Cloud-Touching Vine Appears

After spending several days mastering his domain, Thor woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, he wanted to show off to Hong and spar with him, seeking revenge for all the years of being suppressed.

That was naturally impossible.

Just as Thor was about to act arrogant, the stern gazes of Hong and Shi Fen stopped his attempt at mischief.

Thor was lively, but he was no fool; he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Upon seeing Luo Feng's state, Thor's jaw nearly hit the ground. "Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn..."

Thor began to doubt his life.

I've lived all these years in vain. Not only have I not surpassed Big Brother, but now I've been overtaken by two little brats... If it weren't for his reservations about disturbing Luo Feng's comprehension of his domain, Thor would have wanted to curse out loud for days just to relieve his current mood.

For now, he could only hold it in.

After all, Thor was no ordinary person. This experience of comprehending his domain had also improved his state of mind, and he had now completely solidified the realm of "Unity of Heaven and Man." Thor quickly calmed down, quietly sensing his newly mastered domain while waiting for Luo Feng to finish his enlightenment.

Seeing this heaven-defying scene, the personal guards of Hong and Thor dared not say a word. They guarded even more diligently, cherishing the opportunity to witness the growth of three embryonic domains, hoping only to plant a seed of a domain that might sprout and grow in the future.

Soon, it had been about ten days since Shi Fen arrived at Mist Island.

The other half of Shi Fen's consciousness was still in the Image World, receiving a terrifying stream of information. With the soul-recovery capabilities of the Image World, the transmission was fast; he estimated that in another day or two, he would be able to fully absorb all the data.

Because the Eight Trigrams Reincarnation Mirror was undergoing a heritage inheritance, it had temporarily lost contact. Unable to do anything else, Shi Fen spent his days studying his newly acquired domain, quietly conducting various "human experiments" on the personal guards of Hong and Thor.

Through his domain, Shi Fen could clearly "see" the flow of energy within the guards' bodies. In areas outside the body's core, such as the extremities like arms and calves where there wasn't much energy flow, Shi Fen could see the human tissues very clearly through his Soul Domain.

Ever since he activated his Soul Domain, Shi Fen hadn't stopped.

Shi Fen had miscalculated; after continuous experimentation, he realized that maintaining such a small range consumed very little Spiritual Force, and he felt he could sustain it for over a month.

Everyone felt the continuous amplification from Shi Fen's domain and were training with all their might, seeking to improve their strength.

Luo Feng's progress in comprehending his domain was smooth and gradually becoming complete; in about another day, it would fully take shape.

A few more days passed.

After mastering his domain, Luo Feng struck while the iron was hot, continuing to consolidate his gains here before planning to leave once the domain was completely stable.

Everything settled down.

This day happened to be August 15th on the solar calendar.

Everyone had been in seclusion here for nearly half a month, and they were all exhausted. Shi Fen anxiously urged everyone to go home and rest immediately. In reality, the other half of his consciousness had awakened, and he wanted to get away from everyone's sight to quietly inspect his gains.

In front of Hong, Thor, and Luo Feng, who all possessed domains, Shi Fen dared not make any small moves for fear they would discover his secrets. For these past few days, he could only organize information and do nothing else.

Shi Fen was now as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

While Shi Fen was anxious, Hong and Thor were not in the slightest.

Hong and Thor exchanged a look, and Thor immediately understood, saying boisterously, "We've gained so much here on Mist Island. My two little brothers, Shi Fen and Luo Feng, and I were very lucky to break through here together and possess domains, and Big Brother has gained a pile of Spirits of Vegetation.

The four of us are the strongest powerhouses on Earth today. I am ashamed to admit that I am inferior to the talents of my two little brothers, Shi Fen and Luo Feng.

Since that is the case, let me, the weakest of the bunch, propose: how about we become sworn brothers here?"

Hong and Shi Fen had been prepared for this and nodded naturally.

After his shock subsided, Luo Feng agreed as well; since his brother Shi Fen had agreed, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to refuse.

"Good!"

Under the witness of several personal guards, the group held a simple ceremony and officially became sworn brothers.

There were no strange rituals or bizarre slogans; the four bowed to the sky, then bowed to each other, and the ceremony was complete.

The four were ranked by age.

Eldest Brother Hong, Second Brother Thor, Third Brother Luo Feng, and Fourth Brother Shi Fen.

The ceremony ended.

Hong said with deep meaning, "I hope that one day, we can enter the universe together and carve out a future for our Earth."

The other three fell silent.

Having made up their minds to swear brotherhood, Hong and Thor had opened up over the past few days, sharing many hidden secrets about Earth and the universe with Shi Fen and Luo Feng. Shi Fen and Luo Feng were deeply moved and felt a great deal of emotion.

Of course, Shi Fen was faking it.

Opening their hearts to share secrets brought Shi Fen and Luo Feng much closer to Hong and Thor. The heart-to-heart exchange between the new and old generations of powerhouses brought them together, making the brotherhood a natural progression.

Seeing that no one was speaking, Shi Fen broke the awkward silence and said firmly, "We definitely can."

A smile appeared on Hong's face as he looked at Shi Fen and said, "Yes, we definitely can."

Shi Fen felt his hair stand on end being stared at by his eldest brother, not knowing what was going on.

Have I been exposed? That shouldn't be... Shi Fen felt a sense of vigilance and grew tense.

Thor didn't notice anything unusual and looked at Shi Fen and Luo Feng, laughing, "Forget about the universe for now. You two should go back and rack your brains on how to break through to the Planetary Level; that's the real priority."

Shi Fen nodded hurriedly.

Luo Feng gave a soft acknowledgment and nodded.

"Since my two little brothers already possess domains and have become Planetary Level powerhouses, hurry up and find the Third and Fourth Speakers to challenge them. By then, three of the four strongest people in the world will be from the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. Hahaha. Second Brother, your Thunder Martial Arts Hall isn't doing so well." Hong stopped looking at Shi Fen and turned to tease Thor.

Thor jumped up and down in exasperation, shouting, "You just got lucky! What is there to brag about? Neither of these two was taught by you; they both fought their way up through their own strength."

Hong ignored the exasperated Thor, acting as if he didn't exist, and muttered to himself, "They are still people of my Extreme Martial Arts Hall."

He then turned to Luo Feng and said, "Do you have any plans for the future? If you're free, why not come to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall and serve as an inspector?"

Luo Feng thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Realizing he was being ignored, Thor flew into a rage and roared, "Come on, let's have a one-on-one. I don't believe it! You've suppressed me with your domain for so many years, but now that I have a domain, I can't beat you? You should know that my Genetic Origin Energy is a level higher than yours."

"I'd be happy to oblige." Hong nodded with a smile, showing no signs of fear.

Furious, Thor grabbed Hong and flew toward the surface of the lake.

Shi Fen and Luo Feng looked at each other, not knowing how to comment on their behavior. The two of them acted like bickering brothers, showing no trace of being the world's strongest powerhouses.

The personal guards of Hong and Thor were long accustomed to this and let the two of them carry on.

Everyone present focused on the battle between the two powerhouses on the lake. Shi Fen and Luo Feng were extremely expectant; this was a fight between two hall masters, which was of extraordinary significance.

Hong and Thor did not use weapons. Standing on the lake, they began to fight with their bare hands. At their level of strength, if they used the SSS-grade weapons forged by Shi Fen, there was no guarantee they wouldn't accidentally injure each other, so they tacitly agreed to use their fists.

The battle was unexpectedly fast.

Thor was hammered into a pig's head by Hong.

"Damn it, how are you so strong?" Thor rubbed his swollen face, tears of pain welling in his eyes, and glared indignantly at Hong.

"You're allowed to master a domain, but I'm not allowed to have a breakthrough in mine? Just stay honestly behind me and eat my dust." Hong looked calm, staring at Thor's swollen face with the air of an enlightened master.

"Damn it!..." Thor began reciting a string of profanities.

Hong turned to Luo Feng and said, "Let's go. Come with me to the martial arts hall headquarters. You've done a great job harvesting the Spirit of Vegetation on Mist Island this time; I'll exchange some good things for you."

Luo Feng nodded excitedly. He had been coveting Shi Fen's fighter jet for a long time.

"Oh, right, your custom-made weapon." Seeing Luo Feng about to leave in excitement, Shi Fen handed over the weapon he had brought.

Luo Feng opened the bag and looked inside, his eyes brightening even further.

"By the way, the monster materials you hunted—Beast, Yaorao, and Iceberg have already finished dissecting them for you. Including that King-Level Crocodile Dragon, I've packed up everything useful and had it shipped back to Elder Qian's Forging Room." Before Hong took Luo Feng into the fighter jet, he suddenly remembered something and said to Shi Fen.

"Mm, good. Big Brother, please help me change my strength rating to Invincible War God; I'm too lazy to make the trip myself." Shi Fen said immediately.

Hong nodded gently and said nonchalantly, "That's a small matter Yaorao can handle with a flick of her finger. In the future, if you have any business, you can contact Beast, Yaorao, or Iceberg directly. They can basically handle anything regarding the Extreme Martial Arts Hall."

"Good."

Beast, Yaorao, and Iceberg were overjoyed upon hearing this. They knew the hall master was telling them to get closer to Shi Fen.

Shi Fen politely asked for their contact information and thanked them for helping him dissect the monster materials.

Beast, Yaorao, and Iceberg were thrilled. Although they hadn't received a promise from Shi Fen, it was only a matter of time before they could get a full set of custom-made SSS-grade equipment forged by him if they stayed in touch.

Seeing his subordinates strike up a conversation with Shi Fen and settle the matters, Hong took the excited Luo Feng, left the aggrieved, pig-faced Thor behind, and departed in his blood-red triangular fighter jet with his guards.

"Inhuman." Thor complained about Hong with a face full of grievance, then said to his own guards, "Fourth Brother is just from the forging department, not the combat department. Anything they can do at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, can't we do at the Thunder Martial Arts Hall?"

He then said to Shi Fen, "Fourth Brother, if you need any help from the Thunder Martial Arts Hall in the future, just go to them as well. They have full authority to act on behalf of the Thunder Martial Arts Hall in all matters."

Hearing their boss's arrangement, the eyes of Thor's guards lit up immediately. They had just watched Yaorao and the others chat with Shi Fen with envy; who wouldn't want a full set of custom-made SSS-grade equipment forged by Shi Fen?

If they could get their hands on a set of custom-made SSS-grade gear, their strength would increase significantly!

Only a fool would stand in their own way.

Shi Fen naturally saw through Thor's ploy, but he didn't expose it. He was happy to finally be able to return and inspect his harvest, so he simply treated both sides equally.

Watching Thor and the others leave, Shi Fen boarded his own fighter jet and began his journey home.

Shi Fen knew the fighter jet's AI had a backdoor left by Hong, so he didn't dare inspect his harvest on board. He lay comfortably in the rest cabin, waiting to do his inspection once he got home.

Seeing that Shi Fen and the others had all left, Babata immediately ordered the Cloud-Touching Vine to bloom at full capacity, hoping to attract Earth's powerhouses to Mist Island to select a successor.

Although there were two clear candidates for personal disciples, out of curiosity, Babata released the Cloud-Touching Vine and a large number of Wood Bud Crystals, hoping to discover another miracle on this "Miracle Earth."

Babata wanted to see if any more miraculous individuals would appear.

The blooming Cloud-Touching Vine, with its sixteen black-purple vines several kilometers long, pierced through the fog, waving and churning within it. The thick vines parted the mist, and Mist Island, which had been shrouded in fog for years, finally tore through the heavy layers to reveal its true face to the people of Earth.

It felt very much like "parting the clouds to see the moonlight."

About half an hour later, a military satellite detected the anomaly on Mist Island.

The information immediately began to be reported up the chain of command...