Billions of light-years away on his home world—Planet Qiming.
In a luxurious private suite inside the Qiming Broadcast Tower.
Qin Feng’s uncle, Wang Ming, and his aunt, Li Juan, sat side-by-side, quietly watching the match broadcast on the holographic screen.
The years had left their clear traces upon them.
In his youth, Wang Ming had been nearly obsessed with power armor design. This passion had honed his spirit through his research, and he eventually performed a miracle, breaking through the Mental Power bottleneck that had plagued him for years. He had successfully advanced to become a Sixth-Level Soaring Martial Artist.
The abundant vitality had rejuvenated his aging body. Now, hale and hearty, he looked no older than a man in his forties.
But Li Juan, beside him, already had a full head of white hair, and deep wrinkles lined the corners of her eyes and her forehead.
Her path in life had been completely different from her husband’s.
She was less than ten years older than Qin Feng. In her youth, she had relied on the various resources her sons, Wang Hao and Wang Jie, sent back from Starry Sky Martial Arts University. Combined with her own diligent cultivation, she had painstakingly managed to raise her life force index to 30 points.
But that was her limit.
As she grew older, that fire within her eventually flickered out.
For many years, her strength hadn’t improved in the slightest. She could only watch helplessly as time took its toll.
Now, as she watched her nephew on the screen—his expression grim, his attacks incomparably fierce—her eyes filled with nothing but heartache.
"This boy..."
Li Juan sighed softly. "After his father passed away, he became so much harder. He’s a completely different person from the boy he used to be."
Hearing this, Wang Ming also sighed with emotion.
He put an arm around his wife’s shoulder and said softly, "This is the path of the Martial Dao. If you don’t become hard, how can you survive in the Star Sea?"
"I know..."
Li Juan’s gaze grew distant. It was as if she were looking past Qin Feng’s figure to see her own two sons, who were also striving out in the Star Sea. "It’s good that the children are cultivating the Martial Dao, it’s just... sigh. In the future, I expect Ahao and Ah Jie will become just like Ah Feng."
"After all, our lifespans are much shorter than those of Advanced Martial Artists like them. I wonder... I wonder if Ahao and Ah Jie will come back to be with me when it’s my time, just like Ah Feng was with his father."
As she spoke, her voice began to choke with sobs.
Qin Dahai’s death had affected her deeply.
She had watched with her own eyes as Qin Feng—a nephew who was a true prodigy in the eyes of the world—put everything aside to stay on Planet Qiming, watching over his aging father until he took his final breath.
"Ah Feng is such a good boy,"
Li Juan wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand. "He stayed with his father for nearly twenty years..."
"There, there. It’s alright."
Wang Ming didn’t offer many words of comfort. He simply held his wife tighter and said softly, "The children have their own paths to walk. We’ve already lived a full life."
...
「At the same time.」
In the principal’s office at Qiming First Martial Arts High School.
Masters Wu Shangfeng, Lin Yue, and Gu Yue, along with the current principal and many of the old teachers who had taught Qin Feng, were all gathered here, watching a massive light screen with great relish.
The screen was playing a highlight reel of Qin Feng’s battles.
"One spear strike! Another one!"
"So clean and decisive. This kid’s spearmanship is really something."
Murmurs of admiration filled the room.
"The way I see it,"
Wu Shangfeng stroked his chin, his eyes filled with appreciation. "This kid... I’m afraid he’s already cultivated a Level 6 Killing Technique to the Control Realm."
"Indeed."
Master Gu Yue shook his head, clucking his tongue in wonder.
Master Lin Yue watched the familiar yet strange figure on the screen, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
There was gratification and pride, but more than anything, there was an indescribable sense of shock.
"His strength... it’s almost catching up to mine."
She murmured, filled with emotion.
The moment she said it, the surrounding chatter instantly died down.
Everyone knew that Master Lin Yue had successfully broken through more than sixty years ago to become a true Planet-level Strongman.
And Qin Feng was currently only at Level 9.
"Once this kid advances to the Planet-level and practices a Planet-level killing technique even a little, it’s a foregone conclusion that his strength will surpass mine."
Lin Yue added, a wry smile in her voice.
"It’s just too fast..." she muttered to herself.
In a daze, her mind drifted back to that afternoon years ago when she and Wu Shangfeng had made a bet over how to best educate Qin Feng.
Back then, Qin Feng had been just a boy who was beginning to show his talent for killing techniques, struggling his way into his second year of high school.
Now, in the blink of an eye, that same boy had grown to the point where he was about to surpass her, his master.
"It’s true."
Wu Shangfeng sighed, sharing her sentiment. "He’s the most incredible student I’ve ever taught. In less than a hundred years, he has already completed the entire path leading up to the Planet-level. He’s about to catch up to us."
His words made every teacher in the room swell with shared pride.
"This won’t do!"
Lin Yue suddenly slammed her hand on the table and shot to her feet. "I have to get back to practicing my killing techniques!" she declared, full of fighting spirit. "I can’t let my own student actually surpass me!"
"Haha! Not going to watch the rest of the match?"
Seeing her reaction, Master Gu Yue burst out laughing.
"Ahem,"
Lin Yue’s face flushed slightly, and she sat back down. "Well... I suppose we can finish watching first."
A cheerful atmosphere once again filled the room.
Every teacher present knew in their hearts that Qin Feng might not yet be the strongest expert to have ever come from Qiming First Martial Arts High School.