The appearance of Phoenix, Squad Leader Hao, and the Gun King did not make Che Shuncai realize Qin Fen's underlying issue; rather, because Squad Leader Hao’s men were beaten, he misunderstood Squad Leader Hao.

"Che Shuncai." Squad Leader Hao spoke first, "Matters concerning the younger generation should be left for them to resolve. If soldiers under our command are struck, we elders must step in. Should I then go and break that kid's arms and legs?"

Che Shuncai remained silent. Some unwritten rules of the military still needed to be observed. If this incident escalated, it wouldn't necessarily be a good thing; at the very least, the defeat of the disciple of Hanju's Martial God, Pei Chengjun, indirectly tarnished the reputation of New Taekwondo.

After a brief moment of thought, Che Shuncai spoke, "Hao, I understand your meaning. I just need you to agree to two conditions before leaving immediately, so that today's events can be treated as if they never happened."

Squad Leader Hao nodded, realizing that a major escalation wouldn't benefit Qin Fen much. "Tell me."

"First, does this mean that if our subordinates beat your subordinates in the future, you will also completely refrain from interfering?"

"Of course," Squad Leader Hao laughed. "Your brat just took down so many of my men. I stood by the whole time, did I utter a single word?"

Che Shuncai was momentarily speechless; he didn't know how long the other had been there, only that he must have been present for quite some time.

"Fine! I trust you." Che Shuncai continued, "I don't want too many people knowing about today's events. If the news spreads too far, the Military Disciplinary Department might come knocking."

Squad Leader Hao shrugged and nodded. If the Hanju faction wished to cover up this defeat, then let them. Qin Fen still had many, many skills yet to learn; revealing them too early wasn't advantageous.

The two Hanju instructors skillfully helped up Park Jonghwan, and the disheartened Hanju recruits followed behind them. Che Shuncai glared resentfully at the new recruits of the Third Company before fixing his gaze on Squad Leader Hao, "Remember what you said today. Our Hanju forces may soon have new recruits coming to test your martial strength."

Squad Leader Hao laughed heartily, "You are welcome anytime."

The commotion quickly subsided back into quiet. Company Commander Yan glared furiously at the new recruits gathered around Qin Fen, laughing.

"You bunch of soft dummies! You let so many get injured, and you still have the nerve to laugh? Starting tomorrow, your training regimen is doubled!"

The new recruits, still basking in the glow of victory, who would normally moan bitterly at such an order, unexpectedly replied in unison.

Company Commander Yan pushed through the crowd to stand before Qin Fen, his eyes shining with joy. "Kid, well done. You haven't embarrassed the Third Company."

Company Commander Yan clapped Qin Fen heavily on the shoulder and left with a smile.

The military is like this. If you beat someone from another unit, the commander won't be angry; instead, he feels it reflects well on him. If trouble comes from above, the officer naturally takes the responsibility and shields his subordinates. If an officer cannot protect his own men, who will sincerely fight for him? Who will respect him?

This is essentially a tacit rule that borders on disciplinary violation, yet it is accepted by everyone from the Marshal down to the squad leader in the barracks.

Once the Company Commander left, Squad Leader Hao and his men quietly departed, leaving only the new recruits of the Third Company.

At that moment, the new recruits swarmed Qin Fen, surrounding him. Someone started it—grabbing hold of one of his legs, followed immediately by another clutching the other leg.

The next second, Qin Fen was hoisted into the air by the crowd, caught as he fell, and then tossed up again.

Excited cheers erupted from their throats. Even the recruits lying on the ground wore smiles—this beating they took wasn't in vain; Qin Fen had just earned them all face and reputation.

After tossing him a few times, they finally set Qin Fen back down.

"Old Qin, you're something else!"

"Old Qin, what was that move you used?"

"Yeah! That surging, overwhelming fighting style—it looked like you could take down a rhino with that!"

The new recruits bombarded him with questions. Young men naturally bond easily, and after such an intense event, their camaraderie deepened without them realizing it.

"First, we should send them to the hospital," Qin Fen suggested once the clamor died down.

"Good idea! Brothers, start dismantling the bed boards to make stretchers!"

By defeating Park Jonghwan in one battle, Qin Fen’s popularity and prestige rapidly solidified among the new recruits of the Third Company.

After days of military training, the new recruits had absorbed a bit of the military mindset: If you have ability and aren't a bad person, they will respect you!

The new recruits began to move busily—some taking apart bed frames, others gathering sheets, creating a scene of organized chaos.

Lin Jia gradually snapped out of his daze. Looking at Qin Fen’s busy back, he wondered: what was this man's background? He practiced the freely available martial art Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill yet could modify and guide others in practicing the higher-level Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, and in such a short time, he crushed Park Jonghwan, one of Hanju's young geniuses!

No! Lin Jia's eyes suddenly lit up. The publicly available information for the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill only detailed the first three levels! Qin Fen, possessing four-star strength, had clearly broken through the free third level and reached the fourth.

Could it be? Lin Jia’s eyebrows arched slightly. Was he part of that specific program the military region was running? Was that why he had kept such a low profile, waiting for the right moment to erupt? He needed to investigate him.

Although Lin Jia’s own family relationships were currently strained, he was confident he could easily investigate someone’s background and identity.

"Hey, Old Qin, you should buy a cell phone," Deng Biao said to Qin Fen from his stretcher. "If you had one of those, communication would be easier."

"Hmm?" Qin Fen hesitated. Military life was quite self-sufficient; buying a phone seemed like a waste.

"I'm serious," Deng Biao insisted. Though most severely injured, his neck and above bore no marks. Park Jonghwan, for all his ferocity, had shown a certain respect for tough fighters like him, not beating them into unrecognizable messes, thus preserving their basic appearance.

"You don't think this is over, do you?" Deng Biao coughed slightly as he was jostled. "I have a buddy who gets great intel. He told me that for this New Recruit Military Technique Competition, the higher-ups don't want to lose too much face. They used their connections to summon young martial arts masters from all over the region. Your victory over Park Jonghwan today can be suppressed and the news blocked by both sides' commanders. Few people might know the full truth, but people inside the system definitely will."

Qin Fen caught the implication in Deng Biao’s words and asked seriously, "You mean those summoned young masters might hear about this and think my actions today were a provocation to everyone? They might come and challenge me?"

"Yeah." Deng Biao saw that Qin Fen understood and dropped any pretense. "To be honest, who among us martial artists doesn't want to be the strongest? You severely injured Park Jonghwan today; they certainly won't be satisfied. Challenges are inevitable."

"Is that so?"

Qin Fen felt a thrill—no, he was positively excited.

Victory and defeat in combat shift in an instant, allowing for no trace of fear or worry. The battle with Park Jonghwan had ignited the passion in his blood. That feeling of flesh meeting flesh was something the Sky Martial Arts Network could never completely replicate.

Previously, even with energy, he had to prioritize food and daily life. Now, life's pressures were temporarily gone. The fighting spirit, burdened by the heavy weight of daily existence for years, awakened after the joint efforts of the few instructors and the liquid metal experts, culminating in the fight with Park Jonghwan. It was the sound of waves crashing against stone.

The intense battle from the day replayed constantly in his mind, bringing new insights and realizations with every review. New Taekwondo gained fame because it naturally possessed unique merits.

He rose slowly and began practicing the Shaolin Arhat Fist. This inherently fierce set of punches was now performed as if by an elderly man—his speed decreasing, slower and slower.

Qin Fen was experimenting; the slower the speed, the more precisely he could feel the variation in force, identifying the exact moment to exert power and how to maximize its output.

"The settling period after intense fighting is crucial. Coming to the seashore to process the day’s experience—is this instinct? Or was someone taught to do this?"

Phoenix, watching from a distance, a faint look of approval on her lips, turned and vanished into the night.

On the beach under the night sky, Qin Fen stood barefoot, his upper uniform discarded. With every leap and turn, the Shaolin Arhat Fist transformed continuously.

He repeated the Shaolin Arhat Fist dozens of times back and forth before finally stopping.

Returning to the barracks, he saw it was already very late. It wasn't appropriate to call Song Jia, so he opted to send a video email explaining what had happened over the last few days.

The next morning, upon opening his email, he saw that Song Jia had replied with a video email shortly before.

Opening it, Song Jia’s beautiful face instantly appeared. Her pouting lips concealed a hint of a joyful smile, but the smile at the corners of her eyes betrayed her feigned expression.

"I am very dissatisfied."

"I am very dissatisfied."

Qin Fen had already guessed the young Miss Song Jia’s opening line, and he instinctively echoed it to the image in the email.

"Mmm! No news for so long, I am very dissatisfied," Song Jia repeated her signature catchphrase. "However, considering you turned yourself in immediately, I forgive you. I am quite satisfied with that attitude."

Qin Fen could only smile; he didn't know what else to say. Seeing her image warmed his heart.

"Alright, first, congratulations on reaching four-star strength! Keep it up! Strive to reach the Meteor level soon," Song Jia made a gesture of a shooting star across the sky. "Oh, and how is your Bio-Beast Egg? Has anything hatched?"

Qin Fen touched the pendant-shaped Bio-Beast Egg hanging around his neck, feeling speechless. According to the manual given by Lin Liqiang, the egg had to be worn close to the body at all times, incubating through internal energy. These past few days, however, the egg showed absolutely no sign of hatching.