[...]
Looking at the heated discussions on the public forum, Qin Feng closed it and switched to the private internal domain of the "Fearless Warband."
As soon as he entered, a striking and solemn announcement popped up, suffused with the grim, martial aura of clashing steel.
[ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL WARBAND MEMBERS]
[SUBJECT: GENERAL MOBILIZATION ORDER FOR THE 70TH WARBAND RANKING TOURNAMENT]
1. The Warband Ranking Tournament is about to begin. This battle concerns the glory of the Fearless and the future of you all!
2. All Warband members, please prepare for battle and participate actively. Remember: Failed missions will not be recorded in your personal files. Successful missions will be rewarded with triple the Warband Reputation Points!
3. Iron Blood has issued a challenge, and the wolves are circling. But the name of the Fearless was forged in blood and victory! We have only one goal: to remain number one and achieve even greater glory!
4. The Warband pledges: Any member who performs outstandingly and makes significant contributions in this ranking tournament will receive a customized top-tier resource package tailored to their level as a reward. There is no upper limit!
5. Fight to the death, never retreat! Secure the top spot at all costs!
Fearless—!!!
Staring at the three huge, crimson exclamation marks at the end of the announcement, and the battle cry that had resounded throughout Canaan for millennia, the cold calm in Qin Feng’s eyes finally ignited with a blazing battle intent.
’Revenge requires power.’
’And power must be forged through endless battles and resources.’
This centennial event, now sweeping across all of Canaan, was the perfect stepping stone for him to accumulate the strength he needed for his revenge!
Just as the Fearless Warband’s awe-inspiring mobilization order popped up on Qin Feng’s personal terminal, the atmosphere inside a heavily guarded and austere high council chamber in the Warband’s exclusive area was as heavy as iron.
Around a massive circular conference table stood more than a dozen figures.
Each of them possessed an aura as deep as an abyss and as imposing as a mountain, their bodies seeming to contain the terrifying power to tear stars asunder. These were the several Ninth-level "Extreme Martial Artists" who held core positions within the Fearless Warband.
At this moment, all these powerhouses had their gazes fixed on the head of the table.
A man sat there.
He looked very young, with a handsome face. Yet, when his eyes opened and closed, it was as if a Star River flowed within, emitting a pressure that far surpassed that of a Ninth-level Martial Artist—the pressure of a higher life form.
He was the current supreme leader of the Fearless Warband, a Planet-level Strongman about to graduate from Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University—the Battle Commander, Feng Zhiyu.
"The Iron Blood Warband has really been closing the gap in the last few ranking tournaments."
A Ninth-level Martial Artist with a crew cut and eyes as sharp as an eagle’s was the first to speak, breaking the silence in the conference hall.
His voice was low.
As soon as he finished, a female Ninth-level Martial Artist beside him, responsible for intelligence and data analysis, immediately added:
"That’s right. According to our tracking and analysis of data from the past eight hundred years, the threat from the Iron Blood Warband is growing annually. Their promotional strategies and preferential treatment for new students are several times greater than our Fearless Warband’s."
"This is especially true for recruiting new members with Top-grade Acupoint Opening Techniques. Starting five hundred years ago, the proportion of top-tier geniuses who joined the Iron Blood Warband upon enrollment—those who had awakened a Control Realm killing method or chosen a Top-grade Acupoint Opening Technique—has been steadily climbing. In the last hundred years, this ratio has approached nearly one-to-one. For comparison, five hundred years ago, our recruitment ratio for such geniuses was more than three times theirs."
Her words made the other Ninth-level Martial Artists present frown slightly.
"There’s nothing to be done about it."
Another warrior, a burly man with a build as massive as a mountain, sighed. "A large part of our Fearless Warband’s foundation comes from the upperclassmen who have already graduated and gone to the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races."
"But for the last four or five hundred years, the situation on the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races has been a stalemate, and we can’t even contact most of our alumni. The Warband’s resources can’t be replenished, so our appeal to new students naturally declines. This is indeed a difficult period for us."
"Difficult or not, we absolutely cannot lose the number one spot."
The martial artist with the crew cut, who had spoken first, said coldly, "The Iron Blood Warband is coming on strong this time. What’s the specific gap between our Combat Power reserves at each level compared to theirs? Do you have a detailed data analysis report?"
"I do, Brother Lei."
The Female Martial Artist in charge of data analysis immediately waved her hand, and a massive holographic screen unfolded in the center of the conference hall, displaying dense streams of data.
"Based on our strength assessment of all members of both Warbands, we can draw the following conclusions."
She pointed at the screen, her tone professional and swift.
"First, in the four High-level Martial Artist divisions—Level 6, Level 7, Level 8, and Level 9—the strength gap between us and the Iron Blood Warband is negligible. After all, the insurmountable barrier of the ’Four Great Limits’ is a factor for everyone, so the quantity and quality of our high-end Combat Power are basically on par. In this range, we’re evenly matched."
"The real gap lies in the Level 4 Martial Artist Division and the Fifth Level Division."
Her finger tapped the screen twice, and the data for those two divisions was instantly magnified.
"At these two levels, different Acupoint Opening Methods create a world of difference in strength. In the Level 4 and Fifth Level Divisions, whichever side has more and stronger geniuses practicing the Top-grade Acupoint Opening Technique will be able to complete more, higher-difficulty missions and earn a massive amount of competition points."
"In the Level 4 Martial Artist Division, according to our statistics, the Iron Blood Warband has approximately 5,300 members practicing the Top-grade Acupoint Opening Technique."
Among them, about 1,100 have a life force index of 3,000 points or higher."