Qin Feng thought for a moment, then in the ID field, he entered a single word: [Qin].
[ID 'Qin' has been set successfully.]
"Rank is the sole measure of strength in the Arena."
Qin Dahai pointed to the "Rank" column and explained, "It goes from the lowest First Rank to the highest Ninth Rank. Each rank represents a world of difference in combat skill. Above that, you have Fighter, Strongman, Expert, Master, Celestial King, and Martial Venerable. Anyone who reaches that level is, without exception, an unparalleled powerhouse renowned throughout the Star Sea."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Inside the Arena, to ensure absolute fairness, all newcomers' physical data is locked to a standard value by the system. Look at the rules below."
Qin Feng's gaze shifted down, and he saw a line of small text at the bottom of the light screen.
[Newcomer Matchmaking Rules: All participants with 'No' rank will have their vitality index uniformly locked at 10. All physical stats are equalized. At this stage, only skill and combat awareness are contested.]
A vitality index of 10.
This was a standardized combat unit, erasing all physical disparities brought about by talent and resources, leaving only a pure contest of combat skill.
Qin Dahai then pointed to the second icon.
"The Imperial Trading House. Just go in and take a look. It's where the entire Empire's wealth and resources are gathered. From something as small as a bottle of Nutrient Liquid to something as large as the ownership of an administrative planet, you can buy anything as long as you have the money. And you can sell things, too, of course."
Qin Feng tapped open the [Imperial Trading House].
The light screen before him instantly expanded, transforming into a vast, boundless matrix of displayed goods.
Countless items, sorted into categories, flowed slowly before him as holographic images.
[Resource Potion Area]: Primary Spiritual Energy Potion, Intermediate Genetic Optimization Liquid, Dragon's Blood No. 3, Phoenix Tear…
[Refining Method, Killing Method, Cultivation Method Zone]: *Imperial Basic Body Refining Technique (Perfection Level Detailed Explanation)*, *Seven Kills Saber Technique*, *Thunderbolt Fist*, *Introduction to Spiritual Meditation*…
[Divine Weapon Area]: C-Class Alloy Battle Saber, B-Class Spiritual Energy Long Spear, A-Class High-Frequency Chainsaw Sword, S-Class Star-annihilating Ship Main Cannon…
[Teaching Service Area]: One-on-one instruction with a Level 8 Martial Artist, tickets to a Planet-level Strongman's lecture, private custom Cultivation Quiet Chamber rental, Ten Thousand Races Genetic Atlas…
[Ten Thousand Races Item Area]: Heart of the Flame Demon (Incomplete), complete carcass of a Crystal Poison Scorpion, wreckage of a lost civilization's starship, a habitable planet in the Butterfly Star System…
The dazzling array of goods left Qin Feng mesmerized.
Every single item here represented endless possibilities and immense power, as well as an astronomical price tag.
He closed the trading house and tapped open the last icon.
[Subspace Transmission Network]
A vast star chart of the Empire's territory, with a basic unit of measurement in the hundreds of millions of light-years, slowly unfolded before him.
Countless points of light flickered on the star chart. Each point represented a star system, a planet.
Golden routes formed from Spiritual Energy connected these points of light, creating an invisible, colossal web that covered the entire Empire.
Qin Feng randomly selected two points on the star chart.
[Origin: Canaan Star System - Enlightenment Star]
[Destination: Butterfly Star System - Star of Hope]
[Transmission Distance: Approx. 170 million light-years]
[Estimated Time: 58 seconds]
[Required Fee: 1,000,000 Imperial Coins]
Just by holding a pass and paying one million Imperial Coins, one could cross a distance of one hundred and seventy million light-years in under a minute.
This inconceivable power completely shook Qin Feng to his core.
He closed all the interfaces. His heart, which had been slightly unsettled by his high school entrance exam results, had now completely calmed.
He had just glimpsed a world that was vaster, more magnificent, and also more brutal.
He stood up.
"Dad, Uncle, I want to go try the Arena."
"Go on and try."
Qin Dahai nodded. "It's your first time. Winning or losing doesn't matter."
Qin Feng returned to his room and closed the door.
He sat on his bed, put on the new wrist-mounted terminal, and closed his eyes.
[Connecting to the Imperial Arena…]
[Mental synchronization 100%...]
[Connection successful. Welcome to the Subspace.]
In an instant, his consciousness felt as if it were pulled from his body by an invisible force and thrown into a tunnel made of endless streams of light.
When he regained his senses, he found himself standing on a massive dueling ring suspended above a vast nebula.
The ring was forged from some unknown cyan metal, with patterns of slowly flowing energy beneath his feet.
Above him was a magnificent storm of purple and gold stardust.
In the distance, newborn stars radiated brilliant light and heat.
[Matching you with an opponent…]
[Match found.]
On the opposite side of the ring, a flash of light appeared, and a figure slowly materialized.
It was a tall girl dressed in a sleek black combat suit, holding a long, narrow battle saber.
Information for both of them appeared simultaneously above the dueling ring.
[Qin (No Rank) VS. Zhou Yu (No Rank)]
Qin Feng looked at his opponent's profile.
[ID: Zhou Yu]
[Rank: None]
[Points: 10]
[Bio: Skilled with the Ninefold Thunder Saber.]
[Enemy Reviews (1): The number one noob at the Enlightenment Star Thunder Martial Arts Hall.]
In front of each of them, a virtual weapon rack and armor rack appeared.
[Please select your weapon]
[Please select your armor]
Qin Feng's eyes swept over the dazzling array of weapons, and he finally chose the most basic, standard-issue long spear.
For armor, he chose a set of light composite armor that wouldn't restrict his movement.
Across from him, Zhou Yu still held her saber, having chosen no additional armor.
[Selections complete. The battle will begin in ten seconds.]
[10, 9, 8…]
As the countdown began, an energy shield slowly rose around the dueling ring.
Qin Feng gripped the spear with both hands, assuming a standard defensive stance, his eyes locked tightly on his opponent.
[…3, 2, 1!]
[Battle Start!]
The moment the words "Battle Start" appeared, Zhou Yu moved.
Her figure seemed weightless. With a single step, she crossed several dozen meters, appearing before Qin Feng in an instant.
A brilliant flash of a saber, seemingly imbued with the might of thunder, suddenly lit up Qin Feng's vision, moving faster than his nerves could possibly react.
He didn't even have time to form the thought of raising his spear to block before the blade had already glided, light and unobstructed, across his neck.
The world before his eyes instantly spun.
[You have lost.]
[Points unchanged.]
The cold system prompt sounded as the surrounding scenery receded like a tide.
Qin Feng's consciousness returned to his body. He was still sitting on his bed, but his forehead was covered in a cold sweat.
The experience of death from that single moment had been so real.
He looked up, taking in the familiar surroundings of his room. The image of that impossibly fast saber strike kept replaying in his mind.
'To run into a random person and they're this terrifyingly strong.'
'Our physical stats and vitality indexes were exactly the same, but the gap in our skills is worlds apart.'
"The Martial Dao is a long road."
"There's still so much to learn."
Qin Feng smiled, closed the Subspace Network, and walked out of his room.
"Done so soon? You got crushed, didn't you?"
Qin Dahai laughed heartily, his guess not far from the mark.
"Yeah."