Chapter Nine: The Power of a Hundred Stars

Inside the room, Qin Feng was still reveling in the exhilaration brought by his breakthrough. An unprecedented sense of power surged through every muscle and cell in his body, making him feel that, since the day he was born, he had never been in such perfect condition. To put it simply, it was absolutely fantastic!

Years of accumulation had erupted all at once on this day, and the joy was beyond words. Seventh Tier! This was a height Qin Feng had always aspired toward, and now, to have reached it so effortlessly was almost unbelievable to him.

This advancement held extraordinary meaning for Qin Feng. According to the Qin family’s rules, any child who failed to surpass the sixth tier of the Mortal Strength Realm by the age of eighteen would be cast out. Previously, Qin Feng had relied on his Hardening Divine Ability to defeat the brothers Qin Yuanji and Qin Yuanbao, proving his strength before the entire family and shedding the label of “wastrel.” Yet that victory had depended on an external force; his real cultivation remained only at the fourth tier.

Now, with his breakthrough to the seventh tier, he could finally stand tall and say “no” to those who sought to drive him from the family.

More than that, Qin Feng knew his true strength was likely far greater than what the seventh tier alone would suggest. First, his body had undergone further changes—he was noticeably taller and sturdier than before. Of course, this newfound robustness was merely relative to his previously frail physique; he was still a long way from true brawn.

Then there was his peculiar illness—a double-edged sword. It hindered his cultivation, yet also granted him mysterious abilities. In his previous life, Qin Feng had come to understand some of the transformations his body was undergoing. This time, he knew he could unlock the second divine power of the first stage: Force Amplification.

“Force Amplification”—a name he had given this strange ability himself—now allowed him to easily double the force of his blows. In other words, if he could deliver a punch with the power of ten units of strength, with Force Amplification, it would become twenty. Combined with his Hardening Divine Ability, the result would be multiplied several times over!

And this was only the beginning. As his cultivation advanced, the amplification factor would only grow—tenfold, a hundredfold, even a thousandfold.

“Damn, this is heaven-defying!” Qin Feng was stunned by the realization. This strange illness was truly extraordinary. The thought made him eager to test his newfound strength.

After giving a few instructions to Qin Yuyan, who stood nearby, Qin Feng leaped out of his courtyard. Misjudging his strength, he landed with a thunderous crash on the open ground outside, smashing a gaping hole into the earth.

Such was the sheer force behind his leap!

Qin Feng, though surprised by his own power, felt a flush of embarrassment. He had not expected his body to be this overwhelming. The jump was so powerful, he resembled a giant frog in flight.

Startled by the commotion, Qin Yuyan rushed out in panic, fearing something had gone wrong with Qin Feng’s condition. He quickly waved to reassure her before striding off toward the Qin family’s martial training grounds.

By midmorning, the training grounds were at their busiest. Not every family disciple was present—many were out hunting demonic beasts for experience, while others were simply enjoying themselves. After all, cultivation required a balance of effort and relaxation; relentless toil could often prove counterproductive.

Qin Feng’s arrival immediately drew attention. After his recent victory over Qin Yuanji, many still regarded him with a mixture of wariness and intrigue. Yet anyone who could best Qin Yuanji now had a rightful place on the training grounds, and no one dared challenge him.

Ignoring the curious stares, Qin Feng made his way to the southeastern corner of the grounds, the one area where people were sparse, and stopped before an empty strength-testing post. His goal was to measure his new punching power.

Qin Feng did not rush. First, he performed a set of the Eight Mountain Force, a profound-level fist technique. Many in the family had practiced it, and though Qin Feng’s execution was more precise than anyone’s, the style itself held little allure for the others. By the time he finished, most attention had drifted elsewhere.

He glanced around, lips curling into a faint smile, then stepped up to the strength-testing post. First, with no use of Hardening or Force Amplification, he threw a direct punch against the ironwood.

A thunderous boom resounded!

The marker on the post stopped at forty-five units of force.

This powerful blow drew startled looks from those nearby. When they saw it was Qin Feng, their faces filled with disbelief. In the Qin family, few young disciples could deliver such a punch—least of all the one long considered sickly and weak.

“Not bad—about the level of a seventh-tier Mortal Strength cultivator,” Qin Feng mused. He had no intention of hiding his newfound strength.

Before the crowd could gather, he decided to test the combined effects of Hardening and Force Amplification.

Taking a deep breath, he summoned a blue aura of energy around his fist, then launched himself forward with all his might, aiming directly at the post.

With a deafening crash, a force several times stronger than before struck the ironwood. The blow shook the entire training ground.

Many present were startled, even Qin Feng himself, for he had not anticipated the outcome.

The moment his fist touched the ironwood, the immense force snapped the famously tough golden spider silk binding, sent the iron post flying, shattered the black iron valve at its top, and drove the measuring gauge to its limit—where it snapped in two. The entire post collapsed in a heap.

Even the blue stone beneath, renowned for its hardness, fractured in several places.

A collective gasp filled the grounds—everyone was stunned. Some of the older disciples rushed over to see.

“Damn, I’ve overdone it this time!” Qin Feng realized that whether he wished for fame or not, it was unavoidable now. The post he had just destroyed could withstand a maximum of one hundred units of force.

In other words, his punch had far exceeded that limit—by a significant margin.

None of the Qin family’s younger generation, before awakening their bloodline souls, had ever accomplished such a feat.

But today, that record was shattered.

And the one to do it was none other than Qin Feng, the “wastrel” in everyone’s mind.

“Did I see that right? Was that Qin Feng? He smashed the strength-testing post?”

“It was him! That post can take a hundred units of force!”

“And with a single punch, he broke it apart because it couldn’t withstand his power.”

The crowd buzzed with hushed whispers.

Qin Feng glanced around. Among those staring were Qin Yuanji and Qin Yuanbao, whom he had previously defeated, and the graceful Qin Yuer, her face pale, eyes wide with terror as if she had seen a monster. Some of the family’s side relatives who had insulted him in the past now trembled as his gaze swept over them, desperately trying to hide in the crowd.

“Pathetic,” Qin Feng thought, shaking his head. He resisted the urge for retribution, despite the irritation simmering within him. These people were no longer worth his attention.

Especially those like Qin Yuer, who had once mocked him—her current distress was a far sweeter revenge than any blow he could deliver.

Qin Feng preferred to follow his own heart, rather than be driven by the mysterious force within him. That, above all, mattered most.

The crowd in the southeastern corner grew denser, the noise swelling, and just as the situation threatened to spiral out of control, a sudden scream echoed from beyond the family gates, drawing all eyes in that direction.

Qin Feng quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

“But… that sound?”

He frowned, a sense of foreboding rising. He turned instinctively to the gate.

Sure enough, moments later, a group of more than ten people hurried in, carrying three bloodied Qin family disciples.

At the sight, everyone made way, clearing space for the wounded to lie down.

“Qin family disciples injured?”

Qin Feng recognized the three—Qin Luo and Qin Xiaoshu were the first two carried in, which was shocking enough. But the third, the one brought in last, caused an uproar among all the younger disciples.

Just days ago, Qin Feng had crossed paths with him.

Qin Ba!