At the zenith, awaiting challenge! Yang Lie’s eyebrows shot up as he critically assessed Qin Fen’s retreating back. What an arrogant declaration! Just a single sentence had relegated every other participating recruit to the status of a mere challenger. “Qin Fen, you won’t reach the zenith,” Yang Lie slowly puffed out his chest and retorted proudly, “I will obstruct your path to the top!” Obstruct? Qin Fen smiled, offering no reply. When the day’s competition concluded, it would become perfectly clear who stood gazing down upon the masses from the pinnacle, and who would be looking up to issue a challenge.

The thirty-two finalists winnowed down to the final sixteen. In the second bout, Du Peng was defeated! Zeus Mark emerged victorious! The audience buzzed with excitement, discussing the recently concluded battle. It had been an unexpectedly spectacular fight, surpassing the martial arts segment of any previous recruit competition finals! Rounds of applause erupted from the stands, a tribute bestowed upon both combatants. In the eyes of the crowd, Zeus had won, but Du Peng had not truly lost. It wasn't a draw; it was a dual victory!

The fighting arena was hastily tidied. Yang Lie, set for the third match, stood silently at its center, not sparing his opponent a single glance. His eyes were locked solely on Qin Fen. Standing at the zenith? Standing at the zenith! When the referee’s bell rang, Yang Lie remained immobile, standing tall. The peak aura of a Seven-Star Martial Artist cracked the reinforced concrete beneath his feet. Seven Stars! Another Seven-Star! In three matches, there had already been three Seven-Star Martial Artists? In past competitions, even seeing one was rare. This year’s Recruit Games had completely overturned expectations. While the audience marveled at the reappearance of the Seven-Star level, they weren’t overly surprised. Rumor had it that the Little Dragon King, Yang Lie, was hailed as the number one martial artist among the American recruits, supposedly even stronger than Zeus Mark. If Mark was already a Seven-Star, it would have been unbelievable if the Little Dragon King was still only a Six-Star. Seven Stars.

Yang Lie’s opponent, having witnessed the head-on collision between the previous two Seven-Star masters, wisely chose to concede immediately. There was no point in a true fight. A sudden breakthrough mid-match was impossible against the Little Dragon King Yang Lie; victory could be sealed in half a move, leaving no time for contemplation. “American Recruit Yang Lie wins…” The announcement echoed from the loudspeakers. Yang Lie pointed toward Qin Fen in the East Asian section, flicked his thumb toward his own chest, lifted his chin high, and shot Qin Fen a proud glare before striding back to the American recruit rest area. A challenge! A challenge laid bare before eighty thousand people! For a moment, all eyes turned to Qin Fen, curious to see how the popular, yet currently injured, contender would respond. No response! Qin Fen sat quietly, his face utterly unreadable. “Please welcome the American Recruit…”

Qin Fen watched the fourth bout. The contestants in this match, though not high-profile, possessed comparable strength, yet the fight was completely one-sided. The American recruit erupted with a desperate fighting spirit from the start, utterly overwhelming the African recruit, quickly knocking him down to claim victory. “Please welcome European Recruit Caesar…” The crowd’s spirits surged as this name was called. Yang Lie of America, Caesar of Europe! Yang Lie had already demonstrated the power of a Seven-Star Martial Artist. What about Caesar? Caesar, just as in his previous bout, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, surveying the arena. The aura of the Martial Emperor firmly suppressed his opponent. The moment the match bell sounded, Caesar instantly unleashed an astonishing Seven-Star power. A single glare made his Six-Star opponent raise his hands in surrender. What was going on? Many spectators watched Caesar and Yang Lie with curiosity. Their opponents shouldn't have required them to expose their Seven-Star strength just to win. Why were they revealing it so carelessly? Didn't they know that exposing one's strength too early made one a subject of intense scrutiny?

Chen Feiyu watched Caesar’s retreating back, fingers interlocked. This man, too, had been influenced by the fight between Zeus and Du Peng; his internal fighting spirit had been completely ignited. Instead of hiding and pretending to be merely a Six-Star only to be ridiculed, it was better to unleash his ultimate power and declare his intention to contend for the championship. Seven Stars! Seven Stars! Solomon and Kaitan Brooks each showcased Seven-Star power in their respective matches. The audience was growing numb to this rank. What they anticipated more were clashes between these Seven-Star powerhouses, hoping for even more spectacular battles. Seven Stars! Another Seven Star! The crowd stared in shock at Moradhek from the West Asian Military Region standing on the field. Seven Stars—a rank that had started to induce apathy—was reignited with anticipation by Moradhek’s appearance. The expectation wasn't for Moradhek’s current fight, but for his next. With Moradhek’s victory, as a fighter from the fourth sector, his next opponent would be Caesar, the European ‘Great Emperor’! One Seven-Star Martial Artist could no longer create overwhelming shock, but a duel between two Seven-Star experts immediately changed the dynamics. Seven Stars, yet another Seven Star! Moradhek’s opponent was a European recruit who glared at Moradhek in frustration. Unlike the others, he did not choose to concede but initiated the attack.

Moradhek stood rigidly on the martial field, fixing his gaze on Qin Fen, refusing to even glance at his opponent. In those burning eyes of hatred, there was room for no one else but Qin Fen; even Caesar of Europe could not draw his attention. As for his opponent in the match? Moradhek didn't look at him. With a flick of his wrist, the spear on his back became like a crimson whip, or a venomous serpent, carving a red lightning bolt through the air, piercing directly through his opponent’s lower abdomen. The long, vermillion spear embedded deep into the thick reinforced concrete, blood dripping slowly from the spear onto the ground. The European recruit stared at the spear in his abdomen in disbelief. He had clearly tried to dodge—why was he still struck? Was this the difference between a Seven-Star and a Five-Star? Moradhek gave a sharp tug, withdrawing the spear from the recruit’s stomach. Blood instantly jetted out like a column. The battle ended. Moradhek never once looked at his fallen opponent, nor did he spare a glance for Caesar, who watched him coldly. His eyes remained fixed solely on Qin Fen. No verbal threats or provocations were needed. The vivid blood and the gravely injured man were Moradhek’s message to Qin Fen. In the thirty-two to sixteen bracket, another severely injured martial artist appeared. The medical team quickly carried Moradhek’s opponent away.

After several matches, the name yet to be announced by the commentator on the big screen caused a stir in the stands before it was even spoken. Qin Fen! The East Asian recruit Qin Fen, the one who had previously defeated a Four-Star Martial Artist using only Two-Star power with the simplified Twenty-Four Forms of Tai Chi taught by the Old Man, was finally about to enter the stage. Standing in the center of the arena, Qin Fen looked at his opponent. An ancient phrase flashed through his mind: Enemies always cross paths. The opponent was a recruit from the American division. His fighting spirit was imposing, and the unwavering resolve in his eyes seemed to declare that even if Qin Fen possessed Seven-Star strength, he would never yield. Qin Fen lightly assumed the starting posture of Arhat Fist. His entire being was unnervingly still, his gaze as deep as the depths of hell. Yang Lie’s intense focus on Qin Fen suddenly shifted. This aura... why did this aura convey a sense of supreme authority, the presence of a Grandmaster? How could this be? Was he merely imitating a Grandmaster’s presence? Caesar’s eyelids snapped up. This aura? It was even higher than the supreme, condescending aura of an Emperor looking down on the masses! Had he lived among Grandmasters since childhood? Was he imbued with their scent? The American recruit glared venomously at Qin Fen. Unable to reach the same level, he couldn't see through Qin Fen’s aura, but he instinctively felt that this man would be difficult to deal with.

The bell sounded. The American recruit let out a low roar, and a faint metallic sheen washed over the surface of his skin. Ironclad Body. Qin Fen was intimately familiar with this New Martial Art. Many wealthy families opted for it due to its superior defense, high adaptability in wilderness survival, and respectable combat strength. Thud! The reinforced concrete beneath the American recruit’s feet could not withstand the impact of the hard Gong technique known as the Ironclad Body. The powerful rebound force sent the tall, solidly built recruit flying toward Qin Fen. A massive fist, trailing a piercing sound of displaced air, instantly appeared before Qin Fen’s face. What formidable strength! Qin Fen was slightly surprised. He was likely the first Five-Star contender in the Recruit Games this year! He could even put up a decent fight against a Six-Star Martial Artist, but unfortunately... Qin Fen sighed inwardly, his ankle twitching slightly, rotating his waist. He reproduced the Dragon Concealment technique that the Little Dragon King Yang Lie had used two days prior! Was that...? Yang Lie froze. Among those present, no one knew this simple yet incredibly effective Dragon Concealment technique better than he did! That execution of the Dragon Concealment seemed subtly superior to the one displayed two days ago. Caesar’s pupils constricted sharply. The palm strike following that Dragon Concealment landed on the opponent's chest, seemingly soft and powerless, yet it sent the opponent flying back five meters! That was absolutely not the effect of the soft martial arts palm technique; that was... that was the external projection of true energy shockwave that his Master spoke of! Could Qin Fen already accomplish that? In an instant, all the young martial artists present who were qualified to contend for the championship sat bolt upright, staring blankly at Qin Fen on the field. The Ironclad Body made muscle tissue incredibly hard, yet Qin Fen’s palm strike had left a distinctly collapsed indentation on the opponent’s chest. That single palm strike carried only the concussive force of a Two-Star Martial Artist! Qin Fen, using Two-Star vibration, though unable to defeat his opponent outright, had left an incredibly clear palm print on a body as rigid as granite! What kind of strike was that?

“I...” Qin Fen stood proudly in place, sweeping his gaze across all the recruits: “Will stand at the zenith, awaiting your challenges.” With those words spoken, the reinforced concrete beneath Qin Fen’s feet violently cracked open, and the true energy of an Eight-Star level erupted from his body!