Eight, Earth, Man. The Sacred Martial Hall assigned room sequence numbers to martial artists based on their contract type. As contract holders of the Inner Sacred Martial Hall, the rooms they occupied were uniformly designated as 'Heaven' series rooms. As for the equity-based contract holders of the Outer Sacred Martial Hall, their accommodations were 'Earth' series rooms. Qin Fen held his insignia and scanned the cluster of 'Earth' series rooms, looking for the building plaque number: Human Housing Area, Saber Building, Ugly Building? Qin Fen looked at the insignia in his hand and shook his head with a wry smile. These numbers were truly excessive. Just how many martial artists were in the Sacred Martial Hall?

"Food, drink, necessities, and lodging are all free, and every year they even issue a bonus based on the improvement of one's strength," Xue Tian pointed toward the distant 'Prison' series buildings. "Normally, how many people would willingly leave?" Qin Fen nodded continuously, deeply agreeing. If the benefits of the Sacred Martial Hall were truly as good as Xue Tian described, compared to the high housing prices and exorbitant fees outside, staying in this martial arts sanctuary—where one could focus solely on training while receiving such benefits—meant very few people would actually want to depart. "Oh?" Xue Tian’s eyes lit up as he looked at the crowd gathered beneath the 'Guard' building. "The other buildings are empty, but there’s a group of people here? Could this be a welcoming reception thrown by the martial artists of our building? The Sacred Martial Hall is truly hospitable!"

A welcoming reception? Qin Fen glanced at Caesar and the others, a strained smile pulling at his lips. Where was the welcoming reception that carried even a hint of hostility?

Qin Fen quickly tallied the group; there were about forty people ahead. Judging by their outward appearance, they were likely close to the newcomers in age. The young martial artist at the very front was a man with a sturdy physique, a square face, and an appearance that seemed somewhat straightforward. Standing about 1.95 meters tall, he possessed the bearing of a tiger and the might of a bear. Just by standing there, he projected a feeling that his martial style must be one of grand, sweeping attacks. The coldness in his eyes held a touch of disdain; he was clearly the leader of this group, and he was here to provoke. Xue Tian intentionally slowed his pace slightly, walking side-by-side with Qin Fen, his Iaido blade held close to his chest, showing no sign of preparing for battle. Yang Lie glanced back at Qin Fen, noting that this young martial artist, who had managed to strike the Bell of Mist, also appeared completely uninclined toward conflict.

Morade Kchick suddenly took a large stride, instantly overtaking Caesar and the others to stand at the very front of the group. In his hand, a crimson-red long spear caught the sunlight, shimmering with a chilling, murderous gleam. Yang Lie smiled and slightly moderated his own pace. Since someone was eager for a fight today, there was no need to rush forward. In a place like the Sacred Martial Hall, combat was likely inevitable; why rush it?

"Halt!"

"Get out of the way!"

The voices at the forefront of both groups erupted almost simultaneously.

The powerfully built young martial artist froze, his expression instantly turning ashen. His eyes darted over Morade, shifting from initial arrogance and contempt to intense fury. This newcomer was incredibly audacious! It seemed that passing the Three Trials of the Sacred Martial Hall had inflated the confidence of these new recruits. The forty-odd martial artists laughed in unison. Inflated confidence? That was too common. When he himself first entered the Sacred Martial Hall, wasn't he equally high-spirited, believing that upon entering the Sacred Martial Hall, he was the unrivaled master?

"Get out of the way?" The burly man used his height advantage to look down at Morade. "Kid, as a senior who arrived three months before you, I’m waiting for you today not just to welcome you to the Sacred Martial Hall, but also to tell you that this place is different from the outside. This is the Sacred Martial Hall! A gathering place for all the heroes under heaven! As newly advanced juniors, it would be best for you to keep a low profile and not be arrogant enough to drag everyone else down." Low profile? Arrogant? Qin Fen looked curiously at the person beside him. Had they been arrogant?

Caesar and Yang Lie could only shrug with helpless smiles. How could they have been arrogant when they had just stepped through the gates of the Sacred Martial Hall? Furthermore, their goal this time was clear: to broaden their horizons in this martial arts sanctuary. Why be arrogant? If any arrogance needed pointing out, perhaps it was only Morade’s earlier command to "get out of the way," but even that had its reasons.

A good dog doesn't block the path; if someone blocks the entrance to your room and adopts a provocative stance, no martial artist would have reason to back down. Qin Fen’s eyes held an expression of "as expected." This place was a little bit like the army: issue a swift, strong deterrent, making sure they understand the consequences, regardless of whether they intended to be quiet or arrogant. Morade turned to look at Qin Fen. Xue Tian observed this scene, smiling without comment. Qin Fen’s consistent demonstration of strength and magnanimity had subtly cultivated a habit in the group of looking to him as the natural leader. Even Morade, who clearly harbored ill will and hostility towards Qin Fen, subconsciously looked to Qin Fen for a reaction before acting in this moment. "Oh, understood. Thank you, senior. Now, may we enter the building?" Qin Fen nodded humbly, smiling. There was no need to linger over this initial show of dominance; fighting them probably wouldn't yield any martial insights or experience. Besides, he didn't plan to live an arrogant life anyway. The forty-odd martial artists blocking the doorway frowned in unison. That calm smile held no trace of fear or panic; instead, it seemed like the reaction of an elder listening to a junior's report! Seeing it made their eyes sting! A verbal "understood" sounded incredibly dismissive.

A different reading experience, Novel 555. The burly leader locked his gaze onto Qin Fen and asked in a deep voice, "Are you the leader of these people?"

Jingling-ling... A cell phone ringtone interrupted Qin Fen’s reply. The call was from Lin Liqiang. When faced with the choice between answering a senior from the Sacred Martial Hall or an old friend's call, Qin Fen didn't hesitate; he pressed the answer button immediately, stepping aside, and tossed out a statement: "You people handle this. I need to take this call." Handle it? Take a call?

The forty-odd martial artists froze for a few seconds. This newcomer was truly high-and-mighty! He directly ignored a senior's question? Arrogant! Truly arrogant! Far more arrogant than he was when he first arrived!

"Very good, very good," the burly man’s face twisted into a smile of extreme anger as he nodded repeatedly. "Remember my name, Huang Fengwan! So that when the seniors come to teach you lessons later, you won't claim I failed to educate you properly and implicated everyone else." Xue Tian retreated silently with a faint smile. Caesar and Yang Lie, who had just been ready to fight, also backed away. If someone wanted a fight, let the one who wanted it fight.

"Huang Fengwan! Teach them a harsh lesson! This batch of newcomers is too arrogant!"

"Beat them until their own mothers don't recognize them!" The forty-odd martial artists shouted in unison. They had seen arrogant newcomers in the Sacred Martial Hall many times, but someone who started with "Get out of the way," followed by a condescending "Understood," and then simply ignored a direct question—that was unprecedented. Morade glanced at Qin Fen, who was on the phone, then looked at Xue Tian's encouraging gaze, and violently slammed his long spear onto the ground! The two-zhang spear sank three feet into the earth. The shaft vibrated slightly in the air, emitting a terrifying buzzing sound. Huang Fengwan’s eyes narrowed to slits. The ground in the Sacred Martial Hall was much harder than ordinary ground. To drive his spear three feet into the soil with a casual thrust? No wonder they dared to be so arrogant. It seemed the strength of that first man wasn't the peak; this one was likely the strongest, hired to protect the first man?

"Qin Fen, long time no see. Miss me?" Hearing Lin Liqiang's playful tone, Qin Fen felt a warmth he hadn't felt in a long time. He replied succinctly, "Not at all."

"Not at all? I’m hurt! You owe me compensation!"

Lin Liqiang’s drawn-out, teasing drawl made Qin Fen laugh again. This brother was as much of a goofball as ever. Compensation for what? "Insect Martial Artist," just three simple words transmitted softly over the phone, yet they landed like a sudden clap of thunder. Qin Fen’s eyes flashed brightly, then immediately settled back into quietness. That near-nightmarish scene had been temporarily sealed away by memory, but bringing it up again caused the bloody vision to resurface in his mind. Insect Martial Artist—what were they? Where did they come from? Qin Fen had tried searching the internet but found absolutely no data on them, not even pictures or profiles among the mutated creatures. It was as if they were a new species that sprang up from nowhere. For such a serious, terrible incident, based on the past regulations of the Federation and the military, there should have been immediate reports and announcements of the fallen soldiers' names. However, after the sudden appearance of the Insect Martial Artists, not only the Federation but also the military made no reports; rumors even suggested they concealed the list of fallen new recruits and placed the bereaved families under a special, closed quarantine—a temporary ban on contact. Qin Fen knew that these strange clues indicated the Insect Martial Artist matter was far from simple, likely hiding other secrets.

"Lao Qin, I've hit a snag recently while researching bio-engineered beasts," Lin Liqiang said, his gaze fixed on the continuously changing data on his computer screen, the light of the display flickering across his face. "I suddenly thought of the Insect Martial Artists you described—how they can instantaneously integrate completely with the human body and enhance combat power. Perhaps there’s something there I can learn from."

"Insect Martial Artists..." Qin Fen offered a weak smile. "I haven't seen one since that last time."

"It's fine, I don't need to get my hands on that freak right now. The reason I called is just to ask you to keep an eye out. You’re in the military, after all, and you were one of the few survivors of the Insect Martial Artist battle. I doubt the military or Federation scientists would simply pretend nothing happened and cover it up. They might also be interested. If you get assigned to a similar mission in the future, try to get me a specimen of the 'original state' living bug. I really want to dissect and study it."

Lin Liqiang closed a program, continuing with an expression of longing. "I really want to know if this is some genius’s creation for warfare, or another alien being created by God. Perhaps it can uncover the mystery behind the sudden emergence of mutated creatures."

"Fine, I'll keep a close watch for you. I'll ask to join similar missions if the chance arises."

Qin Fen hung up and shook his head again. The perspectives of a martial artist and a scientist were certainly different. Lin Liqiang's curiosity about the origin of mutated species was far greater than that of ordinary people. "Who else?" Morade Kchick's icy, murderous voice drifted slowly and rhythmically into Qin Fen's ears. Novel House. This...? Qin Fen looked up. The burly man who had been blocking the way earlier was now lying limply on the ground, along with several other martial artists in various states of collapse. Morade Kchick’s fists were stained with dark red blood. Looking at his back, he resembled a ruthless god of slaughter on the battlefield. A different reading experience, Novel 555. Facing Morade Kchick’s menacing aura, the forty martial artists simultaneously stepped back, their eyes filled not only with surprise but also with deep fear. A newcomer who had just entered the Sacred Martial Hall had effortlessly defeated three martial artists from the 'Guard' building, knocking them unconscious. While this hadn't been unheard of in the history of the Sacred Martial Hall, it had only happened with the elite of each generation. Should this young man be one of this generation’s elites? Why would he be here? Had he come to the wrong place?

Silence. The forty martial artists of the Sacred Martial Hall were silent, yet none of them truly intended to retreat. At the Sacred Martial Hall, if they couldn't teach this group of newcomers what it meant to keep a low profile, then when the seniors who had been training for a year arrived later, the ones who would suffer wouldn't just be these few newcomers! Huang Fengwan and the others would face further retribution for failing to issue a proper warning beforehand. After a brief silence, the forty martial artists exchanged glances, seeing a clear signal in each other's eyes: Rush forward and attack as one! They refused to believe that every person in this new group possessed the terrifying strength of the newcomers like the one before them. Their fighting spirit instantly coalesced. Qin Fen was stunned. In the time it took for a phone call, how had things escalated to this point? Based on the situation, these people were preparing for a group brawl!

"You want to fight all at once? Fine by me!" Yang Lie smiled, turning to Qin Fen. "Qin Fen, it looks like if we want to get into the rooms today, we'll have to fight our way in."

"Qin Fen?"

"Qin Fen? The one who defeated Hades, the Little Pluto?"

"The Qin Fen whom the Earth Martial God declared open for challenge by all young martial artists under heaven?"

A series of surprised murmurs, punctuated by gasps of cold air, rippled through the martial artists blocking the building entrance. The name 'Little Pluto Hades' carried immense weight. He was the son of the Gold Star Divine Beast, the White Tiger! He had received the true transmission of all the White Tiger's self-created ultimate techniques! After turning eighteen, he rapidly rose to become the undisputed king among Gold Star peers of his age, praised by numerous martial arts masters and grandmasters as a genius who was highly likely to advance to the level of a Divine Beast martial artist in the future. The fighting intent they had just mustered weakened substantially. If this was truly the person who defeated Little Pluto Hades, then forget about the fallen Huang Fengwan; even the seniors who arrived a year ago to issue their so-called initiation challenge would be useless. Who was Little Pluto Hades? He was a true genius! If he were here to report to the Sacred Martial Hall, the seniors who arrived a year ago probably wouldn't dare to execute the venerable tradition of the Sacred Martial Hall and might even seek help from even earlier arrivals to deliver the glorious 'welcome' to Little Pluto Hades. "I am Qin Fen." A simple answer, and the young martial artists clustered at the entrance instinctively stepped aside, clearing a path. Qin Fen! This was the most talked-about martial artist of this age group! A super-newcomer spoken of in the same breath as Shangguan Chuanqi!

Novel House. Qin Fen looked at the cleared path, and a proverb flashed through his mind: A man’s reputation precedes him.

Xue Tian grabbed the sheath of his Iaido sword and stretched lazily. "If I had known shouting Old Qin’s name was this effective, why did I bother fighting earlier?" A different reading experience, Novel 555.

"Finished already?" Xiu Luo Fenghua Dianyun’s beautiful eyes showed a flicker of disappointment. Resting her chin on one hand while sitting on the rooftop of a large building, the wind blew past her ears, causing her long, azure hair to flutter, adding a touch of girlishness. "The little guy didn't even make a move. How boring. If this keeps up..."

Fenghua Dianyun's laugh was sweet, and her large, watery eyes sparkled with the light of happiness after contemplating a successful prank. "Should I call out the people from the Inner Sacred Martial Hall to spar with this little fellow?" Qin Fen’s lifted foot suddenly paused. He turned his gaze toward a distant building. Ever since this started, he had a persistent feeling that someone was deliberately concealing their presence and observing him, yet he couldn't locate them. This had never happened before. A master! Either a grand master of martial arts or a concealment expert like his instructor.

"Oh? You actually noticed me?" A flicker of surprise crossed Fenghua Dianyun's features. "What sharp senses. I deliberately hid my aura, and yet you found me."

Qin Fen stared curiously at Fenghua Dianyun. This woman had clearly been hiding herself earlier; why was she waving so openly now that she had been discovered?

"Beauty!" Xue Tian shouted joyfully, mimicking Fenghua Dianyun by raising his arm high above his head and waving vigorously. Everyone looked at Xue Tian with curiosity. The distance was immense; merely discerning that the figure was a woman would be difficult, so how did he know she was a beauty?

"I didn't expect the Sacred Martial Hall to have such a beauty," Xue Tian said, bumping Qin Fen with his elbow repeatedly. "Old Qin, knowing there was such a beauty here, I should have rushed over as soon as I got the invitation! What a pity, what a pity! You're already taken, but this beauty is in no way inferior to Song Jia’s looks."

"Very strong," Qin Fen nodded slightly, then looked at the others. "Excuse me, seniors, does any of you know who this woman is?"

The forty-odd martial artists exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting only curiosity and confusion. The Sacred Martial Hall was far larger than outsiders imagined. How could the martial artists here all know each other? Moreover, the distance was so great that her appearance couldn't be seen clearly.

"Then forget it. She probably doesn't mean any harm; she's just curious, I suppose," Qin Fen said dismissively, shaking his head before walking into the 'Guard' building to deal with the two matters.