"Congratulations, player. You have obtained a new achievement—Supreme Master."
"The strongest person on Earth sees you as a mentor and guiding light."
"Current Main Quest completion progress: 17/30."
At this point, the third stage of the Main Quest was already more than halfway complete.
Yan Anqing's brow rose slightly as he murmured in an almost inaudible voice, "As expected of the strongest... even if it's only a qualitative leap in life level, without any actual combat record..."
Challenging opponents above one's level was not impossible.
After all, many Golden-Eyed Ones supported by various nations on the Earth had their Limitless Cell infection rates stuck at 10% of the first tier.
Even though these people had not yet fully evolved resilient membrane-like muscle fibers and could not break through that threshold, they were not much weaker than Yu Hongyi's 11%.
Among this batch of individuals with the greatest combat strength, some had several years or even more than a decade of fighting experience.
For example, America's officially promoted "superhero," Christian, and Japan's "beautiful girl swordswoman," Uesugi Zangetsu.
In Yan Anqing's view, if Yu Hongyi fought these two to the death, the final victor would still be uncertain.
Watching Yan Anqing's lips move soundlessly, Yu Hongyi looked at his nose, then at his heart, pretending that nothing had happened.
Geniuses always had flaws, didn't they?
Shang Yin, who beat up computers; Xie Zhe, whose mouth would be better sewn shut; Jiang Xinyue, who practically ate, slept, and lived in the laboratory; Luo Jiashi, a man who hated all male lifeforms...
Quite a few people knew about Yan Anqing's odd habit of talking to himself.
Among the genius researchers in this Secret Base, there were practically no normal people.
Or rather...
Researchers with quirks were the normal ones. Whenever Yu Hongyi, Ma Ran, Zhang Xiaoyue, and Miaomiao's little group went to the cafeteria, they could hear people arguing loudly. There were even quite a few cases where disagreements over proving a point escalated into full-blown brawls.
Yu Hongyi had personally stopped them several times...
He could not understand a single word of the topics those scientific researchers debated, but fighting was bad in the end.
"For the next half month, come here once at eight every morning and once at five every afternoon. I need to comprehensively track the changes in your physical data."
Yan Anqing's gaze returned to Yu Hongyi. He waved a hand, signaling Subject B to leave the room.
Half-reclining in his chair, he slightly closed his eyes and focused his attention on the database, pulling up a photograph of a woman.
There was a concise written annotation on the image.
Uesugi Zangetsu, owl.
In contrast, Kira Wolma's photograph had turned gray, with the character "heroic" written after his name.
This Japanese woman was an accidental byproduct Yan Anqing had created while researching the "Scrap Killer" catalyst and strengthening Ma Ran's willpower.
In the Strongman Cultivation Plan, Subject A, Ma Ran, was a standard excellent candidate, while Uesugi Zangetsu's situation was rather complicated.
It could not be considered a failure, yet neither could it be called a success.
Japan, central Kii Peninsula, Nara Prefecture.
Toshodai-ji Temple.
This was a temple built in 759 AD, a bona fide ancient cultural site.
Alongside Todai-ji Temple's "Ordination Platform Hall," it was one of Japan's two great centers for preaching Buddhism and studying monastic law.
And now...
Before the Scripture Repository Hall, a young man and woman sat facing each other on the ground.
The two possessed such sharp, imposing auras that no one dared approach them.
The tourists instinctively avoided them and kept their distance.
An open space had been cleared before the main gate.
The young man had flowing long hair, sword-like brows, bright eyes, and a well-shaped nose. He wore a black-and-white kimono, with an Oodachi resting across his knees.
The blade was restrained within a blue-dyed sharkskin scabbard, concealing its edge.
He was handsome and elegant, carrying something of the aura of a warrior from Japan's Warring States period. His golden, radiant eyes gave him an extraordinary presence.
This man was named Tokugawa Ishimasa, a typical scion of a wealthy family. His household had amassed astronomical wealth; even if he never worked, he could squander it for ten lifetimes.
What was frightening was that, despite such circumstances, he had not chosen to become a salted fish. Instead, he had diligently studied and trained.
Accomplished in both letters and martial arts, Tokugawa Ishimasa sought to establish a career of his own.
Before the Crimson Moon Incident, the company Tokugawa Ishimasa had founded had already built a strong reputation in Japan and accumulated enough capital to challenge the Fortune Global 500.
According to Tokugawa Ishimasa's plans, within ten years, the company he had built with his own hands would enter the Fortune Global 500.
After that night, everything changed!
He became a Golden-Eyed One.
Tokugawa Ishimasa's ambitions began to swell, and his original ideals changed with them...
Compared to being the decision-maker of a Fortune Global 500 company, becoming a supreme hero capable of suppressing a nation's destiny would better demonstrate his worth.
He wanted to surpass every sword master and sword saint in history!
Miyamoto Musashi, Sasaki Kojiro, Tsukahara Bokuden, Ito Ittosai, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, Hayashizaki Jinsuke—their historical reputations and glory would all pale beside his!
Those sword saints of the past had been praised to the heavens, yet they had left behind no footage capable of proving their strength.
But now, everything was different!
Some time ago, Tokugawa Ishimasa had felt his energy and physical fitness begin to surge wildly. It was as though he had returned to the age of twelve or thirteen, his body once again entering the peak of development.
Every day, he was stronger than the day before!
At his current rate of development, it would not be long before he surpassed every powerhouse whose name had been recorded in ancient history, becoming a brand-new myth, a living legend.
But now, Tokugawa Ishimasa had a problem he had to deal with.
"Madwoman, what exactly do you want?"
Tokugawa Ishimasa looked coldly at the girl sitting cross-legged opposite him. The moment he spoke, he barked, "Are you trying to kill all your compatriots?"
The girl had short hair and delicate features. She was also a Golden-Eyed One.
Her willow-leaf brows were somewhat thin, but their tails were sharply defined. Her expression was indifferent, and she held an absurdly long, unsheathed blade in her arms.
It was at least 190 centimeters long, far taller than the girl herself.
Even when standing, she could only drag its spine diagonally along the ground.
The blade was a dull black, but upon closer inspection, one would discover that it was not a blackened coating at all, but congealed, oxidized bloodstains!
This woman was Uesugi Zangetsu, born into a swordsmanship family.
She had begun practicing with a bamboo sword at the age of six, and by now, she had trained for a full twelve years.
After the Blood Moon, Uesugi Zangetsu had always behaved normally.
Although she had always had the bad habit of staring at fatal points on others—their necks, hearts, spines, kidneys, and so on—she had kept the desires in her heart suppressed and had never done anything out of line.
But recently, it was as though she had suddenly fallen into some kind of obsession and begun frantically challenging famous swordsmen everywhere.
Ordinary challenges would have been one thing, but this madwoman seemed to have no concept of stopping at the right point.
Every time Uesugi Zangetsu struck, her treasured blade had to return stained with blood.
Unless another soul had fallen beneath her sword, she would never stop!
"Bastard!"
Seeing the girl before him ignore his words, Tokugawa Ishimasa gritted his teeth in hatred.
He had once considered pursuing this woman, forming a good match with her, and having a Kirin child.
Now, he was immensely glad that he had not made a hasty decision.
He asked bitterly, "Where is your scabbard?"
At last, the girl opposite him reacted.
"I don't need such a thing. I myself am the scabbard."
Uesugi Zangetsu's voice was somewhat hoarse, unlike that of a girl her age. It was as if a far older soul resided within her skin.
Tokugawa Ishimasa let out a furious shout and drew his famous blade from its sharkskin scabbard. His expression stern, he declared, "The scabbard and the sword are one! If you have lost your scabbard, that means you have already lost! There is a problem with your warrior's conviction! Turn back now, and it is not too late!"
Upon hearing this, the girl merely gave him an expressionless glance.
She gripped the exaggeratedly long blade encrusted with black blood scabs in one hand and pointed it directly at him, yet her gaze rested quietly upon the weapon in her hand.
A madness beyond others' comprehension brewed beneath Uesugi Zangetsu's cold tone. "Stop talking nonsense."
"Come here. Let me cut you down."
"As a decent Sword Grinding Stone... your wisdom, your conviction, your drive, your blood and vitality, your soul..."
"Everything you possess will become nourishment for her!"
As the accidental byproduct of someone's magically altered plan, Uesugi Zangetsu did not know that her endocrine system and subconscious had already become disordered.
What had once merely been a slight tendency toward darkness deep in her bones had now truly fallen into the abyss of madness.
Every word she spoke was like the delirious muttering of someone whose sanity had dropped to zero.
At this moment, Uesugi Zangetsu, obsessed to the extreme, believed that only her path was correct.
If others did not acknowledge her, that could only mean...
Everyone else was wrong!
The one at fault could never be her. It was this world!
Now, Uesugi Zangetsu had only one goal.
Cut down the man before her!
This man was Japan's last high-quality Sword Grinding Stone...
Her next stop was China.
In the Island Nation, swords and sabers are not distinguished. For the sake of a smoother reading experience, I revised this back and forth six or seven times...
(ˊˋ) May everyone who reads this book have ever-growing fortune!
Before you continue