But in the instant before he could act, a supreme, sacred, and majestic Will—one that struck fear even into his heart—flashed from between Qin Feng’s brows.
It was a nail-shaped phantom emanating a faint golden glow.
——The Nail of Favor!
The moment that Will appeared, the whispers of Slaughter, potent enough to corrupt entire stars, vanished instantly as if they had met their nemesis.
At that moment, Yu Han froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.
And in that same moment, all the questions in his heart were answered.
The Emperor’s Chosen!
The term, which existed only in the legends of the Empire’s highest echelons, surfaced clearly in his mind.
’So that’s how it is.’
’So this was the real reason Squad Leader Zhou Xiong was willing to break the rules to protect him under his wing!’
This secret was too momentous.
So momentous that even he didn’t dare reveal the slightest hint of it to anyone.
So now, faced with everyone’s persistent questions, Yu Han simply picked up his teacup, blew gently on the floating leaves, and took a slow sip.
"Heh."
He set down his cup and said with a chuckle, in a matter-of-fact tone, "His progress is decent, and his temperament is steady. He’s every bit the prodigy Sir Zhou Xiong personally singled out."
The words were as good as saying nothing.
"Tch—"
"You old fox!"
On the high platform, a chorus of good-natured eye-rolls and playful jeers erupted.
Everyone knew that getting any core secrets out of Yu Han, who was famously tight-lipped, was harder than squeezing blood from a stone.
Since they couldn’t get anything out of him, they stopped asking and turned their full attention to Qin Feng’s upcoming matches below.
They all wanted to see for themselves just how far this "prodigy," so highly regarded by both Squad Leader Zhou Xiong and Yu Han, could go in this Rookie Cup, a true Dragon’s Pool and Tiger’s Den.
...
「The scene shifted back to the steel arenas floating in the void.」
With the end of the fifteenth round, the more than twenty million contestants had been brutally winnowed down to just a few hundred.
The battles to come would be, in the truest sense, a clash of titans.
Every person still standing was an elite among Level 4 Martial Artists, a true genius.
Every single one of them had a life force index of exactly 570 points—powerhouses who had opened every Acupoint Shell using an Upper-grade Acupoint Opening Technique.
Every single one had mastered at least seven or eight First-level Killing Techniques to the Perfection Realm.
Some had even cultivated one or more Second-level Killing Techniques to the level of Great Accomplishment, or even Perfection!
The intensity of the battles had risen by several notches.
The view switched rapidly between the countless arenas.
Sixteenth Round.
Qin Feng’s opponent was a burly man with a life force index of 570, wielding dual axes in a wild, ferocious style.
"Second-level Killing Technique: Tornado Slash!"
The burly man roared, transforming into a high-speed steel tempest. His two giant axes, glinting with a cold light, created deadly ripples of death as they swept toward Qin Feng.
Facing an attack powerful enough to shred a small starship, Qin Feng’s gaze remained placid.
The Long Spear in his hand no longer performed simple thrusts.
Instead, it danced in a profound and mysterious pattern, creating an impenetrable screen of afterimages before him.
[Thousand Soldiers Spear - Thousand Soldiers Guarding!]
CLANG CLANG CLANG—!
A rapid-fire series of metallic clashes erupted!
After crashing into the seemingly flimsy screen of afterimages, the raging steel tempest was stopped in its tracks, unable to advance another inch!
Every single slash was skillfully deflected aside by the spear’s afterimages, redirecting immense force with minimal effort.
"How is that possible!?"
A flash of horror crossed the burly man’s eyes.
In that brief moment, his old momentum spent and new strength yet to be gathered,
the impenetrable defensive screen of afterimages instantly contracted, coalescing into a single, precise thrust, like a viper striking from its den.
PFFT!
The spear tip tapped his right shoulder, and a violent force erupted, instantly numbing his entire arm and forcing him to drop his axes.
"Qin Feng wins!"
"What a powerful defensive spear technique! Their life force indexes are almost the same, but that burly guy’s Second-level Killing Technique couldn’t break through his defense at all!"
"This Qin Feng is terrifying!"
In the audience, a sharp-eyed spectator cried out in alarm.
Seventeenth Round.
Qin Feng’s next opponent was a Shadow Race half-blood Martial Artist with an uncanny Body Technique, armed with a dagger.
The moment the battle began, the half-blood Martial Artist slipped into the shadows, his figure disappearing completely.
On the arena floor, only Qin Feng remained, standing quietly with his spear.
However, at a certain moment, a deadly black shadow materialized silently behind Qin Feng, its dagger striking for the center of his back like a viper’s fang!
But just an instant before the dagger could touch his armor,
Qin Feng’s Long Spear swung backward at an angle that completely defied biomechanics!
[Dragon Snake Spear - Divine Dragon’s Tail Whip!]
CRACK!
With a sharp crack, the heavy spear shaft, as if it had a life of its own, struck the Shadow Race half-blood’s waist with pinpoint accuracy.
The half-blood Martial Artist let out a muffled grunt and was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string, spitting blood in mid-air and completely losing his ability to fight.
"Qin Feng wins!"
"Heavens! What terrifying combat intuition!"
"That’s not just combat intuition... Look at the replay! The moment he executed his spear technique, the surrounding Spiritual Energy subtly distorted and resonated with it!"
"Thousand Army Spear, Dragon Snake Spear, Fierce Bird Fist Style... he has them all under Control. And there’s even a trace of Wind-Thunder Staff in there."
"The Control Realm!!"
Finally, an experienced senior student, his voice hoarse, screamed out those two words!
The cry sent shockwaves through the arena!
As Qin Feng gradually revealed the extent of his strength in the Control Realm, the entire Glory Colosseum erupted for him.
If before he was just a noteworthy "dark horse,"
then now, he was a prehistoric behemoth baring its ferocious fangs!
His name leaped from the obscure corners of the forums to become the hottest topic of discussion.
Countless posts frantically discussed just what kind of monster this was—someone who had only enrolled ten years ago, yet had already cultivated his life force index to over 500 and was now brutally dominating all sorts of senior experts.
His popularity skyrocketed, even surpassing that of the long-famous favorites to make the top eight.
Amidst this deafening roar of discussion, Qin Feng continued his winning streak.
The sixteenth round, the seventeenth...
...all the way to the end of the eighteenth round.
[Congratulations to contestant Qin Feng for successfully advancing to the Top 64!]
When the referee’s cold voice rang out once more, it also marked the final stage of the elimination tournament for the Level 4 division of this year’s Rookie Cup.
From these sixty-four contestants, a final champion would be decided.
He was now only a few steps away from the two ultimate monsters with life force indexes of 3000, whom Xiong Yanfu had called "once-in-a-century Immortals."
As long as Qin Feng’s luck in the upcoming draw wasn’t absolutely terrible and he didn’t face them prematurely,
then he had a very high chance of breaking into the final rounds and vying for a top-three spot.
Qin Feng, a name unknown to anyone before the tournament, had now become the most talked-about and feared figure in this year’s Rookie Cup.
Everyone knew that among this year’s new students at Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University, a monster had appeared!