The Archery Range fell silent, the only sound the nervous gulping of the gathered students. Jiang Qiu turned, strolled away, and placed his long spear on the wooden rack with both hands.

Liu Yong stood rooted to the spot like a dead tree, his wide eyes fixed on the younger boy’s departing back, his fingers twitching uncontrollably.

Everyone understood the principle that there was always someone better.

His father had often said that the students in the Prodigy Project were the top geniuses from Gao Yuan City’s best high schools. They all practiced Spear and Bow Dual Cultivation, and their talent was extraordinary.

Even First Middle School had geniuses selected for the Prodigy Project, and he had lost to them back in junior high.

’But why couldn’t I believe that Eighth Middle School could produce a peerless genius?’

At this thought, he slowly closed his eyes. A choked sob caught in his throat, the sting of unshed tears in his nose. "Jiang Qiu should have been in the Prodigy Project long ago. Why is he training at an Outer City High School..."

"..."

Liu Qi lowered the hand he had started to raise. His brow furrowed, and for a moment he was lost in a daze. The image of a single spear shattering a hundred shadows was still seared into his vision, the whistle of the wind still echoing in his ears.

The Hundred Shadows Stab was a swift and ferocious Spear Skill. A Martial Artist using this move was like a thousand wolves devouring the plains. Those with a profound enough understanding could push it to its absolute limits, suffocating their opponent with sheer pressure.

A Spear Skill of this caliber was not something a student could easily dodge, let alone counter.

Liu Yong’s skill with his Spear Technique was good enough to qualify him for the Prodigy Project, yet his spear had just been sent flying by a casual flick from Jiang Qiu...

"Director Zhao," Liu Qi said, his gaze also fixed on the young man’s back, his voice as hoarse as a thirsty crow. "To have found his Spear Sense at such a young age... if he receives the proper cultivation, he still has a chance to contend for a spot among the Ten Great Prodigies."

"Mm." Zhao Gongzheng clasped his hands behind his back, a gleam of light flashing across his glasses. "If he could skip the Military Department’s test and enter the Prodigy Project directly, the resources he’d receive would be substantial."

"Heh, you must be joking, Director Zhao. The Military Department’s test can’t be skipped. Otherwise, there would be no rules for entering the Prodigy Project," Liu Qi said, shaking his head, his gaze as sharp as starlight. "However, General Mo will certainly provide Jiang Qiu with resources outside of the project. His talent is truly exceptional. Who’s to say he won’t be the next Spear King?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Spear King..."

Zhao Gongzheng smiled but said nothing, his eyes filled with a distant look, as if gazing at a sea of stars across an endless void.

"The match is over. Liu Yong, let’s go!"

Liu Qi whirled around, his voice a furious roar that sent spittle flying. Liu Yong flinched, then scrambled to pick up his Black Tassel Spear and shoulder his purple and red-patterned Great Bow.

’I didn’t just lose the match of Bow Technique and Spear Technique. I lost my dignity, too.’

’I, who prided myself on my talent and my Spear Dao, was forced to break the rules and use the Hundred Shadows Stab against someone whose Qi Blood was nearly depleted.’

’But even after using the Hundred Shadows Stab, my Black Tassel Spear was sent flying by a single flick of his weapon...’

At this thought, Liu Yong dragged his Black Tassel Spear to the doorway and glanced back. He saw Liu Qi standing before Jiang Qiu, apologizing sincerely. "My apologies, Student Jiang Qiu. Liu Yong broke the rules during the match. Your Spear Technique is truly impressive, and your talent with the bow is remarkable as well.

You won this challenge. I will report this matter to the Military Department. I believe General Mo will also pay close attention to you.

I look forward to you participating in the Military Department’s test in half a month, and successfully fighting your way into the Prodigy Project..."

As his voice faded, Liu Qi chatted for a few more moments with Zhao Gongzheng and Wu Shan, then declined their offer to see him off and strode over.

With a CLANG, the steel gate swung open, and the two of them stepped out of the Archery Range. Liu Qi’s eyes flashed with a vicious light as he lowered his voice. "It seems my brother has spoiled you rotten. To think you’d dare break the rules and use a forbidden Spear Skill in a Spear Technique match!"

Liu Yong hung his head, his voice as faint as a cicada’s chirp. "I was too afraid of losing..."

"But you lost anyway!" Liu Qi shot him a glare, the cross-shaped scar on his face twisting. The overwhelming aura of Qi Blood, honed from years of slaying demons, pressed down on Liu Yong like a mountain. "If you hadn’t been so insistent on joining the Prodigy Project right now, and if my brother hadn’t spoken up for you, none of this would have happened!

Let me tell you the truth. Even if you had beaten Jiang Qiu, you would have lost in the Military Department’s test. If you can’t even handle a loss, how do you ever expect to win!"

The words struck Liu Yong’s heart like little hammers. He gripped his Black Tassel Spear tightly, silent, a sharp light glinting in the depths of his eyes. ’But I shouldn’t have lost. My dad once said that among all the Outer City High Schools, few could compare to my talent!

It’s just! It’s just... I ran into Jiang Qiu.’

He choked back his frustration, his clenched fist slowly relaxing as his jaw worked.

PAT.

A broad hand clapped Liu Yong’s right shoulder. His heart jolted, and he stopped and looked up, meeting a pair of sharp black eyes that held a hidden brilliance. "With the talent Jiang Qiu has shown today, he’s more than qualified to compete for a spot among the Ten Great Prodigies. He’s only limited by resources and time.

If he had entered the Prodigy Project sooner, you wouldn’t even have been qualified to meet him..."

A jolt went through Liu Yong. He gritted his teeth, remaining silent.

"There are far more—and far stronger—geniuses in this world than you can imagine. Don’t be a frog at the bottom of a well or an ant hiding in its hole," Liu Qi said, his gaze deep and profound. "Find a target to surpass, and keep going until you can’t find another. Only then will you have the right to say you shouldn’t have lost. Understand?"

After a long silence, a surge of passion thawed the frost in Liu Yong’s heart. He gripped the spear shaft, now burning like a brand in his hand. The image of a figure’s back as he flicked up a Double Arc Blade Spear Head flashed through his mind. "I understand!"

"Good. Let’s go. I’m taking you back to First Middle School."

...

"Holy shit, that flick from Brother Jiang was so cool! He was as steady as an old man fishing—he just casually lifted his spear and shattered Liu Yong’s Hundred Shadows Stab!"

"I thought Brother Jiang had spent too much Qi Blood and would have trouble against Liu Yong, since they’re both at the Mastery Realm. I never expected his Spear Technique to be so clean. He saw through the phantom spear shadows in an instant!"

"Speaking of which, do you think we can ever reach Brother Jiang’s level? When Liu Yong used that final Spear Skill, I couldn’t even see it clearly."

"Who cares if you couldn’t see it? Spears are for killing demons, not people. As long as we can grasp even a fraction of the essence of Brother Jiang’s Spear Technique, our chances on the college entrance exams will shoot up! We might even have a real shot at getting into Northwest Martial University!"

The Archery Range erupted in a torrent of discussion. Spittle flew as students with bright, eager eyes mimicked the moves empty-handed, all of them trying to recapture the profound feeling of Spear Sense from that final exchange.

"The match between Jiang Qiu and Liu Yong is over. Whatever insights you’ve had, digest them yourselves," Wu Shan’s thunderous voice boomed over the students’ chatter, Jiang Qiu’s profile reflected in his cloudy right eye. "Remember this: the so-called Spear Sense is when a thousand days of accumulated practice culminate in a single moment of epiphany, erupting into an aura that flows from your very core!

It’s not about one move being cool or another being fierce—that’s not Spear Sense.

When your own foundation is solid enough, you will understand what I mean. For now, all you need to know is that Jiang Qiu has awakened to his own Spear Sense!"

At his words, the top students stared in wide-eyed astonishment. So Jiang Qiu had awakened his Spear Sense! No wonder he seemed so much more stable and mature than his peers when he held a spear. Every move was effortless—a flick of his wrist a blooming flower, a horizontal sweep a crescent moon.

’If only we could learn that!’

WHOOSH...

Wu Shan took a deep breath. His gaze passed over the crowd to land on Jiang Qiu, who was talking with Zhao Gongzheng, and he felt a sense of wistful admiration.

’To awaken his Spear Sense at eighteen... His Martial Arts Talent is simply extraordinary.’

’Once the mutated Pebble from the Demon King, the Red Flame Spider, is put through Refinement to become Advanced Su Fragrance... just how far will his transformation go?’