"Haha... Hahahahaha—"
After all their secrets had been openly shared at that moment, the four of them looked at each other and suddenly burst into heartfelt, cathartic laughter.
The vulnerabilities, exhaustion, and obsessions hidden in the deepest corners of their hearts—things they never spoke of to outsiders—seemed to dissipate like smoke into the air with their laughter.
"The Warband tournament is almost over!"
Dragon Jade reached out and clapped each of his three brothers on the shoulder, the light of confidence rekindling in his eyes.
"Once the dust settles on this point tournament, we will break through together and enter the Sixth-Level Soaring! From then on, it’ll be a smooth road ahead!"
"We’ve cried, we’ve slept, and now the obsessions in our hearts have an outlet!"
His voice became resonant and powerful. "From now on, it’s a triumphal march!"
"Hahaha, well said!"
Nissan replied with a hearty laugh.
Ning Jing, however, looked at Qin Feng with great interest, his eyes gleaming with the unique light of a battle maniac. He grinned and said, "No rush. But before we break through, if there’s a chance, you have to let me experience the power of your move, [Qian Yuan], firsthand, Brother Qin Feng. Suddenly, I’m itching for a beating!"
"Hahaha—"
The four of them looked at each other and smiled once more.
-----------------
Soon, Qin Feng was back in his familiar, quiet dorm room, alone.
For him, the greatest gain from that earth-shattering "Nightmare-Level" mission wasn’t the whopping 150,000 Contribution Points, nor was it the 300,000 points that allowed the Fearless Warband to lock in their victory early.
It was that one punch.
It was the move he had comprehended naturally within the illusion, fueled by his obsession for revenge—his very own, most powerful killing blow: [Qian Yuan].
What he needed to do now wasn’t celebrate or relax, but to consolidate.
He needed to take the insight from that single moment, the Will of that one punch, and etch it firmly and completely into his very bones and soul. He had to transform it from a flash of inspiration into a true, conventional weapon he could call upon at will.
Qin Feng sat down cross-legged, his mind as still as an ancient well.
His consciousness sank directly into the Imperial Arena.
[Welcome back, esteemed user ’Qin’.]
"Confirm."
Qin Feng’s mental command was cold and direct: "Begin matchmaking."
[Matchmaking initiated... A suitable opponent has been found for you...]
...
While Qin Feng was immersed in the Imperial Arena, undertaking a new round of frenzied "Gan Di" training,
What he didn’t know was that in the outside world, that shocking "Nightmare-Level" mission of his had already stirred up a monstrous storm.
Cannan Star Martial Arts University, private forums.
The atmosphere on the forums, which had already reached a boiling point when the two top Warbands simultaneously accepted "Nightmare-Level" missions, hadn’t cooled down after several days of fermenting. Instead, it was pushed to a new, unprecedented, and downright frenzied peak by a newly pinned and featured post with an explosive title.
[OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED! TIME’S NOT UP, BUT THE ’IRON BLOOD WARBAND’ HAS FORFEITED! WHAT HAPPENED?! THIS YEAR’S WARBAND TOURNAMENT CHAMPION HAS BEEN DECIDED!]
This post, published by the official Canaan operational account, was like a nuclear bomb that detonated the sun, instantly plunging every user on the entire forum into a state of collective speechlessness and shock.
"Wait... am I seeing things? Somebody pinch me! The Iron Blood Warband... forfeited?!"
"What is going on?! What the hell is going on?! There are still four months until the competition officially ends! Weren’t they just fighting tooth and nail, even taking on a ’Nightmare-Level’ mission without hesitation? Didn’t they have that whole ’we won’t rest until we’ve taken down the Fearless Warband’ attitude? How did they... just give up now?"
"Exactly! Why?! Even if their Nightmare-Level mission failed, there’s no guarantee the Fearless Warband’s would succeed! They still had a 210,000-point lead! They could have just played it safe and defended their number one spot! This makes no sense!"
"Does any well-informed big shot have some insider info to explain this? This plot twist is way too fast!"
For a moment, the entire forum was flooded with all sorts of questions, speculations, and confusion.
No one could understand why the Iron Blood Warband, a group of battle maniacs known for their unyielding style of fighting to the death rather than bowing their heads, would make such a swift and, one might even say, "humiliating" decision.
Just as this wave of discussion was about to reach its peak,
a verified reply from the vice-captain of the Iron Blood Warband, "Iron Madman" himself, appeared under the post.
The reply was just a short sentence, yet it carried a roguishly straightforward, almost comically nonchalant air.
"Stop guessing. Those brothers from the Fearless Warband finished their ’Nightmare-Level’ mission with an S+ evaluation. What more is there for me to say? We’re giving you first place. We’re not fighting it anymore."
After a brief silence, an even greater tsunami of discussion erupted, filled with shock and disbelief.
"Wha—what the hell?! A Nightmare-Level mission... finished with an S... S+ evaluation?!"
"Holy shit! What the fuck did I just read?! An S+ evaluation?! Isn’t that the highest possible rating, something that only exists in theory? It means they completed the mission to over 100% and resolved every problem in a way that can only be described as perfect! Zero casualties... How is that possible?!"
"Oh my god! Dragon Jade, Nissan, Ning Jing, Qin Feng... that four-man squad is just too damn badass! Is that something humans are even capable of doing?"
"Unbelievable! This is completely unbelievable! I was thinking before that as long as they made it back alive, even if they failed the mission, their courage alone would have been enough to earn everyone’s respect. But not only did they complete it, they got an S+ evaluation!"