Chapter 199: Gaining Experience! Extreme Enlightenment Monument! Meeting Shi Dang Again!

Chapter 199: Seeing the World! The Extreme Enlightenment Stele! Meeting Shi Dang Again!

Meanwhile, in the distant Qiming Star.

Inside the VIP box on the top floor of the "Qiming Observation" building.

When the earth-shattering battle on the holographic screen finally came to an end, and when Qin Feng's figure reappeared beside the brothers Wang Hao and Wang Jie, Qin Dahai, Wang Ming, and Li Juan, who had been on tenterhooks, finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"This child... this child..."

Qin Dahai gazed at the screen, at his son laughing and chatting with his cousins, his face brimming with unrestrained joy. His eyes grew a little moist, and he murmured the words over and over, momentarily at a loss for what else to say.

He only knew that his son had truly grown up.

He had grown into a towering tree.

"Wonderful, wonderful..."

Beside him, Li Juan dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, her face full of gratified smiles. "Look, Xiao Feng, A Hao, and A Jie—they get along so well. No rift has formed because of the gap in their strength."

"Yes," Wang Ming said, his voice thick with emotion. He watched the harmonious, joyful scene of brotherly affection on the screen, and a heavy stone finally lifted from his heart.

"What we feared most was that the children, as they grew, would become proud and forget their roots. Now it seems we worried for nothing."

As elders, what they most wished to see was harmony and mutual support among the younger generation.

And now, the scene on the screen had given them the best answer.

Qin Feng, Wang Hao, and Wang Jie—these three children, setting aside their dazzling martial talents, were at heart good kids who understood reason, knew right from wrong, and valued loyalty and friendship.

This was enough to prove that the family education they had poured their hearts into during the children's early years had been successful, without any flaw.

For parents, this was perhaps even more gratifying than any earth-shattering achievement their children might attain.

...

The scene returned to the Star Cup competition zone.

All one hundred thousand victorious contestants who had advanced appeared in a vast, pure white rest space.

The system prompt sounded at the right moment.

[Congratulations to all contestants on successfully advancing to the top 100,000. ]

[You will have twenty-four hours of rest time to recover your stamina, treat your injuries, and organize the resources obtained during the month-long preliminaries. ]

[After twenty-four hours, you will be uniformly teleported to the next round's venue. ]

Qin Feng found a corner, sat cross-legged, and began to tally his terrifying gains over the past month, while silently recovering from the exhaustion brought on by the consecutive battles.

Time passed quickly.

When the rest period ended, everyone was teleported again.

This time, they appeared aboard massive passenger aircraft.

The aircraft pierced through the clouds and finally landed on another, even more magnificent arena suspended high above the planet.

This was a giant circular coliseum capable of holding hundreds of millions of spectators.

In the center of the arena, tens of thousands of energy-constructed platforms stood densely, glowing with a faint white light.

Around the platforms, the spectator seats rose layer upon layer, towering like mountain ranges.

The entire scene bore a resemblance to the finals venue of the "Canaan Rookie Cup" that Qin Feng had once participated in, but its scale was hundreds of times grander.

"Finally... it feels like a real tournament."

Qin Feng stepped off the aircraft, looking at the familiar yet spectacular sight, and thought to himself.

He raised his head, scanning the towering stands.

Soon, in one section, he spotted several familiar figures.

Long Yu, Nissan, Ning Jing, and also Wang Hao, Wang Jie, Wu Yue... They were all sitting there, evidently having been unfortunately eliminated in the preliminaries.

When their eyes met Qin Feng's in the air, they all gave him encouraging smiles and waved vigorously.

Qin Feng nodded slightly in return.

His gaze continued upward, and he noticed that in the higher, better-viewed VIP boxes, many terrifying presences sat, their auras as deep as the ocean.

There were lead mentors from various Star Martial Arts Universities, observers from major powers, and even a few figures whose mere presence caused the surrounding space to warp faintly.

Those were Black Hole-level powerhouses, surpassing the Galaxy level!

"Top 100,000, first round, begins now!"

At the referee's command, a matchmaking box popped up on every contestant's personal terminal.

[Randomly selecting your opponent...]

[Selection complete.]

[Your opponent: Lei Qianjue (Linhe Galaxy - Thunder God Star Martial Arts University)]

[Your match platform: No. 7834]

Qin Feng glanced at his opponent's information, hesitated not a moment, and with a flicker of his form, turned into a streak of light, landing precisely on the designated platform No. 7834.

Almost as he landed, an equally swift figure appeared at the other end of the platform.

It was a young man with a slender build, a cold expression, and wearing a black combat suit.

In his hand, he held an oddly shaped, pitch-black long blade. His entire being exuded a terrifying, razor-sharp aura, like a divine weapon drawn from its sheath.

[Upper Grade Yuanqiao].

Qin Feng took one look and judged the foundation of his opponent.

Yet what truly made Qin Feng cautious was the killing intent within the man—though restrained, it was as vast and unfathomable as an ocean!

"Match, begin!"

The referee's voice was like a starting gun.

The moment the words fell, Lei Qianjue across from him moved!

No probing, no flourishes.

He simply took one step forward, then swung his blade.

Shhh—!!!

A jet-black, terrifying blade light, as if capable of swallowing all light, instantly tore through space and slashed down toward Qin Feng's head!

Too fast!

Fast to the extreme!

But what was truly terrifying was not its speed, but the incredibly complex yet perfectly fused spiritual energy-psychic power aggregation contained within that single strike!

One mind... nine uses!

Qin Feng's pupils contracted to the size of pinpricks!

In the instant he unleashed that slash, the opponent's spiritual energy and psychic power had simultaneously undergone nine distinct modules of flawless aggregated operation!

The power of this single strike had already far surpassed the scope of ordinary fourth-level killing techniques!

[Qian Yuan]!

Facing this earth-shattering blow, Qin Feng dared not show the slightest negligence. He pushed his physical strength—comparable to the potential of a "Star Beast"—to its absolute limit.

At the same time, he poured all his will, his strongest killing intent, into the [Raging Tide] long spear in his hand. Without dodging or retreating, he charged forward fiercely!

Boom—!!!

Blade and spear clashed once more!

But this time, the outcome was utterly different!

A terrifying, overwhelming force—one Qin Feng had never experienced before—surged back along the spear shaft like a raging torrent!

Qin Feng felt as if a small meteor, hurtling straight at him, had slammed solidly into his chest!

The immense force sent him staggering backward more than a dozen steps, each step leaving a terrifying footprint half a foot deep in the solid alloy arena!

The tiger's mouth gripping his spear instantly split open, blood streaming down!

On the other side, Lei Qianjue merely swayed slightly, then steadied himself, his face betraying no emotion.

Strong!

Unbelievably strong!

For the next fifteen minutes, Qin Feng was completely trapped in a defensive struggle.

He unleashed his speed, his strength, and his spear technique—which had already reached the "Perfection" realm—to their fullest extent.

[Flowing Light Chasing Shadows], [Wind Thunder Chasing Shadows], [A Thousand Troops Yield]...

Countless exquisite killing moves came to him effortlessly.

But no matter how he struggled or resisted, he could never break through the opponent's terrifying blade curtain, which was as inescapable as a heavenly net and as impenetrable as a fortress!

Every strike from his opponent contained the dreadful power of "Nine Minds in One," dominating Qin Feng in strength, speed, and adaptability alike.

Fifteen minutes later.

With a crisp sound of metal breaking, the sixth-grade alloy spear [Raging Tide] in Qin Feng's hand was knocked away by a single blow from his opponent!

Then, the pitch-black long blade was pressed against Qin Feng's neck.

The icy cold edge sent goosebumps rising across his skin.

[Ring 7834, Lei Qianjue, wins!]

The referee's voice rang out at the perfect moment.

"..."

Qin Feng looked at the long blade resting against his neck, then at the expressionless Lei Qianjue across from him, and finally shook his head in resignation.

He accepted the outcome calmly.

"A bit unlucky."

After being teleported back to the audience stands, only one thought remained in Qin Feng's mind.

He had not lost unjustly.

A fourth-level killing technique capable of "Nine Minds in One" meant that his opponent's mental strength had reached a terrifying level of at least around 50 points!

This was undoubtedly a true veteran, one who had long immersed himself in the sixth-level "Soaring Void" realm.

As for his own mental strength, at most it barely exceeded 10 points.

The gap between them was simply too vast.

The power of a "Nine Minds in One" killing technique was already infinitely close to the realm of true fifth-level techniques.

This level of combat amplification was enough to neutralize—or even surpass—the advantage brought by Qin Feng's terrifying physical foundation.

His luck was too poor.

Based on Qin Feng's month-long observation and perception during the preliminaries,

among the remaining hundred thousand contestants, at most a few thousand could master this "Multi-Mind" killing technique.

And those who could reach the monstrous level of "Nine Minds in One" were even rarer, certainly no more than a hundred.

Yet he had encountered such a monster in the very first round.

Still, despite losing, Qin Feng felt little discouragement.

Because he knew very well that with his strength, even against such a top-tier opponent, he had managed to hold out for a full fifteen minutes before being defeated.

This was enough to prove that his strength was among the absolute elite of the remaining hundred thousand.

If his luck were a little better and he didn't run into such a monster, he had absolute confidence that he could fight his way into the top thousand.

As Qin Feng sat quietly in the audience, watching matches on other rings and waiting for this round to end, his personal terminal suddenly vibrated lightly.

It was a message from Mentor Yu Han.

[Qin Feng, leave the competition area immediately. Take a planetary shuttle and return to the orbital space fortress. Report to Assembly Area A1823, and wait to proceed to the 'Extreme Enlightenment Stele' for meditation.]

[Understood.]

Qin Feng replied with two words, then immediately stood up and swiftly left the bustling arena as instructed.

...

About an hour later, Qin Feng's figure appeared in Assembly Area A1823 of the orbital space fortress.

It was a vast, pure-white space resembling an airport terminal.

When Qin Feng arrived, he found over a thousand other eliminated contestants already gathered there, scattered about.

Clearly, they were all the "unlucky ones" who had been defeated in the first round.

He waited patiently for a while longer.

When all the contestants who had failed to advance to the "Top Ten Thousand Tournament" had gradually arrived,

a Limit Warrior appeared before them, clad in a sky-blue standard power armor, his aura as vast and unfathomable as an abyss.

He spoke no unnecessary words, merely beckoned to the crowd.

"Everyone, board the ship."

They followed him immediately, boarding a strangely shaped silver-gray spacecraft docked at an external port.

The ship started, and in an instant, it entered a subspace transit channel.

When Qin Feng opened his eyes again and looked out through the porthole, he was utterly stunned by the sight before him.

They had arrived in an endless, magnificent deep space of the cosmos.

And directly ahead, a colossal city—too grand and majestic for any words to describe—stood silently within the resplendent river of stars, formed by billions of galaxies, countless nebulae, and vast seas of gas and dust.

This city was simply too immense.

It seemed to be forged from countless galaxies forcibly spliced and fused together, stretching across the universe with no end in sight.

Compared to it, the Canaan Tower, which Qin Feng had once seen and which stood several light-years tall, was like a toothpick—tiny and utterly insignificant.

Anyone suffering from "megalophobia" would likely suffer a mental breakdown the moment they laid eyes on this colossal city!

"This is... one of the great passes of the Corona-Borealis-Hercules Interstellar Wall, the Hercules Pass."

"And also—the home fortress of the Ultramarines Chapter."

Qin Feng swiftly searched the Warp network forum for information about the magnificent giant city before him.

The spacecraft did not directly enter that giant city but docked for a long time at a starport outside the pass.

It wasn't until several hours later that the spacecraft restarted, passed through another short-range Warp portal, and entered the interior of "Hercules Pass."

The scene before them shifted once more.

This time, what appeared before everyone was a group of black stone tablets, unimaginably vast, standing amidst the endless cosmic dust.

The main tablet at the forefront was several times taller than even the Tower of Canaan, reaching a staggering height of dozens of light-years!

It stood there silently, as if eternal, exuding a desolate, ancient, and terrifying aura filled with boundless Dao resonance.

"This is your destination for this journey—the Ultimate Enlightenment Stele."

The Ultramarine, who had remained silent all along, clad in sky-blue power armor, finally spoke.

His voice, transmitted through the power armor's speakers, was steady and full of strength.

"This 'Ultimate Enlightenment Stele' contains the lifelong martial insights and traces of various ultimate techniques engraved by countless sages.

Its first function is to allow you to learn and imitate by contemplating these traces.

However, this function is not yet useful for you at your current stage.

You would need at least 'Planetary-level' strength to barely withstand the immense martial will impact of the sages."

He paused, then continued:

"Its second function, and the main purpose of your visit, is to enhance the activity of your mental energy.

In simple terms, the special energy field it emits allows your brain to enter that mysterious 'flow state,' or even the legendary 'enlightenment state,' more quickly and easily.

Thus, it greatly improves your efficiency in comprehending and cultivating the realms of killing techniques."

"As for the specific method of use, it's simple."

The Ultramarine pointed out the window at the vast expanse of giant stone tablets floating in the cosmic dust.

"Shortly, you will be randomly teleported next to one of the sub-steles. What you need to do is sit cross-legged beside the Enlightenment Stele, sink your consciousness into the 'Imperial Arena,' and engage in high-intensity combat.

With the energy field of the Enlightenment Stele supporting you, your progress will be very rapid. But you only have one month. Good luck."

After hearing the Ultramarine's detailed explanation of the Enlightenment Stele's functions, Qin Feng's heart suddenly sank.

"Not good!"

A regretful thought uncontrollably emerged from the depths of his mind.

"Greatly improving the efficiency of cultivating killing technique realms..."

"One month..."

He instantly realized a huge awkwardness in his current situation—the fourth-level killing techniques he knew were far too few!

Since advancing to the sixth level, he had only cultivated one fourth-level technique, "Heavy Spear."

If he now had a dozen or even dozens of different fourth-level killing technique inheritances in hand, then with the Enlightenment Stele's heaven-defying auxiliary effect, could he not directly cultivate all these techniques to an extremely high level within this month?

That would be a true massive gain, a leap to the heavens!

However, this thought full of regret and pity did not linger long in Qin Feng's mind.

Because when he truly began to experience the miraculous and unfathomable effects of the "Ultimate Enlightenment Stele," he discovered how terribly wrong his previous thinking had been.

...

As the Ultramarine's words fell, beams of soft white light once again enveloped all the eliminated individuals inside the spacecraft.

With a flash of light, Qin Feng found himself teleported into the depths of outer space.

Beneath his feet was a black rock platform about a hundred meters in diameter, floating in the cosmic dust. Before him, a black stone tablet, thousands of kilometers tall and as majestic as a mountain range, stood silently.

This, presumably, was one of the billions of sub-steles surrounding the main stele.

Qin Feng wasted no time.

Following the Ultramarine's instructions, he immediately sat cross-legged on the rock platform, and with a thought, sank his consciousness into the long-missed "Imperial Arena."

[Welcome back, esteemed four-segment fighter, Qin.]

[Matching you with an opponent of the same segment... Match successful.]

[Battle scenario: Randomly generating...]

When the familiar countdown appeared before his eyes, Qin Feng immediately felt the difference.

A cool, tranquil, yet infinitely Dao-resonant strange energy seemed to come from the void, silently merging into his spiritual sea.

Nourished by this energy, he found that his mental energy, which usually required deliberate focus to maintain concentration, was now unprecedentedly active and clear!

All external distractions were naturally blocked out.

His entire mind was effortlessly and highly focused on the upcoming battle.

[3... 2... 1... Battle begins!]

The moment the countdown ended and the battle started, the sensation grew even stronger! Qin Feng felt as if his brain had become a super biological computer overclocked hundreds of times!

Every subtle movement of his opponent, every tremor of their muscles... in his eyes, became as clear as a slow-motion replay!

He could enter that state of self-forgetfulness and inspiration—the "flow state"—at any moment during the battle!

Moreover, he found that in almost every intense clash of combat, he could seize that fleeting spark of insight and enter the rare and coveted "enlightenment state"!

In this state, his understanding of the "Heavy Spear" technique deepened at an unimaginable speed!

The originally obscure principles of how the "mental energy-psychic aggregation module" combined with footwork, body movement, and power application techniques now became as clear as viewing patterns in the palm of his hand.

Qin Feng's proficiency in the killing technique began to skyrocket at a visible rate!

...

Time flew by swiftly in this fully devoted, almost "immersive" cultivation.

One month passed in the blink of an eye.

During this month, Qin Feng maintained a cultivation rhythm akin to an ascetic monk.

Every day, he engaged in exactly five hundred high-intensity battles in the Imperial Arena.

But unlike his previous dismal win rate, this month his win rate remained steadily at an astonishing seventy percent! His overall win rate thus rose to fifty-seven percent.

Qin Feng's arena points also surged all the way to two hundred points in the fourth segment!

And on the last day of this month, during the final battle,

as the spear in Qin Feng's hand clashed once more with his opponent's weapon,

a thunderbolt seemed to explode in his mind!

Every fragmented, un-systematized shard of insight regarding the killing method known as Heavy Spear was, at this very moment, completely linked, fused, and synthesized!

He had finally glimpsed that grand gateway to a higher realm, the gate named Mastery!

In this fleeting instant, he thoroughly perceived the deepest, most foundational core principles within the Heavy Spear technique—the seamless integration of the spiritual power-psionic aggregation module with physical movement!

He had finally attained the Mastery Realm!

While in the Perfection Realm, Qin Feng’s execution of the Heavy Spear technique had indeed reached a point of consummate ease and absolute fluency.

Yet its essence remained an act of imitation, a flawless replication of the fixed forms and modules recorded within the legacy of the killing method.

But now, having ascended to the Mastery Realm, he was no longer a mere user; he had become an understander!

Heavy Spear, this formidable fourth-tier killing method, had been completely thoroughly digested and absorbed by him, truly transforming into a foundational discipline within his own martial arts repertoire that could be dismantled, assembled, and remodeled at will!

In the days to come, whenever he needed to create his own higher-tier killing methods, he could modify, append, or even perform a subversive reconstruction upon any and all methods of spiritual power-psionic aggregation encompassed within the Heavy Spear at his absolute whim!

This was the true essence of the Mastery Realm!

[Killing Method: Heavy Spear (Fourth-Tier)]

[Realm: Mastery]

Looking at the brand-new realm displayed upon his attribute panel, Qin Feng’s heart was flooded with endless, profound emotion.

He made a rough calculation in his mind.

"Before the Starry Sky Cup commenced, I likewise spent an entire month bitterly grinding the proficiency of this killing method within the Imperial Arena.

Yet after that month, my proficiency had only increased by about 1,500 points; achieving an average daily increase of 50 points was already considered my absolute limit."

"Yet beside this Limit Enlightenment Stele, over the exact same span of a single month, my proficiency skyrocketed by a staggering 9,000 points!"

"This amplification of speed is simply too extravagant! It is a full six times faster than before!"

Just as Qin Feng was reeling in shock from this terrifying cultivation efficiency, a grand and majestic voice resounded through the deep expanse of the cosmos, awakening his consciousness from the Imperial Arena.

"Time is up."

……

When Qin Feng’s consciousness returned to his physical body, he found himself transported back inside the silver-gray warship from before.

The Space Marine clad in sky-blue power armor still stood silently upon the bridge.

He gazed down at these young geniuses who had just concluded a month of arduous cultivation, their faces still wearing expressions of lingering longing, and spoke slowly in his steady, deep voice:

"Your current spiritual power intensity is still far too low.

The amplification effect of the Limit Enlightenment Stele is directly proportional to your own spiritual power intensity.

The stronger your spiritual power, the greater the amplification effect will be."

"It is my hope that after you return, you will all strive in your cultivation.

I also hope that in the distant future, I may see your figures once more within this Wu Xian Pass, as members of our Space Marine Chapter."

"Very well, return now."

He waved his hand, speaking no further.

Soon, the starship roared to life once more, emerging through a subspace channel outside the colossal orbital space fortress of the Starry Sky Cup.

Qin Feng stepped off the vessel and, following the guidance of the tournament staff, located the transport ship named Sword of Justice, which belonged to their Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University.

When he stepped back into his familiar cabin, he found that the vast majority of his classmates had already been waiting there for a long time.

Long Yu, Nissan, and Ning Jing were all present as well.

Once the final batch of students, including Qin Feng, who had finished meditating on the Limit Enlightenment Stele returned, the massive transport ship finally initiated its engines, embarking on the return journey to Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University.

Along the way back, the atmosphere felt somewhat somber.

Evidently, for the majority of the geniuses participating in such a top-tier grand event for the first time, the reality of being eliminated early remained a considerable blow.

Qin Feng walked over to Long Yu and the other two, striking up a conversation.

"Were you all eliminated during the official tournament phase?"

Qin Feng inquired.

"Yeah."

Nissan scratched his head in dejection, his face a mask of frustration, "That wretched place was simply crawling with people! Not long after I entered, I ran into three guys teaming up against me. Two fists are no match for six hands, and I was eliminated in utter bewilderment before I could even catch a glimpse of a resource pack."

"Me too."

Ning Jing’s expression was equally displeased, "Bad luck. I was caught in the aftershock of a battle and knocked out with severe injuries."

Long Yu fared relatively better, though he merely offered a bitter smile and shook his head: "I held out for half a month, but in the end, during a clash over a high-grade resource pack, I was eliminated by a monster who had cultivated a fourth-tier killing method to Perfection. Still, it did bolster my actual combat experience significantly."

Hearing of their ordeals, Qin Feng spoke candidly as well: "My luck wasn't much better either. In the very first round of the arena tournament, I ran into a tough customer who had trained a fourth-tier, nine-mind-multitasking killing method to Perfection. I held on for a brief while before being knocked out."

"What a pity."

Long Yu sighed upon hearing this, "With your strength, if you hadn't crossed paths with that kind of monster in the first round, you would have definitely secured a place in the top one thousand."

"It doesn't matter."

Qin Feng, however, was quite open-minded about the matter; he smiled and said, "There is always next time. Besides, my harvest this time has been remarkably abundant."

When the magnificent Canaan Tower reappeared outside the porthole, a collective sigh of relief echoed throughout the gloomy transport ship.

They were back.

Though this journey to the Starry Sky Cup had been filled with regret and unwillingness for the vast majority of the Canaan students.

The warship berthed smoothly at the starport of the campus.

After a brief farewell to Long Yu, Nissan, and Ning Jing, Qin Feng returned to his dormitory alone.

Buzz—

As the main door slid shut smoothly, all the clamor of the outside world was thoroughly shut out.

Qin Feng did not rush to begin a new round of bitter cultivation; instead, he spent half a day adjusting his entire mind and body into the most relaxed and tranquil state.

Only then did he begin to sort through the entirety of his gains from this excursion to the Starry Sky Cup.

"Well... all in all, it can be considered a good opportunity to have gone out and seen the world."

A reminiscent smile played upon Qin Feng’s lips.

Though his journey to the Starry Sky Cup this time had concluded prematurely during the arena phase due to poor luck, leaving behind a trace of regret.

The entire process remained an incomparably precious experience for him.

He had also profoundly realized just how vast a chasm still existed between himself and those truly established powerhouses in the domain of spiritual power.

This realization, far from shattering his confidence, rendered his already rock-solid martial heart even more crystal clear.

It also granted Qin Feng a clearer, more definite direction for his future path of cultivation.

Of course, aside from these spiritual gains, the most direct rewards were the tangible, physical treasures.

With a mere thought, Qin Feng summoned his subspace storage unit.

Within that isolated storage space, piled high like mini-mountains in a dense expanse, were all manner of high-grade potions and rare materials.

All of these were trophies he had "hunted" in official matches through his formidable strength.

"This time, I've gathered various resources worth nearly five million contribution points in total."

Qin Feng silently estimated in his mind.

"Among them, most are consumables that serve as hard currency in cultivation, like 'Grade III Ultra-Concentrated Spiritual Energy Recovery Potion' and 'High-Efficiency Mental Power Recovery Potion.'"

"With such a vast reserve of resources to support me, at least until I cultivate my life force index to the 'Second Great Limit' of thirty-six thousand points, I won't need to worry about cultivation resources anymore."

This was a reassuring conclusion.

For Qin Feng, who possessed the "Grinder" attribute, what caused him the most anxiety was never the monotony or pain of cultivation, but the scarcity of resources.

Now that his resource pool was abundant, he could focus without distraction and once again embark on that efficient mode of "secluded bitter cultivation."

"However..."

Qin Feng's brow furrowed slightly. "When it comes to mental power cultivation, I can no longer proceed step by step as before."

In his battle with Lei Qianjue, the opponent's terrifying saber technique of "one mind, nine uses" had left an indelible impression on him.

It was no longer a mere gap in skill, but an almost overwhelming advantage.

"I must start now to deliberately increase the proportion of mental power cultivation."

Qin Feng's gaze became utterly resolute.

"Otherwise, later on, when my life force index has been fully cultivated, but due to insufficient mental power strength, my killing technique realm will lag far behind opponents of the same level.

Even worse, if I fail to meet the basic requirement of 'mental power breaking a hundred' and cannot break through to the 'Planetary-level' life form... that would be the most foolish case of putting the cart before the horse."

He immediately re-planned his cultivation schedule for the long period ahead.

First, he would increase the daily time spent on the "Great Sun Visualization Method" and the "Emperor Meditation Method" from the previous one hour to over five hours.

Second, during his daily killing technique sparring, he would consciously attempt training in "one mind, two uses" and "one mind, three uses."

With the plan set, Qin Feng opened the internal resource library of Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University.

He intended to acquire another new fourth-level killing technique.

Although "Heavy Spear" had been cultivated to the "Mastery Realm," it was ultimately a killing technique of "one mind, one use."

To master the skill of "one mind, multiple uses" more quickly, exchanging for a killing technique inheritance specifically centered on this was undoubtedly the most efficient path.

Soon, among the dazzling array of killing techniques, he found a spear technique that perfectly matched his current needs.

[Killing Technique: "Triple Stacked Spear" (Level 4)]

[Description: Created by the Imperial Military's spear technique master, centered on stacking spear momentum and triple burst of force. Requires the operation of a "one mind, three uses" mental power-psionic energy convergence module at its peak. Immense power, extremely difficult to cultivate.]

[Exchange Price: 30,000 Contribution Points]

Qin Feng glanced at his remaining contribution points and exchanged for this killing technique.

His contribution points were thus cleared to zero.

All preparations were complete.

"I wonder how that beast is doing?"

Shi Dang.

Qin Feng opened the school's mission system and skillfully found the assassination mission targeting Shi Dang.

The mission panel was still that familiar, solemn dark red.

But the content had undergone considerable changes.

[Assassination Target: Shi Dang (Khorne Worshipper)]

[Mission Status: In Progress]

[Current Number of Acceptors: 17,211,233]

[Number of Mission Failures: 32]

Seeing the failure count as high as "32," Qin Feng's pupils contracted slightly.

This meant that in the past period, at least thirty-two martial artists had suffered crushing defeats at Shi Dang's hands!

His gaze continued downward.

Below the mission panel was the latest intelligence update on Shi Dang.

[Latest Target Intelligence]

[Current Life Force Index: Approximately 28,000.0 Points]

[Known Killing Technique Realm: At least three Level 4 killing techniques (Perfected), one Level 5 killing technique (Minor Mastery)]

[Last Known Location: Imperial Border, K-197 Abandoned Mining Planet]

[Target Movement Analysis: His current route points directly to the chaotic star region beyond the Empire's territory—the Myriad Races Battlefield.]

"..."

Looking at this latest intelligence, Qin Feng's face showed no expression.

He merely stared silently at that cold string of numbers—"Life Force Index, twenty-eight thousand."

Twenty-eight thousand...

Shi Dang's strength had grown to such a terrifying extent.

But now, Qin Feng could easily cross the threshold of the "First Great Limit," becoming a seventh-level Mountain Sea Martial Artist, and reaching the life force index of 36,000 at the Great Limit was also a matter of time.

The gap between them was shrinking.

Qin Feng closed the mission panel.

He plunged into cultivation!

Scene shift.

As Qin Feng once again immersed himself in that monotonous yet frenzied, isolated bitter cultivation—

—

Within Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University's "Martial Immortal District."

A vast expanse of emerald bamboo groves swayed in the breeze, rippling like waves in a green ocean.

At this moment, two figures were seated upright in a stone pavilion.

One of them was Qin Feng's mentor, Yu Han.

He still wore that aloof and transcendent demeanor, dressed in a simple white martial arts uniform, unhurriedly brewing a pot of fragrant spiritual tea with crystal-clear spring water drawn from a nearby stream.

His movements were fluid and effortless.

Seated across from him was the "Fearless War Group" leader, Feng Zhiyu, now a Planetary-level powerhouse.

Yet, in stark contrast to Yu Han's calm composure, Feng Zhiyu's face was filled with an uncontrollable mix of fury and grief.

His eyes, once filled with steadiness and wisdom, now blazed with a cold, tangible murderous intent!

A terrifying aura, belonging to a Planetary-level powerhouse, powerful enough to make stars tremble, radiated uncontrollably from his body, causing the surrounding air to seem to solidify, and even the crisp wind among the bamboo groves fell into dead silence.

Within the entire stone pavilion, the atmosphere was tense and strained to the breaking point, suffocating beyond measure!

"Tutor Yu Han."

Feng Zhiyu finally spoke.

His voice was hoarse, low, every word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"My younger brother was crippled in both legs and had his Yuan aperture destroyed by Shi Dang."

He fixed his gaze on Yu Han's unruffled face, demanding word by word:

"Now, I want to hunt down that scum and avenge my brother. Why are you blocking my graduation, preventing me from seeking justice for my brother?!"

His tone was filled with undisguised accusation and fury, long stripped of the respect he usually showed a senior tutor.

Originally, according to Feng Zhiyu's plan, after leading the "Fearless War Legion" through the thirty-year-long "War Legion Ranking Tournament," he would immediately apply for graduation, leave Canaan Starry Sky Martial University, and pursue his own, broader path of martial arts.

Yet, just as the War Legion Ranking Tournament had concluded and he was about to submit his graduation application, a thunderbolt-like piece of bad news arrived.

His only younger brother—a student of Canaan Starry Sky Martial University who had already reached the seventh-level "Sun-Moon Realm"—had unfortunately encountered Shi Dang during a mission to suppress Chaos cultists.

In the end, that traitor destroyed his brother's Yuan aperture, leaving him a cripple for life.

Overwhelming grief and hatred instantly drowned Feng Zhiyu's reason.

He abandoned all subsequent plans on the spot and submitted his graduation application to the school.

He wanted to leave immediately, using his own powerful strength, which had already advanced to the "Planetary Realm," to personally head to the empire's border and hunt down that damned scum!

With the power of a Planetary Realm expert, crushing a mere sixth-level Shi Dang should have been a trivial, effortless task.

But to his utter disbelief, his graduation application, which should have been approved at once, was directly rejected by one person with an attitude of extreme stubbornness.

And the one who rejected his application was none other than his direct tutor—Yu Han.

Facing Feng Zhiyu's murderous, almost roaring accusation, Yu Han's face showed no change in expression.

He calmly poured the already brewed, boiling spirit tea slowly into two exquisite jade cups, then gently pushed one of them in front of Feng Zhiyu.

The tea fell into the cup with a crisp "ding," which sounded especially jarring in the deathly silent stone pavilion.

"Shi Dang,"

Yu Han finally spoke, "is a whetstone left for Qin Feng."

He said slowly:

"This graduation application, I can approve."

"But only if you can stand here and make a martial oath to me—that after graduation, you will not hunt down Shi Dang."

"If you can agree, I will sign right now, and I will give you a direct slot into the Limit Warrior War Legion in my private capacity."

"At the same time, I can assure you that Qin Feng will kill Shi Dang and avenge your brother for you."

(End of this chapter)