At the seaside villa.
Using the Twin-World Ring, Rowan consolidated all the genetic programs and advanced pharmaceutical technologies he had acquired from the Devouring World into a single data drive.
At the same time, he brought an intelligent system into the Marvel universe. It had cost him five billion Black Dragon Credits.
Although it was nowhere near Babata's level, its processing power was still terrifying. Compared to the existing knowledge base, cognitive capacity, and analytical ability of the Marvel world, it was superior by an unimaginable margin.
"Shuri," Rowan said as he handed over the drive, "this contains an enormous amount of genetic theory and programming knowledge. See if you can break through the remaining problems. I've also installed an intelligent system for you. Its cognitive level is extremely high and should be able to solve most of the issues you run into."
Shuri accepted the drive as if it were sacred treasure.
She did not even bother saying goodbye.
The moment she got her hands on it, she boarded her aircraft and vanished into the sky in seconds.
"I seriously…" Rowan stood there in stunned silence, watching her disappear.
Wanda and Natasha burst out laughing beside him.
Rowan could only shake his head helplessly and smile, turning back to spend time with the women he loved.
He still had a little over ten days left before heading to the arena tournament. Once the tournament ended, Rowan was completely confident that he would enter the Virtual Universe Company.
After that, there would be a long stretch of cultivation. At minimum, decades. At worst, centuries or even tens of thousands of years.
During this brief window, Rowan decided to raise the strength of the people around him.
At the very least, they needed to reach Universe Level.
Once someone reached that stage, their lifespan extended to one hundred thousand years. As his own power grew, the resources he could obtain would become even more abundant. Even without cultivating, wealth alone could elevate them to Immortal status.
During his time at home, Rowan personally guided Wanda's cultivation.
Given her unique abilities, he gave her a King-tier Immortal soul technique known as Absolute Void.
Wanda specialized in soul manipulation. Now at Planetary Ninth Rank, after cultivating this technique, she could wipe out tens of thousands of enemies with nothing more than a glance, trapping them in an illusion before silently erasing their souls.
Even if Thanos appeared now, Wanda would likely end him with a single look.
Natasha followed the path of a warrior.
Rowan provided her with another King-tier Immortal technique called Sky Veil. Her primary weapons were dual blades, and her combat style favored fluidity and deception. Like drifting clouds, illusion and reality blended together until the killing strike arrived without warning.
The technique was extremely difficult to master.
Despite being Planetary Ninth Rank and having access to large quantities of artificial Muya Crystals, Natasha still struggled to grasp the first stage.
However, her blade techniques themselves were already highly refined.
Earth's humans had never undergone spiritual enhancement, so soul-based cultivation was naturally weak. Natasha's future potential was therefore limited in that direction.
To compensate, Rowan equipped her with an intelligent system to correct errors and optimize her training.
Sharon had also begun cultivating, though she preferred managing her company far more than training. Her strength remained at Planetary Sixth Rank.
On Earth, that still placed her firmly at the peak.
As for Hill, Rowan's older sister, her combat instincts were solid. However, she was burdened with managing national affairs and international coordination, as well as preparing for possible extraterrestrial threats.
With limited time to cultivate, she relied heavily on Muya Crystals and had reached Planetary Seventh Rank.
Helen Zhao followed the warrior path as well, but her interests leaned toward research rather than combat. With Muya Crystals stabilizing her growth, she advanced steadily and now stood at Planetary Third Rank.
The biggest surprise, however, was one individual who had already broken through to Stellar Level.
T'Challa.
Shuri's older brother.
During the production of Muya Crystals, Shuri had secretly supplied him with a large quantity. T'Challa trained relentlessly. Although he possessed no special legacy techniques, his combat will was exceptionally strong.
Combined with the Heart-Shaped Herb he had consumed in the past, he unintentionally developed a beast-type combat art focused on panther-like movement and attacks.
Without realizing it, he stepped into Stellar Level.
He became Earth's undisputed number one.
Rowan sensed this through spiritual perception. Shuri had already informed him beforehand and sought his approval.
Rowan did not object.
No matter how strong T'Challa became, he posed no threat to him.
More importantly, Wakanda had remained utterly loyal. Over the years, they had diligently supplied vibranium to the Cross Corporation, ensuring stable operations. Rowan had also honored his promise to never interfere in Wakanda's internal affairs.
Because of that, whether Rowan existed or not barely affected Wakanda's internal stability. Instead, with his support, Wakanda developed faster than ever. Its people grew stronger and no longer needed to hide themselves from the world.
Now, Wakanda held undeniable influence on Earth while continuing to avoid international conflict, choosing a peaceful path.
Curious about how T'Challa had reached Stellar Level, Rowan decided to visit Wakanda.
The moment he arrived, the scene was completely different from before.
Dozens of figures streaked through the air at incredible speed and knelt before him.
"Greetings, Lord Rowan!"
A quick glance told him that every one of these Wakandan soldiers had reached entry-level Warrior strength.
Moments later, T'Challa descended from the sky and knelt as well.
"Greetings, Lord Rowan."
Rowan examined him closely. The powerful aura radiating from his body confirmed it. Stellar First Rank.
"Fight me," Rowan said calmly.
"What?" T'Challa froze.
Seeing Rowan's serious expression, he understood immediately.
Truthfully, T'Challa had long wanted another spar.
The last time Rowan came to Wakanda, he had crushed everyone with godlike ease.
Now, with his newfound strength, T'Challa felt unstoppable. A single punch carried power comparable to a tactical weapon.
He had restrained himself out of respect and gratitude. Rowan's help had elevated Wakanda beyond anything they had imagined.
Shuri, especially, had never been mistreated.
With Rowan's technology freely shared, Wakanda's strength skyrocketed. T'Challa himself consumed ten to twenty Muya Crystals daily.
Each crystal was worth billions on Earth.
The pain was unbearable. His body ached constantly from absorbing excessive energy. Without the Heart-Shaped Herb, he would have collapsed long ago.
Now, Rowan clearly wanted to test him.
The surrounding warriors retreated hundreds of meters away.
Even vibranium armor could not withstand Planetary-level impacts. The recoil alone could cause severe internal damage.
Shuri had demonstrated this herself. At Planetary Fifth Rank, she shattered internal test dummies inside vibranium suits with only three strikes.
As a result, vibranium had lost much of its value to Rowan and his circle.
Instead, the advanced technology he supplied Wakanda with far exceeded it.
T'Challa activated his new armor, a fusion of vibranium and tenth-grade Kero metal. Not comparable to the Black God Set, but still exceptional.
His claws extended to nearly ten centimeters. He crouched like a predator preparing to strike, violent killing intent radiating from his body.
His element was fire.
At Planetary level, individuals began resonating with personal energy attributes.
Lightning, gravity, flame.
T'Challa moved.
He vanished like lightning, claws tearing straight toward Rowan's throat.
To Rowan, the motion was painfully slow.
He shifted slightly and avoided the strike. T'Challa followed up with kicks and slashes, his movements feral and relentless, just like a true panther.
Yet Rowan remained relaxed.
In less than three seconds, they exchanged over a hundred blows.
The Wakandan warriors could not even see the trajectories, only flashes of light tearing through the air.
Rowan quickly concluded that T'Challa's self-created techniques were far inferior to Beast's.
He lost interest.
As T'Challa struck again, Rowan flicked a finger.
A condensed violet flame shot forward.
T'Challa could not react in time.
The blast hit his chest. The armor caved inward as it struggled to absorb the force. Before it could disperse the energy, the excess surged into his body.
The impact detonated within him.
T'Challa spat blood and was hurled hundreds of meters away, slamming into the ground.
Rowan withdrew his hand and rose into the air.
"Too weak," he said calmly. "Train harder."
From the crater below, T'Challa struggled to his feet, watching Rowan disappear into the sky.
He coughed blood again and collapsed, a bitter smile forming on his lips.
"So strong… I still can't compare."
For the first time, true acceptance filled his heart.
Three days later.
War God Hall.
The leaders of the five major powers gathered in a sealed conference chamber.
Jia Yi.
Ester.
Tripathi Singh.
Sokolov.
Bala.
Only one face was new. After the previous representative's death, Bala had risen rapidly, reaching Planetary Eighth Rank and assuming leadership.
They waited in silence.
A virtual projection descended.
Rowan appeared.
"Greetings, Third Elder," all five stood and spoke respectfully.
Even Jia Yi, who had the closest relationship with Rowan, did not dare address him informally in this setting.
"Sit," Rowan said.
They obeyed.
"I called you here today to distribute resources," Rowan said evenly. "I want you to focus on nurturing talent. I will continue increasing investment. War Gods, Warriors, and Planetary-level cultivators will receive priority support."
The moment he finished speaking, the leaders' expressions changed instantly.
The room erupted in shock.