Dragon Jade’s eyes held a wistful look. "For those nascent civilizations on the Empire’s frontiers, they might have to develop independently for millions of years, exhausting the wisdom and resources of their entire people, just to build the first ship capable of leaving their home star system. Distance is the cruelest and most insurmountable law in the Cosmos."
"And this battleship of Master Yu Han’s that we’re on now—it’s not actually traveling through the real universe anymore."
Dragon Jade pointed to the pure darkness outside the window. "Its true speed has far surpassed the speed of light. This is Subspace travel technology. You can still see the cosmic scenery, but we are actually at the boundary between Subspace and the material universe."
Nissan nodded, only half-understanding.
Ning Jing added, his voice filled with deep reverence, "The Emperor forcefully seized this vast expanse of Subspace, corresponding to the entire territory of the Human Empire, snatching it from the covetous gaze of countless Evil Gods from other dimensions.
With his own great power, he placed it firmly under the Control of the Human Race, turning it into a ’highway’ for us to travel on safely...
This is the monumental achievement of the Emperor."
"I see..."
Nissan’s face lit up with understanding. Then, as if he’d thought of something else, he asked curiously, "What about us Martial Artists? Can a Martial Artist personally surpass the speed of light?"
"Yes."
Dragon Jade answered in the affirmative.
Clearly, he knew far more about the high-level secrets of the Martial Dao than anyone else.
"I once heard my father mention it. When a Martial Artist’s power breaks through the Planetary, Stellar, and Galactic levels, finally reaching the ’Black Hole-level,’ they will undergo a fundamental leap in their very existence.
They will no longer be a purely material being and will be able to condense their own ’Subspace projection’ within Subspace."
"At that realm, a Martial Artist can travel between stars in the material universe at speeds exceeding light.
Even on the chaotic ’Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races,’ beyond the protection of the Empire’s territory, they can rely on their own power to forcefully tear open the barrier between reality and Subspace to perform short-range Subspace Teleportation, independent of any network!"
Qin Feng listened quietly without interrupting.
But everything Dragon Jade described was like a door opening to a new world before him, filling him with endless curiosity and yearning for the future Martial Arts Realms.
’Black Hole-level... Subspace projection... Faster-than-light...’
These distant yet alluring terms took root in his heart like seeds, beginning to sprout.
"Actually,"
Dragon Jade smiled and summarized, "The first nine levels of our Martial Dao cultivation path, from Level 1 to nine, can all be considered a single major stage. The core of this stage is to constantly build your foundation and accumulate the ’quantity’ of your life force."
"You could say that the true Martial Dao only officially begins at the tenth level, the ’Planetary-level.’ From that moment on, we finally begin to touch upon ’qualitative’ transformation."
"And the first and most important watershed moment after the Planetary-level is, as I just said, the ’Black Hole-level.’"
"Then what’s after the Black Hole-level?"
Nissan pressed on like an inquisitive child, "What realm is above the Black Hole-level?"
This time, however, Dragon Jade just smiled and shook his head.
"After the Black Hole-level... to be honest, I don’t know either."
A look of helpless yearning crossed his face. "That realm is for the true elites of the Empire. It’s classified information.
Ordinary students like us can only hear a few scattered and unverifiable titles from unofficial histories and legends."
"But one thing is certain."
Dragon Jade’s gaze became incredibly resolute. "If you and I can successfully join the Ultramarines Chapter in the future, the Warband will naturally show us the path of cultivation that lies ahead.
But if we just remain unaffiliated Martial Artists and don’t join any official Imperial Warband, then the ’Black Hole-level’ will likely be the highest ceiling most Martial Artists can ever hope to reach in their lifetime."
"..."
The group fell silent, each of them digesting the shocking information and contemplating their own future paths.
Just then, the battleship’s speed began to slowly decrease.
The eternal, unchanging darkness and cold outside the window began to gradually dissipate, replaced by brilliant starlight brimming with vibrant life.
They had arrived at their destination.
An immense, magnificent blue-green gas giant slowly appeared before their eyes.
And in synchronous orbit around the gas giant, a colossal Space Fortress floated silently. It was more than ten times larger than the "Meatgrinder-III" orbital fortress, spanning the void like a planetary ring.
Countless Cosmic Battleships and transport ships of all kinds were converging on the massive Space Fortress from every direction, moving in and out like a swarm of bees returning to its hive.
A multitude of Martial Artists, visible as specks of light, zipped between these vessels, creating a breathtaking interstellar tableau of immense prosperity.
"This place..."
Nissan’s eyes were wide as he stared, so stunned by the sight that he was left speechless.
"This is our destination."
A trace of irrepressible excitement was in Dragon Jade’s voice as well.
"The main venue for the ’Starry Sky Cup’ Martial Dao tournament—Competition Planet 1."
At that exact moment, Qin Feng sharply sensed a wave of Mental Power—immeasurably powerful and as vast as the sea—sweep out from the battleship’s bridge. It engaged in a brief but incredibly dense data exchange with a certain region of the Space Fortress.