"What's wrong?" Thunder God raised an eyebrow at the stunned Hong. Despite his usual confidence, even he couldn't hide a flicker of unease.
Hong narrowed his eyes, scanning the training camp with spiritual perception refined over years at the peak of Earth's martial hierarchy. "Besides Old Wang, there are two more Planetary-grade cultivators in the Elite Training Camp. And from what I'm sensing… they're stronger than Old Wang."
"Two more Planetary-grade cultivators?" Thunder God's brows jumped in disbelief.
"This is your Dojo of Limits' Elite Training Camp, and even you didn't know?" Thunder God asked with a hint of mockery—but behind it was genuine surprise.
As the two neared the Elite Camp, Thunder God's senses, sharpened to extremes, caught the presence of the unfamiliar auras—distinct and far more refined than any average Planetary-tier cultivator.
"Curious," he muttered. Hong stayed quiet, but his thoughts were racing. These weren't ordinary warriors. A Planetary-stage breakthrough took years—sometimes decades. Even a genius would take ten years to push from one sub-tier to the next.
So how had these two appeared so suddenly, and how had they grown this strong without a trace in any global records?
Planetary-stage warriors—let alone Tier 2 or 3—were few and far between on Earth. And nearly all of them were registered with the Hall of the Gods of War. Their combat data, origin, and progression had long been cataloged. Yet these two? Completely off the radar.
Jiangnan Pavilion…
Hong's gaze turned to the row of dormitories. He pulled up the auxiliary AI feed, scanning the data: four residents. Shi Jiang, Zhao Ruo, Luo Feng, and Wei Wen.
Shi Jiang and Zhao Ruo had potential, sure—but not this level. That left only two candidates for these mysterious signatures.
Luo Feng and Wei Wen.
When Hong laid eyes on them, recognition clicked. His expression shifted—not to fear, but to surprise. These weren't strangers. They were students. His students. Yet now, they emanated power that even he, the strongest on Earth, couldn't fully read.
From across the field, Wei Wen and Luo Feng looked back. They knew instantly who had arrived: Hong, the Chief Instructor of the Dojo of Limits, and Thunder God, the head of the Thunder Martial Hall. The two strongest humans alive.
"Are you really Wei Wen and Luo Feng?" Hong asked, his voice steady but colored with doubt.
He had met them before their enrollment. Promising youths, yes—but no signs of this kind of potential. Planetary-level strength in a matter of months? Absurd.
"We are," Wei Wen said calmly, with Luo Feng nodding beside him. "Students of the Dojo of Limits Elite Training Camp. We greet the Chief Instructor and the Hall Master."
Thunder God was dumbfounded. "You're telling me these two kids are your students?"
He knew Wei Wen's name well. The young man had refined the Ninefold Thunderblade Technique, allowing Thunder God himself to push the martial art further than ever—reaching the Twelfth Layer. But that was two months ago. And now?
Now, Wei Wen's grasp of the Thunderblade had reached the Nineteenth Layer—each blow carrying fourteen times the force of the previous. And his spiritual strength? Far surpassed even that.
Wei Wen's Sea of Consciousness and Core Dantian each held multiple condensed energy spheres—precursors to full astral planets. At Tier 3, he would possess three such planets. By Tier 9, he'd have nine.
As for his mastery of Domains—the externalized manifestation of Will and Dao Insight—he had advanced beyond expectations. Like Ji Ning in another universe, whose mastery of the Way of Water had reached a peerless level, Wei Wen had cultivated Water and Fire Domains to the second layer—displaying both control and destructive power.
Hong, a Tier 6 Planetary powerhouse, saw it clearly: this wasn't a Tier 1 newcomer. Wei Wen had the depth and refinement of someone who could match him in combat.
"I don't believe this," Thunder God muttered. "Eighteen-year-olds becoming Planetary-tier elites? Since when does the Dojo produce monsters?"
"Exactly when did you break through to the Planetary Stage?" Hong asked, eyes narrowing.
Wei Wen and Luo Feng exchanged a look. "A few months ago," they said.
Thunder God looked as if he'd swallowed a bolt of lightning. Hong said nothing, but behind his silence, a storm brewed. At just eighteen years old, they had reached a level that others spent decades clawing toward.
And neither came from ancient sects or families with hidden legacies. Their parents were ordinary. Their upbringings, humble. There were no ancestral artifacts or divine inheritances.
So how?
Hong replayed every report in his mind. Then gave a silent command to the AI: pull everything—every movement, every mission, every location tied to Wei Wen and Luo Feng.
The system worked fast. It zeroed in on a location of interest.
Australia.
That chaotic continent—ravaged by monsters and alien zones—was filled with mysteries. Wei Wen had once returned injured from there. But the details were lacking. The region had been too unstable for satellite tracking or reliable data.
Still, Hong could infer what happened: some ancient inheritance, lost legacy, or alien remnant had given them this breakthrough.
But Hong wouldn't press. Everyone had secrets—even his own breakthroughs had origins he hadn't shared. Back when Luo Feng killed Li Yao, a Planetary-tier expert in a Black God Battle Armor, Hong hadn't pried.
Because in the end, this wasn't about jealousy. It was about survival.
Earth wasn't ready.
Out there in the universe, among cosmic empires and lawless star regions, Earth was a grain of sand on the floor of a galactic ocean. If alien factions ever discovered the planet, the human race could be enslaved, or worse—exterminated.
Only strength could shield them.
And now, Wei Wen and Luo Feng represented hope.
The more heaven-defying their growth, the more it reassured Hong and Thunder God. Because they knew what it meant: Earth might just have a fighting chance.
For decades, they'd stood at the top, unmatched. Invincible. But with that came a crushing solitude. Without rivals, life dulled. The martial path dimmed.
Now, for the first time in years, Hong felt anticipation.
Because on the road ahead, he wouldn't be walking alone anymore.