High Martial Arts: Liver Becomes the Master of the Universe

Chapter 158 Canaan Newcomer Cup! The competition begins!
The banquet held to welcome Qin Feng finally came to an end with his simple yet weighty promise.

The group refrained from drinking and making a ruckus, as everyone knew that with a major battle imminent, they needed to be in peak condition.

At the entrance of Taotieju, the group said a few simple goodbyes.

"Boss, see you at the stadium tomorrow! I'll be cheering you on!"

Lei Meng patted his chest hard, making a muffled "thump" sound.

"Old Qin, I've staked all my allowance this month on getting you into the top three. Don't make me sleep on the streets!"

Xiong Yanfu still had that same smiling face, but the trust in his eyes was undeniable.

"Do your best, and be careful."

Temu's words were always so concise, yet full of concern.

Qin Feng nodded in response to each one.

Finally, his gaze fell on Shi Potian.

This aloof best friend had an incredibly complex look in his eyes at that moment.

He remained silent for a long time, as if he had a thousand words to say, but in the end, it all boiled down to just two words.

"come on."

After saying that, he turned around, and his tall, slender figure quickly blended into the bustling crowd in the Food God area without the slightest hesitation.

Today's meal had a far greater impact on Shi Potian than on the other three.

But with Shi Potian's resilient character, this shock will only become the most powerful driving force on his future path of cultivation.

After saying goodbye to everyone, Qin Feng didn't linger outside and teleported directly back to his cold yet familiar private dormitory.

Instead of immediately beginning his cultivation or resting, he walked to the meditation cushion in the center of the quiet room, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

His mind was not on the battle he would face tomorrow, nor on the delicious dinner he had just enjoyed.

A question that Xiong Yanfu and Shi Potian had inadvertently raised at the dinner party now rippled through his mind like a pebble thrown into a lake.

"Supreme Enlightenment Method... Superior Enlightenment Method..."

He murmured quietly.

"One entered school in 93 years...the other entered school in 102 years..."

century.

This is an incredibly long unit of time.

For a martial artist, especially during the golden age when vitality is at its peak and potential is at its greatest, spending hundreds of years only to reach the "enlightenment" stage is a mistake.

Is it really worth it?
He himself, thanks to the existence of the "Heaven rewards diligence" system, greatly shortened this process.

But this does not change the fact that the resource consumption and time cost of the "Great Sun Opening Method" he practiced are astronomical.

He didn't have a deep understanding of this before; he simply continued to practice the techniques he had obtained.

But today, after learning about his competitors, he began to seriously consider this issue for the first time.

What is the fundamental difference between these two different levels of enlightenment methods?

How significant and decisive an impact will it have on future spiritual practice?

Is it worthwhile for countless gifted individuals to willingly spend so much time honing their foundation?
This doubt, like a seed, quickly took root and sprouted in his heart.

He won't be able to think clearly until he understands it thoroughly.

"Hamer."

Qin Feng opened his eyes, his voice echoing in the empty, quiet room.

"At your service, master."

The voice of the smart assistant remained as cold and efficient as ever.

"With my authority, I will search and compile all comparative information about the 'Supreme Awakening Method' and the 'Superior Awakening Method' in all publicly available and authorized databases, martial arts forums, and academic paper repositories within the Empire."

Qin Feng's instructions were clear and unambiguous.

"Focus on the following aspects: First, the impact on cultivation speed after reaching the sixth level of 'Soaring'; second, the impact on the success rate of ultimately advancing to 'Planetary-level Life Form'; and third, the fundamental differences between the two cultivation methods after reaching the upper limit of the vitality index."

"Command received, multi-threaded cross-referencing and information comparison in progress..."

As Hammer's voice faded, the screen in front of Qin Feng was instantly flooded with a waterfall of data.

Countless posts, reports, analyses, and even video clips of some instructors' open lectures are being filtered and categorized at an astonishing speed.

While waiting for Hammer to organize the information, Qin Feng opened another communication interface.

He found that familiar and respected name—Gu Yue.

This was one of his mentors who helped him the most and understood him best during his high school years.

Although we are now separated by countless galaxies, the bond between teacher and student has not faded because of the distance.

He carefully considered his words and quickly edited a message using his mental power.

[Teacher Gu Yue, this is Qin Feng. I apologize for disturbing you.]

The student has some doubts about the foundation of the practice. The student earnestly requests the teacher to take a moment from their busy schedule to clarify these doubts.

【Teacher, what is the fundamental difference between the 'Supreme Awakening Method' and the 'Superior Awakening Method'? Why is it worth spending a hundred years refining them? And what decisive impact do they have on a martial artist's ultimate advancement to the 'Planetary Level'?】

send.

After finishing all this, Qin Feng focused his attention back on the information Hammer had compiled.

In just a few seconds, Hammer had extracted the most core, most cited, and most credible conclusions from the vast amount of data and presented them to him in a clear logical chain.

[Source: "On the Importance of Foundation—Looking at the Path to the Next Millennium Through the Choice of Enlightenment Methods"]

[Posted by: Wang Xuance]

Key Takeaways:

[I. The Shackles of Cosmic Rules: The "100,000 Limit" of Vitality Index.]

The bolded title on the screen instantly captured Qin Feng's attention.

He read on carefully.

The post explains in a simple and easy-to-understand way that everything in the universe has its own laws.

For any living being in the universe, there is an "upper limit" to their individual level of life, set by the fundamental laws of the universe.

This upper limit is the "100,000 points of vitality index".

Once you reach this value, no matter how much you cultivate or how many rare and precious herbs you consume, your vitality index will be like hitting an invisible barrier, making it difficult to advance any further.

This is the shackle of the universe.

To continue improving, to gain a longer lifespan and greater power, the only way is to break free from these shackles and complete a leap in the essence of life—evolving from "ordinary life" to "planetary life form".

II. Different Paths, Same Destination: The "Pioneering Paths" of Different Races.

The post then listed several typical ways in which powerful races broke through the limits of the human empire during the Great Crusade.

Green skin:

They rely on launching endless wars to gather the fervent war desires of hundreds of millions of green-skinned boys, forming a special mental force field called "WAAAGH!".

When this war sweeping across the galaxy reaches its climax, the most powerful and capable "war leader" will be enveloped and acknowledged by this massive idealistic energy. His life essence will be forcibly distorted and elevated in an instant, tearing apart the shackles of the "100,000-year limit" and becoming a "planetary life form" whose physical body is strong enough to withstand starships.

Zerg:

The Zerg's path to advancement is a cold, brutal process of "resource accumulation" that follows the most ruthless biological laws.

They rely on devouring all organic matter and energy on the planet, converting it into the purest biomass. Then, the super biological computer of the "Mother Nest" race pours massive amounts of resources into a genetically selected elite combat unit.

This is a costless "cramming" method, using enough resources to kill a planet to forcibly break through the genetic barriers of an individual, thereby giving birth to "planetary-level Zerg warriors".

Cultists:

This is the fastest, but also the most costly, "trading route."

Whether they were followers of Khorne or champions of Nurgle, they pleased their gods by offering endless slaughter, plague, intrigue, or corruption to the evil gods of the Warp.

When the "contribution" is sufficient, the evil god will bestow a "gift," injecting a wisp of chaotic energy containing primordial laws into the believer's body.

This energy will forcibly transform the believer's flesh and soul, elevating them to a planetary-level life form.

Looking at these several completely different, yet equally bloody and cruel, methods of advancement, Qin Feng's expression became extremely solemn.

This made him more curious about the "path of martial arts" that his "human empire" had chosen.

[III. Humanity's Answer: The Martial Path of Leveraging the "Inner Universe" to Influence the "Macro Universe"]

The post finally got to the heart of the matter.

Unlike other races that rely on "external forces" (war force fields, resource infusions, and blessings from evil gods) to break free of their shackles, human martial arts, from the very beginning, chose the most difficult but also the most promising path—seeking within oneself and cultivating the "inner universe."

Starting from the fourth level, the "Opening Acupoints Realm," martial artists develop individual "acupoints" within their bodies.

Once the number of acupoints reaches the requirements of the cultivation method, one will enter the fifth level, the "Acupoint Harmony Realm".

"Heqiao" means, as the name suggests, to use spiritual power as a guide to forcibly merge, compress and melt all the independent "acupoints" opened up in the body through a mysterious method, and finally form a stable and powerful energy core in the dantian.

This core is called the "Primordial Aperture".

The "Yuanqiao" is the prototype of the "inner universe" created by a martial artist within their body!
It is a self-consistent "engine" capable of drawing free psionic energy from the subspace dimension and transforming it into its own power.

Starting from the sixth level, "Soaring Realm," they will use their "spiritual power" as reins to tame the wild horse that is the "Primordial Aperture."

By constantly drawing upon the vast spiritual energy within the "Primordial Aperture," one can repeatedly cleanse, refine, and temper one's physical body, bones, and even every single cell.

This process will last for hundreds of years or even longer.

A martial artist's vitality index also progresses step by step from several thousand points to the "ten thousand limit" during this process.

When a martial artist finally stands before the invisible barrier of the "100,000-year limit" after going through countless hardships, the most crucial and dangerous step is about to begin.

— Core Casting Promotion!
A martial artist needs to forcefully inject all of their refined and tempered spiritual will into their "primordial aperture" in an instant, and have a direct collision with the raging ocean of spiritual energy, which is like a supernova explosion!
This is a "do or die" process.

If successful, one's spirit and will will completely control the "Primal Aperture," transforming it from a simple "energy core" into an eternally operating spiritual energy core containing one's own "martial will" and "life imprint"!
Once the psionic core is forged, it means that the martial artist has completely broken the shackles of the universe, and the essence of life has undergone a fundamental leap, officially stepping into the hall of "planetary level".

From then on, his physical body traversed the void, his lifespan was measured in tens of thousands of years, and every move he made had the power to destroy stars.

And if it fails...

Their spirit and will would be instantly torn to shreds by the violent energy within the "Primordial Aperture," causing their soul to vanish on the spot.

The physical body, having lost control, will be burst apart by the energy of the "primordial aperture," transforming into a dazzling firework in the universe.

In the comments section below the post, countless advanced students left messages filled with hard-earned lessons.

"My mentor's senior brother had 98,000 points of life force, but he was stuck for 300 years. He tried to break through to the planetary level three times, but failed each time. The last time, he was completely annihilated!"

"The difficulty of promotion depends on two things: how high the quality of your 'primordial acupoint' is, and how deep your physical potential is. 'If the foundation is not solid, the earth will shake and the mountains will tremble'—this is no empty saying!"

Having read this far, Qin Feng already had a vague answer in his heart.

Just then, a soft "ding-dong" sound rang out.

This is a reply from Gu Yue, the mentor.

Qin Feng immediately clicked on it.

The supervisor's reply was more concise and to the point than the posts on the forum.

[Qin Feng, it's good that you're thinking about this issue at this stage. It proves you haven't been blinded by your rapid increase in power.]

Regarding your question, I can give you a more macro perspective.

[In reality, martial artists at levels 1-3 can be considered as one level. The goal is to raise their vitality index to a level sufficient for enlightenment, which is 30 points.]

[Martial artists at levels 4-6 can be considered as one level, the purpose of which is to lay the foundation for future advancement to planetary-level life forms, namely, opening and closing the acupoints.]

[A Level 6 Martial Artist, a Soaring Martial Artist, begins cultivating spiritual power, using it to cleanse themselves. Once their vitality index reaches 1, they become a Level 8 Mountain and Sea Martial Artist.]

Levels 6, 7, 8, and 9 can actually be considered the same realm, all involving the cultivation of spiritual power and the use of spiritual power to draw upon the spiritual energy within the primordial aperture. However, these four realms have four major limits: the first limit is 18,000 life force index, after which one advances to level 7; the second limit is 36,000 life force index, after which one advances to level 8; then the third limit is 72,000 life force index, and finally, the limit is 100,000 life force index.

However... for true powerhouses, levels 1-9 are merely the preparatory stage on the path of martial arts. The path of martial arts begins at the planetary level.

After reading Gu Yue's concise and clear explanation, Qin Feng felt a sudden sense of clarity.

Then, his mentor's second message struck him like a thunderbolt, completely resolving his last remaining doubts.

Now, I'll answer your most crucial question—why choose the best?

[If you cultivate the supreme Awakening Technique, after reaching the sixth level, the increase in your life force index for each year of cultivation will be several times that of cultivators at the same level. The path that others need five hundred years to complete can be traversed in just one hundred years!]

More importantly, when finally attempting to reach the 'Planetary Level', the unparalleled stability and boundless life essence of the 'Supreme Yuan Aperture' will become your strongest support! It allows you to withstand a higher margin of error during the 'Core Forging' process, giving you a success rate more than ten times that of others!

Now, I'll give you a set of the most authoritative average data compiled by the Imperial Ministry of Education.

Top-tier practitioners of the Enlightenment Method:
It takes an average of 100 years to achieve enlightenment.

The average time to complete the closure is 200 years.

It then takes an average of 200 years to reach the limit of 100,000.

Ultimately, it took an average of several decades to successfully advance to the planetary level.

Average promotion time: approximately 400-600 years.

Superior practitioners of the enlightenment method:
It takes an average of 30 years to achieve enlightenment.

The average time to complete the closure is 30 years.

It then takes an average of 1000 years to reach the limit of 100,000.

Ultimately, it took an average of several hundred years, amidst repeated failures and severe injuries, to painstakingly seek that glimmer of hope and attempt to reach the planetary level.

Average promotion time: approximately 1000-1200 years.

intermediate level practitioners of enlightenment methods:
Average promotion time: approximately 2000 years.

The vast majority of them only managed to survive by sheer luck, just as their lifespan was about to run out; the rest simply turned to dust.

Therefore, according to official imperial statistics, the average age at which all planetary-level powerhouses advance to higher realms is approximately 1000 years old.

Qin Feng, do you understand now?

Every resource you expend now, every second you spend, is not a waste. You are paving a wider, smoother, and faster road to your future than anyone else's!

That concludes the information.

Qin Feng slowly leaned against the cold wall of the quiet room and exhaled a long, long breath.

It turned out to be the case.

All doubts vanished at that moment.

He finally understood why those "century-old monsters" would willingly remain at the fourth-level martial artist realm for so long.

This is not stagnation, but the wisest and most far-reaching investment.

Use the "slow" pace in the early stages to achieve "absolute speed" and "higher success rate" in the later stages.

He felt a sense of relief that he had "no choice" over the cultivation method he was given as a reward for being a "Star of Enlightenment".

If it weren't for a twist of fate, given his limited perspective at the time, he might have chosen the seemingly faster "superior" path, just like Shi Potian.

"Time is the most precious treasure..." Qin Feng looked at his young and powerful hands, his eyes shining with an unprecedentedly bright light.

"Using massive resources and the ultimate efficiency of 'heaven rewards diligence,' we shortened the path that others would take a hundred years to traverse to ten years..."

"I profited from this deal."

He stood up, all distracting thoughts vanished, his mind became clear and empty, leaving only the pure fighting spirit for tomorrow's battle.

Third place in the Rookie Cup.

Three thousand contribution points.

He is determined to win.
-
As the first light of dawn shone through the specially designed one-way porthole of the dormitory, casting a pale golden glow on the cold, quiet room, Qin Feng had already finished his all-night meditation.

His aura, which had become somewhat lifeless due to three years of seclusion, had now completely transformed into a restrained yet powerful and soaring fighting spirit.

A clear mind and unobstructed thoughts.

He stood up, stretched his limbs, and a series of low, muffled thunderous booms emanated from his body.

Within that seemingly unremarkable body lies a terrifying power capable of shaking mountains.

"Hamer, teleport to the Canaan Newcomer Cup, Level 4 Warrior Zone, Entrance A-32."

"Command confirmed. Optimal teleportation path being planned... Path locked. Teleportation will begin in three seconds."

Accompanied by a cold electronic sound, a soft white light enveloped Qin Feng's figure.

The scene before him blurred for a moment, and the next second, when his feet touched solid ground again, a terrifying sound wave, which seemed capable of overturning the stars and mixed with the emotions of billions of living beings, crashed into his eardrums!

Even with Qin Feng's unwavering resolve, he couldn't help but feel a moment of disorientation at this moment.

He found himself standing on a circular platform made of pure white alloy, suspended in mid-air.

Beyond the platform lies a magnificent landscape so grand that any language seems pale and powerless.

This is the main venue of the Canaan Newcomer Cup – the "Glory Arena".

It doesn't resemble a man-made structure; rather, it's more like a giant satellite that has been hollowed out and transformed by divine power.

Looking up, the dome is not the sky, but a vast, boundless energy dome radiating a soft light.

The light mimicked the trajectory of a star, flowing slowly, and one could even see floating clouds and flying birds simulated by psychic energy on it, so lifelike that it was hard to distinguish between reality and illusion.

Looking down, one sees a vast, bottomless space. One after another, square arenas, each with sides exceeding a kilometer, float neatly in the void like squares on a chessboard, their number stretching as far as the eye can see.

Each arena was enveloped by a powerful energy shield that was visible to the naked eye and shimmered with a pale blue halo. Countless fine runes flowed across the surface of the shield, radiating heart-pounding energy fluctuations.

Between these arenas, senior students dressed in the standard referee uniforms of Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University, like circling eagles, slowly patrolled their respective areas, standing on anti-gravity discs.

Their auras were deep and their eyes were sharp; each of them was at least a powerful martial artist of level seven or above.

They must have taken on volunteer assignments.

Beyond this arena matrix, which resembles a steel forest, lies a series of tiered, ever-rising spectator seating that surrounds the entire arena.

It was a sea of ​​spectators, consisting of hundreds of millions of seats, stretching like a mountain range.

Each seat has been carefully designed to ensure the best possible view of the game.

Next to the armrest of each seat is a small and sophisticated holographic viewing device.

Viewers can use it at any time to switch their perspective to any arena where a fierce battle is taking place, and can even activate professional viewing functions such as energy trajectory analysis.

At this moment, the massive grandstand, which can hold tens of millions of spectators, is packed to capacity!

The sounds of voices, discussions, cheers, and the boundless energy and spiritual power unconsciously emanating from countless martial artists converged into a fervent, almost tangible wave of fervor, repeatedly surging and washing over the magnificent arena, making everyone present feel their blood boil and their fighting spirit surge.

This is the Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University.

This is the empire's most prestigious martial arts holy land, a grand event held once every ten years!

Qin Feng quickly found his seat by following the designated gravity guide rail.

That was in the middle tier of the stands, an area with an excellent view.

Xiong Yanfu, Lei Meng, Tie Mu, and Shi Potian were already waiting there.

"Boss, here!"

Lei Meng spotted Qin Feng at a glance and excitedly waved his thick arms.

Qin Feng stepped forward and sat down in the empty seat that the others had reserved for him.

As soon as I settled down, I felt several familiar gazes directed at me from not far away.

He turned his head and saw two beautiful figures looking at him with some surprise in the rows of seats diagonally behind him.

It was Qin Lan and Yin Jing.

They seemed surprised to run into Qin Feng here. After a brief exchange of glances, the two whispered a few words to their companions, then stood up and walked towards Qin Feng and his group.

"You don't mind if we sit here, do you?"

Qin Lan wore a bright smile. Today, she was wearing a fiery red, tight-fitting combat outfit that perfectly accentuated her stunning figure.

As she spoke, her gaze subtly swept over Qin Feng, her bright eyes filled with curiosity and inquiry.

"Of course not, Senior Qin Lan, Senior Yin Jing, please have a seat."

Xiong Yanfu immediately greeted them warmly, and he and Lei Meng moved aside to make room for the two of them.

Qin Lan and Yin Jing didn't stand on ceremony. They thanked them and sat down next to Tie Mu and Shi Potian.

Yin Jing remained aloof and taciturn, but when she sat down, she nodded slightly to Qin Feng as a greeting.

Their addition made the small group even more eye-catching.

Qin Lan, in particular, as a well-known senior beauty in the Fearless Battle Group, immediately attracted the attention of many male creatures around her.

Perhaps because there were too many martial artists around, making it too crowded and confusing, Qin Lan and Yin Jing tacitly refrained from directly asking Qin Feng about his current strength.

It's inappropriate to reveal your strength just before the competition begins.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, there was still about an hour before the competition officially began.

This period is for the participants to make final adjustments and familiarize themselves with the competition rules.

Without prior arrangement, everyone opened their personal terminals and accessed the private forum of Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University.

At this moment, the forum was completely flooded with posts related to the "Rookie Cup," and the popularity was frighteningly high.

Qin Feng's gaze was quickly drawn to the titles of several popular posts that had been highlighted and pinned to the top.

[A Trial of Blood and Fire! Analysis of the Top Contenders and Masters in the Level 4 Rookie Cup Tournament! (Continuously Updated)]

[Authoritative Data Statistics: A Pyramid Model of Combat Power Distribution among Preliminary Entrants in the Level 4 Martial Arts Tournament!]

[Must-see! Predicted top 100,000 rankings for the Rookie Cup Level 4 stage! Check if your name is on the list!]

Qin Feng casually clicked on the post that predicted the top 100,000 people.

The post contained a complex mathematical model created by a highly reputable data analysis team on the forum, based on data from previous Rookie Cups and combined with publicly available registration information for this year's competition.

The post begins with a shocking summary.

"...Based on our model's predictions, the competition in this year's Rookie Cup Level 4 Martial Artist stage will be similar to previous years. To break through the massive number of participants, rank among the top 100,000, and secure the minimum guaranteed reward, participants' hard skills must meet the following minimum standards:"

"First, the vitality index must reach 500 points or more."

"Second, one must master at least seven level-one killing techniques that have reached the 'perfect' level."

Below this summary is a constantly scrolling, densely packed list of 100,000 contestants whom the model considers to have a chance of meeting the standard.

Qin Feng's eyes quickly scanned the list, but he didn't find his own name, which didn't surprise him.

After all, he had only been enrolled for a short time and had been in seclusion for many years, so there was almost no performance data available for reference from the outside world.

His attention was drawn more to another set of chilling official data posted below the post.

"The total number of participants in this year's Canaan Newcomer Cup, Level 4 Martial Artist stage, is 22.8 million."

"Competition format: The entire competition will be a 1v1 single-elimination tournament until the final champion is determined."

"The total number of rounds is expected to be 24 or 25."

Upon seeing this number, even Qin Feng, whose mind was usually as calm as still water, couldn't help but secretly gasp in astonishment.

Twenty-two million eight hundred thousand level-four martial artists!
Only the top 100,000 are eligible to receive the guaranteed reward.

This means that the elimination rate is as high as 99.5% or more!

To escape this bloody meat grinder, you must win at least eight games in a row!
"The competition is so fierce..."

A sense of emotion welled up in Qin Feng's heart.

"Vitality index 500 points, I've already exceeded that. But the killing method..."

He frowned slightly.

In order to maximize his strength before the start of the Rookie Cup, he had to make a choice and devote all his time and resources to improving his vitality index, the most fundamental attribute.

"However, it's not a complete loss."

Qin Feng quickly adjusted his mindset.

"Vitality index is the foundation. With a strong enough foundation, learning killing techniques will naturally be twice as effective. After the Rookie Cup ends and I receive the rewards, I will immediately go to the battle group's technique library to exchange for a few more powerful level-two killing techniques to practice."

"Of course, now that I have the Dragon-Snake Spear at the Control Realm and the Perfected Wind-Thunder Staff, and have a basic understanding of the principle that spears and staffs share the same origin, it is actually enough for my needs."

He murmured to himself, his plans for the future becoming increasingly clear.

Just then, his personal terminal on his wrist vibrated slightly.

It was a private message from the subspace network.

The sender was Qin Lan, who was standing next to him.

[Qin Feng, impressive. After three years of seclusion, your aura has become unfathomable.]

[Honestly, what's your current vitality index? Do you have a chance to break into the top 100 in this Rookie Cup?]

Qin Feng glanced at Qin Lan beside him, who was pretending to be engrossed in reading the forum but whose eyes were actually constantly glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, and couldn't help but chuckle.

He thought for a moment and replied with a single sentence.

[It's alright, we should be able to compete.]

He did not give specific figures, which was both a way of keeping his cards close to his chest and a sign of confidence.

Upon seeing the reply, Qin Lan's beautiful phoenix eyes lit up instantly.

For Qin Feng to say "we can give it a shot" basically means that he has a very high degree of confidence!
This monster has once again exceeded everyone's expectations!
Qin Feng stopped paying attention to private messages and instead focused his attention on another type of highly popular post on the forum.

Those were all sorts of "opening notices".

[A staggering bet! Ten million Imperial Coins wagered on the winner of this year's Level 4 stage! Officially certified!]

[Casual betting platform, predicting this year's top 100 list, place your bet and it's done, no credit!]

[Dark Horse Tracking! Who will be the biggest surprise of this year's Rookie Cup? Odds start at 1:1000!]

These betting games all use "Imperial Coins" issued by the Empire, rather than "Contribution Points," the hard currency among martial artists.

For these prodigies from Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University, they were more like what Xiong Yanfu said: simply looking for fun and adding some extra excitement and highlights to this grand event.

"Imperial currency..."

A thoughtful look flashed in Qin Feng's eyes.

He himself didn't need it, but his father and uncle, who were far away in the morning star, still lived in a social class that needed to work hard for imperial currency.

If we could win a large sum of money, we could transfer it directly to them, which would greatly improve our family's life.

He had a sudden thought and checked the balance of Imperial Coins in his personal account.

[Imperial Coin Balance: 100,000]

This was part of the official imperial reward he received when he was awarded the title of "Enlightened General". He spent some of it himself, gave some to his father, and then never touched it again.

One hundred thousand Imperial Coins is a huge sum of money for an ordinary family.

But in a gambling game that often involves tens of millions of dollars, it's not even a ripple.

He checked several popular betting platforms and found that they were all betting on well-known and popular players, and no one was offering betting odds specifically for him, an "unknown player".

"Hey, Lao Qin, checking the betting odds?"

Just then, a mysterious voice rang in his ear.

Xiong Yanfu approached at some point, his face bearing that signature, shrewd businessman-like smile.

"Want to try something exciting?"

He lowered his voice, speaking in a volume only the two of them could hear: "Those big betting platforms are too murky, and the odds are fixed, they're boring. I privately contacted thousands of idle people on the forum like me, people with money to burn, and we created our own pool of funds, opened a small betting platform, and are betting on who the biggest dark horse in this rookie cup will be!"

"I didn't leak any information about your strength!"

Xiong Yanfu winked. "In everyone's eyes, you're still that freshman who's been here for ten years, nothing special. I'm going to bet all my savings on you winning! If we make money, we'll split it 50/50, how about that?"

Lei Meng, who was standing nearby, overheard a few words and couldn't help but lean over and say, "Fatty Xiong, you don't lack Imperial Coins, why bother with this?"

"Hey, you don't understand!"

Xiong Yanfu waved his hand, looking smug. "I'm not playing with money, I'm enjoying the mental thrill of strategizing and winning from afar! It's purely for fun, you battle maniacs would never understand!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng nodded slightly and calmly said, "Okay."

"Ha ha!"

Xiong Yanfu was overjoyed and excitedly patted Qin Feng on the shoulder, "Old Qin, I knew we were kindred spirits! We share a common interest in this kind of intellectual game!"

"Do not."

Qin Feng shook his head and smiled.

His smile carried a complex emotion, a mixture of warmth and reminiscence, that no one had ever seen before.

"My father was a one-armed martial artist."

“When I was a child, I suffered from a strange illness that damaged my foundation and almost eliminated me from the path of martial arts... It can be said that I have been a burden to my family for many years.”

Qin Feng spoke in a calm tone, as if he were recounting a past event that had nothing to do with him.

But his words struck everyone's hearts like heavy hammer blows.

Lei Meng's simple smile disappeared.

Xiong Yanfu's smug expression froze.

A hint of emotion flashed across Temu's usually calm and composed face.

Qin Lan and Yin Jing stared wide-eyed, their eyes filled with disbelief.

None of them could have imagined that this genius, who rose to prominence like a monster in their eyes and shone with brilliance, actually carried such a heavy and painful past.

Almost all of them are second-generation military personnel.

"so,"

"I want to earn more money so I can send it to them to spend."

(End of this chapter)