A glint flashed in Yang Lie's eyes. It seemed Caesar wasn't just aiming to withstand Qin Fen's three punches, but to defeat him within those three strikes! Indeed, Caesar, the battle-hardened [Great Emperor], knew that against someone like Qin Fen, holding back would only lead to defeat.

Qin Fen waved his hand in an inviting gesture, a slight excitement brewing within him. This opponent clearly followed the path of expansive, dominant imperial energy. The [Emperor's Fist] even resonated with a kindred spirit to the [Martial Emperor Dragon Fist].

Despite his rising anger, Caesar executed a brief salute, his feet parting slightly—not in a traditional Horse Stance, but bearing a resemblance to an Emperor ascending the reviewing stand. His face flushed crimson as the star-level of his true energy continuously escalated.

Qin Fen paused, startled. What was this? The Great Sun Technique? No! This surging aura was far more potent than the rumored Great Sun Technique.

Nine Yang Divine Art! A familiar name flashed through Qin Fen's mind like lightning. A true peerless technique of this era! A supreme art the Federation had deliberately withheld from its free martial arts releases! One of the arts so profound that even a minor tycoon couldn't afford a fraction of it!

Legend held that even genuine aristocratic clans could not obtain the complete scripture of the [Nine Yang Divine Art]! To secure it entirely required immense service to the Federation, membership in the [Sacred Martial Hall], or being a relative of a Divine Beast-titled martial artist.

Otherwise, even a family with significant influence couldn't guarantee access to the whole text of this supreme technique.

Nine Yang Divine Art? A layer of goosebumps rapidly surfaced on Qin Fen's skin—the tremor of pure excitement. In his career so far, he had never fought someone who genuinely possessed such a supreme art.

Yang Lie nodded ceaselessly from the sidelines. The Nine Yang Art, with its intensely potent masculine energy, was undoubtedly the perfect complement to the [Emperor's Fist].

Yellow Lion Bada watched with repeated gasps of astonishment. This internal cultivation technique was truly mighty! He had only recently reached the Eight-Star level, yet the sheer momentum when he engaged was astonishing.

Qin Fen's eyebrows twitched repeatedly. No wonder Caesar was so confident; he had never truly unleashed his true energy at the previous assembly. Today, he finally revealed his trump card: the Nine Yang Divine Art. Anyone possessing such a supreme art had every right to be proud.

Hah! Hah! Hah!

Three sharp cries erupted from Caesar's throat. His Dantian felt like an erupting volcano; his true energy spewed forth like lava from a crater. One thick stream of true energy branched into nine slender streams, surging toward his arms under his precise control.

Even after Caesar's triple roar of energy enhancement, Qin Fen remained standing in place, not even bothering to adopt a guard stance.

Several new recruits frowned slightly. Was Qin Fen being too arrogant? Facing Caesar, he still wouldn't even assume a starting posture.

Qin Fen smiled. The Martial Emperor Dragon Fist? When it was created, no preparatory stances were ever conceived. What stance could he possibly adopt now?

In an instant, people noticed Qin Fen's arms beginning to swell. The initially loose sleeves of his uniform inexplicably ballooned, stretched taut by his surging true energy. The sound of his blood rushing through his veins, propelled by the Qi, resembled the sound of a water tap being wrenched open—a distinct whoosh that resonated clearly in the quiet arena center.

To onlookers, Qin Fen's right shoulder seemed grafted with a fantastical limb—a Bēimēng’s arm! That massive limb, contrasted with his otherwise merely robust physique, created an intensely jarring visual incongruity.

Thump-thump! A sudden sound like a burst of thunder echoed. The concrete beneath Caesar's feet exploded outward, shards flying. A wave of energy erupted from within his shoes at that instant, forcefully ripping the shoe uppers apart.

[Annihilation of Nine Generations]! Nine streams of surging, blazing true energy converged onto his arm, weaving and intertwining. Caesar’s instantaneous activation of the technique made him resemble an ancient sovereign in a fit of rage, raising a jade tablet to violently issue an imperial decree, his target squarely on Qin Fen's head.

On the field, the strong wind howled like a car tire blowing out, causing continuous sharp snaps in the air. The strike descended with the crushing weight of a collapsing sky.

A hint of jealousy flickered in Yang Lie's eyes. In a real combat situation, Caesar having the luxury to generate such power with this punch was almost zero possibility.

When martial artists clash, who kindly offers time for such extensive charging? Victories are often decided in a flash. Yang Lie was confident he could have eliminated Caesar numerous times during Caesar's charging period.

It was only because of Qin Fen's condition—the three-punch pact—that Caesar was afforded such a perfect opportunity.

The new recruits let out a collective soft gasp. Facing such a ferocious punch, the first instinct of an average Nine-Star martial artist wouldn't be how to take it head-on, but rather how to evade sideways! Qin Fen’s record for a single sweeping punch seemed genuinely threatened by Caesar.

Qin Fen sank his body slightly, then suddenly surged upward, like a fierce dragon breaking the surface of a deep pool. Eighteen streams of true energy in his right arm vibrated and converged into one. Once again, countless concrete fragments flew up from the ground beneath his foot. The technique, [Eighteen Divine Dragons Stirring Wind and Cloud], bloomed anew.

As this fist struck out, the air around Qin Fen's arm warped violently, a visible tunnel of airflow carved through the atmosphere—resembling the sonic boom barrier formed outside a supersonic aircraft.

Boom!

[Annihilation of Nine Generations] and [Eighteen Divine Dragons Stirring Wind and Cloud] violently collided. The concrete beneath their feet erupted like an artificial fountain, or perhaps fireworks bursting in the night sky. Concrete debris shot skyward in a radius of fifty centimeters around the two combatants.

It was the sound of a thunderclap in a silent night. The uniforms on both men's arms seemed to be instantly entangled by some bizarre force, shredded into powder in moments. Shredded cloth mixed with concrete fragments and dust soared into the air.

For one instant, the air filled with the sound akin to a master drummer striking a drum kit at impossibly high speed. Before the new recruits could fully process what happened, Caesar's figure was forced backward. His neck instinctively arched back. The moment his feet left the ground, he twisted 720 degrees in the air, dissipating most of the force. He staggered back eight full steps before finally stabilizing his stance, the total distance he retreated being considerably further than any previous exchange.

Looking down, there was no sign of military boots; both men were entirely barefoot.

Caesar's arms trembled slightly at a high frequency. He gasped deeply for air, the flush on his face already receding significantly as he stared in utter shock at the composed, upright Qin Fen.

Pain! Every cell in his arm screamed agony! Caesar’s arm wasn't merely numb or anesthetized like the previous two opponents; it was genuine, searing pain! Pain that made him want to cry out for his mother.

A terrifying force... Hitting [Annihilation of Nine Generations] felt less like striking a human fist and more like crashing into an unmoving aircraft carrier docked in a harbor, or colliding with a high-speed maglev train.

More than the sheer burst of true energy, Caesar was astonished by Qin Fen’s brute, overwhelming physical strength and his terrifying defensive true energy.

Golden Bell Shield? Or the supreme [Indestructible Vajra Body]? What kind of external body-tempering technique was that? Even the searing true energy of the Nine Yang Art struggled to penetrate it.

And that astonishing outward shockwave of Qi! Caesar had to admit, in that single moment, he could sense that Qin Fen’s true energy oscillation frequency was at least double his own.

Both techniques utilized outward true energy oscillation for lethality... The gap between them... Caesar displayed a flicker of gratitude. Even utilizing the outward true energy shockwave, he could have achieved a victory with that punch, yet he chose not to. This was a form of respect between martial artists.

Bai Sheng leaned back, crossing his legs, growing more fond of Qin Fen the longer he watched. The thought that his own daughter was only ten years old brought a pang of disappointment. If his daughter were just a bit older, he would absolutely claim Qin Fen as a son-in-law! He would make that arrogant Martial God of the Sphere regret his short-sightedness for losing such a perfect match.

"Brilliant. Truly brilliant!" Bai Sheng's fists, unknowingly clenched tightly from excessive excitement, slammed together. That single punch, among the current Eight-Star martial artists, deserved the title of 'Supreme Under Heaven'! Even few Nine-Star martial artists could withstand it!

Terrifying power, dominating fist intent, and a strange... strange protective divine art! Bai Sheng let go of his fists and scratched his head. The protective divine art Qin Fen displayed in that final instant seemed peculiar. It strongly resembled the Golden Bell Shield, yet it felt as if the shadows of the Iron Shirt and the Thirteen Protectors of the Iron Cloth were hidden within.

Could he have merged the three body-guarding divine arts? Bai Sheng grinned in surprise. It was highly possible! Qin Fen couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.

Although there were countless methods to merge three divine arts, and the resulting power varied drastically depending on the combination, Bai Sheng knew that regardless of the merging method, the slowness of true energy progression and the immense pressure during cultivation were exponentially more difficult than simply calculating one plus one plus one.

Qin Fen stood quietly, unaware of Bai Sheng's speculation. If he knew what Bai Sheng was thinking, he would sincerely tell the older man, "Uncle, you guessed wrong. It wasn't just immense internal pressure; it was immensity upon immensity, like the feeling of a tortoise dragging a truck while moving. The cultivation was incredibly arduous!"

Pfft...

Qin Fen's right nostril suddenly opened, exhaling a faint stream of air. The air around his arm instantly experienced a sharp rise in temperature, subtly visible to the naked eye as a different density from the surrounding air.

He let out a soft breath, sighing inwardly. Truly worthy of a supreme art! Even though Caesar's overall cultivation might be insufficient, the true energy from that punch managed to pierce through his arm during the short fight. If not for the oscillation effect, dispersing it within mere seconds would have been impossible.

In those few seconds, Qin Fen felt as if his arm had been simmered in molten coals.

"Do you still need to take the second punch?" Qin Fen raised his hand, pointing toward Caesar's left arm. "I know you're left-handed; your left side is stronger. But are you sure you want to continue?"

Caesar froze. How could this person even tell he was left-handed? This man was not only powerful but possessed an even more terrifying combat intuition.

With a helpless sigh, Caesar raised his chin and shook his head left and right. "No. I don't need to take your second punch individually. I understand why you invited the top eight of us here tonight. Even if some of us made it to the finals, we would still appear weak against you. You truly stand at the genuine pinnacle of this New Talent Martial Arts Competition. For the foreseeable future, I am inferior to you..."

With Caesar, the strongest overtly displayed member among the top eight, having spoken, a wave of disappointment washed over the new recruits. Their gazes shifted to the next person.

Xue Tian! The dark horse of this New Talent Martial Arts Competition! His strength was not only formidable but projected an aura of complete unpredictability.

Seven-Star Brooks, whose strength was Seven-Star, was crushed into the Eight-Star realm by him, and he accomplished this the instant the fight began, eliminating his opponent entirely.

Such capability created an inexplicable sense of anticipation among the crowd.

Perhaps this young man was also Eight-Star? The new recruits felt the idea bordering on absurdity. In previous competitions, Seven-Star martial artists could secure the championship. This year, there were already two Eight-Star martial artists among the top eight, an unprecedented situation that shouldn't allow for more Eight-Star contenders.

Yet, Xue Tian! This anomaly inspired a strange kind of hope.

"Everyone..." Xue Tian raised both hands above his head, his head shaking side to side like a rattle drum. "Don't look at me like that. I have nothing to do with this. I surrender. That's right! You don't need to look at me like a coward. Faced with Old Qin's terrifying fists, this brother is genuinely scared."

The countless expectant gazes once again fell into disappointment. Was there really a martial artist in this world who, when confronted by a powerful enemy, chose outright surrender instead of rising to the challenge with heroic spirit?

"You..." Alice glared at Xue Tian, the man who could dispatch Brooks with a single strike and whom Caesar considered a formidable rival. "Are you even a man? You don't even have the courage to fight?"

"That question..." Xue Tian stared intently at Alice. "Beautiful lady, I am rather shy. Here, I really cannot offer you a detailed demonstration. If you are absolutely determined to confirm my gender, we can book a romantic room tonight and discuss the intricacies of our respective sexes."

Everyone expected Alice to blush with embarrassment. Instead, a challenging smile touched her beautiful features. "Fine! This lady has already ensured the lineage of seven perverted exhibitionists will never walk the streets in trench coats scaring innocent girls again. I wouldn't mind breaking an eighth."

Xue Tian quickly clutched his crotch, grinning widely. "I am not an exhibitionist. As for whether I am a man or not, I think showing you my ID card should suffice. That's an official document recognizing my male gender."

Alice shook her head slightly, choosing not to look at Xue Tian. Even setting aside this bizarre martial artist, the challenge to Qin Fen could not be stopped.

Yang Lie jumped down from the spectator area. Caesar gently massaged his still slightly painful and numb right arm. Bada stretched his shoulders; the force of Qin Fen's punch had directly impacted his shoulders, and only now was the residual numbness mostly dispelled.

Solomon remained silent, looking up. Alice flexed her still slightly sore fingers, then leaped into the martial arena behind Brooks, the Eight-Star powerhouse who had already been eliminated but whose presence remained significant.

Little Dragon King Yang Lie, Brooks of the Sky Opener, Great Emperor Caesar, Golden Lion Bada, Solomon, and Alice! These six young martial artists, each capable of winning the championship in any previous New Talent Competition, had gathered today to challenge the undisputed strongest martial artist of this year's New Talent Martial Arts Division!

The arena fell instantly silent.