Chapter 618 - 212: The Great Battle Zone Begins! The Empire’s Pinnacle Tournament, a Thousand-Year Race for the Top 100
Chapter 618: Chapter 212: The Great Battle Zone Begins! The Empire’s Pinnacle Tournament, a Thousand-Year Race for the Top 100
This Divine Weapon, capable of changing its form at will, undoubtedly provided infinite possibilities for his future.
"Since you were forged from the Star Devourer I slew with my own hands, I will name this Celestial Derivation Soldier ’Star-Devourer’."
Qin Feng gently caressed the cold shaft of the spear and murmured, "Star-Devourer, heaven-swallowing... It actually complements the name of the *Heaven-swallowing Fist Technique*."
"Perhaps you’ll be with me for a long, long time."
Qin Feng smiled and put away the Star-devouring Spear.
Then, he began to review his training plan for the next ten years.
The goal was clear.
He would use the ten years before the start of the Great War Zone tournament to successfully master the other seventh-level killing skill he had purchased, the *Ninefold Blood Spear*, to its initial stage, thereby adding a new ace up his sleeve.
At the same time, he would continue to hone the more critical *Heaven-swallowing Fist Technique*, aiming to elevate his mastery from ’Initiation’ to ’Minor Mastery’ within the decade.
Just as he finished his planning and was about to enter the Imperial Arena for a new round of grueling training, the communication alerts on his personal terminal began to chime incessantly.
Qin Feng opened them and saw several messages from old friends.
The messages from his three best friends—Shi Potian, Xiong Yanfu, and Tie Mu—were the most sincere. Their words were filled with a vicarious excitement and pride, congratulating him on reaching the top once more. They promised they would be sure to watch the Great War Zone tournament to cheer him on.
The messages from his three comrades-in-arms—Ning Jing, Nissan, and Dragon Jade—were more direct. In addition to congratulations, their words betrayed a fierce, competitive spirit, ignited by the shock of being left so far behind.
In addition, there was a message from his first mentor, Lin Yue.
The message was full of emotion; she was immensely proud that her former student could reach such an unimaginable height. At the same time, with a touch of gratified self-deprecation, she noted that Qin Feng had long ago surpassed any limit she, as a mentor, could have possibly conceived.
A current of warmth flowed through Qin Feng’s heart as he looked at the familiar names.
He replied to each one earnestly, exchanging a few words with his old friends and promising to get together in the future.
After handling all these matters, Qin Feng delayed no further. His consciousness instantly submerged into the Imperial Arena.
...
Time flew by during the monotonous yet high-intensity combat training.
Qin Feng’s first goal was to practice the *Ninefold Blood Spear*.
The core of this seventh-level killing skill lay in the exquisite manipulation of Spiritual Energy. It required a Martial Artist to instantly layer and vibrate their Spiritual Energy nine times, forming a ninefold penetrating destructive force.
For Qin Feng, whose Mental Power had already reached the Cup Realm and who could easily achieve One Heart, Many Uses, the difficulty curve was exceptionally gentle.
In the Imperial Arena’s matched battles, he locked his strength at the early Planet-level and engaged in pure battles of skill against opponents of the same rank, time and time again.
In just one year, he had successfully cultivated this seventh-level killing skill to the stage of ’Minor Mastery’—a feat that would take countless Planet-level Martial Artists in the outside world decades to achieve.
’For me now, this is far too easy.’
After exiting a match, Qin Feng floated in the virtual preparation area and sighed in reflection.
The *Ninefold Blood Spear* was certainly ingenious, but compared to the *Heaven-swallowing Fist Technique*, it was like the difference between clouds and mud.
’The gap is too vast.’
Qin Feng shook his head. ’The complexity of the Martial Dao information and Mental Power modules in the entire *Ninefold Blood Spear* can’t even compare to the stream of information contained within the very first Spirit Brand of the *Heaven-swallowing Fist Technique*.’
’They are both seventh-level killing skills, yet the difference in quality is like heaven and earth. And this is just at the seventh level. How terrifying must the disparity be for the eighth- and ninth-level killing skills above it?’
At that moment, he truly and deeply understood the importance of killing skills as one of the fundamental pillars of a Martial Artist’s power.
’Without a top-tier killing skill as a foundation, even with an immense life force index and Mental Power, I can only bring out ten or twenty percent of my true strength. Relying on brute force and direct mental pressure is just too crude a method.’
After this moment of insight, he temporarily set aside the *Ninefold Blood Spear* and threw himself completely into honing the *Heaven-swallowing Fist Technique*.
Day after day, year after year.
He fought an insane number of battles in the Imperial Arena against the phantom projections of experts from every corner of the Cosmos.
When he lost, he analyzed his experience and fought again.
When he won, he sought out stronger opponents, pushing his limits.
Every battle was an opportunity to apply the *Heaven-swallowing Fist Technique* in greater depth.
Nine years passed in the blink of an eye.
By the time Qin Feng emerged from his decade of deep training, he had fought over a million high-intensity battles.
’I’ve finally reached Minor Mastery in the *Heaven-swallowing Fist Technique*.’
He spread his palm, feeling the power surging through his body. ’And I’ve successfully mastered the first killing blow: [Heaven-swallowing].’
’My rank in the Imperial Arena has finally hit the ’Fighter’ tier. But... it’s extremely unstable.’
A helpless, wry smile appeared on Qin Feng’s face.
Over these nine years, his rank had bounced back and forth between "Fighter" and "Ninth Dan." He would fall out of Fighter, fight his way back up on pure skill, and then get knocked down again after encountering an even stronger opponent.
It was a vicious cycle, and he was never able to gain a firm foothold in the Fighter tier.
’It seems I’ll need to cultivate a top-tier seventh-level killing skill like the *Heaven-swallowing Fist Technique* to the ’Major Mastery’ stage just to hold my ground in the Fighter tier.’
He suddenly thought of Master Gu Yue from his high school days.
In his memory, Master Gu Yue had been a genuine "Fighter" tier expert.
’I never realized Master Gu Yue was so powerful.’