Dong Dongchen nodded smugly. "That’s right! I’m the one who personally recommended him. Martial Arts Peak’s official review passed, he just fought this afternoon, and I livestreamed the whole thing."

Long Bohan nodded. He didn’t say anything more, just pressed the play button.

For the first time, a deep sense of interest truly stirred within him.

The video continued to play. The first match: against Cheng Shanhe.

When he saw the standard-issue longspear in Lin Ye’s hands clash repeatedly with Cheng Shanhe’s custom-made Profound Iron Shield, eventually having its tip forcibly snapped off, Long Bohan gently shook his head.

’Solid fundamentals, top-tier combat intelligence and martial skills, but his equipment is too shabby. He must be from a small town, with no backing.’

His evaluation hit the nail on the head.

Dong Dongchen nodded emphatically, his eyes shining. "Yes! That’s what makes him so remarkable!"

"All his strength comes from himself, not from external items!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Long Bohan and said half-jokingly:

"It’s a good thing you work for Firewood. If you were under those arrogant snobs at Kunlun, you probably would’ve closed the video right here."

Hearing this, the corner of Long Bohan’s mouth curled into a disdainful smirk.

Everyone in the Great Xia Alliance knew that the Kunlun Martial Hall followed a path of absolute elitism.

Their standards for recruiting newcomers were so strict they were almost pathological, no different from the political background checks of ancient times.

If your family wasn’t distinguished enough, your background wasn’t deep enough, or your legacy wasn’t long enough, then no matter how talented you were, you had almost no chance of ever stepping into Kunlun.

But Firewood was different.

The founder of the Firewood Martial Hall, the legendary Hall Master Jiang Wuya.

He himself came from humble origins, rising from obscurity and climbing step by step to his current height.

The Firewood Martial Hall he built with his own hands also inherited his will.

Firewood recruited talented individuals from all over, never asking about their origins or looking at their backgrounds.

As long as your talent was high enough, your potential was strong enough, and your martial will was firm enough, the gates of Firewood would forever be open to you!

As the video continued to play,

Long Bohan became completely engrossed.

The video played for forty-five minutes.

And for forty-five minutes, the two men in the private room sat in complete silence.

The dishes on the table had long since gone cold.

Without a word, he stood up abruptly.

Dong Dongchen was taken aback by his sudden movement.

"Where are you going?"

Long Bohan didn’t look at him, his gaze still holding the shock from the end of the video, where Lin Ye had killed his opponent with a single spear strike.

"I’m going to report this. This has to be reported to the Hall immediately."

"Dongchen, I owe you a favor."

"This person... Firewood wants him."

"My dad will almost certainly agree!"

After speaking, Long Bohan turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

"Next time, I’ll treat you to a good meal!"

Dong Dongchen looked at the empty doorway, then at the table full of untouched, cold dishes, and gave a helpless smile.

He had only taken a couple of steps when Long Bohan’s figure reappeared in the doorway.

He looked as if he had suddenly remembered something. Looking at his friend, he said seriously:

"This video of yours, it’s well made."

"Very good."

"It’s definitely going to blow up. Trust me."

Seeing Dong Dongchen’s disbelieving expression, Long Bohan prompted him.

"Go look at the trending topics."

Dong Dongchen froze for a moment.

Dubiously, he opened his personal terminal and pulled up the web-wide list of trending topics.

He scrolled down the list.

[#YeQingxuanCrushedByNewcomerInVirtualBattle#]

[#GoblinSoldierSkewersYourGoddess#]

[#FeelBadForQingxuan#]

Three related topics in a row. The highest one was sitting conspicuously at number ten on the trending list, marked with a bright red "Exploding" tag.

Dong Dongchen’s eyes lit up instantly.

’Infamy is still fame!’

Now that this matter had been thrust into the spotlight, his video couldn’t possibly be buried. After all, it was the only one on the entire web that had recorded the complete rise of "Goblin Soldier" and provided in-depth, professional analysis!

Countless curious passersby, countless fans and anti-fans of Ye Qingxuan, would be like sharks smelling blood, frantically searching for any and all information about this "Goblin Soldier."

Going viral...

It was really just a matter of time!

...

「Meanwhile.」

「Dongjiang City, First Martial Arts Middle School.」

The campus was exceptionally quiet under the night sky, with only the lights of a single combat training room still on.

THUD!

The dull, rhythmic sound of weapons colliding echoed endlessly.

Inside the training room, two figures continuously crisscrossed, their wooden longspears leaving afterimages in the air as they clashed fiercely.

Neither Lin Ye nor Chen Meng spoke.

At their level, words were superfluous. Every clash of their spears, every advance and retreat, was the most direct form of communication.

Chen Meng’s spear style was grand and sweeping, filled with the iron-willed ferocity of a seasoned battlefield veteran. Each move was powerful and heavy, aimed straight for a vital point.

But Lin Ye’s spear had developed its own style—precise and deadly, yet without losing its nimbleness.

The exchange of blows continued for a full twenty minutes.

Both of them seemed to have inexhaustible stamina.

Their attacks grew sharper, the blurs of their spears faster and faster.

CLANG!

Another fierce collision.

But Chen Meng used the force of the rebound to leap backward, creating several meters of distance between them.

He stood holding his spear, looking at the young man opposite him whose breathing was not the least bit disturbed, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

"In these past three months, the speed of your progress has completely surpassed my imagination."

"Before, you struggled to last even three moves against me."

"Now, you can exchange blows with me for twenty minutes, and... you clearly still have strength to spare."