Hong and Thor

"Tch, I knew they'd notice..."

Hen Ren rode her flying sword, breaking through the resistance of the seawater in an instant and leaping out of the sea.

Behind her, a gigantic, scaleless black serpent with four legs and lightning coiling around its body also burst from the water.

It was one of the two Beast Emperors, the Thunder Dragon Emperor. Some said it had evolved from a kind of electric eel; others claimed it was a sea snake. It was at the eighth level of Planetary Level!

"Roar!!!"

The Thunder Dragon Emperor roared. But when it saw Hen Ren dart a hundred miles away in an instant, it hurriedly glanced around, then reluctantly returned to the sea.

It didn't dare stay out of the water for long. Although it knew Hong and Thor wouldn't kill it lightly, if it gambled wrong, it would be the one to die...

"I knew it."

The more intelligent a monster was, the more afraid it was of death. This was especially true of the two Beast Emperors.

Hen Ren shook her head. She hadn't planned to kill the two Beast Emperors, either. If anything went wrong and they unleashed a worldwide monster tide to save their own lives, it would spell disaster...

Beside Hen Ren was a cable made of SS-grade Alloy, with four enormous monsters bound to it. This was the reason she had come to the East Sea.

"Four King-level Monsters should fetch 300 billion. I'll go straight to Hong's place."

With that, Hen Ren paid no more attention to the Thunder Dragon Emperor, which had retreated into the sea. She used her flying secret technique and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Hongning Base City lay in western Asia, near Europe. It was actually located in Turkey, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Not long after the Great Nirvana Period began, the nation that had once been there had fallen completely.

Hen Ren soon arrived at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's Global Headquarters, a gigantic wrecked interstellar transport ship!

The moment she appeared, the woman in a blue robe at the entrance recognized her at once by her extraordinary bearing and signature bronze mask.

"Councilor Ruthless, this way, please."

The woman hurried forward and gestured for Hen Ren to follow her.

Hen Ren nodded. With a thought, the cable behind her, which bound the four King-level Monsters, came undone. The four monsters' remains crashed to the ground with a thud.

"Have someone take care of these. Three hundred billion will do."

"Of course."

The woman nodded repeatedly, then took out a dedicated communicator. She spoke into it for a moment before hanging up.

"Councilor Ruthless, I've contacted the staff to handle them."

"Good. Let's go."

Hen Ren didn't need the woman to lead her. She had been here plenty of times before, when exchanging for things.

The Vegetation Spirits Xu Ai and Xu Xin used had also been obtained by Hen Ren in exchange for her knowledge of Domains with Hong and Thor.

Exchanging her insights into Triple Domain for an Ancient Civilization Gravity Chamber had already been an extremely generous deal.

They walked down a sleek, high-tech corridor. At the end, a quiet room stood half open, seriously undermining the spaceship's cyberpunk aesthetic...

"Master of the Hall, Councilor Ruthless is here."

"Mm. Come in."

Hong's cool voice rang out.

The woman bowed slightly, then left.

Hen Ren pushed the door open and went inside.

"You're a rare visitor. That kid Thor knows to come here every few days to mooch off me, but you haven't visited in a whole month."

Hong smiled as he watched Hen Ren enter.

After Hen Ren had shared her insights on Triple Domain, he and Thor had come to regard her as their equal. There was no need to put on a stern face and keep his distance from someone on the same level.

"I've been in seclusion for the past month, so I haven't had time to visit."

Hen Ren told the truth. She really hadn't stepped out of her villa once that month. She'd spent most of her time in the Gravity Chamber, and only came out to instruct Xu Ai and Xu Xin when they visited... Xu Xin!

Hong nodded with satisfaction.

"You can visit anytime. Training comes first."

The other councilors were one thing. Their potential was limited, and they'd reached the peak of their careers as councilors.

But Hen Ren was a genius who had comprehended a Domain as soon as she broke through to Planetary Level. She had even surpassed him, comprehending Triple Domain ahead of time.

She was sure to reach at least Star Level, perhaps even Universe Level. Hong didn't want her wasting time on trivial matters like the other councilors.

Poor Hong had limited horizons; Universe Level was the highest level he knew of...

The two chatted briefly about training before getting down to business.

"By the way, you didn't come all this way just for a visit, did you?"

Hong smiled.

"You're not one to show up without a reason."

On her first visit, she had offered her insights into Triple Domain in exchange for an Ancient Civilization Gravity Chamber from him and some Vegetation Spirits from Thor.

On her second visit, she had offered insights into controlling Domains and a tenfold Force Amplitude technique in exchange for a copy of Basic Spirit Reader Techniques from him and some Vegetation Spirits from Thor.

On her third visit, she had brought a copy of Basic Genetic Martial Artist that she'd written herself, trading it for a pile of alien metals and some Vegetation Spirits from Thor...

Thinking about it made Hong grin. His brother Thor's stock of Vegetation Spirits had nearly been cleaned out by Hen Ren.

"I want to buy two portions each of Jade Marrow and Dragon Blood. I just sold four King-level Monsters to your Extreme Martial Arts Hall, so I have the money ready."

"...That's it?"

Hen Ren nodded. That was the reason she had hunted the four King-level Monsters. Having gotten used to Vegetation Spirits, she'd forgotten that Jade Marrow even existed...

Hong was at a loss. It was just Jade Marrow and Dragon Blood. Was there really a need to come in person?

He'd thought she'd made another breakthrough in her training and wanted to trade for something good, like a Soaring Sky Shuttle...

"I'll have someone send the Jade Marrow and Dragon Blood over in a moment."

"However, Jade Marrow and Dragon Blood only work on Martial Artists below Planetary Level. Are you... planning to give them to your two disciples?"

"Yes. They're for the two of them."

There was no need to hide that. When she had demonstrated Triple Domain, Hong and Thor had surely looked up her records in detail. Her taking Xu Xin and Xu Ai as disciples would certainly be in them.

They meant no harm; they were just satisfying their curiosity.

"But Jade Marrow and Dragon Blood can only be used by official Martial Artists... Have they become Martial Artists?"

"Xu Ai has, but Xu Xin still has a little way to go."

The college entrance exams had just ended. If Xu Xin wanted to take the Quasi-Warrior Assessment on July 1, she had less than twenty days to prepare.

Hong thought it over, then decided to have the AI check.

[Yes, Master of the Hall. On June 1, Xu Ai passed the Quasi-Warrior Assessment with a fist strength of 903 kg, a speed of 25.7 m/s, and a neural response result of Excellent at Low-level Warrior Rank.]

"Mm. A sixteen-year-old Quasi-Martial Artist. Not bad."

Even if she had been raised on Vegetation Spirits...

Hong looked at Hen Ren. "Your disciple has successfully practiced Five Hearts Towards Heaven, right? After consuming so many Vegetation Spirits, with her cell activity, a fist strength of 2,000 kilograms should be no problem."

"Four thousand kilograms."

There was no need to hide this, so Hen Ren answered honestly.

Hong nodded. That was a very good figure, putting her on par with the children of High-level War Gods and councilors.

"By the way, how are her Force Amplitude, swordsmanship, and movement technique?"

With the means available, the sooner she learned these combat skills, the better. Hong didn't believe Hen Ren wouldn't teach Xu Ai.

Hen Ren thought for a moment and understood what Hong was getting at, so she answered "modestly":

"Specialist Level swordsmanship, Micro Level movement technique, and a twofold Force Amplitude. She just hasn't taken the practical assessment yet."

"Mm, very good."

Only sixteen, and already at that level in swordsmanship and movement technique, with a twofold Force Amplitude. She was an exceptionally rare genius on Earth.

With talent like that, physical fitness wasn't a problem. They could simply pile resources on her.

"Once she passes the practical assessment, send her to the Elite Training Camp."

"No."

Hen Ren rejected the suggestion outright.

As if the Elite Training Camp could teach Xu Ai anything!

Hen Ren could share knowledge with her directly and provide all the resources she needed. They even had an Ancient Civilization Gravity Chamber at home. There was no need to go to the camp and share one with the other trainees...

By that logic, training at home was obviously much better.

"...All right."

After Hen Ren turned him down, Hong naturally saw her point.

Fair enough. She had all the resources she needed. Why send her to a "slum" to compete with others for them...

"But she'll still need to be tested in actual combat—"

"Brother Hong!"

A shout rang out as the door was pushed open again. A bald young man sauntered in, with an awkward-looking young man in a blue robe behind him.

"Third Sister, you're here! Why didn't you call me? That's so unfair!"

"You can get back to work."

Hong waved to the young man helplessly. He bowed at once, then closed the door for them.

Seeing that Hong was ignoring him, Thor spoke directly to Hen Ren instead.

"Third Sister, what good stuff are you looking to trade for this time? Second Brother here has gotten his hands on plenty of good things. Take a good look later."

"I only need two portions of Jade Marrow and Dragon Blood..."

"...That's all?"

"That's all."

Hen Ren nodded.

He'd misjudged the situation...

Thor rubbed his bald head. He'd rushed over without knowing what was going on. How embarrassing...

Just then, the Jade Marrow and Dragon Blood Hen Ren had requested arrived.

The staff member placed them on the table and left.

"Hen Ren, I suggest waiting a month before giving your disciples the Jade Marrow and Dragon Blood."

Hong advised her. He had more experience using these substances.

"Though your disciple Xu Ai can easily absorb the diluted Vegetation Spirit solution, she's been drinking it for months, so some of its effects are probably still lingering in her body. Have her train in the Gravity Chamber for a month to absorb the remaining medicinal power. She should then be able to break through to Low-level War General Rank.

"Once her physical fitness reaches Low-level War General Rank or higher, the Jade Marrow will have the best effect. As for the Dragon Blood, I recommend using it after the Jade Marrow, then having her train for another month."

"All right. I'll take your advice."

Hen Ren nodded. Although Xu Ai was already at High-level Warrior Rank, she couldn't tell whether any medicinal effects remained. It would be better to stop the supplements and have her train for a month.

After all, she was there to support them on Earth. Xu Ai didn't need to rush along the path to strength.

After getting what she wanted, Hen Ren said goodbye to Hong and Thor.

"By the way, are you going to this year's Ancient Civilization Ruin No. 9?"

Hong suddenly asked.

That's right—Hen Ren had never been to Ancient Civilization Ruin No. 9, not once.

"No..."