Upon hearing this, every member of Qin Feng’s hundred-man squad felt their hearts clench.
Qin Feng’s gaze swept over their young, resentful faces, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.
A million prodigies had gathered here, brimming with confidence and ambition.
However, in just two months, harsh reality had already sent nearly eighty thousand of them crashing from the clouds back down to earth.
This assessment was like a giant, merciless sieve, relentlessly filtering out anyone slightly lacking in strength, mental fortitude, or even luck.
And this was only the beginning.
There were still a full four months until the assessment’s end.
It was easy to predict that as time went on, even more people would be eliminated by this cruel machine.
Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University—this Martial Arts Sacred Land that had stood in the Canaan Star System for 2.2 billion years—had its gates built upon the corpses and shattered dreams of countless geniuses.
As Qin Feng withdrew his gaze, found a relatively empty patch of ground, and sat down cross-legged to meditate, a subtle scene unfolded.
After a few brief words among themselves, the ninety-nine other prodigies in his squad—the very ones he had just fought alongside—all found spots to sit down a short distance away, forming a circle with him at its center as if by unspoken agreement.
They said nothing, but their actions spoke volumes.
Tie Mu, Lei Meng, and even the most defiant graduates from the military Martial Arts High Schools now subconsciously saw Qin Feng as their leader.
In a world where strength was revered above all else, this was the purest and most direct form of respect.
It wasn’t because of his "Enlightened General Star" title, nor his Control Realm cultivation. It was because, in that recent battle of blood and fire, Qin Feng had conquered every single one of them with his undeniable strength.
He was the undisputed leader of this hundred-man squad!
Feeling the subtle gazes of those around him, gazes filled with awe and trust, Qin Feng felt not a shred of pride or smugness. Instead, he recalled the footage of Lord Zhou Xiong’s inauguration ceremony that Teacher Wu Shangfeng had once shown him.
On that day, in a magnificent palace that stretched across the Star Sea, Lord Zhou Xiong had stood just like this, perfectly still.
Below him were hundreds of thousands of Constant Star-level Powerhouses and tens of thousands of Star System-level Powerhouses.
They hailed from different planets and had different pasts, but the look in their eyes was much like the one he now saw from the ninety-nine prodigies around him.
It was a look of absolute, unwavering loyalty and trust.
’So, this is "presence"...’
A sudden realization dawned on Qin Feng.
A true powerhouse, a true leader, has no need for spoken commands. Their very presence is an invisible field of influence that naturally attracts and rallies the strength of those around them.
He had only just revealed his prowess among a hundred people, and already he had earned such respect.
Lord Zhou Xiong, on the other hand, had fought for tens of thousands of years on the endless battlefields of the cosmos, forging that immense presence through countless trials of blood and fire.
’Compared to him, I still have a long, long way to go.’
Just as Qin Feng was lost in these thoughts, the voice of a volunteer Martial Artist boomed from the plaza’s speaker system, reaching everyone’s ears.
"Attention all candidates who have completed the first two parts of the assessment."
"The subsequent stages of the assessment will be conducted after the six-month mission period has concluded."
"During this time, please rest and wait in the designated areas of the plaza. Cultivation is permitted, but private duels of any kind are strictly forbidden."
"I repeat, all candidates are to wait. There are four months remaining until the end of this assessment."
"..."
A four-month waiting period. The news sent a small stir through the crowd in the plaza.
Qin Feng pushed all other thoughts from his mind, quickly focusing his spirit and blocking out all external disturbances.
’Four months. That’s just enough time to attempt to open my first Acupoint.’
’I’ve already mastered the ’Seeking Acupoints’ technique from the *Great Sun Acupoint Opening Method* and located my first Acupoint. The next step is the most critical: constructing the ’Acupoint Shell’!’
His consciousness submerged itself completely within his Sea of Consciousness.
The *Great Sun Visualization Method* began to circulate. An illusory, golden sun, radiating endless light and heat, slowly rose within his Sea of Consciousness.
At the same time, the Spiritual Energy in his body began to circulate, following the incredibly profound pathways of the *Great Sun Acupoint Opening Method*. It gathered, strand by painstaking strand, toward the location he had already targeted—his first Acupoint, situated in his chest.
Qin Feng entered a deep state of cultivation, completely oblivious to himself and the world around him.
In his world, nothing else existed.
All that remained was the brilliant sun illuminating his Sea of Consciousness and the monumental, world-creating project about to commence within his own body.
Qin Feng cultivated in silence, awaiting the end of the first two stages of the assessment.