Upon sensing the surge of qi, Qin Fen strode forward! The Dragon-Elephant Prajñā technique coursed through his body; bones and sinews roared in unison, true qi pulsed rapidly through his veins, and veins stood out like coiled green serpents around his arms. A common man's arm would swell by more than double its size in an instant, bearing a slight resemblance to the state of Gang Benwu’s Great Falling Stele Hand, yet different—this arm was more like an ancient steel whip.

Ye Tian’s pupils constricted instantly, a flicker of cold light shimmering like a star in the night sky.

In the moment Qin Fen charged, the world Ye Tian perceived narrowed down to nothing but that incomparably fierce arm. The martial artist’s sense of crisis erupted into a monumental pressure, and his heart hammered with a force he had never known, as if it were about to explode under the strain.

In that instant, Ye Tian had no time for thought; his mind held only stunned disbelief: how could anyone manifest the Kuli Neigong (Laborer’s Inner Strength) to such a degree? Could the Luohan Bu Yun (Arhat Stepping Cloud) of calisthenics truly possess the imposing might of the legendary Arhat Subduing Demons?

Driven by the instinct honed from countless battles, Ye Tian flicked his Fang Tian Ji (Heavenly Halberd), spinning the entire weapon like a high-speed gyroscope, its silver dragon shrieked as it whipped towards Qin Fen’s shoulder, capable of shredding anything in its path.

Ye Tian’s self-conceived Silver Dragon Coil attack was delivered with a slight, almost imperceptible smile touching the corners of his eyes. This halberd was all about the principle of 'an inch longer, an inch stronger'; the coiling killing energy was designed to heavily injure the opponent before they could even close the distance.

A dark glint flashed in Qin Fen’s eyes. He stomped his leading foot heavily onto the stage, and with a massive swing of his already raised right arm, he brought it down forcefully against the shaft of the Fang Tian Ji, just behind the blade head. Ye Tian felt a numbing jolt travel up both his arms, as if they had been struck by a heavy club. The Di Hunyuan Yiqi (Earth Primordial Unity Qi) he had gathered instantly threatened to dissipate, and the spiraling Fang Tian Ji halted abruptly, tearing itself from his grasp.

Qin Fen reached out in a swift motion, gripping the great halberd and yanking it decisively into his own hand!

Ye Tian stood completely frozen. In all his time serving as an examiner, he had been defeated before, but never had an opponent managed to jar his weapon loose with a single empty-handed strike—to have his weapon seized in the very first exchange.

This moment of stunned silence allowed Qin Fen to close the distance to Ye Tian.

This was the first time Qin Fen had encountered an enemy who could completely lose focus in the middle of combat. Defeating him with the Shaolin Arhat Fist would be an insult to the Shaolin Arhat Fist. Just then, Park Jung-hwan of New Taekwondo used his Diti Iron Hammer technique on his leg, slamming it heavily into Ye Tian’s head.

Puff. Crack. Crack-crack…

The realistic style of the Sky Battle Network reappeared on the virtual stage. Ye Tian’s head was driven directly into his chest cavity by the immense force, as viewed by Zero Point Books.

Following a succession of cracking sounds from his neck vertebrae, skull, and sternum, darkness overtook Ye Tian’s vision. In the next second, he heard the cold, synthesized voice declare: “You have perished. Please use the **** Stone. Or wait for the **** time…”

The stage, moments before filled with fierce intensity, returned to profound quietness.

Qin Fen gently moved his limbs. Probability theory, as expected, was not wrong. This Ye Tian, the so-called Master of the Winning Gate, must be among the weaker members of the Four-Star Warriors.

“Inquiry: Do you wish to immediately accept the next trial battle?”

The emotionless synthetic voice sounded, and Qin Fen, having expended no stamina, gave a crisp nod, selecting the next match.

The surrounding scene rapidly twisted and vanished, only to warp and shake once more. Qin Fen now stood in an entirely new simulated environment.

This is…? Qin Fen’s eyelids twitched. The second trial, by regulation, would be set in an environment suitable for the challenger, a fact he already knew. He simply hadn't anticipated being placed at the edge of a massive volcanic crater this time.

Looking down at the churning, bright red magma in the crater not far below, and watching thick plumes of black smoke slowly rise, Qin Fen could even feel the simulated high temperature.

Who would his opponent be this time? Qin Fen was intensely curious. Such an environment seemed far more suited for martial artists cultivating techniques like the Blazing Fire Merit or the Blazing Flame True Scripture, arts whose qi possessed extreme heat.

“Is the system malfunctioning? Or have today’s challengers lost their minds? Practitioners of Kuli Neigong and calisthenics actually aspiring to found a sect?”

From the opposite side of the volcano, emerging from the rolling black smoke, came a hoarse voice thick with intense arrogance and disdain.

A tall, middle-aged man, appearing to be in his early forties, slowly stepped out of the smoke.

Qin Fen assessed the opponent: a square, strong jawline, two thick eyebrows resembling inverted daggers, and slightly reddish skin suggesting recent heavy drinking.

He carried no cold weapon like the previous Ye Tian; instead, his large hands were surprisingly fair, resembling those of a young woman.

Fei Yan, height 1.87 meters, wingspan 1.92 meters. Martial Arts used: New Martial Art Magma Style, Combat Technique Dragon Form Fist.

The combination of a New Martial Art paired with an Ancient Martial Art combat technique immediately put Qin Fen on guard. There were many variations of the Dragon Form Fist—among the most famous were: Azure Dragon Fist, Coiling Dragon Fist, Fire Dragon Fist, Golden Dragon Fist, plus several other distinct styles.

Since Fei Yan only listed 'Dragon Form Fist' rather than a specific lineage, it implied he was proficient in all Dragon Form Fists—a martial artist specializing solely in that category.

A Four-Star practitioner at the age of forty using a New Martial Art suggested a reasonably comfortable background, though perhaps insufficient natural talent to reach higher realms. However, his combat experience, stemming from being stuck at Four-Star for so long, would undoubtedly be profound.

“Young man.” Fei Yan towered over Qin Fen, occupying a higher physical position, his gaze directed downwards imbued with a barely concealed contempt. “Since you are too poor to practice anything but free beggar martial arts, why attempt to create your own sect? Cultivating martial arts was never meant for the poor. You’d earn more money working as a punching bag for others. Why come here and cause trouble?”

Qin Fen’s eyebrows began to knit together. The Dragon-Elephant Prajñā technique was often dubbed the 'Laborer’s Inner Strength,' and the Shaolin Arhat Fist was frequently called the 'Commoner’s Fist.' The word 'beggar' carried too much insult, making this opponent more displeasing than Ye Tian had been.

“What? Unhappy?” Fei Yan’s face also darkened, his brow furrowed in an attempt to intimidate. “Don’t you realize people like you cause immense trouble for us examiners? Don't think I’ll thank you just because you gave me reward points. This behavior is bad; the system might think experts like me are just farming points from you. After I defeat you shortly, remember to report to the system that you did not hire me.”

Qin Fen suddenly recalled a line his good friend Inzartor had once used to describe someone: “That is a pretentious fellow.”

Pretentious? According to Lin Liqiang’s definition, it described someone who, having a little skill, needed to humiliate others weaker than themselves to satisfy their own vanity.

Fei Yan’s conduct perfectly fit Lin Liqiang’s description of pretentiousness.

The pity in Fei Yan’s eyes was full of disdain and confidence. Although the Dragon-Elephant Prajñā technique advanced to Four-Star upon breaking through the third level, practitioners were stuck at Four-Star due to lacking the fourth-level cultivation method. Such opponents were never a future threat, allowing him to insult them freely.

Unable to indulge in such unrestrained verbal abuse in reality, Fei Yan rediscovered a long-lost sense of satisfaction here, free from restraint.

He knew that the more he humiliated a young man, the less likely that person would forfeit. Youthful anger was easily provoked; a youth blinded by rage would show more openings in combat, allowing for further verbal abuse between exchanges. “Do you feel particularly empty in your heart after every workday ends?” Qin Fen asked, showing no anger, no trace of rage in his eyes. His gentle voice carried an inexplicable warmth, like that of a long-lost friend. “When you return home, are you utterly lost, unsure of what you should be doing?” This response was completely unexpected; the calm words carried a powerful, soul-piercing resonance, pinpointing the actual feelings buried deep within his heart with just two sentences.

As a small independent business owner, Fei Yan earned enough to be comfortable, neither lacking nor overly privileged, but this provided no satisfaction—only a sense of confusion.

“When you were young, did you not also dream of achieving something great?” Qin Fen paused slightly, speaking with the soothing cadence of a psychological counselor. “When you feel lost, does that youthful ambition resurface? Things reality cannot satisfy, you seek to fulfill in this Sky Battle Network?”

Fei Yan found his mouth slightly agape without realizing it. Did this young man know him? Otherwise, how could he offer such an accurate assessment upon their first meeting?

“When you came to the Sky Battle Network and applied to establish a sect, did you then discover your ideals were still unattainable?” Qin Fen’s words were supremely gentle, his steps unhurried, giving no cause for alarm. “Faced with this situation, are you filled with resentment, yet unable to fight against this sense of loss?”

Fei Yan nodded instinctively in agreement with Qin Fen’s words, entirely unaware he was doing so, only surprised by how this young man knew such things—

“Did you then discover that you could transfer this feeling of loss onto others?” Qin Fen pointed at himself. “For example, someone like me, who just applied to start a sect? Do you particularly enjoy seeing people like me fail? Do you enjoy witnessing my pain and disappointment? Do you find pleasure in crushing the dreams of new sect founders like me, deriving your enjoyment from destroying those aspirations?”

Fei Yan was truly startled. This was only their first meeting, yet the deepest thoughts hidden in his heart had been completely exposed, as if he had been stripped bare, his entire being laid naked before the other.

Compared to having one's **clothes removed, this total spiritual baring was far more terrifying.

Fei Yan shivered involuntarily, a sensation called fear rapidly flooding his body.

Qin Fen’s gentle expression gradually morphed into a slight smile. It was ostensibly a benevolent smile, yet it carried a coldness hinting at suppressed rage.

“You… you…”