Grinding to Become the Master of the Universe

"Then, there’s only one place left."

Qin Feng’s gaze sharpened, and his consciousness instantly sank into that familiar, challenging Virtual Space.

"The Canaan Tower."

...

Light and shadow shifted. When Qin Feng "opened his eyes" again, he was already on the ancient and grim stone steps of the Canaan Tower.

He was now a Planet-level Strongman; his very level of existence had undergone a qualitative transformation.

This time, his starting point was the 301st floor.

Without a hint of hesitation or probing, Qin Feng’s figure vanished just as the 301st floor’s Gatekeeper—a virtual projection of a dwarf in Heavy Armor wielding a War Axe—finished materializing.

He didn’t even use a single killing technique, merely channeling the terrifying power and speed inherent in his Planet-level physique as he threw a punch.

The air instantly imploded with a deafening sonic boom. Before the interstellar dwarf could even react, its sturdy Enchanted Armor and the virtual body beneath were obliterated, exploding with a deafening ROAR into a shower of light motes, like a meteorite struck by a star.

An instant kill!

Qin Feng’s pace didn’t falter in the slightest as he continued upward.

He bulldozed his way through, his momentum unstoppable!

The once-powerful Gatekeepers that had intimidated countless elite and Core Disciples were now as fragile as paper before Qin Feng.

Soon, he arrived at the 900th floor.

From this point on, the atmosphere of the Canaan Tower changed abruptly.

Powerful Wills—domineering enough to rule the Cosmos and timeless enough to pierce through antiquity—began to permeate the ancient stone steps.

Hammer’s voice chimed in at the perfect moment. "Master, you have entered the ’Imprint’ region of the Canaan Tower. From the 901st floor onward, you will face the strongest battle imprints left behind by graduates of Cannan Star Martial Arts University over its two-point-two-billion-year history."

Two-point-two billion years!

What an immense timescale. In a period long enough for countless galaxies to be born and destroyed, how many astonishingly brilliant, Cosmos-shaking, top-tier experts had emerged from Canaan?

And every existence capable of leaving an imprint here was, without exception, the most brilliant star of their era among their peers.

Qin Feng’s blood began to simmer with excitement.

On the 901st floor, his opponent was a burly man wielding a massive shield and a Warhammer.

The first-generation Legion Commander of the ’Titan Warband’.

The battle erupted.

His opponent’s defense was nearly impenetrable, and every swing of his hammer contained the terrifying power to shatter a planet.

For the first time, Qin Feng felt pressure. He no longer relied solely on his physical body but began to integrate the various killing techniques from his Control Realm into his strikes.

The majesty of "Golden Sovereign," the relentlessness of "Struggle Stream," the weight of "Heavy Spear"...

After a hundred rounds of fierce clashes, Qin Feng finally used the "Golden Sovereign" Fist Seal to smash straight through his shield, ending the battle.

On the 902nd floor, his opponent was a woman whose Body Technique was ethereal and whose sword flashes were like lightning.

Her Swordsmanship was exquisite to the extreme. Every strike was like an antelope hanging by its horns—unpredictable and traceless—and could even conjure illusions of light beams.

Qin Feng found himself in a bitter struggle.

His wide, sweeping fighting style was constrained at every turn against this opponent.

However, relying on the terrifying experience honed over a million battles in the Imperial Arena, he forced himself to anticipate her every attack.

After a grueling exchange of nearly a thousand techniques, he finally won by brute force, taking a sword blow to close the distance and restrain her.

This battle allowed Qin Feng to successfully leave his own battle imprint on the 902nd floor.

On the 903rd floor, however, he met his Waterloo.

His opponent was an ordinary-looking man using a standard-issue Empire Long Spear.

But it was this very person who made Qin Feng feel an unprecedented sense of despair.

His opponent’s spear technique had returned to its pure essence. It was completely unadorned, yet it embodied the three words "fast, precise, and ruthless" to their absolute peak.

What was even more terrifying was that every one of his spear thrusts contained a dreadful Mental Power pressure, constraining Qin Feng’s techniques and making the convergence of his Mental Power and Spiritual Energy sluggish.

Compared to the Gunman Jinmu he had faced in the Starry Sky Cup, this opponent was far stronger.

This was a seventh-level killing technique, something only a Planet-level Strongman could master. And his opponent had clearly been immersed in this path for an untold number of years.

Qin Feng gave it his all, even unleashing his self-created ultimate killing move, "Qian Yuan." Yet, his opponent still neutralized it with casual ease before piercing his chest with a single spear thrust, his consciousness expelled from the Canaan Tower.

...

「In his dorm room.」

Qin Feng slowly opened his eyes, his expression a mixture of shock, emotion, and also a hint of understanding, as if it were only to be expected.

"The strongest graduates from the last two-point-two billion years... they really are all monsters."

He muttered to himself.

This time, he had accumulated a total of 2.8 million Contribution Points from his run in the tower.

Adding to his existing assets, his total reached a staggering 3.17 million.

’My current strength... I might look like I’ve reached the Planet-level, but in reality, I’m just a ’blank slate’ with brute force and nothing else.’

Qin Feng calmly analyzed his situation. ’I don’t have a single true seventh-level killing technique, no Planet-level equipment, and I’m still fumbling to figure out how to systematically cultivate at the Planet-level. It was already a remarkable feat to reach the 902nd floor just by relying on my past accumulations.’

Without further hesitation, he opened the Imperial Trading House again, chose to add 2 million Contribution Points, and formally submitted the forging order for the "Celestial Derivation Soldiers."

[Order confirmed. Estimated forging time: 100 Imperial Years.]

Watching the 2 million instantly evaporate from his account, leaving a balance of only 1.15 million, Qin Feng didn’t feel the slightest bit of regret.

He immediately opened the Cultivation Technique and Secret Manuals section and began filtering for seventh-level killing techniques.

’My path has been clear from the very beginning.’

His Will was incredibly firm. ’Wide, sweeping movements. Advance without fear. A focus on heavy offense!’