Grinding to Become the Master of the Universe

Chapter 357 - 169: Old Lai Zi Qin Beast! He’s Back! And He’s Gotten Stronger

[Pessimist]: But you’ll all have a lasting impression of him soon enough. Because his title is about to evolve again into "Invincible Lai Zi Qin Beast."

This reply instantly blew up the entire thread.

[Confused Newbie]: Huh? Why? How can such an amazing genius be a Lai Zi?

[Old Timer]: Sigh, kid, you’re still too young. Think about it. He’s practicing the most difficult Top-grade Acupoint Opening Technique, yet he’s been stuck in the Fourth Level Division for over forty years. The current Old Lai Zi, Zhou Run, is leaving after this tournament. Who do you think will take his place, entrenching themselves in the Fourth Level Division to fleece the newbies?

[The Crowd, in realization]: Holy crap! So that’s what’s going on!

[Maiden’s Prayer]: Waaah, no! Qin Beast looks so handsome and strong! Why does he have to go down the irreversible path of becoming a top Lai Zi! Go for it! Crush that Zhou Run! Don’t be a Lai Zi!

[Super Troll]: Go get ’em, you master of the ’Hidden Dragon’ ambush!

Countless senior students who saw this trollish comment couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

It was as if they could already foresee another dark cloud of despair drifting over the Fourth Level Division in the decades to come, a cloud that would crush the hopes of all newcomers.

And that dark cloud’s name was Lai Zi Qin Beast!

The qualifying rounds of the Canaan Newcomer Cup spun on like a precise and cruel giant sorting machine.

Millions of contestants were swiftly eliminated in just a few days, like sand washed away by a great wave, leaving only the finest gold behind.

The ninth round...

The tenth round...

The eleventh round...

Qin Feng’s path to advancement remained as dull, tedious, and utterly predictable as ever.

His opponents grew progressively stronger.

They ranged from rookie freshmen to seasoned veterans, and eventually to powerhouses who had been steeped in the Fourth Level Division for decades, mastering one or two Control Realm Killing Techniques.

But in Qin Feng’s eyes, these fighters—who were considered "masters" by ordinary students—were no different from the weaker opponents he had faced before.

He wasn’t even interested enough to use a Killing Skill.

His fights could no longer be described as mere "instant kills."

They were more like... an attack from a higher dimension.

The two combatants were simply not on the same dimensional plane of battle.

The popularity of his name, "Qin Feng," and his even more famous nickname, "Qin Beast," skyrocketed on the Subspace forums.

Finally, he did it again. With the same brutally overwhelming force, he knocked a well-known senior student out of the ring with a single blow. This opponent had made it to the top 100 in the last Canaan Newcomer Cup and mastered seventeen Level 1 Perfection Killing Techniques. Upon Qin Feng’s successful advance to the top 64, the entire forum absolutely erupted.

If his previous instant kills could be explained away as his "opponents being too weak,"...

...then seeing one recognized, bonafide powerhouse after another defeated just as casually, everyone realized one thing.

It wasn’t that his opponents were too weak.

It was that this man known as "Qin Beast" was just... absurdly strong!

[Pinned & Stickied Post]: #MonsterReturns # ’Qin Beast’ Qin Feng, 18 straight instant kills, a dominant advance into the top 64! His strength is unfathomable!

The moment this thread was posted, it shot to the top of the trending list, followed by a huge, bright red "EXPLODING!" tag.

Beneath the post were dozens of pages of replies, refreshing at a rate of over a thousand per second.

"It’s happening! It’s happening! I knew it! I knew this man wouldn’t let us down! He’s a beast! He’s not even human!"

"I’ve carefully analyzed the recordings of all eighteen of his fights, and I’ve reached a chilling conclusion—he hasn’t even made a real move. To be more precise, he has yet to use a single true ’Killing Skill’! All of his attacks have come from pure, unadulterated physical strength!"

"Calm down, everyone. Standard procedure, nothing to ’666’ about. After all, this is the man who blew up the potential assessment pod back in the day. Is it really that strange for his physical body to be a little monstrous? [doge]"

"So... just how strong is he? Can any of the upperclassmen give us a straight answer?"

This question voiced the thoughts on everyone’s mind.

And so, a fierce debate officially began over who was stronger: Qin Feng or Zhou Run, the two most dazzling and most "shameless" contestants in this year’s Fourth Level Division.

[Hot Topic]: #ClashOfTheCentury # ’Old Lai Zi’ Zhou Run vs. ’New Lai Zi’ Qin Beast—Who is the true King of this year’s Fourth Level Division?

[Proponent 1]: Is there even a question? It’s obviously Senior Zhou Run! He’s a monster who genuinely cultivated to the Three Hundred and Sixty Acupoints Great Perfection! A life force index of 3,600—that’s certified by official data! No matter how strong Qin Beast is, he’s only been cultivating for forty years. At the absolute most, he’s opened a couple hundred acupoints, and a life force index of 2,000 would be his absolute ceiling. How can he possibly overcome a gap of over a thousand points?

[Opponent 1]: To the poster above: you only look at stats and not performance? Is Qin Beast some ordinary person? His physical potential is on the level of a Starry Sky Giant Beast! His comprehension of Killing Skills is Demon Level! Who knows if he’s learned some insane killing move that lets him fight above his rank? Don’t forget, decades ago he was already using [Hidden Dragon] to ambush people!

[Proponent 2]: Heh, no matter how strong a killing move is, you need enough power to back it up. Brute force shatters all technique! When faced with an absolute, crushing advantage in life force index, all skills are just fancy tricks! I’m calling it now: Senior Zhou Run has this in the bag!

[Opponent 2]: I wouldn’t be so sure! I just feel like that guy, Qin Beast, is hiding his true strength! With that calm and breezy look on his face, it’s like he’s not even taking this competition seriously. I’m betting on Qin Beast to pull off a miracle!

The supporters of both sides argued back and forth heatedly in the thread, citing precedents and listing data, but neither could convince the other.

Meanwhile, shrewd bookies immediately seized upon this viral topic.

The betting for the championship, which had been closed due to Zhou Run’s excessively low odds, was now spectacularly reopened!

This time, however, there were only two names in the running.

Zhou Run.

Qin Feng.

[Canaan Newcomer Cup - Fourth Level Division Championship Odds]

[Contestant 1: Zhou Run]

[Predicted Win Rate: 85%]

[Payout: 1:1.1]

[Contestant 2: Qin Feng]

[Predicted Win Rate: 15%]

[Payout: 1:6.5]

The new odds instantly ignited the enthusiasm of the entire student body.

Vast sums of Imperial Coins flooded into the betting pools for these two names like a tidal wave.

Although the odds showed that the vast majority still favored the "Old Lai Zi," Zhou Run, whose strength was backed by hard data...

...Qin Feng’s high payout of 1:6.5 still attracted countless "dreamers" hoping to win big on a long shot.

Thanks to these two "Lai Zi," the entire Cannan Star Martial Arts University was plunged into an unprecedented frenzy of excitement.