Chapter 291: The Road to Becoming a King! Knowledge is the Source of All Things! He Just

Chapter 291: The Path to Kingship! Knowledge is the Source of All Things! Is He Qin Feng?!

Within the Hall of Thunder Marks, Qin Feng’s consciousness withdrew from the depths of his retrospection; he nodded slightly, having already charted the course for his future.

He had weighed the cruel laws of the Dead Meteor Island—a bloody crucible that would temper his own strength while contributing to the greater cause of humanity—but for now, there were more pressing personal matters to attend to.

He raised his eyes to the two Kings seated before him, his gaze calm and sincere.

"Master, Senior Thunderstorm King."

Qin Feng’s voice resonated through the hall, carrying a steadiness that belied his youthful sharpness. "I have one more matter, a private one, and I wish to ask for your assistance in investigating it."

The Heaven-Swallowing King’s expression softened, his satisfaction with his disciple growing.

"Speak freely."

The King’s voice possessed a reassuring power. "You have rendered immortal service to humanity and are now a pillar of our future. Your affairs are the affairs of the human race; there is no distinction between private and public."

Qin Feng felt a warmth in his heart and hesitated no longer. "I have two cousins, the sons of my uncle, Wang Ming.

They joined the Ultramarine Legion many years ago, but they set out on a mission and have been missing for over three hundred years.

I wish to know if they are safe. Are they... alive, or have they..."

He did not finish, but the implication hung heavy in the air.

In the cosmic theater of war, life and death were fickle; three hundred years of silence was enough to plunge any family into an abyss of torment.

"Members of the Ultramarine Legion?"

The Heaven-Swallowing King nodded slightly; to him, this was a trivial task. He spoke gently, "Give me their names and the star system of their birth. I shall look into it for you."

"The elder, Wang Hao, and the younger, Wang Jie. Both were born on Morning Star. Their father is Wang Ming, a stellar-level power armor designer."

Qin Feng recited the details accurately.

The Heaven-Swallowing King closed his eyes, his consciousness, vast as the cosmos itself, instantly connecting to the highest-level network of the human race.

Countless streams of data surged through his sea of awareness, and in mere heartbeats, he locked onto his target.

When he opened his eyes again, his expression carried a hint of gravity.

"I have found them," he said solemnly. "They are... on the Dead Meteor Island."

At the mention of that name, not only Qin Feng but even the Thunderstorm King and Lei San furrowed their brows.

The Heaven-Swallowing King continued, his voice low and grave: "The situation is more complex than imagined. In recent years, the state of Dead Meteor Island has deteriorated rapidly.

Within the Demon race, a peerless prodigy with the bloodline of the 'Primordial Golden Crow' has emerged, and the Holy Light race has seen a Saint born with the awakened 'Blazing Soul.'

Both possess immense potential. To nip this threat in the bud, the human high command has deployed a massive army, intent on slaying them on the outer islands at any cost."

"As a countermeasure, the Demons and the Holy Light race have dispatched vast elite forces to the outer islands, swearing to protect them at all costs.

Currently, the three factions are locked in a tangled stalemate on the outer rim. While a full-scale war has yet to erupt, small-scale infiltration, ambushes, and skirmishes are raging. It has become a meat grinder."

He looked at Qin Feng, his tone carrying a subtle weight. "Your cousins, Wang Hao and Wang Jie, are still alive.

They belong to the 'Shadow' tactical squad under the Seventh Sub-Legion of the Ultramarine Legion, with Wang Jie serving as captain due to his exceptional command skills.

However... the sector they occupy is the most volatile frontline of the current conflict."

Hearing that they were alive, the tension in Qin Feng’s heart eased. He let out a long breath, a genuine smile appearing on his face.

"As long as they are alive, that is enough."

To him, as long as they lived, there was hope.

He knew the cruelty of the cosmic battlefield; every warrior who stepped onto it had long since cast aside thoughts of life and death.

These high-intensity, small-scale conflicts were the unspoken "rules of the game" among the myriad races—a brutal way to train troops and weaken each other’s strength without triggering total war.

Behind every battle lay not just the slaughter of a hundred thousand warriors, but the hearts of millions of logistics personnel in the rear.

Under these implicit rules, high-level powerhouses would not easily commit massacres against lower-level beings, lest they invite a relentless, life-or-death hunt from the enemy's own powerhouses.

This was the bloody iron law that maintained the fragile balance of the cosmic battlefield.

Watching Qin Feng’s relief, the Heaven-Swallowing King pondered for a moment before offering, "The Dead Meteor Island is a place of strife, and the casualty rate is climbing daily. I can use my authority to issue a transfer order and bring them back to Thunder Universe City. What do you think?"

It was a tempting offer, the ultimate gesture of a master’s care for his disciple.

Yet, Qin Feng shook his head with a smile, almost without hesitation.

"I appreciate your kindness, Master. But... let us leave it be."

His smile held a touch of clarity and detachment. "That is the path they chose. I suspect that the moment they decided to join the Ultramarine Legion, they had already prepared themselves for a shroud of horsehide.

A warrior’s glory is forged in blood and merit on the battlefield, not in the comfort of the rear.

If I were to force them back now, it would seem like protection, but in reality, it would be the greatest insult to their martial will.

They would not thank me; they would resent me for the rest of their lives."

Though he hadn't seen his cousins in years, Qin Feng understood the fierce pride inherent in their bloodline.

"Haha, you are right."

The Heaven-Swallowing King’s eyes grew even more appreciative, and he smiled with satisfaction, saying no more.

Qin Feng’s character and vision were truly remarkable.

...

"Well, the time is right. You have stepped into the Divine Prohibition and grasped your own path. It is time I spoke to you about cultivation beyond the Domain Lord level."

As the words fell, Qin Feng’s eyes lit up, reflecting his hunger and focus for unknown knowledge.

He adjusted his posture, his spirit highly concentrated, listening intently, afraid to miss a single syllable.

This was the field he most urgently needed to understand; it concerned the future direction of his "Path of Extremes."

Seeing this, the Heaven-Swallowing King revealed a satisfied smile. "As everyone knows, there are thousands of paths to cultivation, countless techniques, and billions of branches, but all roads eventually lead to the same destination: the crucial level of the Black Hole stage."

He paused, giving Qin Feng time to reflect.

"The reason is simple. Regardless of the path you chose before, to truly stand firm in the Cosmic Sea or even glimpse higher realms, you must possess a sufficiently powerful 'vessel' and 'engine' to carry and analyze vast amounts of knowledge.

The Mental Black Hole is the most equitable tool bestowed upon all living beings by the will of the universe.

It allows your cognitive ability, learning efficiency, and information processing to leap forward, reaching a level where you can frantically absorb all manner of knowledge.

Without this foundation, all subsequent cultivation is but a castle in the air."

Qin Feng nodded in deep agreement. "Yes, that is true."

His own experience was deeper than anyone’s.

The original [Eternal Singularity] was, in essence, a Mental Black Hole of unimaginable efficiency.

It was thanks to this foundation that he could push complex secret techniques like the "Ten-Perfect Hand" and the "Nine Spirits Origin Map" to such incredible heights in just a few thousand years.

Of course, it had now evolved into the even more terrifying [Primordial Singularity].

"The Black Hole stage is the phase for accumulating knowledge."

The Heaven-Swallowing King’s voice turned solemn. "And when you have accumulated enough knowledge, when you can integrate these scattered points, walk your own path, define it clearly, and finally receive the recognition of the universe's will—at that moment, you will naturally ascend to the rank of Domain Lord."

Qin Feng had grasped this concept during his previous battles, but he still held doubts about the most critical link.

"Master,"

He spoke respectfully, his voice clear and steady, "I have a question. What exactly do you mean by 'being acknowledged by the will of the universe'? The will of the universe is not a sentient being; how could it 'judge' and 'acknowledge' whether a path is correct or not?"

This question struck at the very core.

For any cultivator pursuing the pinnacle of martial arts, this question was of vital importance.

The Heaven-Swallowing King looked at Qin Feng with approval and said, "A well-asked question. This 'acknowledgment' is not a subjective, emotional form of approval.

The will of the universe is a collection of laws, a macroscopic manifestation of the operating principles of the entire cosmos; it possesses no likes or dislikes of its own.

Its 'acknowledgment' is more akin to a natural 'resonance' and 'verification'."

"To be more specific,"

The Heaven-Swallowing King extended a finger, and a wisp of faint chaotic energy emerged at its tip. It shifted constantly, turning now into stars, now into flames, and now returning to nothingness, "When you create your own secret technique—note, I say 'create,' not 'learn.'

When the internal logic of this technique is self-consistent, when the circulation of its spiritual energy is efficient, when the expression of its philosophy is complete, and most importantly—when it can stably manifest a brand-new, uniquely yours 'phenomenon' or 'effect' upon the existing foundational rules of the universe, your secret technique will resonate with the underlying laws of the cosmos.

This resonance is the 'acknowledgment' of the universe's will.

At that moment, your spiritual black hole will undergo a qualitative change, your life level will naturally leap, and you will ascend to become a Domain Lord."

Qin Feng fell into deep thought, his mind racing to digest this information.

He recalled the moment he broke through to the path of the "Ultimate." It was precisely when he fused the soul amplification of the [Nine Spirits Origin Map], the speed mysteries of [Inch Glow], his own formidable physical body, and the philosophy of "proving the Dao through strength" that he created that strike, which transcended his original system.

That strike was perhaps the prototype of his future "Ultimate Secret Technique," and the sensation of that instant was perhaps a preview of the "resonance" his master spoke of.

"And after the Domain Lord level, the true cultivation begins."

The Heaven-Swallowing King's words pulled Qin Feng's thoughts back to reality, his tone becoming increasingly solemn, "From this moment on, you will formally encounter a core term that will run through all your future paths of cultivation: Laws."

"Laws?"

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow slightly. He had pondered this question before, so he asked directly, "Are they like the mysterious and profound cosmic laws found in the legends of many ancient civilizations? For instance, the Law of Thunder, the Law of Space, or the Law of Destruction?"

"No, no."

The Heaven-Swallowing King smiled and shook his head, negating Qin Feng's somewhat simplistic conjecture, "Your understanding is both right and wrong.

It is right in that the universe does indeed consist of foundational knowledge such as space, time, and thunder;

It is wrong in that a 'Law' is not some mysterious power suspended in the void, waiting for you to 'comprehend' it, but rather a designation for a system of knowledge.

In this universe, everything leaves a trace; all things are composed of their most fundamental 'knowledge.'

For you, a Domain Lord who has just stepped onto your own path, to directly comprehend those vast, smoke-like ultimate laws—to put it bluntly, you are not yet worthy."

The Heaven-Swallowing King's analogy was direct, yet exceptionally precise.

"It is like mathematics."

He switched to a more easily understood approach, "A child must first learn that one plus one equals two before they can understand that one times one equals one.

Afterward, they must learn addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, learn algebra, learn geometry; slowly, as knowledge points accumulate, they can touch upon derivatives, calculus, linear algebra, spatial geometry... eventually, perhaps they can become a master of mathematics and create their own theoretical system.

But the starting point for all of this originates from that simplest 'one plus one'."

"Laws originate from knowledge; they are the highly condensed and systematized manifestation of knowledge.

Knowledge is the cornerstone that constitutes all power in this universe."

Qin Feng's mind was profoundly shaken.

This perspective completely overturned his previous understanding of "power."

Power does not arise from nothing; it is a manifestation of leveraging the great power of the universe through learning, understanding, and applying knowledge.

"Let us return to the path of cultivation."

The Heaven-Swallowing King's voice combed through this new worldview, making the threads clearer.

"The Black Hole level is the stage of learning knowledge, of laying the foundation, the 'university' period where you build your own system of knowledge."

"When the knowledge you have accumulated is sufficient to form a complete, self-consistent system, and based on this, you create a secret technique of your own that can gain the 'resonance' of the universe's will, you have essentially published a 'graduation thesis' capable of shaking the academic world, and you are thus promoted to the Domain Lord level."

"And the Domain Lord level is the stage where, after graduation, you continue to delve deep into your own professional field.

You need to learn more, deeper, and broader knowledge to constantly refine, perfect, and upgrade the core secret technique you created.

Therefore, the strength of a Domain Lord is clearly divided into four stages based on the grade of their core secret technique: Domain Lord Primary, Intermediate, Advanced, and Peak secret techniques.

Your strength stage corresponds to the grade of your secret technique.

Because this secret technique was created by you, your understanding of it is one hundred percent; once the technique's grade improves, it means you have fully mastered this level of power, capable of erupting with its full might at any time, without any stiffness."

At this point, the Heaven-Swallowing King changed his tone, looking at Qin Feng with burning eyes: "Take you, for example; you have chosen the supreme path of 'proving the Dao through strength' via the 'Ultimate.'

This path encompasses everything, and its requirements for the foundation are unimaginably high.

Therefore, if you can successfully create an 'Ultimate Secret Technique' in the future that is sufficient to be acknowledged by the will of the universe, then the starting point of this technique will likely not be Primary or Intermediate, but directly reach Advanced, or even Peak!

At that time, once you succeed, you might directly ascend to a Peak Domain Lord.

Of course, the difficulty of this is also billions of times greater than ordinary paths."

Qin Feng understood; this coincided with his previous premonition.

His path was destined: either he would fail, or once he succeeded, he would soar into the sky.

"After constructing a secret technique from knowledge, the next step is to comprehend more 'knowledge,' with the ultimate goal of forging your own Dao Seal."

The Heaven-Swallowing King continued to explain in depth, throwing out even deeper concepts.

"Here, I must clarify a key distinction for you. Laws are generally divided into two types: one is the 'Primordial Law'; the other is the 'Sentient Law'."

"Primordial Laws are the most basic, underlying operating principles that have existed since the birth of the universe.

They are the foundational framework that constitutes all matter, spiritual energy, mental power, and space-time in our world.

For example, space, time, causality, and more specific ones like metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, light, darkness, and so on. The total number of these Primordial Laws has been summarized by great beings throughout history as three thousand—no more, no less. They are the 'axioms' of the universe, the collection of all knowledge."

"Sentient Laws, on the other hand, are the unique collections of knowledge with strong personal styles that countless brilliant beings have condensed after exhausting their lives learning and researching the knowledge of countless Primordial Laws, combining their lifelong learning, insights, and perceptions with their own life imprints, and finally imprinting them upon the universe. These are Sentient Laws.

Leaving behind a Sentient Law allows one to ascend to the King-level."

Qin Feng's breath hitched slightly; a vast and magnificent world of cultivation slowly unfolded before him.

If Primordial Laws are the "basic subjects" inherent to the universe, then Sentient Laws are the countless "applied subjects" and "interdisciplinary subjects" created by various King-level powerhouses based on these basic subjects.

"Therefore, the path from Domain Lord to higher realms is now very clear."

The Heaven-Swallowing King's voice guided Qin Feng's thinking.

"When you, on the basis of a Peak Domain Lord, have drawn upon relevant knowledge from countless Primordial Laws.

And after learning and referencing a large number of Sentient Laws left by predecessors, you turn all of this into your own nourishment, finally creating a brand-new, unique 'Dao' that can represent the meaning of your own existence, and leave your own unique 'Dao Seal' in the river of cosmic rules—congratulations, you have successfully ascended to a Marquis-level powerhouse!"

"Dao Seal!"

Qin Feng chewed on the word in his heart.

This was not just a symbol of power, but proof of a sentient being carving their own "meaning" and "value" into the eternity of the universe!

"After becoming a Marquis, the task is to constantly perfect, strengthen, and elevate the grade of this Dao Seal.

When your Dao Seal, after being tempered a thousand times, has a knowledge system so vast that it can support other beings in cultivating along your path, and can at its highest reach the King-level, your 'Dao Seal' will transform into a 'Heaven-Reaching Great Dao' that can be cultivated by future generations."

You, in turn, shall ascend from a mere seeker of truth to a pioneer of laws, a founder of a cultivation system.

In that singular moment, you shall be elevated to the rank of a Sovereign!

Thus, the complete path from Domain Lord to Sovereign was laid bare before Qin Feng, presented by the Heaven-Swallowing King with an unprecedented perspective rooted in the philosophy of knowledge.

So, that is how it is.

Qin Feng murmured to himself, the thick fog in his heart dissipating entirely, leaving only a profound and crystalline clarity. There is one more iron law of the universe you must keep in mind.

The Heaven-Swallowing King’s expression turned grave. One law cannot accommodate two masters.

Any Great Path pioneered by a Sovereign—that is, a law of sentient origin—possesses absolute exclusivity.

It may be studied, emulated, and practiced by countless successors, but there can only ever be one who ultimately embodies that law and ascends as the new King.

For instance, if you were to choose to fully cultivate the Thunder-Mark Path of the Thunderstorm King, your talent might allow you to condense a Dao Seal similar to his, becoming a formidable Marquis.

However, you would never be able to ascend to the rank of Sovereign through that path.

Unless, of course, you were to slay the Thunderstorm King and seize the sole ownership of that Great Path.

And that, as you know, is all but impossible.

Many seemingly similar laws and parallel paths permit only one soul to hold dominion over them.

This is the principle that one law cannot accommodate two masters.

Therefore, if you wish to transcend the level of Domain Lord and reach the realm of a Sovereign, forging your own path is not a choice; it is a necessity.

If you do not create your own Dao, you shall never reach the summit.

Of course, many who find promotion hopeless eventually choose the path of another, rising to become a Marquis before attempting to strike out in a new direction, yet they rarely succeed. A Sovereign’s path is perfected to the extreme; how could a lesser being hope to rewrite the flaws in a road already paved with absolute truth?

The Thunderstorm King, standing to the side, spoke slowly, his resonant voice tinged with the weary wisdom of experience. Heaven-Swallowing is correct. Every Sovereign stands at the end of a single-plank bridge. To behold more distant horizons, one must construct a new bridge of one’s own. This road is lonely, and it is arduous.

Hearing this, Qin Feng understood.

One can reach the rank of Marquis by following the path of a predecessor, but to advance further, one must either overthrow the master or carve out a new trail.

The former is essentially impossible.

The latter... is equally daunting.

If a predecessor has achieved Sovereignty through that path, it means the path is perfect; a mere Marquis cannot find fault or branch off into a new discipline.

As for the realm of the Emperor beyond the Sovereigns, it is far too distant for you now, and the layers it involves are far more complex, deeply tied to the depth and breadth of the laws you create. I shall say no more on that today.

The Heaven-Swallowing King brought this grand theoretical discourse to a temporary close.

The path of cultivation is exactly this: one step at a time. Starting from the most basic foundations, using the black hole of your consciousness as a tool, you must constantly learn and deduce. From the countless origins of knowledge and the myriad branches of theory, you must absorb that vast, oceanic expanse of wisdom, internalizing, reconstructing, and building a unique system that belongs solely to you.

The Heaven-Swallowing King gazed at Qin Feng with profound eyes. Now, do you understand?

Silence descended once more within the great hall.

Qin Feng bowed his head, eyes half-closed, yet within his mind, a storm of thought unlike any before was raging.

The Heaven-Swallowing King’s explanation was like a light of creation, illuminating the path ahead while revealing the bloody, magnificent struggle that lay in wait.

Knowledge!

The root of all power is knowledge!

This realization shook him to his core, yet it felt entirely inevitable.

Power does not emerge from the void; it is born from the mastery of vast knowledge, the understanding of underlying laws, and the subsequent leverage and application of those laws.

And how vast, how boundless is the knowledge of the universe?

So immense that even the legendary immortal gods could not grasp a fraction of it.

Ordinary beings, even if they exhausted their entire lives, could only explore a single, minute branch of knowledge. Once they achieved success and refined that fragment into their own Dao Seal, they were powerful enough to dominate as a Marquis.

As for the Sovereigns... what brilliant, transcendent beings were they?

They were not merely students of knowledge; they were its creators. They opened new paths of cultivation and set beacons for those who would follow.

Any successor who walked their path, provided they had sufficient talent, could reach the rank of Marquis.

This achievement alone was enough to etch their names into the eternal annals of the universe.

Qin Feng slowly raised his head, his eyes devoid of confusion, replaced by a resolve and yearning that had never existed before.

He understood. He understood completely.

He also understood what a terrifying, yet glorious, path his "Path of Extremes" truly was.

An ordinary genius need only specialize in one field—be it arrays, artifact forging, or the application of spiritual energy—to condense a Dao Seal and become a Marquis.

But he had chosen the "Extreme."

This meant that all the laws of the world—arrays, secret techniques, artifacts, alchemy—everything had to be learned, understood, and distilled, separating the essence from the dross, until this infinite knowledge became the fuel for his own body and soul.

And artifact forging alone involved knowledge of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, to say nothing of the rest.

He was not studying a single major; he was studying every discipline.

The volume of knowledge he faced was billions of times greater than that of an ordinary genius.

The complexity of the system he had to build would be billions of times greater as well.

At the end of this road, perhaps he could truly achieve his wish: to prove the supreme Dao with absolute, pure power and crush all opposition.

But the journey itself was destined to be filled with thorns and challenges beyond human imagination.

Disciple understands.

Qin Feng’s voice was not loud, but every word was heavy with power—the firm resolve of one who has grasped the Great Dao.

He bowed deeply to the Heaven-Swallowing King.

This gesture was both a tribute to his master’s guidance and a solemn oath to the supreme, lonely "Path of Extremes" he had chosen for himself.

The path of the gods was never meant to be easy.

Very well, all that needed to be said has been said. Go, go to the Holy Academy. If you wish to go to the Island of Dead Stars, you must notify me within three thousand years.

I will, Master! Your disciple shall prepare to depart for the Holy Academy headquarters immediately.

Qin Feng bowed in salute.

Go then.

The Heaven-Swallowing King nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand. The Holy Academy headquarters is connected to all major cosmic cities by ultra-long-distance teleportation arrays; you may go directly. Once there, act according to your authority; you need have no concerns.

As you command, Master.

Qin Feng bid a solemn farewell to the Heaven-Swallowing King, the Thunderstorm King, and Lei San, then turned and walked with steady, purposeful strides out of the Thunder-Mark Hall.

His figure vanished into the light of the hall’s entrance, without a hint of hesitation, his goal clear and his will unyielding.

He headed straight for the core of the Thunder Universe City—the space teleportation hub.

However, just as he was about to step onto the massive platform, inscribed with billions of arcane runes, two figures appeared silently before him, blocking his path.

Qin Feng’s gaze sharpened; he sensed their cultivation in an instant.

They were two genuine Domain Lord-level powerhouses, their presence as steady as mountains, their bodies brimming with vast, boundless spiritual energy.

What struck him as even more familiar was that, within the very essence of these two men’s auras, he sensed a trace of thunderous resonance, identical in origin to that of the Thunderstorm King.

"Brother Qin Feng."

One of the Domain Lords, a man of hulking stature and resolute features, spoke first. His voice was resonant, his face lit by a hearty and sincere smile.

He clasped his hands in a formal greeting and introduced himself: "I am Qi Tian."

The other, whose temperament was more reserved and whose eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s, also bowed: "I am Lin Feng. We are both senior brothers to Zhou Yu."

"So, you are the two seniors."

Qin Feng understood, returning the gesture immediately with a humble demeanor: "Junior Qin Feng, greetings to you both."

"Oh, enough with the 'seniors'!"

The burly Qi Tian waved his hand dismissively, laughing aloud. "In the path of cultivation, ability comes first. Your current strength and prestige far exceed our own; to call us seniors would be to belittle us! If you don't mind, just call us brothers."

Qin Feng smiled, choosing not to dwell on the matter.

Qi Tian’s smile faded, his expression turning solemn. He exchanged a glance with Lin Feng, and together, they bowed deeply to Qin Feng.

"We waited here specifically for no other reason than to thank you in person!"

Qi Tian’s voice was heavy with lingering fear and relief. "We know everything about what happened at Thunder Phase Mountain. Had you not intervened, the consequences would have been unthinkable!"

Lin Feng, standing beside him, chimed in with equal gravity: "At the time, Qi Tian and I were leading reinforcements at full speed toward the mountain, but it would have taken us three days to arrive.

It was precisely that three-day gap that allowed the myriad-race prodigies to break the seals.

It was you, at the most critical moment, who seized that sliver of hope and carried our junior sister away along with the thunder cocoon."

Qi Tian nodded vigorously, his eyes brimming with gratitude. "If not for you, had we waited those three days, forget the Thunder Emperor’s inheritance—that cocoon would have been pulverized into dust by Neil and his gang!

The eternal legacy left by His Majesty the Thunder Emperor would have been squandered, and our junior sister would surely have had her soul extinguished, perishing completely!"

At these words, both Domain Lords revealed a profound, heartfelt gratitude and respect.

"My brother and I swear an oath today,"

Qi Tian looked at Qin Feng, speaking every word with weight. "Brother Qin Feng, you are not only our junior sister’s savior but a great benefactor to the entire Thunder God lineage! Should you ever have need of anything, just say the word, and we shall brave fire and water for you, protecting you with our lives!"

"You two are too kind."

Seeing this, Qin Feng quickly reached out to steady them, speaking sincerely. "The situation was dire, and as Zhou Yu and I are both of the human race, helping was merely my duty. Such a grand gesture is unnecessary."

Yet, Qi Tian and Lin Feng insisted on completing their bow before straightening up.

"To you, it was a duty; to us, it is a debt of immense gratitude,"

Lin Feng looked at Qin Feng, earnest. "We have etched this kindness into our hearts."

Seeing their resolve, Qin Feng ceased his protest. After a few brief pleasantries and an exchange regarding their recent affairs, Qi Tian and Lin Feng, unwilling to delay him further, stepped aside.

Qin Feng nodded to them once more, then turned decisively to board the magnificent teleportation array.

He skillfully selected his destination on the control console: [Holy Academy Headquarters].

As a massive surge of spiritual energy was injected, the entire array erupted in a dazzling radiance. The laws of space were instantly twisted and folded, forming a brilliant conduit spanning billions of light-years.

Amidst the flowing light, Qin Feng’s figure vanished entirely from the Thunder Universe City.

……

When Qin Feng opened his eyes again, the slight dizziness from the shift in space-time was instantly smoothed away by his formidable mental power.

He found himself standing within a colossal city, its majesty and grandeur beyond the reach of words.

The sky above was not the ordinary starry expanse, but a brilliant band of light formed by billions of stars, radiating an ancient and majestic aura.

The ground beneath his feet was paved with an unknown dark-gold metal, seamless and inscribed with laws invisible to the naked eye; merely standing upon it, one could feel a sense of stability and eternal Dao.

In the distance, divine mountains and palaces floated in the air—some wreathed in thunder, others shrouded in celestial light, and some simple and primitive, exuding an aura of the wild.

Countless powerful auras intertwined and surged within the city, yet they were constrained by an invisible order, functioning in perfect harmony.

People came and went in an endless stream.

Almost everyone walking the streets was a powerful warrior.

Black-hole-level beings, who could dominate entire regions in the outside world, were as common as carp in a river here.

Domain-level powerhouses, deep and self-contained in their own aura, were not rare either, often seen striding proudly with several attendants in their wake.

Qin Feng’s mental power, now refined to the "pure black" quality, could even occasionally perceive a fleeting aura so potent it made space itself tremble—the pressure of Marquis or even King-level powerhouses!

He even faintly caught a trace of an Emperor’s Dao that made his heart palpitate; though it was but a glimpse, it was enough to prove the terrifying foundation of this city.

The reason was simple: this was the nerve center and the ultimate bastion of the human race in the War of Myriad Races—the Holy Academy Headquarters!

It sat upon a special star belt named "Heavenly Abyss."

Before the Abyss lay the "Holy Academy Sea," a war-torn expanse; beyond it lay the "Endless Sea," a realm of unknown terror that even the human race struggled to fully penetrate.

The Holy Academy Headquarters stood like an impregnable pass, suppressing the human territories and governing the shifting tides of billions of battle zones.

Here, Kings were everywhere, Emperors appeared occasionally, and it was said that even legendary Universe Venerables and Universe Masters were stationed here year-round, alongside ancient, semi-god-level entities who had lived for countless epochs and long since ceased to concern themselves with worldly affairs.

Without a doubt, every living soul here was of pure human lineage!

The Holy Academy oversaw all the prodigies that emerged during the Holy Academy Sea phase of the human race.

Whether they were princes and princesses from major human cosmic nations, direct descendants of super-factions, or elite battle-hardened veterans who had carved their way through mountains of corpses, as long as one was sufficiently talented, the Holy Academy would spare no cost in their cultivation.

As the most dazzling new star of this generation, Qin Feng’s resource clearance had been elevated to the highest tier by the Academy’s system before he even arrived.

This clearance did not merely mean he could freely enter most of the Academy’s sacred training grounds and receive massive resource support; it represented a pass—a pass that would allow him to explore the countless secret realms in the cosmic sea marked by the Academy, realms teeming with great fortune.

Just as Qin Feng was soaking in the cosmic spiritual energy, so dense it was nearly tangible, and preparing to plan his upcoming curriculum, a voice—surprised and somewhat familiar—called out from not far away.

"Eh? Fellow Daoist Qin Feng?"

Qin Feng turned toward the sound and saw, at the exit of another teleportation array that had just dimmed, a Daoist dressed in black-and-white yin-yang robes, holding a whisk, looking at him with wide-eyed astonishment.

Qin Feng’s pupils contracted slightly, his own face showing surprise.

"Master San Ruo?"

He never expected to encounter this mysterious powerhouse from the Heavenly Secret Sect, whom he had met in the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land, here.

A thought flashed through Qin Feng’s mind: The Holy Academy Headquarters was inaccessible to anyone but core members of the human race.

Master San Ruo hailed from the "Heavenly Secret Sect," a faction with a neutral stance and complex membership—how did he have the clearance to be here?

Master San Ruo seemed to read Qin Feng’s confusion. He laughed heartily and walked over, his smile as kind and refreshing as a spring breeze.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Qin Feng, do not overthink it."

He flicked his whisk with a graceful air and said, "The Heavenly Secret Sect is my master’s sect; they taught me the Dao and bestowed upon me my skills—that is the debt of the master.

But the human race is my mother race; they gave me life and raised me, our blood is intertwined—that is the root of my existence.

Which is heavier and which is lighter, this humble Daoist knows well."

He looked at Qin Feng, candidly adding: "I naturally put the interests of my mother race first.

Otherwise, how would I dare to step even half a foot into this Holy Academy Headquarters, where semi-gods reside? I fear that the moment I entered, I would have been crushed into dust by that supreme will."

Hearing this, the doubts in Qin Feng’s heart vanished instantly. So that was it.

"It seems I was overthinking."

"No matter, no matter."

Master Sanruo waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over Qin Feng as a flash of brilliance flickered in his eyes. "Ten years have passed, yet you possess a grace that far outshines your former self. Your aura has grown unfathomably deep; it is truly a cause for celebration."

He paused, a warm smile spreading across his face as he proposed, "It appears this is your first visit to the Sanctuary headquarters, is it not, Fellow Daoist Qin Feng?

This place is vast beyond imagination, with countless secret realms and halls of heritage scattered like stars across the firmament. Without a guide, you would surely squander much time.

I have frequented these grounds often and am quite familiar with them. Would you care to journey with me?

I would be honored to introduce you to the many wonders of this Sanctuary."

(End of chapter)