Chapter 234: Instant Kill of Seven Stellar-level Martial Artists! Boldly Taking the First Place on the Combat Power List

Chapter 234: Annihilating Seven Stellar-Level Warriors! Seizing the Top of the Combat Power List! The Eternal Singularity!

The cosmic vacuum, cold and lifeless.

This was the fringe of Galaxy 120, a region that should have been an eternal, unchanging void, but had now been reduced to a grim battlefield.

Countless shattered limbs and twisted fragments of power armor, mingled with fine cosmic dust, formed a blood-red star map that chilled the heart.

Some wreckage of warships, not yet fully cooled, silently burned their last energies, emitting a faint red glow like the final breaths of a dying beast.

War had reached its climax not long ago, and now had fallen into an eerie stillness.

Hundreds of thousands of warriors, arrayed on either side of the void, formed two distinct camps.

On one side were the warriors of the "Six Galaxy Alliance."

Their numbers were relatively smaller, but their formation remained orderly, and each face bore the will to fight.

Around them floated too many remnants of their comrades; this sudden encounter had cost them dearly.

On the other side was the great army of the "Kapto-Kaler Alliance."

They were numerous, over three hundred thousand, all elites who had entered the Boundless Sea realm, and now, with the air of victors, they surrounded their opponents in a loose yet oppressive manner.

And before their formation, seven towering figures became the absolute focus of this battlefield.

They were seven genuine stellar-level warriors.

Behind them, seven indestructible projections, each several light-years tall, spanned the starry river, releasing a terrifying pressure that could warp light.

A ferocious fire dragon; an ancient bell; a sacred sword inscribed with runes; and a majestic, archaic cauldron…

Seven indestructible projections, each different in form, all radiated boundless, vast power.

As their phantom shadows swayed, they could disturb the surrounding mental and psychic fields, sending tremors deep into the souls of all below that level.

It was precisely because of their presence that the warriors of the Six Galaxy Alliance were suppressed, forced to watch their comrades being slaughtered, powerless to turn the tide.

In this tense, dead silence, on the verge of eruption, Qin Feng's figure appeared without warning in the center of the battlefield.

He stood tall, with black hair and black eyes, his expression calm.

Yet, as he appeared, the terrifying pressure emitted by the seven colossal indestructible projections seemed to encounter an invisible barrier and was instantly smoothed away.

The suffocating oppression of the entire battlefield lifted.

All eyes—whether those of the Six Galaxy Alliance warriors or the invaders of the Kapto-Kaler Alliance—involuntarily converged on this figure.

Time seemed to stand still.

"Boss!"

After a brief silence, a cry of suppressed, extreme joy erupted from the ranks of the Six Galaxy Alliance.

A warrior in heavy power armor, drenched in blood, transmitted excitedly to that figure: "It's the scum of the Kapto-Kaler Alliance!

They attacked without declaring war, relying on stellar-level experts to launch a surprise assault! Many of our brothers were killed!

Not only that, they split their forces to guard the resurrection points in several of our rear galaxies, clearly trying to block our respawns!"

"I understand."

Qin Feng nodded slightly, his voice calm yet carrying a reassuring strength.

His gaze swept across the battlefield, taking everything in.

He saw the tragic state of his comrades, and also the arrogant, overbearing air of the enemy.

Qin Feng narrowed his eyes.

The Kapto-Kaler Alliance… the third-ranked super alliance on the Combat Power List?

Guarding resurrection points? That tactic was no longer of much use to the Six Galaxy Alliance.

The members of the Six Galaxy Alliance came from different galaxies, with resurrection points scattered across the original Galaxy 99 and Galaxies 115 to 119. Now the Six Galaxies controlled fifty-one galaxies, spanning a vast territory.

The enemy actually didn't know where the members of the Six Galaxies were; if they guarded the wrong galaxy, it would be a waste of manpower and resources.

As the competition passed its midpoint and various super alliances rose, the pattern of war had begun to change.

The old method of conquering one galaxy after another would become increasingly difficult due to the formation of "strategic depth."

Once an opponent's alliance territory was vast enough, it would be hard to determine which galaxy their warriors respawned in, and the strategy of guarding resurrection points would directly fail.

Then, war would evolve into an endless war of attrition and exhaustion.

No one could eliminate the other completely in a short time.

The only way to break the deadlock was to launch the largest-scale expansion war as quickly as possible, before everyone had fully formed such immense strategic depth!

Swallow and digest all those galaxies that had not yet formed large alliances, and those small, weak alliances!

Seize territory, seize population, seize resources!

The era of big fish eating small fish had arrived ahead of schedule.

Just as Qin Feng's thoughts raced, the leader among the seven stellar-level experts opposite spoke.

His indestructible projection was that ferocious fire dragon, ten light-years tall, the most solid among the seven.

His voice echoed through the void via mental power.

"Qin Feng? The former second on the Combat Power List?"

His eyes locked onto Qin Feng, full of vigilance.

"On behalf of our alliance's two leaders, 'Kapto' and 'Kaler,' I extend an invitation to you."

He paused, as if savoring the shock Qin Feng might feel, then said solemnly: "Our leader, Kapto, is seventh on the Combat Power List. Our other leader, Kaler, is ninth.

If you are willing to join us, then the Kapto-Kaler Alliance will have three leaders in the top ten, with limitless future potential."

"Of course, you may refuse."

The stellar-level expert changed his tone, "But if you do, then sorry, from today onward, you and your alliance will face the hostility of two top-ten Combat Power List experts simultaneously. You should understand what that means."

These words echoed in everyone's heart.

Two top-ten Combat Power List experts—that name was truly terrifying, representing the pinnacle of combat power in the entire war zone.

No matter how strong Qin Feng was, he was only one person; how could he contend with two top-tier experts?

The entire universe, countless gazes, awaited Qin Feng's answer.

But Qin Feng's answer was only one word.

"Enough!"

The icy voice, like the shattering of ten-thousand-year-old ice, carried not a trace of emotion.

The moment the word fell, an indescribably terrifying aura erupted from his seemingly slender frame!

Boom—!

Behind him, the phantom shadow of an ancient, vast tower, as if standing at the source of the river of time, soared into the sky!

Ten thousand light-years!

Twenty thousand light-years!

Thirty thousand light-years!

The phantom of that tower, named the Indestructible Tower, swelled with a savage, unreasonable fury, its height instantly surpassing thirty thousand light-years!

It stood silently behind Qin Feng, its body bathed in vast silver streams of light that shimmered like a river of stars, ancient and mysterious runes covering its surface.

The overwhelming pressure of spiritual power radiated outward in all directions!

Killing intent, thick to the extreme, even condensed into tangible blood-red hues in the void, slowly spiraling around the tower.

“Wh—what?!”

“Thirty thousand light-years! How is that possible!”

“That’s already thirty percent of the hundred-thousand-light-year mark! How long has it been since he advanced to Star-level?!”

The seven arrogant Star-level experts opposite him saw their confidence vanish in an instant.

In its place came sheer terror and disbelief.

Their own indestructible projections, towering several light-years high, seemed utterly insignificant before this majestic thirty-thousand-light-year tower.

The absolute suppression from the life level made their proud indestructible phantoms tremble violently, as if on the verge of collapse!

In the distance, the over three hundred thousand warriors of the Kapto-Karle Alliance turned pale as paper, their hearts and livers shattered.

Under this pressure, even their thoughts began to stall, their souls seemingly ground to dust.

Before they could recover from this endless shock, Qin Feng made his move!

He did not even make an extra gesture, merely moving his will.

Killing Art: *The Vast Mountain Range*!

In an instant, the thirty-thousand-light-year Indestructible Tower erupted with billions of dazzling silver beams.

These beams converged, compressed, and solidified in a mysterious manner, finally forming an ancient divine mountain above the heads of the seven Star-level experts, also shimmering with silver light!

This mountain was a fusion of spiritual power and psionic energy, more real than any physical entity.

It seemed to be the embodiment of the concept of “mountain,” carrying the supreme “mountain intent” to suppress and crush all, bearing down upon the seven below!

“An eighth-level killing art! And at the minor achievement stage!”

“Where did he get a stele of inheritance for an eighth-level killing art?!”

“Was it prepared before the competition began?”

“Not good!”

“Quick! Attack together! Block it!”

The shadow of death instantly enveloped the hearts of the seven. They frantically activated their indestructible projections, unleashing their power without reservation.

A fire dragon roared, an ancient bell tolled…

A holy sword fell, an ancient tripod overturned…

Seven Star-level experts, seven vastly different powerful killing arts, converged at this moment into a cataclysmic torrent, rising against the heavens in an attempt to shake the descending ancient divine mountain.

Yet…

Though they used king-level inheritances, they were only seventh-level killing arts.

The gap was simply too vast.

In this apocalyptic scene, the energy torrent capable of destroying an entire galaxy, upon first contact with the seemingly slow but unstoppable silver mountain, shattered like fragile glass against a ten-thousand-ton hammer.

Crack—crack, crack, crack—

Accompanied by a series of grating breaking sounds, the once-arrogant fire dragon had its massive body crushed inch by inch by the mountain, scattering into sparks.

Then the ancient bell cracked, the holy sword snapped, the ancient tripod shattered…

The seven towering indestructible projections, before this ancient divine mountain that condensed Qin Feng’s spiritual will, were fragile and utterly defenseless!

They were smashed to pieces, turning into the purest specks of energy light, dissipating into the void.

And with the shattering of the indestructible projections, the physical bodies of the seven Star-level experts simultaneously exploded like punctured balloons, bursting into seven clusters of brilliant blood mist.

An eighth-level killing art slays both body and soul!

The indestructible projections were extensions of their spirit and soul; when the projections broke, their souls suffered severe wounds;

The mountain intent crushed down, and their bodies could not escape.

A single strike.

In the blink of an eye.

The seven powerful Star-level warriors were utterly obliterated from this universe by Qin Feng with a devastating force, sent directly back to their respective respawn points.

Complete silence fell over the scene.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, whether warriors of the Six-Galaxy Alliance or survivors of the Kapto-Karle Alliance, all stunned into losing the ability to think by this miraculous sight.

After a long while, from the ranks of the Six-Galaxy Alliance came gasps of relief at having escaped death, followed by fervent discussions.

“There are gaps even among Star-level warriors…”

“The boss has already completed thirty percent of the Star-level path, while those guys—the strongest among them hasn’t even reached one percent.”

“Exactly. At Star-level, a hundred thousand light-years is perfection.

Even a one percent difference means a full thousand light-years in height!

And on top of that, the boss has mastered the legendary eighth-level killing art!”

Relief—an unprecedented sense of relief—flooded the hearts of all Six-Galaxy Alliance warriors.

Their leader possessed absolute power to crush peers of the same rank.

This was the fundamental guarantee that allowed them to survive in this brutal war zone, enjoy the vast resources they had seized, and not worry about being wiped out overnight!

As for the warriors from the Kapto-Karle Alliance, after the brief silence, they were finally consumed by boundless terror.

Coming back to their senses from the shock, their first thought was to flee!

Almost instinctively, everyone simultaneously channeled their power, trying to link into the subspace teleportation network for long-distance escape.

But the space around them had somehow become chaotic; Qin Feng’s immense spiritual force field had already locked onto this region, preventing anyone from opening a subspace teleport.

Qin Feng’s calm, icy gaze fell upon them.

Then, another even vaster ancient divine mountain coalesced above their heads, blotting out all starlight.

For these over three hundred thousand Boundless Sea warriors who had not even reached Star-level, Qin Feng’s strength was far too overwhelming.

Under their despairing gaze, the mountain pressed down.

Over three hundred thousand warriors, along with their power armor and weapons, were crushed under this silent suppression into the most microscopic particles, utterly reduced to nothing.

To Qin Feng’s current strength, the Boundless Sea level was indeed less than an ant.

The gap between Planetary-level and Star-level was simply too immense.

The cosmic vacuum, cold and lifeless.

Qin Feng’s figure hovered at the center of the void where over three hundred thousand warriors had been erased, the phantom of the thirty-thousand-light-year Indestructible Tower slowly fading behind him, as if it had never existed.

The terrifying pressure that had just been enough to distort the galaxy and suppress all things had now vanished without a trace.

A strange, eerie silence fell upon the battlefield.

The surviving martial artists of the Six Galaxies Alliance stared blankly at that solitary, lofty figure, the wild joy and shock in their hearts not yet fading, but rather replaced by a reverence and peace of mind stemming from the depths of their very souls.

This was their leader.

With him here, the foundation of the Alliance remained as stable as a mountain.

Qin Feng's gaze swept calmly across his own camp, his mental voice transmission echoing within the minds of every Alliance member, clear and steady.

"Everyone, continue your cultivation.

If we enter the hunting phase, you can apply to conduct hunts in other galaxies, or you can choose to form teams, though you must pay the corresponding military merits, which everyone should be well aware of."

Qin Feng's voice bore little emotion.

The military merit system was the core framework designed personally by Caesar at the inception of the Alliance.

It was fair and transparent, quantifying all resources, missions, and authorities, ensuring that everyone's efforts received a corresponding reward, which was also one of the reasons why the Alliance could muster such a powerful executive force.

"Once everyone has digested the resources of the fifty-one galaxies, the conquest will accelerate."

Leaving behind this announcement that heralded the next round of violent expansion, Qin Feng said no more.

He was not Caesar; he was not adept at mobilization and inspiring people's hearts.

Qin Feng would do things that were more practical.

With a mere thought, he logged into the internal forum of the Six Galaxies Alliance.

This was an independent local area network that only Alliance members could access.

His fingers slid rapidly across the virtual light screen, and a brief announcement was pinned and sent by him.

[Alliance Announcement: The Capdo-Kaler Alliance has declared war on us, and the invading enemies have all been annihilated.

Members of all departments are to rest and digest resources according to the original plan; there is no need for panic.

Everything remains as usual, and after the resources are digested, we will continue to conquer a large number of galaxies as scheduled.

The intensity of the next expedition will far exceed the previous two times, so everyone should try to raise their strength to their own limits.

——Qin Feng]

Having completed all of this, Qin Feng's form turned into a stream of light where he stood, vanishing from sight.

...

The ice cave planet remained, as always, bitterly cold and deathly silent.

This was the place of secluded cultivation Qin Feng had chosen for himself, rarely visited by anyone, making it an excellent sanctuary for quiet training.

A spatial ripple rippled outward, and Qin Feng's figure appeared at the bottom of that familiar, myriad-yard-deep ice cave.

He sat down cross-legged.

Leaving his seclusion to kill enemies this time had taken merely dozens of minutes from start to finish, yet it had given him a clearer understanding of the current situation.

"The era of big fish eating small fish has already begun."

Qin Feng muttered to himself.

The galactic alliances were attacking each other and plundering resources, stellar-level martial artists were growing increasingly numerous, and the tournament had already entered a white-hot phase.

The good news, however, was that his current strength was considered to be in the top tier—whether among those stellar-level martial artists who were out in the open or those hidden ones who had not yet made a move, Qin Feng was of the topmost tier.

Qin Feng looked at the private forum of the grand war zone for a little longer, and then turned his consciousness back to cultivation.

This period of seclusion had lasted for a full twenty years.

Twenty years was a long time for a mortal, but for a stellar-level powerhouse whose life was measured in units of tens of thousands of years, it was merely the snap of a finger.

Yet in these short twenty years, relying on the terrifying efficiency of the "Ten Perfection Hands" and the massive resources he had plundered earlier, he had forcefully built his undying projection, the "Undying Tower," from a few light-years when he first entered the stellar level to its current terrifying scale of thirty thousand light-years.

"Calculating by the current speed of cultivation, after completely consuming the remaining resources in my hands, I should be able to raise the Undying Tower to around seventy thousand light-years, or even eighty thousand light-years."

This progress had already far exceeded anyone's imagination.

Qin Feng was drawing closer and closer to that hundred thousand light-years mark that symbolized the Great Perfection of the stellar level.

However, Qin Feng's vision had long since surpassed the so-called "Perfection."

"But a hundred thousand light-years is not the limit; it is merely the lowest standard required to condense golden mental strength."

His thoughts sank into a deeper level.

"The stellar-level realm and the galactic-level realm are just like the orifice-opening and orifice-combining stages of the past.

The more robust the accumulation of the foundation, the more terrifying the height one can reach upon the final breakthrough!"

Back before the planetary level, in order to forge the "Supreme Yuan Orifice," he had forcefully opened three hundred and sixty "Great Sun Orifices," which was what gave him the terrifying combat power and speed of progress that far surpassed his peers later on.

Now that he had reached the stellar level, the logic was exactly the same.

It was said in the universal perception of the cosmos that reaching a hundred thousand light-years for an undying projection was a standard, allowing one to begin tempering mental strength into gold and advancing to the galactic level.

But that was only the "standard."

"What if I do not stop at a hundred thousand light-years?"

"What if I develop the Undying Tower to a million light-years, or even ten million light-years.

And then use resources to baptize and temper this projection of ten million light-years until its entire body turns into an immortal gold, using that as a foundation to advance to the galactic level..."

"And then, upon reaching the perfection of the galactic level, compress this ten-million-light-year tower into an infinitely dense singularity to advance to the black-hole level..."

"Then, the moment I advance, I am afraid I would be an invincible existence among the black-hole level!" This thought caused even someone as resolute of mind as Qin Feng to feel a surge of excitement.

"However... the resources and time this will consume will also be an astronomical figure."

He quickly calmed down.

The idea was beautiful, but reality was cruel.

Merely pushing the tower from thirty thousand light-years to seventy or eighty thousand light-years would exhaust the massive amount of resources he had obtained from conquering more than fifty galaxies.

To stack it up to ten million light-years, the resources required would be unimaginably vast.

"The advantages and disadvantages still need to be weighed carefully."

"Let us enter seclusion first.

Once this period of seclusion is complete and the tower is pushed to the limit of this current stage, I will ask Master."

Thinking of his own master, the King-Class "Heaven-Devouring King," Qin Feng's mind completely settled.

With such an existence as a backing, many seemingly perplexing problems could be easily resolved.

Qin Feng slowly closed his eyes, emptying all stray thoughts, and his mind sank once more into that endless cultivation.

Within the ice cave, an eternal, deathly silence fell once again.

...

Meanwhile.

Countless streams of information were converging and colliding within a massive private network that covered the entire grand war zone.

This is the "Private Forum of the Cosmic Genius War Zone."

Almost every second, tens of thousands of new posts and battle reports refresh, the density of information enough to crash an ordinary super optical brain instantly.

Yet, amid this chaotic torrent of information, an update forcibly pinned in red by the system instantly caught the attention of all online warriors.

It was an update to the power ranking.

["Madman" Qin Feng]

[Power Ranking: First]

[Affiliated Alliance: Qin Feng - Caesar Alliance]

[Latest Battle Record: At the edge of Galaxy 120, facing seven alone, instantly killing Kaiputo-Kalle Alliance stellar-level warriors Woken, Bana, Chu Ping, Yu Jiu... and seven others.]

[Power Estimate: Qin Feng is the highest-cultivation stellar-level warrior with recorded combat.

His immortal projection [Immortal Tower] has reached a scale of thirty thousand light-years.

He also masters an eighth-level killing technique, with his realm having reached 'Minor Success.']

[Danger Level Assessment: Extremely Dangerous!

Without an immortal projection of equal scale and mastery of an eighth-level killing technique, escape is impossible.]

This update instantly ignited the entire forum.

Before this, Qin Feng had also ranked high on the power list, but due to prolonged seclusion and his previous campaigns targeting Boundless Sea warriors, with scattered stellar-level foes handled by Caesar, his fame had waned.

Everyone only knew Qin Feng was one of the first to break through to stellar level, and that he had once gained the upper hand in a duel with Caesar.

There was also a "Chakta" who had openly defeated Qin Feng.

Many had nearly forgotten just how terrifying Qin Feng truly was.

Now, with a clean and decisive instant kill, he announced his return to all geniuses across the war zone.

Beneath this power ranking update post, replies broke through ten million within minutes.

"Holy shit! Thirty thousand light-years?! Did I read that right? How long has it been since he advanced to stellar level?"

"Qin Feng's strength is still ruthless; this guy's progress never disappoints—after all, he's a prodigy of the Ultimate War Group."

"The Ten Complete Hands are indeed authoritative here."

"Before, Caesar was the one acting; we really overlooked Qin Feng."

"Now it seems, to co-lead an interstellar alliance with Caesar, even with Caesar as support... Qin Feng's strength is definitely not weak."

"Terrifying..."

"But it's not certain; stellar warriors have long seclusion periods. After a while, the power ranking will still shift dramatically, and with more resources, later arrivals might catch up."

"..."

"Haha, Kaiputo and Kalle must be fuming. Wonder if they'll go after Qin Feng?"

"Heh, their records don't even match Qin Feng's from decades ago."

"Hmm..."

Of course, the forum wasn't all awe and praise; there were also rational analyses and doubts.

"Don't mythologize him too much.

Stellar warriors have extremely long seclusion periods, often centuries or millennia.

Qin Feng's lead now doesn't mean he'll stay ahead forever.

As the competition reaches its midpoint, top-tier opportunity and resource points across the universe are being developed, and many latecomers will catch up."

"Exactly, it's only mid-phase; there are still many variables."

"But the Kaiputo-Kalle Alliance has really stepped on a landmine this time. Wonder if their two leaders, Kaiputo and Kalle, will personally go after Qin Feng?"

"Waiting for the follow-up; this should be good."

The storm on the forum came and went quickly.

Though Qin Feng's feat was shocking, for these geniuses struggling daily on the edge of life and death for opportunities, even the biggest news was just a momentary talking point.

Soon, a post about "suspected coordinates of a galactic-level resource 'Source Crystal' leak" drew everyone's attention.

Across the entire war zone forum, countless boards and posts flickered endlessly.

Interstellar alliance rankings, individual power rankings, resource intelligence zones, tactical exchange zones... data streams surged like a galloping galaxy, ever-changing.

The mode of war was no longer the small-scale skirmishes of the early days.

Colossal super-alliances rose, forming alliances and waging wars against each other, often involving super-wars sweeping across dozens of galaxies.

Time flew by in this increasingly brutal and white-hot competition.

Thirty years, fifty years, seventy years...

In these seventy years, the situation in the war zone underwent earth-shattering changes.

Some once-glorious alliances crumbled before stronger enemies.

New alliances rose like comets, cutting through the dark universe.

Even more, many warriors from destroyed galaxies, who should have become homeless dogs, encountered unimaginable opportunities in dire straits, surviving by the skin of their teeth and gradually cultivating to stellar level.

These warriors became formidable and troublesome free agents roaming between the territories of major alliances.

The entire war zone was like a pot of boiling porridge—chaotic, scorching, full of endless variables and possibilities.

Amid such shifting winds and clouds, seventy years passed in a flash.

Ice Cavern Planet.

Qin Feng slowly opened his eyes.

As he awakened, the temperature within the entire ice cavern seemed to drop by hundreds of degrees, and a denser layer of ice formed on the divine-iron-hard walls—a result of the mental pressure he unconsciously emitted.

No earth-shattering phenomena, no violent energy discharge.

For him, this seventy-year seclusion was merely a brief pause on the path of cultivation.

Qin Feng's first act was to sort through the gains of this seclusion.

His mind sank into his spiritual world, where the majestic projection named [Immortal Tower] stood silently.

It was no longer the thirty thousand light-years of twenty years ago; it had risen to a terrifying seventy thousand light-years.

Boundless mental energy flowed within the tower like a surging galaxy, and with a mere gesture, he could summon power enough to cover several star domains.

"By now, the war zone competition has been running for six hundred and eighty years."

Qin Feng calculated silently.

To push the Immortal Tower to its current height, he had consumed all the vast resources gained from conquering fifty-one galaxies.

Those riches, enough for tens of thousands of ordinary warriors to cultivate from the Boundless Sea to stellar level, had only advanced him by forty thousand light-years.

He still needed the final thirty thousand light-years to reach the "standard" of one hundred thousand light-years.

Then, he called up his data panel to check the progress of his core cultivation method.

【Cultivation Method: Tenfold Hands (Beginner)】

【Proficiency: 20/100】

Ninety years of arduous cultivation had raised proficiency from 8 to 20 points.

This pace seemed slow, but Qin Feng was content.

The improvement of the *Tenfold Hands* meant his efficiency in refining resources was steadily increasing—this was the fundamental guarantee for his continued rapid growth.

Proficiency had reached one-fifth; the realm of "Minor Mastery" was not far off.

As for combat techniques, he had not invested much effort during this seclusion.

The expansion of the Indestructible Projection was the top priority at this stage.

The eighth-level combat technique *Vast Mountain Range* remained at the "Minor Mastery" realm.

After tallying his gains, Qin Feng felt no joy; instead, his brow furrowed slightly.

"The resources of fifty-one galaxies are far from enough—far, far from enough,"

he murmured to himself.

His voice echoed in the empty ice cavern, carrying a hint of gravity.

"Let alone constructing the million light-years I envision, or even ten million light-years—there’s still a massive gap even for the tournament’s minimum standard of a hundred thousand light-years."

How should he proceed after the stellar level?

Should he follow the prescribed path, break through upon reaching a hundred thousand light-years, or continue to solidify his foundation and walk the path of invincibility?

After a moment of contemplation, Qin Feng hesitated no longer.

He opened the subspace network and sent a message directly to his master, "Swallowing Heaven King."

【Qin Feng】: Master, your disciple has a question to ask.

The moment the message was sent, a reply appeared instantly on the virtual light screen.

【Swallowing Heaven King】: 1, I’m here. Don’t ask about the specific tournament process or opportunities—according to the rules, I cannot disclose them. Only questions related to cultivation are allowed.

Qin Feng quickly organized his confusion into words and sent it.

【Qin Feng】: Master, I wish to ask: for the stellar-level Indestructible Projection, to what scale should I expand it? Should I break through upon reaching the minimum standard of a hundred thousand light-years, or should I attempt to construct it to a million light-years, or even ten million light-years?

This question concerned the very foundation of his future path.

This time, Swallowing Heaven King was silent for about three seconds, as if weighing his words.

Then, a large stream of information flooded into Qin Feng’s panel.

【Swallowing Heaven King】: The expansion, tempering, and eventual condensation of the Indestructible Projection into a singularity—these three steps can be roughly compared to the opening and merging of apertures before the planetary level.

The stronger the foundation, the more powerful you will be upon reaching the black hole level.

After advancing to the black hole level, further progress requires endless time to explore and accumulate.

Thus, the best choice is to ensure that upon your first promotion to the black hole level, you become a formidable existence among your peers.

【Swallowing Heaven King】: The singularity formed by compressing the Indestructible Projection is divided into three grades based on its foundational scale.

【Swallowing Heaven King】: The first and most basic grade is called the 'Basic Singularity.' This requires compressing an Indestructible Projection of a hundred thousand light-years. Most geniuses take this path.

The second grade is called the 'Transcendent Singularity.' This requires compressing an Indestructible Projection of a million light-years. Generally, prodigies participating in the Cosmic Genius Tournament choose the Transcendent Singularity.

【Swallowing Heaven King】: As for the third grade, it is called the 'Eternal Singularity.'

This requires compressing a massive Indestructible Projection of ten million light-years into a single point.

【Swallowing Heaven King】: The difficulty of these three paths increases geometrically, and the resources and time required also increase geometrically. My advice is to choose the 'Eternal Singularity.'

Eternal Singularity!

Seeing these four words, Qin Feng’s heart leaped heavily.

An Indestructible Projection of ten million light-years—what an exaggerated concept! He could hardly imagine the vast resources needed to build it.

He immediately sent his concerns.

【Qin Feng】: Master, if I choose the 'Eternal Singularity,' I fear I won’t even be able to advance to the galactic level by the end of the major war zone.

【Swallowing Heaven King】: You will.

Swallowing Heaven King’s reply was simple and resolute.

【Swallowing Heaven King】: You underestimate the Cosmic Genius Tournament. Remember, this is the supreme talent selection competition of our human race.

The competition is far from its most exciting stage.

I have said all I can; any more would violate the rules.

【Qin Feng】: Your disciple understands. Thank you for your guidance, Master.

Qin Feng replied respectfully.

The communication ended, the light screen vanished, and the ice cavern returned to silence.

Qin Feng sat still for a long time, unmoving, but his heart was churning with turbulent waves from this conversation with his master.

First, his future path was now crystal clear.

He would choose the strongest one!

Basic, Transcendent, Eternal.

These three options lay before him, and for him, there was no second choice.

Qin Feng had experienced the advantages of the supreme-grade aperture—indeed, the benefits were immense. Though the early stages required more effort, in the mere hundred years that followed, he had traversed the path from the sixth level to the planetary level, maintaining an invincible combat power among his peers.

This time would be no different.

"Eternal Singularity..."

He murmured the four words softly. "When I break through to the black hole level through this path, I will directly become the strongest, the foremost under the domain lords!"

"Then, after endless years of accumulation and vast knowledge, I will explore my own path."

Qin Feng had confirmed his cultivation.

Second, his understanding of the "Cosmic Genius Tournament" had also shifted somewhat.

"I was too shortsighted."

Qin Feng smiled wryly.

From Swallowing Heaven King’s words, he had underestimated the Cosmic Genius Tournament.

After all, it was the supreme talent selection of humanity, the peak race of the universe. More unimaginable changes would surely appear later.

His master had already hinted at this.

Of course, this didn’t count as a rule violation—it was merely urging him to take it seriously, without specifying the changes.

"Eternal Singularity...

That means the resources I need will increase roughly a hundredfold from the current base!"

Qin Feng quickly calculated in his mind.

Moreover, this is only what is required for the first stage—the "expansion of scale."

Following that, there are two more steps: "tempering the spirit" and "compressing the singularity," each of which will likely demand even more resources and time!

An unprecedented pressure weighed heavily on his heart.

"Resources! Resources!"

Qin Feng immersed his mind into the war zone forum of the subspace, using his immense spiritual power to read one post after another, sorting through the events that had occurred during his years of seclusion, enhancing his understanding of the situation.

"There are more and more stellar-level martial artists."

"The campaigns of the galaxy alliances are growing fiercer, and even many galaxy-level resources have appeared."

"Hmm? Wait, several galaxy alliances have stopped their campaigns and begun to hold their ground."

"Come to think of it, just like my own alliance—only martial artists from six galaxies, now occupying fifty-one galaxies. The resources can be digested, but the territory is too vast. If it expands further, there won't be enough manpower."

"Then we'll face protracted battles and guerrilla warfare, endlessly vexing."

"Moreover, stellar-level martial artists have an enormous demand for resources."

Qin Feng then switched to his own alliance, examining the strength recorded on the jade tokens of various martial artists.

This look left Qin Feng astonished.

Under his command, the alliance already had over a hundred stellar-level martial artists!

These hundred-plus stellar-level martial artists had mostly advanced during this period of seclusion; they were roughly the same batch that had first broken through to the Boundless Sea level.

"Over a hundred stellar-level martial artists—if calculated by the lowest standard of a singularity, one person needs a hundred galaxies. Just for expansion, we'd need all the stellar-level resource points of ten thousand galaxies."

"That's simply unrealistic."

Qin Feng's eyes flickered.

He gradually understood.

If this continued, with more and more stellar-level martial artists and the interstellar alliances beginning to consolidate their territories, the competition would return to its original form—fighting over resource points!

Only this time, the competition would be for galaxy-level resources! Large groups of stellar-level martial artists would form teams to campaign, leaving no room for planetary-level participation!

The planetary-level martial artists who hadn't been eliminated only needed to stay safely within the alliance's territory, absorbing resources.

(End of this chapter)