"And another thing..."
Qin Feng’s gaze swept over his three closest friends. His expression grew serious as he said, word by word, "That’s all just empty fame."
At this, his voice took on an unprecedented tone of gravity and warning. This was a lesson written in blood, one he had distilled from Zhou Xiong’s "ideological education" and his own nearly twenty years of confronting chaos head-on.
"In this cruel Cosmos, the gaze of the Evil Gods is everywhere. Battle, honor, hope, life—even the easily overlooked pleasures of our daily cultivation—can all attract their prying eyes. They can become the hooks They use to lure you, step by step, into the embrace of chaos."
Qin Feng’s eyes sharpened.
"You all must be careful from now on!
For example, if you become too intoxicated by the honor, fame, and vanity that come with growing stronger, basking in the feeling of being the center of attention, you might unknowingly attract the notice of Slaanesh. The whispers of Khorne will sound in your ear.
Once a crack appears in your mental defenses, the end... is often utterly tragic."
He thought of Shi Dang, his former companion, who had ultimately transformed into a monster thirsting for slaughter.
Hearing this, the relaxed expressions on Dragon Jade, Nissan, and Ning Jing’s faces instantly vanished, replaced by solemnity.
They all knew that the death of Lei Meng and the betrayal of Shi Dang were sources of great pain for Qin Feng. The fact that he was admonishing them with such gravity meant this was a lesson born from his own blood and tears.
This was the most genuine warning they could receive.
"We understand."
The three of them nodded in unison, their expressions grave.
The path ahead was not just a battle against the visible enemies of countless races, but also an eternal struggle against the temptations that arose from within their own hearts.
After parting ways with Dragon Jade, Nissan, and Ning Jing, Qin Feng didn’t linger in the noisy Iron Fist Tavern.
He passed through the clamor of voices and crisscrossing gazes, returning to the dormitory at the Fearless Warband’s base that he hadn’t seen in nearly twenty years.
The room’s furnishings were as simple as when he had left—or rather, spartan.
A standard alloy bed, a cattail cushion for Meditation, and a personal terminal embedded in the wall. There was nothing else.
He sat cross-legged on the cushion, connected his consciousness to the personal terminal, and pulled up the Imperial Trading House.
[Contribution Points Balance: 328,210]
This huge sum was the spoils he had acquired over the past four years in the Chaotic Star Realm while hunting Shi Dang, taking the opportunity to wipe out countless Interstellar Pirates and Imperial Fugitives along the way. Even after deducting the cost of exchanging for the Level 6 Killing Technique, "Star Breaker," it was still a fortune.
Qin Feng’s gaze slowly swept across the dazzling array of items in the exchange list, finally settling on the "Seventh-level Killing Technique" category.
With a thought, he checked the detailed descriptions and exchange prices for the Seventh-level Killing Techniques.
Even the most basic Seventh-level Killing Technique cost as much as one million Contribution Points.
Qin Feng wasn’t surprised by this.
As a Martial Artist’s core combat method, the gap between levels of Killing Techniques was as wide as the heavens and the earth.
First to Third Level Killing Techniques formed the foundation of the Martial Dao, emphasizing pure Control over one’s own power and Techniques.
Fourth to Sixth-level Killing Techniques marked the beginning of the Path to the Extraordinary.
Their core lay in "Multi-tasking," using Mental Power to command Spiritual Energy Modules and unleash destructive force on a physical level far exceeding one’s base life force.
A Fourth-level Killing Technique required "One Heart, Ten Uses" as its foundation.
A Fifth Level Killing Technique also required "One Heart, Ten Uses," representing a higher level of proficiency.
And the Level 6 Killing Technique, "Star Breaker," that Qin Feng currently cultivated, had a terrifying threshold: "One Heart, One Hundred Uses."
A Martial Artist had to split their Mental Power into a hundred threads, simultaneously controlling one hundred micro Spiritual Energy Modules to perform fusion and fission with atomic-level precision. This would condense terrifying energy at the tip of a spear or the point of a fist, enough to pierce the armor of a starship.
This was purely the ultimate sublimation on the physical level.
A Seventh-level Killing Technique, however, stepped into another dimension entirely.
It was known as a "Planet-level Killing Technique," exclusive to Planet-level Strongmen.
Its essence was to build upon the "One Heart, One Hundred Uses" of a Level 6 Killing Technique, integrating the Cultivation Methods of top-tier Meditation to perfectly combine pure physical attacks with intangible mental assaults.
When a Technique was unleashed, it not only carried world-destroying physical power but was also accompanied by overwhelming spiritual pressure.
Weaker individuals didn’t even need to be hit. The mental impact contained within the Killing Technique alone was enough to shatter their consciousness and dissipate their soul.
It was a qualitative transformation.
As for the even higher Level 8 Killing Technique, also known as a "Constant Star Killing Technique," that already involved condensing "True Intent" through mental comprehension.
And a Ninth-level Killing Skill, or a "Star System-level Killing Technique," could even open up one’s own "domain." Within this domain, the onslaught of Mental Power was vast and turbulent, utterly terrifying.
That was a distant realm that Qin Feng could not even begin to imagine at his current level.
’One million Contribution Points...’
Qin Feng closed the exchange list, his heart calm.
His goal was clear: to secure a spot in the top one thousand in the upcoming Starry Sky Cup and obtain a ticket to the "Cosmic Genius Battle."
This goal didn’t require him to fight to the death against those truly top-tier Demons, nor did it require him to master a Seventh-level Killing Technique right now.
He had already reached the "Fourth Great Limit," the theoretical maximum for a Ninth-level Extreme Martial Artist. His life force index was as high as 108,000, and his foundation was far more profound than others at his rank.
Coupled with his Level 6 Killing Technique, "Star Breaker," which had already reached the "Control Realm," he was equipped to handle the vast majority of situations.
What he needed most right now wasn’t a higher-level Killing Technique, but a massive amount of real combat experience against experts of the same level.