To Earth, an Encounter with Destiny

The brilliant light of teleportation faded before Qin Yuan's eyes, revealing an unfamiliar starry sky.

He was still a considerable distance from the Milky Way Galaxy; his teleportation had only brought him to the border star region of the Ganwu Universe Country. It wasn't that the system didn't want to send him directly to Earth, but that a Universe Master-level expert teleporting across star regions would cause fluctuations in the Origin Law, making it highly likely that other Universe Masters or even Universe Strongest experts would notice.

Keeping a low profile was Qin Yuan's most important concern for now.

Although he was a Universe Master, he had only just broken through to the first tier. His Gene Level was 1,000 times normal, yet among all the Universe Masters in the Primal Universe, he still ranked only in the upper middle. Any peak Universe Master like Chaos City Lord could grind him into the dirt.

"System, how far am I from Earth now?"

[Current location: Ganwu Universe Country, Silverblue Galaxy border. Distance to target planet (Earth): approximately 12.7 billion light-years.]

[Recommended route: use the Ganwu Universe Country's internal teleportation network, passing through 137 star regions. Estimated travel time: 2 years and 7 months.]

[Activate navigation mode?]

"More than two years..." Qin Yuan frowned.

Two years were no more than the snap of a finger to a Universe Master, but he was eager to meet the future Galaxy Lord. Luo Feng should still be on Earth, perhaps having only recently come into contact with the Dojo of Limits, or perhaps he was still a student.

"Can't I teleport directly?"

[Universe Master-level teleportation will cause law fluctuations. There is an 83.6% chance of detection by Ganwu Country Lord or Universe Venerables in the star regions along the route.]

[Host detected with 1,000 System Points. The 'Concealed Teleportation' function can be exchanged for 300 points per use, and will completely shield teleportation fluctuations.]

[Exchange?]

"Exchange it," Qin Yuan said without hesitation.

Spending 300 points hurt, but saving more than two years made it worthwhile. Besides, Concealed Teleportation meant no one could track his movements, which was crucial to his plans going forward.

['Concealed Teleportation' activated. Remaining points: 700.]

[Teleportation target: Milky Way Galaxy, Solar System, Earth.]

[Teleportation countdown: 3, 2, 1...]

This time, Qin Yuan felt no noticeable spatial fluctuations during the teleportation. The system's power far surpassed the normal system of laws in this universe. In a way Qin Yuan could not begin to understand, it transferred him instantly from the Silverblue Galaxy to the edge of the Solar System.

Beyond Pluto's orbit, a blue planet floated quietly in the void.

Earth.

Qin Yuan hovered in space, looking down at the planet that had been called "home" in his world. The Earth of this world had nurtured an unparalleled genius like Luo Feng and also bore the world-shaking grand scheme laid out by Sitting Mountain Guest.

"A soul-sealing barrier has been detected around Earth," the system reported. "Level: Universe Strongest (True God). Suspected to have been left by Sitting Mountain Guest."

Qin Yuan nodded. Of course he knew about the barrier. To protect the Earth Lineage, Sitting Mountain Guest had set up a soul-defense barrier around Earth that would block any attempt to invade it with a Soul Attack. Physical entry, however, was unaffected.

He moved, becoming a streak of light that passed silently through the atmosphere and descended on the outskirts of Jiangnan Base City.

Jiangnan Base City, Yangzhou City.

It was evening, and the sunset's afterglow fell on the buildings of the satellite city. Pedestrians hurried along the streets, all ordinary people. Qin Yuan concealed his entire aura and changed into ordinary casual clothes, looking just like an ordinary young man in his early twenties.

He strolled through the streets of Yangzhou, his gaze sweeping over everything around him.

According to the information provided by the system, Luo Feng should currently be undergoing newcomer training at the Dojo of Limits in Yangzhou City. At this point, he was only a senior high school student who had just passed the Quasi-Warrior Assessment.

"Senior year... so the story has only just begun."

Qin Yuan walked to the gates of the Dojo of Limits' Yangzhou branch and looked inside through a glass window.

In the training hall, a dozen or so young people were taking strength and speed tests. One well-proportioned teenager with a resolute gaze stood out in particular. His movements were precise and powerful, and every punch carried a fierce refusal to admit defeat.

Luo Feng.

Qin Yuan recognized him at a glance.

Luo Feng had not yet obtained the Yunmo Star Inheritance or learned the truth about the universe. He was just an ordinary teenager desperately swimming upstream in the little pond that was Earth. But Qin Yuan could sense an astonishing resilience within him, a will that would not give up in the face of any difficulty.

"System, scan Luo Feng's current status."

[Target: Luo Feng]

[Age: 18]

[Current strength: Quasi-Martial Artist (punching force: 1,200 kg; speed: 21 m/s)]

[Special bloodline: unawakened (Earth Lineage, Sitting Mountain Guest's contingency)]

[Potential assessment: SSS rank (growth type)]

[System notification: Target's compatibility with the host's Master-Disciple System is as high as 97.3%. Strongly recommended to take him as a disciple.]

"97.3% compatibility..." Qin Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

The Master-Disciple System's compatibility rating determined how much cashback he could receive from his disciple's breakthroughs. Anything above 70% was considered excellent, anything above 80% was exceptionally rare, and 97.3% was an almost perfect master-disciple bond.

As expected of the original story's protagonist. That compatibility is absurdly high.

Qin Yuan did not approach him immediately. Instead, he sat down in a café across from the dojo, ordered a cup of coffee, and quietly watched.

He needed to wait for the right opportunity.

If he appeared before Luo Feng out of the blue and said, "I'm a Universe Master, and I want to take you as my disciple," Luo Feng would only take him for a madman. He needed a natural way to approach him, so that Luo Feng would grow curious about him and come to trust him of his own accord.

The minutes and seconds ticked by.

The sky gradually darkened, and training at the Dojo of Limits drew to a close. The trainees left one after another, and Luo Feng was the last to walk out. His clothes were soaked with sweat, and his face was tired, but fighting spirit still shone in his eyes.

Qin Yuan rose and followed Luo Feng at an unhurried pace.

After walking for about ten minutes, Luo Feng turned into a relatively secluded alley. Just then, seven or eight burly men suddenly sprang out from both ends, trapping him in the middle.

Their leader was a middle-aged man with a shaved head and a fleshy face. He flexed his wrists, his joints cracking. "Luo Feng, right? Someone paid us to teach you a lesson. Break one leg, get a hundred thousand. If you know what's good for you, don't resist. You'll suffer less."

Luo Feng's gaze sharpened in an instant. He lowered his body slightly and took a defensive stance. "Who sent you?"

"You don't need to know that." The bald man waved a hand. "Get him!"

The seven or eight men rushed him at once.

Though Luo Feng was only a Quasi-Martial Artist, his talent for combat was truly astonishing. At the first exchange, he dodged the attacks of the two men in front and countered with a punch to the third man's ribs, doubling him over. But his actual combat experience was limited after all, and he was soon surrounded and forced onto the defensive.

Just then, a calm voice came from the entrance to the alley.

"So many of you bullying one student. That doesn't look very good, does it?"

The bald man turned to see a young man in ordinary casual clothes standing at the entrance to the alley. He had appeared there at some unknown point, his hands in his pockets and his expression relaxed.

"Kid, mind your own business!" the bald man snarled. "Or we'll beat you up too!"

Qin Yuan smiled and, without answering, started toward the group.

His pace was slow, even leisurely. But with every step he took, the seven or eight men felt the air around them grow a little more solid. An invisible pressure bore down on them, making it difficult even to breathe.

By the time Qin Yuan reached Luo Feng's side, the men had all collapsed to the ground, their faces deathly pale, as though they had seen something utterly terrifying.

It wasn't that Qin Yuan had used some Universe Master technique-using power on that level against a few ordinary people would have been like firing an anti-aircraft gun at mosquitoes. He had merely released a negligible trace of mental pressure, roughly equivalent to one percent of an Apprentice Level telekinetic's.

But even that one percent was enough to frighten these ordinary people out of their wits.

"Scram."

Qin Yuan uttered the single word softly.

As if granted a pardon, the men scrambled and crawled out of the alley, not even daring to look back.

Luo Feng stared blankly at the unfamiliar young man before him, his shock beyond measure. He had not sensed any fluctuations of power, nor even seen the man make a move, yet those vicious-looking thugs had all fallen.

It was completely beyond his understanding.

"Who... who are you?" Luo Feng asked with difficulty.

Qin Yuan turned around and gazed calmly at the future Galaxy Lord, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips.

"Someone... interested in your potential."