High Martial Arts: Liver Becomes the Master of the Universe

Chapter 195 A crushing defeat of Qin Yonglin! A year to perfect the Killing Technique! Monster Qin Feng! The Ultimate Enlightenment Monument!

In an instant, everyone's eyes turned to the source of the sound.

On the other side of the tavern, near the bar, a tall, square-faced young man slowly stood up.

He was dressed in the simplest gray monk's robes, with a weapon wrapped in thick cloth on his back that looked thicker and heavier than an ordinary staff.

His appearance was unremarkable, but his eyes were strikingly bright, as if two inextinguishable flames were burning within them.

The moment he stood up, an extremely powerful aura, pure to the extreme, naturally spread out.

"It's Senior Qin Yonglin!"

"Qin Yonglin, the Stick-Wielding Fool!"

Immediately, someone in the crowd recognized him and let out a low gasp.

It was Qin Yonglin, the martial arts fanatic senior who had previously defeated Qin Feng's strongest killing move, Qian Yuan, in the Imperial Arena with the superior staff technique, Tian Yuan Staff!

The already taut aura, like a bowstring, did not weaken the moment Qin Yonglin stood up; instead, it became even sharper.

Ning Jing withdrew his fighting spirit that had been aimed directly at Qin Feng, turned to face Qin Yonglin, and made a crisp "please" gesture: "Since Senior Qin Yonglin wants to fight first, then I naturally have no objection. It's perfect timing, I also want to observe carefully and see just how far Qin Feng has progressed."

His demeanor was open and aboveboard, showing no sign of displeasure.

For these true martial arts enthusiasts, witnessing a top-level duel is just as valuable as participating in it themselves.

"Haha, thank you so much, Junior Ning Jing!"

Qin Yonglin strode towards Qin Feng and his group's table, and with each step he took, the alloy floor beneath his feet seemed to tremble slightly.

He made no attempt to hide his surging fighting spirit, staring intently at Qin Feng, and burst into laughter: "I've been thinking about fighting with Junior Brother Qin Feng again for a whole year!"
Just thinking about it makes my blood boil, and the stick in my hand is itching for more!

His blunt and unrefined words instantly drew a burst of good-natured laughter from the crowd in the Iron Fist Tavern.

"Hahaha, Qin Beast is now a hot commodity!"

"That's right! Who wouldn't want to fight a monster like that? I'm telling you, I dream about it! Unfortunately, I'm not strong enough, going up there would just be asking for a beating!"

The atmosphere in the tavern was instantly ignited. Everyone put down their glasses and began to discuss excitedly, their eyes darting back and forth between Qin Feng and Qin Yonglin.

"There's nothing we can do about it; Qin Feng's resume is just too outrageous."

A senior student remarked with emotion, counting on his fingers as if reciting a familiar story: "Just look at these: the entrance exam, the physical fitness test practically burst the testing chamber;

Then came the Canaan Newcomer Cup, where he earned the title of 'Qin Beast';

Forty years to awaken the mind, thirty years to close the mind, and still a 'top-grade primordial mind'!

He took a sip of wine to moisten his throat and continued, "That's not all! Only a month after advancing to level six, he has already mastered the level four killing technique 'Heavy Spear' to the 'minor success' level, and even had a good fight with the stick-obsessed senior Qin Yonglin in the arena!"

Tell me, if it were you, wouldn't you be itching to fight such a prodigy and witness his prowess firsthand?

His words immediately drew a chorus of agreement.

"Absolutely! Just hearing about these achievements is exhilarating!"

"Speaking of which, do you think that with Qin Feng's abnormal growth rate, it's possible for him to leave his name on the Canaan Tower in the future?"

A young student asked with great anticipation.

This question brought a sudden silence to the noisy atmosphere.

"Well... that's hard to say."

A calm and composed level seven martial artist pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "To leave a name in Canaan Tower, it's not something that can be achieved solely through talent and cultivation speed."

As far as I know, the most basic requirement to be able to leave your name on it is to push a level six killing technique into the 'mastery realm'!
Each of them has experienced tens of millions of life-and-death battles, knows more than 90% of common killing techniques, and can even see through their flaws at a glance!

That was a true, living martial arts master!

"Hiss... Level 6 killing technique 'Control Realm'? That's too far away."

Everyone gasped when they heard this.

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Qin Yonglin had already walked up to Qin Feng.

His tall stature exuded an extremely strong sense of oppression.

"Junior Brother Qin Feng,"

He asked, his voice carrying an undeniable certainty, "Shall we engage in a private battle within the Imperial Arena, or a real, actual fight?"

"Let's put it into practice."

Qin Feng answered without the slightest hesitation.

While private battles can simulate various scenarios, they ultimately lack the most crucial element – ​​the psionic energy aggregation mode.

Through real combat, he can most directly observe, feel, and analyze Qin Yonglin's energy circulation pattern.

Qin Feng needs to fight battle after battle to fill his opponent database until he has faced more than 90% of the common killing methods!
The path to becoming a master is never one that can be taken in isolation.

It requires a massive amount of real-world combat experience, including fighting against various strong opponents!
"Good! That's satisfying! Let's go to the arena!"

Upon hearing that Qin Feng had chosen real combat, the flames in Qin Yonglin's eyes burned even brighter. He clapped his hands excitedly and laughed heartily.

After saying that, the two of them turned around and walked out of the tavern without saying anything more.

"Quick, quick! Keep up! This is going to be good!"

"A top-tier showdown! Don't miss it!"

The warriors inside the Iron Fist Tavern could no longer sit still; they all surged forward in a flurry, excitedly following behind the two.

Long Yu, Nisang, and Ning Jing exchanged a smile and followed without hesitation.

……

The dedicated arena area in the Fearless Zone covers a very large area.

Here stand thousands of giant arenas made of high-strength alloy, each shrouded in a light blue energy shield, strong enough to withstand the full force of a battle between level seven martial artists.

As Qin Feng and Qin Yonglin walked side by side toward one of the largest central arenas, a large group of people spontaneously followed behind them.

The commotion quickly attracted the attention of other martial artists who were practicing or passing by in the Fearless Zone.

"What's going on? Why are so many people rushing towards the central arena?"

"You don't know? Have you heard? The prodigy Qin Feng is going to have a ring battle with the stick-wielding Qin Yonglin!"

"What?! Qin Feng? That monster? Wasn't he only promoted to level six martial artist less than a year ago? And he dares to fight Senior Qin Yonglin in a real combat arena?"

"Senior Qin Yonglin is a veteran powerhouse who has long since reached the 18,000-point 'first limit'! Why not lock his attributes in the Imperial Arena's friend room and fight in real life instead? Isn't that bullying him?"

"Who knows? I heard it's going to be a real battle! Let's go check it out! Qin Feng, that guy, mastered a level four killing technique in just one month. It's been almost a year now, who knows if he's even reached perfection yet! This is a duel between two geniuses at the 'perfect' level!"

"Let's go! Watching more battles will benefit us too! Who knows, we might encounter enemies practicing the same killing techniques on the next mission, and we'll gain more experience in dealing with them!"

"Yes!"

One pass ten, ten pass a hundred.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the entire Dreadnought Zone.

More and more people are flocking from all directions, eager to witness this fierce battle firsthand.

Soon, when Qin Feng and Qin Yonglin stepped onto the cold alloy arena one after the other, at least four or five hundred warriors from the Fearless Battle Group had already surrounded the arena in layers.

Among the crowd, a level 7 senior student with a calm demeanor and a vitality index clearly exceeding 20,000 points volunteered to jump onto the referee's seat.

"I'll be the referee!"

He shouted, "Both of you are so eager to fight that it's bound to get heated. We need a referee!"

On the arena, Qin Feng and Qin Yonglin faced each other from a distance of 100 meters.

Qin Yonglin untied the long stick wrapped in thick cloth from behind him, revealing its true form.

It was a heavy staff, dark gold in color, with nine dragon patterns in different shapes engraved on its body.

Qin Feng slowly took out the blue-black spear that had accompanied him for eleven months—[Raging Waves]—from his subspace storage unit.

The air between the two seemed to freeze at that moment.

Invisible fighting spirits collided and clashed in the air, stirring up ripples invisible to the naked eye.

Below the arena, everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed intently on the two people on the stage.

A highly anticipated showdown is about to begin.

On the arena, the energy shield emitted a soft hum, fully activating and isolating the entire battle space from the outside world.

The level seven referee raised his hand high, then suddenly brought it down.

"start!"

Before the words were even finished, the battle had already broken out!
There was no probing, no roundabout approach.

The moment the referee announced the start, Qin Feng moved.

He stomped his right foot backward, creating a shallow, visible crater on the hard alloy ring surface!

Attack!

With this step as the origin, a powerful force rose from his feet, ascended up his spine like an angry dragon, and instantly flowed through his entire body.

His figure transformed into an arrow released from a bow, and the [Raging Waves] spear in his hand moved without any fancy movements, turning into an extreme black line that pierced straight into Qin Yonglin's chest.

The whole process was smooth and seamless, as if it had been rehearsed a million times.

On that cold, dark spear tip, spiritual power and psionic energy converged with unprecedented efficiency, forming an invisible, high-speed rotating energy vortex.

[Heavy Thrust]!
His first move was a level four killing move!
"A killing technique at the perfected level?!"

Qin Yonglin's eyes, which were burning with fire, suddenly narrowed.

He clearly felt the perfect artistic conception contained in that shot, which was seamless and without any hesitation.

But he showed no fear whatsoever; instead, an even more fervent fighting spirit, like a volcanic eruption, exploded from his chest!

"Hahaha! I knew it! You finally achieved your goal! Perfect timing!!!"

Amidst deafening laughter, Qin Yonglin advanced instead of retreating.

His footwork was equally mysterious. With a slight sway, the Nine Yuan Staff in his hand had already escaped visual capture, transforming into a dark golden afterimage. It struck the tip of the Raging Waves spear with unparalleled precision, arriving after the opponent's attack!

boom! ! !
A deafening explosion, far more muffled and terrifying than any previous clash of metal, resounded across the arena!

Centered on the point of impact between the spear tip and the staff tip, a white, visible ring of shockwave suddenly spread out, slamming into the pale blue energy shield and creating violent ripples.

However, the outcome of this confrontation was completely different from what happened a year ago in the Imperial Arena.

At the epicenter of the impact, Qin Feng, wielding a long spear, stood as steady as a mountain, unmoving.

With a slight tremor of his wrist, the gun barrel swayed and twisted like a dragon or snake, completely dissipating the terrifying recoil force.

Qin Yonglin, on the other hand, was as if he had been hit head-on by a giant star beast charging at full speed. His tall body trembled violently, and he staggered back dozens of steps with a "thud! thud! thud!" sound, leaving a deep footprint on the alloy arena with each step before he could barely regain his footing.

He looked up, feeling the tingling numbness in his arm. For the first time, his eyes, besides burning fighting spirit, also held an intense shock.

Vitality Index: 18,000 points!

Qin Feng reached the first major limit of 18,000 vitality index in just one year! Once he crossed that threshold, he would become a level seven Mountain and Sea Martial Artist!
"Wow! Such powerful strength!"

Instead of being discouraged, Qin Yonglin excitedly licked his lips.

The audience below the ring fell into a deathly silence for a moment, followed by a thunderous roar of amazement!

"My God! In a head-on confrontation, Senior Qin Yonglin was defeated?"

"What...what kind of monstrous power is this?! Qin Feng's vitality index has also reached 18,000?"

"How can the improvement speed be so fast?"

After a brief moment of shock, a knowledgeable senior student immediately provided the answer.

"It's about physical aptitude! Have you all forgotten how the testing chamber exploded when Qin Feng enrolled?!"

"That's right! There's also the 'Supreme Yuan Aperture'! That thing not only speeds up cultivation, but also enhances physical attributes in every way! These two abnormal talents combined have created the monster before us!"

……

On the arena, the battle never stopped for a moment.

Having gained the upper hand with a single strike, Qin Feng pressed his advantage relentlessly.

He stepped into an "attack stance," his figure constantly shifting and flashing, the [Raging Waves] spear in his hand transforming into hundreds of phantoms, enveloping Qin Yonglin from all directions.

Qin Yonglin also fully entered battle mode, bringing the essence of the Nine Yuan Staff to its extreme. The staff flashed and protected his body, like an unbreakable tortoise shell.

Ding-ding-ding-ding——

The spear tip and the staff tip collided wildly in the small space, the crisp and dense sounds forming a continuous chorus, like a sudden downpour.

The two would sometimes leap into the air, twisting and turning in mid-air, leaving behind afterimages;

At times, they would land and strike, the alloy ring groaning under the strain of their footsteps and the force they released.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged hundreds of blows!
Qin Feng was more focused than ever before.

In his eyes, Qin Yonglin's every movement was slowed down infinitely.

He didn't care about winning or losing; instead, he was like a greedy sponge, frantically absorbing everything about his opponent.

Every exertion of force by Qin Yonglin, every change in his staff technique, and every operational trajectory of the "Mental Power-Spiritual Energy Aggregation Module" were clearly captured, recorded, and analyzed by him.

His understanding of the top-level staff technique, "Nine Elements Staff," is deepening at an alarming rate.

However, this scene presented a completely different picture to the audience below the ring.

In their view, this was no longer a battle of equal strength, but a complete and utter suppression!
Qin Feng's figure was elusive, his attacks like a tidal wave, relentless and unending.

Meanwhile, the veteran powerhouse Qin Yonglin was completely trapped in a passive defensive situation, barely able to hold on and almost powerless to fight back!

"This... Qin Feng's progress is too fast, isn't it?"

"It's only been a year! A year ago, he was being dominated by senior Qin Yonglin in the arena, and now he's actually able to turn the tables and dominate?"

"It's more than just suppression; look at Qin Yonglin's face, he's clearly starting to struggle!"

Among the crowd, a freshman exclaimed with admiration, "A top-tier Yuanqiao (a type of internal energy cultivation technique) combined with an explosively developed physical physique—this is simply invincible! The rate at which their vitality index improves is probably dozens of times faster than ours."

Upon hearing this, an older student beside him shook his head and sighed: "You only see his current glory. But have you ever thought that choosing the 'Supreme Yuanqiao' means enduring a tedious period of merging the Yuanqiao over hundreds of years?"

Watching those around you ascend to level six, mastering powerful level four killing techniques, and exploring the mysteries of spiritual power, while you can only cultivate your acupoints day after day like an ascetic… Can you endure that loneliness and pressure?

The freshman was momentarily speechless upon hearing this, and then fell silent.

Yes, behind the glory lies unimaginable dedication and perseverance.

……

Another corner of the spectators.

On Ning Jing's perpetually icy face, the corners of his mouth were twitching uncontrollably.

Nissan, standing next to him, nudged him with his thick elbow and laughed loudly, "Hey, Ning Jing! See that? Get ready! Weren't you clamoring to challenge Qin Feng? After this fight, you can gloriously step onto the stage!"

Long Yu also revealed a rare mischievous smile, teasing from the side, "Yeah, Ning Jing. We're all waiting to see you take the stage and give Junior Brother Qin Feng a good 'crushing'."

"..."

Ning Jing's cheek muscles twitched twice more, finally turning into a sigh that was both funny and exasperating: "Alright, alright, you two stop teasing me."

This guy... he's an absolute freak! Not only has his life force index improved so quickly, but his killing techniques have also reached perfection so fast. It's utterly outrageous!

……

The battle continues.

The entire duel, from start to finish, has actually lasted less than fifteen seconds.

But in those short fifteen seconds, Qin Feng and Qin Yonglin had already exchanged over a thousand blows!

Both of them unleashed their speed and power to the extreme!

Just then, in order to break free from the suppression, Qin Yonglin swept Qin Feng back with a horizontal strike, creating an extremely tiny gap in the connection of his staff technique, less than one-hundredth of a second.

Qin Feng accurately spotted this flaw!
"Fleeting Light and Shadow—"

In that instant, for the first time, he grafted the "mental power-psychic energy aggregation module" of the fourth-level killing technique onto this gun technique killing move that he had already mastered!
hum!
Qin Feng's figure seemed to vanish from the real world in an instant.

Instead, there was an extremely dazzling stream of light that could not be captured by the naked eye!

This streak of light disregarded the distance in space and vanished in an instant!
"not good!"

Alarm bells rang in Qin Yonglin's mind. He instinctively wanted to return his stick to defend, but he was a moment too slow.

puff.

A soft sound, like a blade piercing flesh, rang out. The light faded, and Qin Feng's figure reappeared to Qin Yonglin's left.

The tip of the [Raging Waves] spear in his hand had already pierced Qin Yonglin's left shoulder blade.

Fresh blood dripped slowly from the dark blue tip of the gun.

The whole place was in dead silence.

Qin Yonglin stared blankly at the spear on his shoulder, then looked at Qin Feng, who had a calm expression, and then smiled with relief.

"I lost."

He spoke decisively and frankly, admitting defeat openly and honestly.

Qin Feng slowly withdrew his spear, and spiritual energy surged from the wound, instantly stopping the bleeding.

He looked at Qin Yonglin with an apologetic smile: "I got carried away and couldn't completely stop myself. I'm sorry."

"Hahaha, I understand! It's a battle, after all, everyone gets heated!"

Qin Yonglin laughed loudly, seemingly unconcerned, as if he himself hadn't been injured. "That was exhilarating! This fight was more exhilarating than any fight I've had in the past ten years!"

In reality, both of them knew that they had held back from each other.

Especially with Qin Feng's last shot, the moment it hit Qin Yonglin's shoulder blade, he had already released all the violent spiral force that was enough to pierce through the armor of a warship into the air.

Otherwise, with the terrifying power unleashed by his current 18,000 points of vitality index, let alone piercing the shoulder blade, the force alone, released from a distance, would be enough to blast Qin Yonglin's entire left arm, along with half of his body, into a cloud of blood mist.

The outcome of this battle has been decided.

On the arena, Qin Yonglin slowly straightened up.

He looked down at the open wound on his left shoulder.

To everyone's astonishment, the muscle tissue around the wound was visibly wriggling, regenerating, and healing at a rapid pace.

In just over ten seconds, the gunshot wound, which was originally deep enough to expose the bone, was reduced to a shallow pink scar.

For a level six martial artist with a vitality of 18,000 points, as long as it is not a fatal injury containing special energy, this level of flesh injury will heal extremely quickly.

"Did you see that, junior Qin Feng?"

Qin Yonglin stretched his now fully recovered left shoulder, a relaxed smile appearing on his face. At the same time, he took this opportunity to impart higher-level martial arts knowledge to Qin Feng.

"In battles at our level, as long as we're not hit in a vital spot, we recover very quickly. But when you face an opponent who has mastered a level five killing technique, you'll have to be careful."

His expression turned serious: "The core of the Level 5 Killing Technique lies in 'One Mind, Ten Functions.' This multi-threaded energy aggregation mode not only unleashes stronger destructive power, but more terrifyingly, it can create an extremely stubborn and destructive residual force within your wounds. This residual force, like a maggot clinging to a bone, will frantically inhibit the recovery of your own vitality and may even continuously damage your body tissues."

"As for the level six killing technique..."

A deep sense of dread flashed in Qin Yonglin's eyes. "That would be even more terrifying. The residual force generated by its 'one mind, one hundred uses' could even maintain continuous torment in your body for decades, or even centuries, making you wish you were dead. Therefore, the higher the level of the battle, the less you can afford to lose."

His words were both an explanation and a subtle way of telling Qin Feng that he understood the opponent had lost the force of that final shot.

This is just a friendly exchange; we'll stop here.

Qin Feng nodded, keeping these words firmly in mind.

The two exchanged a smile, everything understood without a word, and then walked off the stage side by side.

Wow——!
The moment they stepped off the stage, the long-suppressed cheers and applause erupted from the audience!
"fantastic!"

"Senior Qin Feng! Awesome!"

"Senior Qin Yonglin may have lost, but he is still honorable!"

Members of countless battle groups paid the highest tribute to these two powerhouses who delivered a top-tier duel in the most direct and enthusiastic way.

Qin Yonglin walked up to Qin Feng, patted him heavily on the shoulder, and said with a complex and sincere expression in his eyes, "Junior Brother Qin Feng, I really didn't expect you to improve so quickly."

He paused, as if making an important decision, and finally said in an extremely sincere tone, "I, your defeated opponent, will shamelessly give you another piece of advice today, and you must listen to it."

"what?"

Qin Feng was somewhat surprised.

"Don't be in such a hurry to graduate from Canaan."

“I know that at your cultivation speed, you may be able to reach the graduation standard in a few years.”

Qin Yonglin explained, "However, you should know that the 'Starry Sky Cup' martial arts competition is held every few years, so the frequency is actually very high."

I suggest you hone your skills at school for a few more years, participate in several Star Cup competitions, and build up a massive database of your opponents before considering graduation.

Seeing Qin Feng's thoughtful expression, Qin Yonglin continued, "Because once you graduate from Canaan Star Martial Arts University and achieve a high enough ranking in the Star Cup, you will automatically obtain an invaluable qualification—the qualification to participate in the 'Cosmic Genius Battle'!"

"A battle of geniuses in the universe?"

Qin Feng let out a soft "hmm".

"Yes."

Qin Yonglin's eyes were filled with longing and awe. "That's the ultimate stage for all top geniuses! You'll be facing monsters like you, or even more monstrous than you!"

"In the face of those real monsters, talent, spiritual energy, killing techniques, and other factors that affect combat power may not create a significant difference."

In the end, the competition comes down to who has more combat experience, who has seen more killing techniques, and who can find the opponent's most fatal weakness in an instant!
Only when you accumulate a sufficiently large 'database of rivals' in Canaan will you be qualified to compete with the true prodigies!

"If... you can stand out in the Cosmic Genius Battle,"

Qin Yonglin's voice trembled slightly, "Then you will directly enter the most core training sequence! The achievements you can attain in the future will exceed all of our imaginations!"

He took a deep breath, looked intently at Qin Feng, and said, word by word, "I'm not telling you this out of wishful thinking. It's because I sincerely believe... Qin Feng, you have the potential to qualify for the Cosmic Genius Battle, and you have a chance to stand out!"

After saying that, he patted Qin Feng on the shoulder again, a hearty smile spreading across his face: "Go for it, Qin Feng!"

"it is good."

Qin Feng nodded heavily.

Qin Yonglin's heartfelt advice revealed to him a magnificent view of a higher and farther path in martial arts.

As the battle ended, the crowd, filled with satisfaction and awe, gradually dispersed, their discussions swirling around them.

This thrilling showdown is destined to be a topic of conversation for them for a long time to come.

The video of this battle spread like wildfire, once again igniting the private forums of Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University.

[Breaking News! Qin Feng strikes again! With a vitality index of 18,000, he defeats the stick-wielding fanatic Qin Yonglin in a head-on confrontation!]

[Official Certification! The Hidden Dragon Ranking has been updated! Qin Feng has suddenly dropped to number eighty-one!]

[It's still the same unreasonable Qin Feng! He advanced to level six only a year ago, and now he's already reached the first major limit! Is this even humanly possible?]

[In-depth analysis: How did Qin Feng manage to master a Level 4 killing technique from scratch to perfection in just one year? Has any senior student in the school's history ever done this?]

A technical analysis post quickly attracted countless comments.

[Yes, brothers. Our Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University has been established for 2.2 billion years, and has produced far more monstrous geniuses than you can imagine.]

Don't even mention reaching perfection in a year. I remember in the school history records that someone pushed a level four sword technique to the 'perfect realm' in just three months.

The person upstairs is talking about the 'Sword God' Li Wuyi, right? That is indeed a myth and cannot be used for conventional comparisons.

Even so, Qin Feng's speed is definitely among the top tier.

……

Qin Feng was completely unaware of the storm brewing on the forum.

He never had the habit of intensive online surfing or searching for his own battle records.

Given that time, he would rather refine his killing technique one more time.

He returned to Long Yu, Nisang, and Ning Jing.

He looked at Ning Jing, whose face was filled with complex emotions, and a familiar smile appeared on his face, the kind that comes before a battle.

"Senior Ning Jing, now it's our turn, isn't it?"

"No fighting! No fighting!"

To everyone's surprise, Ning Jing shook his head vigorously, waving his hands repeatedly. For the first time, his perpetually icy expression showed a look of "respectfully declining."

"You guy!"

Ning Jing said, half-laughing and half-crying, "After a year apart, your vitality has skyrocketed to 18,000, and your killing technique has reached perfection. I've only just broken through to the 'minor completion' stage. Wouldn't going up against you be asking for a beating? No way! Absolutely no way!"

"Ha ha ha ha--"

His frank, almost endearing, admission of defeat instantly provoked Long Yu and Nissan to burst into unrestrained, deafening laughter.

Even Qin Feng himself was amused by Ning Jing's rare moment of embarrassment.

The tense atmosphere of battle was completely dispelled by cheerful laughter.

A thrilling battle ended in an unexpected yet perfectly logical way.

A short while later, Qin Feng, Long Yu, Nissan, and Ning Jing returned to their familiar corner booth at the "Iron Fist Tavern".

This time, the atmosphere in the tavern was completely different from before.

Almost every gaze, intentionally or unintentionally, drifted toward their table, their eyes filled with awe, curiosity, and admiration.

The way they looked at Qin Feng was especially complex.

This young monster, who had just proven his terrifying strength with a resounding victory, had become an extremely prestigious figure.

The tavern waiter soon brought out four glasses of wine, each a different color and emitting a peculiar glow.

The wine flowed slowly in the glass, as if containing the brilliance of stars, and a rich and strange energy spread in the air.

This is a top-tier brew made from extremely rare plants or minerals from the depths of the universe, imbued with special psionic properties, through a complex process. Each glass is incredibly valuable.

"Come on! To celebrate Qin Beast... oh no, Qin Feng's perfected killing technique. Cheers!"

Nissan was the first to raise his glass of fiery red wine and laughed heartily.

"cheers."

Long Yu and Ning Jing also raised their glasses.

Qin Feng picked up the glass of blue liquor in front of him, which resembled a deep starry sky, and gently clinked it against the glasses of the three of them.

He followed the example of everyone else, bringing the wine glass to his lips and taking a small sip.

A cool, spicy liquid slid down his throat, followed by a surge of powerful and chaotic psychic energy that suddenly exploded in his mind. It was as if countless chaotic stars were flashing and colliding in his mind, bringing a strange, slightly tipsy dizziness.

Qin Feng frowned slightly and immediately mobilized his rock-solid mental will to forcefully suppress the chaotic energy fluctuations.

"This thing... has a rather significant impact on mental strength."

He put down his glass and commented, "It's best to drink less."

For Qin Feng, who values ​​reason and self-control more than life itself, anything that affects his mental state is no different from poison.

"Haha, I knew you weren't used to this."

Seeing this, Nissan downed his drink in one gulp, exhaled a satisfying breath, and laughed, "Don't worry, we usually don't touch this stuff. We only ordered it today to welcome you and to create a festive atmosphere. After all, although this stuff can affect your spirit, drinking it occasionally can stimulate your mental sea, which is a unique form of cultivation."

Ning Jing, who had been silent all along, also spoke up, saying, "Yeah, the atmosphere is better."

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore."

The most composed of them all, Long Yu, steered the conversation back on track. He looked at Qin Feng gently and asked, "Qin Feng, you've already signed up for the 'Starry Sky Cup,' haven't you?"

"Yes, I just signed up."

Qin Feng nodded.

"That's good."

A smile appeared on Long Yu's face. "We've all signed up too."

"..."

Nissan's expression turned serious. He put down his glass and said in a deep voice, "This is nothing like the rookie tournament within our school. This is the largest martial arts event ever held in our 'local star region'! The organizer is—the Ultramarines Legion!"

"Is this an official event hosted by Ultramarines?"

Qin Feng's heart moved.

"Correct."

Long Yu took over the conversation and explained to Qin Feng in detail, "Therefore, its value and authority are beyond doubt."

Every year, students from billions of galaxies and countless stars participate.

The competition is far fiercer than you can imagine.

"Moreover, it is held very frequently."

Basically, this tournament has just finished, and the final rankings have been determined, and the preliminary rounds for the next tournament will begin immediately.

This star region contains billions of star systems, each with a top 100 martial arts academy and a supreme martial arts academy. The number of martial artists above level six in each academy is countless.

A little calculation will show just how authoritative the Starry Sky Cup really is.

Qin Feng listened quietly, memorizing all the key information.

He didn't ask about the brutality of the competition, because that was to be expected.

He only cares about the most important issues.

"What about the reward?"

Qin Feng asked directly.

"award?"

Upon hearing this, Long Yu was slightly taken aback.

He really hadn't studied the list of rewards in detail.

Because with his 'minor achievement' level of killing skills, although he was already considered quite good within Canaan, he knew very well that on the grand stage of the entire star sector, he would most likely be just a supporting character this time.

Being able to enter the main competition, witness the prowess of various talents, and accumulate some combat experience is already considered to have achieved the goal.

But Qin Feng is different.

Looking at the calm-faced junior in front of him, Long Yu's mind raced.

With his killing technique perfected, his life force reaching its first limit, and his abnormally strong physical foundation... Qin Feng truly has a chance to challenge for a very high ranking this time.

I should be guaranteed a spot in the top 100,000.

Thinking of this, Long Yu organized the scattered information he had heard from his mentor and some seniors.

"The rewards are straightforward and generous."

Long Yu slowly said, "The most basic thing is naturally a massive amount of Imperial Contribution Points. But those have limited appeal to truly top geniuses. The core rewards of the 'Starry Sky Cup' are only two things."

He held up a finger.

"First, there's the ranking. Just like senior Qin Yonglin said, a high enough ranking is your ticket to the 'Universal Genius Battle' in the future."

Then, he extended his second finger, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

"Secondly, there is the opportunity to comprehend the 'Ultimate Enlightenment Stele'."

"The Ultimate Enlightenment Monument?!"

The moment Qin Feng heard those three words, his heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason!
The name seemed to possess a strange magic, causing ripples to spread across his calm and undisturbed spiritual sea.

"Yes, the Ultimate Enlightenment Monument."

Long Yu nodded, a mixture of longing and confusion on his face. "However, I don't know exactly what this 'Limit Enlightenment Stele' is or what its function is."

This appears to be one of the Ultramarines Chapter's top secrets, with any related information strictly controlled and not allowed to circulate privately.

You can't find a single word of it on the private forum.

Nissan added from the side, "That's right! This thing is very mysterious; only the mentors leading the teams know the specific details."

We participating students only get to see the relevant information when the official rulesbook is distributed before the competition begins.

Ning Jing also put down his wine cup and pondered, "However, although the specific information is unclear, judging from its name, the word 'enlightenment' is most likely directly related to a martial artist's comprehension, spiritual power, and the cultivation and breakthrough of killing techniques."

"Yes."

Long Yu agreed, saying, "It should be some kind of strategic treasure that can help us understand the origin of martial arts."

Qin Feng nodded slowly, deeply engraving the three words "Limit Enlightenment Monument" into his mind.

A strong intuition told him that this thing was crucial to his future path in martial arts.

(End of this chapter)