Babata's standards were sky-high—understandably so. He'd followed an Undying warrior across the universe for tens of millions of years. He'd seen all kinds of prodigies.
Sure, Earth's Number One, Hong, had already grasped a Domain while still at the Planetary Stage. Impressive. But in Babata's experience, not unheard of.
Even in the Qianwu Universe Nation alone, among just the Astral-ranked cultivators, there were hundreds who had touched upon the threshold of the Laws. The number of Planetary-level cultivators who had developed a Domain wasn't exactly rare. But geniuses capable of advancing all the way to World Lord-level? Very few. Even among the top-tier prodigies chosen for the Virtual Universe Corporation's Genius Trials, many didn't make it to the Undying stage.
In Primordial Chaos City, during a single 30-year training cycle, 184 out of 1,000 elites died.
That's just how it was. Talent could get you far, but only so far. Growth was a battlefield full of silent killers—temptation, arrogance, accidents, enemies, bad luck.
Babata had learned to gauge a genius's potential in a single glance. He'd evaluated Hong before. Without a major lucky break, Hong might top out at the Astral Rank, maybe reach Universe Level at best.
But this Wei Wen… he didn't fit the pattern.
The kid had only been cultivating for a few months. He had no background in Spirit Master techniques, yet he somehow reached a 16-fold amplification of spiritual force? That kind of leap wasn't just rare—it was unheard of.
The unknown factor was always the most dangerous. And the most interesting.
Which made it all the more frustrating when that very same mystery slipped right through his fingers.
Babata could only stare in disbelief as the young man he'd painstakingly selected as the next heir of Meteorite Star suddenly dashed out of the ship's hatch, like he was being chased by a Golden-Horned Beast.
"What the hell is this guy doing?" Babata muttered, speechless.
There were so many treasures in the lake. Not to mention the suspected legacy artifact—Meteorite Star itself. There were secrets here, buried deep. But Wei Wen? He just bailed.
The truth was, the psychic signal radiating from Meteorite Star was very faint. It worked like a subliminal suggestion—guiding explorers subtly toward the legacy. When Wei Wen had been exploring with no specific goal, the signal had gradually nudged him toward it.
But now that Wei Wen had made a conscious choice to walk away?
That signal might as well be a whisper in a hurricane.
After Wei Wen exited the Fog Island, Candice sent his movements straight to the HR Alliance. With the data at their disposal, it didn't take long for them to trace his route.
A combat aircraft soon entered the airspace above the Australian continent. Seated inside, cross-legged and silent, was a Planetary-level warrior—Atkin.
"Bring up the coordinates of every martial artist currently in Australia."
The HR Alliance had its methods. Shady ones.
Take the 'communication watch'—essential gear for all warriors. It had a backdoor. Through it, the Alliance could track every watch linked to a person's bank account and ID.
Naturally, they kept this part quiet. If the global martial community found out, the backlash would be catastrophic.
Only those with S-Class authorization could access this surveillance system. Atkin, a senior figure and a Planetary-level powerhouse, had all the clearance he needed.
A massive virtual map sprang up inside the aircraft. A red dot marked the position of Wei Wen.
He was on the move, heading straight for one of Australia's major airports.
"Wait a second..." Atkin narrowed his eyes. "That speed. That's... almost on par with Iste. Has he already reached Planetary Level?"
Whether he had or hadn't made the breakthrough didn't matter that much.
What mattered was this: Wei Wen was growing too damn fast.
And Atkin wasn't taking any chances.
"If I let him go unchecked, he might become too strong to deal with later."
He stood up. His eyes were cold.
Wei Wen, for his part, was flying away from the Fog Island in a good mood.
"I found some Plant Essence, loaded up on Mu Ya Crystals… Definitely worth the trip."
As for Babata?
That guy was stuck. He wasn't getting out of Meteorite Star anytime soon, so Wei Wen didn't feel threatened by him—for now.
Besides, Babata would probably end up choosing Luo Feng anyway. The two of them were best friends. Even if Babata tried anything later, Luo Feng wouldn't let him.
Still, one worry tugged at the back of his mind.
The feedback effect.
If Luo Feng kept rising in power, and that feedback caused Wei Wen to skyrocket all the way to the Universe Rank beforethe Genius Battle... that would complicate things.
So for now, he had to be careful.
Avoid using strength-boosting treasures like Plant Essence and Mu Ya Crystals unless absolutely necessary. Especially the Mu Ya Crystals—those were dangerous if overused.
Thankfully, there was a huge power gap between late Planetary-level and the Astral Rank. From Planetary-9 to Astral-1 was more than a tenfold leap in strength. As long as he didn't force the issue, he wouldn't suddenly advance by accident.
He planned to give the crystals to Luo Feng to use first.
Let the feedback do the work.
At this point in the timeline, Wei Wen figured there were only one or two major threats left before the Genius Trials began.
In the original story, Earth nearly collapsed during the Golden-Horned Beast crisis. Even Hong and Thunder God, burning their souls and fighting with their Domains, couldn't take it down. In the end, Luo Feng had to throw away his life—along with six other elite warriors—to seize control of the beast.
But now?
Wei Wen was here. With that massive stash of Mu Ya Crystals acquired years ahead of schedule, Luo Feng's cultivation would shoot up. And Wei Wen's would follow.
Maybe they could bypass the whole crisis altogether.
He even entertained the idea of becoming Earth's sovereign early—entering the wider universe, buying a few Universe-ranked slaves, and locking everything down.
Was money the problem?
Nah. Earth still had plenty of resources to sell.
"We'll figure out the cash part later," he muttered.
Suddenly, his spiritual sense flickered.
"Hm?" He scanned the area with his mind. A powerful presence. A stranger. Heading straight for him.
And fast.
A Planetary-level warrior.
As the figure approached, Wei Wen could see him now. His eyes went cold.
"You're not a Spirit Master," he said aloud. "Which means you're flying the old-fashioned way. Planetary Level physical cultivator."
The stranger's deadpan eyes suddenly flashed with killing intent.
"Who are you?" Wei Wen asked calmly, but his spiritual pressure surged. "Are you here to kill me?"
Atkin didn't answer at first. He studied Wei Wen's expression—and for a second, something inside him twitched.
This shouldn't be happening.
Wei Wen had only just broken through to Planetary Level. Atkin ranked fifth among Earth's Planetary-level elites. By all logic, Wei Wen should be terrified. Should be bowing.
But he wasn't.
"I'm Atkin, Fifth Speaker of the HR Alliance," he said at last, a half-smile tugging at his lips. "But I'm not here just to kill you."
He floated forward slightly.
"Tell me how you grew this fast. What techniques you used. Share that with me... and maybe I'll let you walk away."
Wei Wen's expression didn't change.
But something cold began to stir in the air between them.