Chapter 566 - 203: Slaying Shi Dang, Chaos’s Nemesis, The Path Forward
"This type of Martial Artist can slay the blessed minions of Chaos Evil Gods. By doing so, they can forcibly strip, absorb, and purify the power those minions received from the blessing, allowing them to directly increase their own Mental Power or strengthen their physique."
Yu Han’s voice was calm and clear, yet it sent a tidal wave of shock through Qin Feng.
"They are the bane of Chaos."
"At the same time, they are what Chaos desires to corrupt most."
At this, Yu Han looked up, his gaze meeting Qin Feng’s eyes directly. He enunciated every word.
"And you belong to this special category of Martial Artist."
"As for this skull..."
Yu Han pointed to it. "You can think of it as a ’mark’ that Chaos has placed on you. You can easily destroy its physical form, but you cannot erase the brand it has left on the essence of your soul."
"It serves two purposes."
"First, from now on, any Chaos Demon that gets within a certain range of you will be able to clearly sense your coordinates. At the same time, through the aura this skull emits, it can roughly discern how many Chaos Demons of the same origin you have killed."
"Second, you can, in turn, use it to clearly sense the presence of all Chaos Demons within a certain range."
"As for the size of this ’range,’ that depends on how many Chaos Demons you’ve slain, as well as the level and strength of those you have slain."
Yu Han lifted his teacup and took a small sip.
"So, just treat this skull as a special kind of trophy.
Many of the Empire’s top experts have a habit of collecting the heads of their prey. It is a symbol of honor."
"I see."
Realization dawned on Qin Feng.
He looked down at the red and white skull at his waist with a complicated expression.
"What do you plan to do now? Your revenge is complete," Yu Han said with a smile.
"I don’t know."
Qin Feng smiled candidly, a smile that held his complete trust in his mentor. "That’s why I came to ask for your guidance, Mentor."
Seeing his expression, a smile appeared on Yu Han’s face as well.
"Your path is actually very clear."
Yu Han extended a finger, sketching out a grand path for him on the stone table.
"First step: participate in the upcoming Starry Sky Cup. Do everything in your power to secure a dazzlingly high rank—top one hundred at the very least. This is to get you a ticket to the Cosmic Genius Battle."
"Second step: after the Starry Sky Cup is over, ride the momentum to break through your shackles and advance to a Planet-level Life Form."
"Third step: apply for graduation. Then, immediately sign up for the Cosmic Genius Battle!"
"And finally, earn your official spot in the Ultramarines Chapter!"
"As for Killing Techniques,"
Yu Han’s tone shifted. "You’ve already mastered a Level 6 Killing Technique at the Control Realm. For your current stage, that’s more than enough. Your path—your true starting point—begins after you advance to a Planet-level Life Form."
He looked at Qin Feng, his expression growing more serious than ever before.
"You must remember that for the vast majority of Martial Artists, after reaching the Planet-level, their starting points for both their physical bodies and life force are reset to the same line. The foundation they built before becoming Planet-level will be largely nullified."
"Most Martial Artists who practice Upper-grade Acupoint Opening Techniques and have Upper-grade Primordial Acupoints get stuck at the fourth great limit of 108,000 for a long time. This is because their physical aptitude is insufficient, and they need to rely on a long, grinding process to slowly approach the standard of a Planet-level Life Form. This process can take several hundred years."
"But you forged Top-grade Primordial Acupoints ahead of time, and your physical aptitude is excellent, so you can easily break through the four great limits and advance to a Planet-level Life Form. That’s because the gap between you and a Planet-level Life Form is already small."
"..."
"The Planet-level is a new beginning."
"But you are a special case."
"Once you can hunt one Planet-level Chaos Demon after another, and even those above Planet-level, your strength will leap forward continuously!"
"Even after reaching the Planet-level, you will still be a top-tier prodigy!"
Yu Han slowly rose to his feet, the wind in the bamboo forest rustling his robes.
"I’ve said all I can say."
"I will wait for you in the Ultramarines Chapter."
Yu Han’s words illuminated the fog in Qin Feng’s mind.
A clear, distinct path of the Martial Dao slowly unfolded before his eyes.
"Mentor,"
Seeing Yu Han slowly stand, as if preparing to leave, Qin Feng couldn’t help but ask, "Are you leaving?"
"Yes."
A smile of relief appeared on Yu Han’s face. "We’ve been apart for too long. It’s time to return to the Warband."
He turned, not looking at Qin Feng again, leaving him with only the sight of his broad back.
"The next time we meet,"
His voice, carried by the wind, reached Qin Feng’s ears clearly, "we should be comrades-in-arms."
"Okay!"
Qin Feng nodded firmly.
-----------------
After leaving the Martial Hero District, Qin Feng opened his personal terminal and connected to the Empire-wide Subspace Network.
The first thing he opened was the registration page for the "Starry Sky Cup," officially hosted by the Imperial Martial Arts Department.
["Starry Sky Cup" Level 9 Division, Registration Portal.]
Without the slightest hesitation, he filled in his information and clicked confirm.
[Registration successful. Distinguished Canaan Star Martial Arts University Student Qin Feng, your eligibility has been confirmed.
The preliminaries will officially begin in three months, Imperial Standard Time.]
Having done all this, Qin Feng finally turned his attention to his personal mail, which had been piling up like a mountain for years.
He opened his inbox, and a series of familiar names met his eyes.
The vast majority of the messages were from his former comrades from the Fearless Warband, with whom he had fought side-by-side—Dragon Jade, Nissan, and Ning Jing.
The earliest message was from six years ago.
[Sender: Nissan]
[Content: Qin Beast! Where’d you run off to? How could you just disappear without a word? Was it about that Shi Dang business? If you need help, just say the word!]
[Sender: Dragon Jade]
[Content: Qin Feng, reply when you see this. We confirmed with our mentor that you’re still alive. If you need anything, contact us anytime.]
[Sender: Ning Jing]
[Content: Don’t die.]
......
Further down were messages they had sent sporadically, asking about his situation and inviting him to get together when he had time.
Between the lines, their sincere concern was evident.
As for his other close friends—Xiong Yanfu, Shi Potian, and Tiemu—their inboxes were empty.
They, too, had accumulated massive amounts of prestige and Contribution Points in the Warband ranking tournament back then.
Right now, they were likely still in deep seclusion, making their final push toward a higher realm.
He recalled how, back when they first enrolled, none of them could sit still and cultivate, always eager to go out on missions. But after so many years, everyone had matured. Solitary cultivation was now the norm for them.
Besides Dragon Jade and the others, one more name stood out in his inbox.
[Sender: Qin Yonglin]
[Content: Student Qin Feng, I hear you have come out of seclusion. My staff techniques have improved again. Do you dare to fight?]
[Sender: Qin Yonglin]
[Content: Location, Imperial Arena. I’ll be waiting.]
[Sender: Qin Yonglin]
[Content: Why aren’t you replying?]
......
The senior, a true Martial Fool, had sent a letter almost every other week.
The content had also changed from an initial challenge to a later challenge tinged with confusion and bewilderment.
Qin Feng smiled with a sense of resignation.
He marked the messages as read one by one, then opened a chat with Dragon Jade and the others and sent a message.
"I’m back."