Grinding to Become the Master of the Universe

"Both its cultivation difficulty and its destructive power far exceed those of ordinary seventh-level killing techniques."

"What’s even more terrifying is the Mental Will of a Sealed King Strongman contained within that Inheritance Stele. Its intensity can only be described as ’horrifying.’

Forget about trying to calmly comprehend the mysteries of the killing technique. Just enduring that pressure, which is like a cosmic storm of Mental Will, without your own Will collapsing is already an incredibly difficult feat."

Qin Feng listened quietly, a glimmer of understanding and anticipation in his eyes.

This method of testing could indeed reveal a Martial Artist’s aptitude, potential, and temperament in vivid detail.

"As for the duration of the minor battle zone competition..."

Fire Circle held up one finger and said slowly, "One hundred years."

"One hundred years?"

Qin Feng had understood and accepted everything up to that point.

But upon hearing the time frame of "one hundred years," even with his current mental fortitude, he couldn’t help but feel a stir of surprise.

He was not even one hundred and twenty years old.

He couldn’t recall his exact age, not that he cared for such trivialities.

Yet this competition—merely the preliminary stage in the minor battle zones—was scheduled to last for a full century.

This was the first time Qin Feng had truly, viscerally understood the unique intensity and rhythm of cultivation that came with the vast lifespans of Planet-level Strongmen.

"That’s right. One hundred years."

Fire Circle sighed. "One hundred years may seem like a long time, but if you can truly settle your mind and gain some insight before that Inheritance Stele, it will be more than worth your while."

"First of all, you’re essentially getting to comprehend a top-tier, extremely powerful seventh-level killing technique created by a Sealed King Strongman for free.

Second, you can constantly hone your own Mental Will under the relatively safe pressure left by that Sealed King Strongman. For newcomers like us who have just condensed Spiritual Power Drops, this is hundreds, if not thousands, of times more effective than cultivating in seclusion. It can grant our Mental Power a massive boost."

"So,"

Fire Circle concluded, "this so-called hundred-year competition is actually a public, collective... super cultivation lesson, all while being secretly observed by countless high-level strongmen from the Warbands."

"I see."

It all clicked for Qin Feng.

He now fully understood the core purpose of this minor battle zone competition.

It wasn’t an elimination tournament, but a screening process—a massive, century-long "open class" designed to unearth true, uncut gems.

As the two were talking, they finally reached the front of the long line.

Qin Feng and Fire Circle stepped forward one after another and submitted their identification to the Ultimate Warrior clad in sky-blue power armor.

From beneath the warrior’s faceplate, a sharp gaze swept over them as a cold, electronic scanning beam enveloped them from head to toe.

A moment later, the verification was complete.

"Qin Feng, from This Star Zone, Cannan Star Martial Arts University. Identity confirmed."

"Fire Circle, from the Boat Star District, Independent Martial Artist. Identity confirmed."

"You two will proceed immediately to Area A-73 of the City of Genesis. Find your designated resting spot there and wait quietly for the competition to officially begin. Causing trouble is forbidden during this time. Violators will be disqualified."

The cold, authoritative command issued from the power armor.

"Understood."

"You got it!"

Qin Feng and Fire Circle responded in unison, then walked past the identity verification point and officially set foot into the magnificent City of Genesis.

-----------------

After passing through the grand city gate and following the directions, Qin Feng and Fire Circle soon arrived at the designated Area A-73.

The sight before them once again redefined Qin Feng’s understanding of the word "vast."

This was not a plaza in the traditional sense, but an enormous, artificially created platform suspended in the vacuum of the cosmos.

It stretched as far as the eye could see, seemingly without a border. Its surface was paved with an unknown black material capable of absorbing and neutralizing the vast majority of energy impacts.

Countless uniformly sized meditation cushions, prepared in advance, floated above the platform. They were arranged in neat rows that stretched to the horizon.

The platform was not enclosed by any physical walls.

Instead, it was surrounded by the magnificent, ever-shifting, and resplendent nebula of the Pillar of Creation, along with countless motes of cosmic dust adrift in the vacuum.

To be here was like sitting on a lone skiff, adrift in the center of the Sea of Creation—infinitesimal, yet at one with the entire cosmos.

According to the intel from Fire Circle, the length and width of this plaza were measured in light-years.

Only a feat of such magnificent scale could possibly accommodate the massive number of top-tier prodigies converging from the billions of Star Zones under the rule of the Ultramarines Chapter.

At the very center of the plaza stood an immense Stone Stele, as silent and still as a sharp sword piercing the heavens.

The Stone Stele was grayish-white, its surface covered in ancient, esoteric patterns that seemed to record the mysteries of the dawn of the cosmos.

At this moment, the Stone Stele was enveloped by a visible, translucent Spiritual Power Protection Device.

This barrier blocked all forms of reconnaissance, preventing the Martial Artists present from sensing any potential Mental Power pressure within or using their own Mental Power to probe the Stone Stele ahead of time.

"Whoa, this place is massive."

Fire Circle clicked his tongue in genuine awe. "Let’s go, Qin Feng. We should find a spot off to the side so we won’t be bothered."