The banquet to welcome Qin Feng back finally drew to a close with his simple yet incredibly weighty promise.
The group didn’t drink or celebrate excessively any longer, because they all knew a great battle was imminent. They had to be in peak condition.
At the entrance of Taotie Residence, the group exchanged simple goodbyes.
"Boss, see you at the arena tomorrow! I’ll be there cheering you on!"
Lei Meng pounded his chest forcefully, producing a muffled THUMP THUMP.
"Old Qin, I’ve bet all my spending money for the month on you making the top three. Don’t make me end up sleeping on the streets!"
Xiong Yanfu still wore his usual cheeky grin, but the trust in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Do your best, and stay safe."
Tiemu’s words were, as always, concise yet filled with concern.
Qin Feng nodded to each of them in turn.
Finally, his gaze fell upon Shi Potian.
The gaze of this aloof, close friend was incredibly complex at that moment.
He remained silent for a long while, as if he had a thousand things to say, but in the end, it was all reduced to just two words.
"Good luck."
After saying this, he turned and his tall, lean figure quickly vanished into the endless river of people in the Food God District, without the slightest hesitation.
The impact of today’s meal on Shi Potian was far greater than on the other three.
But given Shi Potian’s resilient nature, this shock would only transform into the most powerful motivation for his future cultivation path.
After bidding farewell to the group, Qin Feng didn’t linger outside, teleporting directly back to his cold, familiar private dormitory.
He didn’t immediately begin to cultivate or rest. Instead, he walked to the cattail cushion in the center of the meditation room, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes.
His mind wasn’t on the battle he would face tomorrow, nor was he savoring the memory of the exotic and wonderful dishes from the feast.
A doubt, unintentionally raised by Xiong Yanfu and Shi Potian during the meal, now spread through his heart like ripples from a stone tossed into a lake.
’Top-grade Acupoint Opening Technique... Upper-grade Acupoint Opening Technique...’
He murmured under his breath.
’One enrolled for ninety-three years... another for one hundred and two...’
A hundred years.
What an incredibly long period of time.
For a Martial Artist, especially during their Golden Era when their vitality is most exuberant and their potential is greatest, to spend a century just stuck at the "Acupoint Opening" stage...
’Is it really worth it?’
He himself had drastically shortened this process thanks to the "Celestial Dao Rewards the Diligent" system.
But that didn’t change the fact that the Cultivation Technique he practiced, the "Great Sun Acupoint Opening Method," required an astronomical amount of resources and time.
He hadn’t had a profound understanding of this before, simply cultivating the technique he had obtained.
But today, after learning about his competitors, he had begun to truly and seriously contemplate this problem for the first time.
What was the fundamental difference between these two different grades of Acupoint Opening Methods?
How much of a decisive impact could they have on one’s future cultivation?
Was it worth it for countless chosen geniuses to willingly spend such a long time polishing their foundation?
This doubt, like a seed, quickly took root and sprouted in his heart.
If he didn’t get to the bottom of it, his mind would not be at ease.
"Hammer."
Qin Feng opened his eyes, his voice echoing in the empty meditation room.
"At your service, Master."
The Intelligent Assistant’s voice was as cold and efficient as ever.
"Using my access privileges, search all public and authorized databases, Martial Dao forums, and academic archives in the Empire. Collate all comparative information on the ’Top-grade Acupoint Opening Technique’ versus the ’Upper-grade Acupoint Opening Technique’."
Qin Feng’s command was clear and precise.
"Focus on the following aspects: One, the impact on cultivation speed after the sixth level, ’Levitation.’ Two, the impact on the success rate of ultimately advancing to a ’Planet-level Life Form.’ Three, the fundamental differences between Cultivators of the two techniques after they reach their maximum life force index."
"Command received. Executing multi-threaded cross-referencing and information comparison..."
As Hammer’s voice faded, the light screen in front of Qin Feng was instantly flooded by a waterfall of data.
Countless forum posts, reports, analyses, and even video clips from tutors’ public lectures were being filtered and categorized at an astonishing speed.
While waiting for Hammer to collate the information, Qin Feng opened another communication interface.
He found that familiar and respected name—Gu Yue.
This was one of the mentors from his high school days who had helped him the most and understood him best.
Though they were now separated by countless star systems, the bond between teacher and student had not faded with distance.
He carefully considered his words, then rapidly composed a message with his Mental Power.
[Teacher Gu Yue, this is your student, Qin Feng. I apologize for the intrusion.]
[I have some doubts regarding the foundation of Cultivation Techniques. I humbly request that you might spare a moment from your busy schedule to enlighten me.]
[If I may ask, Teacher, what exactly is the fundamental difference between the ’Top-grade Acupoint Opening Technique’ and the ’Upper-grade Acupoint Opening Technique’? Why is it worth spending a century to polish one’s foundation with them? And what kind of decisive impact do they have on a Martial Artist’s ultimate advancement to a Planet-level Life Form?]
After sending the message, Qin Feng turned his full attention back to the information Hammer was compiling.
In just a few seconds, Hammer had already extracted the most core, most cited, and most credible conclusions from the vast ocean of data, presenting them to him in a clear, logical chain.