Awakening

The two of them boarded a fighter jet. First, they each paid their respects to the five Planetary Level fighters who had gone to the bottom of the sea with Luo Feng and faced death without hesitation. Then the jet turned and flew toward Hongning Base City, where the Limit Dojo was located.

After arriving at Hongning Base City, the jet flew straight to the Limit Dojo headquarters.

At the entrance, Iceberg and Enchantress came out together to greet them. They were both deeply moved to see that Luo Feng had returned safely.

The two then took Luo Feng and Yin Congyang to visit Hong and Thunder God.

The spacious room held two beds. Hong, dressed in black, lay on one, while Thunder God, dressed in a white robe, lay on the other. A large number of instruments and devices stood nearby, monitoring and sustaining the two powerhouses' vital signs.

Outside the room.

Luo Feng stared blankly through the glass at the two strongest fighters on Earth. Their battle, in which they had burned their souls, had left them in a deep sleep ever since. Without a miracle, they would likely remain asleep until they died. The thought filled him with sorrow.

Suddenly, Yin Congyang beside him gave a small gesture, asking Luo Feng to step outside and speak with him.

Luo Feng followed him out, confused. "Congyang, what's wrong? Did you discover something?"

Yin Congyang hesitated, then finally said, "Luo Feng, you know I'm at the Planetary Level, but I'm not just a Planetary Level fighter. My Spiritual Force is also at the Planetary Level. My talent as a Controller isn't that great, but I've tested myself, and I seem to have pretty good talent as an Illusionist. Now that Hong and Thunder God are both in a coma, perhaps an illusion could give them a profound stimulus to their souls and wake them up. I could give it a try. But although I joined the Limit Dojo, I've never been to headquarters, so their personal guards may not trust me. That's why..."

Luo Feng stared at Yin Congyang, dumbfounded. "You have talent as an Illusionist too? Wait..."

He said to Babata in his mind, "Babata, test Yin Congyang's physical fitness and mental power."

Babata was interested too. He aimed the Optical Computer at Yin Congyang and started the test. The results came back quickly. "Luo Feng, his Genetic Origin Energy registers at the first rank of the Planetary Level, but his physical fitness is far above that of a normal fighter at that rank. His Spiritual Force is also at the first rank of the Planetary Level. However, his soul power is extraordinarily strong—dozens of times greater than that of an ordinary first-rank Planetary Level fighter, comparable to the soul power of someone at the sixth or seventh rank. With soul power that strong, he really might have exceptional talent as an Illusionist..."

After hearing Babata's words, Luo Feng's expression turned strange. Then he looked at Yin Congyang with hope written all over his face. "Is what you said true? What are the chances you can wake the two Dojo Masters?"

Yin Congyang gave a helpless laugh. "Luo Feng, I only said I could try. How could I tell you the chances? But I can guarantee that I won't harm either Dojo Master's body or soul. At worst, things will stay as they are. For all we know, they might wake up on their own in a few months..."

Luo Feng realized he had asked a foolish question and nodded repeatedly. "You're right. As long as there's no risk of harm, there's nothing to lose by trying. Maybe it'll work. If we wait for them to wake up on their own, we'll just have to rely on luck... I'll go talk to Iceberg and Enchantress now..."

Before he finished speaking, he turned and went to find the two personal guards. He pulled them aside and carefully explained Yin Congyang's idea and talent. Enchantress and Iceberg looked delighted, but their doubts remained.

The two stared at Yin Congyang, then exchanged a glance. Enchantress spoke to him directly. "You can try, but let's be clear: if it doesn't work, we won't blame you. But if the Dojo Masters are harmed, you know what the consequences will be..."

Yin Congyang exchanged a glance with Luo Feng. Luo Feng gave him a small, apologetic smile and was about to speak, but Yin Congyang raised a hand to stop him. Turning to Enchantress, he said earnestly, "From the day I became a fighter, I joined the Limit Dojo. I grew up hearing stories of Earth's greatest fighter. What reason would I have to harm the Dojo Masters? I simply can't bear to see the two strongest fighters Earth once had lying helplessly in bed like this. Since there's a chance my ability could wake them, I hope you'll let me try. I can guarantee that even if I can't wake them, I won't harm them. Do you believe me?"

Enchantress listened in a daze. Her expression shifted from pale to flushed, and she suddenly bowed to Yin Congyang. "I'm sorry, Mr. Yin. I was just too worried about the Dojo Masters, so... I'm sorry. Is there anything else you need? I'll have someone prepare it right away!"

Luo Feng quietly gave him a thumbs-up.

Yin Congyang smiled. "I understand how you feel, Miss Enchantress. I don't need anything else, but I do need to enter the Dojo Masters' room. Don't worry, I won't need to touch them." Then his expression turned solemn. "But the room has to stay absolutely quiet, so it would be best if I went in alone."

Enchantress and Iceberg both agreed, and the four returned to the spacious room.

Yin Congyang removed the Heaven-Opening Axe, flying knives, and other equipment he was carrying. He opened the door, went inside alone, then turned and shut it firmly behind him.

He sat cross-legged between the two beds and first adjusted himself, calming his mind as much as possible. Then he drew on the Spiritual Force in his Consciousness Sea and gently extended it toward Hong's Consciousness Sea.

His Spiritual Force entered Hong's Consciousness Sea with ease. Having burned his soul, Hong's Consciousness Sea was extremely dim. His soul flame was on the verge of going out, as if a gust of wind would extinguish it, yet somehow it kept stubbornly burning.

Seeing this, Yin Congyang's heart sank. He hadn't realized Hong's condition was so severe. He gently withdrew from Hong's Consciousness Sea and entered Thunder God's. The scene was nearly identical: Thunder God's soul flame was terribly dim, like that of an old man nearing the end of his life, with only a flicker left.

Yin Congyang felt at a loss. He'd been confident because the book said the two would wake up on their own in another six months or so. He'd wanted to use his Illusion Technique to see if he could speed things up, but he hadn't expected their condition to be this serious. Could waking up in six months really be a miracle?

Yin Congyang closed his eyes and pondered for a long while. If he wanted to cast an illusion without harming their souls, he first had to strengthen their soul power until it could withstand the illusion without injury. But what did he have that could replenish soul power?

"No, that's not right. I do have something—I just don't know if it'll work." Yin Congyang looked toward his dantian. "The fluctuations from that Strange Light Point can strengthen soul power. I just don't know if they can reach their Consciousness Seas."

He decided to give it a try. Yin Congyang worked to summon and direct the fluctuations spreading throughout his body, trying to send them out through his Spiritual Force. After more than a hundred attempts, a small stream of fluctuations finally left his body along his Spiritual Force.

Carefully, Yin Congyang sent the stream into Hong's Consciousness Sea. As soon as it entered, it naturally moved toward Hong's soul flame and wrapped around it. Hong's soul flame quivered. Like an oil lamp on the verge of going out, it suddenly received fresh fuel and flared brightly.

It worked! Overjoyed, Yin Congyang sent another stream of fluctuations into Thunder God's Consciousness Sea, and Thunder God's soul flame brightened considerably as well.

"Since I've started helping, I might as well see it through!" Yin Congyang sent several more streams of fluctuations to Hong and Thunder God, bringing both their soul flames almost back to full strength.

Outside the room, Luo Feng and the others saw sweat suddenly bead on Yin Congyang's forehead, though he'd been inside for quite a while. They couldn't help worrying. But the monitoring equipment showed signs that Hong and Thunder God's brain activity was increasing, filling them with hope.

Yin Congyang, inside the room, had no idea what the others were thinking. After resting for a while, he split his Spiritual Force in two and sent one part into each of their Consciousness Seas. Gently wrapping it around their soul flames, he transmitted an image he remembered vividly from the livestream: the two of them battling the Golden Horned Behemoth...

"Beep! Beep! Beep!"

A piercing alarm suddenly sounded outside the room. Luo Feng and the other two hurriedly looked at the equipment display inside. The screen showed the two Dojo Masters' brain waves.

Now the two Dojo Masters' brain waves, which had been flatlines, rose and fell, as if they'd gone from an open plain straight into towering mountains, each peak higher than the last!

Suddenly, Hong, dressed in black, twitched his eyelids, then slowly opened his eyes.