Tens of thousands of spectators did not erupt into a frenzy of celebration and applause as Qin Fen's previous battles had ended. Everyone stared blankly as Qin Fen walked off the field. Even at the very last moment, this new recruit from East Asia had not pushed his strength beyond the Two-Star level!
A Two-Star defeating a Four-Star? The audience exchanged confused glances—how was this possible?
The stands, filled with tens of thousands of people, were as quiet as if no one were there. Even the medical personnel responsible for treating the injured stood frozen by the sidelines, having forgotten their primary duties.
“Is there such a need for surprise?” Zeus leaned back in his seat, pushing up the oversized sunglasses on his nose. “Clearly, this Four-Star martial artist was simply substandard, possessing only the aura of a Four-Star but lacking the true control over power that a Four-Star martial artist should have. A clumsy pig that only seeks brute force but doesn't know how to control it—it’s strange if he didn't lose.”
Yang Lie nodded silently. Qin Fen’s control over force was astonishingly powerful, yet this new recruit from West Asia had overall strength that was too poor; despite reaching the Four-Star level, he couldn't control his power to concentrate it into a single explosive point. Otherwise, Qin Fen’s Twenty-Four Forms Simplified Tai Chi would have been shattered long ago.
The soft overcoming the hard? A faint smile touched the corner of Yang Lie’s mouth. Neither soft nor hard force is inherently superior; ultimately, it depends on the hand that wields it.
“Qin Fen…” Yang Lie said lightly, stroking his chin, “I look forward to you being my opponent in the semi-finals.”
“Little Dragon King…” Zeus stretched his shoulders, which were thicker than the surrounding walls. “You might be disappointed on that front. We are all in the upper bracket. If we divide it finely: Numbers one through sixteen are Zone A, seventeen through thirty-two are Zone B, thirty-three through forty-eight are Zone C, and the rest are Zone D. Since both Qin Fen and I are in Zone B, your opponent in the semi-finals can only be me.”
“Oh?” Yang Lie looked at the competition field with a half-smile. “Did you not look closely at the match schedule? Before you meet Qin Fen, you still have to face another new recruit from East Asia. Du Peng. We are unfamiliar with that name, but the records show he might have a brother named Du Zhanpeng. Have you forgotten?”
“Du Zhanpeng?” Zeus subconsciously looked up toward the screen displaying the match pairings. “Du Zhanpeng, the King of East Asian New Recruits? He has a brother?”
Qin Fen walked off the field. He completely vanished from the projection screen, and only then did the crowd react.
Thunderous applause and excited roars washed over the stadium like a tidal wave, one cresting over the next.
The medical personnel, seeing the West Asian soldier struggling on the ground several times without managing to rise, finally snapped out of their shock and rushed forward with a stretcher.
“Lao Qin…” Xue Tian gave a double thumbs-up. “You really know how to play it cool.”
Qin Fen scratched his forehead with his finger. He had merely intended to use the opportunity to gain insight into the power of 'Hardness' and hadn't expected to cause such a massive sensation.
“But…” Xue Tian said with a troubled look after Qin Fen sat down, “with you pulling a stunt like that, how am I supposed to be cool? I’ll have to think carefully about how to make an entrance before my own match to ensure I stand out.”
“Oh! The new recruits from East Asia are more astonishing than the last!”
“Indeed! The tragic exit of Jizhen Xuan Yi made everyone think the surging momentum of the East Asian new recruits would be halted.”
“I truly didn’t expect this. The East Asian new recruit, suppressing his strength to the Two-Star level, closing his eyes to observe the combat, easily took down the Four-Star West Asian recruit… Oh… wait a moment, we have new information…”
Tens of thousands of fervent spectators were once again drawn in by the conversation of the three commentators and quieted down unconsciously, awaiting the announcers’ update.
“Oh! My God!”
“Heavens! It’s a Berserker Pill?”
“Audience, I have news to share. The defeated West Asian recruit illegally consumed a Berserker Pill during the match…”
The stadium, which had just fallen silent, erupted into an uproar once more. A Two-Star defeating a Four-Star was already shocking enough, but to win against a Four-Star who had consumed a Berserker Pill was unbelievable!
“Oh…” Xue Tian mimicked the commentator’s long drawn-out tone, raising a hand to cover his face in mock agony. “Lao Qin, you’ve clearly decided to steal all my thunder! If this continues, even if I have a face more handsome than yours, it will be hard to attract the pretty female spectators.”
Qin Fen offered a wry smile and secretly prayed for Xue Tian’s opponent, hoping they wouldn't simply surrender due to being bombarded by Xue Tian’s endless verbal assault before the match even began.
While people were still immersed in Qin Fen’s feat, two new figures appeared in the center of the arena: a new recruit from the Americas facing off against Africa’s 【Golden Lion】 Bada.
Bada stood an imposing two hundred and ten centimeters tall, a height considered large even among martial artists! His solid, dark, gleaming muscles kept him from appearing clumsy despite his height. His thick, unruly golden hair made him look like a standing lion king from a distance.
The bell signaling the start of combat rang suddenly, unnoticed by the crowd.
People were still caught up in the moment of Qin Fen’s Two-Star victory over the Four-Star, when a powerful oppressive aura suddenly rose within the massive arena.
“Heavens…”
Before the commentator’s surprised shriek could even finish, the American new recruit facing the Golden Lion Bada had already cleanly raised both hands to concede defeat.
“Seven-Star…”
Another commentator muttered in a dazed whisper, as if recalling a nightmare.
Military enthusiasts who had watched several previous New Recruit Competitions shouted out in excitement, beating the general crowd to the punch.
Seven-Star—the peak level of the Meteor Rank! In all previous New Recruit Competitions, anyone who displayed the strength of a peak Seven-Star Meteor had invariably seized the championship in the martial arts tournament.
Today, in a mere match for the Top 32 spots out of the Top 64, 【Golden Lion】 Bada from Africa demonstrated the power possessed by past champions! No wonder external rumors claimed the African Military Region was boasting this time that they would surpass East Asia, defeat Europe, and directly challenge the Americas.
Seven-Star, the peak expert of the Meteor Rank! This was an entirely different concept from a Four-Star martial artist. Seven-Star was the pinnacle of Meteor, and those who reached this level at such a young age possessed far greater control than Four-Star martial artists.
Only the strength of a Seven-Star martial artist could make a Five-Star Meteor martial artist lose the desire to even fight, leading to immediate surrender.
Victory without a fight! In just an instant, 【Golden Lion】 Bada used his display of power to ensure every person in the stadium remembered his name, completely overshadowing the brilliance of Qin Fen’s Two-Star defeating Four-Star win.
Compared to the Two-Star defeating Four-Star feat, the Seven-Star strength—the hallmark of past champions—was much more likely to draw fervent support.
“Good heavens! If I remember correctly, the winners of the last few New Recruit Bouts all possessed Seven-Star strength, right?”
“That’s right! And almost every year, there was only one Seven-Star new recruit.”
“Displaying their cards! Showing them off so early? Does the African Military Region intend to take the main prize, the championship title, this time?”
Tens of thousands of spectators unfamiliar with the competition’s history were stirred into fresh waves of clamor by the alternating commentary from the three announcers.
“With such solid performance, I wonder if Little Dragon King Yang Lie is feeling heavy pressure?”
“This first day of combat far exceeds the excitement of any previous year. First, Little Dragon King Yang Lie overwhelmed Jizhen Xuan Yi with a domineering strike. Then, East Asia’s Qin Fen performed the feat of defeating a Four-Star with his eyes closed at the Two-Star level. Now, the African recruit is not to be outdone, winning without throwing a single punch, simply by displaying his inherent power, causing the American recruit to wisely retreat. I wonder what brilliant scenes are next?”
“Oh! The next combatants are Caesar from Europe! Emperor Caesar!”
The commentator’s excited cry hadn't even ended before a chorus of screams from female fans in the stands immediately rose like a wave.
“That Caesar guy…” Xue Tian pursed his lips. “Aren’t most of the women here today to see him?”
Qin Fen raised an eyebrow, looking at Xue Tian. “Do you know anything about him?”
Xing Wuyi, standing nearby, smiled faintly. “Perhaps. Among us, only you have researched Caesar based on data. We know a bit more about him than you do.”
“Tell me.”
Qin Fen gazed toward Caesar walking to the center of the field. His robust but not bulky physique informed everyone what the definition of golden ratio physique was.
Caesar stood quietly, hands tucked into his trouser pockets. The sunlight reflecting off him revealed a hint of dominance. This hidden internal aura was different from the terrifying, demonic oppression exuded by the 【Golden Lion】 earlier; it faintly carried the flavor of a sovereign looking down upon the world!
【Emperor】 Caesar! Those unfamiliar with why he earned this moniker were beginning to understand. Simply by standing there, without unleashing any Zhen Qi or martial power, he radiated a subtle aura of absolute rule—it wasn't an exaggeration to call him the 【Emperor】.
“Europe has three geniuses,” Xing Wuyi smiled softly and sighed. “Perhaps because the population is larger and technology is more advanced, geniuses are no longer as easily buried as they once were, and it’s easier for them to emerge…”
Qin Fen nodded. In eras when technology and information were scarce, even if a genius appeared somewhere, environmental factors could easily lead to that genius being overlooked. In today’s society, it was becoming increasingly difficult to suppress a genius.
“【Demon God】 Solomon, 【Emperor】 Caesar…” Xing Wuyi lightly stroked his chin. “…and the third, the most low-key and eccentric of the three, 【Furious Thunder】 Inzarota.”
“Inzarota?”
“Yes, Inzarota.” Xing Wuyi’s pupils contracted to pinpoints. “Rumor has it he not only has phenomenal potential as a martial artist but is also a pharmaceutical genius. All three of these men achieved fame in their teenage years, not just after joining the military. In truth, Caesar, like Yang Lie, entered the military under intense public scrutiny. So, the passionate support they receive upon their appearance is not surprising.”
“Yang Lie?” Qin Fen looked up toward the seating area for the American Military Region. “Just now…”
“This is the 64-to-32 round, so there are fewer people today,” Xing Wuyi pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. “When the Top 32 matches begin, you will find that Yang Lie’s female supporters will be just as numerous as Caesar’s.”
“Stop chatting, both of you,” Xue Tian said, pointing toward the center of the arena. “Look! Something else is happening…”
Ps: I went for an intraocular pressure test today; 17-199, barely normal. Friends who spend long hours in front of a computer should really get checked at a hospital. Anything over 21 [mmHg] is considered high, increasing the risk of glaucoma.
It's been two consecutive days with only one chapter updated... I feel a bit ashamed to face you all. I'll rest early tonight and update more tomorrow. Please bear with me.