Chapter 165: Shocking Shi Dang! The Monster Progresses Too Fast! Golden Throne

Chapter 165: Shocking Shi Dang! The Monster's Progress Too Fast! The Golden Throne!

The moment Qin Feng stepped into the private room, the once lively atmosphere fell silent.

All eyes, in unison, focused on him.

At this moment, Shi Dang was sitting by the table, his face flushed, his eyes flickering with excitement and pride, clearly in the middle of an animated story.

Around him, Xiong Yanfu, Lei Meng, and others gathered, their faces a mix of lingering fear and admiration.

"At that moment, it was truly a hair's breadth away! That Khorne worshiper was an absolute madman, swinging that blood-red great axe like a windmill. The defenses Ironwood and I put up were like paper in front of him—shattered at the slightest touch!"

Lei Meng's bald head gleamed as his voice boomed, tinged with lingering dread. He slapped Shi Dang's broad shoulder hard.

"If it weren't for Brother Shi Dang stepping up at the critical moment, using his Stonefolk's 'Bedrock Body' to withstand that madman's three axe strikes, we'd all have been minced into meat paste!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

Xiong Yanfu nodded vigorously, his face full of post-calamity relief. "Holding the line was just the first step. The real miracle was Brother Shi Dang's final move! The timing was absolutely perfect! He caught that Khorne worshiper right at his weak point, and with one axe stroke, he chopped off the bastard's leg! Clean and decisive!"

"Yes! That one axe! So crucial! It turned the whole battle around!"

Everyone chimed in with praise, their words brimming with admiration and gratitude toward Shi Dang.

These words, these scenes—how familiar they were.

In Qin Feng's mind, images surfaced of that time in the "Silent Deep Valley," when he led his squad to slay the mechanical race and rescue Qin Lan and the others.

Back then, Zou Yun, Shan Yang, and the rest had spoken of him with that same tone of worship and conviction.

But now, the one surrounded by the crowd, basking in the glory of victory, was Shi Dang.

And Shi Dang was clearly relishing the feeling.

Though he said, "It was all thanks to the brothers' teamwork," the slight curl of his lips and the barely concealed smugness and satisfaction in his eyes made it clear—he loved being relied upon and admired by his comrades.

Qin Feng's arrival brought this "commendation ceremony" to a temporary halt.

"Feng Ge!"

"Qin Feng!"

"Brother Qin, you're finally out of seclusion!"

Xiong Yanfu, Lei Meng, and the others immediately rose from their seats, their faces lighting up with surprise as they rushed over to give Qin Feng a solid hug.

Even the ever-stoic Shi Potian stood up and gave Qin Feng a firm nod, his eyes conveying an unspoken joy of reunion after a long separation.

"Twelve years in seclusion, Brother Qin, you're too ruthless!"

Xiong Yanfu looked Qin Feng up and down, clicking his tongue in amazement. "We all thought you'd max out at seven or eight years, but you went straight for twelve!"

"Yeah, Feng Ge, how did you endure such a long seclusion? It must have been so dull, so boring?"

Lei Meng scratched his bald head, his face full of disbelief. "If it were me, I'd go crazy in three years, let alone twelve!"

Hearing their concerned and curious questions, Qin Feng replied calmly, "It's fine. For me, cultivation is quite enjoyable. I didn't find it dull or boring at all."

He was telling the truth.

For someone with the "Heaven Rewards Diligence" system, every time he went into seclusion, every time he felt his strength skyrocket, it was an unparalleled, addictive pleasure.

The others all wore expressions of "Yeah, right," thinking Qin Feng was joking.

Qin Feng didn't bother to explain further. His gaze passed over the crowd and landed on Shi Dang, who had remained silent since Qin Feng entered, watching him with a complex expression.

"..."

Qin Feng smiled and asked, "So, you all went on a mission together?"

"Yeah, Feng Ge!"

Before Shi Dang could speak, Xiong Yanfu jumped in again, excitedly throwing his arms around Shi Potian and Shi Dang's shoulders as if showing off a treasure.

"Let me tell you, Brother Qin, that Dawnstar you came from is really a hidden dragon and crouching tiger! Every one of them is a beast! One brother, Shi Potian, cold as ice, but his blade technique is so fast you can't even see the shadow! Another brother, Shi Dang, fierce as a prehistoric beast, born for battle!"

"We've formed a fixed team now, called the 'Double Stone Combo'!"

Xiong Yanfu said proudly. "You know, these two brothers—one specializes in offense, the other in defense—they work together incredibly well! Even we old-timers who enrolled three or four years earlier can't match them!"

He shifted his tone, a hint of fear creeping in. "This mission, we took on a job to wipe out a traitorous warlord. We thought it would be a piece of cake, but who knew there was a Khorne worshiper hiding there!"

"A Khorne worshiper?!"

At those four words, Qin Feng's eyes sharpened instantly.

"Yeah!"

Just thinking about it made Xiong Yanfu shudder. "That guy was a killing machine! His vitality index was at least six hundred points! All of us together almost got wiped out by him alone! But thank goodness, at the last moment, Brother Shi Dang had an epiphany mid-battle and pushed his axe technique into the 'Mastery Realm.' That's when he seized the chance and crippled that Khorne worshiper!"

"Otherwise, we'd all be dead by now."

Xiong Yanfu concluded, "So, we owe our lives to Brother Shi Dang."

"I see."

Qin Feng nodded, his doubts resolved.

No wonder Shi Dang was with Shi Potian and the others.

Life-and-death battles are the fastest way for men to forge bonds.

He looked at Shi Dang, his eyes filled with sincere admiration and emotion.

"Impressive, Shi Dang. Breaking through mid-battle, mastering a killing technique—truly rapid progress!"

This praise came from the heart.

Qin Feng knew well the immense pressure of facing a Khorne worshiper—a monster born purely for slaughter.

To break through his bottleneck under that extreme pressure and have an epiphany mid-battle proved that Shi Dang's mental fortitude and insight were top-notch.

Hearing Qin Feng's praise, a hint of pride flickered across Shi Dang's rugged face, then he humbly said, "Not at all. I'm still far from your level."

But that humility lasted less than three seconds.

The next moment, the shyness in his eyes was replaced by a fiercer, hotter flame.

A flame called "Battle Intent"!

He lifted his head, his gaze burning as he stared straight at Qin Feng, and said in a deep voice, "Senior Qin Feng, twelve years ago, I couldn't fight back at all. You defeated me in one move."

"These twelve years, you chose to go into seclusion and cultivate, squeezing every ounce of potential, so your strength must have grown tremendously."

"As for me, I chose a different path."

His voice grew impassioned and confident.

"I've carried out hundreds of high-intensity life-or-death missions, honing my skills on battlefields of blood and fire! I've personally slain tens of thousands of powerful enemies! My strength, my killing techniques, have also, through these twelve years of tempering, become extraordinary!"

"So!"

Shi Dang took a sudden step forward, and a solid, mountain-like battle intent erupted from his body!

"I want to fight you again!"

He stared intently at Qin Feng, each word as if squeezed through his teeth.

"Let's see which is superior—your secluded cultivation, or my battlefield slaughter!"

These words, full of provocation, instantly froze the atmosphere in the private room.

Xiong Yanfu and Lei Meng were both awkward, unsure of what to say.

Only Shi Potian remained as impassive as ever, silently lifting his teacup.

Qin Feng looked at Shi Dang, whose fighting spirit blazed before him, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

But…

Qin Feng gently shook his head inwardly.

He was silent for a moment, then finally spoke, refusing the request in a calm and tactful tone.

“Let’s forget it.”

He looked at Shi Dang and said sincerely, “The gap between us might be bigger than you think. My current life force index has reached 1730 points. This is no longer a fair fight.”

He had no intention of showing off; he was merely stating a fact that he believed would make the other back down.

Yet, when the number “1730 points” left Qin Feng’s lips,

the entire private room fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone’s movements seemed to freeze, as if a pause button had been pressed.

Shi Dang’s once-blazing fighting spirit was like a bucket of ice water poured from the sky, instantly extinguished, leaving nothing behind.

His mouth hung slightly open, his expression frozen in that moment, filled with disbelief and extreme shock and horror.

“One… one thousand… seven hundred and thirty points?”

His voice, due to overwhelming shock, turned dry, hoarse, even distorted.

Not just him.

Even the usually composed Shi Potian, the hand holding his teacup, trembled slightly in midair.

Xiong Yanfu and Lei Meng looked as if they had seen a ghost, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

They knew Qin Feng was a monster, and they had long grown accustomed to his unreasonable pace of progress.

But…

Twelve years!

From over five hundred points straight to over seventeen hundred?

This was no longer something that could be described with the word “monster”!

This was nothing short of a miracle!

Seeing everyone so utterly stunned, Qin Feng felt a bit embarrassed instead.

He smiled, waved his hand, and said modestly, “All luck, all luck.”

“I think that in the early stages, by challenging the Canaan Tower and participating in rookie matches, using these methods to earn as many contribution points as possible, then using those points to buy top-tier resources for efficient seclusion—this is the correct ‘way to play’ at Canaan Star Martial Arts University.”

“Me? I just got lucky and obtained more resources ahead of everyone else. So it’s only natural that my strength improved faster.”

He spread his hands and said half-jokingly, “If we were all at the same level and only competing in combat techniques, I might not necessarily be able to beat you all.”

Hearing this, Xiong Yanfu and the others slowly snapped out of their shock.

They all smiled knowingly, taking Qin Feng’s words as modesty, as an attempt to ease everyone’s mood.

Couldn’t beat them at the same level?

What a joke!

Who didn’t know that you, this “Qin Beast,” were most freakish not because of resources, but because of your monstrous combat talent and insight into killing techniques!

Everyone tacitly understood, and they laughed it off, brushing past this heavy topic.

As for Shi Dang, after experiencing that initial extreme shock, he actually took Qin Feng’s words to heart.

His eyes flickered uncertainly, as if he were truly pondering the question, “If we were at the same level, how much chance would I have in a one-on-one fight?”

His serious expression made Xiong Yanfu, watching from the side, almost unable to bear looking at him.

In the time that followed, everyone tacitly avoided the topics of strength and combat, simply enjoying the meal, drinking, and chatting about their respective experiences and interesting stories over the past twelve years.

The atmosphere grew warm and harmonious once again.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes,

they began discussing their plans for the future.

“Ah, we’re not planning to go out for now,” said the chubby Xiong Yanfu, taking a big gulp of fruit wine and burping. “Isn’t the school about to hold the ‘Battle Group Tournament’ between various battle groups? And I heard the instructors are also organizing something called the ‘Instructor Cup.’ I heard the rewards are pretty generous. We’re thinking of joining in the fun, see if we can get some benefits.”

He paused, then added, “But the entry requirements for these competitions are quite high. Participants need at least a life force index over a thousand points. The few of us can’t participate either. Old Qin, any thoughts?”

Qin Feng thought for a moment and then shared his own plans.

“I’m not planning to join those competitions for now either,” he said calmly. “With my current strength, I’d probably end up at the bottom. So I’m thinking of going to the mission hall first, picking up a few relatively simple solo missions. That way, I can hone my newly learned killing techniques while earning some contribution points.”

“Once I’ve saved up enough contribution points, I’ll prepare to break through to the next realm.”

As for competitions, Qin Feng’s view had always been clear.

They were a “cash machine” to take a gamble when he was short on contribution points, and also a platform to test his own strength and see the gap between himself and true experts.

If at this stage his strength was insufficient, and he knew he would lose even if he went, it was better not to waste that time.

With that time, he might as well honestly do missions and go into seclusion.

After eating and drinking their fill, the joy of reuniting with old friends gradually settled with the passage of time.

This gathering, which had lasted several hours, finally came to an end.

Everyone chatted for a while longer at the entrance of Gluttony Residence, agreed on a time to meet again, then bid farewell, turning into streaks of light and disappearing into the bustling night of the Food District, each heading toward their own futures.

Qin Feng returned to his dormitory, which had been silent for twelve years.

Pushing open the door, the room was empty, and the air still carried a faint trace of his own scent.

He didn’t start cultivating immediately but sat quietly on the edge of the bed, his mind involuntarily replaying the scenes from tonight’s dinner.

His friends’ changes were all within his expectations.

Shi Potian had grown even more cold and reserved; Xiong Yanfu remained the lively source of information; Lei Meng and Tie Mu had become even more steady and reliable.

Only one person left Qin Feng with a faint, indescribable sense of strangeness that lingered in his heart.

—Shi Dang.

Qin Feng recalled every expression and every word Shi Dang had uttered at the dinner table.

He was confident, even somewhat arrogant.

When recounting his feat of breaking through on the spot and slaying a follower of the Cruelty Faith, the pride and satisfaction from deep within were evident.

That was normal.

Any martial artist would behave like that after achieving such a great feat.

But what truly struck Qin Feng as strange was what came after.

It was after he had announced his life force index of 1,730 points, leaving everyone utterly stunned, even moving Shi Potian.

Shi Dang, after the initial shock had passed, actually took his humble words—"At the same level, I might not be able to defeat you"—to heart.

Qin Feng could clearly sense that Shi Dang's fighting spirit had not been completely extinguished by the seemingly insurmountable gap.

On the contrary, it had only been temporarily suppressed, like magma beneath volcanic ash, burning even more stubbornly and fiercely in the depths.

He attributed the vast disparity in strength to Qin Feng's "good luck" and "greater access to resources."

In his own mind, with twelve years of bloody, life-and-death combat experience, he might not lose at the same level.

This line of thought was dangerous.

Because it represented a self-deception in cognition, a stubborn refusal to acknowledge objective reality in order to preserve one's pride.

A martial artist can be confident, can be proud, but must never lose a clear perception of reality.

Once reverence is lost, destruction is not far off.

Qin Feng's brow furrowed slightly.

He recalled Shi Dang's blazing fighting spirit and his persistent demand, "Let's fight again."

He had a premonition that this "fellow townsman," with his unresolved inner conflict, would likely seek him out again in the future.

"I hope I'm overthinking it," Qin Feng sighed softly to himself.

He opened his personal terminal and pulled up his friend list.

Originally, he didn't want to meddle.

Everyone must walk their own path.

Everyone must slay their own inner demons.

But now, Shi Dang was on the same team as Shi Potian, Xiong Yanfu, and the others.

Qin Feng could disregard his own safety.

But he could not ignore the safety of his friends.

A teammate with a skewed mentality and distorted cognition, when executing high-stakes life-or-death missions, could easily become a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

After a moment of deliberation, Qin Feng's fingers moved swiftly across the light screen, sending a single encrypted private message to Shi Potian: 【Shi Dang is a bit off. Be careful and watch out.】

He didn't elaborate or draw any conclusions.

He trusted that Shi Potian, with his wisdom and calm, would understand the implication.

Almost the instant the message was sent, Shi Potian's reply came back.

Still in his characteristic terse style.

【Received.】

Seeing this concise response, half of Qin Feng's worry eased.

He knew Shi Potian had taken his warning to heart.

After a moment's thought, Qin Feng copied the same message and sent it separately to Xiong Yanfu, Lei Meng, and Tie Mu.

Though these three might not be as meticulous as Shi Potian, an extra reminder couldn't hurt.

Having done all this, Qin Feng finally felt at ease.

He cast aside all thoughts of Shi Dang and refocused on his own cultivation.

"I still need about seven thousand contribution points to complete the 'Great Sun Acupoint Opening Technique' to perfection."

"So, the next goal is clear."

Qin Feng opened the Empire's mission system.

The dense list of tasks unfolded before him like a sea of stars.

Rather than searching aimlessly, he directly commanded his S-class subspace intelligent assistant—Hammer.

"Hammer, filter missions for me."

"Filter criteria as follows:"

"First, mission type: 'Solo' or 'Small Team,' with no more than four members."

"Second, mission difficulty: Suitable for martial artists with a life force index around 1,500 points."

"Third, mission rewards: Primarily contribution points and Fearless War Legion reputation."

【Command received. Performing multi-dimensional intelligent filtering for you...】

Hammer's efficiency was astonishing.

In just a few seconds, millions of mission entries were filtered, compared, and summarized.

Finally, an optimized list, best matching Qin Feng's requirements, appeared before him.

Qin Feng's eyes swept quickly over the list.

Soon, a mission highlighted in red by Hammer caught his full attention.

【Mission ID: WZ-7734-Alpha】

【Mission Issuer: Fearless War Legion】

【Mission Level: High Risk】

【Mission Objective: Travel to the "Grama" star system, to the "K-7" death planet, and retrieve a martial artist's "Yuan Qiao."】

【Mission Brief: Sixth-level Tengkong martial artist "Luo Lin," while on a secret mission a year ago, was gravely wounded and drifted through the void for a year to planet K-7. After his death, the "Yuan Qiao" he left behind remains stable due to the unique environment.】

【Mission Details: Lead your team to covertly infiltrate planet K-7. Using the precise coordinates provided (Longitude: 127.33, Latitude: -45.89), locate Luo Lin's remains and retrieve his "Yuan Qiao" intact.】

【Note! Special Warning!】

【According to a reconnaissance report from the Imperial Astral Army a year ago, the planet's surface is now occupied by large-scale "Greenskin" tribes.

Near the target coordinates, a large Greenskin war band led by a "Warboss" has been confirmed.

The Warboss's life force index is estimated at around 1,500 points (this data is from a year ago; real-time accuracy is not guaranteed).

Due to the complex terrain and dense Greenskin anti-aircraft fire, orbital bombardment and large-scale ground forces from the Astral Army cannot effectively penetrate the area.】

【Recommended Team Size: 4 members (Team leader's strength must exceed 1,500 points)】

【Mission Time Limit: 3 months】

【Mission Reward: Contribution Points x3,000】

【War Legion Reputation Reward: 3,000 points】

Reading this detailed mission briefing, Qin Feng's eyes gleamed with bright light.

Three thousand contribution points! Three thousand reputation points!

This reward was undeniably generous!

Moreover, this was a four-person team mission. According to the rules of Canaan Starry Sky Martial Academy, the mission rewards would be distributed equally based on individual performance.

That is to say, as long as he successfully completed this mission, he would receive at least 750 contribution points and 3,000 war group reputation points.

If he could complete just a few more missions like this, the 7,000 contribution points he needed to support his seclusion and impact the Joint Aperture realm would soon be gathered!

"Greenhide... War Boss..."

A corner of Qin Feng's mouth curled into a smile brimming with battle intent.

An opponent with a life force index of around 1,500 points—just right to test the fruits of his twelve years of bitter cultivation!

Without a moment's hesitation, he pressed firmly on the [Accept Mission] button on the light screen.

[Mission accepted successfully! You are now the captain of this mission.]

[Please recruit the team members you need as soon as possible.]

The system prompt sounded.

Qin Feng skillfully opened the internal recruitment channel of the Fearless War Group and directly posted the mission he had just accepted.

At the same time, he set the minimum standard for joining the team.

—Life force index no lower than 1,500 points.

Having done all this, Qin Feng leaned back leisurely in his chair and waited quietly.

He believed that with the generous rewards of this mission, suitable and powerful teammates would soon come knocking on his door.

With the mission posted, Qin Feng did not remain idle. While waiting for suitable teammates to submit their applications, he felt a flicker of curiosity about the mission he had just accepted.

"Yuan Qiao..."

He silently savored the word.

He knew that when a martial artist in the Aperture Opening realm had fully opened all their acupoints, they could attempt to "merge the apertures."

By fusing the independent acupoints through a mysterious method, they would eventually form a stable and powerful energy core within the body.

This energy core was what they called the "Yuan Qiao."

But why was the Empire going to such great lengths to retrieve the Yuan Qiao left behind by a fallen martial artist?

Did this thing have other uses?

A trace of doubt flickered in Qin Feng's mind, and he directly issued a command to his intelligent assistant.

"Hammer, look up information about 'Yuan Qiao recovery.'"

He paused, then added another question.

"Also, if I unfortunately fall in the line of duty in the future, will my Yuan Qiao be recovered by the Empire in the same way?"

[Command received. Querying Empire forum information... Permission confirmed... Searching...]

Hammer's reply came almost instantly.

Streams of organized and summarized information rapidly appeared before Qin Feng's eyes.

[Regarding the significance of "Yuan Qiao recovery," there are two main points:]

[First, strategic value. A martial artist who cultivates the "Supreme Aperture Opening Method" and successfully merges their apertures forms a "Yuan Qiao" within their body, which holds extremely high research and replication value.

If, by some chance, the Yuan Qiao remains stable after the martial artist's death, the Empire's Supreme Academy of Sciences can use cutting-edge humanoid technology such as "biological cloning" and "psychic grafting" to replicate a six-level Soaring Sky martial artist with the same Yuan Qiao in a short time.]

[Although this artificial human lacks the original's combat experience and will, its hardware foundation is identical to the original's.

With the Empire's vast resources poured into it, it would only take a few hundred years for it to smoothly break through the four major life force index barriers and become a true Star-level powerhouse capable of roaming the stars.]

[Second, humanitarian value.

The Empire's Supreme Academy of Sciences possesses "memory upload" technology.

If, after a martial artist's death, the memory data stream stored in their brain can be extracted in time and fully uploaded to the subspace network cloud, and then combined with the humanoid technology mentioned in the first point, it is theoretically possible to achieve the "conceptual rebirth" of that martial artist.]

Seeing this, Qin Feng's pupils suddenly contracted, and a storm of emotions surged within him.

Rebirth?

This word, which existed only in myths and legends, could actually be realized by the Empire's technology?

He couldn't help but press further: "Hammer, are you sure? That's just a stored memory data stream. Can a replica with the same memories and the same body truly be considered 'rebirth'? Is that still the same person?"

This question seemed to touch upon a deeper, more essential boundary between philosophy and technological ethics.

Hammer, who usually answered without hesitation, actually experienced a rare lag of over ten seconds.

Qin Feng could clearly "see" that in the background of the subspace network, his S-level intelligent assistant was using terrifying computational power to frantically sift through and compare the vast amounts of data on topics like "soul," "consciousness," and "rebirth" from the Empire's public and encrypted forums.

Countless viewpoints, countless theories, countless debates clashed fiercely within its data core.

After a long while, Hammer finally gave a new reply, and its voice seemed to carry a hint more uncertainty than before.

[Master, there is no standard answer to your question.]

[From a purely "data stream," "atomic structure," and "psychic structure" perspective, yes. The Empire can achieve 100% perfect replication, with no difference in body or memory from the original. On this level, it can be called "rebirth."]

[But...]

Hammer's tone took a clear turn.

[From a higher-dimensional perspective such as "spiritual essence" and "subspace soul projection," a replica is, after all, just a replica.

It possesses everything of the original, except for the original's unique "soul."

Therefore, on this level, it is not the same person.]

[In summary, life remains precious. Death remains irreversible. At least, within the currently known scope of technology, this is the case.]

After listening to Hammer's dialectical explanation, Qin Feng slowly nodded, and the shock in his heart gradually subsided.

In the end, the so-called "rebirth" was merely a replica.

True death was still the end.

Just then, Hammer's next piece of information came through, making Qin Feng's eyes suddenly light up.

[However, sir, for heroes who have made great contributions to the Empire and are extremely loyal, death may not be the end.]

[If you are loyal enough, after you die fighting for the Empire, your soul will have the opportunity, under guidance, to return to the "Golden Throne," where it will be purified and reshaped, and ultimately reborn through reincarnation.]

[In this form of rebirth, you will not retain any memories of your past life, but your soul essence will be preserved.]

"The Golden Throne..."

Qin Feng's heart skipped a beat, and he asked instinctively, "Is that the Emperor's throne?"

[Yes, master.]

Hammer's voice carried an indescribable, supreme reverence, as if etched into the very core of its code.

[Our greatest and most sacred Emperor, in order to protect all of human civilization, voluntarily sacrificed his freedom, forever enshrining his body and soul upon the Golden Throne.]

[It is precisely because of the Emperor's great sacrifice that his boundless, universe-like psychic energy forms an indestructible "reality barrier," preventing the will of the four evil gods deep within the subspace from ever truly projecting their bodies into our real world.]

[It is also because the Emperor sits upon the Golden Throne that he can use his own will to control the vast subspace network covering the entire Empire's territory.

This allows us humans to conduct safe and convenient subspace transmissions anywhere within the Empire's domain.]

And yet those alien races can never, within our domain, execute any large-scale, strategic warp jumps.】

【This is a forced, a reluctant choice.】

Hammer’s voice grew somewhat low.

【The Emperor sits enthroned above, turning himself into a cage, and also into a beacon.

By his own confinement, he has bought the entire human empire’s domain an unshakable fortress lasting eons.】

【In truth, my lord, looking across the whole cosmos, our human empire, among the myriad races of the universe, remains in a precarious state—nay, one might say, on the brink of collapse.】

……

Listening to Hammer’s account, Qin Feng fell silent.

A feeling, immensely heavy yet fiercely solemn, surged within his chest.

He seemed to see, on that distant Holy Terra, upon that cold and resplendent Golden Throne, a solitary saint, for ten thousand years as one day, using his own body to prop up a crumbling sky for the entire civilization.

So it was that peace and tranquility were never a given.

Only because someone, in a place you cannot see, bore all the darkness and weight for you.

Qin Feng slowly exhaled, his gaze becoming unwaveringly resolute.

He must grow stronger.

Stronger still!

Only by possessing enough power could he protect all he wished to guard, and contribute his own strength to this storm-tossed empire!

Just then, a sharp chime interrupted his thoughts.

【Captain, your team recruitment is complete!】

【“Linzhou” (Vitality Index 1510) has joined your team.】

【“Karlo” (Vitality Index 1550) has joined your team.】

【“Yulin” (Vitality Index 1580) has joined your team.】

【The team is full. Please contact your members as soon as possible to discuss the mission.】

Gazing at the three joining notifications on the light screen, a satisfied smile spread across Qin Feng’s face.

The strength of these three new teammates was quite impressive, fully meeting his expectations.

Without delay, he sent a group message to the three new teammates.

【Hello, mission teammates. I am Captain Qin Feng. Let’s meet in half an hour at the plaza in front of the ‘Fearless Warhost’ headquarters building. Any issues?】

Soon, the replies came one after another.

【“Linzhou”: Received, Captain.】

【“Karlo”: Received, Captain..】

【“Yulin”: Received, Captain.】

Seeing the replies, Qin Feng hesitated no longer. He stood up, turned, and walked toward the teleportation array outside the dormitory.

It was time to meet his new teammates and then embark on his first battle since emerging from seclusion!

……

And at the same moment Qin Feng set out for the Fearless Warhost headquarters,

on the other side, Xiong Yanfu, Lei Meng, and Tie Mu, having just ended their gathering, returned to their team dormitory.

Xiong Yanfu plopped down onto the sofa, gulped a mouthful of water, and then eagerly opened his personal terminal to send a message to Shi Dang.

“Brother Dang! How’s your rest? When are we going to pull off another big one? I just saw a new purge mission with an incredibly rich reward on the task list!”

After the message was sent, it took a while before Shi Dang’s reply came belatedly.

“Brothers, sorry. I’ve made huge progress recently and need to go into seclusion for a few months to adapt to my surging strength. I won’t be able to go on missions with you for a while.”

Seeing this reply, Xiong Yanfu felt a bit disappointed, but more than that, he was happy for his brother.

“……”

He quickly replied: “No worries, no worries! Your business comes first! Focus on your seclusion! We’ll wait for you! When you come out, we’ll go slaughter together again!”

“Good!”

With that simple reply, Shi Dang’s avatar went completely dark.

Xiong Yanfu chuckled, closed the communication, and said to Lei Meng and Tie Mu beside him: “Brother Dang is improving fast. Looks like we need to step up our game too—can’t let him leave us too far behind!”

(End of chapter)