He shook his head repeatedly, feeling quite ashamed of himself as a rookie for forgetting this day that the barracks personnel called a festival.

Seeing the barracks in the distance, Qin Fen couldn't help but quicken his pace, his mind racing with conjectures: I wonder if Squad Leader Hao, having gone without swindling anyone for a few days, decided to have some fun at the expense of his comrades during training? If that were the case, the comrades were probably too exhausted from being tricked to even stand up straight.

Standing before the barracks door, Qin Fen felt an unusual surge of excitement. Usually preferring to be reserved and keep his emotions hidden deep inside, after the string of events in Hanzhou, he was in a rare state of elation. He happily pushed the door open and called out, "I'm back."

The occupants of the room were first startled by Qin Fen's appearance, but then, there was no burst of cheering welcome as he'd imagined; the atmosphere in the room was somewhat subdued, making him feel oppressed.

What? What happened? Was it Steel-Body Wu? Or someone else? A flurry of thoughts crossed Qin Fen's mind as his eyes rapidly scanned the number of people present and the condition of everyone.

The headcount hadn't decreased, and no one appeared injured... Qin Fen hesitated. Then what exactly had transpired?

"Old Qin, this... you're back..."

Zhang Xiangyang, who had bested Qin Fen in the mental calculation speed contest that day, wore a slightly awkward expression.

"What? What happened?" Qin Fen dragged his suitcase into the room.

"Well... sigh..." Zhang Xiangyang sighed repeatedly, stammering out, "We... we... we lost the Dragon Hall signboard..."

"How could the Dragon Hall signboard get lost?" Qin Fen laughed. It was a virtual electronic signboard within the Sky Combat Net, not some physical object that could just be misplaced.

"Someone challenged us and took it..."

"What?" Qin Fen let go of the suitcase handle. "How long ago was the signboard taken?"

"This..." Zhang Xiangyang pouted, saying weakly, "It’s been two days since someone tore down the signboard. According to the rules, if we don't retrieve it in three more days, Dragon Hall will be disbanded. The sect will then be deemed bankrupt by the system."

Bankrupt? Bankrupt before even making any money? Handing over cash to the system for free?

Qin Fen shook his head; this was certainly not what he had initially envisioned. Dragging his case, he quickly walked towards his own bunk, turning back to ask Zhang Xiangyang, "Which sect did it?"

"Invincible Gate," Zhang Xiangyang quickly replied. "They are Four-Star, and we aren't strong enough. We absolutely can't beat them. So..."

"Invincible Gate? That sounds familiar?"

Qin Fen set down his luggage and lay on his cot. While installing his helmet, he finally recalled who Invincible Gate was.

"That Ye Tian who uses the 'Lü Bu Halberd Technique,' right?" Qin Fen plugged the helmet's power cord into the outlet strip.

"It's not just him," Zhang Xiangyang lay down on his own cot too. "He also hired a Guardian whose strength seems much greater than his."

"Alright, got it."

Qin Fen acknowledged and entered the Sky Combat Net at maximum speed. The other new recruits also began logging into the Sky Combat Net at this time.

"Hall Master," Zhang Xiangyang materialized in front of Qin Fen. "Invincible Gate is right next door to us."

Qin Fen followed Zhang Xiangyang to the entrance of Invincible Gate and kicked the door panel, which didn't look particularly sturdy.

The next second, the door panel of Invincible Gate shattered into dozens of wooden pieces, flying everywhere into the room.

"Who dares be so rude?"

An angry roar echoed from the inner hall, and a large halberd first appeared from behind the screen in the inner area.

Qin Fen sneered, "Kicking down my Dragon Hall, stealing my signboard, and you expect politeness?"

Ye Tian emerged from behind the screen, clad in bright ancient armor.

He was momentarily stunned upon seeing Qin Fen, but his eyes immediately lit up when he heard Qin Fen's words.

Without waiting for anyone else to react, Ye Tian pulled two pills from his robes, quickly swallowed them, a sinister, wry smile playing on his lips as his malicious eyes locked onto Qin Fen. "It's you! The one who attacked and killed my challenger by surprise that day! I've been waiting for you; now I can finally take my revenge personally."

Qin Fen laughed. The fact that this man immediately consumed a Frenzy Pill and an Ironclad Pill upon meeting clearly showed a lack of self-confidence, yet he still dared to put on airs of a master.

Last time, Qin Fen struck first in the fight. This time, Ye Tian had learned his lesson. He flicked the Square Heaven Halberd in his hand, causing the entire weapon to spin rapidly like a gyroscope. The silver dragon, capable of grinding anything to dust, roared as it lunged toward Qin Fen's shoulder.

All his fighting maneuvers were identical to the last encounter, but this time, with the Frenzy Pill ingested, Ye Tian's angles, speed, and power had all seen a significant boost. He intended to kill Qin Fen with the very same move to vent the hatred in his heart.

Qin Fen’s mouth curled into a cold smile. He stomped his front foot heavily onto the platform, and his surging right arm, like an ancient war hammer, smashed viciously against the shaft of the Square Heaven Halberd. Ye Tian felt the same sensation in both arms as in his previous confrontation with Qin Fen: his two arms were swept violently by a heavy blow, and the gathered Primal Unity Qi was about to dissipate. The gyroscope-like spin of the Square Heaven Halberd instantly halted, and it was wrenched from his grasp.

Qin Fen's large hand seized the Square Heaven Halberd, and with a powerful yank backward, he took possession of the weapon again.

Ye Tian froze, just as he had before. He had clearly taken the Frenzy Pill and drastically increased his strength, so why was the outcome the same as last time?

This moment of stupefaction allowed Qin Fen to close the distance again. The New Taekwondo Iron Hammer, which he had used that day, was brought down again, unmodified, crushing Ye Tian's head.

Puff, crack, crack, crack...

The Sky Combat Net once again displayed its realistic aspect; Ye Tian's head was driven into his chest cavity by immense force for the second time.

Qin Fen stood tall, radiating imposing presence, his eyes scanning the members of Invincible Gate like lightning: "Where is the signboard for my Dragon Hall?"

The few apprentices of Invincible Gate were stunned into silence by Qin Fen's sequence of fierce attacks; not a single one could utter a word.

After a long pause... a disciple of Invincible Gate spoke softly, "Your signboard hasn't been here for a while. The day before yesterday, after our Gate Master returned from challenging your place, someone challenged ours. Not only was our signboard taken, but yours was taken as well."

"What?" Qin Fen turned back to look at his comrades outside the door.

Zhang Xiangyang looked up at the place where the signboard should have been hanging above Invincible Gate; indeed, there was nothing there.

Qin Fen sighed heavily. To retrieve the signboard and avoid bankruptcy, he had no choice but to ask again, "Who challenged Invincible Gate?"

"Thunder... Thunder Mountain Manor... They are right next door..."

Qin Fen turned and walked out of Invincible Gate, gazing down the long street. A sudden ominous premonition settled in his heart. In this area frequently subject to intense battles, surely Thunder Mountain Manor hadn't lost its signboard too? If that were the case, would he end up having to clear out an entire street today?

Sects like Invincible Gate were ubiquitous in Hell City on the Fourth Satellite—there were easily eight thousand or nine thousand of them. The reasons they survived and developed, managing to acquire more points, were due to the constant challenges and raids over signboards, and being raided themselves, which was commonplace.

Every day, countless sects disappeared in such conflicts, and countless others passed trials to join this seemingly endless war.

Qin Fen stood before the entrance of Thunder Mountain Manor. A pair of stone lions, over a person tall, and two thick red-lacquered pillars, each requiring one man to embrace, formed a rather imposing, vintage façade, bearing a certain resemblance to its name.

Having learned his lesson from challenging Invincible Gate previously and only gaining a meager amount of points without retrieving the plaque, Qin Fen deliberately looked up at the high-hanging signboard.

The four gilded characters of 'Thunder Mountain Manor' gained even more imposing flair against the backdrop of the red base.

Zhang Xiangyang, who had quickly vanished after the raid on Invincible Gate, reappeared beside Qin Fen after logging back in. He spoke rapidly, "I found some data about Thunder Mountain Manor through the forums. Coincidentally, this Manor Master, Huolei Ting, is also a Four-Star martial artist. Besides him, there's a Deputy Manor Master, Shuilei Ting, who is also a Four-Star martial artist. Thirty-five days ago, because their signboard was seized by someone else, the Manor was forced to close after failing to retrieve it within the time limit. They successfully reapplied and re-established the sect thirty days ago..."

Qin Fen felt a twinge of regret for establishing Dragon Hall. The risk factor of this investment was too high; he truly wondered if such a high-risk venture could yield the expected profits.

Zhang Xiangyang continued, "Both Huolei Ting and Shuilei Ting cultivate the New Martial Art, 'Divine Descent'."

The New Martial Art 'Divine Descent'? Qin Fen's raised leg froze mid-air. Rumor had it that this new martial art was not only expensive but also had rather stringent cultivation requirements.

Even after watching thousands of duels, Qin Fen had never encountered anyone using the 'Divine Descent' technique. Hearing this news instantly piqued his interest to witness it firsthand.

The two arrived before the vermilion main gate. Qin Fen politely knocked the bronze ring handle of the door.

This was not Invincible Gate, which had kicked down the door to steal the Dragon Hall signboard; there was no need to vent his anger by shattering their door panel.

If possible, Qin Fen hoped he could retrieve his plaque without resorting to combat.

"Coming, coming."

The sound made by the door opening resembled a painful groan, as if the door panel might disintegrate at any moment.

"Oh? So many people?" The expression of the person opening the door quickly shifted from pleased to cautious and hostile. "What do you want?"

Qin Fen glanced behind him; nearly his entire squad had followed him. This formation hardly looked like a friendly visit; it was more akin to a negotiation by organized crime.

"Hello," Qin Fen, influenced by the atmosphere, clasped his hands in a formal bow. "Dragon Hall's thirty-six hours are up. We seek an audience with the two Manor Masters of Thunder Mountain Manor."

"Two Manor Masters?" The doorkeeper's expression grew more unfriendly. "How do you know we have two Manor Masters?"