Chapter 198: Wu Yue Shocked! Cousin Horrified, What a Strong Big Brother!

Chapter 198: Wu Yue Shaken! Cousins Awestruck, How Mighty Is Big Brother! Qin Feng Charges into the Top Hundred Thousand

Boom, boom, boom—

The clamor brought by nearly a hundred sixth-rank martial artists charging simultaneously was utterly terrifying.

The ground trembled, the air shrieked.

Those figures, each cloaked in towering fury, converged from all directions, instantly sealing off this ancient ruin into an impenetrable encirclement.

Under normal circumstances, faced with such a situation, Qin Feng’s first choice would have been to turn and flee without hesitation, continuing his guerrilla tactics of “advance when the enemy retreats, harass when they tire,” for a formidable expert lurked in the distance.

But now, things were different.

He glanced at the two cousins beside him, who had just been reunited after a long separation, their faces still alight with excitement and joy.

Qin Feng could not bring himself to flee disgracefully again in front of his own brothers.

Moreover, he had not seen Wang Hao and Wang Jie for decades; there was so much to say, so much to catch up on.

“Very well.”

Qin Feng’s gaze slowly turned cold and sharp. “Since I can’t avoid it, there’s no need to hide anymore.”

He had made up his mind.

As for that top-tier expert lurking in the shadows, watching with predatory intent… Qin Feng was wary, but not afraid.

With his killing technique at the ‘Perfection’ realm and his terrifyingly robust physical foundation far surpassing his peers, he reckoned that even if that expert were much stronger than Qin Yonglin, there was no way they could defeat him.

It would just cost him some time in gathering resources.

Just as Qin Feng tightened his grip on the [Raging Waves] spear, ready to strike and “cleanse” these reckless pursuers with overwhelming force—

A clear, confident voice rang out before his.

“Everyone.”

The tall, coldly elegant female martial artist—Wu Yue—stepped forward, placing herself in front of Qin Feng.

The long, slender saber in her hand remained sheathed, but a powerful, condensed aura began to rise from her.

Her gaze swept calmly over the aggressive martial artists surrounding them, and she spoke in a tone that brooked no argument: “Do me a favor. Let today’s matter end here. All grudges are wiped clean. How about it?”

Her words reached every ear clearly.

A momentary stir passed through the encirclement.

Clearly, the unguarded aura of a strong woman like Wu Yue made many hesitate.

But soon, that hesitation was replaced by stronger anger and resentment.

“Do you a favor? Who do you think you are?!”

From the crowd, a hot-tempered, burly man wielding a giant axe jumped out first. He pointed the axe at Qin Feng, who was shielded behind Wu Yue, and cursed loudly: “Do you know how many resource packs this bastard has snatched from us today alone?!

This guy is a locust living off robbery! He learned some footwork and thinks he’s invincible. Now you say one word and expect us to let it go? And you’re protecting him? On what grounds?!”

Before he finished, unable to contain his rage, he stomped hard, charging like an enraged bull, swinging his giant axe down at Wu Yue’s head!

Facing this powerful blow, Wu Yue’s face showed no ripple.

Clang!

A clear, crisp ring of a blade!

No one saw how she drew her saber.

All they saw was a flash of blindingly fast, space-tearing saber light—gone in an instant!

Just one exchange!

The burly man’s giant axe was knocked flying, and he himself was sent stumbling backward by an irresistible force, a deep, bone-deep gash left on his combat suit’s chest.

Had Wu Yue not turned the blade at the last moment, using only the flat, the man would have been slain outright!

Even so, the burly man was defeated, left to wait for the referee martial artist to take him away.

Such was the power of a single strike!

In an instant, it cowed everyone present who had been itching to act.

Qin Feng’s gaze also sharpened on Wu Yue.

“Life force index… eighteen thousand points, already at the ‘First Great Limit.’ Her fourth-rank saber technique has reached the ‘Great Achievement’ realm.”

With one glance, Qin Feng saw through Wu Yue’s true strength.

This woman was decent.

But to break into the top hundred thousand? Hard!

Only with a killing technique at the Perfection realm and a life force index at the First Great Limit could one be considered a solid contender for the top hundred thousand.

Just then, Wang Hao and Wang Jie also stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Wu Yue.

Wang Hao gripped an alloy spear similar in make to Qin Feng’s.

Wang Jie drew a heavy, murderous-looking saber.

The two brothers released their auras simultaneously.

Qin Feng sensed them: their life force indices were both around twelve thousand points, though their killing technique realms seemed far inferior to Wu Yue’s, probably still at the ‘Minor Achievement’ stage.

Seeing these three suddenly appearing experts, especially the unfathomable strength of Wu Yue at the lead, the nearly a hundred pursuers felt their fury doused like cold water, half extinguished in an instant.

Though they were many, their strength was uneven.

Most had life force indices just over ten thousand points, and their killing techniques were mostly at ‘Minor Achievement.’

If Wu Yue and her companions were only slightly stronger, they would have swarmed without hesitation, overwhelming them with numbers.

But unfortunately, Wu Yue’s life force index had reached the bottleneck of the ‘First Great Limit.’

Such a gap could no longer be bridged by sheer numbers.

The crowd exchanged glances.

In the end, they could only glare venomously at Qin Feng—the instigator of all this, now leisurely watching from behind others—before turning and dispersing reluctantly.

…

With the pursuers gone, the ruins fell silent.

At last, Qin Feng could properly catch up with his two cousins.

“Big brother! I never thought we’d meet here! What a coincidence!”

Wang Hao’s face still brimmed with irrepressible excitement.

“You two lads, you’ve grown taller and stronger.”

Qin Feng smiled, patting their shoulders, his heart full of emotion.

Wu Yue and another steady, silent male martial artist stood nearby, listening without interrupting.

But Wu Yue’s gaze lingered on Qin Feng with a hint of curiosity and scrutiny, sizing him up.

She found it genuinely difficult to reconcile the young man before her eyes, currently pursued by a pack of minor-order execution-path warriors, with the mythic, legendary figure of the "genius eldest brother" described by the Wang brothers, Wang Hao and Wang Jack.

After a brief conversation, Qin Feng finally learned what his two cousins had experienced over the past few years.

As it turned out, following their graduation from Qiming First Martial Arts Advanced High School, both brothers had unexpectedly been recruited by the Duna Starry Sky Martial Arts University.

Furthermore, their direct mentor at Duna Starry Sky Martial Arts University was none other than Zhang Ruyu, the admissions office instructor who, back during the Qiming School League matches, had incessantly sent him all kinds of "harassing" messages in an attempt to scout him.

"That being said, you two boys have progressed quite rapidly in strength."

Looking at their vitality indexes, which had already breached the twelve-thousand-point mark, Qin Feng offered his heartfelt praise.

Though this pace could not compare to his own, they certainly belonged among the ranks of geniuses.

"Hehe, isn't this all thanks to basking in your glory, big brother?"

Wang Jack smiled with a hint of bashfulness. "When we entered Duna, the contract we signed was the highest-level S-class agreement."

In truth, Wang Jack and Wang Hao did not know the full inner workings of the matter.

Back then, out of a momentary lapse of greed and shortsightedness, Zhang Ruyu had missed out on Qin Feng, a top-tier genius who had even received personal care from Zhou Xiong, a black-hole-level powerhouse. Afterward, she had been filled with bittersweet regret.

Upon realizing that it was no longer possible to establish any connection with Qin Feng, the shrewd female mentor immediately turned her gaze toward the brothers Wang Hao and Wang Jack, who were closest to him.

She utilized all her connections and authority to specially recruit the brothers directly into Duna Starry Sky Martial Arts University, granting them the highest-level S-class cultivation contract that far exceeded their own natural talent.

At the time, this had caused no small stir within the Duna Starry Sky Martial Arts University.

Everyone assumed that Wang Hao and Wang Jack possessed some unfathomably terrifying background that even Instructor Zhang Ruyu felt the need to curry favor with.

Zhang Ruyu's logic was simple: since she could not invest directly in Qin Feng himself, she would settle for the next best thing and invest in his closest family members.

This was likewise a gesture of goodwill.

Moreover, the academic model of Duna Starry Sky Martial Arts University was completely different from the brutal, Gu-rearing style of competition found in Canaan.

They placed greater emphasis on the leaning of resources and the all-around cultivation provided by mentors.

It was precisely under this cost-insensitive stacking of resources that the strength of Wang Hao and Wang Jack could achieve such a startling leap.

Just as the group was conversing amiably, with Wu Yue still curiously guessing at Qin Feng's true strength from the side.

A heavy and highly rhythmic sequence of footsteps suddenly sounded, slowly echoing from the shadows of the nearby ruins.

Accompanying the footsteps was a soaring, completely unmasked intent to battle, pure to the ultimate degree!

Those heavy footsteps resembled war drums beating against everyone's hearts, one strike after another.

With each step, the oppressive weight in the air grew by a fraction.

That unvarnished, ultimate and pure intent to battle swept across the entire expanse of the ruins like a physical gale, causing everyone present to feel a prickling sensation on their skin and a tightening in their chest.

Involuntarily, everyone's gaze turned toward the direction from which the battle intent emanated.

Deep within the shadows of the ruins, a burly figure was seen slowly striding forth.

It was a towering, iron-pagoda of a man, standing nearly three meters tall.

His skin possessed a rocky, grayish-brown hue, and his muscles bulged like blocks of granite, brimming with an explosive sense of power.

The contours of his face were hard-edged, and his eyes were like ten-thousand-year-old ice, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, carrying only the most primal desire for combat.

Trailing in his hand was an exaggeratedly massive broadsword, perfectly proportioned to his physique.

The blade of that broadsword dragged along the hard ground, kicking up a long, dazzling trail of sparks and producing a piercing, grating screech.

"It's Shi Cang."

Recognizing the newcomer's face, Wu Yue, who had consistently maintained a calm and confident demeanor, underwent a dramatic shift in expression for the first time. She uttered the name instinctively, her voice laced with an undisguised tinge of shock and wariness.

"Shi Cang?!"

The moment the brothers Wang Hao and Wang Jack heard this name, their expressions also changed drastically. They instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons, adopting defensive stances.

"Do you know him?"

Seeing the three of them acting as though they faced a formidable enemy, Qin Feng asked in puzzlement.

He always felt a sensation as though he were somewhat disconnected from the entire world.

It seemed that whenever a powerhouse emerged from the arena at random, the people around him could list their names and origins as if counting family treasures, while he himself remained like an ill-informed "native," entirely ignorant of these so-called "prominent figures."

"Yes."

Taking a deep breath to forcefully suppress the shock in her heart, Wu Yue quickly explained to Qin Feng, "More than just knowing him. A few years ago, during the 'Galaxy League' held within our Canaan Galaxy, this fellow had already carved out a resounding reputation. He is the top ace of this generation from the 'Bore Starry Sky Martial Arts University,' an absolute battle maniac!"

"The Canaan Galaxy League... what on earth is that again?"

Qin Feng's brow furrowed slightly, feeling that he had missed out on a vast amount of information.

"Ahem,"

Wang Hao gave a slightly awkward dry cough from the side and explained, "Big brother, that... the 'Canaan Galaxy League' is an exchange tournament spontaneously organized among the top one hundred starry sky martial arts universities within our galaxy. Your Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University... because its strength is too overwhelming, has always held the top spot securely, so it seems they have never deigned to participate in this kind of competition. Basically, no one from your school shows up for any session of the tournament."

"So that's how it is."

Qin Feng nodded, finally understanding the situation.

"Big brother, you must be absolutely careful!"

Wang Jack's expression was incredibly solemn. He stared fixedly at Shi Cang, who was approaching step by step, introducing the opponent's intelligence at a rapid pace. "Right now, his fourth-order execution path is estimated to have reached the 'perfection' realm! Furthermore, what makes him most terrifying is not his execution path, but his lineage!"

"He is a half-breed of the 'Stone People' and humans! His physical potential is naturally far beyond that of ordinary folk, roughly equivalent to a 'Tier III' among our gold-standard humans!"

"A Stone Person half-breed?"

Qin Feng's brow twitched slightly.

This phrase seemed like a keyword, instantly striking a long-dormant switch within his body.

"Correct!"

Wang Jack continued, "Because his physical potential is extremely high, what he is best at using are heavy, sweeping weapons like horse-slaying sabers and broadswords. The execution path he practices is also the kind of pure path that shatters cleverness with sheer force! Facing him head-on will put one at a severe disadvantage!"

However, Wang Jack's warning seemed to have the opposite effect.

The phrase "Stone Person half-breed" acted precisely like a switch.

Boom!!!

An aura even more terrifying, more rampant, and more pure than that of Shi Cang erupted like a volcanic explosion, violently soaring into the sky from within Qin Feng's body!

His battle intent, which had remained dormant for an entire day, was completely ignited at this very moment!

The "premium essence aperture" within his body was activated in an instant like a sun!

Boundless spiritual energy, like a river bursting its banks, spewed forth from the essence aperture, instantly flooding his limbs and bones!

The pores across his entire body opened fully in an instant, unexpectedly invoking the free-floating energy in the surrounding space on their own accord, forming a visible halo of spiritual energy that ebbed and flowed like a tide around his body!

Clang!

The blue-black, sixth-grade alloy long spear, Torrent, was violently drawn from his subspace storage unit and gripped tightly in his hand!

At this moment, Qin Feng resembled an ancient god or demon awakening from a deep slumber. Simply by standing there, the world-destroying aura of danger he exuded caused the faces of Wang Hao, Wang Jack, Wu Yue, and the other male warrior standing beside him to turn pale in an instant!

"!!!"

Wu Yue's pupils contracted to the absolute limit at this very instant!

A primal dread, born of life's rawest instinct, flooded their souls like an icy tide, drowning their minds in an instant!

They would die!

An incomparably sharp, overwhelmingly intense thought exploded within Wu Yue’s mind!

They shared an agonizingly potent premonition: if they were the ones standing before Qin Feng at this moment, confronted by this despairingly terrifying aura, they wouldn't even summon the courage to draw their weapons!

Was this... the true strength of the "genius elder brother" the two siblings had spoken of?!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The hearts of the four were seized violently as if by an invisible, massive hand, beating erratically and so furiously they threatened to burst from their chests!

...

"Heh heh heh..."

Faced with this earth-shattering eruption of momentum from Qin Feng, Shi Cang, who was advancing step by step, showed not a shred of fear; instead, a twisted, ecstatic smile cracked across his eternally frozen, glacial visage.

"To possess such power..."

His voice was raspy, sounding like two massive boulders grinding against one another, "Why refuse to fight? Why hide from me?"

Slowly, he raised the slab-like broadsword in his hand, its tip pointing toward Qin Feng from afar.

"Come, fight!!!"

"Fine!"

Qin Feng responded with but a single word.

The instant the word left his lips, he moved!

A lunging step!

A heavy thrust!

The ruined ground beneath his feet shattered instantly as he transformed into a bolt of black lightning ripping through the air, the spear Wutao in his grip carrying his peak-surging battle intent and might—along with his flawless 'Mental Power-Psionic Convergence Module'—as it lunged fiercely toward Shi Cang’s chest!

"Roar!!!"

Shi Cang unleashed an inhuman roar, his burly frame likewise exploding forward as his slab-like broadsword, utterly devoid of technique, swung down violently against Qin Feng's spear tip in a primal, savage manner, carrying a terrifying force capable of cleaving mountains!

Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!

Spear and blade collided violently in midair!

In that split second, what erupted was not the crisp ring of clashing metal, but a deafening, terrifying roar akin to the simultaneous detonation of millions of tons of explosives!

A visible, white ring of shockwave rippled out frantically in all directions with their point of impact at its center, tearing through everything in a catastrophic surge!

Wherever it passed, ruined temple stone pillars dozens of meters high collapsed and shattered instantly, like building blocks swept aside by a giant’s hand!

Boulders weighing countless tons were swept into the sky, only to be instantaneously pulverized into fine dust by the raging energy!

The surrounding ancient trees, wide enough to require a dozen men to span, were snapped cleanly at their midsections like fragile straw, falling in massive swathes!

"Retreat, quickly!!!"

Wu Yue shrieked, frantically pulling Wang Hao, who was closest to her, as she surged backward in a desperate retreat!

On the other side, Wang Jie and the male martial artist were likewise scared out of their wits by this sudden aftermath of battle, which completely transcended their understanding, and fled toward the distance.

Too terrifying!

This was simply a clash on an entirely different level!

They were sixth-tier martial artists as well, yet before the mere ripples generated by these two combatants, they were as fragile as ants!

All suspicion and disdain had vanished from Wu Yue's eyes, replaced instead by endless shock and horror.

She finally understood that the "legends" Wang Hao and Wang Jie had shared regarding Qin Feng were not exaggerated in the slightest; if anything... they had been too modest, far understating his true worth!

...

At the center of the battlefield, terrifying sounds of collision echoed continuously.

The battle between Qin Feng and Shi Cang had plunged into a state of absolute white-heat!

Neither held back in the slightest; every move was their strongest, most lethal strike!

Qin Feng fought with eyes bloodshot, unleashing the full repertoire of his arts without reservation!

Streaming Light Shadow Chase!

Wind and Thunder Shadow Chase!

Rout of a Thousand Armies!

And his ultimate technique, Qianyuan, which already possessed the rudimentary form of 'One Mind, Three Uses'!

He infused the martial intent of the Qianyuan fist technique into his spearplay, each strike carrying an ethereal, profoundly vast and majestic concept!

Yet, Shi Cang was indeed an unadulterated powerhouse!

Faced with Qin Feng’s tempestuous onslaught, he actually managed to endure it through sheer brute force!

The slab-like broadsword in his hands danced seamlessly to form an airtight defense, each block erupting with staggering power!

The commotion of their clash was simply too immense.

Before long, it drew more and more contestants who were active in the vicinity. After a single minute, the periphery of these ruins was densely packed with thousands of martial artists who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

They were drawn by the tremors of the battle, and equally lured by the red dot on the map representing Qin Feng, the 'Moving Treasury.'

But now, as they witnessed with their own eyes the two figures fighting like gods and demons, tearing heaven and earth asunder, every single face was frozen in sheer, unadulterated horror.

As if by unspoken agreement, they halted their steps several kilometers away from the center of the battlefield, not daring to draw a fraction closer for fear of being consumed by the rampaging aftershocks of the combat.

Any notions of taking advantage of the chaos vanished into thin air at this very moment.

...

The battle raged on.

Three minutes later, this ancient ruin spanning several kilometers had been utterly flattened into a wasteland by Qin Feng and Shi Cang!

The ground everywhere was scarred with bottomless craters and intersecting blade gouges.

And Shi Cang, at last, could hold on no longer.

Though his strength was immense, what he cultivated was, in the end, merely the pure Dao of Brute Force.

Qin Feng, however, not only possessed a more terrifying potential derived from the 'Starry Sky Behemoth,' but also wielded exquisite, lethal techniques that had reached the realm of 'Perfection'!

Bang—!

Yet another earth-shattering collision!

Shi Cang’s broadsword and Qin Feng’s spear tip slammed into one another once more!

This time, Qin Feng's violent, spiraling energy, imbued with the intent of Qianyuan, tore forth frantically along the spear tip like a bursting flood!

Crack... Crack...

Amidst a grating sound of fracturing, the broadsword forged from a specialized alloy actually cracked inch by inch, finally exploding into a sky full of metallic shards with a tragic wail as it succumbed to the unbearable weight!

"Pfft!"

Shi Cang himself, as if struck by lightning, suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood, his entire body like a kite with its string cut, flying backward dozens of meters to dissipate the devastating force that had invaded him.

Shi Cang, defeated!

While his body was still in midair, a soft white light enveloped him, instantly teleporting him out of the arena.

The entire world fell silent in an instant.

Only Qin Feng remained, like a god or demon, holding his long spear, standing proudly atop the ruins.

The thousands of surrounding martial artists, watching this shocking scene, fell into a deathly silence.

After a moment, they silently, without a word, turned and left.

Not a single one harbored any further covetous thoughts toward that "mobile treasure trove."

His strength was simply too great.

There was no possibility of resistance!

The thousands of onlookers drawn by the spectacle, in silent shock, quietly withdrew, not daring to linger in this place.

Soon, this leveled battlefield was left with only Qin Feng and his group.

Qin Feng slowly put away his [Raging Waves] spear, and the overbearing, demonic aura that had radiated from him also receded into his body, restoring his calm, unruffled demeanor.

He turned and walked back to his two cousins, who were already staring in stunned amazement.

"Big brother..."

Wang Hao and Wang Jie looked at Qin Feng approaching them, their eyes filled with fervent worship!

They knew their big brother was strong, but they never dreamed he could be this absurdly, unreasonably strong!

That was Shi Cang!

A master ranked among the top in the entire Canaan Star System's Top 100 Martial Arts University League!

And yet, under their big brother's hands, he couldn't even last three minutes before being crushed head-on, his weapon shattered!

"Big brother! What a spear!"

In the end, a thousand words turned into Wang Jie's heartfelt, simplest, and most direct praise.

"Hahaha..."

Hearing his cousin's compliment, the coldness and killing intent on Qin Feng's face completely faded, replaced by a genuine, hearty laugh.

He laughed and patted Wang Jie on the shoulder, then, as if recalling some long-buried amusing memory, a mischievous glint flashed in his eyes, and he asked:

"By the way, speaking of which, you two, when you graduated from Qiming No.1 High, did you ever challenge the afterimage I left in the school's private Spirit Hall?"

"Afterimage?"

Wang Jie was startled, then scratched his head a bit sheepishly. "Big brother, in my graduation year, I wasn't strong enough to get first place in my grade, so I wasn't qualified to challenge. But... Wang Hao did challenge it."

Qin Feng's gaze instantly shifted to Wang Hao.

Wang Hao's face flushed red under the look. He gazed at Qin Feng and sighed, "Big brother... don't even mention it. I couldn't beat it. Simply couldn't."

"Hahaha—!"

Hearing this expected answer, Qin Feng couldn't hold back any longer and burst into even more unrestrained laughter.

Back then, when he was about to leave Qiming No.1 High upon graduation, he had challenged the afterimage of Sun Chantang in the school's private Spirit Hall and left behind his own battle recording.

At that time, he had wondered if, one day in the future, his two younger brothers would have the chance to stand before that afterimage and challenge the him of the past.

And indeed, that's how it turned out.

This feeling was very strange.

As if crossing vast stretches of time and space, he held a silent conversation with his past self and his growing family.

Wu Yue and the male martial artist beside her had long since put away all their contempt and doubt, standing quietly to the side.

They now finally understood that everything Wang Hao and Wang Jie had said before was not flattery but the truth.

Especially the male martial artist, whose mind was now racing.

His eyes sparkled with cunning as he kept signaling Wang Hao and Wang Jie with his gaze, hoping they would seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask Qin Feng to stay.

Are you kidding!

With such a god of slaughter-level master on their team, they could easily stabilize their entry into the top 100,000—everything would become effortless!

This was the thickest golden thigh falling from the sky!

Yet, to his great astonishment, after briefly catching up with Qin Feng, the brothers Wang Hao and Wang Jie showed no intention of asking him to stay.

"Big brother,"

Wang Jie looked at Qin Feng with an extremely serious expression, "Go do your own thing, grab more resources. We won't hold you back."

"Meeting you in the arena this time and seeing your current strength has reignited a stronger drive in us to catch up. We brothers will definitely be more disciplined and train harder in martial arts from now on, and we won't disgrace you!"

Wang Hao looked at Qin Feng and said solemnly, "I feel the same."

"Good."

Qin Feng looked at their eyes, full of determination and resolve, and nodded with satisfaction.

He didn't offer to stay and bring them along to advance.

Some paths must ultimately be walked alone.

Some hurdles must be crossed by one's own strength.

In that moment, the brothers reached a wordless understanding.

Qin Feng gave them a deep look, then nodded to Wu Yue and the male martial artist as a greeting. Without any further delay, he moved, transforming into a streak of light, and vanished at the end of the ruins.

...

When Qin Feng's figure had completely disappeared, the male martial artist could no longer contain his anxiety and confusion. He hurried over to Wang Jie and Wang Hao and asked angrily:

"Jie! Hao! How... how could you just let him go like that?!"

"Why didn't you ask him to stay? With your big brother here, our team entering the top 100,000 would be as easy as eating and drinking! How could you let such a good opportunity slip away?!"

Facing his teammate's accusation, Wang Jie didn't waver at all.

He turned around and, with an unprecedented seriousness, countered: "Senior Li Ang, if this were a real battlefield of ten thousand races, a place of life and death where we had to fight for the only resource, then I believe my big brother would absolutely stay to protect us without hesitation."

"But what is this place?"

Wang Jie's gaze swept over the chaotic battlefield.

"This is the best training ground carefully prepared for us younger generation by the Limit Warrior Corps under the guise of the 'Starry Cup'! It's a place to cultivate true warriors!"

"What use is it to rely on others' protection, to cheat and sneak into the top 100,000? Is it just to stand on that grand stage in the top 100,000 competition, only to be defeated in one move and become a laughingstock?"

Wang Hao didn't speak, but he silently stood by his brother's side, his firm gaze showing his stance.

Wu Yue, after hearing Wang Jie's words, a glint of approval and admiration flashed in her eyes.

She nodded lightly and said in a cool voice:

"That's the truth."

Seeing this, the male martial artist named "Li Ang" turned pale and flushed by turns. Finally, he let out a long sigh, a look of shame spreading across his face.

"...You're right."

He reflected seriously for a moment, then spoke solemnly: "I was too fixated. Thank you for the reminder."

The brief reunion with Wang Hao and Wang Jie gave Qin Feng's taut battle instincts a moment of respite.

But after they parted, he once again transformed into the most efficient and ruthless "hunter" on this vast battlefield.

Without the burden of family nearby, nor the lurking gaze of hidden experts, he completely unleashed himself.

His pattern of action still revolved around the constantly refreshing "resource packs" on the map.

But unlike his earlier "petty theft" of only snatching the lowest-grade resource packs, he was now far more direct and far more dominant.

...

Three days later, in a karst landscape corroded into a pockmarked ruin by acid rain.

A faintly gleaming silver-white alloy box hovered silently atop a hundred-meter-tall stone pillar.

Below the pillar, over a dozen sixth-level martial artists of considerable strength were locked in a fierce and chaotic battle over this resource pack.

Just then, a figure, like a meteor falling from the sky, crashed into the center of the battlefield with an unstoppable force!

It was Qin Feng.

He made no attempt to conceal himself, nor did he launch any sneak attack.

He simply descended, openly and imposingly, like a sovereign before all present.

The [Raging Waves] spear in his hand pointed at everyone in the vicinity.

A terrifying aura, almost tangible, erupted from him and swept across the area!

All the martial artists present were shaken to their core by this sudden turn of events and the overbearing presence of Qin Feng, frozen in place, none daring to move.

"Playing tricks! Everyone, attack together! Eliminate him!"

After a brief silence, a martial artist who refused to believe rallied his courage and charged at Qin Feng with a roar.

One followed, then another, and another...

But what awaited them was a battle with no suspense.

Qin Feng didn't even use the "Attack Step." He stood still, his [Raging Waves] spear turning into a scythe of death.

In less than ten seconds, all those who had charged first were eliminated.

The remaining few, who had hesitated, saw this effortless slaughter and dared not harbor any greed, fleeing madly into the distance.

The entire battlefield was cleared in an instant.

Only then did Qin Feng leisurely rise into the air, claiming the resource pack atop the stone pillar.

...

As time passed, Qin Feng's style grew increasingly bold and aggressive.

He was no longer satisfied with the lowest-grade resource packs worth ten thousand contribution points.

His focus gradually shifted to the tiny red dots on the map, representing higher-level resources.

Some of these resource packs were worth fifty thousand contribution points and contained advanced psionic potions.

Of course, the higher the grade, the more terrifying the competitors drawn to them.

Those with the qualifications and courage to vie for these advanced resources were invariably the top-tier elites of the competition.

Their life force indices were almost never below fifteen thousand points.

The fourth-level killing techniques they practiced had at least reached the "Great Mastery" stage.

Some, like Shi Cang and Qin Yonglin, had even reached the "First Great Limit" of eighteen thousand life force points and mastered a fourth-level killing technique to "Perfection."

In battles against these peers, Qin Feng endured several bloody fights.

But the outcome never changed.

He always emerged victorious.

The reason was simple: his physical body was simply too terrifying.

In peak confrontations where both sides had eighteen thousand life force points and perfected killing techniques, Qin Feng's monstrous physique, with its potential akin to a "Star Beast," and the all-around boost from his "Supreme Acupoints," gave him an overwhelming advantage.

His strength was several times that of his opponents.

His speed was several times theirs.

His endurance and recovery were also several times greater!

With such absolute dominance in raw power, and his own killing techniques no less formidable, one expert after another could only fall in defeat, turning into white light and becoming another stepping stone beneath Qin Feng's fearsome reputation.

...

Time flew by in this endless cycle of battle and hunting.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

His name had become a terrifying legend known to every participant in the sixth-level martial artist division.

He was a walking "super treasure trove" and a "mobile calamity" that all contestants desperately avoided.

Over this month, his gains were staggering.

The various advanced psionic potions, mental recovery potions, and rare cultivation resources he had collected amounted to a total value approaching a terrifying five hundred thousand contribution points!

This fortune would drive most students wild.

Meanwhile, the psionic barrier enveloping the entire arena had shrunk from the distant horizon to a very small area.

All surviving martial artists were herded by this merciless "safe zone" into the same region, their distances from one another becoming unprecedentedly close.

The frequency of battles reached its peak.

But later, Qin Feng found it increasingly difficult to find opponents willing to fight him.

Whenever anyone on the map saw his iconic, massive red dot approaching, they would flee like ghosts, choosing to detour at the first opportunity, denying him any chance to engage.

His infamy was absolute.

Of course, Qin Feng could also clearly sense that within this compressed battlefield, there still existed some extremely formidable auras that even made his heart tremble.

Some of these auras belonged to individuals who had mastered several different fourth-level killing techniques to "Perfection," able to switch between them effortlessly.

Even more astonishingly, Qin Feng had once sensed from afar a sword-wielding expert whose killing moves during combat vaguely bore the embryonic form of "One Mind, Nine Uses," just a hair's breadth away from a true fifth-level killing technique!

These were the true monsters at the pyramid's peak in this qualifier.

They had seized vast amounts of resources, their red dots even larger than Qin Feng's.

"Ning Jing and the others... they've probably been eliminated by now."

Qin Feng sat alone atop a mountain peak, gazing down at the land below, where fires of battle burned everywhere, and let out a sigh.

He had tried to contact Long Yu, Nissan, and Ning Jing, but there was never any response on his personal terminal.

In the competition, this usually meant only one thing—they had been teleported out.

As for Wang Jie and Wang Hao, I'm afraid... the same goes for them.

This bloody selection, with billions of participants, was far too cruel.

To carve a bloody path out of this meat grinder and firmly squeeze into the top hundred thousand, the eighteen thousand vitality points of the "First Great Limit" and the fourth-level killing techniques of the "Perfection" realm had almost become a "basic necessity" configuration.

Failing to meet any one of these would almost certainly lead to ruthless elimination in the increasingly frequent and high-intensity encounters of the later stages.

Just then, that majestic and icy electronic synthesized voice finally, for the last time, resounded across the entire sky.

[The number of remaining contestants on the field has reached one hundred thousand.]

[The official competition is over.]

[Congratulations to all surviving contestants. You have successfully advanced to the next round.]

The moment the voice fell, gentle beams of white light descended from the sky, enveloping Qin Feng and all the other final hundred thousand victors still remaining on this battlefield.

In the next instant, the light flashed.

The entire bloody battlefield was instantly empty of people.

Opening his eyes again, Qin Feng found himself back in that plain space.

[Please take three days to rest and recuperate, then proceed to the Top Hundred Thousand Arena.]

[Congratulations to all for receiving the competition reward: one month of enlightenment time at the Ultimate Dao Insight Stele.]

[...]

(End of this chapter)