The top floor of the Saint Martial Hall was exceptionally high, a mysterious place in the eyes of many practitioners from the various martial halls. Qin Fen pushed open the not-so-heavy door and surveyed the simple room.

There was no lavish decoration, nor any calligraphy adorning the surrounding walls; it was merely painted with plain white latex paint.

The Six Stars of Saint Martial were not wearing the robes embroidered with their respective star charts today, but had changed into sharp, functional martial uniforms.

The six strongest individuals standing near the very apex of the Saint Martial Hall showcased a convergence of skin tones from different human races across the globe. Bogut, the Dark Star from Africa, who also served as the usual spokesperson for the Six Stars, stood around two and a half meters tall, with a thick waist and broad shoulders; had his body hair been slightly denser and longer, he would have resembled a grizzly bear even more closely.

He merely stood in place, glancing sideways at Ma Juntie. Immediately, the sound of Ma Juntie's bones cracking echoed through the room; under the immense pressure, he was forced to summon his inner qi to resist.

Qin Fen observed Bogut’s towering height of two and a half meters; even without unleashing any martial power, his sheer physique was a threat.

Among the three white males, one was also remarkably tall. Although he couldn't match Bogut’s height, he still easily projected an intimidating aura. His completely bald head shone as if freshly oiled, and his brow possessed the distinct heritage of the Russian people, with a narrow, high-bridged nose and sharply defined facial contours.

This was Ivanovs'ky, the General Star among the Six Stars of Saint Martial. Even standing still, one could tell he possessed the solid foundation of having perfected Baji Quan. If Lü Dongbin were to see Ivanovs'ky, perhaps he would no longer claim to be the strongest in pure, explosive force; this man of Russian descent clearly walked the path of the hard, direct martial arts lineage.

The man representing the Demon Star scrutinized Qin Fen with faintly glowing green eyes, complemented by an aquiline nose and relatively fair skin, suggesting Jewish heritage.

Another white male possessed the pale grey hair and matching pale grey eyes characteristic of the Germanic peoples, radiating an unyielding resolve that defied any external force. Embroidered on the cuff of his martial uniform was the Righteous Star (Yi Xing) from the Southern Dipper constellation.

The woman with yellow skin and a shorter stature needed no external reference; her highly distinctive hairstyle alone proclaimed her as a powerful figure from the Wa (Japanese) lineage.

Qin Fen felt a slight pressure building. He had presumed the strongest martial art in He Province to be Kyokushin New Karate, but unexpectedly, there was a native of He Province among the Six Stars, and she represented a path notoriously known for being docile, obedient, and skilled at serving men—the women of He Province!

Peeking out from the low neckline of the martial uniform, which strained tightly around her chest, the embroidery of the Martyr Star (Xun Xing) was conspicuously visible.

The final star, the Benevolence Star (Ren Xing), was a master of the new Muay Thai! Although his physique was not as powerfully built as some of the Westerners, the sharp, almost unbearable aura emanating from him clearly marked him as a practitioner of the hard, direct martial path.

The hard, direct martial lineage had always been one of the largest schools in contemporary martial arts, naturally contrasted by the extremely soft lineage. Among the Six Stars, only the woman from He Province representing the Martyr Star followed the soft path; the rest were uniformly focused on hard martial ways. Any one of them, pulled out individually, would likely make Lü Dongbin, who claimed the title of the world's strongest in hard martial arts on Saturn, feel ashamed.

Wu Zun sat not far from them, legs crossed, resting his chin on one hand, watching this rare, century-defining scene with great interest: Qin Fen, hailed as the foremost young master of the new generation, had come to challenge the Six Stars of Saint Martial, who had long been famous and were almost universally referred to by the practitioners of the Saint Martial Hall as six living deities.

“Six esteemed Seniors,” Qin Fen bowed slightly, clasping his hands. “The Gathering of Heroes is imminent, and I wish to qualify through my own abilities. I implore your guidance and assistance.”

Bogut, the black man and spokesperson for the Six Stars, regarded Qin Fen with admiration. Martial artists hailed as the foremost of the younger generation always possessed an edge as sharp as a blade—like the previous foremost young master, whose presence alone gave one the sensation of facing a mountain range carved from ten thousand swords.

Yet, today’s Qin Fen projected no such sharpness, but instead conveyed an immense sense of profound weight. Beneath his sincere respect, there was simultaneously the vast, supreme aura of a martial artist claiming absolute dominion.

“Who do you wish to spar with?” Bogut’s eyes flashed with eagerness, the thick veins on his body throbbed noticeably, suggesting he was ready to strike the moment Qin Fen spoke.

The other Five Stars also keenly focused on Qin Fen. Engaging with the martial artist reputed to be the current foremost among the young, and the most likely to challenge the Divine Beast rank, was far more appealing than sparring with these familiar faces they had fought for years without any sense of novelty.

“This is the matter.” Qin Fen lowered the angle of his bow further, slowly raising his eyes to look at the Six Stars of Saint Martial with deference. “If the six of you Seniors do not mind, I hope to spar with all six of you simultaneously.”

Spar with all six simultaneously? The seven people in the room drew in a sharp breath, fourteen astonished eyes fixing onto Qin Fen like nails a foot long.

Wu Zun smiled slightly, observing the seven individuals in the room, and casually took a swig from the half-full bottle of chilled beer beside him.

Ma Juntie stared blankly at Qin Fen, inwardly screaming: Is Master insane? Defeating any single one of these warriors would be enough to elevate them to the ranks of the world’s supreme masters! Very few in the entire Federation can fight them one-on-one. One against two? That is a rarity. One against six? Does he think he is a Divine Beast level martial artist?

The shock felt by the Six Stars of Saint Martial surpassed Ma Juntie’s. Over the years, they had encountered many arrogant martial artists, but never one so outwardly audacious! Especially since this creator of miracles for the Saint Martial Hall was uttering words so preposterously arrogant while adopting an attitude of profound respect, creating an indescribable visual dissonance.

“You… what did you just say?” Bogut’s eyes, larger than a tiger’s, narrowed into slits, radiating a chilling, piercing glare. “What did you just say? You want to take on all of us?”

“Yes, I wish to spar with all six of you Seniors at once,” Qin Fen slowly straightened up. His calm face betrayed no hint of arrogance. Looking only at his expression, one would truly believe he was merely engaging in a casual practice match with six novice martial artists.

The previous expectation in the eyes of the Six Stars had vanished, replaced by fury! Rage! They had heard tales of this miracle creator of the Saint Martial Hall, whose favorite challenge was always: “All of you, come at me together!”

When they had heard others relay Qin Fen’s words before, the Six Stars had found it suitably bold and exhilarating! It made one’s blood boil with excitement just hearing it, urging them to praise him as a true man.

Now that this declaration was directed at them, the Six Stars finally understood the feelings of the challengers Qin Fen had casually pointed at in the past.

Such naked contempt! Could any man tolerate this? Bogut shot a sharp glance, stopping the other six from moving. He spread his arms, his exceptionally long reach seeming capable of covering the entire hall, and a scorching light erupted fiercely from within his body.

In an instant! His palms appeared to be grasping two rising suns!

In the blink of an eye, the temperature in the room soared continuously! The entire room transformed into a giant oven, or perhaps the alchemy furnace of Laozi himself.

Instantly, Ma Juntie was drenched in sweat. This situation further alarmed him. He had already achieved the level of True Innate Rebirth through Blood Transformation, meaning he could control his bodily functions almost at will; even in the extreme heat of a sauna, he would never shed a single drop of sweat unless he desired it.

Even amidst ice, Ma Juntie could force himself into a full sweat if he willed it. To find himself uncontrollably sweating the moment Bogut moved was unthinkable.

“Young man, come over here and observe.” Wu Zun gently extended a hand, employing the technique of Zong He Qin Long Shou (Crane Seizes Dragon Hand), pulling Ma Juntie effortlessly to his side.

With that pull, Ma Juntie immediately felt as comfortable as being in spring, sensing absolutely none of the heat from Demon Star Bogut’s Sun Fusion Fist, which radiated like an actual sun!

New Martial Art! Sun Fusion Fist!

The room’s temperature kept climbing, as if the entire structure were about to melt like chocolate exposed to high heat, the air visibly warping from the thermal rise.

Qin Fen lifted his eyelids to examine the room’s structure, silently praising the construction. He wondered what material they had used; the heat from Bogut’s Sun Fusion Fist was sufficient to instantly vaporize the metal of a space battleship, yet the building remained intact—truly unexpected.

Bogut, fueled by anger, continued to escalate his power. The terrifying Sun Fusion Fist made his entire being resemble a massive, radiant sun.

Soon, the blinding, scorching light shifted again, concentrating on his two fists and his feet.

“Bear Form?” Qin Fen pressed his left hand gently near his waist, curved his right hand and extended it forward, sank his left stance, and bent his right leg, lightly touching the ground with his toes. He adopted the Stance of the Three Talents (San Cai Shi) from Tong Bei Quan posture, holding it loosely.

Heaven, Earth, Man—the Three Talents! Qin Fen used this stance to symbolize his opponent, representing the Three Talents, but more importantly, it was a gesture of respect towards the Seniors of the Saint Martial Hall.

If facing an established master he had never met, even one of equal strength to Bogut, he would never have assumed such a formal fighting stance; he would simply stand tall.

Bogut’s body slowly bent like a taut crossbow. His feet rooted to the ground, advancing in a continuous inch-step assault. His speed was so fast that the building itself could not fully transmit his power. His left foot stepped, and his right foot flashed to follow, synchronized with the movement of his knees. His left palm shot out, aiming to grasp Qin Fen’s extended right arm, while his right fist suddenly erupted from above his left hand—a perfect execution of seeking straightness within the curved, blending soft and hard force. The left hand that extended to grab suddenly transformed into a palm strike! His entire movement resembled a small boat riding the crest of a wave, his form rising and falling, his fists like arrows, the relentless momentum of the Bear Form seamlessly integrated!

“Magnificent!”

Qin Fen silently praised him. Bogut truly lived up to his reputation as one of the Six Stars of Saint Martial! One move of the Bursting Fist (Beng Quan), one stance of the Bear Form! These two, the simplest yet most fiercely potent techniques, were merged together. Seemingly ordinary, only those engaged in the actual combat understood the profound strength of this combination.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The floorboards beneath Qin Fen instantly resonated with a dense series of rebounding impacts, sounding like a hundred war drums beating simultaneously. His supporting right leg suddenly lifted off the ground, and his entire body violently lunged forward. His loosely held right hand and arm drilled in sharply! Serpent Form! Hiss!

Bogut heard an almost inaudible sound like a snake flicking its tongue. Qin Fen’s left big toe rotated on the ground, and his entire body flashed sideways as if riding the clouds. The venomous spray of the Serpent Form punch, however, did not cease; in a flash, it left sixteen rapid strikes upon his body!

Rumble! The massive tower wall, symbolizing the highest authority of the Saint Martial Hall, suddenly exploded. Bogut shot out like a cannonball, piercing through the wall, his body flying thousands of zhang into the high sky. His skin visibly burst, accompanied by a series of sounds like car tires blowing out—the zhenqi driven into his body was forcefully expelled, visible even to the naked eye.

Hiss… hiss…

Bogut gasped repeatedly, feeling different sensations in different parts of his body. The moment he was struck, some areas felt chillingly cold as if plunged into an ice cellar, others intensely hot as if steeped in lava, and still others felt as if thousands of steel needles were stabbing him!

“What kind of ability is this?” Bogut gazed toward the spot where Qin Fen was no longer visible, his heart filled with astonishment. There were no excuses for the outcome of that exchange; Qin Fen’s strength clearly surpassed his, yet he chose victory through superior technique. He could not fathom that this young man had reached such a terrifying level.

The winner was decided! Qin Fen concluded his form and straightened up, his expression retaining undiminished respect as he looked at the remaining five, stunned members of the Six Stars. “Now, may we proceed together?”