The grossly overbooked meeting for Zhang Xiangyang was not held in their usual small base; instead, they rented a large tiered venue to accommodate the sudden First Core Member Assembly of the Dragon Hall.
The assembly was called with shocking abruptness, especially since nearly everyone had witnessed Qin Fen’s spectacular and unconventional concert on Saturn through various channels, seeing firsthand the Dragon Hall Master’s incredible power despite his youth. As core members of the Dragon Hall, everyone yearned for a close-up look at the living Qin Fen.
Professionals from all walks of life dropped their work and responsibilities, flooding into the Heaven’s Will Battle Network. It instantly became the highest attendance event in the Dragon Hall’s core membership history.
The vast, tiered hall buzzed with activity. It was the first time Qin Fen truly understood the troubles of being a celebrity, as experienced by Ya Fei and Ya Xin. Almost everyone’s first action upon seeing him was to ask for autographs and photos.
Photos could be done instantly online, but for signatures, they could only leave contact information, with the promise that Qin Fen would purchase autograph boards later, sign them, and send them out via express delivery.
Express delivery, yes. When the crowd realized that Qin Fen, the legendary super martial arts powerhouse, harbored no airs, remaining as approachable as a neighborly young man, they naturally opted for express delivery rather than standard mail.
The hall was noisy for quite some time. After everyone had their fill of photos and autograph requests, they settled back into their seats, looking at Qin Fen and Deputy Hall Master Zhang Xiangyang on the main stage. A sense of bewilderment settled over them: why had Qin Fen, who had just stirred up a frenzy on Saturn, come here at this particular moment?
“Everyone, this is the founder of our Dragon Hall, the one I often mention, the thirty-six hours, and the one who shone so brightly on Saturn today: Qin Fen. We haven’t gathered you here just so you can see what our Dragon Hall Master looks like; Qin Fen also has something to say to you all.”
Zhang Xiangyang stepped down from the stage and took the seat specially reserved for him among the members. He once again completed the Dragon Hall’s characteristic, simple yet pragmatic style of address.
The huge tiered conference room fell remarkably silent. Under Zhang Xiangyang’s leadership, the Dragon Hall had developed with remarkable organization and discipline, completely different from the so-called organizations often found online.
Qin Fen surveyed the crowd: “Thank you all for joining the Dragon Hall. I won’t stand on ceremony with you. I entered the Heaven’s Will Battle Network today because there is indeed something I need your help with.”
Qin Fen pulled up his personal information. From the data, he located the video footage of his performance that Yang Lie had helped upload, and an image immediately materialized beside him in the virtual space, replaying the scene where the military discovered the metal in the forest before all the Dragon Hall core members.
“This is!?”
Several people in the crowd abruptly stood up, their eyes wide as they stared at the projection screen beside Qin Fen.
“New metal,” Qin Fen said calmly, looking at the people who had risen. “Gentlemen, I presume you are experts in metal smelting?”
The four who stood up were momentarily stunned, their expressions showing a mixture of awkwardness and embarrassment as they quietly replied, “Expert is too strong a word; we just have a rudimentary understanding of the field.”
Qin Fen looked at several other core members in the crowd whose faces showed deep contemplation. He spoke slowly, “I wonder what your specializations are, particularly concerning metals?”
The core members exchanged glances. Finally, a fair-haired, blue-eyed, seemingly refined Caucasian man spoke up: “A slight familiarity. Mechanical manufacturing, especially precision instruments. Many current instruments lack sufficient strength in alloy composition.”
Machinery? Precision instruments? Qin Fen’s mind flashed to the Godslayer that Gun King had crafted. He still possessed the Gun King’s materials and blueprints from that time, but although he had learned shooting and firearm modification from Gun King, he hadn't delved deeper into research. Even with the materials and blueprints, he couldn't truly manufacture anything.
Hand the blueprints over to the military? Qin Fen had never considered it. This technology required a sniping skill level comparable to Gun King’s; otherwise, even if it were made, it would merely be a piece of hard metal incapable of hitting a Super Mighty Beast.
A new metal held fatal attraction not only for smelting experts but also for specialists in mechanical manufacturing of precision instruments.
What could be done with such strange properties? Once dissolved, could the new metal truly never be dissolved again? Thoughts yearning for knowledge flashed rapidly through everyone’s minds.
“Simply put, I obtained a piece of this new metal. Whether there is a second piece of the same metal on Saturn, I cannot confirm right now,” Qin Fen slowly explained to the experts who had stood up. “This new metal holds significant meaning for me, and I believe it holds immense appeal for all of you. What I want to ask is, are any of you interested in becoming the ‘fish that got filtered’? If you are interested, then inform Zhang Xiangyang of your current salary, benefits, and research capabilities. I believe he can offer you a satisfactory arrangement.”
The experts showed a brief moment of stunned pause, their eyes flickering with rapid calculation. They quickly moved toward Zhang Xiangyang, and their individual information was transmitted via the network into his database.
Zhang Xiangyang carefully reviewed the data. The mysterious metal, combined with the military power on Saturn and Qin Fen’s potential for future development—these factors together meant that even if their current compensation wasn't immediately increased significantly, they would likely agree instantly.
To become part of the first wave of real-world founders for a potential future Divine Beast martial artist—the implications were self-evident. Seniority, in any era, could never be entirely overlooked! Especially for capable individuals, adding seniority made their future prospects limitless.
Zhang Xiangyang glanced at Qin Fen. A single sentence from Tathagata had skyrocketed the Terror King’s value; Qin Fen was certainly wealthy now, and he had the backing of several massive families combined. Increasing the benefits for these core members who decided to fully join the Dragon Hall, Qin Fen would surely not object. Furthermore, it would solidify their loyalty.
The tailored benefit packages were returned to the individuals. Their eyes, which had just widened slightly, soon burst forth with an emotion called excitement, pride, and happiness.
The perspectives of ordinary people and Divine Beast martial artists differed. Martial artists who hadn't reached the Divine Beast level would believe in the future and potential. Only those who had truly become Divine Beasts would cease to trust all futures and potentials; they had seen too many people who were only one step away from the summit.
At such a young age and with such fierce momentum, the experts fully believed Qin Fen possessed the potential to become a Divine Beast. Working for someone on the cusp of becoming a Divine Beast was naturally the best outcome! Moreover, they would practically be among the first members, meaning their future seniority combined with their own effort—
The experts seemed to see an infinitely bright future!
“Hall Master Qin Fen, in the field of biochemical engineering, are there any other needs? Although I am not yet at the absolute top level, I still possess some skills. If you have experts, I can at least serve as an assistant!”
“Hall Master Qin Fen, I work in finance!”
“Hall Master Qin Fen, I work in pharmaceuticals!”
“Hall Master Qin Fen, I am a researcher in mobile armor!”
In the quiet and orderly tiered conference room, members representing different fields rose to speak, yet there was no disorder. The level of order was almost a form of tacit understanding; their voices rose and fell in turn without creating the chaos of a marketplace.
Watching experts from various fields stand up, Qin Fen experienced for the first time that the current "Dragon Hall" was no longer the makeshift startup it once was. Its personnel now encompassed nearly every industry, including a significant number of experts in the energy sector.
Qin Fen raised his hand and displayed the footage regarding new energy. Several core members who had just sat down stood up again and quickly moved toward Zhang Xiangyang, asking in unison, “Hall Master Qin Fen, we are researchers in the energy field. We are very interested in new energy, and also very interested in the Dragon Hall, so…”
Qin Fen stepped back, gesturing for them to approach Zhang Xiangyang. Soon, all of them reported their research directions, projects, and desired benefits in the energy field to Zhang Xiangyang.
“Hall Master Qin!”
Several people who had previously stated they were researching mobile armor walked down as well: “We research mobile armor, and energy is intrinsically linked to our research. Especially for new, compact, high-powered mobile armor, it requires powerful energy support. Therefore…”
Qin Fen stepped back again, indicating they too could go to Zhang Xiangyang.
On the tiered seats of the conference room, the number of standing members grew steadily.
Energy! It was linked to so many aspects of daily life! Energy encompassed nearly most high-tech fields. It was like a central hub; although it might seem unrelated to something on the surface, it would soon become apparent that the originating signal still led back to it.
A few projects managed to avoid a direct link to energy but connected to the metal. Mobile armor, magnetic levitation vehicle industries, and even space battleship and fighter jet industries outright spanned both the metal and energy categories.
Time flew by rapidly. Qin Fen discovered that two-thirds of the core members present had either a direct or indirect connection to this new energy and new metal.
Once the two-thirds were seated, the remaining third all stood up, led by a stout man: “Hall Master Qin Fen, we are not directly involved with these two projects, but we equally wish to be ‘filtered’ in.”
Filtered? Exactly! Having finally met Qin Fen, this martial artist with infinite future potential who might become a Divine Beast was recruiting. To sit idly by at this moment would be to miss the greatest opportunity! The probability of this situation was smaller than winning the lottery.
Zhang Xiangyang felt Qin Fen’s gaze and immediately sent a short message: This is the power of publicity! The future potential of a Divine Beast martial artist makes anyone strive to take the gamble! Moreover, you have already become their subconscious idol.
Qin Fen had to re-evaluate Zhang Xiangyang. This man, despite lacking formidable martial power, possessed nearly unrivaled organizational ability. In this virtual battle network, he had gathered countless talents and made them willing to strive for this virtual organization in the real world.
Zhang Xiangyang was sent by Qin Zhan! Qin Fen remembered a line Butcher had told him before leaving Earth.
“Where is my brother now?”
“Don’t know.”
“Is he Azure Dragon?”
“You guess.”
“Why help me?”
“Your brother said building a complete personal team would be too tedious for you, so he wanted to lend a hand. But unexpectedly, besides me, you’ve also built a massive force. I’m impressed. It seems Brother Zhan’s judgment of you was slightly off—this is the first time I’ve seen Brother Zhan make a mistake.”
Qin Fen was startled, suddenly understanding that the massive force Zhang Xiangyang spoke of referred to the collective strength of the major Earth families currently being unified under Xing Wuyi's command.
Those were all… Qin Fen smiled and shook his head. To someone like Zhang Xiangyang who was diligently building power, even if he explained that these forces belonged to various friends' families, Zhang Xiangyang would produce a host of arguments to prove that these forces were no longer solely the property of individual families.
“Saturn is relatively dangerous; Earth is relatively safe,” Qin Fen told the crowd. “I don’t know which planet you all hail from, but if you join the Dragon Hall, I strongly suggest you move to Earth. There is a relatively complete and vast force there that can not only protect the safety of your lives and property, along with your families, but also provide better equipment. Of course, I do not intend to confine you.”
The crowd nodded and laughed in unison. Since they had chosen Qin Fen’s side this time, they were prepared to commit fully. Saturn was temporarily unsafe, so having a safe rear base on Earth was fine for the time being.
“To my friends in biochemistry and pharmaceuticals,” Qin Fen mused, “if you don't mind the danger, perhaps come to Saturn. I currently have two individuals here who are arguably the top geniuses in the Federation.”
Geniuses? The researchers in biochemistry and pharmaceuticals showed faint smiles. Every field has its geniuses, but geniuses, in front of these seasoned veterans, often seemed immature. It appeared Qin Fen wanted them to mentor these two so they could mature quickly. Very well! This was a chance to prove themselves right after joining the Dragon Hall.
The members exchanged glances, confirming each other’s thoughts, and then turned back to nod at Qin Fen:
“Very well. What are the names of these two geniuses?”
“Lin Liqiang, Inzarta.”
The calm reply from Qin Fen had barely settled when several of the professional researchers who had previously looked pleased instantly darkened their expressions and blurted out: “What? Lin Liqiang!? The super genius in bio-beast research, Lin Liqiang!?”
“Inzarta? The genius pharmacist hailed as the most brilliant in human history, who might lead the future direction of humanity!?”
Their former pride and confidence vanished instantly. Every industry has its rules. In the ears of outsiders, the names Inzarta and Lin Liqiang held nothing extraordinary, but among the top talents in these two fields, who hadn't heard of these two super-geniuses?
The researchers in both projects stared at Qin Fen as if he were a monster. This truly was the future Divine Beast martial artist! He had managed to recruit both of these super-geniuses!