If Wu Yue and her group had been only a sliver stronger than their pursuers, the mob would have swarmed them without hesitation, overwhelming them with sheer numbers.

Unfortunately, Wu Yue’s life force index had already reached the bottleneck of the "First Great Limit."

A gap like this could no longer be bridged by numbers alone.

Everyone glanced at one another.

In the end, all they could do was glare viciously at Qin Feng—the one who had caused this whole mess yet was now standing idly behind others to watch the show. Then, reluctantly, they all turned and left.

...

As the pursuers dispersed, peace finally returned to the Relic ruins.

Only then was Qin Feng able to properly catch up with his two younger cousins.

"Big Bro! I can’t believe we ran into you here! What a coincidence!"

Wang Hao’s face was still overflowing with unrestrained excitement.

"You two have gotten taller and stronger."

Qin Feng smiled and patted their shoulders, his heart filled with a thousand emotions.

Nearby, Wu Yue and another male Martial Artist—a man with a steady temperament who hadn’t spoken a word—stood quietly to the side and listened, showing no intention of interjecting.

However, Wu Yue’s gaze, filled with a hint of curiosity and inquiry, continuously sized up Qin Feng.

She found it truly difficult to reconcile the young man before her, who was being hunted by a group of Small Success Killing Skill Martial Artists, with the legendary "genius big bro" from the stories told by the brothers Wang Hao and Wang Jie.

After a brief conversation, Qin Feng finally learned about his two cousins’ experiences over the past few years.

It turned out that after they graduated from Qiming First Martial Arts High School, both brothers had been recruited by Du Na Star Martial Arts University.

And their direct mentor at Du Na Star Martial Arts University was, surprisingly, none other than Zhang Ruoyu—the very same admissions teacher from the Qiming inter-school league back then who had constantly sent him all sorts of "harassing" messages in an attempt to poach him.

"Speaking of which, you two have improved pretty quickly."

Qin Feng said with sincere admiration as he looked at their life force indices, which had already surpassed twelve thousand points.

’This speed might not compare to mine, but it’s definitely at a genius level.’

"Hehe, it’s all thanks to you, Big Bro."

Wang Jie smiled, a little embarrassed. "We even managed to get into Du Na and sign a top-tier S-rank contract."

In reality, Wang Jie and Wang Hao didn’t know the full story behind it.

Back then, due to a moment of greed and shortsightedness, Zhang Ruoyu had missed out on Qin Feng—a top-tier genius who even had the personal attention of the Black Hole Level Powerhouse Zhou Xiong. Afterwards, she was filled with endless regret.

After realizing it was impossible for her to establish any connection with Qin Feng anymore, this shrewd female mentor immediately turned her attention to the people closest to him: the brothers Wang Hao and Wang Jie.

She used all her connections and authority to specially recruit the two brothers into Du Na Star Martial Arts University, granting them the highest-level S-rank training contract, one that far exceeded their natural talents.

At the time, this caused quite a stir within Du Na Star Martial Arts University.

Everyone assumed that Wang Hao and Wang Jie must have some unfathomably terrifying background, one that even an instructor like Zhang Ruoyu had to curry favor with.

Zhang Ruoyu’s logic was simple: since she couldn’t invest in Qin Feng himself, she would settle for the next best thing and invest in his closest family.

This too was a gesture of goodwill.

Moreover, Du Na Star Martial Arts University’s educational model was completely different from the cruel "Raising Gu" style of competition at Canaan.

They focused more on funneling resources and comprehensive, mentor-led development.

It was precisely because of this piling on of resources, regardless of cost, that Wang Hao’s and Wang Jie’s strength could make such an astonishing leap.

Just as the group was chatting happily and Wu Yue was still off to the side, curiously speculating about Qin Feng’s true strength...

A set of heavy, yet rhythmic footsteps suddenly echoed slowly from the shadows of the nearby ruins.

Accompanying the footsteps was a terrifying Battle Intent—soaring, undisguised, and pure to the extreme!

The heavy footsteps were like war drums beating against everyone’s hearts, one beat after another.

With every step, the oppressive feeling in the air intensified.

That undisguised, extremely pure, and terrifying Battle Intent swept through the entire Relic ruins like a tangible gale, causing everyone present to feel a prickling on their skin and find it difficult to breathe.

Everyone’s gaze was involuntarily drawn in the direction the Battle Intent was coming from.

From the shadows of the ruins, a burly figure was slowly emerging.

It was a massive man, nearly three meters tall and built like an iron tower.

His skin was a rocky, grayish-brown, and his muscles bulged like blocks of granite, exuding a sense of explosive power.

The contours of his face were hard, his eyes like ten-thousand-year-old ice, devoid of any emotional fluctuation—only the most primal thirst for battle remained.

He dragged an absurdly large broadsword, proportional to his massive frame.

The blade of the broadsword scraped along the hard ground, kicking up a long trail of brilliant sparks and emitting a harsh "SCREEE—SCREEE—" of friction.

"It’s Shi Cang."

Recognizing the newcomer’s face, Wu Yue, who had been composed and confident until now, had her expression change drastically for the first time. She subconsciously uttered the name, her voice laced with an undisguisable shock and dread.