Chapter Fifty-Three: The World's Greatest—Hong

“Qin, are you going out to hunt beasts or not?”
“No.”
“Qin, your points are still zero. Aren’t you going today?”
“No.”
“If you don’t go, there are only a few days left. When you end up in last place, maybe you don’t care, but your teacher will lose face! Everyone knows your teacher is Inspector Liu—an inspector’s own student coming in dead last! Tsk tsk, it’ll be a wonder if he doesn’t cough up blood from anger!”
“Don’t worry, he’s magnanimous.”
“Qin, today is the last day. Still not going?”
“No.”

Zhao Ruo kept coming to remind Qin Ming to go out and hunt, but this fellow was as immovable as a mountain, staying in his room for self-cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, it was July 28.

At eight in the evening, Qin Ming locked his doors, set up his communicator, then lay down in the basement. As his eyes closed, he returned to the Legacy Space of the Great Hong World.

This time, Qin Ming did only three things here: reading to enrich and refine himself, battling demonic beasts to accumulate experience, and practicing Inch Fist, Charging Fist, and the Ninefold Thunderblade.

Fifty days passed in a flash.

During this time, he stored a little spirit liquid in his mind every day. Unconsciously, the space in his mind was once again filled.

He closed his eyes, and returned to the Devouring World.

July 29, eight in the morning.

The monthly hunting expedition was now officially over. Next came the calculation of points, the determination of rankings, and the allocation of next month’s rewards.

However, the “next month” was not August, but September.

Every August, the entire elite training camp ventured out on a “life-and-death adventure” for one month. During this month, they could hunt as many beasts as they wished, but the dangers were great—there were always casualties among the students. Hence, it was called the “life-and-death adventure.”

Qin Ming activated his wristwatch and dialed a number.

“Teacher!”
“Qin Ming, I can hardly show my face these days! I took in a student, and look what happened—zero points, dead last on the Black Dragon Rankings. More than a few old fellows are laughing at me.”
“Teacher, I’m sorry to have troubled you.”
“Ah! But it’s my fate to have a student like you. Many people had high hopes for you, thinking you could break into the top hundred, or even higher. It’s a pity… By the way, you said you were going to make a major decision today—are you ready?”
“Yes, Teacher.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve developed a footwork technique that lets a martial artist walk in the air.”
“What? Martial artists walking in the air? Qin Ming, you can’t be serious. Unless you’re transcendent, there’s no way to fly. Or do you mean prepping something ahead, tossing it into the air, and stepping on it? That’s pointless—too slow and inaccurate. Any beast would get you in no time.”
“Teacher, my footwork relies on nothing but air. No external aids—air doesn’t count.”
“Is this real?”
“It’s real.”
“Wait for me, I’ll come right over. If it’s true, I’ll invite Hong, and have the whole academy witness your demonstration. Then your reputation will soar—even if you can’t match Hong, you’ll be revered as a sage!”

Liu He finished speaking and cut the call.

Barely two breaths later, he flew straight into the living room.

“I want to see,” he said directly.

“Please, Teacher.” Qin Ming led him into the courtyard.

Zhao Ruo and Shi Jiang had also been alerted. Seeing Liu He, they greeted him, a bit nervous—after all, he was the Inspector.

Liu He nodded.

“My rise begins today,” Qin Ming smiled, then moved his foot lightly—and soared into the air.

This leap wasn’t high, only about ten meters, but as he paused, his figure flickered repeatedly at great speed, as if he were teleporting.

“This…!” Shi Jiang was astonished.

He saw clearly: every time Qin Ming paused, his feet struck out more than ten times in a third of a second, compressing the air to create a rebound force, flinging himself forward again.

Repeating this, it was as though he were flying. The speed was swift and the direction was under perfect control.

“If I mastered this, even surrounded by demonic beasts…” Shi Jiang’s eyes sparkled, his whole body trembling with excitement, “I could easily escape, no longer fearing even flying beasts!”

“How can this be?” Zhao Ruo was dumbfounded.

“It’s real!” Liu He clenched his fists in excitement. Yet as a transcendent, he quickly calmed down. “Rapidly treading the air, merging each rebound force—that’s the essence. The key is the rapid footwork and blending the recoil, much like the Ninefold Thunderblade!”

“Qin Ming has reached the pinnacle of effortless strength, his power under perfect control—he’s fully mastered this technique!”

With that thought, Liu He sent the video recording he’d just taken.

“Teacher, what do you think?” Qin Ming landed lightly before Liu He.

It had been exactly twenty days since Liu He explained the Ninefold Thunderblade, plus fifty days in the other world. Qin Ming’s progress was extraordinary.

Perfecting the Air-Stepping Technique was just one part.

“All martial artists will thank you,” Liu He beamed. “Even the transcendent are no exception. Qin Ming, don’t tell me you’re not going to share this!”
“If I weren’t, I wouldn’t have told you.”
“Hahaha! You rascal!”

Whoosh!

A streak of light shot into the courtyard. At once, all eyes turned.

A middle-aged man, bald, with a faintly indifferent expression, yet his eyes shone with an intimidating brilliance.

When Qin Ming looked over, his heart trembled.

“Hong!” Shi Jiang and Zhao Ruo were as awestruck as if seeing a deity.

“Hong!” Liu He greeted him respectfully.

“That footwork just now—was it his insight? Qin Ming?” Hong asked.

Clearly, Liu He had sent him the video.

“Yes,” Liu He nodded.

Hong glanced over, and Qin Ming felt sudden pressure, as if the air itself collapsed upon him, making it hard to breathe. The next moment, the oppressive force vanished.

“Mid-tier War God physique,” Hong’s tone shifted, his expression now serious. “Qin Ming, I’ve reviewed your records: eighteen years old, passed the pre-martial artist assessment in May, entered the elite camp in July with a high-level War General physique, comprehended the fourth level of the Ninefold Thunderblade, and achieved perfect-grade footwork. Even on a global scale, your talent stands out.”

“I never expected you’d now have a mid-tier War God’s body. Even with dragon’s blood, reaching this level is astounding.”

“All of this is remarkable—”

“But compared to your air-walking footwork, it’s nothing.”

“Qin Ming, would you demonstrate it again?”

Hong grew ever more amiable, his eyes shining brighter, even using the word “please.”

Shi Jiang and Zhao Ruo exchanged glances, both shivering.

“Mid-tier War God physique?” Zhao Ruo mouthed in disbelief.

Even the usually steady Shi Jiang’s eyelids were twitching.

But Liu He smiled.

He had already noticed Qin Ming’s physique. For a transcendent, it was impossible to conceal. Yet compared with the Air-Stepping Technique, his physique was truly secondary.

“Of course. Director, I welcome your guidance,” Qin Ming replied. “After gaining pre-martial artist status, I went on a hunt. We encountered a swarm of rats. My captain and three teammates all perished; I barely escaped with my life.”

“At that time, I wondered—if spiritual masters can fly, why not martial artists?”

“The reason is, there’s no way to get leverage in the air. But if you could, you’d need something beneath your feet.”

“What’s in the air?”

“Air itself.”

“How to make air provide support? Through extreme compression.”

“I experimented again and again, and first developed the Instant Step.”

Qin Ming explained the genesis of his technique, describing its earliest form. As he spoke, he moved his feet; in a flash, he was across the courtyard.

Fast as wind, swift as lightning.

Hong, however, focused on where Qin Ming had been standing—the tiles were unbroken.

He understood: this youth had mastered force to perfection. He also grasped the principle of Instant Step—extreme stepping, rebound leaps, explosive speed surpassing all limits.

A terrifying technique!

After flickering back and forth a few times, Qin Ming stopped and continued, “Once I’d perfected Instant Step and the integration of recoil force, I began experimenting in the air.”

“In fact, in the last trial tower, I used the Air-Stepping Technique—yes, air-walking. I call it the Air-Stepping Technique.”

“It wasn’t mature then. I made a mistake and was torn apart by the Golden Vulture.”

With those words, Qin Ming soared into the air, striding above the ground—elegant as an immortal.