Number One Martial Arts Tournament Under Heaven

New York.

Manhattan District.

World Trade Center Twin Towers.

It was one of New York's landmarks and bore the title "Window to the World."

It was also one of the most important works of the renowned architectural artist Yamaguchi.

Everyone who came here was awed by its grandeur and magnificence.

Yet today, thick smoke billowed above the World Trade Center, and flames soared into the sky.

Panicked people scattered and fled through the streets.

Police cars with piercing sirens rushed in from every direction.

But none of this caught the attention of the figure floating in midair.

He was waiting.

Before long, large numbers of civilians were evacuated, and the military encircled the area.

Yet none of them attacked the man in the sky.

Because they knew it would be useless!

They could only carry out rescue operations and put out the fires.

And the man in the sky did not stop them.

He merely hovered there, as though waiting for something.

After a while.

An Apache Attack Helicopter flew in from the distance.

It headed straight toward the man.

A burly man in military uniform stood at the helicopter's open door.

He was General William!

"So, someone who can actually make decisions has finally come. My wait was not in vain."

Andrew opened his eyes. Electricity seemed to flow through his gaze as he looked at General William from afar.

"What is your objective?"

A faint smile tugged at Andrew's lips. "The United States is the world's strongest nation. It holds the leading position and possesses the greatest technological and military power.

"That is indeed impressive.

"But unfortunately!

"Now that I have appeared!

"My appearance heralds the arrival of a new era.

"I said it before: I will become The One True God of the new era, and everyone must submit beneath my feet.

"And you must publicly acknowledge this."

General William immediately rebuked him coldly. "That will never happen!"

Andrew was not angered by General William's attitude.

He merely said indifferently, "You can cling to your stubbornness, but the tide of history cannot be reversed. The silt will be cleared away eventually.

"The World Trade Center is only the beginning. Think it over carefully."

With that, Andrew did not waste any more words.

His body accelerated in an instant, blasting out a string of Sonic Boom Clouds.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished beyond the horizon.

The turbulent gusts stirred by his departure whipped the hem of General William's uniform violently.

Faint arcs of electricity flickered over his clenched fist, but he ultimately held himself back.

Right now, he was simply no match for Andrew!

"General, the target is flying westward at Mach 1.5. Shall we launch ship-to-air missiles?"

"Launch them!"

"Bad news, General! As the missiles approached the target, they suffered electromagnetic interference. Their guidance systems failed, and they cannot detonate!"

"General, Satellite Surveillance has lost the target's trail!"

General William viciously tore the communicator from his ear and threw it to the ground, where it shattered into pieces.

"Fuck!!!"

At that moment, on the other side of the world.

With a wave of Gu Qing's hand, vast amounts of money were thrown into the effort.

An event called the "Number One Martial Arts Tournament Under Heaven" began to operate.

With the Martial Arts Association backing it, along with overwhelming advertisements.

And the generous prize money.

It was enough to draw the attention of anyone who practiced martial arts.

And that was exactly what Gu Qing wanted.

He did not want to seek out martial arts sects one by one, painstakingly verifying their authenticity.

Or struggle to find people who possessed genuine skill.

As long as there was money, whether they were masters from famous sects or experts hidden among ordinary people, they would come to him of their own accord!

After all, martial artists needed to eat and live too.

As long as they had not transcended worldly life, they would inevitably need money.

Perhaps some powerful martial artists did not care much for money.

But Gu Qing believed that simply meant there was not enough money!

Once the sum reached a certain level, they would not be able to resist.

Besides, the Number One Martial Arts Tournament Under Heaven offered more than prize money.

It also offered fame!

The winner of the tournament would personally receive the World's Number One medal from the Martial Arts Association.

Driven by both fame and profit, Gu Qing refused to believe he could not find someone with genuine ability!

Peak of Mount Hua.

Gu Qing looked around and saw mountains rising and falling, vast and verdant.

The Yellow River and Wei River stretched out like threads, while the boundless plains lay like silk and brocade, all within his sight.

It let one truly appreciate Mount Hua's towering grandeur and majestic presence.

And enjoy the wondrous sensation of standing at the edge of heaven and walking upon drifting clouds.

On a whim, he had chosen this place as the venue for the Number One Martial Arts Tournament Under Heaven.

Purely because of his fondness for the martial arts fantasy of the Mount Hua Sword Discussion.

A neatly dressed woman strode over.

As she looked at the burly figure standing atop a rock in the distance.

She could not help but lose herself in thought for a moment.

She had been sent by the Martial Arts Association to remain at Gu Qing's side, handle miscellaneous matters, and help coordinate communication between both parties.

Her name was Xie Lan.

Yet through their contact over this period, she had gradually developed a strange feeling.

It was as though the man before her was not a foreigner, but someone like her.

Someone with the same black hair and black eyes!

Especially because he always exuded a unique aura, like a mist. Though she knew there might be unpredictable danger within it, she could never resist the urge to uncover it.

Shaking her head, Xie Lan gave a self-mocking smile.

She found her own thoughts laughable.

Perhaps this foreigner was simply obsessed with Chinese culture and knew it well, which was why she had developed such an illusion.

Remembering the reason she had come.

Xie Lan hurried forward and said, "Mr. Lehnsherr, the tournament is about to begin. Shall we go in as well?"

Gu Qing turned around. "Mm... all right."

Adak Island.

Moffett Military Base.

"Dr. Norris, it has already been two months. Where are the results I asked for?"

A drop of cold sweat could not help but slide down Dr. Norris's forehead beneath his white lab coat.

He hurriedly said, "General, please rest assured. Although we still have no way of determining what caused the changes in his body, we have used the most advanced brainwave hypnosis technology to temporarily control him. Perhaps we can learn the source of this power directly from his own mouth!"

"Is that so? Then take me to him immediately."

The place where Matt was imprisoned lay deep within the military base.

They had to pass through layer upon layer of security to reach it, all to ensure that no accidents occurred.

They had all witnessed the sheer extent of destruction these superpowered people could cause!

In a spacious, completely white room, General William saw Matt, who wore a vacant expression.

When Matt had first been sent here, more than 80 percent of his body had been burned by the Thermobaric Bomb!

Yet only two months had passed, and he seemed to have completely recovered. At least from his appearance, there was not the slightest trace of burns across his body.

The researchers could not help but marvel at the sight!

Everything here was made from insulating materials.

There were also a series of contingency measures in place.

Even if Matt truly lost control, they could easily subdue him again.

General William stared at him.

After a while.

He slowly asked, "Where exactly did this power come from, and what is it called?!"

Matt seemed witless. After waiting for a moment, he slowly answered, "It... it's called... Current Propulsion..."

William's eyes flashed!

So that was it!

So this was its name?!