At the center of the Solar System, inside the sun.
Within the raging heart of solar fusion, where the temperature was unimaginably high, Su Changqing's figure appeared out of nowhere without warning. He once again sat cross-legged atop the rolling sunspots.
The moment he settled down, his aura rapidly withdrew.
His heartbeat, breathing, and even the spatial fluctuations around him all dropped to their lowest point in an instant, nearly entering a state of complete stillness.
The very next moment after he closed his eyes.
An invisible, intangible, yet incomparably vast gaze descended directly from the distant depths of the universe.
This gaze was utterly indifferent, carrying the majesty of one who judged all things. It slowly swept across the entire Milky Way, across Earth, and across this burning sun.
Within the solar core, Su Changqing maintained his state of stillness, even retracting his consciousness into its deepest depths.
Fortunately, Su Changqing's current state was sufficiently concealed.
As the primordial ancestor of the Starry Sky Behemoths and a supreme existence at the level of a Void True God, if he truly wished to hide, even Mountain Sitting Guest's sweep of consciousness could not see through his disguise in a short time.
That vast gaze swept back and forth across the Milky Way twice, seemingly finding no enormous hidden danger that could threaten the growth of Earth's lineage.
A moment later.
The invisible pressure gradually receded, and the Milky Way returned to its usual calm.
Su Changqing remained seated cross-legged in the magma of the solar core with his eyes closed, but the corners of his lips slowly curled into a faint smile.
He knew very well who the owner of that gaze was.
"Looks like using time reversal to pull that worthless fool back was still a little too risky."
Su Changqing pondered silently.
After suffering the betrayal of his previous life, Mountain Sitting Guest, once an exalted God King, had become exceptionally sensitive and suspicious, cautious in every respect.
Even that minuscule fluctuation from losing control had drawn this great being's investigation across an endless distance.
Sure enough, caution was the right choice.
It was better to create a proxy to handle matters than to appear personally and risk exposure.
At the edge of Sixth Satellite City, outside a logistics warehouse belonging to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall.
"Move faster! Stop dragging your feet! If this batch of high-density alloy armor doesn't get delivered to the front today, don't expect to get a single cent!"
A potbellied logistics supervisor waved the clipboard in his hand and shouted angrily.
Among the crowd, a blond young man gritted his teeth and lifted a huge metal crate weighing two or three hundred pounds with both hands, inching step by step toward the warehouse.
This young man was Dai Mubai, one of the current Shrek Seven Devils and the third prince of the Star Luo Empire.
In just a few days since arriving in this High-Dimensional World, all of Dai Mubai's pride had been worn away.
The Wilderness Zone was far too dangerous. Going there alone to survive was no different from courting death!
And within the city, everything cost money!
Without money, he could not even get a sip of clean water.
A prince like him, just to fill his stomach and rent a room, could only cast aside all his dignity and come to the martial arts hall's logistics department to work odd jobs.
Hauling heavy goods and cleaning.
Bang.
Dai Mubai set the heavy metal crate down and wiped the hot sweat from his forehead.
He panted heavily, feeling both arms tremble slightly.
The gravity here was already strong, and these metal objects were unbelievably dense. Even with his Level 37 Soul Power as a foundation, a full day of hard labor had exhausted him.
"Once I get settled and save enough money to buy Gene Serum, I'll be able to grow stronger! This isn't working—it's getting stronger! The road to strength is always difficult and rugged!"
Dai Mubai comforted himself like this.
Just as he was preparing to turn around and carry the next crate, a sudden commotion arose from the direction of the martial arts hall's main lobby.
"Look, a vehicle from headquarters is here!"
"I heard someone in our satellite city awakened Spirit Master talent. The higher-ups even assigned a special car to pick her up and drop her off. I'm so jealous. Why couldn't I have Spirit Master talent?"
Several porters tossed aside their work and craned their necks to watch. Dai Mubai could not help stopping as well, following the crowd's gaze.
In front of the martial arts hall's spacious main entrance stood an extremely luxurious extended hoverbus.
A young girl stepped out of the vehicle.
She still seemed somewhat unaccustomed to such a grand scene of being surrounded by people. Her hands were nervously intertwined, and her head was slightly lowered.
However, after using the high-grade nutrient solution provided by the martial arts hall, the girl's once sallow, rough skin had become fair and luminous, and her entire person radiated a different kind of brilliance.
Dai Mubai casually glanced at her and was about to look away when his body suddenly stiffened.
He rubbed his eyes hard and stared fixedly at the girl surrounded by everyone like the moon amid the stars.
"How is that possible..."
A storm surged through Dai Mubai's heart, his face full of disbelief.
That face, those features.
Although her clothes had changed, her temperament had changed, and even her skin had improved, Dai Mubai still recognized her at a glance.
That was Cuihua!
Ma Hongjun's former village-girl girlfriend!
Dai Mubai had seen Cuihua a few times when he used to go to villages around Suotuo City to find Ma Hongjun.
Back then, Cuihua wore tattered clothes and was grimy from head to toe. She was nothing more than a lowly country girl, and because her family had no money, she even had to do that kind of work to support the household!
But now, this country girl rode in a luxury car and wore expensive clothes. In the blink of an eye, she had become someone even he could not hope to approach?!
She was the one people had been talking about, the one who had awakened Spirit Master talent?!
Dai Mubai's emotions were complicated to the extreme.
There was shock, jealousy, and a trace of ecstatic joy at finding hope in desperation.
No matter what, they had both come from Douluo Continent. In this High-Dimensional World, where they had no family or friends and danger lurked everywhere, being from the same homeland was the best possible opening.
Dai Mubai took a deep breath, steeled himself, and quietly slipped out through a side entrance.
Half an hour later.
Inside a private room at an elegant café within the satellite city.
Dai Mubai sat somewhat awkwardly on a soft leather sofa, looking at Cuihua across from him. For a moment, he did not know how to begin.
Cuihua held a cup of hot milk, taking small sips from it. She looked equally nervous.
When Dai Mubai had stopped her car by the roadside earlier, he had truly startled her.
Only after recognizing him as that blond young master from Shrek Academy did she dare tell the driver to stop and make an excuse to meet him alone.
"Dai... Young Master Dai."
Cuihua set down her cup and called out timidly.
Hearing that form of address, a bitter, self-mocking expression flashed across Dai Mubai's face.
"Here, what Young Master Dai is there?"
Dai Mubai sighed, looked directly at Cuihua, and spoke with great sincerity.
"Cuihua, let's be frank."
"This world is too dangerous. Since we came from the same place, we should help each other."
"Although the martial arts hall values you now, you don't have any combat experience. If you run into danger, or if someone becomes jealous of your talent and secretly targets you, you won't be able to handle it at all."
Dai Mubai leaned forward slightly, the pressure of a prince bearing down on her.
"Let's form an alliance."
"Before your strength has fully grown, I'll serve as your personal bodyguard and protect you."
"In exchange, you'll use your privileges at the martial arts hall to help me obtain some basic cultivation resources, as well as Gene Serum that can rapidly increase my strength."
As he said this, Dai Mubai felt his cheeks grow hot.
He was the prince of the Star Luo Empire, the future heir to the throne, yet now he had to lower himself and become a bodyguard for a village girl.
If this had been on Douluo Continent, it would have felt even worse than killing him.
But circumstances were stronger than people.
In this High-Dimensional World, where any random Martial Artist could crush him to death, he could only cast aside all his lofty status, bow his head, and submit if he wanted to survive and grow stronger.
Cuihua looked at the noble young master who had once stood so high above her, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
She might not have seen much of the world, but she was not stupid.
In this unfamiliar world, the people at the martial arts hall treated her well only because they valued her talent. She truly needed someone who knew her background and possessed some combat ability to help her at her side.
"Alright."
Cuihua hesitated for a moment before finally nodding heavily.
"I agree. Tomorrow, I'll speak to my master and have you join the martial arts hall's training class."
Before you continue