"As for my strength..."
He puffed out his chest and said proudly, "I recovered to the peak of a Third-level Martial Artist long ago! My vitality index has also been stable above 30 for a while now!"
"I also used the money you gave me last time to pull some strings and buy a pretty decent Middle-grade Acupoint Opening Technique, the Rock Acupoint Opening Technique. I’ve already successfully opened three Middle-level Acupoints!"
"Mm, not bad."
Qin Feng praised him sincerely.
Considering his father’s age and his previously damaged foundation, reaching this stage was no small feat.
The effort he must have put in was definitely immense.
"Haha!"
Having received his son’s approval, Qin Dahai laughed even more heartily. "Of course! You’re out there in a place like Canaan, competing against geniuses from all over the Cosmos. As your old man, I can’t fall too far behind!"
The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a deep and resolute warmth.
"I have to work hard and climb higher in this cultivation journey, not for anything else, just to extend my life and live a few more years. That way, I can personally watch my son carve out a world of his own in this boundless Star Sea."
These simple words, filled with endless hope, made Qin Feng’s heart tremble.
He could feel the paternal love in his father’s words, as deep as the sea.
It was the warmest bond, one he could never sever, no matter where he went or how strong he became.
After a moment of silence, Qin Feng didn’t say anything more sentimental. Instead, he pulled up his personal terminal and began operating it.
"Dad, I took third place in the freshman cup this time. The university gave me a big reward, and I earned some money on the side,"
he said calmly.
"I’ve transferred 52 million to you. Keep it for yourself. If you want to buy any cultivation resources, just go buy them. Don’t be stingy. Your health is what’s most important."
"If Uncle’s family needs anything, don’t hold back either. When our family was at its lowest, it was Uncle who helped us out. We have to remember that favor."
DING—
A transfer notification for an amount so large it left him momentarily speechless popped up on Qin Dahai’s personal terminal.
He stared at the long string of zeros, his mouth hanging open, unable to say a word for a long time.
In the end, a thousand unspoken words dissolved into a single, complicated sigh and the glistening tears he could no longer hold back at the corners of his eyes.
"Okay. Dad will listen to you."
After chatting with his father a little longer and reminding him to take care of himself and not to rush his cultivation, Qin Feng finally ended the call.
The holographic light faded, and silence returned to the dorm room.
Qin Feng sat in silence. It was as if his father’s face, filled with pride and relief, still lingered before his eyes, and his simple yet monumental words still echoed in his ears.
"...I have to work hard and climb higher in this cultivation journey, not for anything else, just to extend my life and live a few more years. That way, I can personally watch my son carve out a world of his own in this boundless Star Sea."
A warm current surged endlessly through his chest.
After a long while, Qin Feng let out a long breath, his gaze turning sharp and resolute once more.
His father was working hard; he had even less reason to slack off.
’Seize every moment!’
His consciousness sank into the Subspace Network—the Canaan Tower.
A massive virtual screen unfolded before him. An endless tower that seemed to pierce through the dimensions of the cosmos stood silently against a backdrop of the Star Sea, emanating an ancient, desolate, and iron-blooded aura.
On the body of the tower, fine lines of text scrolled by, detailing the basic rules of this colossal structure.
[Above the 600th floor, the Gatekeepers are no longer phantom projections of conventional races, but battle records of the most powerful and prodigious students from Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University’s 2.2-billion-year history.]
[Defeat a recorded challenger, and your own battle record shall be engraved upon the tower, to be admired by billions of students for generations to come.]
Qin Feng’s gaze lingered for a moment on the description for "above the 600th floor," then quickly moved away.
That was still too far off for him.
His current goal was very clear.
Qin Feng’s eyes fell upon his own long-stagnant challenge record.
[Current Highest Floor: 3rd.]
[4th Floor Challenge Record: Failed (13 times).]
His thoughts couldn’t help but drift back several years, to when he had first arrived at Canaan. Full of vigor, he had come to challenge the tower, only to be utterly crushed by the Gatekeeper of the fourth floor.
It was a Shadow Race Assassin.
A terrifying race naturally able to merge with shadows and darkness.
In the complex environment of the fourth floor—dimly lit and filled with various obstacles and pillars—that Shadow Race Assassin was practically invincible.
It could hide in any shadow, silent and unseen, before launching a fatal sneak attack with ghostly speed.
Back then, Qin Feng couldn’t even touch the corner of its clothes. Every single time, he was killed in one hit and forced to withdraw from the challenge in a state of utter frustration and helplessness.
Those thirteen crushing defeats had taught him just how vast the Cosmos was, and how bizarre its myriad races could be.
’A Shadow Race Assassin...’
With a flicker of intent, Qin Feng chose to continue the challenge.
[Entering... Canaan Tower, 4th Floor.]
The light and shadows shifted.
In the next instant, Qin Feng’s figure appeared in a familiar yet oppressive, dimly lit space.
Cold metal walls surrounded him. Thick metal pillars, like silent giants, sliced the entire space into fragmented pieces, casting large, deep shadows.