High Martial Arts: Liver Becomes the Master of the Universe

Chapter 165 Shocking Shidang! The Monster's Progress is Too Fast! The Golden Throne!
The moment Qin Feng entered the private room, the previously lively atmosphere fell silent.

All eyes turned to him.

At this moment, Shi Dang was sitting at the table, his face flushed, his eyes sparkling with excitement and pride, clearly getting into the swing of things.

He was surrounded by Xiong Yanfu, Lei Meng, and others, all looking on with lingering fear and admiration.

"The situation was truly critical! That Khorne follower was a complete madman, wielding a giant blood-red axe like a windmill. My and Timur's defenses were like paper in front of him, shattering at the slightest touch!"

Bald Lei Meng's voice was loud and clear, yet tinged with lingering fear. He patted Shi Dang's thick shoulder forcefully.

"If it weren't for Brother Shi Dang stepping up at the most crucial moment and using his Stone Clan's 'rock-solid body' to withstand that madman's three axe blows, the rest of us would probably have been chopped into mincemeat by now!"

"That's right!"

Xiong Yanfu nodded repeatedly, his face filled with relief at surviving the ordeal. "Enduring it was only the first step. The most amazing thing was Brother Shi Dang's last move! The timing of that attack was absolutely perfect! He struck right at the weakness of that Khorne follower and chopped off the guy's leg with one axe blow! It was so clean and swift!"

"Yes! That axe strike! It was crucial! It completely turned the tide of the battle!"

Everyone praised Shi Dang enthusiastically, their words filled with admiration and gratitude.

These words, these scenes, how familiar they are.

In Qin Feng's mind, the scene of leading his team to kill the mechanical race and rescue Qin Lan and the others in the "Silent Valley" involuntarily appeared.

At that time, Zou Yun, Shan Yang, and the others also used such an admiring and convinced tone to evaluate themselves.

However, it was Shi Dang who was now surrounded by people and enjoying the glory of victory.

Shi Dang, on the other hand, clearly enjoyed this feeling very much.

Although he said, "It's all thanks to the good teamwork of my brothers," the slight upturn of his lips and the undisguised pride and satisfaction in his eyes clearly showed that he enjoyed the feeling of being relied upon by his teammates and admired by his comrades.

Qin Feng's appearance brought this "award ceremony" to a temporary close.

"Q!"

"Qin Feng!"

"Brother Qin, you've finally come out of seclusion!"

Xiong Yanfu, Lei Meng, and the others immediately stood up from their seats, their faces beaming with joy as they rushed over and gave Qin Feng a tight hug.

Even the usually aloof Shi Potian stood up and nodded heavily to Qin Feng, his eyes filled with unspoken joy at their long-awaited reunion.

"Twelve years of seclusion, Brother Qin, you're too cruel!"

Xiong Yanfu looked Qin Feng up and down, clicking his tongue in amazement, "We all thought that you would only be in seclusion for seven or eight years at most, but we didn't expect you to go into seclusion for twelve years!"

"Yeah, Feng-ge, how did you manage to endure such a long period of seclusion? It must have been so boring and tedious!"

Lei Meng scratched his bald head, looking incredulous. "If it were me, let alone twelve years, I'd go crazy in three years at most!"

Hearing the questions from the crowd filled with concern and curiosity, Qin Feng simply said calmly, "It's alright. Cultivation is quite fun for me, and I don't find it boring or tedious at all."

He told the truth.

For him, who possesses the "Heaven Rewards Diligence" system, every time he goes into seclusion and experiences a rapid increase in strength is an unparalleled and addictive pleasure.

Upon hearing this, everyone wore expressions that said, "I don't believe you for a second," taking Qin Feng's words as a joke.

Qin Feng didn't offer any further explanation. His gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Shi Dang, who had been silent ever since he entered, looking at him with a complicated expression.

"..."

Qin Feng asked with a smile, "You guys went on a mission together?"

"Yes, Brother Feng!"

Before Shi Dang could speak, Xiong Yanfu interrupted, excitedly putting his arms around Shi Potian and Shi Dang's shoulders as if showing off his treasures.

"Let me tell you, Brother Qin, the place you came from, Qimingxing, is truly a den of hidden talents! How come everyone who comes out is ruthless? One of them, Brother Shi Potian, is as cold as ice, but his swordsmanship is so fast that you can't even see his shadow! Another of them, Brother Shi Dang, is as fierce as a prehistoric beast, born to fight!"

"A few of us have now formed a fixed team, and we've called it the 'Double Stones'!"

Xiong Yanfu said proudly, "You know what, these two brothers, one is the main attacker and the other the main defender, are really powerful when they work together! They're much stronger than us old hands who entered school three or four years earlier!"

He changed the subject, his tone becoming somewhat fearful: "This time, we took on a mission to wipe out a traitorous warlord. We thought it would be a piece of cake, but who knew that there was a follower of Khurne hiding there!"

"A Khorasan believer?!"

Upon hearing those four words, Qin Feng's eyes instantly sharpened.

"Yes!"

Xiong Yan couldn't help but shudder at the thought of that scene. "That guy was a killing machine! His vitality index was at least six hundred points! The whole group of us almost got wiped out by him alone! Luckily, at the last moment, Brother Shi Dang had a sudden enlightenment and successfully pushed his axe technique into the 'Control Realm,' which allowed him to seize the opportunity and cripple that Khorne follower in one fell swoop!"

"Otherwise, we'd all probably be dead there by now."

Xiong Yanfu concluded, "So, we all owe our lives to Brother Shi Dang!"

"I see."

Qin Feng nodded, and the doubts in his heart were resolved.

No wonder Shi Dang was with Shi Potian and the others.

Fighting for each other through life and death is the fastest way for men to build friendship.

He looked at Shi Dang, his eyes revealing sincere admiration and emotion.

"Impressive, Shi Dang. To break through in the heat of battle and master the killing technique—his progress is truly rapid!"

Qin Feng's praise came from the bottom of his heart.

He knew all too well how immense the pressure would be when facing Khorne's followers—monsters born solely for killing.

The fact that he could break through the bottleneck and have a sudden enlightenment under such extreme pressure is enough to prove that Shi Dang's temperament and comprehension are both top-notch.

Upon hearing Qin Feng's praise, a hint of pride appeared on Shi Dang's resolute face, and he humbly replied, "Not at all, I'm still far behind you."

However, this humility lasted for less than three seconds.

The next moment, the shyness in his eyes was replaced by a more intense and burning flame.

That was a flame called "Battle Spirit"!

He raised his head, his gaze fixed intently on Qin Feng, and said in a deep voice, "Senior Qin Feng, twelve years ago, I was powerless against you and was instantly killed by you in one move."

"Over the past twelve years, you have chosen to retreat into seclusion and cultivate diligently, squeezing every bit of your potential to the extreme. Your strength has undoubtedly improved remarkably."

"But I chose a different path."

His voice became passionate and full of confidence.

"I have carried out hundreds of high-intensity life-or-death missions, honing my skills on the battlefield of blood and fire! I have personally slain tens of thousands of powerful enemies! My strength and my killing methods have also become extraordinary through these twelve years of tempering!"

"so!"

Shi Dang suddenly took a step forward, and a battle intent as solid as a mountain erupted from his body!

"I want to fight you again!"

He stared intently at Qin Feng, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Let's see whether your secluded cultivation is superior, or my battlefield prowess is greater!"

These provocative words instantly froze the atmosphere in the private room.

Xiong Yanfu and Lei Meng were both somewhat embarrassed and didn't know what to say.

Only Shi Potian maintained his calm and composed expression, silently picking up his teacup.

Qin Feng looked at Shi Dang, who was filled with fighting spirit, and his brows furrowed slightly without being noticed.

but……

Qin Feng shook his head slightly in his heart.

He remained silent for a moment, then finally spoke, refusing the other party's request in a calm and tactful tone.

"forget it."

He looked at Shi Dang and said sincerely, "The gap between us may be larger than you imagine. My current vitality index has reached 1730 points. This is no longer a fair fight."

He wasn't showing off at all; he was simply stating a fact that he believed would make the other party back down.

However, when the number "1730 points" came out of Qin Feng's mouth...

The entire private room fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone's actions seemed to have been paused.

Shi Dang's originally burning fighting spirit was instantly extinguished, as if a bucket of ice water had fallen from the sky, and vanished without a trace.

His mouth was slightly open, and the expression on his face froze in that instant, filled with disbelief, extreme shock, and horror.

"One...one thousand...seven hundred and thirty points?"

His voice, due to excessive shock, became dry, hoarse, and even somewhat distorted.

It's not just him.

Even the usually composed Shi Potian's hand, which was holding the teacup, trembled slightly in mid-air.

Xiong Yanfu and Lei Meng looked as if they had seen a ghost, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

They knew Qin Feng was a monster, and they had long been used to his abnormally fast rate of progress.

but……

Twelve years!
From over 500 points, it soared directly to over 1700 points?
This is beyond what the word "monster" can describe!
This is simply a miracle!
Seeing everyone's shocked expressions, Qin Feng felt a little embarrassed.

He smiled, waved his hand, and said modestly, "It's all luck, all luck."

"I believe that the most correct way to play Canaan Star Martial Arts University is to first enter the Canaan Tower and participate in the rookie competition to obtain as many contribution points as possible, and then use these contribution points to purchase top-level resources and conduct efficient seclusion to quickly improve strength."

"I was just lucky and got more resources than everyone else. So it's normal that my strength improved faster."

He shrugged and said half-jokingly, "If everyone were at the same level and it was just a contest of combat skills, I might not be able to beat you."

Upon hearing this, Xiong Yanfu and the others slowly recovered from their shock.

They all smiled and assumed that Qin Feng was being modest and trying to be considerate of everyone's feelings.

Can't beat them even if they're at the same level?
What a joke!
Everyone knows that your most abnormal thing, "Qin Beast," isn't your resources at all, but your monstrous combat talent and understanding of killing techniques!

Everyone understood the unspoken message and laughed it off, glossing over the heavy topic.

On the contrary, Shi Dang, after the initial extreme shock, actually took Qin Feng's words to heart.

His eyes flickered, as if he were genuinely pondering the question, "In a one-on-one fight between people of equal skill level, what are my chances of winning?"

His serious expression made Xiong Yanfu, who was standing next to him, almost unable to bear looking at him.

For the rest of the time, everyone tacitly stopped talking about strength and combat, and simply enjoyed their meal, drinks, and conversations about their experiences and anecdotes from the past twelve years.

The atmosphere became warm and harmonious again.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

They then started talking about their plans for the future.

"Sigh, we're not planning to go out again for the time being." (Xiao)
Fatty Xiong Yanfu took a big gulp of fruit wine, let out a burp, and said, "Isn't the school going to hold a 'Battle Team Competition' between the various battle teams recently? And it seems like the mentors are also going to organize some kind of 'Mentor Cup.' I heard the rewards are pretty generous, so we're planning to join in the fun and see if we can get some benefits."

He paused, then added, "However, the entry requirements for these competitions are quite high. Participants must at least be strong individuals with a vitality index exceeding one thousand points. The few of us can't participate either. Old Qin, do you have any ideas?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng thought for a moment and then shared his own plans.

"I don't plan to participate in these competitions for the time being."

He calmly said, "With my current strength, I'd probably be at the bottom even if I went there. So, I plan to go to the mission hall first and take on a few relatively simple personal missions, to hone my newly learned killing techniques while earning some contribution points."

"Once I've accumulated enough contribution points, I'm ready to attempt the next level."

Qin Feng's views on the competition have always been very clear.

It's an "ATM" for seizing an opportunity when you lack a lot of contribution points. At the same time, it's also a platform to test your own strength and see the gap between yourself and the real strong.

If you lack the strength at this stage, and know that you will lose even if you go, then it's better not to waste your time.

Instead of wasting time on that, you'd be better off doing your missions or going into seclusion.

After a satisfying meal, the joy of reuniting with old friends gradually settles down with the passage of time.

The gathering, which lasted for several hours, finally came to an end.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while at the entrance of Taotieju and agreeing on a time to meet again, the group took their leave, transforming into streaks of light and disappearing into the bustling night of the Food God District, each going their own way.

Qin Feng returned to his dormitory room, which had been silent for twelve years.

He pushed open the door and found the room empty, with only a faint trace of his own scent remaining in the air.

He didn't start cultivating immediately, but sat quietly by the bed, and the scenes from the dinner table that evening involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

The changes in his friends were all within his expectations.

Shi Potian became increasingly cold and reserved; Xiong Yanfu remained the same intelligence officer who livened up the atmosphere; Lei Meng and Tie Mu also became more composed and reliable.

There was only one person who always left Qin Feng with a vague, inexplicable, and strange feeling.

——Shidang.

Qin Feng recalled every expression and every word Shi Dang uttered at the dinner table.

He was very confident, even somewhat arrogant.

When recounting his feat of breaking through enemy lines and slaying Khorne's followers, his heartfelt pride and satisfaction were palpable.

This is normal.

Any martial artist would behave this way after achieving such a great feat.

But what really puzzled Qin Feng was what happened next.

It was when he announced his vitality index of 1730 points that everyone was shocked beyond words, and even Shi Potian was moved.

After the initial shock, Shi Dang actually took his humble statement, "I might not be able to beat you if we're at the same level," to heart.

Qin Feng could clearly sense that Shi Dang's fighting spirit had not been completely extinguished by the seemingly insurmountable gap.

On the contrary, it was only temporarily suppressed, like magma covered under volcanic ash, burning fiercely in a more obsessive and intense way in a deeper place.

He attributed the huge difference in strength to Qin Feng's "good luck" and that Qin Feng "obtained more resources".

As for himself, given his twelve years of experience in blood and fire at the same level, he might not necessarily lose.

This idea is dangerous.

Because it represents a cognitive self-deception, a kind of bias that selectively ignores objective facts in order to maintain one's own pride.

A martial artist can be confident and proud, but he must never lose his clearest understanding of reality.

Once we lose our sense of awe, we are not far from destruction.

Qin Feng's brows furrowed slightly.

He remembered Shi Dang's burning fighting spirit and his unwavering insistence on "let's fight again."

He had a premonition that this "fellow villager" whose unresolved issues would probably come looking for him again in the future.

"I hope I'm just overthinking it."

Qin Feng sighed softly in his heart.

He opened his personal terminal and brought up his friends list.

He originally didn't want to meddle in other people's business.

Everyone should walk their own path.

Everyone should deal with their own inner demons.

However, Shi Dang is now in the same team as Shi Potian and Xiong Yanfu.

Qin Feng didn't care about his own safety.

But he couldn't ignore the safety of his friend.

A teammate whose mind is skewed and whose cognition is distorted is very likely to become a ticking time bomb when carrying out high-intensity life-or-death missions.

After a moment's hesitation, Qin Feng's fingers flew across the screen, sending a private, encrypted message to Shi Potian: "Shi Potian seems a bit strange. Try to be careful."

He didn't go into too much detail, nor did he draw any conclusions.

He believed that with Shi Potian's wisdom and composure, he would naturally understand the meaning behind his words.

Almost instantly after the message was sent, Shi Potian's reply popped up.

It remains the same style of being sparing with words.

【receive. 】

Seeing this concise reply, Qin Feng felt half relieved.

He knew that Shi Potian had taken his reminder to heart.

After thinking it over, Qin Feng finally copied and pasted the same message and sent it to Xiong Yanfu, Lei Meng, and Tie Mu.

Although these three may not be as meticulous as Shi Potian, it's never wrong to offer a word of advice.

Only after doing all this could Qin Feng finally put his mind at ease.

He put all his thoughts about Shidang aside and focused his attention back on his cultivation.

"I still need about 7,000 contribution points to support my cultivation of the Great Sun Awakening Method to perfection."

"Then, the next goal is clear."

Qin Feng opened the Empire Mission System.

The densely packed task list unfolded before his eyes like a constellation of stars.

Instead of searching for a needle in a haystack himself, he directly issued a command to his S-class subspace intelligent assistant, Hammer.

"Hamer, help me filter the tasks."

The filtering criteria are as follows:

"First, the task type must be either 'individual' or 'small team', with no more than four people."

"Secondly, the mission difficulty is suitable for martial artists with a vitality index of around 1500 points."

"Third, mission rewards will primarily consist of contribution points and Dreadnought reputation."

[Command received, initiating multi-dimensional intelligent filtering for you...]

Hammer's efficiency is astonishing.

In just a few seconds, it filtered, compared, and summarized millions of task information entries.

Finally, an optimized and sorted list of tasks that best met Qin Feng's requirements was presented to him.

Qin Feng's gaze swept quickly across the list.

Soon, a task highlighted in red by Hammer caught his full attention.

[Mission ID: WZ-7734-Alpha]

[Mission Issuer: Fearless Warband]

[Mission Level: High Risk]

[Mission Objective: Proceed to the "Glama" system, to the "K-7" dead planet, and retrieve the martial artist's "Primal Aperture".]

[Mission Introduction: Lorraine, a Level 6 Sky Warrior, was severely injured during a secret mission a year ago. She spent a year in exile in space, eventually reaching planet K-7. After her death, her "Primordial Aperture" remained stable due to the unique environment.]

[Mission Details: You are tasked with leading your squad to secretly infiltrate Planet K-7. Using the precise coordinates we provide (longitude: 127.33, latitude: -45.89), locate the remains of Lorraine and retrieve its "Primal Aperture" intact.]

[Attention! Special Warning!]

According to a reconnaissance report from the Imperial Star Guard a year ago, the surface of this planet has been occupied by a large-scale "Greenskin" tribe.

Near the target coordinates area, there is clearly a large green-skinned war gang led by the "War Boss".

The vitality index of this "war leader" is estimated to be around 1500 points (this data is from intelligence a year ago and its real-time accuracy is not guaranteed).

Due to the complex terrain and dense anti-aircraft firepower in the area, neither the Astragalus's orbital bombardment nor large-scale ground forces could effectively penetrate it.

[Suggested number of participants: 4 (team leader's strength must be 1500 or higher)]

[Task Time Limit: 3 months]

[Task Reward: 3000 Contribution Points]

[Warband Reputation Reward: 3000 points]

Looking at the detailed mission report, Qin Feng's eyes gleamed brightly.

Three thousand contribution points! Three thousand reputation points!
This reward is incredibly generous!
Moreover, this is a four-person team mission, and according to the rules of Canaan Star Martial Arts University, mission rewards are distributed equally based on mission performance.

In other words, as long as he can successfully complete this task, he will receive at least 750 contribution points and 3000 warband reputation points.

If he completes a few more tasks like this, he will soon have enough of the 7,000 contribution points needed to support his seclusion and break through to the Nascent Soul realm!
"Greenskins...the war boss..."

A fierce, battle-ready smile appeared on Qin Feng's lips.

An opponent with a vitality index of around 1500 points is just right; he can use this to test the results of his twelve years of hard training!
Without the slightest hesitation, he pressed the "Accept Mission" button heavily on the screen.

[Mission accepted successfully! You have become the team leader for this mission.]

Please recruit the team members you need as soon as possible.

The system prompt sounds.

Qin Feng skillfully opened the Fearless Battle Group's internal recruitment channel and posted the mission he had just received.

At the same time, he also set minimum application standards for joining the team.

— Vitality index, not lower than 1500 points.

Having done all this, Qin Feng leaned back in his chair, relaxed and waiting quietly.

He believed that with the generous rewards for this mission, suitable and capable teammates would soon come knocking on his door.

The mission had been issued, and Qin Feng was not idle. While waiting for suitable teammates to submit their applications to join the team, he felt a little curious about the mission he had just accepted.

"Yuanqiao..."

He silently pondered the word.

He knew that once a martial artist in the Qi Opening Realm had fully opened all their acupoints, they could attempt to "close the acupoints".

The individual acupoints are merged and unified in a mysterious way, ultimately forming a stable and powerful energy core within the body.

This energy core is what is known as the "primordial aperture".

But why would the empire go to such lengths to retrieve the Yuan Aperture left behind by a fallen warrior?
Does this thing have any other use?
A hint of doubt flashed through Qin Feng's mind, and he directly gave instructions to his intelligent assistant.

"Hamer, look up information about 'Yuanqiao Recycling'."

He paused, then added another question.

"Furthermore, if I unfortunately perish during a mission in the future, will my Yuanqiao (primordial energy points) also be recycled by the Empire in the same way?"

[Command received, retrieving information for the Empire Forum... Permissions confirmed... Retrieving...]

Hammer replied almost instantly.

A stream of organized and summarized information quickly appeared before Qin Feng's eyes.

The significance of "Primordial Aperture Recycling" can be summarized in the following two points:

First, strategic value. The "primordial aperture" formed within the body of a martial artist who has successfully cultivated the "Supreme Aperture Opening Method" and merged their apertures possesses extremely high research and replication value.

If, by a stroke of luck, this vital energy aperture manages to remain stable after the martial artist's death, the Empire's Supreme Academy of Sciences can, through advanced artificial human technologies such as "biological cloning" and "spiritual energy grafting," quickly replicate a Level 6 Soaring Martial Artist possessing the same vital energy aperture.

Although this android does not possess the original owner's combat experience and will, its physical attributes are exactly the same as the original owner's.

With the empire's massive resources poured in, it will only take a few hundred years for him to successfully break through the four major limitations of his vitality index and become a true planetary-level powerhouse capable of traversing the cosmos.

Second, humanitarian values.

The Imperial Academy of Sciences possesses the technology of "memory uploading".

If, after a martial artist's demise, the memory data stream stored in their brain can be extracted promptly and uploaded completely to the subspace network cloud, and combined with the artificial human technology mentioned in the first point, theoretically, it is possible to achieve the martial artist's "conceptual rebirth."

Upon seeing this, Qin Feng's pupils contracted sharply, and a tidal wave of emotions surged within him.

Reborn?

This word, which only exists in myths and legends, can actually be realized by the technology of the empire?

He couldn't help but press, "Hamer, are you sure? That's just a stored stream of memory data, a copy with the same memories and the same body. Can that really be equated with 'rebirth'? Is it still the same person?"

This issue seems to touch upon the boundaries of a deeper and more fundamental philosophical and technological ethics.

Hammer, who is usually quick to answer questions, surprisingly paused for more than ten seconds, a rare occurrence.

Qin Feng could clearly "see" that in the background of the subspace network, his S-class intelligent assistant was frantically filtering and comparing the vast amount of data on topics such as "soul," "consciousness," and "rebirth" on the Empire's various public and encrypted forums with terrifying computing power.

Countless viewpoints, countless theories, and countless debates collide fiercely within its data core.

After a long while, Hammer finally responded again, and its voice seemed to carry a hint of uncertainty compared to before.

[Master, there is no standard answer to your question.]

From a purely "data flow," "atomic structure," and "pseudo-energy structure" perspective, yes. The Empire can achieve 100% perfect replication; both the body and memories are indistinguishable from the original owner. In this sense, it can be called "rebirth."

【but……】

Hammer's tone took a noticeable turn.

From a higher-dimensional perspective, such as "the origin of spiritual power" and "subspace soul projection," a copy is ultimately just a copy.

It possessed everything the original owner had, except for the original owner's unique "soul".

Therefore, from this perspective, they are not the same person.

In conclusion, life remains precious. Death remains irreversible. At least, within the scope of current known technology, this is true.

After listening to Hammer's dialectical explanation, Qin Feng slowly nodded, and the shock in his heart gradually subsided.

Ultimately, the so-called "rebirth" is nothing more than a copy.

True death is still the end.

Just then, Hammer's next message arrived, which made Qin Feng's eyes light up.

However, sir, for heroes who have made immense contributions to the Empire and are extremely loyal, death may not be the end.

If you are loyal enough, after you die for the Empire, your soul will have the opportunity, under guidance, to return to the "Golden Throne," where it will be purified and reborn, ultimately being reborn.

[In this form of rebirth, you will not retain any memories of your past life, but you will preserve the essence of your soul.]

"The Golden Throne..."

Qin Feng's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously asked, "Is that the Emperor's throne?"

【Yes Master. 】

Hammer's voice carried an indescribable, supreme reverence, as if etched deep within its core code.

Our greatest and most sacred emperor, in order to protect all of human civilization, willingly sacrificed his freedom, forever enshrining his body and soul on the golden throne.

It is precisely because of the Emperor's great sacrifice that his boundless, cosmically vast psychic energy formed an unbreakable "barrier to reality," preventing the true will of the four evil gods deep within the warp from ever truly projecting their forms into our real world.

It was precisely because the Emperor sat on the Golden Throne that he could use his own will to control the vast subspace network that covered the entire territory of the human empire.

This allows us humans to safely and conveniently teleport in the warp, anywhere within the Empire's territory.

Those alien races, however, will never be able to carry out any large-scale, strategic-level subspace jumps within our territory.

This was a forced, helpless choice.

Hammer's voice became somewhat low.

The emperor sits atop it, transforming himself into both a prison and a beacon.

He sacrificed his own limitations to secure the entire human empire's territory for billions of years, making it impregnable.

[In reality, Master, looking at the entire universe, our human empire's situation among all races is still precarious, even precipitous.]

……

Qin Feng fell silent as he listened to Hammer's account.

An incredibly heavy yet incredibly heroic emotion surged within him.

He seemed to see, in the distant, sacred Terra, upon that cold yet magnificent golden throne, a solitary saint, year after year, using his own body to support a crumbling sky for the entire civilization.

It turns out that so-called peace and tranquility are never a given.

It's simply because someone, in a place you can't see, is bearing all the darkness and burden for you.

Qin Feng slowly exhaled, his eyes becoming more resolute than ever before.

He wants to become stronger.

Become stronger!

Only with sufficient power can one protect everything one wants to protect, and contribute one's own strength to this empire in turmoil!
Just then, a rapid notification sound interrupted his thoughts.

[Captain, your team recruitment is complete!]

【"Linzhou" (Vitality Index 1510) has joined your team.】

【"Carlo" (Vitality Index 1550) has joined your team.】

[Yu Lin (Vitality Index 1580) has joined your team.]

[The team is full. Please contact your team members as soon as possible to discuss the mission details.]

Looking at the three team entry messages that popped up on the screen, Qin Feng's face showed a satisfied smile.

The three new teammates are all quite capable, perfectly meeting his expectations.

Without delay, he immediately sent a group message to his three new teammates.

[Hello, teammates. This is Captain Qin Feng. We'll meet in half an hour in the plaza in front of the 'Fearless Legion' headquarters building. Any questions?]

Soon, replies from the three people came one after another.

[“Linzhou”: Received from the team leader.]

[“Carlo”: Received from the captain.]

[Yu Lin: Received from the team leader.]

Upon seeing the reply, Qin Feng no longer hesitated, stood up, and turned to walk towards the teleportation array outside the dormitory.

It's time to meet my new teammates and then start my first battle after emerging from seclusion!

……

At the same time that Qin Feng set off for the headquarters of the Fearless Battle Group.

On the other side, Xiong Yanfu, Lei Meng, and Tie Mu, who had just finished their party, returned to their team dormitory.

Xiong Yanfu plopped down on the sofa, gulped down a mouthful of water, and then excitedly opened his personal terminal to send a message to Shi Dang.

"Brother! How was your rest? When are we going to do something big again? I just saw another cleanup mission on the mission list with super generous rewards!"

Quite some time after the message was sent, Shi Dang's reply finally arrived.

"Brothers, I'm sorry. I've made tremendous progress recently, and I need to go into seclusion for a few months to adapt to my surge in strength. I probably won't be able to go on missions with you all for a while."

Upon seeing this reply, Xiong Yanfu was somewhat disappointed, but more than that, he was happy for his brother.

"..."

He quickly replied, "It's alright, it's alright! Business is important! You can focus on your seclusion! We'll wait for you! We'll go on a rampage together when you come out!"

"it is good!"

After a brief reply, Shi Dang's profile picture went completely dark.

Xiong Yanfu chuckled, turned off the communication, and said to Lei Meng and Tie Mu beside him, "Brother Dang is making rapid progress. It seems we need to step up our efforts too, or we can't let him leave us too far behind!"

(End of this chapter)