Ever since Gaolou released his new book, it hasn't managed to hold a steady position on the Weekly Recommendation Chart; it was just knocked off again.
Gaolou really, really wants to stand on the front page of that chart—just a tiny, tiny bit more.
Please give me all your recommendation votes today; thank you all in advance.
Gaolou doesn't want to become the 'Xianglin's House' of literature, so please lend a hand.
————* Before Qin Fen could respond, Song Jia cautioned him again: "Don't underestimate Park Jong-hwan, and don't underestimate New Taekwondo.
It’s best not to provoke him; the rumor is he’s already aiming for the Four-Star level." "Ah?" Qin Fen managed an awkward grin. "I don't want any trouble with Park Jong-hwan, but if he participates in the Federal Military Skill Competition, I might have to face him." Squad Leader Hao, who was tidying the bedding nearby, visibly stiffened when he heard the competition mentioned.
He had been trying to think of an excuse to trick Qin Fen into joining, but now it sounded like Qin Fen might be volunteering. "You're going to participate in the Federal Military Skill Competition?" Song Jia sounded quite surprised on the other end of the line. "I plan to," Qin Fen stated plainly, holding nothing back. "I heard there are different rewards for advancing when you retire." Squad Leader Hao’s eye socket twitched repeatedly.
To Qin Fen, the hall of the highest honor for a soldier seemed to be merely compensation upon retirement. "Is that so?" Song Jia mused for a moment. "Then work hard! Aim for first in the Federation!" Qin Fen was somewhat surprised.
Song Jia, who had just been advising him to avoid clashing with Park Jong-hwan, had immediately switched allegiance. "Surprised?" The clever spirit that was Song Jia had guessed Qin Fen's astonishment. "Before you make up your mind, I offer advice.
Once you've decided, I will only support you." "Beep, beep..." The sound of the call ending came from the receiver.
Qin Fen knew the system was notifying him that the prepaid phone credit he had stored was running out. "Out of money?" Song Jia’s voice held a hint of reluctance, but she knew they had been chatting for quite a while.
She quickly whispered, "Alright then, I’ll hang up first.
Remember to top up more next time." Although he knew Song Jia couldn't see him, Qin Fen nodded. "Okay." The cost of this single call was more than he usually spent on calls in an entire year.
Hanging up, Qin Fen immediately put on his Sky Martial Arts Battle Net helmet.
The phone credit had just been drained; he needed to earn it back as quickly as possible.
Opening his mailbox and looking at the string of challenge letters, Qin Fen simply instructed the system to search for the highest-paying one.
After filtering out all the challenge letters, there was one non-challenge letter remaining, which made Qin Fen slightly surprised.
This letter had been sent by Feng Zhi Yu Shao. "Brother Thirty-Six Hours, how have you been since we last met? Recently, I received news that the Three-Star Zone War God Arena will open several days earlier than the Two-Star Zone War God Arena.
If you're interested, you can go experience the Three-Star Zone first." Experience? Qin Fen seriously examined the electronic letter before him.
He had looked up a lot of information about the War God Arena on the official website and had a preliminary understanding.
However, judging by the messages from others, people who hadn't truly entered the War God Arena could never truly grasp what it was like.
Three stars...
A trace of longing appeared in Qin Fen's eyes.
Ever since sparring with Squad Leader Hao while they were both operating at Three-Star strength, he felt that Two-Star combat was no longer stimulating enough.
Not needing to worry about making ends meet for the time being, the fighting spirit of a man striving for excellence rapidly revived within Qin Fen.
The system soon selected four letters.
Qin Fen suddenly smiled; coincidentally, one of the four letters was from a Two-Star challenger belonging to New Taekwondo.
With great readiness, Qin Fen chose his first opponent: a New Taekwondo challenger named San Qian Li He Shan.
As Qin Fen accepted challenges daily, his reputation grew day by day, and the number of spectators increased.
Almost all of the top hundred experts in the Two-Star realm chose to temporarily halt their own duels to watch the battles of 'Thirty-Six Hours.' Two-Star—a massive collective.
Having the top hundred masters with the best records watching your match was, in itself, a form of promotion.
At some unknown point, Qin Fen had acquired his own fan base. "Thirty-Six Hours, if I defeat you, you must remove your mask!" The challenger San Qian Li He Shan's demand didn't cause Qin Fen much surprise.
Almost every challenger these days made the same request.
Many fan groups on the Two-Star forum were posting threads guessing what the person under the mask looked like. "He must be an extremely handsome, low-key great guy," insisted the absolute fans. "He must be incredibly ugly, afraid of frightening people!" hissed the jealous ones...
These kinds of posts were among the most popular threads on the Two-Star forum. "Adding a stake requires depositing more money," Qin Fen reminded him with professional integrity.
By now, everyone who challenged Qin Fen in the Two-Star realm knew that 'Thirty-Six Hours' loved money fiercely.
The money for the challenge itself was one thing; if they won and demanded he remove the mask, an additional sum had to be paid before the fight commenced.
Once, a meddlesome person claimed to offer ten thousand US dollars just for Qin Fen to willingly take off his helmet, but Qin Fen refused.
Because of this, many people called Qin Fen foolish, saying he missed out on earning ten thousand dollars in one go! Ultimately, it was Feng Zhi Yu Shao, a top-hundred master who had once lost to Chu Nan, who stepped up to educate those who called Qin Fen foolish. "Are you all idiots? If Thirty-Six Hours takes off his mask now, he only earns one lump sum of ten thousand dollars.
If he keeps it on for one more day, he can earn money every day." "Fine! No problem! I'll add another hundred dollars.
I know the rule." San Qian Li He Shan agreed readily. "Then I get to choose the duel site!" Qin Fen shrugged.
As a businessman, one must always satisfy the customer.
While the arena is a fair ground, real combat doesn't offer you a level playing field for a fierce engagement.
Therefore, any setting is a form of training, and to him, it presented no issue.
For the battle scene, San Qian Li He Shan chose a narrow alleyway.
Whether someone has combat instinct could often be determined by the scene they choose.
These days, Qin Fen’s conditioning exercises and techniques—the Shaolin Arhat Fist—had caused various masters to suffer setbacks.
Among them, the 'Dragon Shrouding Body' technique was terrifyingly refined.
Many challengers would select cramped spaces to limit Qin Fen's excellent mobility.
New Taekwondo, refined and distilled by Bae Seong-jun, not only saw significant improvements in hand techniques but its already formidable legwork had its power further amplified.
People in the Han Autonomous Prefecture called it the foremost leg technique of the era! Ever since Gaolou released his new book, it hasn't managed to hold a steady position on the Weekly Recommendation Chart; it was just knocked off again.
Gaolou really, really wants to stand on the front page of that chart—just a tiny, tiny bit more.
Please give me all your recommendation votes today; thank you all in advance.
Gaolou doesn't want to become the 'Xianglin's House' of literature, so please lend a hand.