Yanhuang City. Ye Chen materialized out of thin air onto a street steeped in ancient charm. People bustled everywhere; it was vibrant and prosperous. Ever since the Ice Age, everyone had remained hidden in ruins, rarely venturing out, resorting instead to the virtual world for combat skill practice and mental relaxation.

Ye Chen flicked his fingers, opening a video call.

"Ye Chen. ..." Murong Xue was on the other side, her pretty face etched with a touch of worry and fatigue. "Is everything alright back in your base city?"

Ye Chen nodded slightly, glancing at the girl. After all, she was just a young woman, barely seventeen or eighteen. His lips moved slightly, and after a moment of silence, he asked, "The situation in the Huaxia Base City must be quite unstable?"

A flicker of something sharp crossed Murong Xue's eyes. She shook her head. "It's manageable. By the way, there's a combat team lately that is incredibly strong in combat skills—are they from your Brightness Base City?"

"A team incredibly strong in combat skills?" Ye Chen frowned.

Murong Xue nodded. "They call themselves the 'Emperors.' There are three members, and their application of combat skills is exquisite."

Ye Chen's heart stirred. He immediately thought of a faction from his previous life: the Emperor Legion! It was said that this faction originated during the Ice Age, distinguishing itself in that chaotic era where everyone guarded against one another. It then rapidly expanded to become a power entirely separate from the world's ten strongest base cities! The membership of this faction was never large; even at its peak in his past life, there were only 3,000 people! Yet, these mere 3,000 individuals were enough to make even the massive base cities, supported by hundreds of thousands of military personnel... hesitant to provoke them! These 3,000 people were all masters of exceptional skill; individually, each was top-tier. Furthermore, their headquarters was incredibly mysterious; no one knew its location. If anyone attempted to wipe them out with nuclear weapons, they would simply retreat into the relic space of their headquarters. Difficult to kill, difficult to deal with. No base city would willingly provoke such a troublesome group to form a special faction. Could it be that at this current stage, the leader of this faction was already beginning to emerge?

Ye Chen sensed Murong Xue had something specific to discuss. "Those three aren't from my guild."

Murong Xue seemed to exhale in relief, then her brow furrowed, a cold glint appearing in her eyes. "I suspected as much. This 'Emperor' team has popped up from nowhere lately, challenging everyone ranked high on the Combat Skill Board. The day before yesterday, Hua Bu Luo, ranked eighth on the Combat Skill Board, received their notice of challenge."

Ye Chen asked, "And he lost?"

Murong Xue nodded. "Initially... he dismissed them with contempt and ignored the challenge outright. But yesterday, these people sent challenge after challenge in quick succession. Eventually, he accepted, and he was defeated! Normally, it wouldn't be a big deal, but what’s truly infuriating is that after defeating him, those people mocked him relentlessly." As she spoke, a hint of murderous intent surfaced in her eyes.

Ye Chen remained composed. "So, you want to deal with them, but you were afraid they might be my subordinates."

Murong Xue’s pretty face flushed almost imperceptibly, but she admitted frankly, "That's right!"

Ye Chen waved it off casually. "It's fine. Regardless of whether they belong to the Brightness Base City or not, if they behave too excessively, feel free to take action. I don't want my associates causing trouble and acting arrogantly just because of my name."

Murong Xue gazed at him intently, then nodded. "Understood!"

A brief, awkward silence followed as neither had anything more to say. Ye Chen took the initiative. "...I have a few things to attend to. I must leave now." After glancing at Murong Xue one last time, he terminated the communication.

"Hey..." The moment the communicator shut down, Ye Chen heard an impatient voice from behind him, "Hey, brat, why are you loitering in the middle of the road? Get out of the way."

Ye Chen turned to see a powerfully built man with a scar across his face, dressed in clothing reminiscent of ancient martial heroes. However, the brute's fleshy features and vicious eyes betrayed no hint of righteousness. Since this was a virtual character, Ye Chen appeared as a young man in black, his look vastly different from reality, so it wasn't surprising that no one recognized him despite him standing there for a while.

Seeing Ye Chen remain silent, a flash of anger ignited in the stout man's eyes. He lifted his chin. "Brat, don't tell me you think that just because this is the virtual world and everyone's physical attributes are equal, I can't beat you?"

Ye Chen spared him a glance, then turned to leave. Engaging with someone like that would only diminish his own standing.

When the stout man saw Ye Chen turn and walk away without a word, completely ignoring him, a burning sense of humiliation washed over him. He became furious, his face darkening. "Damn thing, I'll show you what your grandpa is capable of!" With that, he swiftly took a step forward, reaching out to grab Ye Chen's shoulder.

Ye Chen didn't turn back. Hearing the wind rushing past, he slapped his hand out, grasping the hand that was about to land on his shoulder, instantly twisting and contorting it. A sickening sound of cracking bone followed, accompanied by the stout man's piercing scream.

This move looked effortless, but Ye Chen had precisely targeted the joint. When the stout man realized the gravity of the situation and tried to pull his hand back, Ye Chen held firm at the joint, allowing him to snap the arm with barely any discernible effort.

The stout man was sweating profusely from the pain, his face contorted. "Brat, you're asking to die!" His stubborn pride flared. He flung aside his broken left arm and threw his right fist straight toward Ye Chen's face.

Ye Chen's expression remained impassive. He employed the Wind Control Claw, an art from the ancient martial relics, his five fingers closing like an eagle's talon toward the stout man's wrist.

The stout man was startled and quickly swung his palm away, coiling around Ye Chen's hand like a slippery fish, his fingers aiming for Ye Chen's throat.

A cold glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. His palm suddenly retracted defensively, clamping down on the stout man's wrist, while his elbow shot out, striking the opponent's chest. Ye Chen stepped forward with his lower body, driving in with a shoulder tackle.

Tugging one thread moves the entire tapestry! This combination caught the stout man completely off guard. As he struggled to free his wrist, Ye Chen's elbow hammered into his chest unexpectedly. Although it was merely the strength derived from an Intermediate Physique, Ye Chen's technique in channeling power, utilizing the Meteorite Profundity, doubled the impact. With that single elbow strike, the sound of splintering bones erupted once more.

Strike while the iron is hot; kill while the enemy is down. As the stout man groaned in agony, Ye Chen swiftly executed three close-quarters combat skills from the ancient martial civilizations: Bright Clarity Fist, Iron Crutch Kick, and King of Hell's Leg. Using these three techniques in succession, the stout man collapsed with a terrible scream, both arms broken, his chest slightly caved in, blood soaking his groin area as he rolled on the ground in agony.

Ye Chen glanced around, sensing quite a few people had gathered, so he didn't linger. He heard words like "Three Overlords..." in the surrounding murmurs but paid them no mind as he left the crowd and headed toward the Cultivation Tower, intending to integrate his many insights into Martial Arts into the Meteorite Profundity, ideally realizing the Supernova Detonation Profundity through constant combat.

As Ye Chen entered the Cultivation Tower...

Within the virtual world, in a lavish mansion. A refined, gentle young man in white robes reclined casually on a platinum-and-gold throne, a light gold bracelet adorning his wrist. His expression was arrogant, the upturn of his eyes radiating a domineering disdain for everything!

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from outside, and a figure strode in. It was the stout man. After Ye Chen departed, he had bitten his tongue to commit suicide, only to respawn in the virtual world, so his body was now entirely uninjured—save for the unconcealed resentment and ferocity in his eyes.

"Hmm?" The white-robed youth looked surprised upon seeing the stout man. "Old Third, judging by your expression, who offended you?"

The stout man plopped down onto an adjacent chair, draining the tea from the table in one gulp before roaring in anger, "Today was truly cursed! I ran into some brat on the street, told the bastard to scram, and ended up in a fight! The worst part is, I actually lost! Unbelievable, damn it all!"

The white-robed youth chuckled softly. "I've told you before, your Heavenly Dipper Fist hasn't even reached the introductory stage... If you don't have your Second Brother with you, keep a low profile outside. This virtual world has its share of hidden masters; with your skill, you'd struggle against anyone ranked in the top four of the Combat Skill Board."

The stout man looked utterly dejected. "That fist technique is too complicated! I've been studying it diligently, damn it. Next time, I swear I'll get revenge and crush that punk!"

A subtle, cold gleam passed through the white-robed youth's eyes. He smiled faintly. "No need to wait for next time. Your Second Brother will be back shortly. Just take him with you; as long as the opponent isn't ranked in the top three of the Combat Skill Board, you can handle it."

The stout man held his head high. "No need! Once I've mastered the Heavenly Dipper Fist, I'll defeat that bastard myself!"

The white-robed youth glanced at him and smiled. "That works too, but mastering that technique won't happen in a day or two."

The stout man considered this—indeed, it would take time—and slumped in frustration. "So troublesome. What if I haven't mastered it, and that brat gets eaten by a monster in the real world? That would be awful! Fine, let Second Brother go beat him up first and blow off some steam, damn it."

The white-robed youth smiled without speaking.

Ye Chen battled within the Cultivation Tower, his arms moving fluidly, completely immersed in that wondrous world.

Time flowed by... He practiced for ten full days!

Ye Chen's figure moved like the wind. He suddenly slashed out with his arm like a sharp blade, slaying a virtual monster. Feeling the elasticity and reaction time in his body increase significantly, and his sense for danger growing sharper, he felt satisfied.

"A pity. After ten days of non-stop training, I still haven't created the Stellar Destruction Profundity!" Ye Chen stood on a crimson, fiery planet, gazing at the vast starry sky—this was merely a virtual backdrop.

"Star... star..." Ye Chen looked at the scene before him, and suddenly, an idea struck him. "A star destroys itself through internal decomposition and vibration, leading to an explosion! Yes, that's it! Explosive power requires intense vibration!"

Ye Chen felt as if he had grasped a pathway, his eyes lighting up. Stellar destruction stems from internal foundations! If the vast universe is regarded as the body of a giant, and planets are the cells within that giant, then black holes are the conduits to the rest of the giant's body. To unleash power, a supernova explosion is required...

Ye Chen pondered, his hands unconsciously beginning to move.

"Explosion!" "Explosion!" "Using the body's cells as the fundamental source energy to generate an explosion... causing a massive surge in overall combat power. This is similar to a Superhuman Mode, but Superhuman Mode only converts genes; this method relies on consuming one's own life force as the basis!"

Ye Chen gradually found his way. "I will cultivate according to this principle." He then immersed himself back into his practice.