Geng Qianqiu stood quietly on the arena, surrounded by the cheers of the crowd.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, calmly enjoying the moment.

He was once very proud, so proud that he looked down on everyone, until the college entrance examination.

In full view of everyone, just because he insulted Shen Qian, Li Jiaqi and Cao Qian's sister Cao Wen took action and easily defeated him in public.

Born into an extraordinary family with exceptional talent, and having become a disciple of the Earl of Kunhu, Geng Qianqiu, who had a smooth and successful life, had never suffered such humiliation.

He couldn't possibly hold a grudge against two women, so he could only transfer his hatred to that "country bumpkin" Shen Qian.

Even Geng Qianqiu at that time didn't have much self-awareness. Even though Shen Qian won the national martial arts championship, he once thought that the other party might have been a little lucky, or that he had some inside information in advance.

But what followed was the darkest period of Geng Qianqiu's life.

His teacher, who had always been kind and gentle to him, put him in solitary confinement for two months after the college entrance examination.

In that dimly lit, confined room, besides the daily supply of training resources, there was only a bare simulator.

Upon logging into the simulator, all Geng Qianqiu saw was the word "Sink Before".

At the time, Geng Qianqiu thought that his teacher wanted him to defeat the phantom Shenqian. Having found hope, Geng Qianqiu began to train frantically. Whenever he made a little progress, he would challenge the "Shenqian" in the simulator.

Once, twice... hundreds of times.

Geng Qianqiu discovered in despair that this "Sinking Front" was simply invincible.

Forget about defeating him, even injuring his opponent was a pipe dream for him.

Despite his already rapid progress, after learning from his mistakes and striving to improve, Geng Qianqiu broke through from the third level of intermediate martial artist to the ninth level of intermediate martial artist in just two months, and was even only a step away from becoming a high-level martial artist.

But... it was completely useless.

No matter what means he used, the only result was ruthless suppression, and there was no qualitative change in the time he could even hold out.

Finally, Geng Qianqiu came to his senses.

He realized that this was an obstacle deliberately set up for him by the teacher, and that he had no chance of defeating this seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

So Geng Qianqiu began to cultivate without distraction, and his progress became even faster. He thought that his teacher just wanted to test him, and that he couldn't possibly pass the test anyway.

Until one day two months later.

When Uncle Kunhu appeared in the confinement room, Geng Qianqiu had just voiced his guess when Uncle Kunhu looked at him with an extremely complicated expression, which seemed to contain a hint of disappointment.

"Teacher, what's wrong?"

Feeling inexplicably uneasy, Geng Qianqiu asked in bewilderment.

"You think this 'Sinking Before' is an illusion I created?" Uncle Kunhu said, simply pointing to the simulator.

"Isn't that right?" Geng Qianqiu said incredulously, "How could the real 'Sinking Foreground' be this strong..."

You're wrong.

"teacher……"

"The 'sinking' you are facing is a mirror image I created by reconstructing data from actual college entrance exam challenges at some cost..."

Under Geng Qianqiu's incredulous gaze, Kunhu Bo said calmly, "In other words, he is the real 'Shenqian'."

"Furthermore, his cultivation level is only that of a beginner martial artist."

The real sinking...

These words struck like a bolt from the blue, instantly turning Geng Qianqiu's face pale.

The last sentence was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, causing Geng Qianqiu to collapse to the ground, struggling to breathe.

He couldn't understand it, but he also knew... that the teacher wouldn't play such a silly joke on him.

"Go, go and see for yourself, go and experience it for yourself. This may be your tribulation, but it may also be your destiny. The difference between heaven and earth is just a thought away."

After whispering something, Uncle Kunhu tossed an admission notice for Jiangzhong Military Academy at Geng Qianqiu's feet and drifted away.

Since then, the teacher has never contacted him again.

Geng Qianqiu had no choice but to come to Jiangzhong Military Base.

Perhaps because he had already prepared himself mentally, Geng Qianqiu found that his mindset was far more peaceful than he had imagined.

During the entrance ceremony, when Shen Qian was provoked by the top scorers from eight provinces, he simply watched coldly from the sidelines.

In the span of just over six months, Geng Qianqiu truly experienced the despair of facing the sinking.

When he finally put aside his pride and acknowledged the gap between himself and his opponent, Geng Qianqiu was surprised to find that he had broken through the barrier between intermediate and advanced martial artists so easily.

He is progressing at a rate many times faster than before.

Today, he finally stands on the stage of the "Nine Heavens Cup" and is about to achieve the terrifying feat of single-handedly defeating Shenwu.

He felt the invisible force slowly converging on him amidst the boiling crowd.

It's inexplicable, intangible, and unseen, yet something has indeed changed in the unseen realm.

"Is this... the power of destiny?"

Geng Qianqiu muttered to himself, a smile finally appearing unconsciously on his lips.

His teacher had mentioned this power to him.

It may seem useless on the surface, but it is an indispensable foundation for martial arts for every martial artist who aspires to reach for the stars.

...

Inside the military rest room in Jiangzhong.

While everyone else was marveling at how Lao Geng had finally "made it" from someone's shadow, Shen Qian frowned slightly.

He felt that Geng Qianqiu had become somewhat carried away.

It's not that I can't end the battle cleanly and decisively, nor that I can't indulge in some unbridled behavior after a long period of suppression, but...

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