"You want to wake up? Go find them, is that it?" The Master smiled, waving a hand dismissively, granting Qin Fen no chance to speak before sending him tumbling out of the bizarre mental space.

Opening his eyes felt like an age had passed.

Qin Fen ripped the oxygen mask from his nose and mouth, violently shook the hair that had grown nearly two shichen long, and hurried into the bathroom for a cold shower.

Having been suspended in the same nutrient vat for two months left his body feeling as if it were on the verge of decay. Although his skin remained smooth, the mere thought of it left him deeply uncomfortable.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Lin Liqiang’s holographic projection instantly sprang to life from a corner of the room. He gently adjusted the black-rimmed glasses on his nose, his scholarly aura now intensified compared to before.

Two months had been more than enough time for Lin Liqiang, leveraging the technical expertise of the Dragon Hall members, to transform the military base into the massive, super-laboratory he desired. Everything except the washroom had become a location where he could reach anyone he needed.

"Old Qin, you're finally awake," Lin Liqiang pushed up his decorative black frames. "I thought you might sleep for half a year. I didn't expect that, in just two shichen periods, you would also seem to have undergone immense change. Though it's still Old Qin's body, I have a distinct feeling you’ve been reborn."

Reborn? Qin Fen smirked. The chilling training with the Light People, coupled with sparring against the Eight Great Masters—what else could that be but a complete transformation? Ordinarily, even for a powerhouse, the number of battles against other top-tier experts in a lifetime was limited. He had spent a month fighting masters every single hour. Especially during the first half-month training with the Light People, those blue-skinned monsters had provided countless experiences of life-and-death struggle.

Bei nb;nb; (Cursing placeholder/noise)

The automated induction door was still a fraction of a second slower than the visitor, as it hadn't even begun to slide open before it was kicked inward. A pungent, fierce killing intent, tangible as a blade, pierced through, making Qin Fen’s skin involuntarily twitch.

Solomon! Solomon, who had vanished after that concert, had returned. Compared to two or three months ago, the savage, frenzied aura emanating from him had grown immeasurably, especially the thick, bloody scent clinging to him, which reminded Qin Fen sharply of Hades, the Little King of Slaughter Martial Arts.

Facing the somewhat crazed Solomon, Qin Fen could only silently mourn the door that had been kicked to splinters.

"Excellent!" Solomon fixed his sharp, eagle-like gaze directly into Qin Fen’s eyes and nodded with satisfaction. "You haven't disappointed me! You are stronger than before."

Qin Fen slipped on his crisp, dry military uniform jacket and replied, "So are you."

"Of course," Solomon grinned widely. "You learn a thing or two after killing enough people."

"Qin Fen,"

"Qin Can nb;nb;,"

"Qin Can nb;nb;,"

Yang Lie, Brooks, and Caesar arrived almost simultaneously. Even when others went into seclusion, it was just seclusion; someone sleeping for two full shichen periods was truly rare.

After not seeing them for about two months, Qin Fen noticed that his companions had also made different strides in their strength. The six-month agreement acted like the tightest spring coil; everyone could maintain a calm state of mind, but when it came to action, no one would dawdle.

"It seems you really got much stronger," Yang Lie leaned against the wall and sighed. "Too bad you came out of seclusion a little late."

Caesar and Brooks nodded in unison, agreeing with Yang Lie's words.

"What do you mean?" Qin Fen sensed an undertone in Yang Lie's speech. "What if you had emerged earlier?"

Yang Lie’s expression turned serious. His long, bright eyes narrowed into slits, flashing with the fierce light of battle intent. "A little earlier, and you could have met the Yama Heavenly Sovereign of Saturn's Underworld—the legendary Shangguan Chuanqi, always hailed as the number one figure among the younger generation!"

Shangguan Chuanqi? Qin Fen’s spirit jolted. He had assumed the Yama Heavenly Sovereign was someone else, merely a smokescreen deployed by the Underworld. To think it was actually the legendary figure from Mars, also called the number one among the younger generation—the Martian Legend, Shangguan Chuanqi!

"What a pity," Qin Fen shook his head slightly with regret, then immediately broke into a relieved smile. "Actually, it doesn't matter. If they are rivals, there will always be a chance to meet."

The young martial artists exchanged knowing smiles. Qin Fen’s phrase, "If they are rivals, there will always be a chance to meet," had once been uttered by Shangguan Chuanqi himself.

After his sigh, Qin Fen’s interest piqued, and he asked, "Is he very strong?"

Yang Lie pointed at himself. "Defeating me in one move—does that count as strong?"

"It does!" Qin Fen answered without hesitation. In that Federation era, let alone among the younger martial artists, even including the older generation, Yang Lie was undeniably a true powerhouse! Being defeated by Yang Lie in a single move—if that wasn't strength, what was?

It was just... Qin Fen was somewhat surprised. Shangguan Chuanqi was powerful to an almost inconceivable degree. He was only slightly older than Qin Fen, who had the advantage of the liquid metal substance and the guidance of the Eight Great Masters teaching him martial arts to reach his current station. That Shangguan Chuanqi possessed the ability to defeat Yang Lie in one move was truly astonishing. After all, Yang Lie was also a rare genius martial artist; his current progress and strength, in any previous era, would have marked him as the brilliant number one of the younger generation.

"Could it be nb;nb;," Qin Fen muttered in confusion, "that the rumor about the Vermilion Bird choosing the most outstanding man to father her child is actually capable of producing such heaven-defying genius martial artists?"

"Old Qin, don't rule it out; it's entirely possible," Lin Liqiang stated from his position on the sofa in the projection. "Based on our research into the New Human project over the last two months, theoretically, at the most basic level, there is such a possibility. Under very specific circumstances, a man and a woman can create a heaven-defying martial arts genius, even if the man and woman are ordinary common folk. If the catalyst is right, such a thing can occur."

Qin Fen was reminded again of Asura from the Sacred Martial Hall. That woman was also pursuing the creation of superior offspring, something about a "Shura Sacred Fetus" or similar names. Profound scientific creations always managed to shock outsiders immensely.

If Shangguan Chuanqi was heaven-defying, then perhaps his brother, the Azure Dragon, was even more so? To be a Divine Beast Martial Artist at such a young age?

Qin Fen dismissed the thought. Everyone has their own unique destiny. When a group of young martial arts geniuses appears in the same era, it is bound to be a time of surging undercurrents and great upheaval.

To be born into such an era, to know such a group of friends—Qin Fen felt his life had been worthwhile!

"Old Qin," Xue Tian walked in from somewhere, his expression earnest. "Your rate of progress in the Martial Dao puts immense pressure on me, a super-genius."

"Have you sparred with Shangguan Chuanqi?" Seeing Xue Tian, Qin Fen immediately thought of this important question.

"No," Xue Tian rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I only just got back a few days ago."

"You?"

"I went to chat with Tathagata, and while I was there, I chatted with the Jade Emperor too," Xue Tian shook his head helplessly. "I intended to come back right after I finished talking to them. But I was ambushed halfway back—those seven guys beat me up terribly nb;nb;,"

Seven? Qin Fen rapidly searched his memory for names of powerhouses. Which faction could produce seven people capable of beating up Xue Tian alone? Not many.

"The Martial Venerable decided to take a stroll, and whether by coincidence or not, he ran into me," Xue Tian said, dramatically clutching his lower back as if severely injured. "You know how ferocious the Martial Venerable is. I was still chasing girls in a bar when he told me the Heroes' Assembly was approaching. Thinking I was too idle, he decided to 'play' with me for a few days."

Martial Venerable! He was on Saturn! Several young men cast looks of sympathy toward Xue Tian. Back in the Sacred Martial Hall, he had been captured and subjected to severe corporal punishment by the Six Stars of the Sacred Martial Hall because he was pursuing one of the three great beauties. In the end, even the Martial Venerable had taken great interest and joined in. It seemed that even after so long, the people from the Sacred Martial Hall hadn't forgotten Xue Tian.

Qin Fen admired Xue Tian’s shrewdness. In this period where life-and-death combat was temporarily off the table, going to see Tathagata and the Jade Emperor was undoubtedly a very clever tactic. The junior Xue Tian could afford to lose in a spar. The Jade Emperor, however, could not afford to lose! Even if it was just a friendly exchange, he couldn't afford defeat!

This realization allowed Qin Fen to explain why Xue Tian’s martial progress remained shockingly fast even after two months.

"Qin Fen," Yang Lie said, glancing at the others. "We have decided to go to the Pandoran world in the alternate dimension again. Just going into seclusion isn't enough; the split-second combat of life and death, the bloody battles—these are essential conditions."

Qin Fen nodded in strong agreement. The initial half-month fighting the blue-skinned monsters in the mental space had left too profound an impression on him. Constant life-and-death fighting offered growth that was in no way inferior to the days spent sparring with the Eight Great Masters. Even the final month of arduous combat, without Zhenqi, offered growth comparable to the struggles of the last month. Life-and-death combat truly could not be replaced by simple ascetic cultivation in seclusion.

"Since you agree, then we—"

"Wait a moment," Qin Fen said after a moment of contemplation. "Before we go to that alternate dimension, I have something important to tell everyone."

The others were slightly taken aback. Qin Fen and Xue Tian were different in this group; Qin Fen was the somewhat taciturn type, and what he said usually commanded attention. For him to speak with such grave importance now made everyone unsure of what he intended.

"This..." Qin Fen lifted a hand to stroke his chin. "It might be hard for you to believe. Simply put: I can lead all of you into a state of 'Unity of Heaven and Man' once, but only once."

"What?"

"Are you kidding?"

"Can someone actually lead others into the Unity of Heaven and Man?"

Everyone present was long accustomed to the shocks Qin Fen, the monster, brought. Yet, even now, they could not suppress the astonishment in their hearts. Every person in that room was already considered a Grandmaster-level figure in martial arts; their understanding of the Martial Dao was rarely matched by anyone else in the world. Even if the moon exploded before them, their eyelids would not so much as flicker.

Qin Fen's single statement shocked them more profoundly than the moon exploding, perhaps even more than the sun exploding! The Unity of Heaven and Man was something that required a convergence of sheer luck, comprehension, and environmental factors—a rare occurrence. Yet, Qin Fen claimed he could lead others into it once.