As for Lord Zhou, who had been standing before the floor-to-ceiling window the whole time, his expression was completely impassive.
It was as if the utterly brutal and bloody battle that had just concluded was still not worth mentioning in his eyes.
’...I still don’t see anything exceptional about him.’
His mind was filled with doubt.
The Empire’s territory was endless, vast beyond measure.
The Guardian God of the human Empire, the Emperor, possessed supreme power and an eternal Will.
His gaze was constantly watching over the entire human race.
When he discovered a peerless genius with the unparalleled potential to become a future pillar of the Empire, he would send down a wisp of his divine Will to plant a "Nail of Favor" within their Sea of Consciousness.
This served as a form of supreme protection, preventing them from being tempted and corrupted by the Evil Gods of Subspace as they grew.
It was also a mark.
A genius marked in such a way was known as an "Emperor’s Chosen."
In Lord Zhou’s opinion, Qin Feng’s performance was, without a doubt, excellent.
His temperament, Will, Combat Wisdom, and Slaughter Realm all far surpassed those of his peers, making him the undisputed top genius of this Educational Planet.
But that was all.
If one were to place him in the context of the entire Canaan Star System, let alone the vast expanse of the Empire, geniuses with more terrifying performances, more solid foundations, and more powerful backgrounds than Qin Feng were a dime a dozen.
Yet among them, those who could become one of the "Emperor’s Chosen" were exceedingly rare, as few and far between as a phoenix’s feather.
On this trip, he had not seen in Qin Feng the truly unique quality that would compel the Emperor to personally bestow his "Favor."
’Emperor... what exactly do you see in him? What is his greatest strength?’
This question wasn’t just a matter of personal curiosity. It would directly influence the future training approach that the Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University, and even the entire Ultramarines Chapter, should adopt for this "Chosen."
Lord Zhou sighed.
This trip had been for nothing.
-----------------
In the Hongye Commercial District, inside a private suite in the Qiming Viewing Building.
The moment the referee finally announced Qin Feng’s victory, the entire suite erupted.
Qin Dahai’s eyes filled with tears. He didn’t jump up in excitement as he had before. Instead, he pressed his hands against the viewing window, staring intently at the screen. His gaze was fixed on Qin Feng’s left hand, now a mangled mess of flesh and shattered bone, and his eyes overflowed with endless heartache.
His son had inhaled a poisonous miasma by accident as a child, leaving him with a chronic ailment. Everyone had written him off, certain he could never practice the Martial Dao.
For years, his son had shut himself in that small training room, training with the utmost diligence, day in and day out!
His son had traded endless pain for this hard-won glory.
He had earned the weighty title of "Rookie King" through the sweat of countless days and nights!
More than pride, Qin Dahai felt heartache and relief.
’Thank goodness his son’s illness was cured. Thank goodness he met the Sun Chan Hall Master...’
Wang Ming and his aunt hugged each other tightly, crying tears of joy.
They still found it hard to believe.
Their nephew, whose foundation had been damaged and whose future had seemed so bleak, had actually done it!
He had truly defeated all the other geniuses and become the most dazzling new star on Planet Qiming!
Rookie King!
His two younger brothers watched, their blood pumping with excitement and their hearts filled with admiration.
At this moment, their big brother was like a god in their eyes.
His youngest sister, though she didn’t understand the brutality of the bloody battle, knew that her big brother had won.
She simply clapped her little hands with innocent glee, cheering, "Big brother got first place! Big brother is the best!"
The other parents in the suite, who had initially offered only benevolent smiles, had long since found their eyes wide with astonishment as the matches progressed.
A Martial Artist with an extraordinary bearing, clearly a man of high status who had brought his child to watch the tournament, listened to Qin Feng’s family. His eyes were fixed on the final shot of Qin Feng’s victory.
’A genius, he’s truly a genius.’
’And his family is indeed an ordinary one.’
’It couldn’t have been easy.’
’I should form a good connection with them.’
After a moment’s thought, the Martial Artist sent a message to his assistant, ordering him to secretly provide some support and build a good relationship with Qin Feng’s family.
-----------------
In the medical room, under the cold lights.
Medical staff carefully placed Qin Feng on a treatment bed.
He looked down, calmly observing his completely shattered left arm.
Ghastly white bone fragments were mixed in with torn muscle and fascia, creating a gruesome, horrifyingly mangled mess.
He could clearly feel the powerful life force within his physical body.
His cells were slowly regenerating, gradually repairing the severe trauma.
He estimated that, with his current physical constitution, an injury of this severity would take about a month to heal completely without any treatment.
’My progress is going to slow down...’
The thought flashed through Qin Feng’s mind.
It meant he would have to spend a full month just recuperating.
He wouldn’t be able to perform high-intensity body-tempering training, and the growth of his vitality index would stagnate again.
Just then, a Female Martial Artist serving as a medical officer walked over. She wore a white lab coat, but her aura was as steady as a mountain.
She skillfully cleaned Qin Feng’s wound and then took out an injector that glowed with a faint green light.
"This is a Grade-Two Extreme Medical Potion."
The Female Martial Artist medical officer explained in a professional tone as she administered the Potion, "It doesn’t heal your wound directly. Instead, it achieves an accelerated self-healing effect by deeply stimulating your body’s innate potential. To put it simply, it’s wringing out your physical potential, so you’ll need to replenish a massive amount of energy afterward."
She took out a Mid-Level Spiritual Energy Potion, skillfully opened the cap, and poured it directly into Qin Feng’s mouth.
"This is a champion’s benefit provided by the insurance, free of charge. Now, remember to rest well and replenish with sufficient Spiritual Energy and nutrients. That way, after the wound heals, your body will return to perfect condition. Your vitality index might even increase a bit, thanks to this ’breaking through destruction’ experience. After all, this just barely qualifies as a minor injury."
As the Potion entered his body, an indescribable, intense itching sensation instantly radiated from his left arm, as if billions of ants were crawling through his very marrow.
At the same time, the Mid-Level Spiritual Energy Potion he had just consumed transformed into a surging torrent of energy within him. It was instantly mobilized, rushing frantically toward the wound on his left arm.
He could even clearly "see" his own bones, muscles, and nerves frantically growing and restructuring at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This was accompanied by an extreme hunger that seemed to emanate from the very depths of his cells.
Fortunately, the surging Spiritual Energy was rapidly replenishing what his body consumed. As the trauma was repaired, he could feel his physical body growing stronger and stronger.
「Just two hours later.」
Qin Feng walked out of the medical room.
His left arm was completely restored. The skin was smooth and clear—even more delicate than before—and showed no sign that it had ever been injured.
Only when he tried to clench his fist and exert force did he feel a slight stiffness.
He estimated that in another two hours, he would be fully recovered, with no latent injuries whatsoever.