The star-studded battle everyone had eagerly anticipated had, without anyone realizing it, morphed into a duel where several martial arts elites sought to leverage the fight for their own breakthroughs.
Victory and defeat were certainly important! But if one combatant lost yet achieved a breakthrough, who, truly, had won? The millions of spectators were momentarily at a loss for how to answer the question stirring within their hearts.
Having witnessed Qin Fen shatter Luan Nanjie with a single punch, the strongest Nine-Star warriors of the Sky Combat Network instinctively dispersed, encircling Qin Fen.
Shanhe Sheji, having just marginally elevated his realm, proactively chose to face Qin Fen head-on as the primary vanguard. In that instant confrontation, he immediately felt a majestic, ocean-like aura pressing down from Qin Fen standing at the center of the ring.
"Incredible. To think a Nine-Star expert can reach such a level." Shanhe Sheji’s body trembled slightly with excitement; the true energy within him surged even more intensely under the pressure of that aura. Suddenly, a roar instinctively tore from his lips.
The audience, who had been intently focused, waiting for the fight to begin, jumped as if struck. The sound of a lion’s roar suddenly echoed in their ears, making them think a lion had materialized right beside them.
Lion’s Roar!
Shanhe Sheji himself was momentarily stunned after unleashing that roar. Ever since the very first day he began practicing the Dragon Subduing Elephant Manifestation Technique, he had heard that once this ancient martial art reached the minor completion stage, one could emit the roar of a lion.
Minor completion, Shanhe Sheji knew, referred to the Ten-Star level. Though his power hadn't truly entered the Ten-Star realm yet, he had instinctively roared the Lion’s Roar due to thirty-six hours of continuous atmospheric pressure!
Shanhe Sheji’s expression was strangely complex; he didn't know whether to be elated or crestfallen about unleashing the minor completion-level Lion’s Roar.
Normally: If he could spontaneously utter the minor completion Lion’s Roar at the Nine-Star level, he would have long since erupted in triumphant celebration, marking the fact that he was only a thin sheet of paper away from achieving true Ten-Star status.
But now, Shanhe Sheji couldn't bring himself to be happy. The instinctive roar hadn't come from an advancement in his own aptitude; it was entirely due to one man’s presence for sixteen hours! That opponent's overpowering aura had forcibly suppressed him into achieving a breakthrough that shouldn't have occurred yet.
Qin Fen looked at Shanhe Sheji with surprise. This young man had managed two minor breakthroughs in such a short span of time. Judging by his file, combined with these recent advancements, even an ordinary Ten-Star warrior might genuinely gain no advantage against him now.
"Combatants, please prepare. Select 'Begin Battle' when ready," the synthesized, beautiful voice of the announcer flowed softly into the ears of both sides.
Qin Fen initiated the battle while rapidly scanning the profiles of Shanhe Sheji and the others. Dragon Subduing Elephant Manifestation Technique! An ultimate-level ancient internal martial art! An ancient art that money couldn't buy! Then there was the Mighty Vajra Palm, and his self-created Shanhe Sheji Fist. It seemed this young man truly had an impressive background.
One Yang Pure Virtue Art. The sharp glint in Qin Fen’s eyes intensified. This ancient internal art belonging to Xiong Kuohai, while perhaps not as exaggerated as Shanhe Sheji's, was also exceedingly expensive. Rumor had it the first level alone cost over ten thousand, and the subsequent levels were even pricier.
Kuang Lang, Purple Cloud Divine Art! Qin Fen’s lips twitched. Indeed! Anyone capable of reaching the Nine-Star level wouldn't be practicing the rudimentary Purple Cloud Divine Art. This art was considerably more valuable than the One Yang Pure Virtue Art.
Jade Maiden Heart Sutra? Qin Fen finally smiled. He really shouldn't have read the inner works from the Dusty World archives. The merits and flaws of this manual were too clearly understood. After viewing her internal art, she posed absolutely no threat in combat.
Official Registration: Dragon Elephant Prajna Art, Three-Star strength. Current cultivation method is unregistered.
Shanhe Sheji froze as he looked at Qin Fen’s profile. Unregistered cultivation method? Was this a secret to be kept? Or had he developed something entirely new?
"Preparation complete. Battle commencing! Confirmation will immediately trigger the starting countdown."
The virtual beauty suspended in the air interrupted the speculations of Shanhe Sheji and the others with her countdown voice. In that instant, everyone's hair stood on end; the battle intent emanating from Qin Fen was terrifying!
"Ten… Nine… Eight… Seven…"
"FIGHT!"
The word fell, and Qin Fen had already transformed into an ancient giant. His two massive hands were clenched into fists the size of jars, swinging through the air, whistling with a sound like the fierce winter gale blowing relentlessly.
Things were different now. Qin Fen did not immediately seize the initiative at the start of the fight as he had previously. What he needed was pressure for a breakthrough! Striking first would only create an opening, allowing him to sweep his opponents away like fallen leaves in a gale.
The battle began!
Kuang Lang, standing behind Qin Fen, moved first. His Purple Cloud Divine Art, having reached Nine-Star proficiency, covered his entire face in purple energy, as if coated in a layer of violet mist.
No Nine-Star warrior’s strength was weak! Especially those standing on this stage, who were the cream of the crop among the Sky Combat Network's Nine-Star experts.
Kuang Lang instantly coiled his body, then sprung forth! He moved like a cannonball, his arms swinging freely in the air like willow branches. His palms appeared soft as cotton, yet within them faintly resonated the crisp sound of popping beans, betraying intense inner force!
Bone Dissolving Soft Palm! Kuang Lang had never registered or used this martial art on the Sky Combat Network! Facing Qin Fen today, he could no longer hold back, deploying this powerful, soft-exterior, hard-interior palm technique centered on explosive force!
As Kuang Lang moved, the others reacted almost simultaneously! The fists and feet of the top Nine-Star martial artists were laced with the sound of wind and thunder as they lunged toward Qin Fen.
In the lightning flash, Qin Fen’s mind operated like a high-speed computer. His eyes didn't even need to see; he sensed the situation of the masters purely through bodily perception.
Shang Xuanyue’s Dragon Swirl Palm, the Dragon Wagging Tail, struck back, slicing toward Qin Fen’s throat, while his hidden hand, the Dragon Concealed Claw, lunged straight for Qin Fen’s navel!
The human body has few areas harder to train than the spine and the navel. The navel is the body’s primal conduit for sustenance, the center of gravity, and sits directly above the Dantian!
Pili Zhanjiang roared ferociously, swallowing the virtual Frenzy Pill and Iron Armor Pellet. His muscles became like forged iron—the perfection of the Thirteen Taibao Hard Refining technique. His elbows moved up and down in circular arcs like a massive drill, literally tearing a hole in the air, aimed precisely at the weakest point two inches from Qin Fen's ribs!
Shaolin’s Eighteenth Strikes: Vajra Elbow! Compared to the Thirteen Taibao experts he encountered in Shengjing, today’s opponents were superior!
Xiong Kuohai swept his leg out, the ferocious wind from his kick issuing a sound like a woman screaming, aimed at the back of Qin Fen’s knee joint—the very technique known in New Taekwondo as Earth Kick!
Fengchen Tianxia shook his hands, fingers flicking rapidly in the air, resembling a pianist executing the crescendo of a musical piece. This was the expensive Heavenly Dipper Point Striking Method, simultaneously enveloping thirty-six vital points on Qin Fen's body. This seemingly gentle touch, using true energy, could pierce solid stone!
Shanhe Sheji, the most powerful Nine-Star warrior among the six, moved. His vast, heavy presence forcibly tore apart Qin Fen's wave-like aura. His eyes snapped open like a Vajra statue from a temple. His body shifted, bringing him before Qin Fen, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks directly toward Qin Fen's chest. Though seemingly chaotic, the strikes subtly conveyed the weight of a nation—one punch was a country! One kick was a river!
Shanhe Sheji! Shanhe Sheji!
Shanhe Sheji’s punches embodied the majesty of emperors he had studied from history, realizing the weight of the State and the power of the Mountains and Rivers that he had comprehended over thirty-two days in the Great River.
Punch is the State, foot is the Mountain and River! How many in this world could bear the weight of the State? How many could withstand the Mountains and Rivers!
The profound, weighty martial intent within Shanhe Sheji's strikes amplified their power by several points. Each blow carried a formidable impact force of three to five thousand kilograms!
The six fighters' fists and feet formed a pressure field that completely enveloped every part of Qin Fen's body.
This combined assault was even more potent than the single strike delivered by Zen Niu Wangying in their previous encounter! Facing this onslaught, Qin Fen sank into profound stillness. His arms moved like two awakening Eastern dragons, an oppressive might subtly radiating from them, relying entirely on his physical martial sense to swing these twin dragons.
Emperor Martial Dragon Fist: Twin Dragons Limitless!
This was a combat move Qin Fen created specifically for group fights. His martial cultivation had not yet reached the point where, in a group scenario, every hair on his body could instantly shift between hardness and softness. No Nine-Star warrior could achieve such a state.
The Yin and Yang Twin Dragons represented his left and right hands! This was a special method he created to simultaneously unleash the full potential of hardness and softness!
Although the power generated by this technique was somewhat less than the explosive force created by the internal collision of hard and soft energies in a single punch, this move was still immensely powerful!
Qin Fen’s arms whipped and swayed like a hundred dragons dancing wildly. The surrounding air was torn apart by the dragon arms, creating sounds that made observers feel as if they were watching a fantasy blockbuster in a cinema, experiencing the roar and cry of dragons!
In that instant, many lower-starred spectators even felt visual hallucinations; it seemed as if a hundred dragons truly surrounded Qin Fen, an image reminiscent of the divine Dragon Son of Heaven spoken of in ancient times!
As Qin Fen's arms transformed into dragons, Luan Nanjie, who had just returned to the channel, sucked in a sharp, cold breath. Even a Ten-Star expert could never unleash the suffocating power of this hundred-dragon ascension!
Before the crowd could exclaim, Qin Fen’s pillar-like arms slammed violently into the fists and feet of the six attacking warriors. This was followed by the sound of air exploding from the clashing pressures, and the grinding noise of bone meeting flesh, sounding like a dozen small grenade launchers firing simultaneously.
The simulated arena beneath Qin Fen's feet was frighteningly real. Now, it was utterly ravaged by this fierce exchange, splitting open dozens of fissures nearly two feet deep.
This was the actual effect calculated and reflected by the computer system.
These were all top experts among the Sky Combat Network's Nine-Stars. Under Qin Fen's oppressive aura, each had achieved some minor new breakthrough. The power of their strikes was certainly rare among the Nine-Stars of the entire Federation. Against any other Nine-Star warrior in a one-on-one duel, they could not have withstood even one attack from these six.
But Qin Fen was too strong! Only one person could occupy the true pinnacle! Qin Fen was the true apex among the Nine-Stars! With the single move, Emperor Martial Dragon Fist: Twin Dragons Limitless, he sent all opponents flying back in a brief, intense exchange...
Crack... Crack... Thud... Thud...
A continuous series of bone-snapping sounds erupted. Pili Zhanjiang stared at his chest in disbelief. Amidst the intense battle, the thirty-six hours not only held off the attacks but also landed a palm strike on his chest, shattering every bone and leaving a massive, transparent hole there.
The Thirteen Taibao at Nine-Star completion! He was pierced by a single palm strike! He had consumed the Iron Armor Pellet to boost his defense by another ten percent, yet he was pierced by one palm!
Pili Zhanjiang’s figure rapidly vanished from the stage. Countless spectators were stunned silent. How could the Thirteen Taibao fail to block a single palm strike from the thirty-six hours?
Fengchen Tianxia’s hands were flattened; the Heavenly Dipper Fingers, capable of easily piercing rock, were utterly shattered!
Xiong Kuohai, with a proud smile lingering on his lips, vanished quickly from the Sky Combat Network arena. His leg, for the first time, failed to strike Qin Fen, but the second kick landed true! It connected with the small of Qin Fen’s back!
On Qin Fen’s magnificent physique, only the muscles in his lower back collapsed inward. Xiong Kuohai had paid the price of having his own leg shattered by the rebound force from Qin Fen's protective aura, but he had managed to break open a gap in the protective divine energy around Qin Fen’s waist.
Qin Fen was not a god. While simultaneously dealing with six top Nine-Star masters, absorbing the full-potential strike from Xiong Kuohai's life-risking blow meant that even his vital energy shield would be breached.
Shang Xuanyue flew back over thirty meters, spitting up blood repeatedly, yet he did not vanish from the combat network. His eyes stared at Qin Fen in utter horror; both of his arms were completely pulverized.
Shanhe Sheji gasped heavily. He was stronger than the others; he only retreated twenty meters, and only one arm and one leg were broken!
"Hoo... hoo..." Shanhe Sheji wheezed, his eyes fixed excitedly on Qin Fen. He had comprehended so much during that brief clash—more useful than his father’s personal instruction!
Qin Fen stood quietly with his eyes closed. The protective true energy around his waist had been breached, but he wasn't truly injured. In that moment, he had suddenly wanted to test the feeling of taking that kick, to see just how strong his protective power really was.
The true energy within his body gradually calmed from its violent surge. Qin Fen slowly opened his eyes and looked at Shanhe Sheji, who was gazing at him with infinite anticipation.
"Thirty-six hours..." Shanhe Sheji swallowed nervously. "Are you undergoing the blood replacement rebirth, entering True Innate status?"
Qin Fen frowned with a strange expression, a sense of ineffable curiosity rising within him.
According to what the Master and Ge Bing had told him, to reach the Ten-Star realm, one must first undergo blood replacement rebirth in the Nine-Star realm, and only then could one break through into the so-called True Innate Ten-Star realm.
No blood replacement, no rebirth! No rebirth, how could there be True Innate status!
Qin Fen couldn't understand. His vital energy had indeed felt a sense of condensation just now, but it dispersed instantly, just like always, failing to consolidate for blood replacement and rebirth.
But Ten-Star? Qin Fen smiled bitterly. In that recent battle, his strength had indeed made a new breakthrough.
Now! Qin Fen could proudly tell anyone: "I! Am already a Ten-Star warrior!"
However, having not truly completed the step of blood replacement and rebirth, what did this state signify?
Qin Fen took a deep breath, his expression complex, and said to Shanhe Sheji, "I did not perform blood replacement rebirth..."
"What?"
The light in Shanhe Sheji's eyes flashed with disappointment, even despair. Could it truly be that difficult to achieve True Innate status through blood replacement rebirth?
"But..."
He sighed again, speaking with extreme strangeness, "I have entered the Ten-Star realm."
"What!"
Shanhe Sheji was stunned. Of the five million spectators watching, those who understood the concept of blood replacement rebirth into True Innate status let out a chorus of gasps, as if muffled thunder was rolling through the dense clouds above the arena.
Almost everyone who knew about the blood replacement rebirth understood that there was a colossal threshold between Nine-Star and Ten-Star. To step into Ten-Star, one first had to replace their blood and be reborn into the True Innate state, creating a powerful springboard to enter the Ten-Star level.
It could be said that blood replacement rebirth was the necessary key to the Ten-Star gate; without the key, one could never enter.
Now, here was a person who hadn't obtained the key to pass the gate but seemed to have snuck through by using an intangible phasing skill, achieving Ten-Star strength.
"You... you truly did not undergo blood replacement rebirth... and entered Ten-Star strength?"
Shanhe Sheji’s eyes were filled with shock, his throat bobbing repeatedly as he swallowed mouthful after mouthful of saliva. Scenes his father had spoken of long ago, describing True Innate status after blood replacement rebirth, flashed through his mind.
"Son, there are actually two ways to enter the Ten-Star realm. One is to complete blood replacement rebirth into True Innate status, using it as a powerful springboard to easily reach Ten-Star. This is the most common and easiest method. The other way... forget it... that method is only achievable by freaks, it's almost impossible..."
"Father, please tell me anyway."
"Fine. The other method is to first achieve Star strength, and then enter the state of True Innate via blood replacement rebirth. The probability of this is nearly zero, as it is far too difficult."
Shanhe Sheji clearly recalled the majestic figure of his father, Jin Long, radiating a faint aura of melancholy.
"Actually, of the two methods to reach Ten-Star, reaching Ten-Star first and then achieving True Innate status through blood replacement rebirth yields far greater explosive power!"
"Why?"
"Why? Heh! Child, you should already understand by thinking about it. Is the explosive power greater if you replace your blood and are reborn into True Innate status at Nine-Star, or if you suppress an entire realm and then undergo blood replacement rebirth after reaching Ten-Star?"
"Naturally, the latter!"
"You are correct, the latter. However, this method is excruciatingly difficult. It requires the cultivator's innate true energy purity to be extremely high. But martial artists with such innate talent... perhaps only those possessing the Solar Bronze Bone have a slight chance?"
The scene replayed rapidly in Shanhe Sheji’s mind. He scrutinized Qin Fen from head to toe, wanting desperately to tear away the disguise on Qin Fen’s face to discover who this 'thirty-six hours' truly was. Why was his innate true energy purer than that of other innate cultivators? Did he truly possess the legendary qualification of the Solar Bronze Bone?
"Your... your innate true energy purity..." Shanhe Sheji finally asked, "Is there an issue with it?"
"Innate true energy purity?"
Qin Fen blinked several times. A scene from the past echoed in his mind—the moment Zhan Peng died after Qin Fen successfully broke through to the Five-Star Meteor level! At that time, the frenzied input of true energy into Du Zhanpeng’s body, because his own foundation was unstable, forcibly knocked him down from the Five-Star Meteor level back to Four-Star.
His master had once said that falling from the Meteor level meant one could almost never return. But if one did manage to ascend back, the purity of the innate true energy gained would be incomparable to other innate cultivators.
The reason for his recent string of victories was not only the tyrannical power of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art but also the quality of his high-purity innate true energy, which had destroyed the true energy of many opponents during head-on clashes.
"Could it be... because of the innate true energy..." Qin Fen’s eyes flickered with surprised realization. He secretly decided: "Tonight, no matter which mentor I meet, I must ask. Is this special situation of mine a good thing or a bad thing?"
Luan Nanjie stared blankly at Qin Fen in the center of the ring. This man had entered the Ten-Star realm without first achieving True Innate status through blood replacement rebirth? Was he that strange individual his father had mentioned?
Luan Nanjie didn't notice his mouth had dropped open wide enough to swallow a duck egg. He just stared blankly at Qin Fen; so, such people truly existed? He wondered if this man could still achieve blood replacement rebirth. His father had once said...
"The first thing required for blood replacement rebirth is to fully grasp one's own vital blood. The stronger the warrior, the harder it is to grasp the vital blood. But if one lacks Nine-Star strength, grasping the vital blood, theoretically, is completely useless. Unless... there is a monstrous, super-genius..."
"The reason Nine-Star is so hard to enter Ten-Star is also because grasping the vital blood is immensely difficult. But if there truly is a freak who can only grasp their vital blood at the Ten-Star level, the difficulty he faces is ten times harder than a Nine-Star grasping it! He might never achieve blood replacement rebirth in his lifetime. Thus, reaching Ten-Star strength without blood replacement rebirth is not necessarily a good thing."
"Father, since the later the blood replacement rebirth, the stronger the resulting power explosion, why does it sound, from your words, that if someone managed blood replacement rebirth very early, they would also be very strong? Otherwise, you wouldn't use the description 'monstrous-level super-genius'."
"Exactly! If you performed blood replacement rebirth at Eight-Star, it might actually harm you. But if you could achieve blood replacement rebirth at One-Star or Two-Star... Tsk tsk... such a monster probably doesn't exist... If one truly did exist, they could very quickly become a Divine Beast-level powerhouse."
"So, is the one who undergoes ten-star martial artist's blood replacement and rebirth destined for greater future development, or the one-star, two-star...?" "That... I don't know either!
Both types are monsters; comparing monsters defies conventional reasoning." Luan Nanji stared blankly at Qin Fen, murmuring softly, "Father... there really are monsters like that.
I encountered one... I just don't know if he can achieve blood replacement and rebirth?" Qin Fen tilted his head, looking up at the stunned crowd, muttering with a soft click of his tongue, "Forget it!
Even without achieving blood replacement and rebirth, reaching the long-dreamed-of ten-star level is still quite something." On the colossal arena stage, Qin Fen’s body twisted rapidly, vanishing instantly from the sight of everyone present. It was only at this moment that the onlookers snapped back to reality, finally erupting with the gasps of astonishment that should have come long ago.