[Your final ranking is: 672nd.]
The moment Qin Feng calmly stepped down from the ring, the official commentator for the C-Zone core matches, whose voice had been steady and smooth, suddenly jumped an octave, filled with irrepressible excitement and shock!
"My god! What did we just witness?!"
"Two of them! Two true masters of the gun!!"
His voice instantly spread through the Subspace Network to every broadcast in Star Zone K-739, jolting the countless viewers watching the match.
"Incredible! At the last second, the contestant Qin Feng—the dark horse from Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University—actually achieved a breakthrough mid-fight! He synthesized a lifetime of learning!"
On the holographic screen, the director replayed Qin Feng’s final thrust in ultra-slow motion.
The tip of his weapon, infused with the Will of all his Killing Techniques, radiated a terrifying light under the gaze of billions of viewers.
"This strike! What a powerful strike! Everyone, look at the energy analysis graph—its physical destructive power is nearing the theoretical maximum for a Level 6 Killing Technique!
What’s even more terrifying is, look at the Mental Power fluctuation curve!
It’s showing a distinct spike!
This means that strike was already showing signs of a characteristic unique to Level 7 Killing Techniques: mental suppression!"
The commentator’s voice trembled with excitement.
"A prodigy! This is a true prodigy!
Surpassing himself in the face of despair, creating possibility from the impossible!
Though he was ultimately defeated by a minuscule flaw, it does nothing to diminish his brilliance!"
The view switched, showing Jinmu extending a hand to Qin Feng as the two, full of mutual admiration, added each other as friends.
"’What a shame I didn’t get to meet an even stronger you’!"
The commentator recited the lip-read dialogue with deep emotion. "When a chess master meets their match, a great general finds a worthy adversary! This was a duel with no losers!
Let’s give a round of applause to these two peerless Gunmen!
They’ve given us a classic battle, one that will be recorded in the annals of this year’s Starry Sky Cup!"
...
「Qiming Star, Qiming Match-Viewing Building.」
Inside the private box, Wang Ming and Li Juan watched the final ranking freeze on the screen, looks of regret simultaneously appearing on their faces.
"Sigh. He was so close."
Li Juan sighed.
"He did his best."
Wang Ming nodded, his eyes filled with gratification and pride.
Neither of them could understand a battle of this level. All they knew was that Qin Feng had placed in the top thousand among countless prodigies, suffered a narrow defeat, and even won his opponent’s respect.
...
「Qiming First Martial Arts High School, Principal’s Office.」
When Qin Feng delivered his final thrust, the entire room erupted in a thunderous cheer!
"What a strike!!"
Wu Shangfeng slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet, his eyes gleaming!
"Beautiful! With that strike, he synthesized everything!"
"This is no longer a simple Killing Technique. It’s a manifestation of Will! It has the makings of a Planet-level Killing Technique."
Master Gu Yue also slammed the table in admiration.
Lin Yue was utterly mesmerized. She murmured to herself, "’To be at the ninth level and already glimpse the threshold of a Planet-level Killing Technique... What a monster...’"
Although Qin Feng had ultimately lost, not a single teacher present felt any regret.
They could all see that what Qin Feng had gained from this battle was far more important than victory or defeat.
...
Down below the ring, Qin Feng didn’t immediately leave like the other eliminated contestants.
He calmly returned to his seat and turned his full attention back to the rings where battles still raged.
Only a few final rounds of the competition remained.
Those still in the running were monsters among monsters, the true favorites to win the championship.
Every single one of them was a top-tier expert who had mastered multiple Level 6 Killing Techniques at the Control Realm.
For Qin Feng, who had just broken through that final barrier, these higher-level battles were of immeasurable benefit.
He watched with ravenous intensity, absorbing every detail of the experts’ understanding of power, their application of Killing Techniques, and their control over the rhythm of battle, turning it all into sustenance for his own growth.
This precious experience would lay the most solid of foundations for when he officially began to practice Level 7 Killing Techniques in the future.
...
「Meanwhile.」
In the main tournament stadium, within a secluded room at the highest vantage point.
The previously relaxed atmosphere was long gone.
Just as the battle between Qin Feng and Jinmu reached a fever pitch, these Black Hole Level Powerhouses from the various sub-Chapters and companies of the Ultramarines Chapter still looked as though they were watching a show for their own leisure.
Some watched the battles below with great interest, laughing and chatting with their colleagues about amusing events from their respective war zones.
The one-eyed company commander of the twelfth sub-Chapter even took a specially made metal can out of his Subspace storage device.
"Hey, try a specialty from our parts. Abyssal Ant Bull."
He chuckled, then with the terrifying strength capable of crushing starship armor, he casually squeezed the hard can open, revealing the horrific creature inside.
A wave of invisible force washed over it, grinding the creature inside the can into a paste.
He scooped up a handful and began to chew with a loud CRUNCH, his gaze casually drifting to Qin Feng’s ring.
"This kid’s getting suppressed pretty badly... Huh?"
His words came to an abrupt halt.
His chewing froze instantly.
It wasn’t just him.
In that instant, it was as if someone had pressed pause—all conversation, all movement in the room, stopped.
The dozen or so Black Hole Level Powerhouses—the very same ones who had just been laughing and chatting—were now staring intently at the holographic projection of the ring below, as if struck by an Immobilization Skill.