Chapter 126: The Three Great Experts! Dominance of Killing Method Control!

Chapter 126: Three Powerhouses! The Overriding Mastery of Killing Techniques!

The shuttle descended smoothly onto the central plaza of the "Polar Crown."

As the hatch opened, a stream of participating students from Qiming First High School filed out under the guidance of Mentor Gu Yue.

The moment they stepped off the shuttle, a solemn and majestic aura washed over them.

The "Polar Crown" was not a single building but a vast, magnificent complex constructed from pure white special alloys and translucent crystals.

Its centerpiece was a colossal arena, shaped like a ring of mountains. On its outer walls were carved reliefs depicting countless famous battles in the empire's history—from the ancient wars that unified Terra to the countless heroic and tragic deeds of the "Great Expedition," all were represented.

The dome of the arena was a completely transparent energy shield, capable of blocking the harsh cosmic environment outside while softly channeling the light of the main star of the Qiming Star System into the interior, bathing the entire arena in a holy radiance.

This was the venue for the Qiming Inter-School League!

Every brick and stone seemed to whisper tales of past glory and legend.

Under the guidance of the staff, the Qiming First High team passed through wide corridors and arrived at their designated spectator section.

The viewing area for Qiming First High was located due east of the circular arena, one of the areas with the best view and the most central position.

The entire area was arranged in tiers, with each seat made of soft memory material, ensuring maximum comfort.

And at the armrest of each seat, a delicate silver device shaped like a monocle hovered silently.

"This is the 'Holographic Spectator Device,'" Qian Duoduo said, picking one up with practiced ease and introducing it to Qin Feng and Shi Potian. "Once you put it on, your consciousness will directly connect to the arena's viewing system. Then, your perspective won't be limited to this seat; you can roam freely like a ghost, watching from any corner of the ring. You can even activate slow-motion replays, energy data analysis, contestant vital sign monitoring, and more—it's truly a god's-eye view!"

Hearing this, Qin Feng also picked one up.

The device felt cool to the touch, with a fine texture.

He gently clipped it over his right eye.

Buzz.

With a slight vibration, his entire field of vision transformed dramatically.

The spectator seats, the bustling crowd, the magnificent dome—all vanished.

In their place was a vast, enormous ring made of pure white metal. He felt like an invisible observer, floating above the arena.

With a slight mental command, his perspective zoomed in instantly, and every minute metallic texture on the ring's surface was clearly visible before his eyes.

He could even clearly see the spectator sections of Golden Dragon Martial Arts High School directly ahead, Tianqu Martial Arts High School to his left, and Xinghe Military Affiliated High School to his right.

"Truly amazing," Qin Feng said, removing the device with a heartfelt sigh.

The empire's psychic technology, combined with the Warp network, had indeed permeated every aspect of life.

As time passed, more and more school teams began to enter the venue.

The entire "Polar Crown" gradually filled with the clamor of voices.

The students of Golden Dragon Martial Arts High School, all dressed in flamboyant gold-and-red uniforms, exuded an arrogant and overbearing air.

The students of Tianqu Martial Arts High School, uniformly clad in simple blue-and-white attire, sat quietly in their seats with restrained expressions, like a group of aloof scholars.

The team from Xinghe Military Affiliated High School was the most distinctive.

They wore dark black combat-like uniforms, their formation perfectly aligned, making not a single extra sound from entry to seating. They carried an aura of cold, killing intent that could only be honed on a real battlefield.

Tens of thousands of martial arts prodigies from every corner of Qiming Star gathered together.

Powerful, surging blood-energy fluctuations, belonging to third-level martial artists, interwove and collided throughout the arena, forming an invisible, awe-inspiring presence.

Finally, after all teams were seated, a soft beam of light descended from the center of the arena, and a middle-aged man in an official imperial referee uniform appeared within the light.

"The Qiming Star Inter-School League is about to begin!" His voice, amplified by a sound-enhancing array, clearly reached every corner of the "Polar Crown."

"First, the freshman individual competition will commence! All participating freshmen, please proceed to your respective competition zones to prepare for the first round of elimination!"

With the referee's announcement, the atmosphere inside the venue was instantly ignited.

For seasoned students like Qin Feng and Sun He, who had already experienced countless battles, the freshman competition clearly held little interest.

It would only become interesting after the freshman competition determined the ultimate "Newcomer King."

This meant they had at least a day of relatively idle waiting time.

Thus, the atmosphere in the spectator section also became relaxed. People gathered in small groups, chatting idly.

The focus of conversation was naturally the upcoming senior competition.

"Hey, did you hear? Golden Dragon Martial Arts High School has declared that this year's 'Qiming Star General' is theirs for the taking."

"Pfft, they say that every year. Have they ever actually gotten it? But I heard that guy named Chen Tian from their school is really something."

"Not just something—that guy's a madman. They say in their school's private domain, he challenges those graduation holograms every day and utterly demolishes them."

"That Liu Feixu from Tianqu Martial Arts High School is no pushover either. A friend of mine who goes there says her sword is incredibly fast."

The chatter rose and fell, and as the biggest "mystery" of this year's league, Qiming First High naturally became the focus of attention and probing for countless people.

From time to time, students from other schools would find various excuses to approach the Qiming First High spectator section, trying to extract some information.

"Hey, buddy, you're from Qiming First High? Awesome!" A student in a blue uniform, who seemed overly familiar, sidled up to Tie Lin and handed him a high-energy nutrition bar. "I'm Li Si, from Tianlan Martial Arts High School. I heard your school has a tough guy this year. What's his real strength? Give us a hint, will you?"

Tie Lin glanced at the nutrition bar, then at the other's curious eyes, and simply gave a honest smile, saying, "He's alright. You'll find out when the time comes."

"Come on, buddy, just a little bit. Is his killing technique perfected?" Li Si persisted.

"Pretty much," Tie Lin answered ambiguously.

"Then... what's his vitality index?"

"Pretty high."

"..."

After asking several questions, all Li Si got were watertight, non-answers that said nothing at all.

In the end, he could only slink away, nutrition bar in hand, empty-handed.

Similar scenes played out repeatedly in various corners of the Qiming First High spectator section.

But without exception, everyone who tried to pry for information left disappointed. The students of Qiming First High were tight-lipped, like locked safes, revealing not a single useful piece of information about Qin Feng's strength.

This was the discipline expected of students from the top martial arts high school.

They might go wild privately over Qin Feng's power, but when facing outsiders, they were an absolute, united whole.

Of course, rules were meant to restrain the honest. For a "professional" like Qian Duoduo, confidentiality agreements were one-way.

Just as everyone was idly watching the somewhat immature battles of the freshman competition through the spectator devices, Qian Duoduo returned from outside like a triumphant general, a mysterious smile of "everything under control" on his face.

"Done!"

He plopped down beside Qin Feng, lowering his voice and speaking excitedly.

"What's been taken care of?"

Shi Potian asked curiously.

"Intelligence!"

Qian Duoduo said smugly, opening his wrist terminal and projecting a small private light screen visible only to the three of them.

On the screen was a meticulously detailed list of graphic and textual information covering dozens of top-tier contestants.

"This year's senior competition is truly a hidden dragon and crouching tiger, full of excitement!"

Qian Duoduo cleared his throat and began his "pre-battle analysis."

"Based on reliable intelligence I've gathered from various channels, among all the seniors participating this year, those who have cultivated their primary killing techniques to perfection in two disciplines—excluding our own school—number at least seventeen!"

"Seventeen?"

Sun He, overhearing this, couldn't help but lean in, a look of surprise on his face. "That many? In previous years, seven or eight would have been considered a big year."

"That's why I say this year's competition is a clash of gods."

Qian Duoduo chuckled and continued, "But these seventeen are just also-rans. The ones truly vying for the 'Qiming Star General' title are the following three, widely recognized as the top contenders in this league!"

His finger swept across the light screen, and three clear student photos were enlarged to the center.

"First, from Jinlong Martial Arts High School, 'Golden Dragon' Chen Tian."

The youth in the photo was robust, with a resolute face and eyes full of dominance and flamboyance.

"Life force index: 30.25. His primary killing techniques, 'Overlord Spear' and 'Six Harmonies Fist,' are both perfected. Additionally, he has also perfected a movement technique, 'Thunder Shadow Step'—his hidden ace, known to few. He also has two auxiliary killing techniques at the grand mastery level. With five techniques at his disposal and three perfected, he's a veritable humanoid beast!"

"Second, the chief of Tianshu Martial Arts High School, 'Sword of Tianshu' Liu Feixu."

The girl in the photo had a cold, elegant face with brows and eyes like a painting, clutching an ancient longsword, her aura ethereal yet sharp.

"Life force index: 30.18. Specific details are hard to come by, as Tianshu Martial Arts High School keeps tight security. I bought this intel from a black-market information dealer. It shows she also has three perfected killing techniques—one sword technique, one movement technique, one palm technique—and two grand mastery techniques. Her strength is on par with Chen Tian's."

"As for the third..."

A hint of gravity and respect crept into Qian Duoduo's face. "He's the real tough nut to watch out for."

On the screen appeared a photo of an ordinary-looking youth with a plain demeanor, wearing the uniform of some unknown ordinary high school, utterly unremarkable.

"His name is Zhou Qi, from Dawn No. 17 High School. Simple profile: life force index unknown, but definitely above 30.0. His primary focus is fist and palm techniques. This is his fourth time participating in the senior competition."

"A grade-retaining student?"

Shi Potian frowned.

"Exactly."

Qian Duoduo nodded. "The guy's a fanatic. His obsession is winning the 'Qiming Star General.' Until he does, he keeps holding back his grade and won't graduate. The first year, he stopped at the top 100. The second year, he made it to the top 64. The third year, he reached the top 16, but unfortunately lost to last year's 'Qiming Star General.' This is his fourth year competing. No one knows how much stronger he's gotten in that year. But one thing's for sure: his combat experience far surpasses everyone else here."

After hearing Qian Duoduo's analysis, Sun He, Shi Potian, and the others wore solemn expressions.

Whether it was Chen Tian, Liu Feixu, or the mysterious Zhou Qi, any one of them alone was a top-tier genius capable of dominating a year.

And now, they would all converge on the same arena.

"What about... the mastery realm?"

Sun He couldn't help but ask the most crucial question.

Qian Duoduo spread his hands, a knowing smile on his face.

"Not a single one."

His voice was full of certainty. "I've checked every channel, including the top intelligence organizations in the black market. Among all the contestants this year, the highest realm of killing techniques is these three's 'three perfected techniques.' As for the 'mastery realm,' no one has reached it."

After saying this, he glanced meaningfully at Qin Feng, who had remained silent throughout.

Everyone present tacitly turned their gaze toward Qin Feng as well.

The entire Qiming No. 1 High School knew that Qin Feng had dual mastery.

Yet across all of Qiming Star, no one else had achieved mastery.

The gap between them was beyond words.

After listening to all of Qian Duoduo's analysis, Qin Feng merely nodded slightly and said calmly, "Got it."

He had already formed a clear picture in his mind.

In fact, he didn't even need Qian Duoduo's intelligence. With his current strength, he could see many things clearly on his own.

His gaze swept across the venue, seemingly casually.

This was no longer mere "looking"; it was a combat instinct honed to near reflex after a full year of relentless fighting on the battlefield of Hell-VII.

His eyes passed over the Jinlong Martial Arts High School spectator section.

In that sea of gold and crimson, he could distinctly sense an aura.

That aura was domineering and blazing, like a dormant volcano, internally interwoven with an indestructible spear intent and a bold, sweeping will.

That must be Chen Tian.

Then, his gaze shifted toward Tianshu Martial Arts High School.

There, he also caught a unique aura.

That aura was sharp yet restrained, like a peerless sword sheathed in its scabbard, carrying a hint of cold, drifting snow like winter's chill.

That was Liu Feixu.

Finally, his eyes lingered for a moment on an inconspicuous, almost forgotten corner of the venue.

In the spectator section of an ordinary high school with only a few dozen students, he sensed a completely different aura.

That aura was neither domineering nor sharp, but like a stubborn stone washed by flowing water for millennia—ordinary on the surface, yet within it lay an extreme, condensed resilience and heaviness. That fist intent carried the flavor of time's sedimentation.

Without a doubt, that was the grade-retaining senior of three years, Zhou Qi.

Qin Feng slowly withdrew his gaze, having gained the most intuitive understanding of the top combat power in this year's league.

Qian Duoduo's intelligence was accurate.

(End of chapter)