With the matter settled, the Sky Battle Net, an organization famed for its efficiency, swiftly sprang into action, and a temporary channel capable of holding five million people was rapidly established.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Qin Fen’s body began to distort and vanished instantly into Free Zone Eleven, specifically the Eleventh Fighting Arena.

The assembled crowd in the arena stared blankly at each other—had he just left? He had only just arrived, why depart immediately?

As people exchanged puzzled glances, their electronic communicators vibrated almost simultaneously.

The millions of users who had been stuck in the network congestion, choosing to wait, also watched their communicators with curiosity, wondering how text messages could possibly be sent or received through a network channel that was entirely jammed.

Tian Yi opened his communicator with a sense of curiosity, immediately blinking rapidly, suspecting an issue with his eyesight. What was this?

【Dear User, greetings. This time, Thirty-Six Hours is entering the Sky Battle Net with the intent of sparring against the Nine-Star Martial Artist he considers the strongest, ‘Shanhe Sheji.’ To allow more of his fans who enjoy Thirty-Six Hours to witness his prowess, we have specially opened a temporary channel with a strict limit of five million participants. For the sake of fairness, we are implementing a fee structure this time. You only need to pay an entry fee of twenty units to access the special channel and watch this peak battle between Nine-Star Martial Artists…】

“Damn it! A fee!”

As Tian Yi cursed aloud, the other users stuck in the network, along with those already in Free Zone Eleven, erupted in simultaneous curses.

“Shameless! Charging a fee! I’m not watching!” shouted a martial artist in Free Zone One, his body instantly vanishing from his spot. He quickly located the Special Channel within the network and immediately paid the twenty-unit entrance fee.

“Inhumane! Charging for a Nine-Star Martial Artist battle? Are they insane? I won’t watch!”

A martial artist in the audience echoed similar complaints, and his body also disappeared from where he stood, reappearing moments later in the Special Channel after opting to pay.

Instantly, the network was flooded with curses. Yet, among these vociferous complainers, nearly eighty percent of them were simultaneously yelling they would absolutely not watch, even as they secretly rushed to the Special Channel.

Nine-Star Martial Artists, while not entirely absent in the Federation, were certainly not abundant. An entry fee of twenty units did naturally invite some grumbling.

But a martial artist who ascended from Two-Star to Nine-Star power in less than a year—that was an exceedingly rare sight in the entire Federation. To call him a genius would be an understatement.

Spending twenty units to watch a genius fight? That was practically a bargain!

Five million people was a colossal number, but for the eager audience, this capacity proved far too small.

“Apologies, the last electronic ticket has been sold…”

“Apologies, the last electronic ticket…”

Users who failed to secure tickets ground their teeth in frustration as they watched others leave, many of whom had loudly proclaimed they wouldn't pay to watch. How could five million tickets sell out in an instant? Had ghosts bought them all?

“I have an electronic ticket here! Two hundred units! Who wants it?”

Ticket scalpers, at this moment, had finally emerged…

“I want it!”

“I’ll take it! I offer three hundred!”

“You offer three hundred? I’ll bid four hundred!”

“Four hundred? Then I’ll give five hundred!”

“I bid one thousand!”

These rapid-fire bidding announcements sent the scalpers into a frenzy of excitement and elation. Unfortunately, their joy lasted less than five seconds before an electric shock ejected the scalper from the Sky Battle Net.

Cracking down on scalping had always been the core principle of the Sky Battle Net.

Qin Fen stood on the newly configured virtual stage, quietly awaiting Shanhe Sheji’s arrival. Since Sky Battle Net was extending the invitation, as a user of the platform, the invitee should surely grant the courtesy.

“Thirty-Six Hours! Do you look down on me?”

Suddenly, someone in the audience used a loudspeaker prop, and a roar echoed into the ears of everyone present.

Those closer to the source of the sound turned to see an unidentified martial artist whose profile data was not hidden.

Qin Fen activated a special official prop, clearly discerning the identity of the speaker.

In the grand popularity contest of the entire Sky Battle Net, this name was far less famous than Thirty-Six Hours. However, at the Nine-Star level, this person’s fame was significantly greater than Thirty-Six Hours’. He was ranked first on the Nine-Star Martial Artists’ Achievement Leaderboard!

Among the top one hundred on the achievement board, some practitioners might not possess overwhelmingly exceptional standards, but anyone ranking first, even if not the absolute strongest, was invariably one of the few supreme experts within that Star level.

The martial artists nearby who recognized the name of Luan Nanji chuckled. Qin Fen’s return to the Sky Battle Net to challenge a Nine-Star expert, yet declaring that Shanhe Sheji—ranked eleventh—was the strongest among the Nine-Stars, would sound incredibly grating to the ears of the man ranked number one on the Nine-Star Achievement Leaderboard.

In this world, there is always an undisputed number one in literature, and an undisputed number two in martial arts!

Luan Nanji, holding the top spot on the Nine-Star Achievement Leaderboard, if he failed to appear now, would lose all face occupying that throne hereafter.

Qin Fen looked up towards Luan Nanji’s location in the audience, utilizing the superior official loudspeaker prop, and shouted, “Luan Nanji, I do not look down on you, only that I do not believe you are my match, nor the strongest Nine-Star expert…”

“I am not your match? Good! Very good! Excellent!”

Luan Nanji’s three successive affirmations left no doubt about the peak level of his fury.

“I have long wanted to find a time among the Nine-Stars to settle who the true Nine-Star number one is!” Luan Nanji’s voice resonated across the venue again. “Today is indeed an excellent time! I trust other top-ranked martial artists from the Nine-Star Leaderboard will also be arriving?”

“I! The second place on the Nine-Star Achievement Leaderboard, Kuang Lang! I also desire the title of the foremost Nine-Star expert!”

“Kuang Lang, save your breath! Though my ‘Shang Xuanyue’ is only ranked seventh on the Nine-Star Leaderboard, this title of Nine-Star Number One clearly belongs under my guardianship.”

“The Nine-Star Number One should naturally fall to Xiong Kuohai, who is ranked fifth!”

“You? Then what am I, Fengchen Tianxia?”

“Fengchen Tianxia, you are insufficient! I, Pili Zhuanjiang, am the true Nine-Star Number One!”

“None of you need to argue…”

The stage shimmered, and the principal target of Qin Fen’s invitation, Shanhe Sheji, materialized upon the platform!

The moment Shanhe Sheji appeared, even Qin Fen sucked in a sharp breath. Shanhe Sheji stood six-foot-three, broad-shouldered and deep-chested, emanating a faintly imposing aura as he stood on the stage.

“The Nine-Star Number One is naturally me, Shanhe Sheji!”

With a thunderous roar, Shanhe Sheji slightly puffed out his chest. He swept his gaze across the vast audience, a self-assured smirk playing on his lips; the sheer arrogance radiating from him seemed to pierce the sky, giving off an almost uniquely supreme presence.

Nine-Star Peak! Qin Fen was both shocked and delighted. This Shanhe Sheji was even stronger than the records suggested, seeming to be just a hair’s breadth away from reaching the Transcendent Innate realm achieved through Blood Exchange Rebirth! He looked incredibly young, perhaps only just turning twenty, or twenty-one years old.

Luan Nanji stared intently at Shanhe Sheji on the stage, his tone low, “You don’t seriously think that by defeating this untested Thirty-Six Hours, you can declare yourself the Nine-Star Number One, do you?”

“Of course not,” Shanhe Sheji replied, his chin slightly raised, his expression incomparably arrogant. “Today, I will first defeat this Thirty-Six Hours, and then challenge all of you one by one. This is truly a splendid opportunity! You are all here! If I systematically take you all down, I will naturally be the legitimate Nine-Star Number One…”

“Hahahahaha…”

Luan Nanji, Kuang Lang, Shang Yue, Fengchen Tianxia, Pili Zhuanjiang, and Xiong Kuohai burst into simultaneous, heaven-shaking laughter, followed by many in the audience. For one man to claim he could defeat the top experts of the Nine-Star Hundred strong list in succession—Shanhe Sheji’s arrogance knew no bounds!

More spectators simply laughed with delight—regardless of what happened, this twenty-unit ticket price was absolutely worth it! Not only could they witness a Nine-Star battle featuring a young genius, but they could also witness a series of duels for the Nine-Star Number One title; even a ticket price of two hundred would have been justified!

“Hahahaha…”

Another wave of heroic laughter soared from the stage. People curiously watched Thirty-Six Hours, who stood opposite Shanhe Sheji, wondering why he, too, was laughing—and with such magnificent heroic spirit?

“Ha!” Qin Fen let out a sharp cry, the light in his eyes suddenly blazing as he scanned Shanhe Sheji and the others one by one. “I was originally worried that fighting only Shanhe Sheji today wouldn't help me break through this final martial arts barrier! I didn't expect that when I wished for sleep, the heavens would drop a great pillow! Several of the strongest figures from the Nine-Star Hundred Strong Leaderboard are all here! Excellent! This is truly wonderful! You all… come at me together!”

“You… come at me together!”

These six simple words, dripping with peerless grandeur, hung in the air above the massive arena long after they were spoken.

The bustling arena instantly fell into a dead silence!

The people looked at Qin Fen as if he were an utter fool. Shanhe Sheji’s arrogance was already extreme! He claimed he would defeat all the Nine-Star masters in one day!

Yet, only a few seconds later, the challenger, Thirty-Six Hours, displayed an even more overwhelmingly audacious front, demanding to challenge this entire group simultaneously!

Luan Nanji’s ears twitched slightly. When top Nine-Star martial artists fought one-on-one, deciding the victor was already immensely difficult. This newcomer’s arrogance was simply unbounded! Was such domineering audacity merely an attempt to overshadow Shanhe Sheji’s boast? It seemed entirely unrealistic, almost laughable.

Shanhe Sheji’s powerful frame trembled slightly, his phoenix eyes narrowing, emitting a sharp, bright light. “Such confident bearing suggests this is not mere fleeting bravado. Very well! Excellent! I haven't encountered someone this confident in a long time. It seems defeating you will allow me to claim the Nine-Star Number One title. Come, let us begin!”

“No…” Qin Fen kept his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze directed toward Luan Nanji in the audience. “I said before, come at me together.”

“Together?” Luan Nanji smiled. “Young man, among the Nine-Stars, countless capable individuals exist. You rose from Two-Star to Nine-Star in under a year and now believe yourself invincible against the world? You hold no one in contempt? Do you know that many Nine-Star martial artists have remained at this level for years? Their research into the Nine-Star realm is far beyond what you have accessed! The Nine-Star realm is not as simple as you perceive.”

“Yes,” Qin Fen nodded. “The Nine-Star realm is indeed not simple, which is precisely why I ask you all to come at once.”

Shanhe Sheji also began to laugh. “Thirty-Six Hours, I am growing more eager to fight you.”

“I also wish to fight you, but absolutely not right now.” Qin Fen turned his head back toward Luan Nanji. “Are you interested in fighting me in a warm-up match?”

“Warm-up?”

For the first time, Luan Nanji wasn't sure whether to laugh or be enraged. The respected number one on the Nine-Star Achievement Leaderboard was being told by a young man with zero ranking points that he was only fit for a warm-up bout.

Shanhe Sheji suddenly stepped forward, his aura instantly enveloping Qin Fen. “You won’t fight me?”

“Of course I will fight you,” Qin Fen replied without hesitation. “I consider you the strongest among this group of opponents, and I need to find pressure within the fight. Fighting you now would be less impactful than fighting you all later. That will create more pressure.”

The five million spectators stared at Qin Fen with intense curiosity. This young man, who had previously engaged in group fights at the Four-Star level, was now initiating another one at Nine-Star? Did he not realize the power disparity between Four-Star and Nine-Star martial artists was immense, making group combat infinitely more difficult than at Four-Star?

“A warm-up? I’ll fight you!”

Luan Nanji accepted Qin Fen’s invitation, his body suddenly distorting as the system transported him onto Qin Fen’s stage.

“Excellent!” Qin Fen finally brought his hands from behind his back, cupping them into a salute toward Luan Nanji. “As thanks, I will fight you seriously! I will defeat you within three punches!”

Three punches!?

Luan Nanji’s expression turned livid, yet his lips curled into a cold sneer due to overwhelming anger. Even if you are a rare martial prodigy who ascended seven stars in under a year, boasting such a claim is excessive! Did you truly believe the number one spot on the Nine-Star Achievement Leaderboard was made of paper?

“Good, good, good!” Luan Nanji roared three times in succession. “Today, let me broaden my horizons and see what kind of Nine-Star martial artist can defeat me in three punches!”

Shanhe Sheji thumbed backwards, stepping aside. “Three punches? Bold words! I hope your fist and foot strength matches the spirit of your rhetoric.”

Three punches? Kuang Lang crossed his arms, watching the two on stage with a half-smile. Luan Nanji’s ability to hold the top rank on the leaderboard was evident to all. A little arrogance is acceptable for a young man, but one shouldn't overstep the mark! Shanhe Sheji’s arrogance had a degree of appropriateness; this Thirty-Six Hours seemed utterly brainless in his boasting, and a lesson learned through suffering might be beneficial.