The round of twelve advancing to the round of sixteen held far more significance than the round of sixty-four advancing to the round of thirty-two.

When the day’s matches concluded, people looked upon the resulting bracket with astonishment, suddenly realizing how strikingly brilliant the remaining newcomers in the top sixteen were. Many among them, in any previous competition, would have been surefire champions.

However, this year’s Newcomer Tournament felt either overwhelmingly monstrous, or perhaps the various continental military regions placed a higher emphasis on it than before. Aside from Qin Fen standing alone at the pinnacle, the strengths of everyone else were alarmingly close.

This resulting bracket led many to question whether the ultimate victor, should the young newcomers fight battles as ferocious as those between Du Peng and Zeus, would still be able to stand when they finally faced Qin Fen.

The matchups for the Sweet Sixteen quickly appeared on the grand screen. The very first contest featured Xue Tian, the martial artist who first erupted with Seven-Star power during the thirty-two to sixteen bracket progression!

His opponent was Brooks, nicknamed "Sky-Splitter," from the Americas Newcomer contingent, whose momentum was fierce, rumored to rival that of Little Dragon King Yang Lie.

One was the seemingly irreverent "Raging Slash" Xue Tian, whose attitude suggested more interest in playing games than fighting on the ring; the other was "Sky-Splitter" Brooks, who looked perpetually underslept.

The collision of these two supremely powerful, yet seemingly unserious, young newcomers sparked anticipation for what kind of battle would unfold.

The second matchup for the sixteen advancing to the eight was equally riveting: Chen Feiyu VS Little Dragon King Yang Lie!

If the Little Dragon King had faced any other Seven-Star martial artist, perhaps Yang Lie would have been favored to win. But now, his opponent was Chen Feiyu, aged thirty, whose every movement exuded deep combat experience. The bandages wrapped around his hands, though white, always seemed to carry a faint, reddish scent of blood.

This was another confrontation whose outcome remained utterly unpredictable.

The third match: Moradke VS "The Emperor" Caesar.

No one would underestimate Caesar. The moment Qin Fen unleashed his Eight-Star power, many began to speculate: could Caesar, reputed to possess the heart of an emperor, truly endure being overshadowed by Qin Fen? Would that immense pressure become the key for him to break through to the Eight-Star realm?

Although the matches for advancing from the top thirty-two had just concluded, many were already predicting that Caesar was among the young newcomers with the highest chance of advancing to Eight-Star to challenge Qin Fen, the man standing at the peak.

Moradke: the last remaining participant from West Asia! The junior martial brother of Mars' super youth martial artist, Shangguan Chuanqi! As this veil of mystery was lifted, those who initially favored Caesar for the final victory began to hesitate.

Shangguan Chuanqi! The pride of Mars’ younger generation martial artists! His junior brother could hardly be an empty vessel, right? The West Asia Military Region was currently facing setbacks across the board in the Newcomer Tournament; now, Moradke carried the entire glory and hope of West Asia on his shoulders.

Can spirit sway the outcome of a battle?

Before the fight between Zeus and Du Peng, many believed that strength was everything.

However, as that fierce exchange concluded, many began to understand that the glory of the Newcomer Tournament could spur individuals to achieve the unimaginable.

The intense hatred and rage Moradke held for Qin Fen was a fact any person with eyes could see. Driven by this hatred and fury, Caesar might not necessarily win this bout.

For soldiers, money might be important, but honor is paramount—a soldier's honor outweighs everything! In this competition gathering military regions from five continents, every individual possessed a deep sense of honor.

Moradke VS Caesar: who will emerge victorious? Will it be Moradke’s vengeful charge against Qin Fen? Or will he become a stepping stone for "The Emperor" Caesar to surpass the peak that is Qin Fen?

Solomon VS Xing Wuyi. Before this fight even began, people practically knew the answer. Solomon, famed as an equal to "The Emperor" Caesar, was clearly destined to be the victor here.

As for Xing Wuyi? Most people were simply speculating how many attacks from Solomon he could withstand before finally falling.

Lin Ling VS Qin Fen.

Today, spurred by the efforts of other young martial artists and pressured by Qin Fen’s peak presence, almost every participating newcomer had unleashed their strongest abilities—save for one individual who remained unmoved.

Lin Ling, this eternally expressionless beauty, continued to employ her signature fighting style: dispatching opponents with a simple hand chop. As for her true strength? No one knew how formidable she truly was.

This woman, who had fought Qin Fen to the very end in several previous matches, even defeating him in the sniping competition—just how powerful was she? Was she concealing her strength because she possessed the capacity to contend with Qin Fen? Could she inflict significant damage upon him?

A huge mystery hung heavy in the minds of the spectators. This answer might only be revealed when the two finally faced each other again.

Compared to the newcomers from other continents, the African contingent experienced mixed fortunes.

Bada, the "Golden Lion" from the African Military Region, was matched against Kunlai Ti, the "Giant Crocodile," also from Africa.

Africa's two strongest newcomers met in the round of sixteen advancing to the eight, becoming the first unlucky pair to fight amongst themselves.

Compared to Bada and Kunlai Ti, Alice, the beautiful warrior from the Americas, was envied for her incredible luck.

Alice VS Zeus Mark.

Zeus was undeniably one of the heavyweights of this Newcomer Tournament, possessing strength that no one, except Qin Fen, could afford to underestimate.

However, after his brutal fight against Du Peng in the top thirty-two, although Zeus secured the victory and advanced, his body suffered fractures in multiple locations. Could he continue fighting? Or rather, could he even stand for the battle days later? Would he have to hobble to the arena on crutches?

Even before the fight started, Alice had effectively become the first person to advance from the round of sixteen to the round of eight, her luck inciting envy in nearly everyone.

Apart from Alice, luck also smiled upon two other American newcomers. These two were the remaining participants filling spots, aside from the well-known rising martial artists.

But sometimes, luck plays a vital role. These two five-star American newcomers were pitted against each other, meaning one of them was guaranteed a spot in this elite top-eight lineup.

The names of the final sixteen scrolled continuously across the massive projection screen, while the audience lingered in the stadium long after the previous battles had ended.

The commentator, spotting Qin Fen and Xue Tian preparing to leave the arena, quickly grabbed the microphone: "Newcomer Xue Tian, what are your thoughts on your next opponent? What percentage chance of victory do you estimate?"

"Percentage?" Xue Tian’s eyebrows twitched several times. "Does he think that just because his nickname is Sky-Splitter, he can actually split my sky? Challenging Qin Fen isn't Brooks' place. Does he want to reach the top eight? Fine, but my blade might disagree."

The remaining American newcomers immediately shot hostile glares toward Xue Tian.

The commentators, sensing drama, pressed on, "So you're very confident?"

"Of course! I have a hundred percent certainty of slicing that sleepy guy down." Xue Tian jutted his chin out and roared toward the American soldiers in the distance: "Hey! You few, go back and pass a message to Brooks! In our next match, I guarantee I’ll beat him so badly he’ll change his nickname from Sky-Splitter to Fear-Heaven Brooks! Yes, meaning he fears me, Xue Tian!"

The audience members who remained stared blankly at Xue Tian's audacious declaration. If someone possessed Qin Fen’s Eight-Star strength, they could spout such nonsense without consequence. But with an equal Seven-Star power, such shouting only served to ignite the opponent's anger and fighting spirit. Wasn't he just asking for trouble?

The commentators smiled smugly. Before the fight had even begun, Xue Tian's inflammatory words had successfully escalated the pre-match atmosphere to a fever pitch.

"Qin Fen." The commentator signaled the director, and a close-up of Qin Fen appeared on the large screen. "May I ask, in this entire tournament, who would you most hope to face in the finals?"

"Who?" Qin Fen smiled faintly. "It doesn't matter who. What matters is that I hope they are strong enough."

"It doesn't matter who... Heh heh..." The commentator chuckled dryly. This young man possessed Eight-Star strength, but his mindset seemed far beyond that—his tone subtly hinted at the bearing of a grandmaster.

"Huh?"

The commentator froze as Xue Tian pushed off the ground with both feet. He moved like an elegant swallow, gliding toward the center of the arena, leaving behind no trace of disturbance in his wake.

"Everyone!" Xue Tian cleared his throat, his five fingers gripping the hilt of his Iaido sword. "Perhaps you thought I was just boasting just now. Well, now I am going to prove it. I, Xue Tian, am definitely not some big-talker King..."

Before the words fully faded, a dazzling burst of light shot from the scabbard as Xue Tian gripped the handle with both hands! In that instant, his aura completely transformed. The slouching, indifferent demeanor vanished, replaced by a chilling, sharp killing intent!

Holding his blade with both hands, his gaze was sharp and dominating. He suddenly stepped half a pace forward, and the sword in his hand erupted in a spectacular sheen of light, instantly enveloping every corner within a three-meter radius.

The moment the sword wind ceased, the Iaido was already back in its sheath. Xue Tian’s killing aura instantly reverted to his careless, indifferent demeanor; his smiling face appeared as harmless as any model citizen.

But at that moment, no one would ever underestimate him again. Qin Fen narrowed his eyes, silently calculating the trajectory of Xue Tian’s draw in that instant. He felt deep admiration; the sword technique had absolutely no blind spots. Anyone caught within its arc would be subjected to a maelstrom of slaughter, giving them a taste of true lethality.

"Everyone, I will definitely win," Xue Tian said, bowing his hands in salute to the surroundings. He smiled toward the American newcomers: "The 'Thousand Slashes That Never Exhaust, Severing Mountains and Rivers' that you just witnessed is my weakest blade technique. You can tell Sky-Splitter to go buy extra OK Band-Aids, or things will look very unsightly for him."