Danny and Moko shouted in unison as they watched Judy fly backward after being struck.

“Red-Haired Ghost, today one of us dies!” Danny ground out, teeth clenched.

Moko’s eyes were bloodshot, surging with palpable killing intent.

Chen Feng looked upon the two with pity, lifting a single finger in a gesture of utter disdain. “Two pieces of trash!”

“Arro…” Seeing Chen Feng’s posture, those around them thought the same. A sixth-level Magician and a seventh-level Fighter were nothing more than garbage in his eyes… Many bystanders hadn't even reached those levels, and hearing such words made them secretly indignant, eager to see just how profound the cultivation of this arrogant young man truly was.

In reality, everyone hoped to see him beaten until his face was swollen and bruised, crying out for mercy.

Chen Feng’s dismissive words inevitably stoked the fighting spirit of Danny and Moko. Moko bit his finger until it bled, drawing a hexagonal formation in the air.

“It’s a Demon Pet!” a gasp echoed from the crowd.

Magicians summoned Demon Pets by using blood to lay out a summoning array, channeling their own magic power to transport the magical beast, which was incredibly convenient and fast in combat.

“A little interesting,” Chen Feng’s lips curled up slightly, his mass of red hair flowing in the wind. “It seems if I don’t provoke these two fellows properly, they won't know how to unleash their potential.”

Chen Feng’s purpose in participating in the Rookie Selection Tournament was self-improvement, to advance his own cultivation. But with Chen Feng’s eighth-level Fighter cultivation augmented by the monstrous skill of the Fist Emperor, who among the rookies under twenty-five could truly stand against him? That was why, both when meeting the Seventh Prince and now, he deliberately provoked them, hoping they would fight him with maximum strength.

What if they had a Demon Pet? What if they had a Sacred Artifact? I can crush you all beneath my heel relying solely on my Fist Emperor techniques… An aura of supreme dominance rose within Chen Feng.

Magical elements rapidly gathered in the air. With a ‘Bang,’ a massive magical beast leaped down from the sky. This beast was nearly seven or eight meters long, covered entirely in sharp spikes, walking on four legs, resembling a giant hedgehog.

“Earth Bramble Beast!” someone recognized the creature. “It’s actually a third-tier high-grade magical beast!”

The Earth Bramble Beast, a third-tier high-grade magical beast (equivalent to a ninth-level Fighter), possessed infinite brute strength. Its most powerful innate magic was the “Flying Thorn Dance”—the ability to launch all its spikes simultaneously, a devastating area-of-effect attack.

Both sides were burning with high fighting spirit; the great battle was imminent.

Just then, an elder swooped down from above the courtyard like a phantom, landing lightly on the ground.

“At least a fifth-level Magister’s cultivation,” Chen Feng estimated internally.

Magicians could fly using magic once they reached the level of fifth-level Magister. Fighters, however, required the strength of a Dou Zun to achieve flight.

Therefore, the ability to fly was a symbol of both strength and status. Those who could fly maintained an almost invincible position in battle; if you could fly and your opponent couldn't, you could simply keep your distance and launch surprise attacks.

This was precisely the main reason why Martial-system practitioners were often disadvantaged against Magic-system practitioners.

Masters at the Magister or Dou Zun level were exceedingly rare on the continent. Between Magisters and Fighters, Magisters held the upper hand, allowing them to firmly suppress Fighters of the same rank and even fight above their level. This imbalance ensured that Fighters could not easily contend with Magisters.

“No unauthorized duels are permitted within the Rookie Station, or your qualifications for the competition will be revoked!” The elder’s voice was devoid of emotion as he stared coldly at Chen Feng, Danny, and Moko, who were about to clash.

Chen Feng let out a cold laugh. “Revoke the qualification, then revoke it.”

Ignoring the elder standing nearby, he raised his right hand, igniting a flame, and shot an An Gou Shou (Dark Hook Hand) toward the third-tier magical beast, the Earth Bramble Beast.

In his eyes, Danny and Moko were trivial threats; the greatest opponent was clearly this third-tier high-grade magical beast.

“Insolence!” The elder’s eyes flared, and a beam of magical light shot from his fingertip, colliding with the rolling azure flame on the ground, annihilating both into nothingness.

After neutralizing the An Gou Shou's power, the magical beam dissipated without a single stray ripple, testifying to the elder’s exquisite control over his power.

“So arrogant at such a young age, how can this be tolerated!” The elder was clearly annoyed that Chen Feng showed him no deference and was about to teach him a lesson when a second elder flew down from the sky.

Upon seeing this person, Chen Feng immediately felt a headache coming on.

The newcomer was Elder Yi, the very man who wanted to use him for experiments.

“Charles, you’re here too,” Elder Yi said with a slow smile as he descended through the air toward the first elder.

“Elder Yi…” To Chen Feng’s surprise, this elder bowed to Elder Yi.

Elder Yi pointed at Chen Feng. “Charles, this brat is a fantastic prospect I found after immense trouble. You mustn't have designs on him!”

Charles replied, “Since he is someone Elder Yi favors, how could I possibly trouble him?” He then secretly offered a moment of silent condolence for Chen Feng; anyone favored by Elder Yi usually ended up miserably. Being experimented on by him was nearly a one-way ticket to death—no, a complete certainty of death…

Elder Yi chuckled, walked up to Chen Feng, and produced a bottle from somewhere, filled with a shimmering, eerie green liquid.

“Brat, try drinking this Power Enhancement Fluid… Hey, why are you leaving…” Elder Yi hadn’t finished speaking before Chen Feng bolted faster than a rabbit, vanishing without a trace…

Not only Danny and Moko but even the crowd of spectators looked perplexed. Why did the previously so arrogant red-haired youth flee so swiftly the moment he heard about drinking a vial of magical potion?

...

“Luckily, he only wanted me to drink the potion and wasn't truly forcing me; otherwise, even if I wanted to run, I wouldn't have been able to!” Chen Feng glanced back, confirmed no one was following, and let out a breath. This fellow named Elder Yi possessed unfathomable cultivation; he was definitely no match for him. “It seems my cultivation is still too low. If I had truly crossed swords with that Magister named Charles just now, I wouldn’t have stood a chance! If only I could master Athena Asamiya’s ‘Floating’ ability, I could at least escape if I couldn't win.”

In the Fist of Fury games, Athena Asamiya could ‘float,’ meaning she could fly off-screen during combat, making herself untouchable—this was the in-game flying technique. If he could learn this, even when facing an unbeatable enemy, Chen Feng could ascend and evade attacks.

“But perhaps the strongest flying ability in Fist of Fury belongs to Orochi!” Chen Feng recalled Orochi, who remained suspended in the air throughout the KOF ’97 matches he’d played. Such mastery of flight was truly enviable.

“I wonder when I can grasp Orochi’s techniques,” Chen Feng sighed wistfully, then smiled. “I haven’t even mastered Iori’s Yata no Kagami or Maiden of True Eight, and I’m already hoping to learn Orochi’s moves—I’m being too hasty.”

“It seems I must continue practicing and constantly strive to advance my cultivation,” Chen Feng shook his head as he strolled through the ‘Rookie Station.’

The ‘Rookie Station’ was vast and luxurious, planted with various flowers and vegetation. The murals decorating the walls were rendered with vivid realism, strikingly beautiful. Walking among the flora, breathing in the fragrant air, Chen Feng felt his mood gradually relax.

In the center of the ‘Rookie Station’ was a huge training ground, meant for the ‘Imperial Rookies’ residing there to cultivate. It was filled with all manner of training equipment, large and small, including the special magical walls used yesterday to test strength.

Suddenly, a strange object caught Chen Feng’s eye.

It was a spherical, sealed magical space, about seven or eight meters in diameter.

Chen Feng walked up to it and happened to see a Magic Apprentice standing nearby. These apprentices were service personnel specifically provided for the competitors staying at the ‘Rookie Station.’

“What is this thing?” Chen Feng asked.

The Magic Apprentice glanced at Chen Feng and said, “This is a magical sealed space invented by Elder Yi, the Empire’s foremost Magister. It’s used to train a person’s reaction speed.”

“Elder Yi is the Empire’s foremost Magister?” Chen Feng was stunned. He couldn't reconcile the seemingly scatterbrained alchemist who experimented with cats and mice with the title of the Empire’s foremost Magister.

The Magic Apprentice cast a look of mild disdain at him and nodded.

Chen Feng didn't dwell on that issue and looked at the sphere. “How does this train reaction speed?”

The Magic Apprentice explained, “A Fighter enters this sphere and will be struck from all directions in turn. If they can endure it, their reaction speed will improve, as the capacity is being trained.”

“Oh?” Chen Feng’s eyes lit up. Simulating attacks from multiple angles within a confined space was absolutely the best method for honing reaction time.

“Here, I want to try,” Chen Feng said, already moving toward the entrance.

“Ahem…” The Magic Apprentice nervously blocked Chen Feng. “Activating this contraption requires one Magic Crystal per use.”

“How much is one crystal?” Chen Feng asked.

“One gold coin per crystal,” the apprentice replied. “This thing is quite expensive. If you don't have the funds, it’s better not to use it, as training once for a whole gold coin is rather extravagant…”

Chen Feng casually tossed over a bag of gold coins. “Give me a thousand crystals first!”

“…” The Magic Apprentice.

Chen Feng had exchanged some gold coins yesterday when he came to the ‘Rookie Station’ with Judy Brent. Since they were stored in his water canteen, they weren’t heavy, and having physical cash made purchases convenient.

The Magic Apprentice, panting slightly, placed the mountainous pile of crystals before Chen Feng. Chen Feng didn't even look at them, simply sweeping them into his water canteen, leaving only one crystal to place into the socket on the side of the sphere.

“Using this carries some risk,” the apprentice finally added slowly.

“What risk?”

“Because it forms an independent space inside, the requirement for physical load-bearing capacity is quite high. If one’s physical condition isn't good, they might be crushed by the pressure coming from all sides and be unable to breathe as soon as they enter. I fear you might pass out in under a minute! Joseph, the Empire’s strongest man, went in this morning, and he only lasted 45 seconds before running out. You look quite frail; perhaps you shouldn't go in,” the apprentice warned.

“Joseph only lasted 45 seconds?” Chen Feng paused, surprised.

“Yes,” the apprentice confirmed. “In fact, this is a rather useless training tool.”

“Hmm?” Chen Feng sounded curious.

“Because the space inside is small and the magical elements are extremely chaotic, anyone below the Fighter rank simply cannot last a minute inside. If you can’t last a minute, the reaction speed training is utterly useless.”

A minute passed in the blink of an eye. For true training, it wouldn't bring substantial benefits, Chen Feng understood that. He nodded and asked, “Wouldn’t people at the Fighter level benefit more from training here?”

The apprentice shook his head. “Once one reaches the Fighter realm, both reaction speed and stamina have significantly improved. The attack speed inside this sphere is too slow to provide them any meaningful training.”

Hearing this, Chen Feng finally understood. In his previous fight with the first-level Fighter, Gino, the opponent's speed and reaction were far superior to his own. If he hadn't been overly complacent, and without the knuckle guards forged from Black Gold Iron, killing him might have been impossible.

“Fighters’ reaction speeds are fast. If we use punch speed as a measure, a ninth-level Fighter can strike 10 times a second, while a first-level Fighter can strike…” Chen Feng mused silently. “My body has been trained in the tenfold gravity domain, and my physique has been purified by the Blood of the Flame Dragon. Even if the magical elements inside are chaotic, it shouldn't affect me much. Therefore, this training should be highly effective for me.”

Having made up his mind, he stopped talking to the Magic Apprentice and walked confidently toward the entrance of the sphere.

As soon as he stepped inside, Chen Feng stumbled, nearly falling. Inside, his body felt as if it were submerged in water; the surrounding air was thick and viscous, imposing a suffocating pressure.

Instantly, thousands of light orbs appeared in the air. These orbs were the size of copper coins, emitting a faint yellow glow, buzzing as they circled, seemingly ready to rush forward at any moment.

Chen Feng took a deep breath, tensing every muscle. A dark vortex of energy rolled beneath his skin. If one could see his body right then, they would observe mound-like protrusions tracing his meridians, darting like mice inside him.

‘Bang!’ The light orbs in the air exploded like fireworks, casting a dazzling light. Dozens of orbs shot out like released arrows toward Chen Feng’s chest, abdomen, waist, face, and more than ten other different locations.

Chen Feng sprang into the air, scattering all the orbs with a Gui Shao (Ghost Burn). Mid-air, dozens more orbs shot in from behind!

Chen Feng finally understood why this place trained reaction ability. The space within the sphere was small, the orbs struck both fast and frequently; fail to react in time and you’d be hit. Moreover, the space was unstable, making one feel submerged, naturally hindering movement and significantly reducing power. In a place where the body lagged behind the reaction, the spirit was stimulated more effectively, leading to mental honing.

One had to admit, Elder Yi, who invented this device, was a genius!

However, because the frequent mobilization of magical elements destabilized the space within the sphere, it placed immense pressure on the normal body, causing most people to faint or vomit from overload before they could last a minute.

This was similar to how everyone knew training under 100x gravity could yield unexpected benefits and strengthen the body, but a normal person under such gravity would face unforeseen physiological challenges—the heart simply couldn't handle the immense strain, and that person might die from the shock before any training effect could take hold!

This was the paradox: a theoretically excellent training method wasn't necessarily suitable for everyone.

The pace of the pale yellow light orbs’ attacks quickened; Chen Feng’s speed gradually couldn't keep up. Although being hit by these orbs wouldn't cause actual damage, being struck meant he failed to dodge or block, resulting in an automatic ‘failure’ judgment from the sphere.

Chen Feng began to sweat. Currently, over a hundred orbs were attacking him every second. He cycled through moves like Gui Shao, An Gou Shou, Ni Bo (Reverse Peel), Kui Hua (Sunflower), Meng Dan (Dream Bullet), and Bai He Zhe (Lily Fold), but still, about 20 orbs per second slipped through the gaps in his techniques to strike his body.

“Aaaah…” Chen Feng roared, a thick black vortex surging across his entire body. His muscles swelled instantly like balloons, expanding twofold, making him double his previous size!

Bao Qi (Rage)!

Chen Feng could no longer hold back and activated his Bao Qi state.

After activating Bao Qi, Chen Feng’s speed and reaction clearly increased, blocking all the incoming orbs.

‘Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh’ Dozens of orbs zipped toward him. The intense magical fluctuations made his eyes bulge. He rolled on the ground to dodge, and as soon as he stood up, nearly a hundred more orbs shot in from the front.

He was about to be overwhelmed!

Just then, a spark of inspiration flashed in Chen Feng’s mind, and a move instantly formed in his thoughts. He took a step, instantly appearing three meters away, slamming his right hand onto the ground, erupting in a large swath of azure flames that scattered the incoming orbs in the air.

212 Shiki: Kototsuzuki Yin!

212 Shiki: Kototsuzuki Yin (↘↙ or D) relied on incredibly fast footwork to close the distance to the opponent, directly slamming them to the ground, utilizing the explosive force of the azure flame to inflict damage.

This move was extremely fast, possessing high lethality against an unprepared opponent. Since there was no foreshadowing when initiating the sequence, the entire action would complete within 0.5 seconds. If executed perfectly, it could have stronger killing power than the Maiden of True Eight!

Unexpectedly, he grasped the Kototsuzuki Yin technique on his very first training session here. Chen Feng was momentarily exhilarated, and in that lapse of focus, dozens of orbs shot down from above and struck him.

Failure!

At that moment, his Bao Qi state ended, leaving him completely drained.

Stepping out of the sphere, Chen Feng was so exhausted he nearly collapsed. The time spent inside had almost completely drained all the vortex energy in his body, and a tearing pain in his head gave him the urge to vomit.

“Ah… You…” Just then, he heard the surprised voice of the Magic Apprentice from before. “You actually lasted a full five minutes inside…”

P.S.: Sigh, Lao Ya was indeed kicked out of the company. I spent the whole day looking for a place to stay. I only managed 5000 characters today; I hope everyone understands. (To be continued. For what happens next, please log into www.w.com for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)

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