Chapter 207: Top One Thousand! Two Nails Bring Shock! Imperial Warband

Chapter 207: The Top Thousand! Two Nails Bring Shock! Empire Legions Scramble!

While Qian Duoduo was still meticulously analyzing potential formidable foes for Qin Feng, a majestic, emotionless electronic synthesized voice, like a divine decree, instantly resounded through every corner of the preparation area and simultaneously transmitted to every viewing channel across billions of star systems.

[The Ultramarines Legion K-739 Sector Selection Tournament, Ninth-Level Martial Artist Division, Preliminary Round, officially begins!]

[Randomly matching all participants with opponents and arenas...]

[Matching complete.]

Hum—

Qin Feng and Qian Duoduo's personal terminals simultaneously emitted a slight vibration.

Qin Feng looked down; a concise line of information appeared on the screen.

[Participant: Qin Feng]

[Arena Number: C-9527]

[Opponent: Karl Anderson (from Storm Star Sector)]

[The match will begin in three minutes. Please proceed to the designated arena immediately.]

"C-9527 Arena,"

Qin Feng stood up and nodded to Qian Duoduo. "I'm going."

"Go for it! Sweep through them all!"

Qian Duoduo waved his fist vigorously.

Qin Feng smiled, turned, and merged into the vast stream of people, heading toward the designated area.

At that moment, the entire preparation area seemed to transform into a giant ant nest. Tens of thousands of martial artists rose from their positions and, following the holographic arrows glowing on the ground, rushed to their respective battlefields.

C-9527 Arena was a standard hundred-meter-square alloy platform, enveloped by a pale blue energy shield and a massive gravity field, designed to limit the destructive power of the contestants and enhance the spectacle.

When Qin Feng stepped onto the arena, his opponent—a tall, lean young man with a cold expression and golden hair—was already waiting, holding a silver two-handed greatsword.

Karl Anderson.

His eyes were sharp as an eagle's, fixed intently on Qin Feng, trying to find even the slightest flaw in his opponent.

But he was disappointed.

The black-clad young man before him had an aura so restrained it was like a bottomless ancient well, so calm it stirred an inexplicable unease in him.

Especially the ominous red-and-white skull hanging at the other's waist instinctively tensed every muscle in his body.

[Countdown: 10, 9, 8...]

The cold countdown sounded in both their ears.

Karl took a deep breath, gripped his sword tightly, and surging psychic energy began to flow within him, the blade gleaming with blinding electric light.

His sixth-level killing technique, "Thunderclap Slash," was renowned for its explosive power and destructive force.

[...3, 2, 1! Match begins!]

The moment the words fell, Karl moved!

Boom!

The alloy floor beneath his feet instantly cracked, and he transformed into a thick bolt of lightning, carrying the force of ten thousand thunderbolts, slashing down at Qin Feng's head!

He would use his strongest stance to decide the battle in one blow!

Faced with this earth-shattering strike, Qin Feng's reaction was incredibly simple.

He didn't even move his feet.

Only at the instant when the opponent's blade was about to touch his head did his right hand grip the gun handle at his waist. Then, he drew the gun and thrust forward.

No flashy moves, no dazzling effects.

This thrust came after the opponent's move but arrived first.

In Karl's dynamic vision, time seemed to slow infinitely.

He could only watch helplessly as that pitch-black spear tip, ignoring the wild lightning on his blade and the sword momentum that could tear through starship armor, precisely and effortlessly touched the spine of his two-handed greatsword.

Ding.

A crisp sound, like a pearl falling onto a jade plate.

Then came destruction.

An indescribable, terrifyingly concentrated force erupted instantly from the spear tip.

Karl felt as if he had been struck head-on by a planet hurtling toward him.

His proud "Thunderclap Slash," with its violent thunderous momentum, was as fragile as a bubble before that spear tip, instantly vaporized and erased.

Then, that force surged into his sword. His two-handed greatsword let out a pained groan and snapped in two.

The force, undiminished, slammed into his chest.

His light armor... before he even realized what was happening, had turned to dust.

[C-9527 Arena, Qin Feng, wins!]

One move, instant kill.

Qin Feng walked off the arena expressionlessly. His personal terminal had already received the next match's pairing information.

Without even glancing at it, he strode directly toward the new battlefield.

The following matches, for Qin Feng, were merely a simple repetition of his five-year career in the Empire Arena.

Another victory.

Yet another victory.

...

An unremarkable victory.

Qin Feng's opponents came from various star sectors, practicing all kinds of sixth-level killing techniques.

There were assassins with bizarre footwork and elusive movements, whom he caught with absolute speed and pierced through with a single thrust.

There were heavily armored warriors with astonishing defense and massive shields, whom he smashed into pulp, shield and all, with one strike.

There were ranged attackers who controlled a rain of flying daggers, whom he, with even faster spear momentum, pierced through the throat before the daggers could reach him.

Qin Feng's battles had no spectacle whatsoever.

It was simply the simplest, most direct, and most efficient crushing.

Often, just as an opponent unleashed their strongest killing move, the next second they were already finished by his spear.

Within just a few hours of the preliminary round's start, Qin Feng, with a devastating momentum, racked up consecutive victories and successfully broke into the top hundred thousand.

His name, [Qin Feng], began to slowly climb on the internal data leaderboard of the Ninth-Level Division.

...

While Qin Feng, on a distant star battlefield, was reaping victory after victory like a precise killing machine.

On his home planet, Qiming Star, billions of light-years away.

Inside a luxurious private box in the "Qiming Viewing" building.

Qin Feng's uncle, Wang Ming, and aunt, Li Juan, sat side by side, quietly watching the match broadcast on the holographic screen.

Time had left clear marks on them.

Wang Ming, due to his almost obsessive passion for power armor design in his early years, had honed his spirit through research, and miraculously broke through the mental barrier that had troubled him for years, successfully advancing to a sixth-level Sky Soaring Warrior.

Abundant vitality rejuvenated his aging body; now he looked no more than a middle-aged man in his forties, hale and hearty.

Beside him, Li Juan, however, had a head full of white hair, with deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and on her forehead.

Her life path was completely different from her husband's.

She was only less than ten years older than Qin Feng. In her early years, relying on various resources sent back by Wang Hao and Wang Jie from Starry Sky Martial University, along with her own diligent cultivation, she had barely raised her vitality index to 30 points.

But that was already her limit.

As the years passed, the drive within her had finally dissipated.

For many years, her strength had not advanced an inch; she could only watch helplessly as time slipped away from her.

At this moment, looking at her nephew on the screen—his face stern, his strikes fierce and unyielding—her eyes were filled with nothing but deep concern.

"This child..."

Li Juan sighed softly. "After his father passed away, he became much tougher. He's a completely different person from when he was little."

Hearing this, Wang Ming also felt a wave of emotion.

He put his arm around his wife's shoulder and said in a low voice, "The path of martial arts is like this. If you don't become tough, how can you stand in the starry sea?"

"I know..."

Li Juan's gaze grew distant, as if through Qin Feng's figure she saw her own two sons, also striving in the starry sea. "It's good that the children practice martial arts, but... ah, later on, I guess Ahao and Ajie will become like Afeng too.

After all, our lifespans can't keep up with these high-level martial artists. I wonder... I wonder when I leave, will Ahao and Ajie come back to accompany me, just like Afeng accompanied his father?"

By the end, her voice had a hint of a sob.

Qin Dahai's death had deeply affected her.

She had witnessed with her own eyes how Qin Feng, her nephew who was already a favored son of heaven in the eyes of outsiders, had put everything aside to stay on Qiming Star, watching over his aging father until the very end of his life.

"Afeng is truly a good child,"

Li Juan wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand. "He accompanied his father for nearly twenty years..."

"Mm, it's okay."

Wang Ming didn't say much to comfort her; he just held his wife tighter and said softly, "The children have their own paths to walk. Our lives have been worth it."

...

At the same time.

Inside the principal's office of Qiming First Martial Arts Senior High School.

Wu Shangfeng, Lin Yue, Gu Yue—three mentors—along with the current principal and many old teachers who had once taught Qin Feng, were all gathered there, watching the huge light screen with great interest.

On the screen played a highlight reel of Qin Feng's battles.

"One spear! Another spear!"

"Clean and decisive, this kid's spear technique is really good."

The conference room was filled with waves of admiration.

"From what I can see,"

Wu Shangfeng stroked his chin, his eyes full of appreciation, "this kid has probably already cultivated a sixth-level killing technique to the 'Mastery Realm'."

"Yes."

Mentor Gu Yue shook his head, clicking his tongue in wonder.

Mentor Lin Yue watched the familiar yet unfamiliar figure on the screen, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

There was relief, pride, but more than anything, an indescribable shock.

"His strength is now almost catching up to mine."

She murmured softly.

At these words, the surrounding chatter fell silent.

Everyone knew that Lin Yue had successfully broken through over sixty years ago and become a true planetary-level powerhouse.

And Qin Feng was still only at the ninth level.

"As long as this kid advances to planetary level and practices a planetary-level killing technique a bit, surpassing me is almost a foregone conclusion."

Lin Yue added, a hint of bitterness in her tone.

"This is too fast..."

She muttered to herself.

In a daze, she seemed to return to that afternoon long ago when she and Wu Shangfeng had made a bet over Qin Feng's education method.

Back then, Qin Feng was just a teenager who had just shown talent in killing techniques and was struggling to climb to the second year of high school.

And in the blink of an eye, that teenager had grown to the point of nearly surpassing her, his mentor.

"Yes."

Wu Shangfeng sighed with deep empathy. "This is the most outstanding student I've ever taught. In less than a hundred years, he has completed the entire path before planetary level, almost catching up to us."

These words made every teacher present feel proud.

"No!"

Lin Yue suddenly slammed the table and stood up, full of fighting spirit. "I need to go back and practice killing techniques! I can't really let my own student surpass me, can I?"

"Haha, aren't you going to watch the match?"

Mentor Gu Yue beside her burst into laughter.

"Ahem,"

Lin Yue's pretty face flushed slightly, and she sat back down. "Then... I'll finish watching first."

The room was once again filled with a lighthearted atmosphere.

Every teacher present knew in their hearts that Qin Feng might not yet be the strongest to have ever walked out of Qiming First High's history.

But without a doubt, he was absolutely the fastest in advancement and the most monstrous since the school's founding.

—

The progress of the qualifiers was like a huge, precise filtering funnel, mercilessly eliminating those of insufficient strength.

Qin Feng's winning streak continued.

His name, among the tens of millions of contestants, rose steadily and swiftly like a star swimming against the current.

The top fifty thousand...

Top thirty thousand…

Top ten thousand!

The moment his rank successfully breached the ten thousand threshold, the very nature of the competition shifted fundamentally.

The overwhelming suppression vanished completely.

To carve a path through a bloody carnage of tens of millions of rank-nine martial artists hailing from countless star sectors and reach the top ten thousand, not a single soul was weak.

Every individual had cultivated at least one rank-six killing technique to the 'Mastery Realm'. Every one of them possessed exceptionally rich combat experience, honed through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Those capable of storming into the top ten thousand were the undisputed, favored children of heaven within their respective star systems and civilizations.

At this echelon, the contest had long ceased to be a simple comparison of vitality indices or realms of killing techniques.

The true deciding factor lay in the information gap, in the comprehension and deciphering of the operational modes of each other's core killing technique—the 'Spiritual Power-Psionic Aggregation Module'.

The essence of a rank-six killing technique was the utilization of spiritual power to command over a hundred psionic modules, executing complex permutations and combinations to unleash terrifying might on a physical level.

For every single killing technique, its module trajectories, energy frequencies, and aggregation methods were entirely distinct, functioning like a precise combination lock.

If you understood an opponent's killing technique and knew its 'combination', you could anticipate their attack trajectory in advance during combat, locate the weakest node in their energy flow, and thereby gain the upper hand, defeating them with minimal cost.

Conversely, if you knew nothing of your opponent's technique, or were even countered by its specific attributes, then even if your raw strength was superior, it was remarkably easy to fall into passivity under an unexpected onslaught, ending in a regretful defeat.

From this moment on, Qin Feng's battles became incomparably agonizing.

He could no longer end an enemy with a single spear thrust.

Every single bout devolved into a grueling, bitter struggle lasting half an hour or even longer.

His opponents, like a kaleidoscope, displayed before him the brilliance and cruelty of the Human Empire's martial civilization.

He encountered a martial artist practicing the 'Thousand Thread Pull', whose weapons were ten psionic threads finer than human hair. Extremely sharp and manipulated by spiritual power, they could silently spin an inescapable web, slicing through everything.

Qin Feng was forced to transform his own spear technique into an impenetrable tornado, contesting every millimeter against that invisible, lethal menace within a confined space.

Ultimately, relying on his experience from over a thousand battles against similar schools in the Imperial Arena, he keenly captured that 0.01-second stagnation when the opponent's spiritual power retracted the threads. With one spear thrust breaking the web, he won by a hair's breadth.

The sweat poured out over these five years in the Imperial Arena yielded its most bountiful reward at this very instant.

Those nearly one million high-intensity duels allowed him to witness over ninety-five percent of the common rank-six killing techniques available on the market.

For the vast majority of his opponents' techniques, even if he had not personally cultivated them, he had at least battled against them hundreds or thousands of times, knowing their strengths, weaknesses, and operational modes like the back of his hand.

Armed with this terrifying repository of combat experience, Qin Feng could always calmly analyze the battlefield and find the key to conquering the enemy.

Several more rounds of brutal elimination matches passed.

When the notification of victory chimed once more on his personal terminal, Qin Feng glanced at his ranking.

Rank 980.

He had successfully stepped into the ranks of the top one thousand!

This meant that the ticket to the 'Universal Genius Warfare' was already firmly grasped in his hand.

However, the tournament continued.

Without the slightest relaxation, Qin Feng swiftly adjusted his condition and welcomed his next duel.

When he saw his opponent's information upon the arena stage, despite his steadfast resolve, his pupils could not help but contract slightly.

[Opponent: Jin Mu (From the Central Star System)]

This name was one he had seen before on the 'Championship Favorites' list provided by Qian Duoduo.

What weighed even heavier on his mind was the opponent's weapon.

—A long spear, crimson-gold throughout its entire body.

Jin Mu was not burly, appearing even somewhat lean, yet standing there, his entire being resembled a divine spear poised to pierce the firmament, sharply exposed and oppressively imposing.

[Match Start!]

No probing, no maneuvering.

The instant the match commenced, both figures moved!

Boom!

Two long spears, like two furious dragons emerging from different dimensions of time and space, collided violently at the center of the arena.

A terrifying shockwave of energy exploded instantly, scraping a layer of metallic powder off the surface of the sturdy alloy arena.

Qin Feng felt only a boundless, irresistible force surging from the spear shaft. His web of thumb and forefinger grew numb, and his entire body retreated over a dozen steps completely out of control.

On the opposite side, Jin Mu's figure merely swayed slightly.

The disparity in superiority was immediately clear!

"Your foundation is very solid."

Jin Mu spoke, his voice flat yet carrying an unquestionable confidence, "But your killing techniques are far too lacking."

Before his voice could fade, his figure vanished from where

Qin Feng was pushed to the brink. He constantly shifted his spear techniques, pouring into them everything he had learned in his lifetime, every skill he possessed. Defense, counterattack, maneuvering, fierce assault...

He racked his brain, ceaselessly adapting, trying to find a sliver of hope.

But before Jin Mu's offensive, woven like an inescapable net from the killing methods of the Four Gates of Domain Control, all his efforts were like waves crashing against a reef, easily shattered.

Another half hour of fierce combat.

Qin Feng was drenched in blood, his light armor covered with spear marks of varying depths.

Once again, Jin Mu forced him back with a single spear thrust. His chest tightened, and he nearly spat blood.

Under extreme pressure, driven by the purest desire for victory, Qin Feng's mind entered an unprecedented state of ethereal clarity.

In his thoughts flashed everything he had learned and comprehended over the past hundred years.

From the initial *Ten Complete Hands*, to the lower-tier killing methods that enlightened him, to the *Golden Throne* that brought him fame, and then the *Heavy Spear*, *Triple Stacked Spear*, *Hundred Boats Racing*, up to the present *Star Breaker*...

Scene by scene, form by form, they flowed before his eyes like a movie.

Could these killing methods, these wills, be merged into one?

At that moment, above his brow, the two golden nails of divine selection—forged from his identity as the "Emperor's Chosen," invisible to ordinary eyes—suddenly blazed with light!

Boom!

Qin Feng felt as if billions of thunderbolts exploded simultaneously in his mind.

The last layer of window paper that had troubled him for so long, separating all his killing methods, was violently torn through at this instant!

In that moment, everything he had learned in his life was thoroughly integrated!

"Ha!"

Qin Feng let out a roar from the depths of his soul. The long spear in his hand was no longer bound by the forms of any single killing method.

The hundreds of mental-psychic energy aggregation modules within his body began to operate in unison, in a way never before achieved—perfectly harmonious!

All his power, all his will, all his insights poured into this single thrust!

A lifetime of learning condensed into one form: Qian Yuan!

As this spear thrust out, the space of the entire arena seemed to freeze.

At the spear's tip, not only was there physical might enough to destroy everything, but also a vast and majestic mental pressure radiated faintly!

This form already bore the rough semblance of a seventh-level killing method!

It was the most supreme, the most perfect strike Qin Feng could deliver at this moment.

Facing this thrust, a glint of admiration flashed in Jin Mu's eyes.

His movement was equally simple.

He neither dodged nor evaded, but thrust his own spear forward.

His spear tip did not meet Qin Feng's; instead, at an incredibly tricky angle, it struck three inches from the side of Qin Feng's spear shaft.

There, precisely, was the most obscure and unstable node in the flow of energy when Qin Feng forcibly merged all the wills of his killing methods.

A flaw that even Qin Feng himself had not noticed.

Ding.

A soft sound.

Qin Feng's thrust, which had fused his lifetime of learning and approached the power of a seventh-level killing method, dissipated like a punctured balloon in an instant.

The vast energy, out of control, exploded violently along his spear shaft, hurling him fiercely backward.

The outcome was decided.

Qin Feng lay at the edge of the arena, staring at the ceiling, his chest heaving violently, but on his face, there was no trace of dejection.

He had lost.

He accepted defeat wholeheartedly.

There is always someone better; the sky has its limits.

"Your insight surpasses mine."

Jin Mu walked up to him, put away his long spear, and said calmly.

"It's a pity I didn't meet a stronger you. That thrust of yours just now—if it had been one part more harmonious, the outcome might have been uncertain."

He extended his hand to Qin Feng.

"Let's add each other as friends in the subspace network. If there's a chance later, we can spar in a friendly room."

Jin Mu smiled.

"Sure."

Qin Feng grasped his hand, used the leverage to stand up, and smiled back.

On the arena, they exchanged contact information on the subspace network.

Then, Qin Feng turned and walked off the arena without hesitation.

[Contestant Qin Feng, eliminated this round.]

[Final ranking is being calculated based on elimination time...]

[Your final ranking is: 672nd.]

Just as Qin Feng stepped down from the arena with composure, the official commentator for the core matches in Sector C, whose voice had been steady and smooth, suddenly rose by an octave, filled with uncontrollable excitement and shock!

"My god! What have we just witnessed?!"

"Two! Two true masters of the spear!!"

His voice, transmitted through the subspace network, instantly reached every live stream in the K-739 star sector, electrifying the countless viewers watching this match.

"Unbelievable! At the critical moment, contestant Qin Feng, this dark horse from Canaan Starry Sky Martial University, actually broke through on the spot! He integrated everything he had learned in his life!"

On the holographic screen, the director replayed Qin Feng's final thrust in ultra-slow motion.

That spear tip, condensed with all the will of his killing methods, radiated a heart-stopping brilliance under the gaze of billions.

"This thrust! What a powerful thrust! Everyone, look at the energy analysis chart—its physical destructive power is already approaching the theoretical upper limit of a sixth-level killing method!

Even more terrifying, pay attention to the mental wave curve!

It has already shown a clear peak!

This means this thrust already faintly possesses a characteristic of a seventh-level killing method—mental suppression!"

The commentator's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"A prodigy! This is a true prodigy!

Breaking through himself in the midst of despair, creating possibility from impossibility!

Though he ultimately lost due to a tiny flaw, it does not diminish his brilliance!"

The scene switched to Jin Mu extending his hand to Qin Feng, the two appreciating each other and adding each other as friends.

"'It's a pity I didn't meet a stronger you.'"

The commentator, with deep emotion, read out the dialogue deciphered through lip-reading, "A match of equals, a meeting of champions! This is a duel with no loser!

Let us give our applause to these two peerless gunmen!

They have presented us with a classic battle worthy of being recorded in the annals of this Starry Cup!"

...

In the "Qiming Viewing" building of Qiming Star.

Inside the private box, Wang Ming and Li Juan stared at the final rankings frozen on the screen, a trace of regret appearing on their faces simultaneously.

"Alas, just a little short."

Li Juan sighed.

"He did his best."

Wang Ming nodded, but his eyes were full of relief and pride.

They couldn't comprehend battles of this level; they only knew that Qin Feng had entered the top thousand among countless prodigies, ultimately lost narrowly, and had earned the respect of his opponent.

...

At Qiming First Martial Arts High School, in the principal's office.

When Qin Feng delivered that final shot, the entire room erupted into a thunderous cheer!

"Excellent shot!!"

Wu Shangfeng slammed the table, rising abruptly, his eyes blazing with divine light!

"Beautiful! That shot was a perfect fusion!"

"This is no longer a simple killing technique; it's an embodiment of will! It carries the flavor of a planetary-level killing technique."

Instructor Gu Yue also applauded in admiration.

Lin Yue was utterly mesmerized, murmuring to herself, "At the ninth level, glimpsing the threshold of a planetary-level killing technique... this monster..."

Although Qin Feng ultimately lost, none of the teachers present felt any regret.

Because they all understood that the gains from this battle were far more important to Qin Feng than victory or defeat itself.

...

Below the arena, Qin Feng did not immediately leave like the other eliminated contestants.

He calmly returned to his seat, then redirected all his attention to the arenas where fierce battles were still raging.

The competition had only a few rounds left.

Those still standing on the field were monsters among monsters, the true favorites for the championship.

Every one of them was a top-tier expert who had mastered multiple sixth-level killing techniques of the Control Realm.

For Qin Feng, who had just broken through that thin barrier, these higher-level battles offered immeasurable benefits.

He watched voraciously, absorbing bit by bit the strong warriors' understanding of power, their application of killing techniques, and their control of battle rhythm, turning them into his own nourishment.

These precious experiences would lay the most solid foundation for his future formal cultivation of seventh-level killing techniques.

...

Meanwhile.

In the main venue of the arena, in that isolated room at the highest point.

The atmosphere was no longer as relaxed as before.

When the battle between Qin Feng and Jin Mu reached its climax, these Black Hole-level experts from various sub-legions and companies of the Limit Warrior Legion were still watching leisurely, as if enjoying a show.

Some were watching the battles below with keen interest while chatting with colleagues about amusing incidents in their respective war zones.

The one-eyed captain of the Twelfth Sub-Legion even took out a special metal canister from his subspace storage device.

"Hey, try the specialty from our place—Abyss Ant Cow."

He laughed, using his terrifying strength, capable of crushing starship armor, to casually pry open the hard canister, revealing the dreadful creature inside.

An invisible wave of force crushed the creature inside into a pulp.

He grabbed a handful, chewed it with a crunch, and then cast his gaze toward Qin Feng's arena.

"This kid is being suppressed pretty badly... Hmm?"

His voice stopped abruptly.

His chewing motion froze instantly.

Not just him.

In that moment, all conversations and movements in the room seemed to hit a pause button.

More than a dozen Black Hole-level experts, who had just been laughing and chatting, were now all frozen as if under a spell, staring intently at the holographic projection of the arena below.

Their gazes pierced through energy, through flesh and blood, locking precisely onto Qin Feng's brow bone!

Just now!

At the instant Qin Feng broke through on the spot, fusing all his life's learning!

On his brow bone, those two golden Divine Chosen Nails, invisible to ordinary eyes, had burst forth with a fleeting, brilliant light!

This process was so fast it lasted less than a hundred-millionth of a second.

For ordinary spectators outside, even for planetary-level experts, it was hard to catch.

But for these dozen or so Black Hole-level experts, who had tempered their souls and wills to the extreme, that flash of light was as clear as a star suddenly blazing in the dark night!

The room fell into a deathly silence.

A few seconds later.

"...Two Nails?"

The one-eyed captain slowly turned his head, his remaining eye wide open, staring fixedly at Zhou Xiong, his voice hoarse like two rusty iron plates grinding together.

"Zhou Xiong! You son of a bitch... didn't you just say one nail?!"

His voice suddenly rose, filled with the anger of being deceived.

"After all this, you still wanted to keep it a secret, didn't you?! You wanted to swallow up this peerless genius with two nails all to yourself?!"

"Boom!" The entire room exploded into chaos!

"What's going on?!"

"I didn't see wrong. That light just now was definitely two nails!"

"Zhou Xiong! You old fox, that's not fair!"

Zhou Xiong was also stunned and shocked at the moment. He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word.

He didn't know either.

When did this happen?

"Everyone, stop arguing!"

The most senior-looking company commander slammed his hand on the table, his voice low and sharp. "Notify the Imperial Tribunal immediately! Encrypt the raw footage of that match at the highest level! Seal off every possible leak!"

"Now!"

The others snapped out of their daze, their faces instantly turning grim.

"A two-nail genius... this is trouble!"

"A talent of this caliber—I wonder if our Ultramarines Chapter can even hold onto him!"

"Once word gets out, those madmen from other Chapters will stop at nothing to snatch him!"

"Two-nail... as long as he doesn't fall in battle, the lowest he'll reach is Chapter high command, maybe even... higher! After the warzone, he's guaranteed a top-tier ranking. Then the choice won't be ours anymore!"

"Tough! Too tough!"

"Enough talk! Report it now!"

In an instant, the room was filled only with the frantic tapping of personal terminals.

Over a dozen encrypted messages, faster than light, shot out from here, flying to the supreme commanders of each sub-chapter—the Chapter Masters.

Then, after barely ten seconds of silence—

"Beep-beep-beep-beep—!"

In the room, everyone's personal terminal erupted simultaneously with urgent communication requests, as if gone mad.

The one-eyed company commander glanced at the list of senders, his face turning darker than a pot's bottom.

"Blood Angels, Raven Guard, Imperial Fists, Sons of the Emperor, Salamanders..."

He gritted his teeth, rattling off a string of illustrious Chapter names. "Damn it! Over seventy brothers from other Chapters have already sent me greetings!"

"Same here!"

"Me too!"

"Those cursed hyenas! How are they so well-informed?!"

Someone cursed.

"Normal."

Zhou Xiong had calmed down a bit by now, explaining with a bitter smile. "Don't we also keep people watching their selection matches? A million Chapters, planting informants, poaching talent—isn't that standard procedure?"

"Standard procedure my ass!"

The one-eyed commander slammed his fist on the table in fury, leaving a deep dent in the sturdy alloy surface. "It's great when we poach someone else's genius! But when our own genius is being poached, that's a whole different kind of infuriating!"

The brief chaos triggered by the sudden exposure of the "two-nail" genius was quickly suppressed by these battle-hardened company commanders.

But the relentless communication requests, threatening to overwhelm their terminals, reminded everyone that a war without gunpowder, centered on the genius, had already begun.

"Damn it, these wolves have noses sharper than dogs!"

The one-eyed commander irritably shut down his communication interface. "How do we reply now? Can't just tell them, 'Hey, we've got a two-nail here, feel free to bid,' can we?"

Crude as his words were, they captured the dilemma of everyone present.

Concealment was no longer possible.

For a moment, the room fell silent again.

"Forget it."

Finally, it was the one-eyed commander who broke the deadlock.

He leaned back, crossed his arms, and gave up entirely.

"Reply my ass! We've already kicked the ball to our boss. Let the Chapter Masters fight it out like gods at war—it's got nothing to do with us company commanders anymore."

He pursed his lips, a hint of schadenfreude in his tone. "Whoever offers the best deal gets the kid, simple as that."

His words eased the tension in the room somewhat.

Indeed, a game at this level was far beyond the authority of sub-chapter company commanders.

"No, no, not quite."

A more composed company commander shook his head, offering a different view. "There's another possibility."

Everyone's eyes turned to him.

"Have you forgotten that old unwritten rule?"

He spoke slowly. "If Qin Feng can secure a spot in the top hundred in the final 'Grand Warzone' showdown, he'll earn a special choice—to go to the 'Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races.'"

"Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races..."

At the name, everyone's eyes sharpened.

"Then, by convention,"

Another quickly caught on, "the trialist heading to the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races will have their 'Guardian' team absolutely drawn from our Ultramarines Chapter! That way, no matter what he achieves after the trial, he'll ultimately return to our Chapter!"

This possibility, like a ray of light, instantly brightened their gloomy moods.

"Hey, that's actually a thing!"

The one-eyed commander slapped his thigh, but then frowned. "But will he choose that path? It looks more dangerous, and per the confidentiality agreement, we can't reveal any benefits in advance."

"He will."

Zhou Xiong, who had been silent, finally spoke, his tone carrying an unshakable certainty.

He met the puzzled gazes of the others and pointed at the pendant hanging from Qin Feng's waist on the screen.

"He's different. Haven't you seen what's already hanging from his belt? That's a demon skull blessed by Khorne."

Zhou Xiong's voice was low and forceful. "The Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races lets him cut loose and slaughter greater daemons. Do you think he won't be tempted?"

His words struck like a hammer, hitting everyone's hearts.

"That's true..."

"His style does seem like the kind who'd make that choice."

"Exactly."

The composed company commander nodded, adding, "After all, the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races is the path the Empire offers young talents with the most resource allocation and the fastest growth. Given how he's blazed through every path before the planetary stage in under a century, he's after ultimate efficiency and growth. And the kid's sharp—he's already thinking about the Empire's operational logic without us prompting him. He'll likely see the way and choose it."

With this analysis, the atmosphere in the room finally lightened completely.

"Ah, stop overthinking."

The one-eyed commander waved his hand, reverting to his carefree demeanor. "This is beyond our jurisdiction. Let the higher-ups fight and scheme. We'll just watch the show."

"Who knows,"

A company commander, looking at the black-clad youth on the screen who had started watching the match seriously, joked half-seriously, "By the time he comes back from the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races, we might have to line up to salute him. If he keeps up this pace, he could be a Chapter Master-level figure by then."

"Yes."

This conjecture, seemingly a jest, nonetheless caused everyone to nod involuntarily.

After all, it was Erding.

A monster of this level cannot be judged by common sense.

(End of chapter)