With a clear and efficient cultivation blueprint laid out in his mind, Qin Feng wasted no time.
He immediately took the thirty thousand Warband Reputation points he had just earned from his mission and poured every last one into preparing for his next round of secluded cultivation.
The formula was the same as last time: twenty "Strengthened Type-II Spiritual Energy Potions," complete with accompanying deep-repair medicinal baths and Mental Power recovery Potions.
He redeemed all these resources at once—an amount that would make even an ordinary Fifth-level Martial Artist’s heart ache.
Soon after, the door to the Cultivation Room slowly closed once more, shutting out all disturbances from the outside world.
Another period of tedious, painful, yet incredibly fulfilling extreme cultivation began.
Supported by the immense power of the potions, Qin Feng once again threw his body and mind into the endless cycle of attempting to close his acupoints.
Time slipped by quietly amid his intense focus.
Four months later, when the last trace of the potions’ power had been completely absorbed by his body, the door to the Cultivation Room finally opened again.
Qin Feng’s figure slowly emerged.
His eyes held a new depth and intensity compared to four months prior.
The Great Sun Star Map within his body had also undergone another subtle change.
Another successful session of secluded cultivation had allowed him to complete two more acupoint closings.
His life force index had steadily risen from 3,620 to 3,640.
This advancement in strength brought with it greater confidence.
After emerging from his seclusion, Qin Feng didn’t rest for a moment, immediately throwing himself back into the frenzy of the Warband Ranking Tournament.
This time, unlike his first foray, he didn’t need to start with the simplest missions to get familiar with the process.
He set his sights directly on Warrior Level missions.
He began to frequent the Fearless Warband’s exclusive teleportation zone. He formed temporary teams with all sorts of Warband elites—all of whom also practiced the Top-grade Acupoint Opening Technique—and traveled to every corner of the Cosmos to undertake a variety of high-difficulty missions.
His journeys took him to death worlds shrouded in toxic acid rain, all to retrieve a crashed black box from the depths of an alien nest.
He infiltrated heavily guarded Interstellar Pirate fortresses, assassinating their wicked leader with precision amidst a hail of gunfire.
He fought life-and-death battles in the Meteorite Belt against ferocious, metal-devouring cosmic creatures.
Every mission was a trial of life and death.
But the success of each mission also brought him incredibly rich rewards.
Massive amounts of Contribution Points and a threefold bonus to his Warband Reputation flooded into his account like a raging torrent.
And Qin Feng, in an almost extravagant fashion, quickly converted these hard-earned resources into direct combat power.
He used his Contribution Points to purchase vast quantities of powerful, specialized equipment.
Spiritual Energy Bomb Guns that could instantly overload to release the power of a small nuclear explosion; Kinetic Deflection Shields that generated a repulsive field for effective defense against physical impacts; and even single-use Holy Silver Hand Grenades inscribed with the purification runes of the Imperial Court of Justice...
He spared no expense on anything that could help in a fight, as long as he had the clearance to buy it.
Besides, with the triple reputation bonus, he was earning resources far faster than ever before. No matter how he spent it, he was coming out way ahead!
Time flew by in this perfect cycle of "battle, spend, cultivate, repeat."
On average, Qin Feng completed roughly one Warrior Level mission per month.
After deducting the cost of equipment and ammunition, as well as his teammates’ shares, he netted an average of about thirty thousand Warband Reputation points per mission.
And whenever he accumulated enough reputation points, he would immediately stop taking missions and return to his Cultivation Room for a deep, four-month-long session of secluded cultivation.
Day after day, year after year.
The name "Qin Feng" gradually began to circulate among the top elite circles of the Fearless Warband.
All the teammates who worked with him were left with a profound impression of his terrifying strength and calm Combat Wisdom.
He gradually grew from a promising star rookie into a powerful and highly trusted teammate in the Warrior Level mission zone.
And so, the seasons turned.
「Ten years passed in a flash.」
...
Inside the Cultivation Room, Qin Feng slowly opened his eyes, concluding another four-month session of secluded cultivation.
He felt the power within him—a force that had grown by more than a single level over the past decade—and silently took stock of his gains.
’To date, I’ve successfully completed fifty-four acupoint closings.’
’My life force index has finally broken the four-thousand-point barrier, steadily reaching 4,140.’
This rate of growth would be enough to put any Fifth-level Martial Artist in the outside world to shame.
This was also the absolute limit of his speed.
’If I want to go any faster, I’ll need a breakthrough in my Ten-Complete Hand.’
’Those ten Second-level Killing Techniques I acquired from the Warband... After ten years and hundreds of high-intensity battles, I’ve cultivated all of them to the Perfection realm. I’m just one step away from reaching Control.’
He knew very well that his current strength was worlds apart from what it had been ten years ago.
’Next, it’s time to purchase a Third-level Killing Skill.’