After finishing lunch, Qin Fen returned to his room and began to sit cross-legged, circulating the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Gong within his body.

Qin Fen instructed himself thus, watching the woman’s arduous life. He had to constantly remind himself that even if he helped her till the fields, it would only be a waste of effort, because everything would vanish when the time came.

The stars shifted and the sun set, the moon rose, and in the blink of an eye, more than ten hours had passed. Qin Fen continued to circulate the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Gong without stopping. Indeed, he had a more important matter to attend to in this scenario: defeating the Light Man! Otherwise, even if he completed the scenario and was kicked back to reality, he would still be extremely displeased.

A burst of noisy hoofbeats suddenly shattered the quiet night sky of the small village.

Qin Fen snapped his eyes open and saw the woman pulling two boys, rushing frantically into the room: "Quickly, follow me."

Without waiting for Qin Fen to speak, the woman grabbed him and hurried out of the room. She went to a pile of firewood, swiftly moved all the dry wood aside, revealing a space that wasn't very wide: "Quick! Hide in here!"

The woman still gave Qin Fen no chance to speak, pushing the three of them into that small space, then quickly moving the firewood back into place to block the entrance, saying, "Don't make a sound."

Qin Fen asked, his heart trembling: "What about you?"

"I have a place to hide," the woman smiled faintly, saying, "Just don't make a sound; the bandits these days truly kill people..."

The woman hadn't finished speaking when the courtyard gate was suddenly smashed open. Several villagers ran into the courtyard in a panic, followed by seven or eight bandits with torches and steel sabers, their faces contorted with ferocious, ugly features.

"Mission failure. The brain will default to death, and the ** will truly die," the Light Man’s voice echoed again in Qin Fen’s mind.

Screams rang out. The arm of a villager who had fled into the courtyard was severed by a steel saber. The fallen arm twitched unconsciously, and blood spurted from the villager's wound like a fountain.

"Fake! It's all fake!" Qin Fen closed his eyes. His efforts during the day had still failed to break the restriction within his body. The Dragon-Elephant Prajna Gong remained at only the first-star level of strength. Judging by the recent sound of hooves, there were at least nearly a hundred bandits outside. Even if he used his full two-star strength, it might not be enough to defeat a hundred bandits. No wonder the Light Man said that persisting for twenty-four hours also counted as a victory; this battle was set up from the start with conditions impossible to overcome.

A martial artist must learn patience, just as a leopard must quietly endure before hunting its prey. This was an important aspect of a martial artist's training. Qin Fen was beginning to understand what the Light Man intended to train in him.

Another scream sounded. Qin Fen felt the two children under his arm trying to rush out. He instinctively held them back. Knowing it was all fake, he still didn't want the two children to rush out to their deaths.

A third scream rang out...

Qin Fen had always believed his self-control was top-tier; he would never do anything foolish when he knew the situation was false. But the moment he heard the third scream, which came from the woman, the battle spirit in his chest ignited instantly.

Roar!

The pile of firewood scattered violently. Qin Fen exploded out of the woodpile like a leopard, soaring seven meters in a flash, darting into the midst of the bandits in the blink of an eye. He followed up with a Shaolin Arhat Fist strike, snapping his body back with a single whip.

The sound produced by his high-speed movement resembled the whoosh of a speeding subway train, the resulting air currents billowing the edges of everyone’s clothes.

"Die!"

His arm felt like an ancient steel whip, cracking constantly in the air. The fierce power instantly broke through the one-star strength that had been confined. A martial artist must know how to endure, but even more so, must have courage! If he had backed down today, his endurance might have risen further, but Qin Fen genuinely feared he would become a perpetual coward in future situations.

Although the Shaolin Arhat Fist was a basic boxing technique, it was still the most rigid and fierce style. An ordinary person with a sniper rifle might not be able to hit someone a thousand meters away; boxing techniques were the same. The most important thing was who was using it, and what inner power the user possessed.

The two-star strength instantly reached an unprecedented peak. Qin Fen was confident he could shatter even a thick wooden post with one punch, let alone a mere human head.

Smack! The bandit’s head exploded like a watermelon, red and white matter flying everywhere.

Before the bandits could react, Qin Fen left a half-inch deep footprint on the earth beneath his feet. He lunged forward with a 'Teng Bu' (Floating Step), unleashing both palms with a sharp hissing sound, pressing them directly onto the heart positions of two bandits, instantly shattering both their hearts.

Teng Bu Left and Right Slicing Palms! Killing two more, the remaining four bandits finally reacted to their shock and roared, charging toward Qin Fen.

"Cyclone Kick!"

Qin Fen stomped his foot, his body suddenly leaping into the air. His legs were like lightning, truly a whirlwind. The sound his rough cloth trousers made cutting through the air resembled machine-gun fire. The four bandits hadn't even reacted before the bones in their chests shattered completely, and they collapsed to the ground.

"Enemy elimination operation has begun. The condition of surviving for twenty-four hours is void. Victory condition: all enemies eliminated," the Light Man’s voice rang out again.

Qin Fen took a deep breath, feeling the surging power within him. He had always been unable to break through the barrier of two-star strength, yet it had broken through in that sudden moment of rage.

Three stars! The light in Qin Fen’s eyes was like lightning; the true Qi within him surged like galloping warhorses. An image suddenly appeared in his mind.

It was a scene of the Light Man sitting cross-legged in meditation. The circulation routes shown were different from the previous two images.

"The third stage cultivation diagram for the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Gong..."

Picking up two sabers from the ground, Qin Fen strode toward the courtyard gate. Although he didn't know any saber techniques, they could at least be used as throwing knives.

"Three stars?"

Lin Liqiang and the other two’s eyes lit up simultaneously. Qin Fen, who had been in a deep sleep, could not conceal the burst of power he was emitting. Ordinary people might not be able to instantly judge his strength, but the three people in the room were all genius-level existences; judging the level of power emanating from an unguarded person was something they could do.

"He reached three-star strength just by sleeping?" Lin Liqiang looked at Qin Fen’s relatively ruddy complexion and knew that his brother, who had been sleeping for many days, was not suffering from malnutrition due to the slumber. A natural smile touched his lips.

Song Jia’s brow furrowed even deeper. Everything was too strange...

"Die!"

Manager Zhang’s Shaolin Tiger Claw Hand, throat lock! It reappeared in Qin Fen's hands. The leader of the bandits had already had both arms shattered by the Shun Bu Single Whip, leaving him no choice but to watch as a palm even fiercer than a tiger’s claw easily crushed his throat.

Under the night sky, in the burning village, Qin Fen quietly observed everything before him, feeling no pain from the six or seven gashes inflicted upon him during the fierce battle.

The surrounding scene suddenly flickered, and Qin Fen didn't even have time to say goodbye to the villagers. The village vanished, replaced instead by the dark, vast space all around.

"Congratulations, you have passed all the training of the first part," the Light Man’s mechanical voice continued. "I look forward to our next meeting..."

"Wait a moment!" Qin Fen moved his fists, feet, and neck. "Before sending me away, there is one thing I must do."

"What does the cultivator wish to do?" the Light Man questioned for the first time.

"Defeat you!" Qin Fen's movements almost perfectly mirrored his voice; his fist was already speeding toward his opponent.

Qin Fen at this moment was like a ferocious beast that had suddenly erupted. This was something he had learned in his recent fights with wild beasts: before launching an attack, there was absolutely no sign; only when the attack was truly launched should it be as powerful as a thunderstorm and lightning flash.

Advancing Seven Stars! Evasion Step Tiger Stance! Slanted Step Chopping Palm! Upward Rising Seated Mountain Frame!

The Light Man was hit repeatedly and his body quickly dissolved into light particles. His voice still reached Qin Fen’s ears: "Congratulations, you have won."

The dark space suddenly shook, and Qin Fen instantly felt three faint breaths beside him.

ps: Gao Lou dislikes updating chapters separately, so two chapters are being released at once. The new book period desperately needs recommendation tickets, recommendation tickets! If you have any, please cast them for me!