"Atkin, seated above the three War God–level martial artists, spoke calmly.**
"You've investigated the matters I asked about?" he asked.
"We've gathered nearly everything," one of them replied with a furrowed brow. "But Wei Wen has now officially joined the Limit Dojo. That makes any direct action against him… extremely risky."
"Exactly," another added. "After what he displayed at the Elite Training Camp, even the three of us together might not be able to deal with him."
Atkin narrowed his eyes. "I originally assumed Wei Wen would be easy to handle… but it's no surprise someone with his talent was taken in by the Limit Dojo. Still, this complicates things."
He paused, then continued, "But I don't plan to kill him. What I want is to understand the source of his meteoric rise. If I can grasp that secret, I might be able to break through myself."
In the Palace of War Gods, Hong—the First Speaker and Earth's most powerful martial artist—strictly forbade unjustified killings, especially when targeting young prodigies.
Any War God who crossed that line, if discovered, faced Hong's direct wrath. One such Planetary Level fighter had tried—and ended up being annihilated by Hong personally.
Atkin, while the Fifth Speaker, held a title that appeared prestigious… but the gap between him and Hong was vast. If he ever provoked Hong directly, death would be a likely outcome.
Still, ambition burned in Atkin's heart. Readers of the original events would remember—this was the same man who later tried to snatch the Mu Ya crystal that had once belonged to Luo Feng. Not even Hong or Thunder God noticed his scheming at the time.
After the Beast of Devouring incident, when numerous top-tier Planetary warriors mysteriously died, Atkin's ambitions were laid bare. He began openly targeting powerhouses from major forces like the Limit Dojo and the HR Alliance. He even colluded with other Planetary Level elites to seize vital resources.
Even after exposure, he pretended to stand on the moral high ground—trying to publicly shame Luo Feng, accusing him of selfishness.
Luo Feng's response? Silence at first, then cold resolve. When Luo Feng decided someone needed to die, he didn't hesitate.
His final verdict on Atkin? Scum. Deserved to die.
One of the War Gods shifted, then offered a suggestion. "I believe the Elite Training Camp goes on a short holiday after the 28th."
Atkin's expression didn't change, but a glint appeared in his eye. "Good idea. When the students and staff lower their guard, we'll make our move."
Time passed. Before long, the 28th arrived.
Wei Wen still held the top rank on the Black Dragon Rankings—a feat that sent another shockwave through the global martial community.
An 18-year-old had claimed first place on his very first day, and still hadn't budged.
At 10 p.m., most students had already returned from their daily outings. The ranking period would end in two hours, and without any major surprises, the standings were essentially locked in.
By the Black Dragon statue, a group of students stood, talking in hushed, awed tones.
"First place… in his first month."
"Unbelievable."
Even among elite talents from every corner of Earth, Wei Wen had earned their respect. He wasn't just strong—he was peerless.
Meanwhile, three kilometers from the camp, inside a quiet residential apartment…
"Quick, get the cameras in position! This has to be recorded," a European martial artist barked as his team scrambled.
"It's all ready, Captain. We're just waiting now."
A moment later, a projection lit up on the wall. The updated Black Dragon Rankings appeared, clear as day.
"Perfect. The HR Alliance leadership is watching this one closely. We need to get the footage back to headquarters immediately."
"Oh—and HQ also wants detailed observation on Luo Feng of China. He's in the top 100 now. And he's a spiritual force user."
"Psyker," someone corrected automatically.
"Yes. That alone makes him a guaranteed War God someday. Maybe more."
Everyone in the room nodded. Their faces were serious. This wasn't just about Wei Wen anymore.
In fact, around Hongning Base City, multiple intelligence teams from various factions were watching the same rankings.
Every high-ranked student had dossiers. Every move they made was tracked.
Still, no one generated more interest—or fear—than Wei Wen.
Inside the camp, Wei Wen was now a legend. Strongest. Youngest. Most mysterious.
He almost never appeared in public. The only ones who saw him regularly were his dorm neighbors: Luo Feng, Zhao Ruo, and Shi Jiang.
Some assumed he spent all his time training.
If he wasn't around, it meant he was working harder than everyone else.
That's what people believed.
But the truth?
Wei Wen was fast asleep.
Training?
There was no way he could reach the twelfth level of the Ninefold Thunder Blade Technique on his own. He didn't even have the technique manual.
Could he increase his spiritual force amplification to 16x in a month?
Impossible. Luo Feng himself needed more than a year to reach that milestone.
Their neural strength, their innate psychic capacity—totally different leagues.
And the ninth or twelfth stage of Ninefold Thunder Blade?
Even Thunder God himself likely hadn't reached the tenth yet.
Wei Wen wasn't improving through effort. He was improving through something far beyond effort.
At the Limit Dojo headquarters…
Thunder God sat across from Hong. The two legends rarely had downtime, but tonight, they were talking like old friends.
"Do you remember what we were doing at 18?" Thunder God asked, chuckling.
Hong smiled faintly. "Probably running for our lives during the Great Nirvana."
During that chaotic era, Hong had risen from the underworld as an assassin and became the world's most powerful human. Thunder God wasn't far behind, second in strength only to Hong.
They eventually founded the two most influential global forces—Hong's Limit Dojo and Thunder God's Thunder Martial Hall.
Though technically rivals, the two treated each other like brothers.
"We got lucky," Thunder God mused. "Those years in the ruins and wilderness… if we'd slipped even once, we wouldn't be here."
"But those battles hardened us. That's how I managed to create Ninefold Thunder Blade after reaching the Planetary Level."
"That technique was my pride. Back then, no one in the world had fully mastered it. Most people couldn't even get past the seventh stage."
"You guys at the Limit Dojo got lucky this time," he added with a smirk. "That Wei Wen kid… a month ago, he was already at stage six. By now? He might've reached stage nine—or beyond."
"If you want pointers," Hong said dryly, "why don't you go ask him yourself?"
Thunder God gave a slow, satisfied grin. "I actually came here today for that reason. After a month of training in seclusion…"
"I finally broke through. Tenth stage of Ninefold Thunder Blade."
Hong raised an eyebrow. "So this is you bragging."
"Just a little," Thunder God said, standing. "Maybe I'll go find Wei Wen right now. See whose realm is deeper."