Jinn’s men fell in droves, the drug lords slaughtered. In this era of rapid technological advancement, news of the annihilation at the cartel’s stronghold spread to every corner of the globe with lightning speed.
Though the figures emerging from the dust clouds on the screen were indistinct—the hidden photographer daring not approach too closely—the sheer dominance of the martial artist hovering in the sky was palpable. Even through the blurred, giant image, one could sense that this young man, whether a Martial Master or a Martial Grandmaster, was enveloped by an unparalleled momentum.
Xing Wuyi gazed at Qin Fen’s photo projected before him, tapping lightly on his desk. “He crushed one of the two Arhats under the Buddha’s command with a single punch. Qin Fen’s strength is developing faster than we calculated. Even a seventeen-star martial artist might not be able to utterly shatter the Vajra Battle Body of the Subduing Dragon Arhat with one blow. Yet Qin Fen controlled time itself, deciding when it shattered. That’s far more difficult than just breaking it outright. Just how strong has he become?”
The door to Xing Wuyi’s office was pushed open. His secretary, a stunningly attractive woman with a cool demeanor, entered carrying a file, her tone strictly professional. “The latest Divine Dragon-grade Super Nano-Battle Suit is complete. Mass production will require some time as costs haven't fully dropped yet.”
“Understood. Regarding R&D, I can only say, please push forward and do your best; I can offer no real guidance in that area. As for the completed suits—the currently very expensive Divine Dragon-grade ones—they should have already been delivered to Qin Fen and the others. Oh, and by the way, notify them to report to the Shengjing Military Headquarters to meet General Du. Since Qin Fen agreed to go in the capacity of a soldier, we must at least uphold our end of the bargain.”
The secretary nodded, her expression unchanging. “The transport plane should be nearing North Ma LY.”
Xing Wuyi waved the secretary away, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses as he studied the data transmitted from the screen concerning the Divine Dragon-grade Super Nano-Battle Suit.
The super-scientist rescued by Qin Fen’s team over two years ago had now become the leading figure for the Four Great Families in the nano-battle suit research project. After these two years, the Divine Dragon-grade Super Nano-Battle Suit had truly demonstrated its inherent worth.
This was an absolutely epoch-making garment. The material, not overly thick, could adjust automatically according to the wearer’s physique, making them look remarkably sharp upon donning it. Furthermore, it included a specialized Super Nano Helmet, perfectly suited for deployment in vast numbers of specific environments, such as… space!
This single capability alone qualified it as world-changing super-technology! Even an ordinary person, clad in this Super Nano-Battle Suit, could survive in the vacuum of space!
The self-repair capability was another profoundly special feature. This specialized nano-battle suit, whose defensive capabilities far surpassed those of Dragon Scale Armor or bulletproof vests, could quickly mend itself even after suffering violent, destructive tearing, affording the wearer maximum survivability.
Xing Wuyi lightly tapped the keys on his desk. The data on the Super Nano-Battle Suit vanished, replaced by an image of a sword!
When the Divine Dragon-grade Super Nano-Battle Suit was paired with this sword, that was when the truly epoch-making era would begin.
The Magnetic Propulsion Flying Sword! An item that could elevate countless individuals, considered mere cannon fodder in space combat, into the most terrifying opponents of massive battleships.
What would the scenario be like if a warrior, clad in a Divine Dragon-grade Super Nano-Battle Suit capable of surviving in space, standing astride a Magnetic Propulsion Flying Sword like an Immortal Swordsman, and wielding another flying sword in hand, confronted an expensively built cosmic warship?
A thousand martial artists wielding Magnetic Propulsion Flying Swords, simultaneously launching their sword attacks against a cosmic warship—given their minuscule target profile, they would undoubtedly become the nightmare of these costly vessels.
Landing on Saturn? Xing Wuyi clicked the keyboard, observing the vast distance between Earth and Saturn. No matter how powerful Qin Fen and the others were, they could not survive alone in the vacuum of space. Although activating their Bio-Beasts allowed them to subsist for over half a year through photosynthesis without needing food, their physical bodies still could not endure the environment of space. If their transport ship were destroyed by enemy warships during the Saturn landing operation, even with heaven-defying abilities, Qin Fen and his team would perish due to their inability to adapt to space.
The advent of the Divine Dragon-grade Super Nano-Battle Suit resolved the concern Xing Wuyi had harbored for so long. These experts, whether Martial Masters or Grandmasters, already possessed the Martial Arts of Flight capabilities, but they were physically unable to live in the heavens. This suit would significantly increase their chances of survival.
“Why is even Qilin concerned about this Divine Dragon-grade Super Nano-Battle Suit?” Xing Wuyi switched the display back to the nano-suit data, his eyes clouded with confusion. Given the power of the Divine Beast martial artists, they could survive even in outer space, and their speed of flight surpassed cosmic warships, allowing them to travel through the cosmos independently. Why then would Qilin care about technology that, while incredible to ordinary people, seemed useless to a Divine Beast martial artist?
“Strange. Truly strange.”
Xing Wuyi shook his head in incomprehension. According to intelligence from various channels, Qilin was not the only one truly focused on the Divine Dragon-grade Super Nano-Battle Suit; the Vermilion Bird on Mars and the Azure Dragon, rumored to be in seclusion, were also paying extremely close attention.
The creation of this seemingly unremarkable suit was beyond imagination in terms of difficulty, requiring astronomical sums of funding. Xing Wuyi had expected it to take many years to achieve, yet several Divine Beast martial artists were channeling funds into the project through various means.
Diverting these funds for other purposes? Xing Wuyi chuckled dryly. Unless he was tired of living, that was absolutely out of the question. One could steal from anyone, but never from the pockets of the Divine Beast martial artists.
“But why? Why?” Xing Wuyi’s rhythm of tapping the desk grew erratic. “To fight the Insect Warriors? Why do I always feel that Qilin isn’t particularly concerned about the Insect Warriors? The feeling I got from Song Zhenting last time was that he knew what this suit was for but simply didn't care. If he isn't worried about the Insect Warriors, why is he so obsessed with the Divine Dragon-grade Super Nano-Battle Suit? I can’t figure it out, I truly can’t. Based on the timeline, the plane should be reaching the North Pole by now?”
The North Pole was as it always was: biting winds sharp as knives, occasionally interspersed with flurries of snow. Qin Fen fiddled with the Divine Dragon-grade Super Nano-Battle Suit he had just changed into. The not-so-thick material, when worn, made him completely immune to the cold, even without channeling internal energy to resist the chill. The power of technology, it seemed, was far greater than imagined.
Du Peng sank into his seat, fully dressed in the expensive nano-suit. While his cultivation had improved over the past six months, placing him among the fifteen-star Martial Masters, he still lagged significantly behind the other young elites. This persistent feeling of being constantly just behind them, watching others take the lead, was stifling, leaving an inexpressible gloom in his chest.
Ji Zhen Xuan Yi wore his suit with evident joy. Though still striving to break through to the Grand Arhat stage of Marrow Cleansing and Nirvana, he carried no psychological burden. Qin Fen had assured him he would reach the Martial Master realm, so he needed only to trust his Master’s words. “Xuan Yi, return to Tianmen City. Don’t come with me to Saturn.”
“Yes, Master,” Ji Zhen Xuan Yi nodded. As time progressed, he realized more and more that his choice that day was the right one. Had he not apprenticed under Qin Fen, how could he possess his current strength, let alone the future prospect of becoming a Martial Master?
“Old Qin! Haha, long time no see! Miss me?”
Amidst the snowstorm, Xue Tian’s voice was as flippant and boastful as ever. The wind and snow, sharp as blades, did him no harm as his protective energy field held firm. The energy blade forming his mount beneath his feet resembled the flying swords of an Immortal Swordsman, but it was merely the materialized fusion energy of his Bio-Beast.
“Xue Tian!” Brooks shouted, and the Sky-Cleaving Saber in his hand suddenly erupted in a flash of light, slicing toward Xue Tian in the sky. The massive blade energy, amplified by the fusion of the three Bio-Beasts, gained another measure of dominance.
Xue Tian laughed, stamping his foot on the massive, saber-shaped Bio-Beast, causing the blade to tilt slightly. He released a stream of saber energy from his chest, merging it with the blade-shaped Bio-Beast, directly neutralizing Brooks’s Sky-Cleaving energy.
Qin Fen watched Xue Tian’s method of evasion, his eyes slowly brightening. Six months apart, and Xue Tian’s strength had improved considerably again. He wondered how the Six-Star Saint Martial Artists and the Martial Venerables would deal with him this time.
“Old Qin, what’s with that look?” Xue Tian hopped onto the ice, grinning. “You look quite interested in me. Want a taste? I’ve gotten significantly stronger these past six months, you know.”
Qin Fen nodded lightly, rotating his shoulders. Although Caesar and the others were already powerful in terms of their star-level strength, even when they combined their full power, they couldn't force him to exert his absolute limit—a minor regret.
Caesar, Yang Lie—they were genuinely strong! Truly strong! In any era, they would be the undisputed leaders of the younger generation, peak martial artists awaiting challengers to chase their height.
Unfortunately, Qin Fen was stronger! After six months of training, Qin Fen felt a state where even he didn’t know the full extent of his power. Against Li Jianglong, who required a bit more focus half a year ago when he was at sixteen stars, Qin Fen could now casually throw a punch, killing him instantly without even needing to utilize the unique techniques of the Divine Fist School.
“Ouch, you really want to try, looking like that?” Xue Tian laughed, holding the knife that continuously vibrated within its sheath. “Three years. In three years, I’ll contend with you and see who’s stronger.”
Three years? Qin Fen’s fighting spirit was completely extinguished by Xue Tian’s proclamation of three years. About two years ago, before the rookie competition, during the military exercise confrontation with West Asia, Xue Tian had also said they would fight in three years.
Two years had already flown by, and now Xue Tian was throwing out another ‘three years’—clearly a remark lacking sincerity.
“Haha, no rush, no rush.” Xue Tian rested the knife across the back of his shoulders, smiling constantly. “I still need some time. Although I don’t particularly care about winning or losing, I don’t want to lose either. Give me a little more time. When I can take down that old fellow, we’ll spar.”
The old fellow? Qin Fen retracted all his fighting intent. He truly wondered who Xue Tian’s master was to be able to teach such a genius.
Yang Lie stretched languidly. “Since there’s no fight, let’s head to Shengjing.”
Caesar turned toward the aircraft cabin. As Qin Fen walked alongside Xue Tian, the Iai sword suddenly let out a sharp cry! A brilliant sword aura burst from the sheath, launching straight toward Qin Fen’s lower back!
A sneak attack! A completely unprovoked strike from behind! Qin Fen flicked his wrist, bringing his index and middle fingers together to execute the Ten Thousand Calamity Finger against the sword aura. The two visible, tangible streams of energy instantly shattered and scattered.
“A little interesting.” Xue Tian laughed, quickly stepping forward two paces, preventing Qin Fen from launching another attack, and jumped directly into the cabin.
No victor determined? Qin Fen frowned slightly, looking at his fingers. That exchange just now was a sudden, spontaneous clash; it was a test of raw spiritual energy advancement speed and technique. Arguably, neither side gained an advantage—which was highly unusual.
How did Xue Tian practice? Qin Fen watched Xue Tian’s receding back, his curiosity deepening further. He had seven great masters guiding him internally. Although they hadn't appeared in the last six months, his previous foundation was enough for him to coast for a long time. How had Xue Tian managed? He truly deserved the praise Qilin had given him as the most gifted martial artist!