The basic Swordsmanship provided by Mr. Kong had long since been perfected, leaving no room for improvement. His Three-Talent Steps technique had also reached the level of mastery, just shy of the "three talents as one" state. As a result, his footwork still had openings when he switched stances, but they were extremely difficult to exploit unless an opponent possessed monstrously fast reflexes.

The top-tier Cultivation Technique, [Pure Yang True Body], had been a pleasant surprise. Through his daily cultivation, the technique had reached the level of minor mastery.

His Qi Blood was further purified, increasing its power by about twenty percent. Moreover, as his cultivation progressed, his skin began to take on the texture of white jade, his bones grew harder, and his physical strength increased considerably. Yu Fei even discovered, much to his amazement, that he could restore his Qi Blood just by sunbathing.

He had accumulated nine uses of his talent-copying ability. Now, he just had to see if there were any suitable opponents in this competition who could help him grow stronger.

During the three days of confinement, someone delivered three meals a day at regular intervals. The food was simple, but made with ingredients Yu Fei had never seen before. The portions weren’t large, but they were incredibly filling.

After reaching the Second Realm, he could easily eat over ten pounds of meat and vegetables in a single meal, and that was just enough to keep from feeling hungry. Yet the simple meal delivered by the military base was just a normal-sized portion.

A cup of strange-tasting milk, two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a bowl of pale-yellow rice. After finishing it, he actually felt a little stuffed.

If nothing else, this staple food was definitely not regular rice. Although it looked similar, the grains were much larger and harder. The texture was rather poor, and he had no idea how it was cultivated.

Yu Fei’s room faced east, which luckily didn’t interfere with his morning routine of absorbing the Purple Qi from the East. After three days of confinement, an announcement echoed through the building, instructing everyone to gather downstairs within ten minutes without any personal belongings.

He quickly tidied himself up. Stepping out of his room for the first time, he saw a dozen soldiers in the hallway pointing the way, with more stationed on the stairs.

Three days of confinement had left many students feeling sullen. When the announcement came that they could go downstairs, they instantly went wild, stampeding down the stairs. Some even considered jumping from the building, only to be met with stern warnings from the soldiers.

’To dare a jump from the ninth floor, one had to be in the Inner Qi Realm.’ Even a Second Realm Martial Artist risked death from such a height.

Downstairs, countless students were milling about chaotically on the training ground.

Yu Fei activated his Reversing Destiny Vision. An ocean of orange and red auras floated before him, among which five silver radiances were especially dazzling. Their owners stood proudly at the very front, clearly set apart from everyone around them.

He recalled that the rookie prodigy roster listed over 850 names. The most talented individuals of the Yu Kingdom from the year 838 were all gathered here.

Surrounding them were countless soldiers in square formations, armored, armed, and standing guard.

This level of security was warranted for Yu Fei’s group. Out of this year’s eighty million-plus students taking the entrance exams, only about five million would be admitted to a Martial Arts University. The most talented among them were all gathered here. If anything were to happen to this group, it would be an immense loss.

"Attention, everyone! Form twenty columns, ordered from shortest to tallest! Men on the left, women on the right! Form ranks!"

The thunderous voice of a middle-aged man in military armor boomed across the field. His powerful aura stunned the crowd into silence. Even the arrogant group of Inner Qi Realm students at the front obediently fell into formation as instructed.

’This man is clearly a Grandmaster.’

Once the ranks were orderly, a woman appeared before the crowd, though no one saw how. She was remarkably tall, clad in crimson armor that blazed like a fire. This was no metaphor—wisps of fiery Qi Jin genuinely flickered and burned across her armor, which was etched with simple patterns.

A black-gold spear was strapped to her back. Her features were sharp and coolly beautiful, her skin snow-white, and her hair was tied back in a simple ponytail.

Her gaze seemed to have a tangible weight. As she swept her eyes across the field, every single student felt as if they were being personally scrutinized.

The middle-aged man jogged up to the woman and reported in a loud voice, "Commander, for the 838th class of special talents, 876 were expected, and 876 are present! Please give your orders, Commander!"

"Return to your post!"

She then took a step forward, planting her feet. With a sharp THUNK, she plunged her spear into the ground. A boundless, soaring battle intent instantly erupted from her, and everyone unconsciously stood up straighter.

"Esteemed prodigies, I am the Commander of the Shenxiao Army, Zhuo Feiming, and my title is Honglian!"

The woman’s voice was low and gravelly, yet it carried an air of boundless authority and battle-hardened ruthlessness.

The students stood in stunned silence for a moment before erupting into a deafening roar!

"A Martial Saint!"

"It’s the Honglian Martial Saint..." Only a Martial Saint could possess a title, and it could only be granted for extraordinary military achievements. This was common knowledge laid out in the Great Yu Martial Scripture.

The prodigies of the 838th class lost all their usual composure. If not for being in formation, they would have likely swarmed forward.

Prodigies appeared every year, but those who ultimately became Martial Saints were few and far between.

The title of a Martial Saint was a mark of utmost respect and a recognition of their deeds. Unless one reached a certain level, they wouldn’t even know how many Martial Saints existed, let alone what their titles were.

Yu Fei was also incredibly excited. Martial Saints represented the pinnacle of human combat power, the known apex of the path of cultivation.

He activated his Reversing Destiny Vision. Above the head of the Martial Saint, Honglian, a golden jewel radiated a divine light.

’If I could one day defeat such a powerhouse and copy her talent...’

A boundless fighting spirit surged within Yu Fei, and his eyes burned with fervor as he stared at the majestic, domineering woman who was the Commander of the Shenxiao Army.

A faint smile touched Zhuo Feiming’s lips. It was a tradition in the Yu Kingdom for a Martial Saint to preside over every Celestial Pride Positioning Competition, allowing humanity’s greatest warriors to meet the most brilliant talents of the year. She herself had paid a hefty price to get this opportunity.