High Martial Arts: Liver Becomes the Master of the Universe

Chapter 203 Sixteen years have passed in a flash, father has passed away, vitality index 108,000!

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight shone through the window onto Qin Feng's angular face, he slowly opened his eyes.

The absence of cold, impersonal system task notifications is a long-lost luxury, a feeling of being naturally awakened by the sunlight.

He followed the steps he remembered, washed up, and then went into the kitchen.

Father Qin Dahai had prepared a simple breakfast—two bowls of steaming hot shredded pork noodles, topped with a golden fried egg.

"Awake? Eat quickly, and then hurry to school to register. It's your first day at work, so don't be late."

Qin Dahai pushed one of the bowls of noodles in front of Qin Feng, his tone carrying a hint of curiosity and teasing.

Qin Feng smiled, said nothing, and buried his head in eating his noodles.

That familiar broth, with its rich, homey flavor, was very comforting.

After bidding farewell to his father, Qin Feng once again appeared in front of the gate of Qiming No. 1 Martial Arts High School.

Decades later, this campus where he once poured out countless drops of sweat and passion feels both familiar and strange.

The main building retains its original style, but the exterior wall material has been replaced with a self-healing shape memory alloy.
Several floating protective combat arenas have appeared above the playground;
The students coming and going wore the same style of school uniform, but their youthful and energetic faces were no longer the same as he remembered.

He was no longer the student who had to work desperately for grades, but had stepped back onto this land as a teacher.

After submitting his personal information to the Human Resources Department and completing the final iris and genetic verification, Qin Feng officially became a member of the Martial Arts Teaching and Research Group at Qiming No. 1 High School.

On his personal terminal, he immediately received his first work assignment: at 10:00 a.m., he would teach a basic physical training open class for Class 7 of the first year of high school at the A-3 Advanced Martial Arts Hall.

With more than an hour to go before class, the personnel department staff respectfully guided him to the teachers' meeting room for a short rest.

Pushing open the familiar conference room door, two familiar figures came into view.

A man dressed in an elegant white training uniform, with a graceful figure and an appearance that had not changed at all compared to decades ago, but rather, due to the leap in his life level, had gained a more extraordinary and refined air.

It was Lin Yue, his mentor who had shown him great care back then.

Her strength was already at the planetary level.

The other one was still wearing that same gray martial arts uniform that he never wore before, and his signature goatee was still meticulously trimmed.

Master Gu Yue, time seems to have been exceptionally kind to this old man; everything seems like it was just yesterday.

"Qin Feng?"

"It's Qin Feng!"

Instructor Lin Yue was the first to react, and her face lit up with undisguised joy.

Gu Yue, the mentor, slowly stood up, his usually somewhat lazy eyes now filled with a gratified smile.

"Mentor Lin Yue, Mentor Gu Yue."

Qin Feng stepped forward and gave his two teachers a standard student salute.

"Sit down, sit down! You silly child, why didn't you tell me you were coming back!"

Lin Yue warmly invited Qin Feng to sit down, personally poured him a cup of hot tea, and inquired about his well-being, as if he were still the boy who needed her constant care back then.

Gu Yue stroked his goatee, looked Qin Feng up and down, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and slowly nodded, saying, "Your foundation is solid, your aura is restrained, and you have returned to simplicity, but there is a hidden killing intent boiling within you. Not bad, it seems that you have not been slacking off at all in Canaan over the years."

After some pleasantries, we eventually circled back to the most crucial question.

"Tell me, what's going on?"

Lin Yue's smile faded slightly, and she asked with a hint of concern, "Why did you suddenly choose this time to return to Qimingxing to become a teacher? Did you encounter some difficulties in Canaan?"

Qin Feng remained silent for a moment before slowly reciting the speech he had prepared.

"I'm getting a little bored at school."

His tone was calm. "Every day I'm either in seclusion or on missions, my nerves are too tense. In addition, I have indeed encountered some bottlenecks in my cultivation, and I feel a bit lost, so I want to come back and stay for a few years, change the environment, and settle down."

The competition at Canaan Star Martial Arts University is...incredibly intense.

This reason is half true and half false.

The bottleneck is real, and so is the frustration.

Upon hearing this explanation, Lin Yue and Gu Yue exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of understanding in each other's eyes.

"It's good to come back and stay for a while."

Instructor Gu Yue smiled, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. "Although we didn't study at Canaan Star Martial Arts University, we did graduate from other star martial arts universities."

We know what it's like in that kind of place; the competition is fierce.

His gaze became distant, as if he were lost in memories of the past.

"Trillions of geniuses in the empire gather in those top universities. Everyone is cultivating like a madman, relentlessly improving their strength."

What for? It's all for that ticket to the 'Battle of the Universe'.

As long as one can distinguish themselves in the Genius Battle, they will have the opportunity to be noticed by the Ultimate Warrior Legion, thus gaining access to unparalleled resources for reaching higher realms.

"That road is a pyramid built with the bones of countless geniuses."

It's never a bad thing to occasionally stop and catch your breath, to appreciate the scenery along the way.

Gu Yue's words were like a warm spring, soothing Qin Feng's heart.

His two mentors were truly looking out for him.

"If you encounter any obstacles in your practice of killing techniques that you can't understand, feel free to come to me."

Mentor Gu Yue put down his teacup, a warm smile appearing on his face. "On some basic theories and the experience of the evolution of killing techniques, this old man might still be able to give you some different insights. You can still regard me as your mentor."

He paused, then added, "Of course, in front of the students, we are colleagues."

"Thank you, mentor."

A warm feeling washed over Qin Feng, and he nodded solemnly.

If he remembered correctly, Gu Yue's Imperial Arena rank was Fighter, which was a level far beyond the Starry Sky Cup competition.

……

Time flows slowly in a tranquil and regular rhythm.

Qin Feng's life became simpler and purer than ever before.

Early morning, A-3 Advanced Martial Arts Hall
Inside the spacious and brightly lit martial arts hall, hundreds of first-year high school students stood in neat formations, looking at the tall figure in front of them with admiration.

"The core essence of the first-level killing technique, the Mountain-Crushing Fist, lies not in 'crashing,' but in 'mountain.'"

Qin Feng's voice echoed clearly in the ears of every student.

He didn't use any amplification equipment, but every word seemed to be directly imprinted in their minds.

"What you should visualize is not the moment when your fist shatters the mountain rocks, but that you yourselves are a majestic, imposing, and unshakeable mountain. The power originates from your feet, passes through your waist and hips, runs down your spine, and reaches the tip of your fist."

Throughout the process, one must be steady, composed, and possess an indomitable spirit, overwhelming others with sheer force.

As soon as he finished speaking, he casually took a step forward and slowly thrust out his right fist.

There was no earth-shattering spectacle, no dazzling psionic effects.

But all the students present had a strange feeling at that moment—as if the entire martial arts hall had shifted forward an inch with the release of that punch!
A class period passes in the blink of an eye.

Qin Feng's teaching was not rote; every word he spoke was a crystallization of experience he had extracted from countless life-and-death battles, directly addressing the core issues.

In the afternoon, in the school's training room.

After finishing his only class, Qin Feng finally had time completely to himself.

He would go to the teacher-only training area at the deepest part of the school to practice the most basic vitality index.

He repeatedly channeled his spiritual power to shake the "Supreme Yuan Aperture," nourishing every cell in his body.

This process was tedious and boring, but Qin Feng enjoyed it.

He could clearly feel that his vitality index was increasing daily at a visible and steady rate.

Occasionally, he would log into the "Imperial Arena".

He locked his vitality index at the "first limit" of 18,000 points, and then frantically matched with opponents of the same level to hone his newly acquired level 4 killing technique, "Triple Spear".

Nighttime, Yin'ou Community, Extreme Martial Arts Hall
As night falls, Qin Feng will use teleportation to return to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in the Silver Gull Community.

This is his evening training ground.

He sat cross-legged in the center of the empty training hall, his eyes closed, and began to practice the top-level meditation method he had exchanged for—the Crystal Meditation Method.

In his spiritual world, a statue exactly like him, made of the purest crystal, is slowly taking shape.

The process of visualization is extremely difficult; every bit of concentration requires a massive amount of mental energy.

But each successful condensation would refine and strengthen his spiritual power.

After finishing his meditation, he would begin to study the cultivation method personally taught by Company Commander Zhou Xiong—"The Perfect Hand".

Progress is real.

But when he opened the "Heaven Rewards Diligence" system panel and looked at the "Perfect Hand" column, the proficiency level was still a lone figure: "Not Yet an Apprentice (1/10)".

He knew that it wasn't a problem with the system, but rather that the level of the "Perfect Hand" was too high. His current understanding and progress, even accumulated over time, were not enough to constitute the quantitative change of "a little proficiency".

The days passed one by one.

Attending classes, practicing, and gaining insights.

The three points form a straight line, as regular as the movement of stars in the universe.

In this tranquil time, Qin Feng's heart was gradually polished and settled.

Qin Feng's time at Qiming No. 1 High School was like a tranquil and profound river, flowing silently forward. He completely immersed himself in this rhythmic, almost rigid lifestyle, temporarily sealing away all the disturbances from the outside world and all the turmoil within his heart.

His world was simplified to the extreme.

Every morning, he imparts the most basic martial arts knowledge to the new students, breaking down and explaining the essence of his killing techniques, which he has condensed from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, in the simplest and most understandable way to these hopeful seedlings.

Every afternoon and evening belonged entirely to him.

He was like a most devout ascetic, devoting every minute to exploring his own potential.

Time, under this extreme focus, loses its meaning.

With the support of the Heavenly Reward System, Qin Feng's progress reached a terrifying level that was unimaginable to outsiders.

Thanks to the terrifying boosts from the "Supreme Yuanqiao" and "Ten Perfect Hands", his daily vitality index steadily increases by as much as 15.0 points.

The newly acquired level 4 killing technique, "Triple Spear," is accumulating proficiency at a rapid rate of 100 points per day.

The top-tier meditation method, "Crystal Meditation," brought him nearly 5 points of mental strength growth each year.

In the blink of an eye, more than three years have passed.

On this day, in the gravity training room dedicated to teachers at Qiming No. 1 High School.

Qin Feng was shirtless, his bronze skin revealing smooth, powerful muscle lines.

He stood quietly in the center of the meditation room, his eyes closed and his breathing deep and slow.

The perfect "top-grade primordial aperture" within his body burst forth with dazzling light!

A surge of life energy, several times larger than before, burst forth from his primordial aperture like a dam bursting, washing over every corner and every cell of his body!
"boom--!"

An invisible constraint shattered within his body.

That is the second insurmountable barrier standing in front of all martial artists—the "second limit" of 36,000 points of vitality index!
At that moment, Qin Feng easily stepped over it.

His vitality index has officially broken through 36000.0 points, entering a completely new realm.

Inside the conference room, mentors Gu Yue and Lin Yue were quietly observing this scene through a monitoring screen.

"Broken...broken?"

Lin Yue's beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief and shock. "How long has he been back? Three years and seven months. He... he just like that, from 18,000 points, crossed the second major limit?"

"Unexpected, yet perfectly reasonable."

Gu Yue stroked his goatee, his expression a mixture of amazement and wonder. "The legendary 'Supreme Yuan Aperture' is far beyond our comprehension."

For ordinary martial artists, breaking through each stage of the seventh level of the Mountain and Sea Realm requires years or even decades of painstaking effort.

But for him, it was as simple as eating and drinking. This... is the speed of a top-grade Yuanqiao (Primordial Aperture).

As Qin Feng concealed his aura and stepped out of the cultivation room, Instructor Gu Yue called him back.

"Qin Feng, come here for a moment."

The three of them sat down in that familiar conference room once again.

"tutor."

Qin Feng took the initiative to speak, asking a question he had been pondering for a long time: "I've always had some doubts. What is the most fundamental basis for the division of the Empire's martial arts levels into four major realms, from Level Six Sky Soaring to Level Nine Extreme Martial Artist?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yue's eyes revealed a hint of approval.

The ability to think about the root causes, rather than blindly burying oneself in hard work, is the quality that a strong person should possess.

He paused for a moment, organized his thoughts, and slowly explained, "Good question. Actually, the Empire's classification of high-level martial artists was quite chaotic in the very early days."

It wasn't until after the first rebellion and the subsequent reorganization of the empire's army that a completely new set of standards, the ones we use today, was introduced.

"This standard discards all the complex variables such as techniques, killing methods, and equipment, and only takes the most core and intuitive indicator - pure destructive power."

"In other words, the four levels of six, seven, eight, and nine are based entirely on the maximum destructive range that a martial artist can cause without using any advanced killing techniques, relying solely on the brute force that their own life force index can unleash."

"And these four levels happen to conform to the four major limits under the rules of the universe."

Gu Yue extended one finger.

"Take a level seven Mountain and Sea Warrior for example."

The phrase "mountains and seas" is not a figurative expression.

It signifies that a martial artist at this level possesses a pure burst of power sufficient to level mountains and dry up rivers in a short period of time.

If a full-scale battle were to take place on an ordinary life-bearing planet, the aftershocks of the fight could trigger natural disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes, instantly destroying a city with a population of millions.

We call it—'Mountain and Sea Level'.

He extended a second finger.

"And an eighth-level Sun and Moon Warrior has the destructive power of a 'Meteorite' level."

Once your vitality index surpasses the second major limit, which is 36,000 points, each of your purely brute-force attacks will be comparable to the catastrophe caused by a small meteorite with a diameter of 100 meters impacting the Earth's surface at ultra-high speed.

"As for level nine martial artists,"

Gu Yue continued, "That is the limit of combat power that warriors below the 'planetary level life form' can reach, hence the name 'extreme'."

"certainly,"

He concluded by emphasizing, "This combat strength classification does not take into account the bonuses from high-level killing techniques."

Take you for example. Although you've only just entered the eighth level of the Sun and Moon Martial Realm, with your killing techniques that have already reached the 'Control Realm,' your true destructive power is probably no less than that of an ordinary veteran eighth-level martial artist.

"I see."

Qin Feng suddenly realized and fully understood the logic behind this ranking system.

The 18,000-point "first deadline" is the threshold for "city overload," a level comparable to a minor natural disaster.

The "second major limit" of 36,000 points is a major natural disaster.

However, the benchmark is based on ordinary life-bearing planets. If it were a giant planet with immense gravity, the destructive power would be greatly reduced.

……

The river of time continues to flow forward.

fifth year.

In a private martial arts room at Qiming No. 1 High School, Qin Feng's figure flickered like a ghost.

In his hand, the level-six alloy spear [Raging Waves] had already transformed into a blur that was impossible to detect with the naked eye.

Master the Triple Spear!
At the same time, his mental strength index also quietly broke through 35 points.

This means that he has reached the minimum threshold for practicing the fifth level of killing techniques.

Without the slightest hesitation, he spent his accumulated contribution points over the years to exchange for a brand-new, extremely difficult level 5 boxing technique—"Hundred Boats Racing".

This martial art requires practitioners to divide their spiritual power into fifty streams at the moment of throwing a punch, and simultaneously control fifty tiny spiritual energy modules to combine them!
You need to be able to do fifty things at once!

Its complexity is more than a hundred times that of a level four killing technique!
A new challenge begins.

……

Five years have passed in the blink of an eye.

It has been ten years since Qin Feng returned to Qimingxing.

For ordinary people, ten years is a long time.

But for Qin Feng, who was immersed in cultivation, it was just a fleeting moment.

It was still that same martial arts room.

Qin Feng sat cross-legged quietly, closed his eyes and concentrated, summarizing his astonishing transformation over the past ten years.

A data panel that only he could see slowly unfolded in his mind.

Vitality Index: 72001.0 points

"After ten years of arduous training, I have finally broken through the 'third limit' of 72,000 points. There is only one step left to reach the fourth limit, which is the planetary level threshold of 108,000 points."

[Status of Mastery of Killing Techniques:]

【Heavy Gun (Level 4): Mastery Realm】

【Triple Spear (Level 4): Mastery Realm】

【Hundred Boats Racing (Level 5): Mastery Realm】

"I have mastered all three core killing techniques. My combat skills are no longer a weakness."

[Mental Strength: 60 points]

"In ten years, I've increased my mental strength by nearly fifty points. I'm still forty points short of the minimum standard of one hundred points required to advance to a planetary-level life form. This pace is still too slow."

[Imperial Arena Rank: Six]

"In the past ten years, I have hardly carried out any missions. Most of my energy has been focused on cultivating the vitality index and researching new killing techniques."

Lacking sufficient 'killing techniques material' to accumulate, relying solely on the three killing techniques at the Control Realm level makes it extremely difficult to advance further in the Imperial Arena.

This is also my biggest weakness right now.

"but……"

Qin Feng slowly opened his eyes, and a condensed, tangible light flashed and disappeared.

"There has been a lot of progress in the past ten years."

Now, with a terrifying vitality index of 72,000 points as his foundation, and supplemented by top-level killing techniques of the Three Gates Control Realm, his combat power is already extremely strong!

……

However, when he returned to his home in the Silver Gull community with this strength, he was met with the most ruthless side of time.

The father, Qin Dahai, was in increasingly worse condition.

His hair was completely white, and the wrinkles on his face were as deep as if carved by a knife and axe.

His once upright posture, honed by years of martial arts practice, has begun to hunch slightly.

What pained Qin Feng the most was that his eyes, which used to always shine with shrewdness and determination, had become somewhat cloudy and lost their former brilliance.

"dad."

Qin Feng's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"came back."

Qin Dahai sat on the sofa, watching an old drama playing on his personal terminal, and responded without turning his head.

Over the past decade, Qin Feng has tried every possible method.

He imparted his insights into the practice of Crystal Meditation to his father without reservation;
He spent a fortune purchasing various medicines that could soothe the mind.

However, the results were little.

It's not that the technique is ineffective, nor that the resources are insufficient.

Rather, it was the father's heart that had grown old.

He had lost the will to continue forging ahead on the path of martial arts.

For him, seeing his son's success in martial arts and his uncle's peaceful and prosperous life, he has lived a wonderful and fulfilling life.

He felt he should leave. On an ordinary afternoon, Qin Feng made a decision.

He submitted his resignation to both Qiming No. 1 High School and Jixian Martial Arts School, resigning from all his jobs.

From that day on, he was no longer a teacher, no longer a martial artist; he was simply Qin Dahai's son.

He began to spend all his time with his father.

They went together to the most bustling commercial district of Qimingxing to watch those novel holographic movies;
Qin Feng accompanied his father back to the body processing plant where he used to work, and drank the cheapest liquor with his retired coworkers, reminiscing about the old days.

They even took a short interstellar trip aboard a starship to see those magnificent planets they had only ever seen in the news.

Qin Feng continued his cultivation in silence.

However, he completely shifted his focus to cultivation.

Spending most of his time with his father took up most of his energy.

He spent the rest of his time doing only two things—practicing the Crystal Meditation Method and accumulating the most basic vitality index.

His vitality index began to surge at an astonishing rate of 30 points per day.

Soon, Qin Feng reached the barrier that symbolized the peak of a level nine martial artist—the "fourth limit" of 108,000 points of vitality index.

His mental strength also gradually increased in this peaceful and tranquil state of mind, reaching 85 points.

We are getting closer and closer to the gate that leads to the "planetary level".

……

Another five years have passed.

On this day, just like countless mornings before, Qin Feng awoke from his meditation.

However, the house is unusually quiet today.

He didn't hear his father bustling around in the kitchen after getting up early.

Qin Feng's heart sank.

He slowly walked out of the room and saw that familiar figure.

The father, Qin Dahai, was sitting peacefully on the sofa in the living room.

He was dressed in clean and tidy clothes, his full head of silver hair was neatly combed, and he had a faint, satisfied smile on his face, as if he had just fallen asleep from watching a play.

However, his once strong and powerful chest no longer rises and falls.

He had lost all signs of life.

Qin Feng walked up to his father.

He could clearly sense that the vital energy point within his father's body, which had accompanied him throughout his life, was still pulsating instinctively and weakly.

The spiritual energy within the Yuanqiao (acupoint) is dissipating at an extremely slow rate.

Warrior falls like a whale.

On the coffee table, a piece of paper is neatly placed.

That was a suicide note.

That thin piece of paper lay quietly on the coffee table, as if bearing the weight of a man's entire life.

Qin Feng's gaze fell on the familiar, vigorous handwriting on the paper.

That was my father's handwriting; every word seemed to have been written with the last of his life force, deeply engraved into the fibers of the paper.

He reached out, his fingertips pausing slightly as they touched the paper before he slowly picked it up.

[Ah Feng:]

By the time you see this suicide note, Dad will probably already be gone.

I had long anticipated that my time was coming.

Over the years, I've seen you work so hard for me, put so much effort into my mental well-being, and expend countless precious resources. I'm deeply moved.

My child, it's because your father lacks ambition and drive.

Ultimately, he couldn't overcome the hurdle of mental strength.

"Ah Feng, the thing your father regrets most in his life is this."

I know that my family is of ordinary means, and I know that I was too playful when I was young, which caused me to miss the best opportunity to learn martial arts.

But after reaching adulthood and gaining intelligence, they developed ambitions they shouldn't have.

I want to fight for martial arts, I want to go to the battlefield to find an opportunity, so that you and your mother can live a good life.

But once they went to the battlefield, it took several years.

When I returned, your mother was gone, and you were left with a chronic illness because of that damned disaster.

[…Never mind, let's not talk about that anymore.]

[Dad doesn't know what grievances you suffered in Canaan that made you run back alone.]

But, child... you must know that even a wise emperor, after his passing, still suffered countless slanders, insults, misinterpretations, and misunderstandings from later generations...

The life of a great person is always lonely.

Ah Feng, in your father's heart, you will definitely become a great man who will leave his mark on the history of the empire.

You must face all of this with strength.

Ah Feng, Dad is gone.

In this lifetime, I am content to have watched you grow from a sickly child into the strong and upright man you are today.

After I die, my ashes can be scattered among the dust of the universe.

Do not erect a monument for me.

[—Father, Qin Dahai]

The contents of the letter ended abruptly there.

There are no fancy words, no profound truths, only the most simple love of an ordinary father for his son, and the deepest regret for his life.

Qin Feng stared at the suicide note in silence for a long, long time.

In the conference room, Professor Yu Han's cold rhetoric about "interests" and "sacrifice" still seemed to echo in my ears.

Company Commander Zhou Xiong's "Iron Law of the Empire," which sounded like a divine pronouncement, still seemed to weigh heavily on his mind.

He slowly and carefully folded the piece of paper that held his father's life story neatly.

Then, he took out a box made of level 6 memory alloy from the subspace storage unit, put the will inside and sealed it, and then put it back into the subspace storage unit.

He slowly walked to the window, his gaze piercing through the glass, looking out at the familiar sky that belonged to the Yin'ou community.

My vision gradually blurred and receded.

Before his eyes, another picture seemed to emerge, a life scroll of his father that spanned nearly a century.

He saw a boy from an ordinary family who was playful by nature.

Instead of choosing the tedious path of spiritual practice, he spent his entire happy childhood chasing and playing in the streets and alleys.

Later, the boy grew up.

He got married, had children, and had a happy and fulfilling family life.

Looking at his toddler son and the gentle smile on his wife's face, he realized he had grown up and was experiencing the weight of "responsibility" for the first time.

He wanted to earn more money so that his family could have the best life.

However, because he missed the empire's unified martial arts high school education system when he was young, he lost the qualification to enter a higher education institution and become an elite.

The only way out is the most dangerous, yet most likely, narrow path to success—to go to the battlefield and risk your life for a chance.

He went.

He succeeded and failed.

His success lay in his ruthlessness and extraordinary talent, which allowed him to carve out a bloody path through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, successfully breaking through to become a respected level three martial artist.

His defeat lay in the unbearable weight he paid for it. When he returned, adorned with glory and scars, he was met not with his wife's embrace, but with a cold tombstone.

His son was also severely injured in the disaster that swept through the entire community, and was left with an incurable and strange illness.

His elderly parents also passed away one after the other after he returned.

There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart.

From that moment on, the flame of "ambition" in his heart was completely extinguished.

He devoted the rest of his life to treating his son's illness.

He no longer dared to go to the battlefield to risk his life for money.

Because he was afraid that once he died, his son would have no one to rely on.

……

Qin Feng slowly withdrew his gaze, and the illusion before him switched to another scene.

That was the scene after he had fully restored his foundation and diligently cultivated for a month.

That year, he was sixteen years old.

He told his father:
"Dad, I'm cured."

"My vitality index has reached 1.23!"

That night, the father was first stunned, then overjoyed.

But as he was laughing, his father went into the bathroom and closed the door.

As a young man, he didn't think much about it at the time.

But now, he can clearly "see" that behind that tightly closed door, the man who has been strong all his life is covering his mouth tightly.

The father squatted on the ground, trembling silently, letting the tears that had been suppressed for ten years, containing endless heartache, bitterness, and relief, flow freely down his face.

He just didn't want his son to see his vulnerable side.

……

Consciousness, in a daze.

A drop of scalding liquid uncontrollably slid down Qin Feng's cheek.

However, the tear didn't even leave his cheek.

As soon as it appeared, it was instantly evaporated, turning into a wisp of barely perceptible water vapor that dissipated into the air.

Qin Feng came to his senses.

He began to set about arranging his father's funeral.

Keep everything simple.

No memorial service was held; only the uncle Wang Ming's family was notified.

This was my father's last wish.

He simply completed all the procedures quietly, all by himself.

Finally, he rented a small private interstellar spacecraft, left the atmosphere of the Morning Star, and arrived in this cold and vast sea of ​​stars that he had traversed countless times.

He changed into the simplest black training uniform and stood in front of the tail hatch of the spaceship.

In his hands, he held a box made of the simplest nanmu wood.

He opened the box.

Inside are the last traces my father left in this world.

Qin Feng reached out and scattered the grayish-white ashes into the endless void before him.

There is no wind.

In a perfect vacuum, those tiny dust particles did not disperse.

Instead, it follows the purest laws of physics, transforming into a small clump of grayish-white interstellar dust, quietly suspended in that deep darkness, reflecting the brilliance of the billions of stars in the distance.

Qin Feng watched quietly as the small nebula, under the weak gravitational pull of the spaceship's engine, slowly drifted into the distant, unknown darkness.

Eventually, it disappeared.

From that moment on, Qin Dahai ceased to exist among the stars.

From then on, there was only Qin Feng.
-
When Qin Feng returned to the Qimingxing Yinou Community, it was already close to dusk.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the entire city in a warm golden hue.

The streets are bustling with traffic and people, brimming with the vitality of daily life.

However, this excitement was no longer relevant to him.

Qin Feng returned to that familiar home.

Pushing open the door, an indescribable sense of emptiness washes over you.

The place remains exactly as he remembers it: the sofa, the coffee table, the old photos on the wall... nothing has changed.

But the figure that would always greet him with a smile when he came home has disappeared forever.

From then on, this house was just a house, no longer a home.

Over the next few days, Qin Feng handled all the follow-up matters with an almost mechanical calmness and efficiency.

He went to the civil affairs department to cancel his father's identity information, and then went to the real estate management center to complete the inheritance procedures.

This old house in the Yin'ou community, along with all the memories it holds, will be preserved forever.

It will become an eternal coordinate for him in this universe, a spiritual anchor.

No matter how far he goes in the future, this will always be the starting point he can look back to.

After all the formalities were settled, Qin Feng returned to the empty house once again.

He didn't turn on the light, but just sat quietly on the sofa that his father loved to sit on, letting the twilight outside the window gradually swallow his figure.

Boundless loneliness, like a bottomless, cold tide, surged in from all directions, trying to completely drown him.

He remembered the sentence in his father's will.

"The life of a great man is always lonely."

A self-deprecating smile appeared on Qin Feng's lips.

Will he be a great man?

Qin Feng didn't know.

But he will try his best to do it.

In this profound silence, he began to calmly assess his current strength and future path.

A screen of light, visible only to him, silently unfolded in his mind, displaying lines of cold, precise data.

"Vitality Index: 108,000 points."

"Thanks to the 'Perfect Hand,' the 'Supreme Yuan Aperture,' and the physical aptitude comparable to the potential of a 'Starry Sky Beast.'"

These fifteen years of accumulation have allowed my vitality to reach the theoretical limit of a level nine martial artist, touching the barrier of the 'fourth major limit'.

To advance further, one must achieve a leap in life level, breaking through to the planetary level.

"The key to a breakthrough lies in mental strength."

"Mental Strength Index: 85 points."

"It's still 15 points short of the minimum standard of 100 points. At the current pace of practice of the Crystal Meditation Method, it will probably take about three more years."

"As for the method of killing..."

Qin Feng's brows furrowed slightly.

"We're way behind."

This is a happy problem.

His vitality index was increasing at such a rapid pace that even his killing technique level seemed unable to keep up.

"Although I have reached the 'mastery level' of the level four killing techniques 'Heavy Spear' and 'Triple Spear', and the level five killing technique 'Hundred Boats Racing', I have not yet mastered a single level six killing technique."

"My rank in the Imperial Arena is still stuck at rank six. This is enough to show that my killing technique has a huge weakness. There's no other way; I can only practice a rank six killing technique if I reach 100 points of mental strength index."

"Once your mental strength index reaches 100 points, let's go back to school."

Qin Feng set a clear plan for himself in his mind.

"Loneliness is normal."

His fingers unconsciously traced the smooth texture on the sofa armrest, worn smooth by his father's years of leaning against it.

"Great roads are always lonely."

He whispered, repeating his father's words.

……

Time, once again, flows forward with an indifferent attitude.

Qin Feng did not leave the Yin'ou community. He lived in this empty house, leading a more desolate and pure ascetic life than he had in the previous fifteen years.

During the day, he would go to the Extreme Martial Arts Academy and, like an ordinary student, hone his fist and spear techniques in the gravity room, over and over again.

He refined those three "Mastery Realm" killing techniques through countless trials, internalizing them into his very bones.

At night, he would return home and immerse himself in the visualization of the Crystal Meditation Method.

In his spiritual world, the deity made of pure crystal became more and more solid and more and more dazzling.

one year later.

When Qin Feng awoke from his deep meditation, his mental strength index had quietly broken through the 90-point mark.

With only the final, painstaking effort remaining to reach 100 points, all that's left is to grind away.

Everything is progressing steadily in the direction he has planned.

However, on an ordinary afternoon, a sudden, special notification sound from the Imperial Missions system broke the tranquility.

"drop--!"

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow and opened his personal terminal.

In the long-dormant task list, a high-level, pinned task suddenly flashed a dazzling red light.

[Hunt Mission: 'Shidang']

[Target's latest location coordinates have been updated...]

On the light screen, a series of complex star system coordinates appeared clearly. The area they pointed to was the border of the Empire, a gray area known for its chaos and bloodshed—"Taranis Spiral".

"Hehe, they're here to urge me on."

Over the years, Qin Feng has also seen through Zhou Xiong and Yu Han's tricks from back then.

If Shi Dang is allowed to slaughter ordinary citizens of the empire and other martial artists are not allowed to take on missions, then how are these latest coordinates updated?
Someone must be following Shi Dang closely.

Shi Dang's killings were all within a controllable range, mostly targeting imperial prisoners.

"I was immature and impulsive back then."

"It's time to go now."

Qin Feng slowly stood up.

Then, he turned and left, locking the door of the Yin'ou Community property.

A thought came to my mind.

The menacing and heavy Level 6 power armor [Destroyer Type I] stored in the subspace storage unit transformed into streaks of light and quickly covered his entire body.

The cold metallic touch instantly awakened his long-dormant fighting instincts.

He extended his right hand, and the Level 6 alloy spear [Raging Waves], which had accompanied him through countless bloody battles, quietly appeared in his palm.

The gun trembled slightly, emitting a hum like a dragon's roar, a hum that seemed to yearn to drink blood.

In Qin Feng's eyes, there was no longer a trace of peace and tranquility. Instead, there was an absolute calmness like that of ancient ice and an endless killing intent as hot and boiling as molten lava from the earth's core!
The space rippled like the surface of water.

The next second, his figure completely disappeared.

(End of this chapter)