It was thanks to Rowan's immense guidance that he had come this far. The gratitude in his heart burned so deeply that he silently swore no matter what, he would repay Rowan one day.
…
Meanwhile, Rowan was flying at incredible speed, heading back toward the Moonlight Community.
"You really have no sense of manners, do you?"
Babata glared at him resentfully, her tiny face scrunched in frustration. At this point, she was completely powerless against him. This man impossible to reason with, quick-tempered, and infuriatingly stubborn.
"Enough. Hand over the Inheritance of Yunmo Star," Rowan said firmly.
"Watch your tone! Don't forget, I'm technically your acting teacher now!"
Babata nearly exploded. The dignified AI lifeform of Master Huyanbo an immortal powerhouse of Yunmo Star was now being ordered around by a young Earthling. To her, it felt like the universe's cruelest joke.
Rowan didn't bother arguing. He simply stared at her quiet, unwavering, utterly unreadable.
Babata felt a chill crawl up her spine under that gaze. After a long moment, she sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine! I'll give it to you now!"
With a huff, the crystal core on her wristband flared to life. A cascade of holographic light filled the room, projecting tens of thousands of intricate secret techniques into the air.
"This is the legacy of your teacher, Huyanbo," Babata announced proudly. "He spent over sixty million years gathering these from the time he was a weak mortal to when he ascended to the ranks of the Undying Gods. Even the lowest among these is a planetary-level technique, far beyond anything your Earth can produce."
She folded her arms, watching Rowan with smug satisfaction, expecting awe, reverence maybe even shock.
But once again, she miscalculated.
Rowan's expression remained calm. He didn't even flinch.
To him, Huyanbo's vast collection, while impressive, was only middle-tier in the grand scale of the cosmos. What truly caught his attention were four specific techniques: Soul Seal, Hexagram, Void Tower, and Soul Possession all belonging to the rare and dangerous category of mental-type secret arts.
And none of them were Huyanbo's creations. They were ancient legacies, obtained through chance encounters across the endless universe.
"Just give me the strongest ones," Rowan said casually.
He had no patience for sifting through thousands of mediocre techniques.
"You You don't even look excited! Don't you have any curiosity?" Babata sputtered in disbelief.
"Oh~ so amazing," Rowan replied with deadpan sarcasm.
Babata nearly short-circuited in rage. She dove toward him and tried to bite his shoulder only to remember she was a hologram. Her frustration doubled.
With a defeated groan, she finally transferred the four techniques directly into Rowan's consciousness:
Hexagram A sacrificial technique for spirit users. It required five willing souls to form a six-pointed array, channeling their spirit energy into the caster to unleash tremendous short-term power capable of defeating enemies far above one's rank.
Soul Seal A mind control technique that imprinted one's spiritual mark into another's soul. Once implanted, the target would become completely loyal a slave in spirit and will. However, it could only control up to nine beings at once.
Soul Possession The terrifying art of forcibly consuming another's soul and seizing their body, memories, and talents. It was the very method Huyanbo himself had used to claim new bodies throughout his long life.
Void Tower A defensive psychic construct. With seven layers of mastery, it could withstand even the mental assaults of cosmic beings. Had Huyanbo reached the final layer, he might never have perished at the hands of the Demonhand King.
After reviewing the four secret arts, Rowan closed his eyes and began to cultivate. The golden-armored beast would appear in only a few months, giving him just enough time to prepare.
He informed Yura via message that he was entering closed-door training. Coincidentally, she had just acquired a Moya Crystal and was herself immersed in cultivation, leaving her no time to visit him.
Rowan focused first on Soul Seal, the most accessible of the four. Among spirit users, it was nearly a universal art though its power depended entirely on how many minds one could enslave. Huyanbo's version was a mid-grade variant, capable of controlling nine at most.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
Within Rowan's sea of consciousness, his spirit form gleamed with golden lines of power. A radiant sigil pulsed behind his eyes a golden rune swirling with mysterious light.
When he opened his eyes, they briefly shone like suns. Then the light faded.
"Two months… and I've already mastered the basics. Controlling three or four beings shouldn't be a problem."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Perhaps it was the effect of the Mind Stone the starry nebula within his soul had begun merging with his inner sun, its surface now veiled in a blue, cloudlike aura. His comprehension of mental arts had reached frightening levels; sometimes, just one glance at a technique gave him sudden enlightenment.
What should have taken four to five months had only taken two.
"Let's test it out," Rowan said, eager to see the results.
"Where are you going?" Babata asked, floating beside him with curiosity.
"To test my cultivation."
Her holographic eyes widened. "Wait… you've already mastered Soul Seal?"
That shouldn't have been possible. Even Huyanbo's elite disciples had needed seven or eight months to reach the same level. Rowan had done it in two.
"By the way," Rowan said casually, "how's the woman in my room?"
"You mean your… mating partner?"
Rowan froze. "…What?"
"She's gone. After reaching the first planetary stage and awakening her water affinity, she came looking for you barely dressed, I might add. I threw her out before she could enter. You should thank me for saving you the embarrassment."
"You little" Rowan groaned, rubbing his temples. So this was Babata's payback for his earlier attitude.
He briefly considered giving her a body later perhaps one of the synthetic ones Dr. Helen Cho was building for Ultron. Then he dismissed the idea. Ultron's vibranium shell might be strong by Earth standards, but to a true cosmic being, vibranium was little better than scrap metal.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Babata asked nervously. Rowan just smiled faintly.
"Nothing. Let's go."
He stepped onto his flight shuttle and shot into the sky, heading for the wastelands. His spiritual senses spread out for over fifteen hundred kilometers as he searched for a suitable target a king-level beast.
According to the military's data, his destination lay ahead: the lair of the Eastern Sea Azure Dragon.
The Azure Dragon was a reptilian creature that had evolved through genetic mutation into one of Earth's most powerful beasts the strongest in defense among all known king-level monsters, roughly equal to a second-rank planetary warrior.
But what made it truly special was its rare gift: psychic power.
Yes some monsters, through evolution, could awaken spiritual abilities akin to those of human mind-users, though such cases were exceedingly rare.
The Azure Dragon was one of them.
The military had even sent three planetary-level fighters to subdue it. But the beast used its psychic energy to seize control of their weapons, forcing a brutal stalemate. Both sides were left badly wounded, and the dragon had since gone into hiding deep within the western wastelands.
Now, Rowan approached its territory a barren expanse of rocky canyons and sand-blasted ridges. His spiritual probe soon detected a massive presence slumbering within a cave a towering, two-hundred-fifty-meter beast with the body of a Western dragon but the scales of a serpent.
His eyes narrowed. This was it.
He descended without hesitation.
The moment Rowan entered, the Azure Dragon awoke with a thunderous roar, its voice shaking the earth and splitting the cliffs. Shards of rock crashed around him, but Rowan's mental blades sliced them effortlessly into dust.
When the dragon saw that its intruder was merely a single human, it relaxed slightly foolishly. It spread its mental field to confirm there were no others nearby, then bared its fangs.
"Beast," Rowan said coldly, "look into my eyes."
The dragon's gaze met his and in that instant, an invisible wave of psychic force surged forth, piercing its mind.
Its massive body froze. Within moments, the creature's soul was branded with Rowan's spiritual mark.
The once-furious Azure Dragon's eyes softened, and a golden sigil identical to Rowan's appeared within its pupils. Its rage dissolved into reverence.
Then, with a deep rumble, the mighty beast knelt.
"Master…" its voice echoed within Rowan's mind, filled with loyalty.
Rowan smiled faintly, satisfaction glinting in his eyes.
"Not bad at all," he murmured. "This Soul Seal really is remarkable."
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
Already hooked? Tell me what reeled you in leave a review, spark the fire with a comment, and if we hit every 250 Power Stones, a bonus chapter drops!
The evolution's just begun. Dive deeper into Unbound Evolution and stay leagues ahead!
[email protected]/_tey
Change @ to a.