A soft, lilting voice echoed in the ancient chamber sweet, like that of a mischievous young girl.
Rowan turned toward the sound, curiosity flashing in his eyes. A second later, the intelligent lifeform known as Babata materialized before him in a shimmering projection. Her chosen avatar was that of a small, blue-skinned fairy delicate and luminous hovering gracefully in midair with an amused sparkle in her eyes.
"So, that voice just now… it was you, wasn't it?" Rowan asked casually, though his tone carried an undertone of careful caution.
He had no intention of revealing too much. Babata might have a cheerful personality, but she was cunning an ancient AI from a bygone civilization, thousands of years old and infinitely resourceful. She couldn't know that Rowan came from another world, nor that he possessed the Infinity Stones. It was too dangerous. Until he had an unbreakable bond with her, he would keep his origins buried deep.
Babata circled around him, scanning him from head to toe with an almost childlike fascination. "I didn't expect this! You've been hiding your true strength very well. I've been monitoring Earth for potential candidates for ages, and among all the gifted ones, only you and that boy Luo Feng stood out. Your neural development and psychic potential are exceptional. I assumed you were both only at the Planetary level, but you " her tone rose in amazement, "you've already reached Stellar rank! Incredible!"
Rowan smiled faintly, keeping silent.
Moments later, Luo Feng guided by Babata's signal arrived at the same underground ruins. He descended quickly, landing beside Rowan, his eyes lighting up in surprise.
"Rowan? You're here too?" Luo Feng exclaimed, before his gaze shifted upward. The hovering blue fairy drew his attention instantly. "Wait is that… an intelligent AI?"
"AI?!" Babata puffed her cheeks, clearly offended. "Don't lump me in with those primitive processors. I'm an intelligent lifeform, fully sentient! I have a consciousness, emotions, even a soul, just like you humans. I simply exist in a digital form."
She flew over and tapped Luo Feng on the forehead with one delicate finger. "Remember that next time!"
"Uh right, sorry," Luo Feng muttered awkwardly, rubbing his head.
Rowan chuckled and interjected smoothly, "Let's get to the point, Babata. You didn't lure us here just to show off, did you? The Muya Crystals outside the ones that drew us here that was your doing, wasn't it?"
Babata froze for half a second, then grinned. "You're sharp. Yes, I released those crystals and the beast king that guarded them to lure you both down here. It worked perfectly, didn't it?"
Her expression softened, and she began explaining. The purpose of all this was simple: she sought successors for her fallen master's lineage the Yunmo Star Sect.
Her voice grew wistful as she recounted the story. "My master, Huyan Bo, was once one of the mightiest warriors in the galaxy a peerless existence who reached the rank of Immortal Lord. But he was betrayed, gravely wounded by an enemy's psychic weapon. He fled across the stars, finally arriving here, on this little planet you call Earth. To protect it and to hide from his pursuers he erased Earth and the nearby planetary coordinates from every star map in the universe, turning this solar system into a blank space, invisible to outsiders."
Babata's glowing form dimmed as she spoke, her voice laced with melancholy. "He died here, along with his nine immortal retainers. But before he passed, he entrusted me with his legacy to find worthy inheritors and rebuild Yunmo Star's name."
Luo Feng listened with wide eyes, unable to speak. The revelation shattered everything he thought he knew about the universe.
Rowan, however, remained calm. He had already known much of this. His gaze swept across the chamber, settling on the row of massive transparent pods lined against the wall. Inside each floated the body of a different being, their appearances alien and majestic. Even in death, their presence exuded overwhelming pressure, enough to make Luo Feng's knees tremble.
And at the very center lay the largest sarcophagus of all a rectangular crystal coffin containing a humanoid figure clad in pitch-black armor. His body radiated an aura of endless authority, silent but suffocating.
Luo Feng's psychic senses brushed against the corpses and instantly recoiled, his forehead drenched in sweat. The sheer weight of their lingering energy felt like standing before ten living gods.
"So this… this is the power of immortality," Rowan murmured quietly, folding his arms.
Babata floated closer, regaining her enthusiasm. "If you both accept my master as your teacher, you can inherit the entire Yunmo Star legacy! Every secret technique, every cultivation art it's all stored within my databanks. I can guide you, train you, and teach you how to survive and thrive among the stars!"
Her excitement was palpable. For tens of thousands of years, she had waited, alone on Earth, for a chance like this to find disciples worthy of carrying her master's torch.
Luo Feng hesitated, his mind spinning. He understood only fragments of what she said about cosmic hierarchies and power ranks. The idea of beings stronger than any human comprehension was almost too much to process.
Rowan, however, simply nodded. "There's no need for long speeches. I'll join Yunmo Star."
"You agree?" Babata blinked, surprised. She had expected questions, hesitation, maybe awe but not this calm, straightforward acceptance. His composure unsettled her.
Before she could probe further, Rowan turned as if to leave. "If you'd rather refuse, I'll find my own path."
"Wait, wait!" Babata darted in front of him, flustered. "Of course I accept! You're the most extraordinary talent I've seen in millennia. Your warrior rank is already at Stellar Level Seven, and your psychic power has reached Stellar Level One. That kind of dual cultivation impossible! Even across the entire Heilongshan Empire, you'd be ranked among the top prodigies."
Luo Feng's jaw dropped. Stellar Level Seven? In under three years? It was absurd. He had worked tirelessly just to reach the Planetary stage, and yet Rowan was now standing at a level that could crush entire continents.
Rowan shrugged lightly. "Just lucky, I suppose."
Luo Feng's mouth twitched. Lucky? The word hardly applied to a walking miracle.
Eventually, Luo Feng agreed to join as well. Babata was ecstatic. "Excellent! Finally, Yunmo Star will rise again!"
She clapped her tiny hands. "Now, kneel and pay respects to Master Huyan Bo."
Rowan and Luo Feng both knelt before the great black coffin, bowing deeply three times. The moment they did, a faint pulse of light rippled through the chamber, as if acknowledging their vows.
"Good," Babata said, voice trembling slightly. "From this moment, you are disciples of Yunmo Star. As your teacher, I will pass on the arts of the Spirit Mind Path."
She waved her hand, summoning a cluster of glittering gems from hidden compartments below Muya Crystals. Hundreds of them.
"Here, your first gift. Two hundred and eighty-five Muya Crystals."
Luo Feng's eyes widened. "So many?"
The crystals split into two groups before his eyes two hundred and fifty floating to Rowan's side, while only thirty-five drifted toward Luo Feng.
The room fell silent.
Rowan chuckled softly, while Luo Feng's face twitched in disbelief. The favoritism was so blatant it was almost funny.
Babata sniffed. "Don't look at me like that! Rowan's genetic potential far surpasses yours. You should be grateful. With your current human genes, reaching the Universe Rank is probably your limit. But Rowan he could exceed even that. With his talent, he might one day restore Yunmo Star to its former glory. Besides, he'll protect you. You'll be fine."
Rowan, amused, raised his hand and over a hundred crystals floated from his pile toward Luo Feng. "Here. Take them."
Babata panicked. "What are you doing?! Are you insane?! Those are precious resources!"
Rowan smiled faintly. "It's fine. I have other sources of power now. These crystals won't do much for me anymore."
Luo Feng hesitated but eventually accepted them, gratitude shining in his eyes.
Babata huffed but didn't argue further. Deep down, she knew Rowan was different beyond her understanding.
Finally, Rowan turned to her again. "All right, the crystals are sorted. Now, what about the real treasures the techniques?"
Babata's expression brightened. With a sweep of her hand, a glowing vine materialized, emerald-green and alive, pulsing with power.
"This," she said proudly, "is the Magic Cloud Vine. It can grow stronger with its master, evolve into armor, and protect you in battle. Once mature, its defense will surpass even the Black God Set."
Rowan reached out, letting a drop of his blood fall onto the vine. Instantly, it responded, intertwining gently around his arm like a living creature. The bond was forged.
The vine purred softly, coiling affectionately around him like a loyal cat. Rowan's lips curved into a satisfied smile.
He couldn't help but wonder once he combined this Magic Cloud Vine with his Vibranium armor and the Black God Set, just how invincible would his defense become?
The thought made him grin. The future, it seemed, was burning brighter than ever.
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