The long, drawn-out toll of a bell, as if ringing out from the eternal Star Sea, echoed through every corner of the "Crown of the North Pole."
The sound was solemn and stately, as if announcing the end of one era and the dawn of another.
Inside the arena, hundreds of thousands of spectators erupted in an instant. The roar of the crowd was like a tangible tsunami of energy, crashing against the dome. An invisible force field contained it within the stadium, creating a boiling ocean of sound.
Overhead, a brilliant Star River simulated by the massive dome slowly revolved. Against the backdrop of the deep Cosmos, hundreds of alloy arenas gleamed with a cold, metallic luster, like suspended stars quietly awaiting their Warriors.
A spotlight focused on the center of the arena, where an announcer in an official uniform stood. His voice, carried by a Spiritual Amplifier, reached the ears of every spectator with perfect clarity.
His voice was booming and passionate, each word carrying the power to ignite the crowd.
"...This is the cradle of genius! The Trial Ground of the strong! More than that, it is the stage where the future pillars of the Empire will, for the first time, reveal their prowess to all of Qiming Star, and to the entire Empire!"
"Here, glory will be earned with sweat, and greatness will be forged by Will! Now, I declare—"
The announcer’s voice suddenly boomed, thundering across the stadium.
"The 32,175th Qiming Star Inter-School League Freshman Individual Tournament... now begins!"
BOOM—!
The roar of the crowd absolutely exploded.
In the Hongye Commercial District, inside the Qiming Viewing Building, Qin Dahai clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.
His palms were slick with sweat, and he subconsciously held his breath.
Qin Feng, his son, was about to step into the arena.
This was an arena where fists had no eyes, where life and death were on the line!
To say he wasn’t nervous would be a lie.
Qin Dahai, Wang Ming, and his aunt were on pins and needles. His two younger brothers were worried sick, but his youngest sister, unaware of the danger, just grinned as she stared at her big brother Qin Feng’s back, her face filled with adoration.
In the viewing area for Dubhe Martial High School, Lei Yi kept his eyes closed, as if everything happening around him was of no concern.
In the section for Golden Dragon Martial High School, Li Qing, on the other hand, looked perfectly relaxed and in his element.
His signature smile played on his lips.
Meanwhile, in the viewing area for Star River Military Affiliated High School, Shi Dang sat alone in a corner like a silent stone.
He wasn’t looking at anyone. His eyes were fixed on the center of the arena, at the hundreds of floating platforms, as if searching for his place of destiny.
「Observation Tower, Top Floor.」
Professor Gu Yue stroked his beard, a faint smile on his face. His eyes showed absolute confidence in his students.
The instructors from the other schools wore varied expressions. Some were serious, some expectant, while others discreetly conversed with their colleagues. But the unspoken rivalry in the air only grew thicker.
The gazes of several instructors landed on Qin Feng.
They were about to see for themselves just who this Qin Feng was.
Lord Zhou of the Ultramarines Chapter stood alone before the floor-to-ceiling window, motionless as a timeless statue.
In the Qiming First High School viewing area, the announcer’s voice rang out again.
"Attention all contestants! The matchmaking system has been activated. Your match-ups will be sent to your holographic viewers and personal terminals in three seconds. Please proceed to your assigned arena! I repeat, please check your holographic viewer or personal terminal and proceed to your assigned arena!"
The moment he finished speaking, the personal terminal on Qin Feng’s wrist gave a slight VMM.
A pale blue holographic screen quietly materialized before him.
Lines of clear white text were arrayed on the screen.
[NOTICE]
[School]: Qiming First Martial Arts High School
[Name]: Qin Feng
[ID]: QM-1-G1-1104
[Arena No.]: 073
[Opponent]: Shi Dang (Star River Military Affiliated High School)
[ID]: XH-MA-G1-0017
[Life Force Index]: 14.1
Qin Feng’s gaze lingered on the two words: "Shi Dang."
One of the three top contenders.
’So I’m facing him in the very first match.’
Qin Feng stood up and headed for his arena. Xiaopang, Shi Potian, and the others had also received their assignments and stood up to head to their own arenas as well.
"Old Qin, who’s your opponent? Mine’s some no-name from Golden Dragon Martial High School," Xiaopang called out with a grin.
"Shi Dang," Qin Feng replied.
"Uh—"
Xiaopang faltered and scratched his head. "Man, that Shi Dang has some seriously bad luck."
Arena 073.
It was a circular alloy platform fifty meters in diameter, suspended in mid-air and enveloped by a pale blue Energy Shield.
When Qin Feng stepped onto the platform, his opponent, Shi Dang, was already waiting.
Shi Dang was exceptionally burly, standing a full head taller than the average student.
He wore a suit of heavy, custom-made Alloy Light Armor and carried a broadsword nearly the size of a door panel. The blade was thick and unsharpened, yet it radiated a palpable, oppressive weight.
Qin Feng, by contrast, had a lean and well-proportioned build.
His standard-issue Alloy Light Armor perfectly outlined the fluid lines of his muscles, which rippled with explosive power.
He held his Alloy Long Spear in one hand. Its shaft reflected a cold sheen under the arena lights, and its tip glinted with a bone-chilling light.
His aura wasn’t heavy and mountain-like as Shi Dang’s was. Instead, it was as sharp as a razor’s edge.
The two faced each other from a distance—one like a mountain, one like a spear.
Their starkly different auras clashed in the center of the arena, making the very air feel thick and heavy.
"..."
Shi Dang spoke first, his voice deep and rumbling. "Please, give me your guidance."
Qin Feng’s reply was simple and direct.
"Please."
The moment the referee at the side of the arena sharply swung his arm down and shouted, "Begin!"
"Hah!"
Shi Dang roared and stomped his foot!
THUD!
With a loud thud, the solid alloy platform trembled violently.
He didn’t charge. Instead, he sank into a low horse stance, gripped the massive broadsword with both hands, and settled into an incredibly stable opening form.
_Rocky Broadsword_—[Stone Stance]!
This was a classic tactic of using stillness to overcome motion, of meeting infinite changes with an unchanging defense.
He intended to use his supreme strength and defense to build power for a single, thunderous strike that would decide the match!
In the face of absolute power, all fancy techniques would be crushed to dust.
This was the essence of the _Rocky Broadsword_ style.
However, Qin Feng wasn’t about to give him that chance.
The instant Shi Dang settled into his [Stone Stance], Qin Feng moved.
There was no earth-shattering aura, no brilliant flash of a powerful technique.
He simply moved.
His figure moved like a wisp of smoke, leaving a faint afterimage as he closed the distance at an unimaginable speed, instantly entering Shi Dang’s attack range.
With a flick of his wrist, he twirled the Long Spear in a flourish, and then it shot out like a dragon!
He didn’t use any powerful techniques, only the most basic and simple moves from the _Thousand Army Spear_: thrust, lift, parry, and sweep.
But Qin Feng executed these techniques with such mastery they seemed an extension of his own body, performed with effortless ease.
From all sorts of incredible and tricky angles, the Long Spear struck with pinpoint accuracy at the vital points all over Shi Dang’s body.
CLANG!
Shi Dang held his broadsword in a rock-solid defense, but he felt a sharp impact on his blade, as if it had been struck by a nail. A precise jolt of force traveled through the steel, making one side of his body go numb.
CLANG! CLANG! PING! PING!
A furious storm of metallic clashes followed.
Like a woodpecker’s beak, the tip of the Long Spear hammered against Shi Dang’s heavy broadsword, leaving behind a series of distinct white marks.
Elbows, knees, waist, neck... each strike landed precisely on the key points of leverage on the broadsword, sending jarring force through the blade and into Shi Dang’s body.
"..."