin Ran's hands were already a blur, forming more seals. New attacks came in relentless succession.
This was Lin Ran's strength: the speed and precision of his spell-casting.
Once Lin Ran became serious, he transformed into a relentless spell-casting machine. Spells materialized one after another, bombarding Lü Yue ceaselessly.
At this point, Lü Yue could only defend, unable to find an opening to counterattack. His previously calm demeanor now showed a hint of intensity.
With his right hand tracing patterns in the air, Lü Yue used his sword energy to dismantle Lin Ran's barrage of spells. However, the sheer frequency of attacks left the other freshmen wide-eyed in awe.
Ten minutes later, Lü Yue's sword aura obliterated yet another wave of Lin Ran's spells. His gaze sharpened, and he lifted his hand, pointing forward with forceful intent.
The sword on his back quivered violently, emitting a white mist that condensed into the shape of a sword. With a swift gesture, Lü Yue sent the misty sword hurtling toward Lin Ran.
A storm of sword energy swept through the arena. The floor, which was designed to endure rigorous training, now bore deep cuts where the misty sword passed.
"I give up!" Lin Ran shouted suddenly.
At his words, Lü Yue extended a hand, dispersing the misty sword into a harmless cloud of energy.
"Damn, man, you're way too strong. Is this really the kind of power a freshman is supposed to have?" Lin Ran said, frustration evident on his face as he looked at Lü Yue.
Despite unleashing a barrage of spells, Lin Ran had been unable to break through Lü Yue's sword energy. His spiritual energy reserves were nearly depleted. Even if he had survived the last attack, he would have been defeated in the next exchange.
What frustrated Lin Ran even more was that Lü Yue hadn't even drawn the sword on his back. It was clear that Lü Yue had been holding back, yet Lin Ran had already reached his limit.
He had assumed he was the strongest in the class. Now, after this defeat, he had to accept that he ranked second at best. At least he was confident the Xia brothers couldn't surpass him.
Feng Qi, watching Lin Ran's humbling defeat, couldn't help but smile.
Lin Ran's strength had never been in direct combat. His historical significance lay elsewhere, and Feng Qi had anticipated this outcome from the start.
Turning his attention to Lü Yue, who remained composed, Feng Qi looked toward Mu Qing in the distance and called out, "Senior, why don't you test Lü Yue's strength next?"
Mu Qing nodded enthusiastically, stepping forward to face Lü Yue.
Lü Yue appeared momentarily stunned, clearly puzzled as to why Feng Qi had chosen Mu Qing, who was largely unnoticed in class, to challenge him.
Even Lin Ran, standing nearby, looked shocked. He couldn't help but voice his concerns to Feng Qi.
"Qi-ge, why are you letting Senior Mu Qing spar with Lü Yue? It's too dangerous. During my fight, if I hadn't set up multiple spiritual shields in advance, I wouldn't have been able to withstand his sword energy even from a distance. Aren't you worried she'll get hurt?"
Feng Qi responded with a grin, "Keep your eyes open. You're about to see what it means to utterly dominate."