[Gu Yue]: Hahahaha! Worthy of being my, Gu Yue’s, prized student! Such rapid progress! Such a profound foundation!
I knew it. There’s no way my judgment could have been wrong!
In the domain of Third-level and lower Killing Skills, Qin Feng is already invincible! He has reached the absolute apex of what the ’Control Realm’ can achieve! This [Qian Yuan] technique is good! Very good!
...
In the channel, the other spectators who had been about to add their own two cents wisely held their tongues after seeing the messages from these three titans.
They clicked on the three profiles, and what they saw scared them into silence.
Every single one was a "Planet-level Strongman." Behind one of their IDs hung a glittering "Fighter" badge, signifying a rank above the ninth dan in the Imperial Arena.
...
Amidst the final, brilliant flash of the explosion.
The Alloy Long Spear in Qin Feng’s hand could not withstand the force that surpassed its limits and shattered piece by piece.
His body, constructed of data, also disintegrated bit by bit from the devastating impact, ultimately dissolving into a sky full of twinkling starlight.
And though his opponent, Qin Yonglin, had won, the Bronze Long Staff in his hands had snapped in half from the strain of forcibly deflecting the tyrannical, unrivaled power of [Qian Yuan].
This battle, Qin Yonglin wins.
...
The virtual starlight dissipated, and his consciousness returned to reality.
Qin Feng opened his eyes. He was still sitting cross-legged in the absolute silence of the Cultivation Quiet Chamber.
The exhilarating battle in the Imperial Arena moments ago was still vivid in his mind.
Though he had been defeated, his body disintegrating in the end, he felt no dejection whatsoever. On the contrary, he was filled with an unprecedented excitement.
To cross blades with a true strongman like Qin Yonglin, even for just a few dozen seconds, brought immense rewards.
He exited the private room in the Imperial Arena, and Qin Yonglin exited as well.
The face of this straightforward, out-and-out Martial Fool was slightly flushed from the fight, his eyes filled with the thrill and appreciation of having met his match.
He looked at Qin Feng, not holding back his praise in the slightest.
"Qin Feng,"
Qin Yonglin said with deep feeling, his voice booming with excitement, "Your fundamentals in Killing Skills below the fourth-level are just absurdly solid!"
"Especially that final technique, [Qian Yuan]! You used pure Martial Dao Will to spontaneously channel your Mental Power. The might it unleashed in that instant already surpassed a typical fourth-level killing move!
If my Nine Elements Staff technique hadn’t already reached Perfection, and if my mastery over power and force-deflection hadn’t reached their absolute peak, I’m afraid my staff wouldn’t have been the only thing to break in the end."
His gaze grew intensely fiery, as if he were looking at a peerless, uncut gem.
"Take my advice, Junior Qin. Your [Qian Yuan] technique is the very essence of your Martial Dao. You must never abandon it.
In the future, when you can also cultivate a large number of Middle Three Levels Killing Techniques to the realm of ’Perfection’ and can draw inferences from them, integrating their ’Mental Power-Spiritual Energy Aggregation Modules’ into your [Qian Yuan]...
When that day comes, I can’t even begin to imagine how terrifying your ultimate move will become!"
"Excellent! Excellent!"
He clapped Qin Feng firmly on the shoulder. "That was an incredibly satisfying fight! The best I’ve had since I advanced to the sixth level!"
Qin Yonglin roared with laughter, his gaze full of anticipation as he looked at Qin Feng.
"Qin Feng, I’ll be waiting! When you’ve also cultivated the Middle Three Levels Killing Techniques to the ’Control Realm’, let’s have another all-out battle!"
"You’re on!"
Hearing the two words "Control Realm," a brilliant light instantly burst forth from Qin Feng’s eyes.
Without the slightest hesitation, he eagerly accepted the challenge!
’Control Realm!’
’To others, it might be a legendary realm, impossibly distant, requiring countless years of effort to attain.’
’But to me, it is a goal I am certain to reach!’
’I am equally confident that I can grind all of these higher-level Middle Three Levels Killing Techniques, one by one, to the Realm of Control!’
Having received Qin Feng’s affirmative reply, Qin Yonglin was completely satisfied.
He, Wan Kun, and the others cupped their fists toward Qin Feng and Dragon Jade, then turned and left in a rush, undoubtedly eager to review the battle that had just concluded.
After they saw off Qin Yonglin’s group, the quiet chamber returned to its state of peace.
Just then, Qin Feng noticed the private message icon on his personal terminal blinking nonstop.
He opened it to find that Master Lin Yue, Master Gu Yue, and Master Wu Shangfeng had all sent him new messages at nearly the same moment.
He opened Master Lin Yue’s message first.
[Lin Yue]: You brat, fess up right now! How in the world did you progress this fast?! Tell me! Did you go behind our backs and start secretly worshipping some forbidden Evil God?!
Lin Yue’s message was as direct as ever, its tone almost an interrogation.
But beneath the seemingly harsh questioning, Qin Feng could clearly feel her deep, sincere care and worry.
Next were the messages from Master Wu Shangfeng and Master Gu Yue, which were largely the same.
[Wu Shangfeng]: Qin Feng, your progress has exceeded my expectations. This is very good. However, the path of the Martial Dao grows more treacherous the further one travels. The greater one’s talent, the more one is coveted and tempted by the outside world. Remember: only by holding fast to your true self can you see the path to its end.
Wu Shangfeng’s inquiry was more roundabout, but it shared the same worry.
[Gu Yue]: Haha! Good kid! But on that note, your progress is unnervingly fast.
You have to remember, we Martial Artists of the Human Race cultivate the grand and righteous path. We rely on our own Will and sweat. Don’t you ever, for the sake of a temporary boost in speed, get involved with that Evil Dao stuff!
Those Chaos Beasts absolutely love geniuses like you—strong-willed, but with an extreme thirst for power!
...
Master Gu Yue trusted Qin Feng, but still felt the need to give him a warning.
All three of his masters had, without conferring, expressed immense shock at his rate of progress, and... a thread of deep worry.
...
A warmth spread through Qin Feng’s chest as he instantly understood his masters’ earnest intentions.
’They are worldly and experienced Planet-level Strongmen.’
’In their long lives, they have seen countless prodigies of astonishing brilliance.’
’These prodigies fight with everything they have, clawing their way out of one gathering of geniuses, only to enter a higher, vaster training ground where talents like them are a dime a dozen.’
’During that process, the immense sense of disparity, the cruel reality of their new situation, and the desperate craving for greater power often become the last straw that shatters their Dao Heart.’
’How many geniuses have been unable to bear that pressure, ultimately losing themselves to the seductive whispers of a Chaos Evil God and plunging into an abyss of eternal damnation?’
’Of course, the main reason my masters are so worried is that my rocket-fueled progress is simply too fast. It’s so fast that it’s beyond their very concept of what a ’genius’ is.’
"Masters, it’s like this..."
Qin Feng quickly began to type out his reply.