In the small living room, the air grew heavy because of the black metal card.
Qin Dahai and Wang Ming both stared fixedly at the pass in Qin Feng's hand, their expressions shifting from initial joy to profound shock.
"This is…"
Wang Ming's voice was a little hoarse. He pointed at the card. "Xiaofeng, is this… a Subspace Network Pass?"
"The school gave it to me."
Qin Feng placed the card on the table and explained matter-of-factly, "Teacher Li Weiguo said he used the bonus the school awarded him, then applied for an additional subsidy to get this pass for me."
He paused, then continued, "He also unlocked three permissions: the Imperial Arena, the Subspace Exchange, and the Subspace Transmission Network."
A long silence fell over the living room.
Qin Dahai reached out with his one calloused arm, picked up the card, and examined it carefully.
His fingers slowly traced the cold runes on the card's surface.
"Teacher Li…"
Wang Ming muttered to himself, his expression incredibly complex. "To think he… to think he would go this far."
For an ordinary middle school teacher to have such magnanimity and integrity.
He remembered clearly that not long ago, Li Weiguo had wanted to transfer Qin Feng to a different academic track.
Qin Dahai placed the card back on the table. He looked up at his son, a hint of imperceptible relief in his expression.
"Originally, I was planning on getting you one of these myself."
His voice was as steady as always. "Once you get into a Martial Arts High School, this is a must-have. Without it, you're cut off from the entire Empire, basically trying to build a cart behind closed doors. I was planning to go to the factory in a few days and ask for a six-month advance on my salary."
He glanced at the pass.
"Looks like that won't be necessary now. Your teacher… he's a good man."
Qin Dahai turned his gaze to Wang Ming.
"Ah Ming, if Teacher Li's family needs a helping hand with anything in the future, you make sure you're there for them."
"Don't worry, Brother, I get it!" Wang Ming nodded emphatically.
"Dad, Uncle, how do I use this thing?" Qin Feng pushed the card toward them.
"A drop of blood to verify your identity," Qin Dahai said succinctly.
Wang Ming leaned in as well, adding, "That's right. I've heard the young technicians at my factory talk about it. This device binds to your genetic and spiritual imprint, with your Imperial citizenship being the first lock. Once activated, it's your unique key. It's useless to anyone who steals it."
Qin Dahai extended a finger and tapped the silver vortex in the center of the card.
"Right here. Prick your fingertip with a needle and let a drop of blood fall on it."
Qin Feng nodded.
Without hesitating, he went to the kitchen, found a clean metal skewer, and gently pricked his fingertip.
A drop of crimson blood, like a glistening ruby, welled up on the pad of his finger.
He positioned his finger over the card's central vortex rune, and the drop of blood fell precisely upon it.
VMMMM—
A low hum reverberated through the living room, as if an ancient machine, dormant for a millennium, had been awakened.
The instant the blood touched the card, it was greedily absorbed by the silver vortex. It transformed into innumerable fine red threads that shot across the card's surface, following its intricate patterns.
The entire black card lit up in an instant.
A column of soft, silver light that wasn't harsh on the eyes erupted from the center of the card. It projected a spinning insignia into the air—the Empire's double-headed eagle, formed from countless streams of data.
[Verifying Imperial Citizen Identity…]
[Citizen ID: EC7351-G34-998109… Verification successful.]
[Scanning Genetic Sequence… Match confirmed.]
[Binding Spiritual Imprint… Binding complete.]
[Subspace Network Pass successfully activated.]
The column of light slowly receded. As they watched, the black metal card began to change shape.
Its edges rounded as the material flowed and reassembled like liquid metal.
In just a few seconds, the rigid card had transformed into a sleek, matte-black wrist terminal.
Qin Feng picked it up. It felt smooth and warm, far lighter and slimmer than his own old terminal.
He fastened it to his right wrist. The size was a perfect fit.
He raised his hand and focused his thoughts.
A three-dimensional holographic screen, far clearer and more stable than before, projected from the new terminal.
The screen's interface was no longer the simple style of the local Morning Star network. Instead, it was filled with the gravitas and majesty of the Empire's core technology.
Against a deep, dark-gold background, three massive, slowly rotating icons dominated the main interface.
[Imperial Arena]
[Imperial Trading House]
[Subspace Transmission Network]
At the very top of the interface, a row of personal data was clearly displayed.
[Name: Qin Feng]
[Vitality Index: 1.237]
[Martial Artist Level: First-level Martial Artist]
"Open the arena first and take a look."
Qin Dahai instructed from the side. "That's where you'll be spending most of your time from now on. On the path of the Martial Dao, cultivation methods are the foundation, but combat methods are the application. Learning without practice is just putting on a show."
Qin Feng did as instructed, extending his finger and lightly tapping the [Imperial Arena] icon.
The interface switched instantly.
A background image of a gladiatorial arena, filled with an air of Iron Blood and glory, appeared on the screen.
[Name: Qin Feng]
[ID: Not set]
[Rank: None]
[Record: 0 Wins, 0 Losses]
[Points: 0]
[Bio: None]
[Opponent Reviews: None]
"First, set your ID."
Wang Ming reminded him, "This thing's a lot like the games we play; you need a screen name. But don't just pick a random one. Once you set it, you only get one chance to change it each year, and it costs money."