"Heaven and Man as One? Old Qin! Wait for me and Old Yin!" The projection of Lin Liqiang vanished instantly. Even those dedicated solely to the path of science would never pass up an opportunity to attain the state of Heaven and Man as One.

Qin Fen looked at Xue Tian, the only one whose face showed no shock: "Two Masters..."

"Got it!" Xue Tian snapped his fingers, disappearing from the doorway, only his voice lingering in the room: "I'll go find them. Wait a moment."

In the short span of a few minutes, the small room became crowded with martial arts powerhouses, any one of whom, if presented publicly, could cause jaws to drop in astonishment.

These formidable figures, normally viewed with awe and reverence, like gazing upon towering mountains, were now staring at Qin Fen with various degrees of shock, as if observing a monster.

As the foremost expert of the Sacred Martial Hall, one who commanded vast resources and had witnessed countless strange and marvelous things, one had never heard of an outsider being able to escort others into the state of Heaven and Man as One.

If this news hadn't come from the usually steady Qin Fen, but from the garrulous Xue Tian, Ferrero would have already stepped forward, clapped Xue Tian on the shoulder, and told him, "My boy, next time Lord Martial Venerable calls for you, I’ll put in a good word and ask him to go easy. Look at this bright, clever child—Lord Martial Venerable must have beaten him senseless! This isn't good at all."

Yet, this world-shattering news, capable of shocking people to death and then back to life, originated from Qin Fen's mouth.

Ferrero was momentarily unsure whether to trust Qin Fen’s words or suspect Qin Fen had simply mistaken the date for April Fool’s Day.

"Let's change locations," Qin Feng suggested thoughtfully. "How about the First Peak of Saturn? The environment there is quite good."

Saturn's First Peak was no longer the same peak that once housed the headquarters of the Genesis Association. After Qin Fen’s battle there, the map merchants of Saturn certainly made a hefty profit.

Saturn's former Second Peak had now become the First Peak. Aside from a slight difference in altitude from the original mountain, it was virtually unchanged—just barren rock, devoid of soil or green vegetation. Coupled with the specialized, abrasive winds, no one would visit such a desolate place for leisure.

Quiet, yet close to nature.

Standing on the summit, gazing at the surroundings, everyone felt an ineffable sense of exhilaration.

The ancient saying goes, "Climb Mount Tai and feel small is the world below." Now, standing atop Saturn’s highest peak, everyone experienced a similar sensation.

The strong wind whipped their clothes with sharp snaps, drawing their attention back to Qin Fen. They had arrived here via flying craft not for sightseeing, but for a far more significant purpose.

Observing the focused gaze of the crowd, Qin Fen coughed dryly: "Simply put, everyone just needs to place their hands on me for a while, close your eyes, and don't think about anything else. That’s all."

"Sigh," Xue Tian shook his head, sighing as he sat down cross-legged, looking deeply wronged, shaking his head repeatedly. "I never thought in my life I’d have to touch a man like this."

Lin Liqiang adopted an expression of deep sympathy, patting Xue Tian’s shoulder: "This must be kept absolutely secret."

"Indeed, indeed, otherwise our lifelong reputation..."

Inzarota ignored the antics of the two clowns and decisively slapped his palm onto Qin Fen's shoulder, quickly securing a spot that was not overly awkward.

Slap, slap, slap, slap...

In the blink of an eye, Yang Lie, Ferrero, Di Shitian, Caesar, and others followed suit. Their broad, thick palms pressed onto Qin Fen’s body, almost completely enveloping him.

Lin Ling descended slowly onto the peak. As the last to arrive, she too moved to place her hand on Qin Fen, only to find that very few spots remained available for her palm.

Xue Tian looked on like an eager spectator, watching Lin Ling’s extending hand, guessing where she would place it.

Lin Ling’s hand reached out naturally toward one of the few remaining places Qin Fen offered for a hand. Her hand reached directly for Qin Fen’s palm.

Lin Ling’s soft, cool palm settled gently into Qin Fen’s, and she suddenly felt a faint warmth on her cheeks. A hint of confusion overlaid her usually expressionless brow. Qin Fen’s palm wasn't some Nine Yang Divine Skill; why did it cause her cheeks to flush? Even stranger was her heartbeat, why was it suddenly accelerating?

Qin Fen felt a subtle change when Lin Ling's palm made contact. Thinking that this woman, who apparently never knew the meaning of nervousness, was finally feeling anxious at such a crucial moment, he squeezed her hand slightly tighter.

At that squeeze, Lin Ling’s cheeks grew even rosier. She hesitated, feeling it was improper to slap her hand on now, yet holding it also felt peculiar.

"Don't be nervous," Qin Fen murmured softly. "I'm here."

"Don't be nervous, I'm here."

That simple, casual phrase of concern echoed in Lin Ling’s mind for a long time, and the previous tension vanished completely with Qin Fen’s words.

Why? Lin Ling questioned silently. Her Master had once said that one could only rely on oneself. Other than one’s own promises, no one else's promise was truly secure. Why? Why would she trust the promise spoken by this Qin Fen?

"Alright then, I am starting now." Qin Fen slowly closed his eyes, feeling a slight regret. Since this matter was brought up, it had to be accomplished in the shortest time possible. It was just a pity that this instance of Heaven and Man as One would lack Song Jia, as well as Zhao Huzi and his disciple Jizhen Xuanyi.

Life always contained regrets; a life without regret would not be life at all. Qin Fen relaxed his state of mind and slowly allowed himself to drift into slumber.

The mental space was as dark as usual. The Master watched Qin Fen enter the psychic world and said, "Are you prepared?"

"En."

Qin Fen nodded. "Though there are regrets, I am prepared."

The Master placed his hands behind his back, his gaze on Qin Fen’s eyes showing renewed satisfaction. To maintain such a good state of mind while facing regret—the intensive training over the past two months had clearly improved him tremendously.

"Then..." The Master stepped before Qin Fen, rotating his five fingers in front of his eyes. The space above, below, and on all sides—near and far—filled with various celestial bodies.

Instantly, Qin Fen felt like a speck of dust floating in the center of the universe, surrounded by endless cosmic planets.

The next moment, the countless stars in the sky erupted in blinding aurora lights. These beams of light were like solid swords piercing through Qin Fen’s body.

What was 'a thousand arrows piercing the heart'? Qin Fen hadn't known before, but at this moment, he finally understood. Countless rays of light pierced into his body. Even in this non-physical space, the intense pain overwhelmed him to the point of near collapse.

Suddenly! Qin Fen threw his head back, his closed eyes snapping open, and he let out a roar toward the sky. This roar pierced the clouds and shattered the sun, shaking the nine heavens like a clap of thunder. The sky instantly churned with wind and clouds! The abrasive winds transformed into gentle breezes, and a vast aura surged from all directions of Saturn, even penetrating the atmosphere and rushing toward the mountaintop through the roar of the heavens.

Qin Fen's roar brought instant, shared agonizing pain to everyone present—a sensation as if billions of steel needles were piercing every inch of their bone marrow!

Those present were all Martial Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters, masters of endurance whose tolerance was second to none in the world. Yet, not a single one could endure any longer. The pain felt as though it was scorching their very souls!

The combined roars of the group mixed with Qin Fen's, forming a single, unified cry. In that instant, their thoughts seemed to synchronize, each feeling every subtle change in the other’s body.

The intense agony made everyone forget everything! In the eyes of the Master, the true meaning of Heaven and Man as One required forgetting everything and entering a state of profound insight into existence.

In this world, the simplest and most direct method to make someone forget everything was pain! Pain that reached the core, pain that even peerless experts could not withstand! If you didn't die from the pain, congratulations—you had temporarily entered this makeshift Heaven and Man as One.

Wind rose, clouds moved! The essence of heaven and earth surged through the cosmos. Everyone’s hair stood on end from the pain, entering the most agonizing and longest state of Heaven and Man as One of their lives.

No insight, no other thoughts, not even the surge of internal zhenqi could be felt. Everyone’s sole sensation was pain!

A pain that made one want to roll on the ground, crying out for mother and father!

One second... two seconds... five seconds... ten seconds...

The Master gripped his fists excitedly and tensely! His eyes were locked onto the stopwatch he had simulated. This was arguably the crowning achievement of his life; extending the time by even a thousandth of a second would fill him with inexplicable excitement.

Twenty seconds... thirty seconds... The Master was so thrilled he was on the verge of tears. He never imagined they could last over thirty seconds!

Thirty-five seconds! The planets emitting the thousands of auroras in the mental space began to rapidly diminish in radiance.

"Pity," the Master sighed toward the heavens. A pity this time could only be maintained for thirty-seven seconds.

Just as the Master closed his eyes and sighed, the planets, whose light had begun to fade, suddenly seemed to recharge the very next second, and their radiance began to brighten once more.

"This... how is this possible?" The Master stared dumbfounded, watching this violation of research norms. "How can this be?"

"Of course, it shouldn't be! But there is still me! Master, I didn't expect us to meet again after all these years!"

From the void, a second luminous figure emerged. His body was like an iron tower, and even walking in the air, he carried the imposing gait of a dragon walking. A smile, the smile of a long-lost friend, graced his face.

"Alynacas!" The Master stared blankly at the visitor who had appeared suddenly. "You..."

The man the Master called Alynacas tilted his chin slightly, a proud smile appearing. "I am also a genius from Atlantis. If you could devise this method, so can I! Of course, mine isn't as perfect; I cannot store so many mental imprints within a single Doomsday-class computer. Zong Jue Lv was truly an unparalleled genius to be able to place eight such powerful imprints together."

"You created an imprint for yourself?" The Master gave a wry smile. "You're quite lucky. Zong Jue Lv didn't seek you out. You naturally don't have to abide by the wager. If we lose, we can only be tied to him, waiting to witness the ultimate power he claims he can surpass."

Alynacas stood with his hands behind his back, his proud face tinged with a touch of pity. "Who made you the strongest seven back then? As for me? My level of martial arts research is comparable to yours, but my true strength still lags behind yours by a margin."

"You..." The Master’s look of confusion cleared into a smile. "You are within that kid named Xue Tian, aren't you? No wonder! I kept wondering why that boy felt like he was improving even in his sleep. But he is indeed a genius. With you alone, he can maintain a level on par with Qin Fen."

"I was only responsible for guiding the way," Alynacas repeatedly shook his head. "This world is sometimes unfair; everyone's talent differs. Xue Tian’s talent is something I’ve never seen before; frankly speaking, his innate ability surpasses even yours and the other six."

"So what?" The Master curled his lip. "With such great talent, isn't he still only Qin Fen's equal in strength?"

"Hmph!" Alynacas let out a cold laugh. "Qin Fen's talent is certainly excellent, but frankly, he should be much weaker than Xue Tian. However, this man possesses a special intuition for martial arts—that shouldn't be considered martial talent, but a special instinct developed from his extreme concentration on the martial path. Any martial art, when it falls into his hands, allows him to derive related principles. Of course! This is also inseparable from his foundation."

Alynacas sneered continuously: "You should really thank the person who laid Qin Fen's foundation! I think, before you encountered Qin Fen, he must have possessed a profound foundation that even he himself didn't know about, right?"

The Master nodded repeatedly, not denying it. Qin Fen's foundation at that time was extremely solid. This wasn't just because his Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill was well-practiced; more importantly, before he encountered the metal sphere, he had already witnessed myriad martial arts styles, developed superior analytical skills, and possessed a will more steadfast and unyielding than anyone else due to years of living below the poverty line!

"I didn't expect you to also devise a makeshift method for Heaven and Man as One," the Master said with a smile of mutual understanding. "And it’s through pain too! Just as mine was about to conclude, you came in with yours."

"Indeed." Alynacas shrugged and chuckled lightly. "It’s a pleasant surprise to see you again. However, the Heaven and Man as One I created is also ending now. I don't know when we will meet again."

"There should be a chance," the Master said as Alynacas vanished. "To meet an old friend again after so many years is truly a happy thing."

Rumble!

The moment Heaven and Man as One ended, a vast power exploded within everyone's bodies. The First Peak of Saturn beneath their feet was the first place to bear the brunt.

The immense power pulverized the mountain peak directly! Saturn's former Second Peak, recently the First Peak, vanished once more...

"Everyone has their own destiny..."