BZZZT.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, his personal terminal vibrated again.

The reply was astonishingly fast, as if the other person had been waiting for his message.

Qin Feng tapped open the light screen, and the familiar, minimalist chat box popped up.

[Yu Han]: Received. I have registered you for the Sixth-level Martial Artist division.

[Yu Han]: Departure is in one month, Empire Standard Time. Please assemble on the day of departure at the Canaan Main Teleportation Platform, Area A129, on time.

[Qin Feng]: Thank you, Mentor.

The message sent, and a new reply popped up almost instantly, with virtually no delay.

[Yu Han]: 1.

Then, Yu Han’s avatar went dark, clearly indicating he had moved on to other matters.

"..."

Qin Feng looked at the number "1," which represented "received," "okay," "got it," and every other affirmative response, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

His mentor was always so concise, efficient to the extreme.

He closed the chat with his mentor and only then noticed several other avatars in his contact list blinking with the red dot of unread messages.

He casually tapped one open. It was a group message from Dragon Jade, Nissan, and Ning Jing.

[Dragon Jade]: Junior Brother Qin Feng, congratulations on coming out of seclusion. We all watched your battle with Senior Brother Qin Yonglin, and it left a deep impression on us. The three of us have also made our own progress this past year. Now that the Starry Sky Cup is about to start, how about a get-together? We’ll be waiting at the usual place.

Below it were messages from Nissan and Ning Jing.

[Nissan]: Qin Beast! Hurry up! Your big bro feels like he can take on ten guys right now!

[Ning Jing]: Come quickly.

The corners of Qin Feng’s mouth curved up slightly as a warm feeling spread through his heart.

He was about to reply when he saw a message from another group chat.

Opening it, he saw a message sent jointly by his three close friends.

[Shi Potian]: Qin Feng, I heard you came out of seclusion. Congratulations. Xiong Yanfu, Tie Mu, and I have discussed it, and the three of us have decided not to register for the Starry Sky Cup this time. The matter with Shi Dang made us realize the deep inadequacies in our foundation. We plan to continue our seclusion and focus all our energy on raising our life force index. As for you, we wish you a triumphant victory and a good ranking!

Every line was filled with sincere well-wishes.

Qin Feng fell silent for a moment.

He completely understood Shi Potian and the others’ decision.

The betrayal and death of a close friend had left an indelible scar on them, and it had also made their desire for power purer and more urgent.

For them, at their current stage, steadily improving their Hard Power by raising their life force was indeed a better choice than participating in the competition.

Qin Feng thought for a moment, his fingers tapping rapidly on the virtual keyboard as he replied to each of them.

To Shi Potian, he replied, "Understood. You guys take care of yourselves too."

His reply to Dragon Jade and the others was even simpler: "Received. On my way."

After replying to all the messages, Qin Feng didn’t delay for a moment. He got his bearings and set off, striding quickly toward the Fearless Warband’s exclusive area—the Fearless Zone.

...

The Fearless Zone was located in the core area of Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University. The architectural style here was more rigid and austere than in the public areas.

Qin Feng navigated the streets with practiced ease and arrived in front of a place called the "Iron Fist Tavern."

This was one of the favorite gathering spots for members of the Fearless Warband.

He pushed the door open and entered. The tavern was as lively as ever.

Countless Warband members with powerful auras sat in groups of three and five, loudly discussing missions, Cultivation Techniques, and the upcoming Starry Sky Cup. The clinking of metal mugs was incessant.

Qin Feng’s gaze swept across the room, and he soon spotted three familiar figures in a corner booth.

Nissan, with his lion-like golden hair, was holding up a huge mug, boasting animatedly to Dragon Jade and spraying spittle, causing people at the surrounding tables to glance over frequently.

Meanwhile, Dragon Jade, with his gentle, jade-like disposition, listened quietly with a smile, nodding from time to time and using his eyes to stop Nissan’s more exaggerated gestures.

Beside him was Ning Jing, his face cold and severe, like a ten-thousand-year-old iceberg.

He was meticulously wiping his ever-present long whip with a clean white cloth, indifferent to everything around him, as if his world contained only himself and his whip.

The auras of all three had grown more condensed and profound compared to a year ago.

Clearly, the year of hard training had allowed them all to make significant progress.

Qin Feng strode over.

The instant he drew near, Ning Jing, who had been wiping his whip, abruptly froze.

His eyes, sharp as a falcon’s, instantly locked onto Qin Feng.

ZING!

He shot to his feet, and a piercing battle intent soared into the air, aimed straight at Qin Feng!

"Qin Feng!"

Ning Jing’s voice was, as always, curt and direct, filled with a pressure that brooked no argument. "Come, spar with me! I’ve improved immensely this year!"

As soon as he said this, not only their table but also the Warband members at the surrounding tables who were drinking all turned their gazes over in unison, their eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.

"Hahaha—"

Nissan’s signature, hearty laugh rang out. He threw an arm around Ning Jing’s shoulder and winked at Qin Feng, saying, "Qin Beast, you’re finally here! You have no idea, this kid just recently cultivated his Fourth-level Killing Technique to the ’Minor Accomplishment’ stage, and now he’s getting cocky! Quick! Go teach him a lesson and show him what’s what!"

Dragon Jade, who had been smiling silently, now stood up as well. He looked at Qin Feng gently, a hint of a smile in his eyes, and confirmed Nissan’s words:

"Nissan isn’t wrong. Ning Jing did just have a breakthrough, so his confidence is at its peak. Junior Brother Qin Feng, it looks like we won’t be able to enjoy this drink in peace without a fight first."

"Alright! My hands are itching for a fight!"

Qin Feng smiled, about to nod in agreement.

Just then, someone in the crowd stood up and laughed heartily. "Hold on! Brother Ning Jing, how about you let me exchange a few moves with Brother Qin Feng first?!"

This person was none other than Qin Yonglin, the one who had previously dueled with Qin Feng and defeated his [Qian Yuan] with the Celestial Essence Staff!