Divine-level Base

CLANG!

Hassina’s fist shattered Shu Feng’s protective Membrane of Spiritual Power and struck him in the chest, creating a sound like grinding metal. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

’What powerful Defense! No, this opening is a trap!’

A strange glint flashed in Hassina’s eyes as she rapidly retreated.

"Too late!"

Shu Feng seized the opportunity, slamming his palm into Hassina’s chest. A violent burst of Great Sun Spiritual Power erupted, blasting her more than ten meters away.

Hage let out a soft sigh and announced, "Shu Feng wins this match!"

Shu Feng cultivated the Hundred Refinements Steel Body, an incredibly powerful Hard Skill, giving him astonishing Defense Power. Heavily wounded by Shu Feng’s palm strike, Hassina had been bested in a single move.

"What a powerful Hard Skill! I admit, I lost this time. But Shu Feng, I will definitely defeat you in the future. You’re my rival now, so you just wait!"

Hassina rubbed her chest and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. With a flicker, she flew onto the high platform, returned to her seat, and fixed her gaze on Shu Feng.

"The top first-year from Shuijing High School truly is remarkable!"

"He is the top first-year from Shuijing High School, after all. Of course he’s strong!"

"..."

The thousands of spectators in the Grand Arena watched Shu Feng with incredibly complex emotions in their eyes. Not a single person clapped or cheered, though the sound of discussion was incessant.

Shu Feng leaped up like a cannonball, landing on the high platform. He sat down in his spot, calmly facing the countless stares from below.

Su Hamu III smiled faintly. "The sparring has concluded. Grandmaster Cao, we have prepared a grand welcome banquet for you. Why don’t you all rest for now and join the feast this evening?"

Cao Zhen smiled slightly. "Very well, Your Majesty!"

The dignitaries of the Leiyin Republic left along with Su Hamu III.

Sukasa personally led Shu Feng and his group to the exchange student dormitory.

The exchange student dormitory at the Leiyin Republic Royal Academy was a standalone building, similar to a hotel apartment, where each exchange student had a private room.

Shu Feng’s group of five occupied five rooms on the tenth floor, the top floor of the exchange student dormitory.

That evening, Shu Feng’s group arrived at a lavishly decorated banquet hall in the Imperial Palace.

The banquet hall was filled with the political and business elites of the Leiyin Republic.

As soon as Cao Zhen entered the banquet hall, he was summoned by Su Hamu III to speak with the dignitaries of the Leiyin Republic.

"Hello, Shu Feng. I’m Hassina’s older sister, Hanani."

Hanani, who looked elegant, sexy, and gorgeous in a black, low-cut evening gown that exposed a large expanse of her snow-white skin, walked toward them with a radiant smile.

"So beautiful!"

Liu Yang and Zhong Ming stared at the dazzling and indescribably beautiful Hanani, completely unable to look away.

Although Zhao Zixing was even more beautiful than Hanani, she didn’t have Hanani’s stunning figure or her mature, sultry aura.

Accompanying Hanani were Hassina and three other outstanding young men and women.

Shu Feng smiled slightly. "Hello, Ms. Hanani."

"Let me make some introductions. This is Waharon, son of the Prime Minister of our Leiyin Republic."

A handsome young man of about twenty-three or twenty-four with brown hair, gray eyes, a medium build, and a steady temperament gave Shu Feng a slight nod.

"This is Manali, daughter of the Minister of Finance of our Leiyin Republic."

A pretty girl of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a red evening gown, with waist-length brown hair and snow-white skin, gave Shu Feng a shy smile.

"And this is Salin, son of the Minister of Agriculture of our Leiyin Republic."

A slender young man of about twenty-three or twenty-four with short hair and clear eyes also gave Shu Feng a slight nod. His gaze then fell upon Hanani, full of admiration.

Shu Feng smiled slightly. "A pleasure to meet you all. I’m Shu Feng."

Zhao Zixing and the others also gave brief self-introductions.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group found a small bar in a corner of the banquet hall, sat down, and began to chat.

Hanani was a top international model and a major figure in the fashion world. She owned her own fashion brand and had personal assets exceeding 1 billion yuan. She was worldly and sophisticated, able to talk deeply with anyone on any topic and never letting the conversation lull.

As Liu Yang and Zhong Ming spoke with Hanani, they were quickly captivated, their eyes filled with admiration.

Waharon was clearly interested in Zhao Zixing and took the initiative to chat with her. However, Zhao Zixing was very cold, her polite words laced with a hint of distance.

Hassina, meanwhile, glared poutily at Shu Feng, clearly not yet over her defeat at his hands earlier that day.

Waharon suddenly asked, "Have any of you heard of the Dark Night Church?"

Qi Ning replied, "No! The Dark Night Church? Never heard of it."

On Blue Star, there were three major religions: the Original Church, which worshiped the Lord of the Origin; the Holy Light Church, which worshiped the Lord of Light; and the Primordial Daoist Cult, which worshiped the Primordial Daoist Monarch.

The majority of citizens in the Brentania Republic believed in the Lord of the Origin, the Jiasen Republic worshiped the Lord of Light, and most citizens of the Qianyuan Republic followed the Primordial Daoist Monarch.

These Three Major Churches were enormous institutions on Blue Star with over a billion followers each and were also the state-recognized orthodox faiths. Besides these three, Blue Star had countless other churches of varying sizes. It was perfectly normal for Qi Ning to have never heard of the Dark Night Church.

"The Lord of the Dark Night of the Dark Night Church is a great, benevolent, and powerful being with limitless Divine Power. As long as you believe in Him piously, you can obtain immense Power, a long life, and miraculous Extraordinary items."

"Everyone who joins the Dark Night Church becomes brothers and sisters who help each other and expand their networks. The Dark Night Church’s reach is international; we have many brothers and sisters in the Brentania Republic, the Jiasen Republic, and the Qianyuan Republic. You’ll gain immense benefits just by joining us."

"Shu Feng, Zhao Zixing, Liu Yang, Zhong Ming, Qi Ning, would you like to join our Dark Night Church? I can be your sponsor!"

Waharon looked at Shu Feng’s group with an expectant expression.

Zhao Zixing refused without a moment’s hesitation. "Sorry, I’m not interested."

Shu Feng asked, "Hanani, are all of you believers in the Dark Night Church?"

Hanani smiled elegantly, swirling the wine glass in her hand. "I am not."

Hassina said, "My father, the king, had me join the Dark Night Church and become its current Saintess."

Manali smiled faintly. "I am a believer of the Dark Night Church."

A flicker of light crossed Salin’s eyes as he said, "I don’t currently have any faith."

Shu Feng said, "Sorry, I’m not interested in joining the Dark Night Church either."