High Martial Arts: Liver Becomes the Master of the Universe

Chapter 196 The Starry Sky Cup Begins! Generous Rewards! The Awe-inspiring Profound Universe!

Inside the Iron Fist Tavern, the topic of the "Enlightenment Stele" came to a temporary halt.

The wine in the four glasses was all emptied.

"There is still one month until the Starry Sky Cup officially begins."

Long Yu tapped her fingers lightly on the table and spoke first, "Everyone, what are your plans for this last month?"

"What other plans could there be?"

Nissan grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, but his eyes were filled with seriousness. "Of course, I'll fight with all my might! My level four killing technique has only just reached the 'minor mastery' stage, and I'm still quite clumsy when using the killing move [Mountain Split]. I must hone it until it's as natural as breathing within this month!"

Ning Jing nodded succinctly, indicating his agreement: "Same here. Practice your killing moves diligently."

The three of them were in similar situations; they had all recently managed to break through to the 'minor success' level of their respective level four killing techniques, mastering their first truly meaningful level four killing move.

However, there is still a long way to go from just mastering a killing move to being able to use it skillfully.

This last month is the crucial period for them to transform theory into practical skills.

All three of them turned their attention to Qin Feng.

Qin Feng's level of understanding far surpassed theirs, and his plans were naturally different from everyone else's.

"I?"

Qin Feng pondered for a moment and then revealed his plan, "I intend to try out those lower-level killing techniques that I've already mastered. I'll try to integrate the 'mental power-spiritual energy aggregation module' of the fourth-level killing techniques into their killing moves."

Upon hearing this, the pupils of Long Yu and the other two all contracted slightly.

This is precisely the direction of cultivation after reaching the state of 'perfection'!

By making high-level energy utilization modes compatible with lower levels, low-level killing moves can unleash terrifying power far exceeding their grade!
This is already preparation for a higher level of combat.

"Good! As expected of you!"

Nissan slapped his thigh hard, his eyes full of admiration. "Then let's each do our best, and see you in a month!"

"it is good."

After a brief agreement, the four of them did not linger any longer, each rose to take their leave, and transformed into four streaks of light, disappearing in different directions.

……

Qin Feng did not rent any more expensive meditation rooms.

The "Void Stone" meditation room that he rented in order to break through to level six was rented for a year.

In the end, he spent less than two months inside in total, spending the rest of his time outside on missions and trials.

The thought of wasting so many contribution points, enough for an ordinary student to work for decades, still made Qin Feng feel a pang of heartache, even with his current wealth.

He realized he had made a huge mistake and resolved that he would never again rent that Void Stone Chamber, which was like a money-devouring behemoth, unless he was undergoing a deep seclusion that required absolute isolation and could not be disturbed in the slightest.

After walking through familiar streets, Qin Feng finally returned to his long-missed student dormitory.

This is the room he was assigned when he first enrolled. Although it is far less luxurious than the meditation room, it is quiet and full of memories.

The room was spotless, clearly indicating that the smart home system had been diligently maintaining it.

Qin Feng leaned the [Raging Waves] spear against the wall and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. The long-lost sense of relaxation gave his tense nerves a moment of relief.

Instead of immediately beginning his cultivation, he opened his personal terminal and skillfully dialed an encrypted communication link.

The screen flickered, and soon a familiar yet slightly aged face appeared on the screen.

It was his father, Qin Dahai.

"A Feng?"

Upon seeing Qin Feng, Qin Dahai's face lit up with barely suppressed surprise and pride.

"Dad, how have you been feeling lately?"

Qin Feng felt a pang of anxiety as he looked at his father's noticeably more gray hair and deeper wrinkles around his eyes.

"Good! Very good!"

Qin Dahai's voice was loud and clear, full of energy, "Your uncle has also made something of himself. He's already a Level 3 Power Armor Designer, and he's always busy."

Your two younger cousins ​​are both very sensible and grateful; they often come back to visit me.

His father talked on and on about the family's recent situation, and Qin Feng listened quietly, nodding in agreement from time to time.

"Oh, right, Dad, I still have some contribution points here. I'll buy some psionic potions for you and send them back..."

"Need not!"

Before Qin Feng could finish speaking, Qin Dahai interrupted him without hesitation.

Qin Dahai gave a bitter smile and sighed, saying, "Xiaofeng, I know your intentions, but I'm stuck at a bottleneck right now. No matter how good the medicine is, it won't help."

"My vitality index hasn't changed in a long time. The problem lies in my mental strength."

Qin Dahai explained, "After the 'merging of the apertures,' if you want to continue to improve your vitality, you must use your mental power to shake the 'primordial apertures' and draw out spiritual energy to cleanse them. However, my mental power strength has been unable to reach the threshold of 10 points for a long time, so I simply cannot shake it."

As for improving one's mental strength, you know that this is the most arduous and painstaking process, and there are no shortcuts or external forces that can be taken.

"The best effect of those so-called mental boosting drugs on the market is just to make you feel like you've had an unprecedentedly good night's sleep and feel more energetic."

The improvement in mental strength is negligible.

Qin Dahai's eyes held a hint of resentment, but more so a sense of acceptance and acceptance.

"So whether I can break free from this shackle and become a true Level 6 'Soaring Warrior' in this lifetime depends entirely on my own destiny."

You don't need to waste resources on me anymore. Use all your contribution points on your own cultivation! Your path is ten thousand times more important than mine!

Qin Feng fell silent after hearing his father's words.

He knew that what his father said was true.

The threshold of mental strength is the greatest obstacle on the path for all level 5 martial artists to reach level 6.

Unlike vitality, it cannot be accumulated through resources and time.

It tests a person's talent, will, and opportunity even more.

But the father no longer possessed the martial spirit he had in his youth.

"I understand, Dad."

Qin Feng nodded and did not insist further.

"By the way, Dad, I'm participating in the Starry Sky Cup next month. Do you want to watch?"

"Yes, of course I'll go see it!"

"..."

The father and son chatted for a few more minutes. Qin Feng noticed that although his father's words were still bold, the weariness between his brows was impossible to hide.

The mental strain of years of arduous practice without any progress is far more devastating than physical exhaustion.

After the communication was disconnected, the quiet room returned to silence.

Qin Feng sat quietly for a long time before finally exhaling a breath of stale air.

His gaze regained its composure as he tapped a golden, arena-like icon on his personal terminal.

Imperial Arena

The next instant, his consciousness was drawn by an invisible force, instantly detaching from his physical body and entering a virtual world composed of data and light streams.

What he needs to do is to perfectly combine the first, second, and third level killing moves he has already mastered with the fourth level killing technique's "mental power-psychic energy aggregation module" through massive and high-intensity battles in the Imperial Arena!
……

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

For Qin Feng, who was immersed in the Imperial Arena, this month felt like just a long, never-ending battle.

He engages in more than 500 high-intensity battles every day.

His opponents included Imperial knights wielding lightsabers, Savage Starfield warriors wielding chainsaw axes, and scions of noble families skilled in bizarre and mysterious magic...

He has won and he has lost.

The win rate has consistently remained stubbornly around 55%.

He was exhausted, so he fell into a deep sleep in the virtual space lounge. Once his mental energy was restored, he immediately threw himself into the next battle.

hum-

When Qin Feng's consciousness once again detached from that virtual world filled with fighting and shouting and returned to his body in his dormitory, the sky outside the window was already beginning to brighten.

He slowly opened his eyes, and within them seemed to be countless phantoms of battles rising and falling.

His killing techniques improved remarkably during this month of arduous training.

He brought up his personal panel.

[Kill Method: Heavy Gun (Level 4)]

[Realm: Perfection]

[Proficiency: 1512/100000]

It takes a full 100,000 points of proficiency to go from "Perfection" to "Mastery".

This is an enormous gap; even with his insane training intensity, he has only accumulated a little over 1,500 points.

But his biggest gain in this month was not his proficiency with "Heavy Gun".

Instead, he had successfully grafted all the "Control Realm" killing moves he had mastered in the past—[Flowing Light Chasing Shadow], [Wind and Thunder Chasing Shadow], [Dragon Hidden], [Fierce Owl Chasing Shadow], etc.—somewhat awkwardly, but effectively, onto the "Mental Power-Spiritual Energy Aggregation Module" of the Level 4 killing technique!
These low-level killing moves that he was about to discard have been transformed and reborn at this moment!
Their power increased exponentially!
Especially the most powerful killing move he once comprehended—[Qian Yuan]!
This move, a culmination of his lifelong martial arts will, is a killing technique whose exquisiteness far surpasses others.

After a month of honing his skills, Qin Feng can now even simultaneously construct three different "mental power-psychic energy aggregation modules" at the moment he makes a move!
Three uses at once!
Although he is still far from the level 5 killing technique of "one mind, ten uses", this has undoubtedly allowed him to touch the threshold of a higher level of killing technique!

The power of the current [Qian Yuan] has increased many times over!
"And the vitality index..."

Feeling the immense vitality, Qin Feng couldn't help but sigh.

"My physical aptitude and 'top-grade Yuan Aperture' are truly terrifying."

"The so-called 'first major deadline' simply doesn't exist for me."

He could clearly sense that the invisible shackles that blocked ordinary martial artists at the 18,000-point bottleneck were as thin as a cicada's wing to him.

If he wanted to, he wouldn't even need to deliberately go into seclusion to break through; he could simply use his spiritual power to strike the Yuan Aperture during his daily cultivation, triggering a surge of spiritual energy to break it open with ease.

No wonder, it is said that those martial artists who have forged "top-grade Yuan Apertures" can directly reach planetary-level life forms.

It turns out that the so-called "Four Great Limits" are really meaningless when it comes to "Supreme Yuanqiao".

"These centuries of arduous practice have been worthwhile."

A genuine smile appeared on Qin Feng's face.

"Hamer, what time is it now?"

"Reporting to Master, there are still twenty-three hours until the time for the Starry Sky Cup participating teams to assemble."

Are we leaving tomorrow?

Qin Feng nodded and stood up from his chair.

He didn't engage in any further cultivation; instead, he drew the blackout curtains in the dormitory and lay down on the bed.

Qin Feng wanted to use this last bit of time to get a good night's sleep and wipe away all the mental fatigue he had accumulated in the Imperial Arena over the past month.

Qin Feng slept very soundly.

There were no chaotic dreams, no phantoms of battle. His spiritual sea was like a calm, ancient pool, slowly recovering the energy he had frantically expended over the past month in absolute silence.

When he opened his eyes again, the light outside the window was still dim, but his spirit had been restored to an unprecedented level of fullness and clarity.

He leaped out of bed, his joints cracking and popping, a surge of power coursing through his body.

He glanced at the time; there was less than an hour left until the meeting time.

Qin Feng didn't delay any longer and quickly packed his meager belongings, mainly replenishing his subspace storage unit with some spare psionic potions and high-energy compressed food.

After doing all this, he took one last look around the dormitory that held his memories of his early days at university, then turned around and strode out.

……

Canaan Main Teleport Platform, Area A129.

When Qin Feng arrived here, even though he had prepared himself mentally, he was still deeply shocked by the scene before him.

Crowds of people.

This was the only word that came to mind.

Centered on area A129, the huge square, spanning tens of kilometers in radius, was densely packed with Canaan students who had come to gather.

As far as the eye could see, it was a dark, boundless expanse, with all sorts of auras intertwined and soaring into the sky, even causing the space above to distort slightly.

Qin Feng clearly remembers that when he took the entrance exam, the same huge square was filled with more than a million new students from dozens of star systems.

The scene at that time was truly magnificent.

But compared to the scene before us, the freshman assessment back then was like a small-scale gathering.

At this moment, the number of people in this square is well over a million, and students are still flocking here from all directions.

At the very front of the square, a magnificent spaceship was moored... its grandeur defies description.

It's too big.

It was so large that it resembled a steel mountain suspended above the ground, stretching for tens of kilometers in length and towering into the clouds. The cold, dark silver alloy armor of the ship reflected a chilling light under the glow of the artificial star.

Countless enormous psionic cannons and missile launch arrays, like the eyes of silent behemoths, covered the ship's hull, radiating a terrifying pressure capable of freezing the soul.

Just by sitting there quietly, the sheer power it exuded—powerful enough to destroy civilization—made every proud son standing in this square feel a profound sense of insignificance emanating from the depths of their soul.

"This is...this is a strategic transport ship! Judging from the hull number, it's the seventh in the 'Sword of Justice' series!"

“This is no longer a ‘transport ship’… Look at the caliber of those main guns! It’s equipped with ‘Solar Storm’ class psionic main guns, which, once fired, can destroy an entire star system in an instant!… Whose work is this?”

"The person in charge of leading the team to the competition area this time is Instructor Yu Han. This warship is most likely Instructor Yu Han's private vehicle."

"Hiss—Yu Han's? I only knew that his strength was unfathomable, but I didn't expect his background to be so terrifying! Even within the Ultra Warriors Legion, it would be difficult to obtain a strategic warship of this level."

"Didn't you know? Before joining Canaan, Instructor Yu Han served in an elite squadron of the Extreme Warriors, but later retired for some unknown reasons."

"..."

The students lowered their voices and whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with awe, reverence, and fervor as they looked at the giant ship.

At that moment, everyone's personal terminal simultaneously received a pinned message from the official Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University.

Attention all participating students: Please maintain order and board the ship in batches according to your registered competition area.

After boarding, please follow the intelligent guidance to proceed to your designated compartment.

Loud noises and private fights are strictly prohibited on board. Violators will be immediately disqualified from the competition.

Following the announcement, dozens of massive boarding tunnels were opened beneath the enormous warship.

The crowd began to slowly incline forward.

Qin Feng quickly found Long Yu, Nissan, and Ning Jing, who had also come to gather, in the crowded throng.

After the four met up, they followed the flow of people step by step toward the boarding passage that resembled the mouth of a giant beast.

It's worth mentioning that even though Qin Feng is now considered a prominent figure on the school's private forums, very few people among the millions of students can actually recognize him.

He was like a drop of water, silently merging into the vast ocean called "Canaan," without causing the slightest ripple.

"I rely on!"

Nissan was jostled by an unfamiliar, burly senior student in front of him, wincing in pain. Struggling to maintain his balance, he couldn't help but chuckle and complain, "We have the infamous 'Qin Beast' in our line, so why isn't anyone giving us a little space? Where's the respect?!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Actually, even if you were truly the best in the entire school, not many people would know you, let alone me, who is far behind."

Looking at the unfamiliar yet vibrant young faces around him, he said with deep feeling, "Everyone's social circle is extremely limited."

Especially in a place like Canaan, everyone's time is incredibly precious. They're either in seclusion practicing spiritual cultivation or out on missions every day. Who has so much free time to pay attention to people and things that don't concern them?

"Let's not talk about others, let's talk about myself."

Qin Feng's gaze became somewhat distant. "More than seventy years have passed since I enrolled in school."

But in this vast campus, the number of people I know and can accurately call by name probably doesn't exceed a thousand.

Moreover, the vast majority of them were temporary teammates they met by chance during missions.

I only know a little over a thousand people, while Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University admits around 600,000 new students every year! The peak number of students on campus can even reach tens of billions.

We're all like NPCs in each other's worlds.

"Haha, now that you mention it, it's really true!"

Long Yu laughed in agreement, “I’ve been in school for two hundred years, and I don’t have many good friends in the subspace network. Some of them are my high school classmates, but I’ve almost forgotten what they look like now.”

Who remembers whom anymore... After all, almost two hundred years have passed.

A rare hint of reminiscence and melancholy appeared on Nissan's rugged face: "Yes... two hundred years, the world has changed."

Ning Jing, who had been silent all along, slowly spoke up: "That's life."

The four of them moved slowly forward with the flow of people, chatting idly.

When they finally stepped inside the starship, they were all awestruck by the grandeur and intricacy of its interior space.

This doesn't feel like the interior of a ship at all; it's more like a steel city that's been moved to the sky.

Guided by the intelligent system, they traversed countless wide passageways and finally found their own cabin.

Those were individual martial arts rooms, small in size but fully equipped with all kinds of training facilities.

The four of them sat down, and a feeling of indescribable emotion welled up in their hearts.

"In a few hundred years,"

Long Yu's voice carried a hint of etherealness, "When those relatives and friends who share our bloodline gradually pass away in the long river of time, perhaps the only meaning of our lives will be to cultivate martial arts."

Time slowly passed during the long wait.

A full hour passed before the last student stepped into the boarding passage, and the dozens of huge hatches began to slowly close, emitting a dull and heavy metallic locking sound.

Immediately afterwards, the entire giant ship experienced an extremely slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

Qin Feng looked out through the cabin window.

The Canaan Starry Sky Wuhan University campus began to slowly recede.

The warship has started up.

Its startup process was smooth and without any bumps or delays, as smooth as gliding on the smoothest ice.

But its speed is increasing at an unimaginable, exponential rate!
In the blink of an eye, the vast and boundless first campus of Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University had shrunk to a blurry outline.

Next came the magnificent Canaan Tower, which seemed to connect heaven and earth and traverse the entire galaxy.

This miraculous creation, whose top could never be seen when looking up from the ground, now rapidly became tiny in the face of the warship's terrifying acceleration.

The tower, which once stretched as far as the eye could see, receded and compressed rapidly in the field of vision, quickly transforming from a colossal pillar into a tiny speck of light. Finally, even that speck of light completely merged into the deep, dazzling starry sky behind it, becoming an inconspicuous, faint pixel that required careful observation to find.

The Canaan Galaxy was completely left behind by them.

What followed was endless, cold darkness.

Looking out the porthole, everything disappeared.

There are no planets, no nebulae, and not even light.

There was only a pure, chilling, deep darkness that seemed to devour everything.

Occasionally, some extremely distant points of light flash by, but they are so small and distant that they only serve to highlight the emptiness and desolation of the surrounding universe.

"Tsk tsk... I never imagined that the real deep space of the universe would look like this."

Nissan pressed his face against the cold porthole, looking at the monotonous and despairing darkness outside, and couldn't help but sigh, "I thought it would be much more bustling."

After all, our star sector alone contains over a billion star systems, and any one of those systems could contain over a billion habitable and educational planets… I imagined it would be a brightly lit scene filled with spaceships.

No, you misunderstood.

Upon hearing this, Long Yu, who was sitting opposite him, smiled and shook his head, then began to explain the facts to him.

"From a large-scale, macroscopic perspective, the universe is, of course, incredibly prosperous. Countless civilizations and countless races, like grains of sand in the Ganges, adorn the dark curtain."

"but,"

Long Yu's tone shifted, becoming serious. "From the perspective of individual martial artists, especially those below the planetary level, the universe is cold, dark, and filled with endless distance."

"Without the subspace teleportation network established by the Empire that covers the entire territory of mankind, a conventional spaceship, even if it can travel at sublight speed, would need to spend decades or even hundreds of years just to leave its own star system. Not to mention interstellar travel."

Long Yu's eyes held a hint of emotion: "For those newly born, rudimentary civilizations on the borders of the empire, it may take them millions of years to develop independently, exhausting all the wisdom and resources of their entire civilization, before they can build their first spaceship capable of leaving their home star system. Distance is the cruelest and most insurmountable law in the universe."

"And the warship that we are currently aboard, belonging to Instructor Yu Han, is actually no longer sailing in the real universe."

Long Yu pointed to the pure darkness outside the window, "Its true speed has far exceeded the speed of light. This is subspace travel technology. You can only see the cosmic scenery, but in reality, we are at the boundary between subspace and the material universe."

Nissan seemed to understand but not quite, and nodded.

Ning Jing added, his voice filled with deep awe: "This vast subspace corresponding to the entire territory of the Emperor's human empire was forcibly seized from the covetous eyes of countless other-dimensional evil gods."

And with its immense power, it firmly held its grip on the human race, making it a 'highway' that we could safely traverse...

This is the emperor's great achievement.

"I see……"

Nissan suddenly realized, and then, as if he had thought of something, he asked curiously, "What about us martial artists? Do we martial artists ourselves have the ability to exceed the speed of light?"

"can."

Long Yu gave an affirmative answer.

Clearly, he knew far more about these advanced martial arts secrets than others.

“I once heard my father mention it. When a martial artist’s strength breaks through the planetary level, stellar level, galactic level, and finally reaches the ‘black hole level,’ a fundamental leap in life will occur.”

He will no longer be a purely material life form, but will be able to condense his own 'subspace projection' within the subspace.

"Once a martial artist reaches that level, they can travel through the real universe at speeds exceeding the speed of light."

Furthermore, on the chaotic 'battlefield of ten thousand races' outside the protection of the imperial borders, they could even forcibly tear apart the barrier between reality and warp space using their own power, enabling short-distance warp space teleportation without relying on teleportation networks!

Qin Feng listened quietly without interrupting.

But everything Long Yu described was like opening a door to a new world before his eyes, filling him with endless curiosity and longing for the future realm of martial arts.

Black hole level... subspace projection... faster than light...

These distant yet alluring words, like seeds, took root and sprouted in his heart.

"actually,"

Long Yu smiled and summarized, "The first nine levels on our martial arts cultivation path, from level one to level nine, can all be considered as the same major stage. The core of this stage is to continuously build a foundation and accumulate the 'quantity' of life force."

“True martial arts can be said to officially begin at the tenth level, the ‘planetary level.’ From that moment on, we truly begin to experience a qualitative transformation.”

"And the first and most important watershed after the planetary level is what I just mentioned, the 'black hole level'."

"What comes after the black hole level?"

Like a curious child, Nissan pressed on, "What realm is above the black hole level?"

This time, Long Yu smiled and shook his head.

"After the black hole level... to be honest, I don't know either."

A hint of helplessness and longing appeared on his face. "That's already the highest level of the empire, it's a secret."

We ordinary students can only hear about these titles sporadically and unverified from unofficial historical accounts and legends.

"However, one thing is certain."

Long Yu's eyes became incredibly firm. "If you and I are able to successfully join the Ultimate Warriors Legion in the future, the Legion will naturally guide us on our path of cultivation."

However, if one simply remains a freelance martial artist, not joining any official imperial warband, then the 'black hole level' is likely the highest ceiling that most martial artists can reach in their lifetime.

"..."

The group fell silent for a moment, each processing the shock of the information and contemplating their future paths.

Just then, the warship's speed began to decrease slowly.

The eternal darkness and coldness outside the window began to gradually dissipate, replaced by a dazzling starlight full of vitality.

They have arrived at their destination.

A colossal planet, displaying a magnificent blue-green hue, slowly appeared before everyone's eyes.

In the synchronous orbit of that giant planet, a colossal space fortress, more than ten times larger than the "Meat Grinder-III" orbital fortress, stretching across the universe like a star ring, is quietly suspended.

At this moment, countless spaceships and transport ships of all kinds are converging from all directions like a swarm of bees returning to their nest, coming and going to and from that huge space fortress.

Numerous warrior figures, like specks of light, moved among these ships, creating a breathtakingly prosperous interstellar scene.

"here……"

Nissan's eyes widened in disbelief, speechless with shock at the sight before him.

"This is our destination."

Long Yu's voice also carried a hint of barely suppressed excitement.

“The main venue of the ‘Starry Sky Cup’ Martial Arts Tournament – ​​Planet No. 1.”

Just then, Qin Feng keenly sensed an indescribably powerful and profound spiritual energy fluctuation that swept across the bridge of the warship and exchanged a brief but massive amount of data with a certain area of ​​the space fortress.

That was the aura of Instructor Yu Han.

Clearly, their mentors have personally stepped forward to complete the final registration procedures for the millions of participating students from Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University.

Sure enough, within just a few minutes, all the Canaan students simultaneously received a concise group private message from their mentor, Yu Han.

Registration is now complete.

[All participating students are requested to immediately leave this ship and transfer to the planetary passenger ship docked at the outer port, and select the corresponding preliminary competition venue according to their registered competition area.]

The qualifiers are about to begin.

The command was given, and the entire silent giant ship instantly "came to life".

Millions of students emerged from their cabins and merged into the wide ship's passageways, forming massive streams of people that flowed in an orderly fashion toward the designated disembarkation gates.

Qin Feng and his three companions were also mixed in with the crowd, following the main group.

Stepping onto the cold alloy deck of the space fortress, an even grander and more prosperous atmosphere immediately greets you.

Spaceships of all shapes and sizes, painted with different academy insignia, filled every corner of the field of vision. Young geniuses from different star systems, wearing different styles of combat uniforms, huddled together, their expressions ranging from excitement to confidence.

This is a true gathering place for geniuses.

Guided by port staff, they quickly found rows of enormous planetary passenger ships that resembled aerial trains.

These passenger ships are streamlined in shape and covered with energy shields. They are specifically designed for transporting large numbers of people between the space fortress and the planetary arena below, much like public transportation in a city.

Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Feng and his companions boarded one of the passenger ships marked with the words "Level 6 Martial Artist Competition Zone".

Upon entering the passenger ship, even Qin Feng and his well-traveled companions were awestruck by the sheer size of its interior.

This doesn't resemble a "bus" at all, but rather a giant, mobile plaza with tiered seating and standing areas, capable of accommodating over a million passengers simultaneously.

They followed the flow of people and found a relatively open spot inside the passenger ship to stand.

With a steady hum of energy, the passenger ship slowly took off, detached from the space fortress, and transformed into a streak of light, flying towards the huge blue-green planet below.

Just a few minutes later, the passenger ship docked smoothly at its destination.

When the cabin door opened and everyone stepped off the passenger ship, a magnificent and enormous plaza appeared before their eyes.

The square is paved with pure white jade of an unknown material, smooth as a mirror, and stretches as far as the eye can see.

Several artificial suns, emitting a soft glow, floated in the sky, illuminating the entire square as bright as day.

Around the plaza stood giant energy pillars that pierced the sky, with massive amounts of data flowing across them, clearly serving as the control center for the entire arena.

This is the venue for the Level 6 Martial Artist Preliminary Rounds.

Just as everyone was stunned by the scene before them, a majestic yet neutral, emotionless electronic synthesized voice resounded throughout the square, clearly reaching the ears of everyone.

"Welcome to the 'Starry Sky Cup' Martial Arts Tournament, the sixth division, the sixth-level martial artist preliminary round."

"All participants, please pass through the qualification verification gate ahead in turn and actively display your 'Imperial Arena' rank information and real-time vitality index."

"After verification, you can enter the preliminaries' exclusive space."

Guided by the voice, thousands of arches made of light appeared in front of the square.

The voice paused for a moment, then began to announce the specific rules of the competition.

"This Level 6 Martial Artist Tournament is divided into six stages: preliminary rounds, official matches, the top 100,000 matches, the top 10,000 matches, the top 100 matches, and the final championship match."

"Phase 1: Qualifying Rounds"

All participants will enter an independent virtual space and face a virtual avatar with fixed strength generated by the tournament system.

The puppet's vitality index is locked at 10,000 points, and the level 4 killing technique it uses is at the 'minor completion' stage.

If you successfully defeat the virtual avatar within the allotted time, you will pass the preliminary round and qualify for the next round of the 'official competition'.

"Second stage: Official competition."

All players who pass the qualifiers will enter the same huge open battlefield that simulates various complex terrains for indiscriminate free-for-all combat.

In the chaos, the one who survives until the top 100,000 players remain will automatically advance.

"All contestants who successfully advance to the top 100,000 will receive the basic reward for this competition: one month to study the 'Enlightenment Stele'."

Furthermore, based on individual performance in the melee, different amounts of Imperial Contribution Points will be awarded.

"The rewards for the subsequent Top 10,000, Top 100, and final championship matches will increase exponentially on top of the base rewards."

Once the rules were announced, the breathing of millions of young geniuses across the plaza became heavy at that moment.

The Enlightenment Monument!
One month!

Simply by making it through the qualifiers and the official tournament and becoming one of the top 100,000, you can receive such a valuable reward!
For the vast majority of participants, the top 10,000, top 100, and even the final champion are all too far away, like stars in the sky.

But the "top 100,000" is a seemingly tangible goal, full of deadly allure!

In an instant, everyone's gaze changed.

They looked at the other contestants around them, who were originally just strangers, with a hint of wariness and competition in their eyes.

Because they know that in the upcoming official matches, everyone here will be a potential enemy on their path to advancement!
Qin Feng and the other three exchanged glances, and each of them saw a hint of seriousness in the other's eyes.

"Let's go, let's get through the qualifiers first."

Long Yu said in a deep voice.

Without further hesitation, the four followed the surging crowd toward the "qualification verification gate" formed by hundreds of thousands of rays of light.

Qin Feng randomly chose an archway and stepped inside.

The moment he passed through the portal of light, he felt as if he had entered a separate little space.

All around him was pure white, with no reference points whatsoever. A soft electronic voice sounded in his ear:

Please display your Imperial Arena rank and enable real-time health index monitoring.

With a thought, Qin Feng brought up his Imperial Arena panel.

[ID: Qin Feng]

Current rank: 4th rank

[Current points: 98]

At the same time, he let go of the concealment about his vitality index.

[Real-time Vitality Index: 18000.0]

[Verification passed. 】

[Contestant: Qin Feng. His rank meets the requirements, and his vitality index meets the standards for the Level 6 Martial Artist competition zone.]

[Generating your virtual space for the qualifying rounds... Generation complete.]

The pure white world before my eyes instantly transformed into a standard circular alloy arena with a diameter of about one kilometer.

At the other end of the arena, a stream of data materialized out of thin air and quickly transformed into a humanoid creature of similar height to Qin Feng, with a blurred face and wielding a standard alloy long gun.

It is the examiner of the preliminary rounds—a virtual puppet.

[Preliminary round assessment begins.]

The moment the system notification sounded, the puppet moved.

Its movements were textbook perfect, its steps steady, and with a flick of its spear, a standard level four spear technique killing move was thrust straight at Qin Feng's face.

At the tip of the spear, spiritual energy coalesced, creating a sharp, piercing sound.

Vitality index of 10,000 points, level 4 killing technique 'minor success'.

For the vast majority of participants who have just advanced to level six and whose killing techniques are still in the 'beginner' stage, this is indeed a considerable challenge.

But for Qin Feng...

He didn't even draw his [Raging Waves] spear.

Faced with that powerful thrust, he simply raised his right hand calmly.

Just as the spear tip was about to reach him, his figure swayed slightly, and at an incredible angle, he dodged the spear tip's sharpness to the side. At the same time, his right hand spread out five fingers like an iron clamp, and with unparalleled precision, he grabbed the spear shaft that was thrusting towards him!
Om-!
The virtual puppet's attack, which contained tens of thousands of points of life force, was easily stopped by Qin Feng with one hand. The gun barrel trembled violently in his palm, but it could not advance an inch further!

The next instant, Qin Feng suddenly exerted force with his five fingers!

Click!

The sturdy gun barrel, made of high-strength alloy and capable of withstanding tens of thousands of points of force, was twisted and deformed by his bare hands, emitting a tooth-grinding metallic groan!

Qin Feng, on the other hand, had already moved in close.

He concentrated his pure physical strength, comparable to that of an "embryonic cosmic behemoth," into his right fist and unleashed a punch!
[Shattered Jade]!
Bang!
The fist landed solidly on the virtual doll's chest.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a dull, muffled sound, like the sound of a broken cowhide drum being struck.

The virtual doll's body, made of data, was as if it had been struck head-on by an invisible mountain, instantly caved in and twisted, and then exploded into countless primordial data points.

[Defeat the target.]

Congratulations on passing the preliminary round!

[You have qualified for the 'Official Tournament' and are being transported to the Official Tournament waiting area...]

The cold electronic voice sounded again, and the arena world in front of us quickly disappeared, replaced by a vast, seemingly endless plain.

The sky here is a hazy gray, and the ground is cracked, dark red earth.

This is the waiting area for the official matches.

Qin Feng looked around and found that a few contestants who had passed the preliminary rounds were already standing sparsely on this huge plain.

There were a lot of people, probably several million, and they seemed to have been there for a long time.

Some were meditating cross-legged in place, while others were practicing killing techniques.

Clearly, the million people on the passenger ship they had just been on were not all of the participants.

This is just the beginning.

Sure enough, in the following time, new figures began to be continuously transmitted into this space.

A series of white lights flashed, and one after another, powerful level six martial artists appeared in various corners of the plain.

The number of people is growing at an alarming rate.

Soon, Long Yu, Nissan, and Ning Jing also teleported in and joined Qin Feng.

They passed the qualifiers with equal ease.

"There are more and more people."

Nissan clicked his tongue as he watched the number of participants increase.

"This is just the beginning."

Long Yu's expression was extremely solemn. "'This star region' governs billions of star systems. And this Star Cup is a competition jointly organized by dozens of surrounding star regions. Just do the math, how many top martial arts universities like our Canaan will be participating, and how many students will come to compete? And how many of those top 100 martial arts universities will there be?"

No one can calculate this number accurately.

But one thing is certain: the total number of Level 6 martial artists who eventually gather here will reach an astonishing astronomical figure!

Hundreds of millions? Billions? Or even more!
Billions of geniuses of the same caliber engage in a brutal, all-out battle royale on this pre-set battlefield!

If you are seriously injured, the system will determine that you are "eliminated" and you will be automatically teleported out of the game.

Only the top 100,000 survivors will qualify to continue the competition!

"hiss……"

Even Qin Feng, after figuring out the terrifying nature of this, couldn't help but gasp in shock.

This Starry Sky Cup has only just begun, yet its prestige and cruelty have already reached such a high level!

"This is hardly an 'official competition'..."

Looking at the unfamiliar opponents around him, each with their own distinct expressions and powerful auras, Nissan couldn't help but mutter to himself, "In fact, the stage before the top 100,000 is more like a true 'open selection'..."

"Yes."

Qin Feng nodded, deeply agreeing, "Without real skills, you probably wouldn't even qualify to step onto the Starry Sky Cup stage."

(End of this chapter)