The Favored Son of Heaven

Qin Fen shook his head over and over. He was a recruit, yet he forgot the one day that everyone in camp knew was a holiday. He really was a bit sorry about forgetting this despite the fact that he was a recruit.

Qin Fen subconsciously quickened his pace when he saw his living quarters in the distance. His mind swam with endless speculation. I wonder how Squad Leader Hao is doing without anyone to trick these days. Maybe he has delightfully put my comrades through training? If this is true, then I reckon that my comrades won’t even have the energy to stand up from being tricked.

Qin Fen’s excitement grew even more when he stood before the door to the living quarters. Normally, he liked to be quiet and low-key, keeping his emotions to himself. However, after his series of experiences in the State of Korea these past few days left him in a rare state of excitement. He very happily pushed open the door and yelled, “I’m back.”

Everyone in the room saw Qin Fen. At first, they were stunned, but even afterward, they didn’t burst out in cheers of greeting like he expected. The atmosphere in the room was a bit heavy, making him feel some gloom.

What’s wrong? What sort of thing has happened? Can it have been Okamoto Takeshi? Or is it someone else? Qin Fen’s mind flashed with a series of thoughts, his eyes quickly scanning to see the number of people in the room, as well as the state of everyone’s bodies.

Everyone was accounted for, and no one was in a state of injury…. Qin Fen hesitated for a moment. What in the world had happened?

“Old Qin, This…. you’ve come back….”

Zhang Xiangyang, the recruit who had competed with Qin Fen in calculating statistics one day and had won, had an expression of embarrassment.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Qin Fen dragged his suitcase into the room.

“About this… uh…..” Zhang Xiangyang stuttered and stammered as he said, “This… this….we… we… lost… Dragon Hall’s sign.”

“How in the world did you guys lose Dragon Hall’s sign?” Qin Fen smiled. The sign was a virtual, digital sign in the Sky Battle Net. It was no physical object that could be tossed away easily.

“Someone challenged our sect in a sect-challenge….”

“What?” Qin Fen loosened the handle of his suitcase. “How long has it been since the sign has been snatched away?”

“About this….” Zhang Xiangyang lips twitched a few times. He spoke very helplessly. “The sign has been torn down by them for two days already. According to the rules, if the sign isn’t seized back within three days, then the Dragon Hall will have to be dissolved. When that happens, the sect will be determined bankrupt by the system.”

Bankrupt? There hadn’t even been the chance to make money and they were going to be bankrupt? He gave money to the system for nothing?

Qin Fen shook his head. This was not part of the original plan back then. He dragged his suitcase and quickly walked to the bed that belonged to him. He turned his head around and asked Zhang Xiangyang, “Which sect did it?”

“The Certain Victory Sect.” Zhang Xiangyang hurriedly answered. “He’s a four-star. We aren’t strong enough. We weren’t able to beat him at all. So….”

“The Certain Victory Sect? Sounds familiar…”

Qin Fen put down his suitcase and lay on his bed. He put on his helmet, during which he finally recalled who the Certain Victory Sect was.

“He’s the guy called Leafsky who uses Lu Bu’s Snake Halberd, right?” Qin Fen plugged the electric power plug into an outlet.

“It’s not just him.” Zhang Xiangyang also lay on his own bed. “He also invited a protector. This guy looks to be much stronger than Leafsky.”

“Okay, roger that.”

After responding, Qin Fen quickly logged into the Sky Battle Net. The other recruits all logged into the Sky Battle Net at this time as well.

“Hall Master.” Zhang Xiangyang appeared before Qin Fen. “The Certain Victory Sect is right next door to us.”

Qin Fen followed Zhang Xiangyang to arrive before the door to the Certain Victory Sect. With a single foot, he stomped on the door panel, which didn’t appear to be sturdy at all.

The door to the Certain Victory Sect turned into dozens of wooden fragments in the next second. These fragments flew all over as they were blasted into the room.

“Who is it? Who is this impolite?”

The furious roar came shooting from the inner hall. A large halberd became visible from behind the screen of the inner hall.

Qin Fen sneered, “You trampled on my Dragon Hall and you took my sign. You think I’ll be polite with you?”

Leafsky in lustrous ancient armor walked out from behind the screen at this time.

He was taken aback at first when he saw Qin Fen, but his eyes immediately lit up when he heard Qin Fen’s words.

Leafsky took out two medicinal pills from the pocket on his chest before anyone could react. He quickly stuffed them into his mouth, and a sinister evil smile appeared on the edges of his lips. His malevolent eyes stared dead-fixed on Qin Fen. “It’s you! You took advantage of me being unprepared that day. You are the challenger that had killed me in a sneak attack! I have waited for you for a long time, so that I can finally exact my personal vengeance.”

Qin Fen laughed. The first thing this man did when he saw Qin Fen was swallow one Berserker Pill and one Armor Pill. This clearly showed that he wasn’t confident in himself, yet he was acting like some expert right here before Qin Fen.

This time Leafsky had learned his lesson, having experienced when Qin Fen made the first move in their fight. With a shake of the Heaven Scorcher Halberd in his hands, the entirety of the halberd spun around at high-speeds like a top. It was a silver dragon that could smash everything in its path to pieces, and it screamed as it sought to bite Qin Fen in the shoulder.

Everything about this combat attack method was exactly the same as last time. It was just that this time Leafsky had taken the Berserker Pill. Whether it was the angle, speed, or power, everything was raised to extremely high limits. He wanted to use none other than the same move to kill Qin Fen. This way he would be able to vent the hatred in his heart.

Qin Fen sneered with his lips without end. He took a step forward with a foot to heavily stomp onto the ring. He explosively raised his right arm, the action akin to an ancient hammer of war, and he ferociously smashed the body of the Heaven Scorcher Halberd. Leafsky felt the exact same sensation as last time when he fought Qin Fen. His arms were blown away by the heavy force on the halberd, and the Sole Energy of Time Immemorial he gathered inside his body was nearly dispersed away. The rotation of the Heaven Scorcher Halberd stopped, and the halberd escaped his hands.

Qin Fen grabbed the Heaven Scorcher Halberd and pulled back hard to once again seize away the halberd.

Leafsky reacted the same as last time. He was stupefied once again. He clearly had eaten a Berserker Pill this time, causing his strength to increase explosively. How in the world did the situation unfold exactly the same as last time?

In Leafsky’s moment of daze, Qin Fen arrived upon his opponent. Back then he had used the Jitae Iron Hammer of Neo Taekwondo. Today he made no changes at all as he heavily pulverized Leafsky’s skull to pieces.

Puff. Crack. Crack… 

The Sky Battle Net revealed the same realistic scene as last time once again. Leafsky’s skull was smashed alive into his chest by an enormous force for the second time.

Qin Fen stood in place, his aura of power overflowing. His eyes glowed like lightning, and they swept over everyone of the Certain Victory Sect. “Where is my Dragon Hall’s sign?”

The disciples of the Certain Victory Sect were all stupefied by the series of the firm and fierce moves Qin Fen had unleashed just now. Not a single one of them could speak.

A long while passed before a disciple of the Certain Victory Sect whispered. “Sir, your sign is already long gone. We don’t have it. The day before yesterday, after our sect master beat your sect in a sect-challenge, our sect lost in a sect-challenge. They didn’t just take away our sign. They even took away your sign.”

“What?” Qin Fen turned to look at his comrades outside the door.

Zhang Xiangyang raised his head to look a the spot where the Certain Victory Sect’s sign ought to be hanging from. Indeed, no such sign existed there.

Qin Fen let out a heavy sigh. For the sake of reclaiming his sign and avoiding bankruptcy, he could only ask one more time. “Who beat your Certain Victory Sect in a sect-challenge?”

“Thunder… Thunder Mountain Villa… They’re just next door….”

Qin Fen turned around and walked out of the Certain Victory Sect. He gazes down the long street, and an unclear premonition suddenly arose in his heart. This was an area where fierce fights often occurred. The Thunder Mountain Villa couldn’t have lost their sign too, right? If this was the case, things wouldn’t be so bad that Qin Fen would have to challenge the entire street, right?

————-

Though sects like the Certain Victory Sect may not number ten thousand in Hell City of Artificial Satellite Number Four, there were eight thousand of them. How did they exist and grow? How were we able to obtain and accumulate a bit more points? They had been here long enough that sect-challenges, seizing signs, and taking signs were already common occurrences for them.

It was unknown just how many sects disappeared this way amidst struggle every day. It was unknown just how many sects passed the test and entered this stage of seemingly endless war.

Qin Fen stood before the door of the Thunder Mountain Villa. Here was a pair of lion statues, around the same height as a person, and two pillars thick enough that a man could barely put his arms around them. They formed what appeared to be an imposing and classical entrance. There was indeed some correlation between the name and its appearance.

Qin Fen sucked in the fact that he only got a few points from beating the Certain Victory Sect in a sect-challenge, yet he was unable to retrieve his sign. There was a lesson to be learned from this, and Qin Fen specifically raised his head to look to see if there was a sign hanging above the door.

Thunder Mountain Villa. The golden letters and its contrast with its red background added much to its grandeur.

Zhang Xiangyang had quickly disappeared after Qin Fen had beat the Certain Victory Sect in a sect-challenge. He logged back in and reappeared by Qin Fen’s side at this time. He quickly said, “I have found a bit of information on the Thunder Mountain Villa through the forums. It’s quite a coincidence now that I think about it. This villa’s leader, Fiery Thunder, is also a four-star martial artist. Aside from him, there is also a Vice-Villa Master. Aqua Thunder is also a four-star martial artist. The mountain villa was forced to dissolve thirty-five days ago because someone took their sign and they weren’t able to take it back within the time limit. The reapplied to form a sect thirty days ago and were successful. They re-founded….”

Qin Fen began to regret founding Dragon Hall a little. The risk factor in this investment was far too high. He really didn’t know if he could earn any profit was such a high-risk investment.

Zhang Xiangyang continued and said, “Fiery Thunder and Aqua Thunder both cultivate in the neo martial art Descending Mind Strike.”

The neo martial art Descending Mind Strike? Qin Fen’s leg, which had just stepped out, stopped in midair. He had heard rumors of the neo martial art. Not only was it extremely expensive, but there were harsh conditions in cultivating it.

Though Qin Fen had watched over a thousand fights, he had never seen someone use the martial art Descending Mind Strike. Hearing such information suddenly made him interested in gaining some first-hand experience.

The two arrived before the red door, and Qin Fen politely knocked using the copper ring handle of the door.

This was not the Certain Victory Sect that had taken Dragon Hall’s sign in a sect-challenge. There was no need to breaking the opponent’s door to vent any anger in his heart.

If possible, Qin Fen hoped to ask and get back his sign without a fight.

“Coming. Coming.”

The door made a sound when it was opened. The sound was like a painful moan, as if this door would be damaged at any moment.

“Oh? So many people.” The person who opened the door had his expression quickly change from happiness to a caution that brimmed with animosity. “What are you guys up to?”

Qin Fen looked behind him. Practically his entire company of comrades had followed behind him. Such a situation didn’t appear to be of the friendly visitation no matter how one looked at it. Instead, it was more like that of the criminal underworld dropping by for some talks.

“Hello.” Qin Fen was affected by the situation. He cupped a fist in his other hand and said. “I am Thirty-Six Hours of Dragon Hall. I have a matter I wish to discuss with the two villa masters of Thunder Mountain Villa.”

“Two villa masters?” The complexion of the person who opened the door turned even darker. “How do you know that we have two villa masters?”