One of the gold-robed elders finally spoke, his voice calm but edged with suspicion.
"Don't you find this strange? A place like Earth producing four top-tier geniuses at once. That alone is highly abnormal."
His words stirred the others.
In truth, they had all sensed it as well. Earth was a remote, undeveloped native planet. Under normal circumstances, the odds of producing even a single elite genius were slim.
Yet now, four had emerged at the same time.
The probability was frighteningly high, far exceeding that of most regions in the universe.
At that moment, the black-robed elder who had spoken earlier slowly opened his mouth.
"It's not entirely inexplicable," he said. "I investigated Earth's history. Some time ago, an Immortal-level expert perished there. The people of that planet likely inherited his legacy or discovered treasures he left behind. That would explain the sudden rise of talent."
He paused before continuing.
"Other than those four, Earth has no noteworthy geniuses. I have already dispatched a team to investigate the planet discreetly. We should receive news soon. As for that fallen Immortal, I will personally look into it."
"Good," one of the others said after a moment of thought.
The group reached a consensus.
This was a critical phase of the Virtual Universe Genius Battle. None of them could act recklessly.
Those four youngsters had already attracted attention. While none of the observers were supreme beings, no one could guarantee that a hidden powerhouse was not watching.
If any of the four were taken as disciples, and Earth were seized in the process, a single plea from a favored disciple could bring disaster upon them.
Caution was the wisest approach.
Meanwhile, back on Earth.
After spending time with the Black Dragon Mountain Emperor, Rowan enjoyed more than ten days of rare rest.
For him, that span was too short to produce any meaningful breakthrough in cultivation, so he chose not to force it.
With his wedding approaching, his thoughts drifted inevitably to the Marvel Universe.
He missed his sisters and the women he loved.
After some thought, Rowan decided to recall his shadow clone that had been cultivating near the Eternal Flame. He wanted it to return to Earth and deliver the news personally.
He planned to hold the wedding in both worlds.
He would not leave anyone behind.
Marvel Universe
Muspelheim, Realm of Flame
Rowan's shadow clone transformed into a streak of light, crossing endless layers of space and time before arriving back at Marvel's Earth.
The moment he approached, he noticed something unusual.
The Moon had changed.
What had once been barren and lifeless now hosted a massive lunar base.
Curious, Rowan flew closer.
From afar, the base appeared circular, nearly thirty kilometers in diameter, like a colossal silver disk embedded in the Moon's surface.
Its outer shell was forged from a special alloy that reflected cold light under the sun. Complex patterns covered the surface, not merely decorative, but clearly part of an energy conduction network.
The scale alone rivaled that of a small city on Earth.
Countless drones hovered around it, moving in orderly patterns like worker bees around a hive.
Stark Industries robots bustled back and forth, transporting materials and performing maintenance. Each unit had a precise role.
Only then did Rowan remember.
He had once asked Tony Stark to build a lunar base for cultivating artificial Muya Crystals.
As soon as Rowan entered the base's perimeter, patrol units swarmed him.
Alarms blared.
Drones and robots surged out, surrounding him completely.
"Identify yourself immediately," JARVIS demanded through external speakers.
"I'm Rowan," he replied calmly.
JARVIS attached itself to a nearby unit and conducted a thorough scan.
Moments later, the encirclement withdrew.
Rowan was granted access.
His arrival was immediately transmitted to Earth. Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, Wanda Maximoff, and Sharon Carter departed at once, flying toward the Moon.
Guided by the robots, Rowan toured the base.
He noticed that many staff members possessed powerful auras, most around Apprentice Sixth Rank.
When they saw him, they bowed respectfully.
"Boss."
Rowan stopped a female technician and asked, "How is the Muya Crystal cultivation progressing?"
She smiled. "Please follow me, sir."
They descended by elevator, traveling ten kilometers beneath the lunar surface.
When the doors opened, a massive underground cultivation chamber unfolded before him.
It was enormous, easily spanning the area of ten football fields.
Cultivation tanks filled the space, each nurturing softly glowing Muya Crystals.
Rowan picked one up, sensing the vibrant energy within.
The quality far surpassed the first artificial Muya Crystal Shuri had created.
The technology had clearly advanced.
A quick scan revealed over sixteen thousand crystals actively growing.
Robots moved efficiently, collecting mature crystals and transporting them to storage chambers.
One such chamber already held over one hundred thousand crystals.
Rowan was stunned.
What began as a modest experiment had grown into a staggering resource stockpile.
And this was not even the full extent.
As he continued exploring, Tony Stark arrived with Natasha, Wanda, and Sharon.
Natasha rushed forward, wrapping him in a tight embrace, her eyes reddened.
"Where have you been all these years? You vanished without a word. We were terrified."
Wanda and Sharon stepped closer, their expressions filled with longing.
"You disappeared for so long," Wanda said softly. "We thought something had happened to you."
Rowan gently patted Natasha's back.
"I was cultivating. At my level, it's easy to lose track of time."
Tony grinned as he approached. "You vanish for years, scare everyone half to death, then casually show up. Still, you asked for a Moon base, and I delivered."
Rowan smiled sincerely. "Thank you, Tony. This exceeded everything I imagined."
Inside the base's reception room, Rowan decided it was time to speak openly.
He told them about the Devouring World.
His current combat strength rivaled that of a Universe-level powerhouse. Even Celestials would struggle to suppress him.
And Celestials rarely intervened.
At present, aside from the Watchers, no one in the Marvel Universe posed a serious threat.
Once his true body entered the Virtual Universe Company and completed advanced training, reaching Universe level would be inevitable.
By then, even Domain Lords would not be beyond him.
At that point, even the Watchers would no longer be a concern.
Tony and the others were people he trusted absolutely.
There was no need to hide the truth anymore.
"I have something important to tell you," Rowan said slowly.
"I possess the Space Stone. Through it, I can travel to another world. The teacher I mentioned before exists in that other world."
The room fell silent.
Tony's eyes widened. "Another world? You mean a parallel universe?"
Years of strange events had already introduced the concept of parallel universes to Earth.
Tony himself had verified their theoretical existence, though he lacked the technology to traverse them.
Now Rowan was saying he could.
Rowan paused briefly. He had intended to explain that it was an entirely separate universe, not merely parallel.
But the dual-world ring was a secret he would never reveal.
The Space Stone provided the perfect cover.
"Exactly," Rowan said, following Tony's lead. "A parallel universe. Similar to this one, but decades into the future. A catastrophic viral outbreak changed everything. Humans and monsters mutated…"
He went on, describing the Devouring World in detail.
Tony, Natasha, Wanda, and Sharon listened, completely absorbed.
The vastness of that world, its terrifying scale, and its advanced civilization left them breathless.
Beasts, cultivation techniques, psychic warriors, cosmic alloys, starships, planetary ranks, Universe ranks, Immortals, Universe Venerators.
It was overwhelming.
Tony finally turned to JARVIS.
"JARVIS, based on Rowan's description, how likely is such a world to exist?"
JARVIS analyzed for several seconds.
"Sir, based on the described energy systems, physical laws, and technological structures, such a universe is theoretically feasible. Probability exceeds seventy percent."
"Furthermore, the Muya Crystals confirm the presence of unfamiliar cosmic energy structures. Based on available data, the existence probability rises above eighty percent."
That was enough.
Tony believed it.
Natasha and the others never doubted Rowan in the first place.
If he said it was real, then it was real.
They trusted him completely.