​A thousand years ago, Earth was a realm of immortals who could shatter mountains and command the heavens. That ended with the "Great Harvest." Synthetic robotic invaders, sent by human-descended aliens from distant galaxies, descended to strip the planet of its spiritual essence, suppressing the ancient laws of cultivation and forcing humanity into a world of machines and ignorance.
​Today, only the secret organization known as The Vanguard remembers the truth.
​Stanley McCain was their greatest weapon—a Major with a "Titan" clearance and a cultivation talent not seen in centuries. But five years ago, during a mission that went up in flames, he vanished. Found amnesiac by a simple hermit, Stanley spent the last five years as "Big Stan," a quiet construction laborer living a life of grueling poverty. He married the hermit's daughter, Sarah, only to be treated like a ghost in his own home. For two years, she refused to touch him, eventually divorcing him and stripping him of his meager house the moment she found someone "better."
​But a divorce paper was the final key to a cage he didn't know he was in.
​With a Diamond Card worth a billion dollars in his pocket and an irregularly shaped black box that only his DNA can unlock, the Major has returned. As Stanley begins to break through the forgotten stages of cultivation, he realizes the "Harvest" is starting again. From the skyscrapers of New Raven City to the hidden battlefields of the stars, Stanley must reclaim his legacy.
​He isn't just a billionaire. He isn't just a soldier. He is the last hope of a forbidden world.

​Stanley didn't flinch. In the past, "Big Stan" would have relied on raw, clumsy strength. But as the Synthetic Robot closed the distance, the Muscle-Tempering Stage kicked in. His new bronze-toned skin hummed with a resonance that slowed the world down.


​It wasn't a human movement; it was a blur. He sidestepped the vibration blade by a hair's breadth, the wind of the strike whistling past his ear. With his right hand, he gripped the robot's metallic forearm.


​The sound of reinforced titanium groaning under human pressure filled the room. The robot's red eyes flickered as its internal logic struggled to process how a "mortals" body could exert such force.


​He drove a fist into the center of the robot's chest. He couldn't use elements yet—no fire, no lightning—but the sheer density of his tempered muscles acted like a hydraulic press.


​The robot's chest plate shattered, sparks flying as its synthetic core was crushed. It flew backward, smashing through the same wall it had entered from.


​Amara ran to the edge of the glass, her breath hitching. She looked at Stanley—really looked at him—and for a second, the coldness was gone. In its place was the woman who had loved the Major five years ago.


​"This was just a scout," Stanley said, looking at his bronze knuckles. Not a single scratch remained. "If they're sending these after me already, then New Raven isn't safe. Neither is Elias."


​He picked up his black jacket, the Diamond Card clicking against the Void Relic in his pocket.


​"Amara, get the Vanguard ready," Stanley said, his voice a commander's steel. "I have a billionaire's image to maintain and a war to finish. And tell Marcus I need a car. A fast one."


Chapter 5 - chapter 5