The screen lit up, and a scene so grand it was breathtaking unfolded before Qin Feng’s eyes.
It was a Warband assembly hall, so tall it seemed capable of holding up the very heavens. The Gothic dome soared to an incredible height, with cold metal and rough-hewn stone forming its timeless, unchanging theme.
The entire hall was large enough to accommodate several hundred thousand people.
And at this moment, every corner of the hall was filled with towering Warriors wearing sky-blue Standard Power Armor.
Ultimate Warriors.
Every one of them stood tall in a perfect military posture, helmet tucked under their arm, silent.
The venue, holding hundreds of thousands of people, was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Only a mountain-like aura, forged from Iron Blood and discipline, silently permeated the air, almost crushing the viewer through the screen.
In the center of the image was a towering ceremonial platform.
Squad Leader Zhou Xiong was standing on the high platform.
He wore a more ornate and heavy set of power armor, signifying his rank as a squad leader. His chest was covered with more than a dozen medals of various shapes and sizes.
His face was resolute, his gaze sharp as a blade. On his forehead were three deep, blood-red nail-like Seals, looking as if they were branded with fresh blood and radiating a heart-stopping Evil Qi.
In the video, Zhou Xiong faced the hundreds of thousands of his Warband brothers below the stage. Slowly and solemnly, he performed a flawless Imperial Army salute.
The next second!
"For the Empire!"
A roar like a tsunami erupted!
At the same instant, hundreds of thousands of Ultimate Warriors, with movements so chillingly uniform they looked as if they were cast from a single mold, returned the highest military salute to their squad leader!
That earth-shattering momentum, that fanaticism and loyalty stemming from the depths of their souls—even just watching the recording made Qin Feng’s blood boil in an instant!
Wu Shangfeng saw the shock on Qin Feng’s face and smiled.
"Do you see? That is the significance of the medals. One day, when you can also fight your way through battlefields of blood and fire to earn your own Imperial Medals, when you gain the loyalty of a host of Iron Blood veterans who have fought across the Cosmos for ten thousand years, and when you are unanimously acknowledged and elected to become their leader—only then will you truly understand this feeling."
"Not only that,"
Wu Shangfeng’s tone shifted as he added, "The Imperial Medals themselves are also crafted from a special material that contains powerful Spiritual Energy. Wearing them forms an effective layer of protection for your spirit. Their effect is quite similar to the ’Ten Thousand Battle Nails’ on Squad Leader Zhou Xiong’s forehead."
Qin Feng’s gaze became incredibly fiery.
’Now *this* is a man’s romance!’
He solemnly took the medal from Wu Shangfeng and carefully pinned it to his chest.
Next was the handover of the Great Sun Acupoint Opening Method.
This was just a holographic instructional video datastream on the Subspace Network. After Master Gu Yue granted him access, Qin Feng directly received it and stored it deep within his personal terminal, planning to study it carefully later.
After that, Teacher Lin Yue took out two physical rewards from a temporary spatial storage device.
A long spear and a suit of power armor.
"These two are Level 4 Creations, custom-made to your measurements."
Master Gu Yue explained from the side, "Remember, weapons and power armor cannot be perfectly fused with your body before a Martial Artist advances to the planetary level. You can only keep them in a Subspace Storage Space and take them out to equip when you need to fight."
"Only when you break through to the planetary level and your life form undergoes a transition can you, like those powerful experts, completely integrate the power armor with your flesh and summon it at will with a single thought. At that point, even if the power armor isn’t manifested on the surface of your body, it can still provide your physical form with a terrifying layer of passive Defense Power."
At this point, Master Gu Yue seemed to suddenly remember something and slapped his forehead.
"I almost forgot, you still need to buy a Subspace Storage Space. I suggest you buy a Level 1 Storage Space directly. One million Imperial Coins will get you about a hundred cubic meters of stable space, which is enough for you at your current stage."
"Alright, don’t just stand there,"
Teacher Lin Yue urged with a smile, "Go on, try it on. Let us see the bearing of Qiming’s newest General Star."
Qin Feng nodded and walked forward.
His gaze first fell upon the suit of power armor, standing there silently.
Punisher Mk. IV.
Its entire body was a deep, matte black that seemed to absorb all light.
Its design was filled with a brutal yet practical industrial aesthetic.
Dark red battle markings were etched onto the heavy chest and shoulder plates, their sharp lines resembling the claw marks of a savage beast.
The most striking feature was the pair of pauldrons, so large they were almost exaggerated. They were shaped like two ancient and majestic heraldic shields, capable of withstanding a direct hit from a Heavy Cannon.
In the center of the chest plate was a silver, branded insignia of Qiming First High School.
And on the right pauldron was a personal emblem designed by Master Gu Yue, consisting of a Long Spear and a fierce bird.
Qin Feng stepped into the power armor’s mounting frame.
With a thought, the entire suit of Battle Armor emitted a series of fine, grating metallic scrapes and the hum of activating servomotors.
K-TCHUNK! K-TCHUNK!
Heavy plates of armor began to close in a precise sequence. The leg guards, arm guards, abdominal plating, chest plate... Finally, the menacing helmet with its T-shaped visor slowly descended, locking seamlessly with the neck armor.
A heavy and powerful sensation spread throughout his body.
Qin Feng moved his arms and legs. The exposed bionic tendons and energy conduits at the joints expanded and contracted with his movements, exuding a sense of power.
Inside the helmet, streams of light-blue data flashed rapidly across the retinal display, clearly feeding him all information from the outside world.
Then, he reached out and gripped the Level 4 custom Alloy Long Spear.
As the spear settled into his hand, an astonishing weight made itself known.
This Long Spear was forged entirely from an unknown black alloy. Its shaft was long and straight, devoid of any superfluous decoration, with only some simple, ancient runes for channeling energy engraved upon it.
The most startling part was its spearhead. It was a long, narrow, willow-leaf-shaped blade. Along its edge flickered a faint, heart-stopping glint of cold light, as if it weren’t reflecting light, but devouring it.
When Qin Feng held the spear, he could clearly feel an unparalleled sharpness emanating from its tip, an aura that seemed capable of piercing through space itself at any moment.
At this moment, Qin Feng stood silently, clad in menacing black and red Battle Armor, wielding a jet-black Long Spear that radiated a sharp aura.
His entire presence was majestic and cold, filled with a suffocating, oppressive aura.
"Not bad."
Master Gu Yue’s eyes were full of approval. "The man and the armor, the spear and his presence—they are already starting to become one."
He paused, then continued, "Information about admissions for Canaan Star Martial Arts University, including the assessment schedule, content, and past years’ admission standards, can all be found on the Canaan Star System’s public forums. Once you purchase access, you can look it up yourself."
"Alright, for now, you can go back and get things in order."
Master Gu Yue laid out the next steps for Qin Feng.
"Go back and purchase a Subspace Storage Space, the ’Great Sun Visualization Method’ that complements the Great Sun Acupoint Opening Method, permanent access to the Imperial Forum, and an S-class Intelligent Assistant. Once you’ve taken care of all that, go ahead and formally submit your graduation application in the next few days. As for the Empire mission access, that will unlock automatically after you graduate."
The three masters exchanged a look. Everything that needed to be said had been said.
The rest of the path was for Qin Feng to walk on his own.
"Go on."
Master Gu Yue, Teacher Wu Shangfeng, and Teacher Lin Yue stood shoulder to shoulder, looking at the disciple before them who had grown into a towering tree. They all wore the same gratified and expectant smiles.
Finally, in unison, they offered their most sincere blessing.
"May your arms flourish!"
These four words were like a warm current, instantly flooding into Qin Feng’s heart.
He looked at the three benevolent masters who had guided him step by step to this day. A hundred emotions welled up in his heart, and an indescribable feeling of sorrow and reluctance quietly emerged.
A thousand words were left unsaid, ultimately converging into the simplest, most solemn gesture.
Qin Feng put away the Long Spear and deactivated the power armor. He faced his three masters and bowed deeply, so very deeply.
"Thank you, my three teachers, for the grace of your guidance!"
His voice carried a barely perceptible tremble.
The three masters said nothing more. They just watched him quietly, their smiles gentle and kind.
Some gratitude needs no words. They all understood.