Chapter 125: Qi Ming School-level League Begins!

Chapter 125: The Qiming School-Level League Begins!

The statue of Qin Feng himself, standing highest in the Hall of Heroes, stirred no public waves within the private network of Qiming No.1 High School.

The existence of the "Hall of Heroes" was itself a hidden, ultimate proving ground, open only to the strongest.

Those qualified to enter and behold the three hundred and seventy-two legendary silhouettes had always been, from start to finish, just one person: the "Grade's Strongest," ranked first on the real-time private leaderboard among the senior year.

When Qin Feng's strength reached the summit and he left his own silhouette behind, only future senior-year champions could challenge the Hall of Heroes and discover that Qin Feng had succeeded in leaving his mark.

Thus, aside from the teachers, no one realized that the protagonist had succeeded in leaving his silhouette, surpassing the legends.

For Qin Feng, this was quite fine.

He cared little for such empty fame; the top spot in the Hall of Heroes, to him, held its greatest meaning in lighting a milestone on his long and tedious path of cultivation—one named "Surpassing the Benefactor."

More importantly, the exhilarating bare-handed deathmatch with Sun Chantang's silhouette had shown him, like never before, the road ahead—no longer the mere pursuit of a breakthrough at a single "point," but, like Master Sun, to use countless "points" to construct an impregnable "plane" of his own.

With the goal clear, all that remained was day after day, drop by drop, the bitter cultivation that wears away stone.

Time, in such disciplined and tranquil practice, swiftly passed.

In the blink of an eye, it was the night before the official commencement of the Qiming School-Level League.

...

Private Martial Arts Room B-17.

Having finished his day's training, Qin Feng, still carrying a faint trace of moisture, sat cross-legged on a cushion. He opened his wrist terminal and dialed a communication number long etched into his memory.

The light screen flickered, and soon two familiar faces appeared in the holographic projection.

One was his father, Qin Dahai.

He was now dressed in a brand-new, crisp uniform of a mid-level mining district manager, his hair combed meticulously, the wrinkles on his face seemingly smoothed away, his entire demeanor spirited and radiant.

The other was his uncle, Wang Ming.

He, too, had changed into more respectable attire; the weariness and aggression of his former life struggling at the bottom had vanished, replaced by a heartfelt pride and joy.

Ever since Qin Feng had emerged at Qiming No.1 High School and achieved astonishing results one after another, both their lives and careers had undergone earth-shattering transformations.

Such was the truest law of the Empire—when one man attains the Way, his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.

The value of a genius was enough to radiate and alter the fate of everyone around him.

"Xiao Feng!"

"Fengzi!"

Seeing Qin Feng's figure, Qin Dahai and Wang Ming spoke almost simultaneously, their faces brimming with undisguised concern and pride.

"Dad, Uncle."

A gentle smile appeared on Qin Feng's face.

Before his family, he was always the steady, sensible child, not the "Big Devil" who made the entire school tremble.

"Tomorrow is the Qiming School-Level League."

He stated the purpose of tonight's call succinctly. "Remember to watch the official broadcast on 'Qiming Spectate.'"

"School-level league! Good! Excellent!"

Wang Ming slapped his thigh and laughed heartily. "We've been waiting for this day! Don't worry, the factory knows about it too—they gave us leave directly. We'll go to the 'Qiming Spectate' building and watch the live broadcast to cheer you on!"

"Definitely, definitely."

Qin Dahai nodded repeatedly, his gaze fixed on his son's face, filled with love and satisfaction.

Yet deep within, he harbored a father's unspoken worry.

He had looked it up: the senior division of the Qiming School-Level League gathered the top talents from all martial arts high schools across Qiming Star.

The competition there was far more brutal than in the freshman division.

To compete for this year's and future years' Qiming War Stars, some martial artists from other schools might even go on killing sprees, eliminating geniuses early.

Though rare, it had happened before.

After a moment of silence, Qin Dahai couldn't help but ask, in as calm a tone as he could muster, "Xiao Feng, your... current strength—how is it? Do you feel confident about this competition? Don't push yourself; safety comes first."

Hearing his father's question, warmth filled Qin Feng's heart.

"Don't worry, Dad."

He replied calmly. "My life force index recently reached 30.0—the limit of a third-level martial artist."

"Th... thirty points?!"

The expressions on Qin Dahai and Wang Ming's faces froze instantly.

They could hardly believe their ears.

"No... that's not all."

Seeing their extreme shock, Qin Feng thought for a moment and decided to ease their minds further. "Both of my main killing techniques, the 'Thousand-Army Spear' and the 'Fierce Bird Fist,' have broken through to the 'Mastery' realm."

If the phrase "limit of a third-level martial artist" had only brought them great shock,

then the words "Mastery realm" struck like a thunderbolt, crashing into their minds.

Mastery!

What was that?

It was the legendary realm of killing techniques that countless martial artists yearned to touch their entire lives!

In their understanding, even cultivating a single killing technique to "Perfection" was a rarity, the mark of a genius.

But "Mastery"—that was a domain belonging only to legends, to prodigies!

"Two... two... Mastery?"

Wang Ming stared at Qin Feng on the light screen, utterly astonished.

Qin Dahai opened his mouth but could not utter a single word.

He only felt his heart pounding wildly.

An indescribable emotion—a mix of ecstasy, pride, and strangeness—rushed to his eyes, blurring his vision.

Genius?

No, his son could no longer be described by the word "genius."

He was... a monster!

A prodigy!

Stunning brilliance!

Nothing less!

After a long pause, Qin Dahai took a deep breath, wiped his face forcefully, and said with utmost solemnity, "Good... good! Worthy of being my son! Your father is proud of you! Go and fight without worry; we... we'll be watching you from behind! Watching you claim that 'Qiming War Star'!"

His worries had vanished the moment he heard the word "Mastery."

All that remained was overflowing pride.

After a few more casual words of family talk and urging his parents to take care of their health, Qin Feng ended the call.

The martial arts chamber fell back into silence.

Qin Feng sat cross-legged, yet his mind echoed with the utterly ecstatic expressions of his father and uncle; his lips, involuntarily, curled into a warm arc.

To protect this warmth, he himself must become stronger. He slowly closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into the sea of awareness, and began to visualize that majestic, boundless imperial figure, drifting into a deep slumber.

That night, he slept unusually soundly.

……

The next morning.

As the radiance of the artificial sun, Venus, just began to bathe the campus of Qiming No.1 High School, the entire school had already plunged into a boiling uproar.

Qin Feng, Shi Potian, and Qian Duoduo walked side by side along the tree-lined avenue leading to the Corona Borealis Building.

“Whoa, there are way too many people today!”

Qian Duoduo, looking at the dense crowd ahead, couldn’t help but click his tongue.

Wherever the eye could see, students in the uniforms of Qiming No.1 High School filled the space.

In groups of three or five, their faces alight with excitement and anticipation, they surged like a tide toward the Corona Borealis Building Square, the assembly point.

Qin Feng’s gaze swept over this ocean of youth and vitality, yet a sense of surreal detachment arose in his heart.

He still clearly remembered that a year ago, he too had been one of this crowd.

Back then, he had just passed the freshman competition selection and came to gather before the Corona Borealis Building for the first time.

He could distinctly feel the surging, almost tangible life force emanating from the older students in their sophomore and junior years.

Those powerful auras, converging together, were like an unfathomable ocean, making him, a fledgling freshman, feel waves of shock and oppression.

And now…

Qin Feng’s steps did not falter; he maintained his original pace, moving forward.

But the crowd ahead of him parted like the Red Sea before Moses, automatically splitting to both sides, clearing a wide path wide enough for an anti-gravity hovercar to pass.

Everyone’s gaze, upon touching Qin Feng’s calm face, would instantly flinch away as if shocked by electricity.

Their eyes no longer held scrutiny or curiosity, only a clearly visible, heartfelt… awe and fear.

The entire square, with thousands of students, was a cacophony of voices.

Yet wherever Qin Feng passed, there was an eerie silence so profound that a falling pin could be heard.

“Tsk tsk, Old Qin, your presence is getting more and more impressive.”

Qian Duoduo teased softly from the side.

Qin Feng gave a noncommittal smile.

Soon, in the designated area of the square, they spotted familiar figures like Sun He and Tie Lin.

“Qin Feng!”

Sun He saw him and immediately came forward with a hearty smile.

He patted Qin Feng’s shoulder firmly, his eyes full of sincere blessings and anticipation. “Today, it’s all on you! Bring back the ‘Qiming Star’ trophy!”

“Alright!”

Qin Feng nodded.

After brief greetings, the group waited quietly for the mentor’s arrival.

Before long, a familiar figure emerged from the Corona Borealis Building.

It was still Mentor Gu Yue.

He wore a crisp combat suit, his eyes like lightning, sweeping over all the participating students present.

“All participants, board the shuttle!”

His voice, as always, was concise and forceful.

Under his command, a colossal, streamlined, silver-gray planetary transport shuttle rose silently from the landing pad behind the Corona Borealis Building, hovered above the square, casting a massive shadow.

The students began to enter the shuttle in an orderly fashion via tractor beams.

The interior of the shuttle was extremely spacious, capable of holding tens of thousands.

Qin Feng found a seat by the window; Shi Potian and Qian Duoduo naturally sat beside him.

Soon, the shuttle gave a slight shudder and began to ascend steadily into the sky.

Through the huge porthole, the futuristic city-like campus of Qiming No.1 High School rapidly shrank.

Then came the magnificent vista of the entire Qiming metropolitan area.

Skyscrapers stood like a forest, piercing the clouds.

Countless anti-gravity shuttles, on preset flight paths, darted like streaks of light, forming a dazzling network covering the entire city.

The artificial sky emitted a soft glow, rendering this great city dreamlike and surreal.

He had seen the same scenery a year ago.

But now, Qin Feng’s mindset was utterly different from back then.

A year ago, seeing this sight, his heart was filled with awe at the big city and longing for the future.

Now, his gaze had long since crossed the city’s boundaries.

In his mind arose the apocalyptic scene of billions of lightning bolts roaring and refining all things in the Qiming Thunder Pool; the sight of him standing on the battlefield of Purgatory-VII, looking up at the eternal crimson sky stained by alien artillery fire; the magnificent, slowly rotating nebulae he had glimpsed through the subspace network, among the brilliant star rivers…

The grandeur of this world was indeed majestic.

But compared to the vast, surging cosmos, it seemed so insignificant.

An indescribable surge of pride stirred and churned in his chest.

He gazed at the boundless sky outside the window, at the artificial sun radiating endless heat and light, and involuntarily, a line from an ancient text of a distant era surfaced in his mind—a verse brimming with boundless boldness and wild spirit.

“I want to compete with the heavens for height.”

He murmured softly, his voice very light, yet carrying a resolve strong enough to shake mountains.

“Huh? Old Qin, what did you say?”

Qian Duoduo, with sharp ears, immediately leaned in, curious. “What ‘heavens’? ‘Compete for height’? Where did you hear that phrase?”

Qin Feng snapped back to reality, smiled, and replied:

“I think I saw it in some ancient book; I can’t recall which one exactly.”

The shuttle was extremely fast; after breaking through the atmosphere, it entered high-speed cruise mode.

The view outside turned into a deep darkness dotted with brilliant stars.

Just over ten minutes later, the shuttle began to decelerate and re-entered the planet’s atmosphere.

The destination had arrived.

The shuttle descended slowly, finally landing in the central square of a colossal, white crown-like architectural complex.

Here, then, is the arena for every session of the Qiming School League — the Crown of the North Pole.

(End of this chapter)