Babata's standards were exceedingly high. Having followed the Immortal for tens of millions of years traversing the universe, what kind of genius had he not seen?
Hong, who had comprehended a Domain at the Planetary Level, was indeed perceptive. However, in Babata's long existence, witnessing geniuses grasp a Domain at the Planetary Level was not particularly rare.
Within the Ganwu Universe Country alone, there were hundreds of geniuses at the Star Level who had stepped onto the threshold of comprehending the Laws. The number of such Planetary Level geniuses was certainly more than a few hundred.
Yet, the number of geniuses who could truly advance to the Realm Lord level was extremely scarce. After all, even those selected from the Virtual Universe Company's genius battles might not necessarily grow to become Immortals.
In the 30 years within Chaos City alone, 1,000 out of 1,843 geniuses had perished. Clearly, many dangers could befall a genius during their growth.
Having seen countless geniuses, Babata could often gauge the approximate upper limit of their future potential at a glance. He had once remarked that without significant opportunities, Star Level or Universe Level might be Hong's limit.
However, he had never before encountered someone as anomalous as Wei Wen.
Wei Wen had only been cultivating for a few months, with no prior secret mental force techniques, yet he had directly achieved a 16-fold spiritual amplitude power. This was simply unbelievable. The allure of unknown potential was the greatest.
And yet, such a genius had slipped right through his fingers.
"???"
At this moment, Babata watched Wei Wen's actions in utter confusion. He could only watch helplessly as the future successor he had finally chosen for the Yun Mo Planet greased the soles of his feet and bolted from the space ship hatch as if a Golden-Horned Beast were on his heels, disappearing in an instant.
"Is there something wrong with this guy's brain?" Babata's mouth twitched.
Logically, with so many treasures in this lake and even the suspected ruins of the Yun Mo Planet, there were obviously great secrets here. Why wouldn't he continue exploring?
Of course, the legacy's thought induction waves were inherently weak, only capable of influencing the subconscious.
If Wei Wen had been exploring the lake aimlessly before, the waves would have subtly guided him to naturally discover the Yun Mo Planet Ship. But now that Wei Wen was completely unwilling to continue, the Yun Mo Planet Ship's telepathic waves were useless.
…
After Candace received the news of Wei Wen's departure, he relayed the information to the HR Alliance.
With Atkin's capabilities, pinpointing Wei Wen's destination was not difficult. Not long after Wei Wen left Mt. Fuji, a fighter jet entered the airspace of the Australian continent.
Inside the fighter sat a cross-legged Planetary Level powerhouse—none other than Atkin.
"Search the coordinates of all warriors in Australia!"
The HR Alliance had methods to detect the locations of Warrior-level and even God of War-level warriors, though their methods were somewhat underhanded. For instance, the communication watch, essential for every warrior, which they had developed, contained a backdoor.
Since the communication watch was used for calls, bank transfers, and more, it had to be linked to each warrior's identification card and ID number.
By tracking the watch's signal, Wei Wen's location could naturally be determined. Of course, they dared not reveal the existence of this backdoor, as doing so would provoke resistance from countless warriors.
Accessing an individual warrior's location through this backdoor required at least S-level authorization, which Atkin, as a Planetary Level, naturally possessed.
A massive virtual map instantly materialized within the fighter jet. At its center was a red dot marking Wei Wen's coordinates. Wei Wen was moving rapidly, seemingly heading toward an airport on the Australian continent.
"There's something off about this speed?" Atkin was immediately startled. "This feels close to East's speed. Could he have already broken through to the Planetary Level?"
'When did Wei Wen break through to the Planetary Level?' When he broke through wasn't critically important. Even if Wei Wen had reached the Planetary Level, Atkin didn't consider him a match.
"Wei Wen's growth rate is terrifyingly fast. Fortunately, I acted early. If I had waited any longer, even I might not have been able to handle him." Atkin narrowed his eyes.
…
"This trip not only secured the Spiritual Plants and Trees but also unexpectedly yielded a large batch of Wood Essence Crystals. I'm returning fully loaded!" Wei Wen left in high spirits.
As for the abandoned Babata... that fellow wouldn't be able to get out for quite some time anyway, so Wei Wen wasn't worried about being harassed by him now. Furthermore, he and Luo Feng were best friends. Even if Babata chose Luo Feng in the future, he would eventually see the light of day again. If Babata tried to cause trouble for Wei Wen, Luo Feng wouldn't stand for it.
Of course, Wei Wen was also concerned about one issue: the feedback from his strength. It would be problematic if Luo Feng's growth caused him to inexplicably break through to the Universe Level before the genius battles.
Therefore, in the future, he should use treasures like the Spiritual Plants and Trees and Wood Essence Crystals, which enhance strength, as sparingly as possible. Fortunately, the gaps between Planetary Level, Star Level, and Universe Level were immense.
According to the novel, the gap between Planetary Level 9 and Star Level 1 was more than tenfold.
As long as he was cautious and avoided rashly using power-boosting treasures, he wouldn't be inexplicably promoted to Star Level by relying on Luo Feng's feedback. So, for now, the allocation of the Spiritual Plants and Trees was for Luo Feng to use. Wei Wen only needed to lie low and steadily improve!
"Having grown to this point, it seems there are only one or two minor crises left before the genius battles." After leaving the mountain, Wei Wen also contemplated future plans.
In the novel Golden-Horned Beast crisis, Earth's civilization employed every means available.
Hong and Thunder God burned their souls and fought to the death using their Domains but still failed to defeat it. Luo Feng, along with Jia Yi and five other powerhouses, sacrificed their lives in a desperate battle to seize the Golden-Horned Beast's body and resolve the crisis.
However, because of Wei Wen's existence, what was originally a 98% certainty could now be easily handled. After all, Wei Wen had obtained the Wood Essence Crystal more than two years ahead of schedule. By the time the Golden-Horned Beast arrived, what level would Luo Feng have reached? To what extent would Wei Wen's feedback grow?
As for the space adventurers, perhaps Wei Wen and Luo Feng could venture into the universe ahead of time to purchase some Star Level or even Universe Level slaves; that wouldn't be a problem. They might even become Earth Lords in advance, naturally averting this crisis.
The key was money.
"The money issue shouldn't be a major problem. We'll figure it out later," Wei Wen thought to himself. Earth had abundant resources; raising funds by selling some shouldn't be difficult.
"Hmm?" Suddenly, a sweep of Wei Wen's mental force instantly detected an uninvited guest.
"A strange Planetary Level powerhouse is approaching. Judging by the direction... is he coming for me?"
Just as Wei Wen was pondering the future, he saw with his naked eyes a figure flying toward him at high speed, stopping directly in front of him. Seeing that this person wasn't a Spiritual Master yet could fly—he must be a Planetary Level warrior.
Atkin's gaze, which initially seemed dull, instantly erupted with a frightening intensity!
'Who is he?' A cold light flashed in Wei Wen's eyes. 'It seems he wants to kill me?'
"Who are you? Are you here to kill me?" Wei Wen asked, feigning doubt.
Atkin was inherently suspicious and intelligent. For example, after Yan Hai's death in the original storyline, he quickly deduced it might have been Luo Feng's doing.
Seeing the look in Wei Wen's eyes now gave him an uneasy feeling. Logically, Wei Wen was at most a newly broken-through Planetary Level; he shouldn't evoke such unease. After all, Atkin was ranked among the top five at the Planetary Level. Shouldn't a newly promoted Planetary Level like Wei Wen tremble and bow upon seeing him?
"I am the Fifth Elder, Atkin. However, I don't necessarily have to kill you," Atkin replied with a calm smile. "As long as you tell me how you've been growing so rapidly, I might let you go."
Wei Wen's demeanor was off, prompting Atkin not to act immediately.
"You've advanced incredibly fast. Could your achievements really be due solely to talent and comprehension?" Atkin asked.
"Hah, you've only been a warrior for a few months, yet you seem to have already reached the Planetary Level as a spiritual master. No one on Earth has ever displayed genius on your level," Atkin said with a smile.
"If you claim it's all down to talent, do you think I'd believe you?"
"I even suspect you possess some treasure that can rapidly enhance your strength."
"What if I say I have no such treasure?" Wei Wen raised an eyebrow.
To be honest, the reason for Wei Wen's rapid growth wasn't a treasure, but the feedback from Luo Feng.
"You've just broken through to the planet level, yet you show no fear of me whatsoever. I don't believe you lack backing." Atkin's eyes narrowed.
"Perhaps if I don't take action, you'll never comprehend the gap between us, nor will I be able to force you to reveal your secret or hand over that treasure that accelerates your growth."
"You dare to act? Aren't you afraid of satellite surveillance?" Wei Wen asked, slightly puzzled. "You know Hong and Thunder God have explicitly forbidden unjustified battles between warriors."
Warriors, especially Planetary Level experts, could not fight amongst themselves arbitrarily, or they would surely incur Hong's wrath.
For instance, a certain Planetary Level warrior who once killed a lower-level warrior was personally executed by Hong.
Even though Hong might be inferior to him in raw strength and speed, his comprehension of the Domain made him virtually invincible among Planetary Level warriors. Wei Wen couldn't afford to offend him at present!
"Hah, the Australian continent is deserted; there aren't many satellites monitoring it," Atkin revealed a strange smile. "At least, I'm certain no satellite can detect what I'm about to do to you now."
Atkin resembled a superior emperor, gazing down coldly at Wei Wen as if he already held his victory.
"I see," Wei Wen took a deep breath. "Then let me witness the strength of the Fifth Elder."
Among the five Speakers, aside from East, the others were all warriors. According to the intelligence from Ruin No. 9, there were two Planetary third level warriors on Earth.
They had to be the Third Elder, Ice Emperor Mo Henderson, and the Fifth Elder before him, Atkin.
"Hah, it's been a long, long time since anyone dared speak to me like this. An 18-year-old brat, acting so presumptuous before me," Atkin said confidently. "Today, on behalf of your Hall's leader, I'll teach you a lesson and let you see true strength."
Did he become the Fifth Elder through flattery? Perhaps he wasn't a match for the second-level Planetary Realm spiritual master East, but he certainly wouldn't fear a spiritualist who had just stepped into the planetary realm.
Atkin threw a punch, striking out like lightning. The specially-made glove on his fist bore fierce blade-like spikes.
Wei Wen focused his mind, and SS-grade flying knives shot out instantly.
As a spiritual master, the speed at which he could control his flying knives far exceeded the velocity of Atkin's punch.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
A series of sharp sonic booms erupted, the very space seeming disrupted by the flying knives.
Several coldly glinting flying knives instantly bridged the 50-meter gap between them, hurtling toward Atkin amidst violently rotating air currents.
"So many flying knives?" Atkin quickly retreated, no longer holding back. He drew the longsword from his back. "The amplitude of your spiritual power is greater than East's."
"I thought I could injure you with just my fists, but I didn't expect such power. It seems I truly can't defeat you without going all out."
While a warrior's flight speed might not be exceptional, their sword-swinging speed could be extremely fast, given the sword's relatively low resistance.
For example, senior cadets in the fourth or fifth year of the elite training camp, if they applied themselves, most could comprehend the Perfect Level of movement and swordsmanship, with some even reaching the Artistic Conception Level!
As one of Earth's top Planetary Level warriors, Atkin's talent was naturally exceptional; both his swordsmanship and movement had reached the Artistic Conception Level.
Swish! Swish!
As the flying knives closed in, Atkin successively dodged several.
Of course, the flying knives' speed surpassed movement speed. Even at the Artistic Conception Level, he couldn't guarantee dodging them all.
Clang!
Clang!
But the knives he couldn't evade were parried one by one with his sword.
One flying knife merely grazed the longsword, altering its trajectory slightly, yet still shot straight toward Atkin's abdomen!
The defense of an SS-grade suit was extremely robust, let alone Atkin's Black God suit.
A flying knife slammed into Atkin's body. Its formidable penetrating power was instantly weakened by ninety percent through the Black God suit's dispersion, with the remaining force spread across his entire physique.
"Merely first-level Planetary realm spiritual power intensity," Atkin snorted. His body involuntarily stumbled back seven or eight meters before completely dissipating the force. "You can barely rival East on equal footing. With your first-stage Planetary Level spiritual power, you pose no threat to me."
"I advise you to surrender now, hand over the treasure that rapidly increases strength, and you might spare your life."
"Your speed is too slow; you probably can't even hit me," Wei Wen grinned at Atkin.
It was clear SS-grade flying knives couldn't breach the defense of the SS-grade combat uniform enhanced by the Black God suit.
The physique of a third-stage Planetary Level warrior was incredibly robust; killing him with flying knives alone was difficult!
"Hmph!" Atkin snorted coldly.
The SS-grade flying knives were like dozens of stubborn pests encircling him. They might not kill him, but he couldn't ignore them and dared not be careless.
A single lapse, allowing a flying knife to strike an eye unprotected by the Black God suit, could mean instant death.
Seeing the unfavorable situation, Atkin couldn't help but glance at Wei Wen, who was controlling the flying knives from a distance, and conceived the idea of to catch a thief, first catch the king.
Enduring the impact of a flying knife, Atkin used the force to propel himself forward, swiftly dodging and charging toward Wei Wen.
Logically, if Wei Wen was exposed, he should flee.
But Atkin, aiming for the leader, seemed to meet Wei Wen's expectant gaze.
In his view, Wei Wen couldn't release Force externally, clearly indicating he wasn't Planetary Level in that aspect.
Even if Wei Wen's warrior strength had reached the planet level, Atkin believed Wei Wen was no match for him in close combat.
As for Wei Wen killing him?
He didn't believe Wei Wen's SS-grade flying knives could penetrate the combined defense of the SS-grade combat uniform and Black God suit.
Though Atkin sensed something amiss, he didn't dwell on it.
And he had no time to overthink, for he was shocked to see Wei Wen actually rushing toward him as well.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
As the gleam of flying knives flashed, the light of daggers swiftly enveloped Atkin.
But Atkin was like a venomous snake hidden in the dark night, his body movements bizarrely elusive. His longsword effortlessly parried wave after wave of Wei Wen's flying knives.
And while blocking, Atkin closed the distance again and again.
Swish!
Atkin transformed into a streak of light, his sword actually scraping against the edge of the SS-grade hexagonal shield.
The long, slender blade bent instantly upon contact, whipping around. The sword's edge wrapped around Wei Wen's left arm holding the shield and slashed at the Black God suit!
Thud.
With that simple impact, Wei Wen was forced back involuntarily. A trace of blood escaped the corner of his mouth, and his right arm bent and broke at an irregular angle.
"I thought you had some grand move, but it seems that's all there is to it," Atkin couldn't help but sigh in relief, seeing he could injure Wei Wen so easily.
"You're the one who's going to die!" The corner of Wei Wen's mouth curled up slightly.
Whoosh!
A stream of blood-red light shot toward Atkin.
Given their distance and the speed of the Red Poppy Copper Mother, Atkin had no way to avoid or evade it.
"Pfft."
The SS-class combat suit possessed formidable defensive capabilities, yet before the shard of Red Titanium Copper, it tore as easily as paper.
Even the Black God suit, impervious to attacks from Planetary Level warriors, was sliced open without resistance.
Having pierced through both the SS-class combat suit and the Black God suit, the Red Titanium Copper shard drove straight into Atkin's heart.
"How... is this possible?" Atkin raised his head, a spray of bright red blood erupting from his mouth before his body went limp and collapsed.
Given the vitality of a Planetary Level expert, only a direct strike to the heart or head could cause instant death.
Wei Wen made sure Atkin would perish utterly. The formidable Red Titanium Copper shard roamed freely within Atkin's body.
It surged into his skull, causing it to burst apart, then swiftly retraced its path through the original wound. Blood spattered wildly across Atkin's corpse.
"Haaa..."
Only after confirming Atkin's complete demise did Wei Wen finally let out a long sigh of relief.
As for his severed arm, that was actually a simple matter to resolve.
For instance, Luo Feng's brother, Luo Hua, had suffered from a broken leg for years, yet a single dose of Life-essence Water had restored it instantly.
Wei Wen's own vitality was far stronger; purchasing a portion of Life-essence Water would effortlessly solve his arm problem.
And the cost? Was Wei Wen short on funds?
"Hello," a deep voice came through the communication.
"Hello, this is Wei Wen from the elite training camp. I need to order a portion of Life-essence Water," Wei Wen stated plainly.
"One moment, please. Let me check Mr. Wei Wen's contribution points... Four-star contribution level confirmed. The half-price for Life-essence Water is 15 billion. Do you wish to proceed with the purchase?" asked the staff member from the Extreme Martial Hall HQ, sounding slightly surprised.
After Wei Wen had uploaded the new Nine Stage Thunder Blade manual, Hong had directly awarded him four-star contribution status, worth 100 billion points.
With that level of contribution, even the previous Nine Stage Thunder Blade itself could be bought at half price, let alone the comparatively cheaper Life-essence Water.
"Purchase it. Deliver it to the main gate of the elite training camp. I'll collect it around 1 PM," Wei Wen replied with a smile.
"The elite training camp is located within the headquarters base city. Delivery to the camp's main gate will be swift. You may collect the Life-essence Water at one o'clock," confirmed the headquarters staff.
As for Atkin... pierced Stage by Stage through the subterranean rock strata by Wei Wen's flying dagger, his body continued its relentless descent.
The rocks and soil displaced by the blade quickly sealed shut again, erasing any trace of Atkin's final trajectory.
"If it weren't for that shard of Red Titanium Copper, I might have died long ago. I owe Babata a huge debt," Wei Wen couldn't help but reflect inwardly.
"As for Atkin's death... it cannot be exposed yet. Let him perish quietly here!"
Before July, Wei Wen hadn't even passed the quasi-warrior examination.
Yet now, not even October, he had become a powerhouse surpassing the God of War level... and had killed the Fifth Elder, Planetary Level third-stage Atkin.
If this news were to spread, the whole world would likely go into a frenzy. Just imagining that scene made Wei Wen's scalp tingle.
At the very least, he wasn't invincible yet. He would wait for Luo Feng to utilize the Spiritual Plants and the Wood Essence Crystals.
His martial strength could then break through to the Planetary Level in the shortest time, after which his spiritual master strength could continue to grow!
Therefore, the elite training camp could serve as his temporary place to lay low.
As long as he didn't display strength surpassing the God of War level, generally no one would be able to discern his current true level.
If absolutely necessary, Wei Wen could easily hunt two Lord-level monsters, obtain a God of War rating, and graduate directly from the training camp!
But graduating abruptly from the training camp might invite greater trouble.
After all, even while he was in the training camp, Atkin had dared to take action.
"Forget it. I'll stay at the elite training camp a while longer and wait for Luo Feng to grow stronger," Wei Wen decided internally.
With Wood Essence Crystals by his side, Luo Feng would advance rapidly, and through the system's feedback, Wei Wen could grow stronger quickly as well.
Once he possessed sufficient power to protect himself, it wouldn't matter even if his strength were exposed. Strength was the foundation for dialogue on equal footing!
Without power, nothing could be said. Atkin, for example, believing himself strong, had dared to threaten and even attempt to kill Wei Wen.
…
Elite Training Camp.
Around 12:30 PM, Wei Wen took a passenger aircraft back to Hongning Base City.
After another half-hour ride in a special vehicle, he returned to the elite training camp.
As soon as Wei Wen approached the main gate, a large truck seemed to spot him. It drove directly to a wide area nearby and came to a stop.
Swoosh!
"Mr. Wei Wen, correct? The Life-essence Water you ordered is here," a voice called out as the truck's rear door opened.
Wei Wen jogged to the back of the truck. Before he could board, a blue light scanned him, accompanied by an electronic voice.
"Member Wei Wen, identity confirmed." With the electronic confirmation, a silver-white secure case unlocked.
The interior of the truck compartment was luxurious. Three individuals inside all looked at Wei Wen with surprise.
"Your arm is severed... Did you encounter a King-level beast?" one of the God of War-level experts asked, astonished.
Regarding Wei Wen's strength, many inferred that the intensity of his mental power was already at the high-level warrior tier. Combined with his powerful telekinetic amplification, he was considered an invincible God of War.
For such a powerhouse to be injured so severely while hunting Lord-level monsters was unlikely.
Unless he had encountered a King-level monster, such serious injury was improbable.
"Yes, I just went to Australia. Didn't expect my luck to be that bad," Wei Wen replied casually, taking the Life-essence Water from the case.
With a mental nudge, he removed the test tube stopper.
The Life-essence Water within the tube floated out. Wei Wen swallowed the green liquid, brimming with vitality, and rapidly absorbed it.
Instantly, a sensation of cool, soothing comfort flooded his entire being, even causing his soul to tremble. His severed arm began to regenerate at a visible pace.
…
Jiangnan Pavilion.
"Luo Feng, after using the Dragon Blood, your physical fitness has now reached the high-level warrior standard," Wei Wen said, looking at the somewhat bewildered Luo Feng before him.
"And your mental power is two tiers above your physical fitness. Your mental power is already equivalent to that of an intermediate God of War."
"That's right... What about it?" Luo Feng asked, confusion evident after hearing Wei Wen's words.
Luo Feng didn't dwell much on how Wei Wen knew his exact strength.
After all, Wei Wen had helped him immensely, and he held no suspicion towards him.
In Luo Feng's heart, without Wei Wen, he wouldn't have achieved his current progress so quickly.
For Wei Wen, Luo Feng was his golden ticket. Luo Feng's character was precisely the type to repay kindness tenfold—for a drop of water given, a spring in return.
Aside from advising Luo Feng to keep a low profile, Wei Wen had no other concerns.
"I have some good things for you. The method of use is very simple." After a moment's silence, Wei Wen handed Luo Feng several Spiritual Plant and a few Wood Essence Crystals.
"This is...?" Even without actively absorbing their energy, just holding the Wood Essence Crystals made Luo Feng feel his strength steadily increasing.
He had already absorbed genetic energy to saturation today and couldn't take in more.
But the existence of the Wood Essence Crystals could allow him to absorb genetic energy—and even enhance his mental power—beyond his usual limits.
…
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