Qin Fen quickly understood. This man had also calculated that today was a day with a high passage rate.

There wasn't a single bead of sweat on Zhang Xiangyang's forehead. Nor were there any open computers or papers near his hands. Moreover, judging by his demeanor, it was clear he had already figured everything out, and with plenty of room to spare.

Fast enough! Qin Fen’s eyes lit up. He never considered himself a genius, but he was quite confident in mental arithmetic. Coupled with the recent training from the Gun King, his mental calculation ability had been honed to a level he couldn't have reached before. Yet, he was beaten by a low-key comrade.

Such speed in mental calculation—even on the military academy track, this man would have been a guaranteed admission student! Qin Fen was slightly astonished. This person must also have been secretly recruited by the military region, right? But putting Du Peng and Zhang Xiangyang in the same company, even the same squad—that seemed excessive.

"When do you decide to hold the sect challenge?" Zhang Xiangyang wore an expression of feigned ignorance, a smile that let Qin Fen know he, too, had secrets to keep.

Telling one's secrets to another person who holds secrets—that was also a form of secret exchange.

Qin Fen didn't speak much, but his mind was sharp. He naturally understood the implicit exchange Zhang Xiangyang was signaling.

"Today," Qin Fen said to the group, picking up his helmet, "I'll establish the sect first."

Re-entering the main environment of the Sky Combat Network, Qin Fen stood amidst the virtual high-tech city. Following the website's instructions, he quickly walked to the sect creation application area.

After obtaining the application form, Qin Fen looked at the first item detailing the precautions: an application fee of one hundred US dollars was required. A pang of heartache struck him again.

It wasn't stinginess; Qin Fen simply disliked spending money in this entirely virtual world. In his view, this place should be where he earned money, not where he spent it.

Just this once! Only spend the money this one time!

Qin Fen set a new principle for himself, repeatedly coaxing himself: this was a necessary investment to earn more money later.

The form was quickly filled out until he reached the sect name field. Qin Fen realized he had never considered a name. For a moment, he stared blankly at the section for the sect title.

The system-created virtual lady approached Qin Fen and asked softly, using her pleasing synthesized voice, "May I ask if you need any assistance?"

Compared to the stiff electronic synthesized voices in the classified channels, the voices in the main channel were much more pleasant.

Even though the figure was virtual, Qin Fen maintained appropriate polite composure: "I'm having some trouble here."

"Would you like to view the sect names chosen by other martial artists?" the virtual lady inquired.

"That would be great," Qin Fen nodded hastily. Having references was certainly better than having none.

The virtual lady raised her hand, and a projection screen appeared before Qin Fen. A large number of sects rapidly scrolled across the display.

Soaring Dragon Pavilion. Instant Kill Sect. Heaven Turning Gate. Great River Alliance. Under Heaven Society. Dragon and Beauty Sect. Loli Sect. Apple Pie Sect. Water Severing Flow...

Qin Fen looked at the dazzling array of names and could roughly gauge the thoughts of the people who created them from these titles.

Sects like Loli Sect, Apple Pie Sect, and Dragon and Beauty Sect were probably established by casual martial artists looking to join the fun.

As for names that sounded formal, like Soaring Dragon Pavilion or Heaven Turning Gate, those likely belonged to ambitious martial artists hoping to make a name for themselves in the Sky Combat Network.

After reviewing over a hundred sect names, Qin Fen began to understand that creating a sect didn't necessarily require the suffix "Sect" or "Gate." The freedom in naming a sect was actually quite extensive.

After a brief thought, Qin Fen quickly filled in the sect name field with his decided title: Dragon Hall.

Having finished filling it out, he submitted the form.

The virtual service beauty asked again, "When would you like to establish it?"

"Now," Qin Fen replied with certainty.

"Then please pay the application fee."

The virtual service beauty opened the payment system for Qin Fen, waiting for him to transfer the hundred-dollar fee from his account.

He decisively transferred the hundred dollars, and although his heart ached slightly, he felt no regret or hesitation.

One must not hesitate in action. Once a decision is made, execute it decisively. The battlefield allows no room for hesitation. Half a second of delay can mean the difference between life and death.

This was a mantra constantly instilled in Qin Fen by the Gun King, the Trash Captain, the Butcher, and various instructors. It was now deeply imprinted in his mind, and he was subtly applying it even in his daily life.

"Payment successful. Would you like to continue paying to waive the trial, or fight to accept the trial?"

"Fight. Accept the trial."

Qin Fen’s answer was decisive. A man should bravely face challenges and trials. If a person doesn't even believe in himself, how can he expect others to?

"Very well. Please enter the first trial."

As the voice sounded, the scenery around Qin Fen changed dramatically. He found himself in a place very familiar to him.

The Arena!

A spacious, square platform. The surrounding setup bore a strong resemblance to the location of his very first battle.

In recent days, when accepting challenges, Qin Fen had always accommodated the challenger by choosing an environment suitable for the opponent. Suddenly being placed in such a fair environment, he felt a slight sense of unsuitability.

Having to fight three battles without getting paid—sigh!

While lamenting the loss of three opportunities to earn money, Qin Fen waited for the challenger to appear.

A figure flickered twice in one corner of the arena, soon revealing a man holding a Fangtian Huaji (halberd), clad in a virtual anti-strike combat suit.

Qin Fen had learned about this suit while training with the instructors. Wearing it, one could easily withstand an attack of two hundred kilograms without injury. It was quite popular when first introduced, but later, with the emergence of powered gauntlets—a relatively expensive close-combat weapon—this suit lost some of its former glory.

"You are the one challenging to establish a sect today?"

The man holding the halberd scrutinized Qin Fen as if interrogating a prisoner. He had never seen someone appear for a challenge seemingly unprepared.

"Thirty-six hours? Hmm. That money-grubbing martial arts scum from the three-star and two-star ranks?" Before the fight, the man with the halberd pulled up Qin Fen’s file. His voice was thick with disdain: "Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill? Shaolin Arhat Fist? Are these your martial arts? The three-star and two-star martial artists are truly degenerating, allowing someone like you to seize the God of War laurel?"

Qin Fen was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected his reputation to extend even among the four-star fighters.

This test also had regulations: the strength of the tester and the tested participant were of the same level.

Of course, the Sky Combat Network was a highly flexible place. It didn't prohibit the use of weapons like swords, spears, blades, or halberds.

If one wished to use firearms, they could be used at any time except during sect establishment or gate-crashing challenges. In these two special periods, firearms were banned.

Facing the man with the great halberd, Qin Fen was not overly surprised. The tester was sometimes a system avatar, and sometimes a real martial artist performing the duty.

These martial artists who came to evaluate new sect founders were not working for nothing. The system provided them with certain rewards.

Naturally, the reward was contingent on defeating the martial artist seeking to establish the sect. If the tester lost, the reward would transfer to the founder. This served as a special form of incentive.

The reward for the victor was not a virtual item, but data known as Combat Points.

In the Sky Combat Network, one could exchange money for Combat Points, and then exchange those points for various virtual commodities. Alternatively, one could use Combat Points to purchase virtual goods and then sell them to other martial artists in need, converting them back into cash.

Usually, Combat Points depreciated by about twenty percent in this conversion process.

For a sect establishment tester, defeating a newcomer trying to found a sect earned them one hundred Combat Points, which, after conversion and discount, amounted to roughly eighty US dollars.

Anyone wishing to become a sect testing evaluator could apply to the system. When a sect trial was needed, the system would send a notification.

Qin Fen opened his opponent's file at this moment: Gate Master of Invincible Gate: Ye Tian. Martial Art Used: Self-Created Halberd Technique, "Lü Bu Halberd Style." Internal Art: Primordial Unity Qi. Height...

Gate Master of Invincible Gate? Qin Fen was momentarily stunned. Analyzing this based on Squad Leader Hao’s psychological profile, names like Invincible Gate, Ever-Victorious Gate, or Invincible Gate—names that sounded imposing and frightening—usually belonged to those with limited actual accomplishments.

Self-created martial arts? Qin Fen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Nowadays, many people liked to immediately create their own martial arts after practicing for a while. However, these creations were usually mere mimicry; their martial foundation was insufficient. The techniques created were good enough to scare away novices, but most were quite poor.

The less self-aware a person was, the more likely they were to attempt self-creating martial arts.

Ye Tian saw that Qin Fen remained silent, just standing there, as if paralyzed by fear. He inwardly smirked. It seemed his luck was good today; another small fatty sheep. He figured one move would be enough to finish him.

Ye Tian subtly shifted his steps, moving slowly toward Qin Fen. He intended to use his invincible halberd technique to teach this "Thirty-six Hours," popular among the three-star and two-star ranks, a lesson—to show him that four-star was different from two- and three-star! Entering four-star meant entering the truly cruel world of the strong, a place where he didn't belong.

Ye Tian was still advancing slowly when Qin Fen’s eyes suddenly brightened. He felt Ye Tian had entered his effective attack range.