Down in the arena below, the competition for the freshmen tournament had reached a fever pitch.
On the platforms, the young underclassmen were engaged in desperate struggles for honor and their futures.
Blades flashed and fists whistled through the air. From time to time, a student would be eliminated by the referee due to exhaustion or serious injury and leave the stage in disappointment.
The entire "Crown of the Arctic" resounded with the cheers, shouts, and sighs of tens of thousands of spectators, and the atmosphere was electric.
However, this fervent atmosphere seemed completely out of place in the seating area for Qiming First High School’s veteran contestants.
Qin Feng, bored out of his mind, leaned back in his comfortable seat. He wore a Holographic Spectator Device, casually watching a match on one of the platforms.
The two freshmen on the platform weren’t bad. Their vitality indexes were around 14.5, and their killing techniques showed a decent level of mastery. Among the new students, they could be considered elites.
But in Qin Feng’s eyes, their fight was riddled with countless flaws.
Hesitation in their attacks, stagnant footwork, crude energy manipulation, huge gaps in their transitions between offense and defense... Every detail seemed so amateurish.
He could even clearly predict their every next move and how the battle would ultimately end.
’A year ago, I think... I was just like them,’
Qin Feng thought to himself.
Back then, he had also fought with all his might to defeat opponent after opponent, and he had been ecstatic over every small bit of progress.
Now, however, watching these underclassmen was like a battle-hardened general watching two children who had just learned to swing wooden swords, playing with each other.
The difference between them was as vast as heaven and earth.
Just as he was feeling drowsy and about to take off the Holographic Spectator Device to rest his eyes, the terminal on his wrist suddenly buzzed with a series of light vibrations.
"Hm?"
Slightly confused, Qin Feng opened his eyes.
He activated his terminal and saw that over a dozen unread emails had appeared in his private inbox at some point.
The format of these email subjects was surprisingly consistent.
[[Special Recruitment Contract] Letter of Invitation from Morning Star Military Star Martial Arts University]
[[Special Recruitment Contract] Blue Sea Star Martial Arts University Cordially Invites You]
[[Special Recruitment Contract] Iron Mountain Starry Martial Artist University - C-Level Growth Contract]
...
"Starry Sky Martial Arts University?"
Qin Feng’s brow furrowed slightly. "Special recruitment contracts?"
He was baffled.
’My matches haven’t even started. How did these Starry Sky Martial Arts Universities find out about me?’
’And why would they suddenly send me these so-called "special recruitment contracts"?’
Puzzled, he casually opened a few of them.
The first was from Morning Star Military Star Martial Arts University, a school ranked 98th on the Top 100 list.
[Dear Student Qin Feng:]
[We are the admissions committee of the Morning Star Military Academy. After a comprehensive evaluation by our academy, we have determined that you possess extremely high Martial Dao potential. We have decided to extend a D-level special recruitment contract to you and sincerely invite you to join our academy.]
[The contract details are as follows:]
[1. One-time cash reward: 1,000,000 Imperial Coins.]
[2. Cultivation resource package: A total of 10,000,000 Imperial Coins’ worth of cultivation resources, such as Spiritual Energy Potions and restorative medicinal baths, to be distributed by semester.]
[3. Educational resources: You will have the right to freely access all D-level and below Secret Killing Technique Manuals and cultivation manuals in our academy’s library, and you will receive a total of 10,000,000 Imperial Coins’ worth of one-on-one guidance time with a Planet-level Tutor.]
[...]
The second was from Blue Sea Star Martial Arts University, ranked 81st.
[Dear Student Qin Feng:]
[...We have decided to extend a C-level special recruitment contract to you...]
[The contract details are as follows:]
[1. One-time cash reward: 10,000,000 Imperial Coins.]
[2. Cultivation resource package: A total of 100,000,000 Imperial Coins’ worth of Spiritual Energy cultivation resources, including three Mid-Level Spiritual Energy Potions.]
[3. Educational resources: You will have the right to freely access all C-level and below Secret Killing Technique Manuals, cultivation manuals, and Spirit Secret Skills in our university’s library, and you will receive a total of 100,000,000 Imperial Coins’ worth of one-on-one guidance time with a senior Planet-level Tutor.]
[...]
The third was from Iron Mountain Starry Martial Artist University, ranked 85th.
[Dear Student Qin Feng:]
[...We have tailor-made a C-level growth contract for you...]
The contract’s contents were basically the same as the C-level contract from Blue Sea Star Martial Arts University, but with an additional clause at the end:
[Additional Clause: If you can successfully "merge your apertures" and advance to a Sixth-level Martial Artist within ten years of enrollment, your contract will automatically be upgraded to a B-level contract. All resources will be doubled, and you will be provided with a dedicated Fixed Star Level Tutor Team.]
Looking at these contracts, which were easily worth hundreds of millions of Imperial Coins, Qin Feng’s heart remained unstirred.
At Qiming First High School alone, he already consumed three to five million in resources every month.
Among all the emails, there was a particularly special private message from Du Na Star Martial Arts University.
Its subject line was highlighted in red font, making it especially eye-catching.
Qin Feng opened it.
[Student Qin Feng, hello.]
The letter began not with formal honorifics, but with a relatively equal and personal tone.
[I am Zhang Ruoyu, an admissions tutor from Du Na Star Martial Arts University (ranked 73rd in the Top 100). I personally admire your talent and potential very much. After fighting hard for you with the university committee, we have decided to break convention and offer you an A-level special recruitment contract that far exceeds what your current strength level would warrant.]
[The contract details are as follows:]
[1. One-time reward: 1,000 Imperial Contribution Points.]
[2. Cultivation resource package: A total of 10,000 Imperial Contribution Points’ worth of Spiritual Energy cultivation resources, including one high-level Mental Power Potion and a serving of "Essence of the Stars."]
[3. Educational resources: You will have the right to freely access all A-level and below Secret Killing Technique Manuals, cultivation manuals, and Spirit Secret Skills in our university’s library.]
[4. Exclusive equipment: One set of Level 6 Standard Power Armor, one Level 6 Standard Spiritual Weapon (category of your choice).]
[Student Qin Feng, I believe that with your intelligence, you can understand the true value of this A-level contract. It is fundamentally different from those conventional contracts priced in Imperial Coins. I hope you will seriously consider my proposal. My private communication channel is xxxx. I look forward to your reply.]
"Imperial Contribution Points?"
Qin Feng’s pupils contracted slightly.
He was no stranger to this term.
It was a true hard currency, countless times more valuable than Imperial Coins.
It couldn’t be directly exchanged for money and could only be obtained by performing illustrious military service for the Empire or by making significant contributions in fields like scientific research and exploration.
Even trading Imperial Contribution Points on the black market was an offense tried by the Judicial Court!
The value of the resources in this A-level contract alone was as high as twenty thousand Imperial Contribution Points!
Not to mention, the set of Level 6 power armor and the weapon were standard-issue equipment that money couldn’t buy!
The value of this contract was simply terrifying!
But for that very reason, Qin Feng’s confusion didn’t lessen; it grew.
’These baffling contracts are getting more and more outrageous.’
’The jump from D-level to A-level is so huge it’s like they’re not even trying to recruit the same person.’
’What am I supposed to do about all this?’
Qin Feng was not someone skilled at handling such social complexities.
His world was simple, consisting only of cultivation and combat.
He pondered for a moment before deciding to entrust this problem to the person he trusted most.
He quickly took screenshots of a few representative contracts he had received, then bundled them and sent them to Master Gu Yue via his wrist terminal.
He also attached a short message asking for guidance:
[Master Gu Yue, I’ve received some special recruitment contracts from the Starry Sky Martial Arts Universities. I’m not sure what’s going on or how I should handle them.]
...
「Meanwhile, at the top of the Spectator Tower.」
Master Gu Yue, who was resting with his eyes closed, felt a slight vibration from the terminal on his wrist.
He opened his eyes and saw the message from Qin Feng.
When he saw the screenshots of the contracts, ranging from D-level to A-level, the corners of his mouth curled into a cold arc.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately replied with a message.
[Don’t reply to a single one.]
Just as the notification sound for a successful transmission chimed, his terminal vibrated again.
It was a reply from Qin Feng.
[Understood. But Master, why? One of them is an A-level contract.]
Seeing this question, a hint of approval flashed in Master Gu Yue’s eyes.
Qin Feng hadn’t been swept away by the A-level contract; instead, he chose to ask for clarification first. This mental fortitude was far beyond that of an ordinary person.
He patiently typed out a second reply.
[Generous? Qin Feng, your goal is the Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University! The one and only "Superpower," not these so-called "Top 100"!]
[These universities aren’t worthy of recruiting you!]
[What’s more, they even sent a C-level contract. That’s an insult to you, and an insult to us at Qiming First High School! Remember, you are the strongest genius in the history of Qiming First High School. Your value is far beyond what these contracts can measure! Even an A-level contract is an insult to you.]
Message sent.
He believed that with Qin Feng’s intelligence, he would surely understand his meaning.
Sure enough, less than three seconds later, he received Qin Feng’s reply.
[Understood, Master. I get it.]
Simple, direct, and full of decisiveness.
...
「In the spectator stands.」
Qin Feng looked at the text from Master Gu Yue, filled with unquestionable dominance and trust, and the last trace of confusion in his heart vanished into thin air.
He stopped thinking about the reasons behind these contracts and no longer bothered to weigh their value.
If his master said they weren’t worthy, then they weren’t worthy.
For over a year, Master Gu Yue had treated him almost like a Direct Disciple, so Qin Feng naturally trusted him.
Besides, Qin Feng knew of the Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University. Of course he would choose the strongest Starry Sky Martial Arts University in the Canaan Star System!
He calmly marked all dozen-plus emails from the various Starry Sky Martial Arts Universities in his inbox as "read" in one go, then never looked at them again.
His focus returned to his cultivation. His eyes half-closed as his mind sank into the visualization of the "Emperor Meditation Technique."
The clamor of the outside world no longer had anything to do with him.
...
「Inside the Spectator Tower.」
Master Gu Yue put away his terminal, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
Immediately after, his gaze, like two invisible sharp swords, pierced through dozens of meters to land with unerring precision on the holographic figure of a woman named Zhang Ruoyu, who stood among the crowd of admissions tutors from the Top 100 Martial Arts Universities.
His eyes were cold and sharp, as if they could see through the hologram to all the thoughts behind it.
’Interesting.’
A disdainful sneer formed on Master Gu Yue’s lips.
’Out of more than a hundred admissions tutors, only this Zhang Ruoyu offered Qin Feng an A-level contract. It seems she must have learned through some special channel the rumor that Lord Zhou Xiong is paying attention to Qin Feng.’
’Heh...’
’To know such a shocking inside story and still try to lure Qin Feng away early with a measly A-level contract?’
’Is she treating our Qiming First High School like some country bumpkins who have never seen the world? Or does she think Lord Zhou Xiong’s judgment is that cheap? Or perhaps she thinks that because Qin Feng has a humble background, he’ll be moved by an A-level contract? What a classist fool.’
’Truly...’
Master Gu Yue picked up the energy drink on the table, took a light sip, and slowly let out his final evaluation.
’...So greedy. And short-sighted.’