When he opened his eyes again, the light outside the window was still dim, but his mind felt clearer and more invigorated than ever before.
He leaped out of bed, and a series of crisp CRACKS and POPS echoed from his joints as a monumental sense of power surged through his entire body.
He glanced at the time; there was less than an hour until the scheduled assembly.
Qin Feng wasted no more time. He quickly packed his few belongings, mainly replenishing his Subspace Storage Unit with spare Spiritual Energy Potions and high-energy compressed food.
Once he was done, he took one last look around the dorm room that held so many of his early memories of the university, then turned and strode out purposefully.
...
「Canaan Main Teleportation Platform, Area A129.」
When Qin Feng arrived, he was utterly stunned by the sight before him, even though he had thought he was prepared.
A sea of people.
It was the only phrase that came to mind.
The massive plaza, which spanned tens of kilometers with Area A129 at its center, was densely packed with Canaan Students who had come to assemble.
As far as the eye could see, there was a dark, endless mass of people. A myriad of auras intertwined and surged skyward, even causing the very space above to ripple and distort.
Qin Feng clearly remembered his own entrance examination. Back then, on an equally massive plaza, over a million first-year students from dozens of star systems had gathered.
That scene had been spectacular enough.
But compared to this, that year’s entrance examination seemed like nothing more than a small get-together.
Right now, the number of people in the plaza was well over a million, and a steady stream of students continued to pour in from all directions.
At the far end of the plaza was a docked... Cosmic Battleship of indescribable majesty.
It was enormous.
It was so vast it resembled a mountain range of steel floating above the ground. It stretched for tens of kilometers, its height soaring into the clouds. Under the light of the artificial sun, its cold Alloy Armor, shimmering with a dark silver luster, cast a chilling, intimidating gleam.
Countless massive Spiritual Energy Cannon ports and missile launch arrays dotted its hull like the eyes of silent behemoths, exuding a terrifying presence potent enough to freeze one’s very soul.
Merely by sitting there in silence, the sheer, civilization-destroying power it radiated made every prodigy on the plaza feel a profound sense of their own insignificance.
"Is that... Is that a strategic transport? Look at the hull number! It’s the seventh ship in the Sword of Justice series!"
"This is way beyond a ’transport.’ Look at the caliber of those main cannons! It’s armed with Solar Storm-class Spiritual Energy Main Cannons. A single volley could wipe out an entire star system in an instant! Which master could possibly be behind this?"
"Master Yu Han is the one in charge of leading the teams to the tournament sectors this time. Chances are, this battleship is his private vessel."
"Whoa—Master Yu Han’s? I knew he was unfathomably powerful, but I had no idea his background was this terrifying! A strategic-class battleship of this caliber would be incredibly hard to requisition, even from within the Ultramarines Chapter."
"You don’t know? Before joining Canaan, Master Yu Han served in an elite Warband within the Ultramarines Chapter. He retired later for some unknown reason."
"..."
The students lowered their voices and broke into discussion, their gazes fixed on the colossal ship, a mixture of shock, reverence, and fanaticism in their eyes.
Just then, a pinned message from the official Cannan Star Martial Arts University appeared on everyone’s personal terminal.
[Attention all competing students: Please maintain order and board the ship in orderly batches according to your registered tournament sector.
Upon boarding, please follow the automated guidance to your assigned compartments.
Loud noise and fighting are strictly prohibited on board. Violators will be immediately disqualified from the competition.]
As the message was broadcast, dozens of massive boarding corridors opened up from the underside of the battleship.
The crowd began to slowly inch forward.
Amid the dense crowd, Qin Feng quickly found his friends Dragon Jade, Nissan, and Ning Jing, who had also come for the assembly.
After the four of them met up, they followed the stream of people, moving step by step toward the boarding corridor that gaped open like the maw of a great beast.
It was worth noting that even though Qin Feng was now something of a celebrity on the university’s internal forums, there were very few people in this sea of millions who could actually recognize him.
He was like a single drop of water silently merging into the vast ocean that was Canaan, causing not the slightest ripple.
"Damn it!"
Nissan grimaced as he was jostled by a burly, bear-like upperclassman in front of him. Struggling to keep his balance, he couldn’t help but laugh and complain, "Come on, we’ve got the one and only ’Qin Beast’ holding down the fort with us. How come no one is making way for us? Where’s the prestige?!"
Qin Feng couldn’t help but chuckle. "The truth is, even if you were number one in the entire university, not that many people would recognize you, let alone me. I’m not even close."
He looked at the unfamiliar yet vibrant young faces all around them and remarked thoughtfully, "Everyone’s social circle is extremely limited.