Two days later, October 31st, in the early hours of the morning.

Rowan’s final ranking on the Black Dragon leaderboard settled at No. 79.

He became the sixth cadet in the history of the Elite Training Camp to break into the top 100 within his very first month.

More importantly, Rowan was only sixteen years old making him the youngest ever to achieve this milestone, younger even than the five legendary prodigies who came before him.

Everyone knew his future was limitless.

Rowan himself, however, didn’t feel much about it.

After all, he remembered clearly that in a year and a half, Luo Feng would join the camp and reach rank 68 in his very first month.

“But honestly, my comprehension doesn’t seem much worse than Luo Feng’s,” Rowan thought to himself.

It had only been a little over three months since he had started training in saber techniques, footwork, and force methods.

And already, his saber art had reached Proficient level, his movement technique had advanced to Micro level, and the second stage of the Ninefold Thunder Blade was fully mastered.

By speed of comprehension alone, he was hardly inferior to Luo Feng of the original tale.

Even more, just two days earlier in the Trial Tower, he had grasped the rhythm of harmonizing saber work with footwork. With that insight, both were set to break through to a new level soon.

So Rowan passed another half month in the Elite Training Camp.

By mid-November, his saber technique had reached Proficient Perfection, his movement technique Micro Perfection, and he had advanced into the third stage of the Ninefold Thunder Blade. His Black Dragon rank climbed to No. 71.

Behind the scenes, countless factions extended olive branches, offering him conditions more extravagant than the last. Rowan turned them all down.

These Earth-based powers were little more than chickens and dogs in his eyes, not worth wasting time on.

One day, after finishing his daily training, Rowan wandered idly through the Extreme Hall’s network when a specific notification caught his attention.

“The Extremis Serum has launched?”

His eyes lit up.

A quick search brought him to the Extreme Mall, where he saw the purchase link.

Extremis Serum – SSS-rank medicine. Once injected, the body fully heals from any injury, gaining enhanced regenerative ability. Price: 10 billion credits. Half price: 5 billion credits (requires two-star contribution rank).

Clicking the link brought up a demonstration video. A test subject survived devastating wounds and regenerated in seconds.

At that moment, nothing else in the Extreme Hall was discussed more than the Extremis Serum.

“They sure took their time before launching it. Careful, aren’t they…” Rowan muttered.

But then his eyes widened.

“There’s a weaker version?”

Below the serum listing, another product appeared: Extremis Water – Price: 3 billion credits. Half price: 1.5 billion credits.

Reading the description, Rowan froze.

Extremis Water could restore severed limbs just like the fabled Water of Life. The difference was that it didn’t grant permanent regeneration like the full serum.

Its effect lasted only thirty minutes before fading completely.

Rowan was stunned.

“No wonder it took them so long. They’ve completely dissected the Extremis virus!”

In just two months, the Extreme Hall had refined the Extremis formula to a point even Maya Hansen herself, the original theorist, hadn’t reached.

Rowan realized the modification was intentional, aimed at disabled Warriors who had lost limbs in monster hunts. Now they could return to battle.

Warriors made up the largest portion of fighters, and they suffered the most crippling injuries in the wilderness.

“This is going to crush the sales of Water of Life.” Rowan chuckled to himself.

Checking his Extreme Hall account, he noticed his balance shooting upward: a 500 million deposit here, 150 million there.

“Five hundred million from serum profits, one-fifty from Extremis Water?”

Rowan blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected them to give him shares from both products.

“Well, now I really have nothing to worry about financially.”

Within hours, his balance surpassed 30 billion and it was still climbing fast. Soon it would be hundreds of billions, more than he could ever spend.

Then an idea struck him.

“I should gift a vial of Extremis Water to Luo Feng.”

The serum couldn’t be given to normal people, but Extremis Water could.

Rowan knew Luo Feng desperately wanted something like this for his younger brother, Luo Hua.

“This is the perfect snow-in-winter gift. That kid will be moved to tears.”

Smiling, Rowan bought a vial, addressed it to Luo Feng at Nanan District.

When he clicked payment, he discovered something new he could purchase it free of charge.

The system had recorded him as the developer. He could send Extremis products as gifts without cost.

“The Extreme Hall is generous indeed.” Rowan nodded.

The credit went back to Hong, the founder. If the leader was upright, his people followed suit.

After confirming the shipment, Rowan sent Luo Feng a message.

In the past two months, Luo Feng had only messaged him twice once congratulating him on becoming a Warrior, another time congratulating him for entering the Elite Training Camp.

“Luo Feng, I sent you something. You’ll get it tomorrow. Remember to check.”

Minutes later, after school, Luo Feng read the message with wide eyes.

Why would Rowan suddenly send him something all the way from the Training Camp?

“What did you send me?” he asked curiously.

“Secret. You’ll know tomorrow. (smirk)”

Seeing the reply, Luo Feng chuckled and rubbed his head.

“Fine, I’ll wait and see tomorrow.”

His heart warmed. Rowan hadn’t changed at all still friendly, still the same easy-going tone, even as a high-ranking cadet in the Elite Camp.

After sending the message, Rowan shifted worlds once more.

Through a swirling blue-black vortex, he emerged into a spacious bedroom.

The south wall was an entire floor-to-ceiling window, opening onto a boundless ocean view.

Two weeks ago, Rowan had moved into this Vibranium villa by the sea.

He no longer stayed in the S.H.I.E.L.D. apartments.

Hill and Natasha had rooms on the second floor. His was on the third.

Returning to his room, Rowan checked his backup phone. Missed calls filled the screen three from Hill, four from Natasha, others from Sharon and Helen Zhao.

Rowan called Hill back first.

“Hello, Hill.”

“Rowan, bang bang bang!”

Gunfire echoed in the background as Hill’s voice came through, urgent.

Rowan frowned. “Hill, are you on a mission?”

“No, I’m chasing Barton!”

Rowan’s eyes widened in shock, though excitement flickered within.

He wasn’t too worried about Hill’s safety. With her Vibranium suit and physique now on par with Captain America’s, bullets were no threat.

What mattered was the name she just said Barton.

Clint Barton, Hawkeye. One of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s top agents, Nick Fury’s trusted right hand. There was no way he’d suddenly defect.

Which meant only one thing.

Just like in the original story, Loki must have used the Mind Stone to control him.

So Loki had arrived on Earth.

Rowan’s pulse quickened.

The Avengers’ story had begun.

“Hill, what happened exactly?” he pressed.

“Barton just turned on us. He helped some stranger steal the Tesseract!”

Hill’s disbelief mirrored his own.

Rowan responded immediately. “Stop the chase at once.”

“What? Why?”

“Hill, you know Barton. He wouldn’t betray us willingly. The enemy likely has mind-control abilities. If you pursue recklessly, you could be compromised too.”

Her heart skipped. Rowan was right. Bullets couldn’t harm her, but Loki’s scepter could.

She slammed the brakes, pulling away from Barton’s fleeing vehicle.

Watching her suddenly retreat, Loki and Barton both exchanged confused looks.

Following Rowan’s advice, Hill returned to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s base.

But the New York branch collapsed under the Tesseract’s energy surge. Fury led survivors to the Triskelion headquarters.

And immediately began calling in reinforcements.

Soon Rowan’s phone rang.

“Rowan, I need you.” Fury’s voice was tight, serious.

“What happened?” Rowan asked, feigning ignorance.

“An alien stole the Tesseract from us. That cube contains endless energy we must recover it.”

Fury’s jaw was clenched, though inwardly he was also wary of Asgard. Loki was, after all, their prince. Who knew what role Asgard itself played in this?

“Just one alien, and you can’t handle it?” Rowan teased.

“Uh…” Fury had no comeback.

He knew the deal. If they truly needed Rowan, they had to pay.

Rowan chuckled. “Maybe try other methods first. My appearance fee doesn’t come cheap.”

“…”

Fury sighed. The kid wasn’t wrong.

For now, he would try assembling the other candidates. After all, it was just Loki. And those others were far easier to control than Rowan.

Rowan ended the call without another thought.

He had already warned Hill not to fight personally.

That night, Hill followed Fury to the Triskelion.

But Natasha surprised Rowan by not going. She came straight home.

“Natasha, didn’t S.H.I.E.L.D. call? Why aren’t you with them?”

Bending to remove her shoes, Natasha smiled faintly. “Because my shift ended.”

“Uh…” Rowan stared, speechless.

Her smirk widened at his expression.

“I work at S.H.I.E.L.D., not for them. Fighting aliens is one thing. But skipping sleep? Not happening.”

Rowan laughed and gave her a thumbs-up.

She was even sharper than he thought.

After her body’s restoration, she no longer let Fury manipulate her, nor did she torment herself over her bloody past.

“And besides… with Hill gone for once…”

Her sly smile said the rest.

Rowan grinned back.

That night, the villa’s every corner became their playground.

…

The next morning, Natasha departed aboard a S.H.I.E.L.D. jet to the Triskelion.

Rowan learned she had been tasked with going to Mumbai’s slums to recruit Bruce Banner for the hunt.

She refused.

Even with her Vibranium suit making Banner’s rage less of a threat, Natasha wasn’t interested.

Her restored body had given her something more valuable than power hope for life itself.

Natasha was no longer the same as before, when Nick Fury gave her an order and she simply carried it out without question.

To her now, S.H.I.E.L.D. was just a job.

She would work during work hours, but her safety and personal time were not negotiable.

Before she left, Rowan reminded her once again not to let Loki’s scepter touch her.

Once Natasha was gone, Rowan didn’t bother to monitor Loki’s movements. Instead, he focused on his own training at home.

At this point, his punching power had reached nearly 59,000 kilograms, only a step away from the 64,000 required to be recognized as a War God-level fighter.

He was eager to reach that threshold as soon as possible so he could begin using the Spirit of Flora elixirs.

Inside his training chamber, constructed entirely of vibranium, Rowan wore only a pair of loose training pants. With the Dragon-marked Blade in hand, he moved swiftly and fluidly, slashing, spinning, and striking until streaks of cold steel light danced around the chamber.

“As expected, a psychic warrior really does have an advantage when practicing blade work and footwork.”

When his training session ended, Rowan paused, a smile tugging at his lips.

As a psychic, whenever his blade technique or movement faltered slightly, his telekinetic energy could nudge him back on course, correcting errors mid-motion.

That meant his training and his combat were far more seamless.

It was the same advantage Luo Feng had in the original story. Now Rowan enjoyed it too.

“A few more weeks of this, and both my blade and footwork will break through to the next level.”

Rowan gave the blade a casual swing, feeling quite satisfied.

When his movement reached Perfection-level, his blade technique reached Completion, and the Thunderblade Style reached its third tier, even breaking into the top fifty of the Black Dragon Rankings would be no problem.

“By the time Luo Feng even enters the training camp a year and a half from now, I’ll probably already be a High-level War God, with both blade and movement at the Insight level, and Thunderblade at the fifth tier.”

Rowan smirked at the thought, amused at how stunned Luo Feng’s face would be when that day came.

…

Meanwhile, in the Swallowed Star world.

At the South Bank housing district, Luo Feng was enjoying his Sunday when he received a call that a package had arrived for him.

He immediately knew it had to be the one Rowan had mentioned sending the day before.

Curious, Luo Feng went downstairs to collect it only to be shocked when he saw the delivery man.

The courier wore an Extreme Martial Hall delivery vest, but his eyes were sharp, calm, and carried a hidden glint of danger. His presence alone made Luo Feng’s hair stand on end.

That kind of aura he had only ever felt it from true martial instructors.

“A warrior… delivering packages?”

Luo Feng nearly dropped his jaw.

The courier was just as surprised when he saw the address.

He usually only delivered items worth over a hundred million, and this was just a slum neighborhood.

“Mr. Luo Feng, please sign for your package.”

Once Luo Feng’s identity was confirmed, the man handed over the box.

After signing, Luo Feng couldn’t hold back his curiosity.

“Sir… are you a warrior?”

“Yes.”

The courier nodded without hesitation.

Luo Feng gasped sharply.

It took him a long moment after the man left before he fully absorbed what just happened.

“To think… they actually send warriors as couriers…”

His heart trembled with disbelief, but then his fists clenched and his eyes lit up with a burning fire. Instead of discouragement, he felt even more inspired.

Rushing upstairs, Luo Feng tore open the box, wondering what Rowan could have possibly sent that required a warrior to deliver it.

Inside was a syringe filled with a crimson liquid, resting on a cushioned foam pad.

“What’s this?”

He picked up the instructions, then froze.

His eyes widened. His hands shook.

It took a long moment, but finally he drew a deep breath, forcing his excitement down.

“Hua’s legs… they can be healed!”

“Rowan, you…”

Tears welled in Luo Feng’s eyes.

His younger brother’s disability had always been the deepest wound in his heart.

Becoming a warrior, striving for wealth so much of his effort was for the sake of one day affording the legendary Life Water to heal his brother.

And now, that impossible dream… Rowan had given it to him.

Even if Rowan asked him to call him godfather now, Luo Feng wouldn’t hesitate.

“Fifteen billion… it’s worth fifteen billion…”

Luo Feng quickly searched online for information about the Despair Serum. When he saw the listed price, he almost choked.

“I… forget it. I’ll just owe him. Once I become a warrior, I’ll repay Rowan.”

That was the vow he made to himself.

…

Unbeknownst to him, Rowan had just risen in Luo Feng’s heart to the level of a godfather.

Later that afternoon, Rowan received a video call from Sharon.

She excitedly told him that Volvo’s electric car had officially launched and was causing a sensation in the auto industry worldwide.

Rowan listened but felt little interest.

If this news had come a few months earlier, he might have celebrated.

But now? It meant little.

After all, with Wakanda’s vibranium, he could become the richest man on Earth without even trying.

Money was nothing more than numbers to him now.

While Rowan trained in peace, Fury was busy gathering Tony, Steve, and Banner, even lifting the Helicarrier into the skies.

That night, events unfolded as in the original. Loki appeared in Germany as bait, only to be captured by Captain America and Tony.

But on the way back, Thor arrived in force, demanding to take Loki back to Asgard.

Inevitably, Thor and Tony clashed.

Yet with his vibranium armor, Tony managed to hold his own against the God of Thunder, trading blows evenly.

Thor’s lightning couldn’t break through the armor in fact, it only recharged Tony’s systems. And Tony’s weapons, while powerful, barely scratched Thor.

Eventually, Thor acknowledged Tony’s strength and allowed Loki to be locked in the glass cell aboard the Helicarrier.

Fury was ecstatic at their apparent success. The Avengers Initiative seemed to be paying off. He even congratulated himself for not asking Rowan to intervene because that would have cost him dearly.

But by the very next night, the situation unraveled.

Loki’s schemes sowed discord among the Avengers.

By morning, Hawkeye led a direct assault on the Helicarrier, nearly sending everyone to their deaths in a fiery crash.

Rowan, meanwhile, had slept soundly after his training.

At six in the morning, his phone woke him.

“Hello, Hill.”

He glanced at the caller ID and answered.

“Rowan, Coulson’s dying!”

Maria Hill’s urgent voice cut through the line.

“What? What happened?”

Rowan snapped fully awake. He quickly recalled the scene from the movie Loki stabbing Coulson with the scepter.

“His chest was pierced straight through.”

“Rowan, can we inject him with the Extremis Serum?!” Natasha’s voice joined in.

Rowan thought carefully.

Extremis was risky for ordinary people. Genetic destabilization could trigger catastrophic failure. But it wasn’t instant there was a window of time.

With stabilizers, the effects could be contained.

And with Maya Hansen’s refinements, there was even a chance Coulson could survive without losing control.

“Do it. Inject him.”

When the call ended, Natasha and Hill looked at each other, then pulled out a crimson-filled injector. In front of Fury, Cap, and Tony’s stunned eyes, they administered it to Coulson.

Red light spread across his body. Miraculously, his wounds sealed before their eyes.

But Coulson convulsed painfully, as though burning alive, before finally stabilizing.

The two women exchanged grim looks. They knew what this meant: genetic instability.

“His condition is unstable. We need to transfer him to Kroll Industries for treatment,” Hill said firmly.

Together, they took Coulson aboard a jet and departed.

The others could only watch in heavy silence.

Fury’s face darkened like storm clouds.

Not only had they failed to secure the Tesseract, but the Helicarrier had been nearly destroyed, and now S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secrets were exposed to Tony Stark.

The Avengers were slipping out of his control.

…

At Kroll Industries, Rowan entered Maya Hansen’s lab where Coulson lay recovering.

“How do you feel, Coulson?”

Rowan asked as he approached the bed.

“Not good. It’s like fire is running through me, like I’m going to explode any second…” Coulson forced a weak smile.

Rowan glanced at Maya. She nodded slightly.

“Can it be fixed?” Rowan asked.

Maya frowned in thought. “We can stabilize him for now. Whether we can cure it… I don’t know yet.”

“How long can you maintain it?”

“Six months, at least.”

Rowan nodded. That was acceptable.

“Have Shuri and Helen Cho assist you. Extremis still has room for improvement.”

“Understood, boss.” Maya replied.

Later, Rowan stepped out with Natasha and Hill.

“What happened? How did Coulson end up like this?”

The two women shared weary looks before recounting the failed attempt to hold Loki on the Helicarrier.

“Fury… he’s only good at managing ordinary people,” Rowan said, shaking his head.

For all his cunning, Fury was not as capable as he appeared. Hydra had thrived under his nose, and now Loki was running circles around him.

Before they could continue, both Natasha and Hill received alerts simultaneously.

“What? Loki’s at Stark Tower?”

They looked out the window together.

From Kroll Tower, Stark Tower was only a hundred meters away close enough to see the rooftop clearly.

There, Tony was firing repulsor blasts at a strange device, but no matter how many shots he fired, he couldn’t destroy it.

Rowan’s lips curved into the faintest smile. The show was about to begin.

He had no intention of stopping the portal from opening.

Without an alien invasion, how else could he seize the Tesseract and the scepter?

Besides, he had long planned to steal a Chitauri ship.

The Tesseract required specific coordinates to travel, but a ship with space-folding tech would be far more useful.

“Rowan, should we try to stop Loki?” Hill asked anxiously.

“He’s right there. If we move together, we can catch him. Especially with vibranium armor,” Natasha added.

“It’s too late now.” Rowan shook his head.

The Tesseract had already been fully activated by Selvig. Without the scepter, even he couldn’t approach it. Its energy shield could repel even planet-level beings.

“What do you mean, too late?” Natasha pressed.

“Watch,” Rowan replied calmly, pointing to the rooftop device.

A vast surge of cosmic energy gathered.

The next second, a blue column of light shot skyward, piercing the clouds.

A swirling black vortex opened in the sky above, like a gateway to another world.

Natasha and Hill both gasped, covering their mouths in shock as their eyes went wide.

The invasion had begun.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep