Time in the bathtub passed laboriously. At last, Jiang Qiu’s pounding heart calmed, steadied by his rock-solid will.

He lay in the turbid, cool water like a boiled lobster. His half-lidded eyes couldn’t hide their jade-like brilliance. The scab on the bridge of his nose had fallen off, leaving his face smooth and clear.

His gaze swept over his status panel. Another Metamorphosis Attribute had been added, similar to [Steel Arm].

[Steel Foot]

[Features: Blood Qi Condensation, Feet like Refined Steel]

He had already passed the limb-bone stage of the Steel Bone Realm. The next step was to temper the bones of his torso, meaning he had entered the torso stage—about the same level as the projection of Wu Hao he’d seen today.

’Now I’m only two stages away from breaking through to the Jade Sinew Realm. With only a month left, I have to work even harder...’

The dry, hoarse words scraped out of Jiang Qiu’s throat, barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz.

After resting for about ten minutes, Jiang Qiu hauled himself out of the tub, rinsed the filth from his body, and collapsed onto his bed, sinking into a deep sleep like a steel statue submerged in a sea of cotton.

Twelve days passed in a flash. Yang Yu never returned to the virtual training building, perhaps because she no longer had a reason to get an access card from Liu Qi. Jiang Qiu, for his part, quickly became immersed in his Body Technique drills.

Ever since that night, he had been able to keep his legs steady during their spars. The chances of being sent sliding by the faceless man’s sudden punches were getting smaller and smaller. His [Shadow Stepping] progress increased by 8 points daily, nearly doubling his previous efficiency.

His footwork gradually fell into rhythm. In his eyes, the faceless man no longer seemed to flicker in and out of existence; his movements appeared slower and slower, while Jiang Qiu’s own fists inched ever closer to his head.

Throughout this process, the bones of his torso grew more condensed. His body felt like a sword blank being forged, the edge on his fists growing ever sharper.

Until...

[One Body Technique Drill]

[100/100]

[Shadow Stepping]

[Features: Leave no trace while shadow stepping within a hundred paces; the body arrives before the afterimage moves.]

BANG—

Jiang Qiu’s figure remained motionless, but ten paces away, the faceless man—just as it was about to leap forward to attack—was suddenly blasted back by a cannon of compressed air, instantly sent flying a dozen meters.

And in the spot where the faceless man had just stood, Jiang Qiu—who had appeared there at some unknown moment—slowly retracted his right fist, streams of air dissipating from between his fingers. His posture was as straight and tall as a mountain peak, his gaze a spear point aimed at the airborne body.

Even though the faceless man had no features and couldn’t see, its blank face was suddenly distorted by the impact of another punch!

BOOM—

In a flash, the faceless man crashed down like a meteor. Its steel-like feet slammed into the barren earth like celestial pillars, kicking up a cloud of dust that resembled the blast wave of a missile.

An inch-deep fist print was indented in its face, vaguely forming the shape of "eyes," through which it seemed to glimpse Jiang Qiu’s airborne figure looking down like the grim reaper!

"I can finally land a hit on you."

As the low words faded, the faceless man’s Qi Blood surged. It began to move along the trajectories of [Shadow Stepping], following the data of the template’s creator recorded in the Virtual Training Pod. It clenched its fist and "stared" at Jiang Qiu.

The moment its figure paused, it seemed to be gathering power for a thunderous strike.

BOOM— 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Struck on the back of the head by an unknown force, it toppled like an upside-down tumbler doll. Its head, suddenly weighing ten thousand tons, crashed into the barren earth. Its center of gravity completely thrown off, it collapsed to the ground, kicking up a tidal wave of dust. Its body then shattered like porcelain, dissipating into streams of fluorescent blue light.

’It seems that even for techniques I didn’t create myself, I can integrate them into my own Martial Arts without any awkwardness or discomfort once I’ve mastered them.’

Jiang Qiu stood with clenched fists where the faceless man had dissipated, holding his ground amidst the swirling yellow dust. ’My Body Technique is complete,’ he thought. ’My body has been tempered to a breakthrough, I’ve finished the torso stage, and I’m now entering the final, cranial-bone stage of the Steel Bone Realm. The Jade Sinew Realm isn’t far off.’

[Steel Bone]

[Body Casting Points: 3/4]

DING—

[Optimizer Jiang Qiu has been detected defeating the sparring partner for the Body Technique [Shadow Stepping]. The Body Technique Leaderboard will now be refreshed.]

Suddenly, an electronic announcement traversed space and time, echoing in every Optimizer’s Virtual Training Pod. Sparring sessions across the board came to a screeching halt. Beads of sweat seemed to freeze on their faces.

Before each of them, a brand-new Body Technique Leaderboard appeared...

[Body Technique Leaderboard]

[First Place—Jiang Qiu—Shadow Stepping (Five Stars)]

[Second Place—Lin Wei—Shadow Stepping (Five Stars)]

[Third Place—Wu Hao—Martial Gang Step (Five Stars)]

[...]

[Sixth Place—Zhang Yue—Water Leaping Step (Four Stars)]

The brand-new Body Technique Leaderboard materialized before Jiang Qiu’s eyes. He shook out his slightly numb fists and exhaled a plume of hot air, his Bright Eyes glinting. ’I’ve already secured one first-place ranking. With seventeen days left, I still have a chance to surpass Lin Wei—the number one in both spear and bow—in the overall rankings.’

Just as he was thinking this, a crisp electronic alert chimed.

[Optimizer Wu Hao has requested to project into Pod #8.]

[Accept?]

’He’s here again?’

Jiang Qiu raised an eyebrow and replied casually, "Accept."

Wu Hao’s projection quickly appeared in the center of the pod. The barren wasteland scene hadn’t faded yet, so both he and Jiang Qiu stood amidst the blowing sand, illusory yellow grains swirling and dancing around their feet.

The instant the projection solidified, he stared wide-eyed and shouted, "You defeated the faceless man who teaches [Shadow Stepping]?!"

"Yes..."

Jiang Qiu had just begun to speak when another crisp electronic alert echoed from all sides.

[Optimizer Zhang Yue has requested to project into Pod #8.]

[Accept?]

"???"

Jiang Qiu’s brow furrowed. A continuous stream of alerts followed as more than twenty Optimizers requested entry. It seemed like almost everyone—male and female alike—had applied, with the exception of the strongest, Lin Wei.

After he accepted them all, projection after projection materialized beside Wu Hao, like divine soldiers descending from the heavens.

Their gazes quickly locked onto Jiang Qiu, who stood alone, apart from the crowd. They stared at him like a flock of chickens eyeing a crane, like stars gazing upon the moon. "I’m Zhang Yue," one said. "Are you the Jiang Qiu who crippled King Niu’s right arm with a single spear strike?"

"Jiang Qiu, you didn’t just master [Shadow Stepping], you actually defeated the faceless man?"

"Holy shit, that’s impossible! He only just got here ten days ago! How could he have learned [Shadow Stepping], let alone defeated the faceless man that even Lin Wei could only fight to a draw?"

The noisy chatter rose and fell like a school of fish swimming against the current, until one person shouted, "Everyone, be quiet! Jiang Qiu, would you be open to a sparring session? I’d love to witness your [Shadow Stepping] for myself!"

The bold voice swept away the chatter like a broom clearing away fallen leaves. Wu Hao pushed through the crowd. With a chest as broad as a mountain and brows that bespoke a heroic spirit, he stepped forward. Though he stood alone, he seemed to carry the presence of all twenty-plus Optimizers, like the Lion King emerging from his pride.

His sharp eyes fixed on Jiang Qiu, like a battle-hungry lion that had just spotted a legendary tiger. A tidal wave of battle intent condensed in his gaze, mingled with a healthy dose of astonishment and sincere respect.

Only ten days ago, Wu Hao had visited Jiang Qiu and thought him incredibly arrogant for even attempting to practice [Shadow Stepping].

’And now he’s actually mastered it?’

’More importantly, he even defeated the faceless man?’

’How is that possible!’

’If this is true, he’s an absolute monster!’

"Back in the day, it took Yang Zheng three months to master [Shadow Stepping] and integrate an improved version into his own Martial Arts. That alone shocked the entire Tianjiao Base. The faceless man that teaches [Shadow Stepping] was designed based on his template!"

"That’s right. You could say the faceless man *is* Yang Zheng from back then. Even Lin Wei can only manage a draw against it by relying on his [Martial Arts Talent]. I never imagined anyone could actually defeat it."

"We’ll know for sure once Brother Hao gives it a try. His [Martial Gang Step] is all about aggressive offense and powerful evasions. Aside from Lin Wei, no one’s Body Technique is faster. If Jiang Qiu has truly mastered [Shadow Stepping] and this isn’t some pod malfunction... tsk..."

The twenty-odd Optimizers automatically moved to the side, whispering amongst themselves. They stared with furrowed brows at the two men, now only about ten paces apart, feeling as if they were in a dream.

Some of these Optimizers weren’t the type to project into others’ pods, nor were they as fond of sparring as Wu Hao. But the day’s events were simply too shocking to ignore.

The faceless man, designed from the template of Yang Zheng—a man once unrivaled in his entire generation—had been defeated by a brand-new Optimizer who had come out of nowhere. And it only took him thirteen days!

This wasn’t just a matter of learning [Shadow Stepping]—he had clearly surpassed it!

In other words, Jiang Qiu might just be the first person to surpass Yang Zheng himself when it came to the [Shadow Stepping] Body Technique!

Who could resist witnessing the birth of a legend? Who wouldn’t be awestruck to see a long-unbroken record shattered by one of their own peers? And who didn’t want to lay eyes on the young prodigy who mastered [Shadow Stepping] in a mere thirteen days?

Their collective thoughts wove an invisible net. Some frowned in concentration, some stared with burning intensity, and others clenched their fists and cracked their knuckles in anticipation.

Jiang Qiu’s gaze swept over the crowd and their burning stares, finally resting on Wu Hao. His voice was calm as he said, "Fine."

’Officer Liu Qi once said that in the Military Department, the most important thing is to earn respect. Since Wu Hao has issued a challenge, I’ll accept.’

’Besides, Wu Hao’s previous ranking in Body Technique was second only to Lin Wei’s, which was a testament to his strength. With a stable performance, he was easily skilled enough to be ranked among the top ten prodigies.’

’This sparring session will be a good opportunity to gauge my own strength as well.’

Taking a deep breath, Wu Hao spoke with frankness, bringing his casserole-sized fists together in a respectful salute. "Wu Hao. I request a match with the number one on the Body Technique leaderboard—Jiang Qiu."

[Optimizer Wu Hao has challenged you to a Body Technique sparring match (Weapons are forbidden).]

[Accept?]

Jiang Qiu slowly brought his own fists together before his chest. "I accept."