Fen Tu Kuangge shrugged off the heavy stone binding him, the impact on the ground echoing with a force no less commanding than a war drum. The earth beneath Ah Liu Ke’s feet trembled slightly. “Something the matter?” Fen Tu Kuangge flexed his body, not bothering to look closely at Ah Liu Ke. He had heard far too many thinly veiled compliments like this since childhood.

Ah Liu Ke, finding his opening slighted, merely smiled unconcerned. “I heard that the top warrior from the Jinxizhou Provincial Examination has arrived at the Earth Fort, so I came to see if the rumors of their strength hold any water.”

Fen Tu Kuangge began adjusting his clothes, preparing for his next training session, not even sparing Ah Liu Ke a glance. He had heard this sort of posturing countless times before.

“What a pity…” Ah Liu Ke feigned a long sigh, secretly glancing at Fen Tu Kuangge, who had been walking away but suddenly stopped. A silent smile touched Ah Liu Ke’s lips—young people, indeed! The drive to compete was still burning strong.

“It’s a pity that, in my view, you aren't the strongest new arrival at the Earth Fort. While our Yongliu Province examination hasn't started yet, I believe the inherent energy of Qian Jin, who came from the Auckland Academy of Magic and Warriors, is definitely stronger than you!” Ah Liu Ke watched as Fen Tu Kuangge turned around.

Ah Liu Ke observed Fen Tu Kuangge walking toward him step by measured step, struggling to suppress the excitement that felt ready to erupt. “You don’t need to be angry; I’m stating a fact. Even Qian Jin himself would agree on this point…”

Fen Tu Kuangge finally stood before Ah Liu Ke. He slowly bent down, bringing his face close to Ah Liu Ke’s, their eyes locking for several seconds. A smile of disdain curved the corner of his lips. “A teacher from the Audege Academy? I am young and impulsive, yet I still emerge from the Fen Tu Military family. Provocation, manipulation—these are tactics learned from youth. You are foolish yourself, but don't assume everyone else is. You want me to be your free errand boy? Go back and study some more military strategy before returning.”

Ah Liu Ke stared blankly at Fen Tu Kuangge, his breathing growing ragged. The young man’s eyes were like those of a lion! In front of him, Ah Liu Ke felt like a clever fox who had approached a lion to trick it into hunting deer for its meal, only to have the lion expose the scheme and be moments away from devouring the fox. Seeing Ah Liu Ke’s stunned silence, Fen Tu Kuangge let out a light laugh, shook his head, and turned to leave.

Thump… Ah Liu Ke’s legs could no longer support him, and he suddenly sank to the ground, staring dumbly at the retreating figure. Only then did he truly remember that the Fen Tu lineage began with the Command Department before gradually integrating with the Warrior Department to become what it was today.

Because the Fen Tu family’s warrior strength over the years represented the pinnacle of non-bloodline warriors, people gradually forgot that the Fen Tu family valued not just individual combat power but also the Command Department. “Qian Jin, is it?”

Fen Tu Kuangge walked farther away, murmuring softly to himself, “I won't fall for someone else’s scheme, but I still want to try.”

Ten days of solitary confinement was, for many, a deeply agonizing ordeal.

Qian Jin, however, was long accustomed to such isolation. Two years spent locked within the Four Seasons Valley counted as an enormous confinement cell in its own right. In this small, dark room for ten days, Qian Jin felt as if he were on vacation. Aside from eating, he focused on refining his Dou Qi, occasionally taking time by the faint light to review Divine Archer, hoping to decipher the strange feeling he’d been having about it.

Duan Feng Bu’er also displayed a diligent side during his ten days of confinement. Out of his sixteen waking hours, he dedicated one hour to chatting with Qian Jin, reserving all other time for intensive training, save for eating, drinking, and basic necessities.

“I want to become the Rookie King! I want to obtain the Fruit of the Battle Realm! I want to fill the Battle Realm’s space with tobacco! For this grand dream, I must strive!”

Every time Qian Jin heard Duan Feng Bu’er’s rallying cry, he needed a long moment of serious contemplation to figure out what exactly made this dream so grand. Becoming the Rookie King was a respectable goal, but dedicating it to filling a dimension with tobacco… Perhaps Luo Lin would call that aspiration truly magnificent? The poorly sealed wooden door creaked open slowly, and sunlight immediately flooded the darkness of the small room. Qian Jin squinted slightly, adjusting to the outside brightness before stepping out.

“Vacation is over…” Duan Feng Bu’er stretched lazily, walking beside Qian Jin and muttering quietly, “Can I have another pack of cigarettes?” Qian Jin immediately lifted his leg and executed the one action he’d been anticipating doing for the past ten days—he kicked him! “Ouch!!” Duan Feng Bu’er collapsed onto the ground, clutching his backside and wailing, “I’m injured—it hurts! I need pain relief—give me a cigarette to stop the pain…”

“Even your extortion attempts are so transparent,” Qian Jin sighed, placing a pack of cigarettes in front of Duan Feng Bu’er. The pained wails instantly ceased. “You could have dodged that,” Qian Jin kindly reminded him. “If I dodged, would you have given me this pack of cigarettes?” Duan Feng Bu’er rubbed his rear, looking at the impassive Qian Jin. “So, you see! Taking that kick wasn't a loss at all.”

“Duan Feng Bu’er!” A woman dressed like a teacher marched over, her face contorted in fury. “You really bring honor to me! Confined to solitary? Watch what I do to you today…”

Upon seeing the woman, Duan Feng Bu’er turned, channeled power through his legs, and sprinted in the opposite direction, shouting back to Qian Jin without looking back, “Brother Qian! I’ll look for you another day, and if all else fails, we’ll meet at the Conquest Academy—you must get in!” “Trying to run?”

A fragrant gust of wind swept past Qian Jin, and the beautiful woman with long golden hair vanished instantly without a trace.

Rodriguez, accompanied by the students from the courtyard, stood not far from the entrance. Bi Luo was as timid as usual, while the other students’ eyes were filled with surprise, curiosity, and incomprehension.

“Kid,” Rodriguez said, hands on his hips, addressing Qian Jin as he approached. “Spit it out. What happened? Ten days ago, you were unbelievably fierce. You’ve hidden this from us for so long?”

Dake and the others quickly perked up their ears. For days they had clustered around Bi Luo, trying to extract the secret of Qian Jin’s sudden strength, but the magic student had remained silent. Now, after so much pent-up curiosity, the answer was finally about to be revealed.

“Teacher,” Qian Jin shrugged. “You never actually asked me. Besides, you were all so genuinely concerned, comforting me with such sincerity. I really didn’t feel right telling you the truth… otherwise, you would have lost all face in that moment.”

Rodriguez stepped forward and clamped his arm around Qian Jin’s neck. “Do we have face now? The more I think about it, the angrier I get. You’ve been making a fool of me this whole time, haven't you? Tell me! Are you already at the peak of Level Ten Warrior?”

“Teacher… I’ve become a Demon-Slaying Warrior… and not even the first stage of that rank!”

“What! A Demon-Slaying Warrior?”

Rodriguez, Dake, everyone from the Auckland Academy except Bi Luo, and several veteran soldiers standing nearby cried out in astonished disbelief.

A Demon-Slaying Warrior! It was already incredibly difficult for a Level Ten Warrior to enter a higher academy! For a Demon-Slaying Warrior to enter a higher academy? That was practically an exclusive domain for bloodline warriors.

“What is a Demon-Slaying First Battle?” Rodriguez questioned, and Dake echoed the confusion. “Demon-Slaying First Battle refers to the strength tiers within the Demon-Slaying Warriors…”

Rodriguez noticed that Qian Jin’s mouth hadn't opened, but the voice came slowly from behind them. He quickly turned with the crowd to see who it was.

Fen Tu Kuangge, clad in a form-fitting warrior suit that highlighted his robust musculature, walked with a steady, vigorous stride. His voice continued without pause, “To many, Demon-Slaying Warriors all seem the same. In truth, Demon-Slaying Warriors are divided into Nine Battles; the strongest is the Demon-Slaying Ninth Battle. Demon-Slaying First Battle is merely the entry-level tier for a Demon-Slaying Warrior.”

Rodriguez turned back to Qian Jin, his expression clearly questioning whether what was said was true or false.

“Yes,” Qian Jin confirmed, looking toward Fen Tu Kuangge. “What rank are you?”

“A sparring match?” Fen Tu Kuangge’s tone conveyed friendliness rather than provocation. Encountering an unexamined student in the barracks, especially one who wasn't a mere First Battle warrior, genuinely surprised and excited him.

The Fen Tu family has always treated and supported any excellent ordinary warrior with seriousness, striving to integrate them into the Jinxizhou Legion whenever possible.

“Fine,” Qian Jin nodded nonchalantly. Two years in the Four Seasons Valley had instilled in him a complete disregard for—or perhaps an utter lack of fear regarding—challenges.

Nearly every military camp in the True Strategy Dynasty possessed a standard fighting ring. These rings generally served as places for soldiers to spar during idle moments. Because sparring took place in front of others, the loser would inevitably lose face, driving them to train harder to seek redress later. It was a method of training invented by the military command.

In fact, this tradition was likely inherited from the major high-level warrior academies; every academy also had its own style of ring.

The Earth Fort battlefield naturally had its own ring—a circular platform about ten meters in diameter. The surface was constructed from three-inch-thick wooden planks, secured by rows of copper nails, making it extremely sturdy.

The soldiers, hearing the news, quickly gathered. In the army, if there were no urgent military duties and you weren't currently on duty, sparring did not violate military regulations, which was completely different from the incident ten days prior when Qian Jin had beaten someone privately, officially labeled as a brawl.

Qian Jin was aware of the rings’ existence, but at that particular moment, he hadn't wanted to resolve matters in that formalized setting. If the opponent was a coward unwilling to step onto the stage, he wouldn't have had the chance to teach everyone a proper lesson—which was why he hadn't beaten his teacher on the ring either.

A: Fifth update! Today’s fifth update!!! I don’t just want monthly tickets, I want subscriptions too! F