“Hello, Rowan. Inspector Wang asked me to deliver something to you.”

Rowan had just returned to Jiangnan Pavilion when he saw an armored truck parked by the small bridge, surrounded by several seasoned fighters whose presence radiated the sharp edge of War General–level warriors.

A middle-aged man, clearly the captain, stepped forward and greeted him.

It was obvious he had studied Rowan’s file carefully he recognized him instantly, even from afar.

Rowan nodded, cooperating as the man scanned his fingerprint and iris. Moments later, the middle-aged warrior handed him a large alloy case.

“Thanks.”

Rowan smiled and carried it happily back into his villa.

Click.

Inside the training room, he recorded his bio-data, and the alloy case sprang open.

Nestled inside were several items, but one stood out above all: a sleek, spindle-shaped object of silver-gray metal. About 81 centimeters long, tapering to razor-sharp points at both ends, it was slightly thicker in the middle 27 centimeters across and etched with impossibly dense patterns that covered its thin frame.

“So this is the Void Shuttle?”

Rowan’s face lit up. With a thought, the weapon rose into the air and darted gracefully around the room.

“In the original, the Void Shuttle has three forms: offense, defense, and flight. In the first stage, its attack form is the Mountain-Piercing Drill, and its defensive form is the Heavy Mountain Shield.”

His mind stirred, and the shuttle dissolved into a flurry of thin, curved blades that shimmered like feathers in the air.

A sweep of his psychic sense revealed their number: exactly 365.

“Shame I don’t have the Shuttle Codex. Without it, I can’t combine these blades into the Mountain Drill or Heavy Shield.”

He studied the orbiting fragments like a halo of silver feathers and gave a small, rueful smile.

“No matter. Even in shuttle form, it makes a fine shield.”

After all, this was a third-tier psionic weapon, forged from materials far beyond vibranium. Even without specialized configurations, its durability alone could block most attacks.

But the shuttle’s greatest benefit was speed.

The Void Shuttle could more than double a psychic warrior’s flight velocity an outrageous boost.

At his current peak High War God level, doubling his speed meant that even many Council members would be unable to catch him.

With a thought, the 365 blades whirled back together, reforming the sleek shuttle.

Rowan’s gaze turned to the other items inside the alloy case.

A square box, a handwritten notebook, and a violet bamboo cylinder.

He opened the square box first.

The moment the lid cracked, a faint crimson glow leaked out, accompanied by a sweet, heady fragrance.

Inside was a jewel-like fruit.

It resembled an apple, but its entire surface was translucent red, gleaming as though carved from living crystal.

“The Thousand-Year Vermilion Fruit…”

Rowan’s eyes gleamed.

According to Hong’s notes, this fruit’s potency rivaled the legendary Scarlet Ginseng. Hong had hoarded spirit herbs for decades, and this was his very last one now passed into Rowan’s hands.

“Should I save it until I’ve fully absorbed the Scarlet Ginseng’s power… or just eat it now?”

He thought for a moment, then grinned.

“Forget it. I’m not strapped for resources. Let’s eat.”

In this era, the Vermilion Fruit was priceless. But once Earth entered the wider universe, such treasures would become far less rare. Luo Feng himself would later buy spirit elixirs by the tens of thousands of tons.

One little fruit was nothing.

“Time to push my warrior rank to peak High War God!”

He popped the Vermilion Fruit into his mouth.

The flesh was cool and springy, pleasantly sweet. But before he could savor it, the fruit dissolved into a torrent of heat, surging down his throat and into his stomach.

That familiar warmth spread, much like when he had consumed the Scarlet Ginseng, pulling him into a state like bathing in molten vitality.

This time, though, he remained far more conscious.

Soft red light rippled from his body for half an hour before slowly fading.

“Ah… comfortable.”

Stretching, his bones crackled like firecrackers.

“My strength jumped again!”

Clenching his fists, he could feel it. His physique had reached the very peak of High War God.

One more step and he would break through into planetary rank.

“Now both my warrior body and my psychic force are at High War God peak.”

A smile spread across his lips.

He was far ahead of schedule. Luo Feng still had six months until his college entrance exams, but Rowan had already reached this level. With a little luck, he might step into planetary rank before then.

And if, by fortune, he advanced to Star rank before the Golden Horned Beast’s rampage… then with the Mind Stone in his possession, he could soar straight to Star Rank Nine.

At that point, even the Golden Horned Beast would taste what it meant to provoke a true cheat-player.

Rowan chuckled.

Another detail caught his eye: unlike before, his body expelled no impurities this time. He was already at the absolute limit of Apprentice rank in physical refinement.

“Now, let’s check the rest.”

He picked up the handwritten notebook.

The four characters on the cover read: Essays on Domains.

It was Hong’s personal notes. The original.

Flipping through, Rowan quickly grew dizzy.

The essays discussed realms of perception, states of mind, resonance between heaven and man, the fusion of genetic force with cosmic energy sprawling, profound, and dense.

For now, far beyond him.

“My blade and movement haven’t even reached Insight yet. Better to wait until planetary rank before I touch this again.”

He sighed, closed the notebook, and set it aside.

Even Thor hadn’t comprehended domains yet and he was a genius versed in both mysticism and battle. Rowan was better off sleeping on it.

The last item was the violet bamboo cylinder.

Inside were four slim sticks of incense, each pale purple, each exuding a delicate fragrance that seeped into the mind, calming the body and spirit.

“Divine Incense. One stick per star rank. This had better be worth it.”

Rowan gave a wry smile. Each stick was worth more than the Vermilion Fruit. After all, a single spirit herb could guarantee the birth of a War God.

He stored the notebook and incense away. “Time to test the Void Shuttle’s speed.”

…

Whoosh!

Beyond Hongning Base City, a streak of azure light ripped across the skies toward City 001.

Rowan stood atop the Void Shuttle, psychic power surging to drive it at full force.

At extreme speeds, the etched patterns across its surface generated streams of compressed airflow, converging into a visible, streamlined shield that slashed through resistance like a blade.

The faster he flew, the stronger the effect until drag was almost nothing.

He became a bolt of blue lightning tearing across the wilderness.

Flying beasts scattered at the sight, too terrified to draw near.

“This shuttle is a masterpiece.”

His heart raced.

On his old shield board, his top speed had been 673 meters per second twice the speed of sound.

Now, with the shuttle, he was hitting 1,300 meters per second. Nearly double.

To put it in perspective: most first-rank Planetary warriors ran at 1,200–1,800 meters per second, but their flying speed was only 540–855.

At this velocity, Rowan could outrun most Council members with ease.

After all, Councilors couldn’t match a psychic master in the air.

He recalled Luo Feng at Misty Island, snatching spirit herbs while leaving every Councilor in the dust.

Speed was everything beyond Planetary rank. Without it, you couldn’t even land a hit.

Lost in exhilaration, Rowan suddenly realized he had entered the heart of City 001.

Perhaps he had flown too brazenly.

From within a derelict stadium, a massive golden vertical pupil snapped open, fixing on him.

“Hmm?”

Rowan felt killing intent lock onto him.

Before he could even scan, a massive azure shape exploded upward from the ground like a missile.

It was fast terrifyingly fast.

But Rowan was already a peak High War God. Such ambushes no longer rattled him.

“A Lord-level beast?”

With a thought, both his vibranium suit and Black God Set snapped into place.

Then he pressed down on the Void Shuttle and dove headlong to meet the attack.

In less than a second, the two collided.

A serpent-like beast with wings unfurled from its back. Its body shimmered with azure scales.

“A Winged Serpent. Mid-level Lord class.”

Rowan smirked.

“Your speed is impressive. But tell me… who gave you the courage to ambush me?”

In a blur, he twisted aside, dodged its fangs, and slammed his fist into its skull.

Boom!

The serpent hurtled back like a cannonball, smashing the stadium into rubble.

Hissing weakly, it lay twitching in the wreckage, its once-dominant golden eyes now wide with fear.

Rowan hovered above, gaze cold. He had held back otherwise that punch would have burst its head like a melon.

“Want to live, or die?”

The serpent thrashed, blood spraying, unable to comprehend his words.

Rowan sighed, conjured an SSS-grade flying knife, and held it ready.

Then an idea struck him.

He had once bought a Beast Taming Manual and recently studied the section on psychic communication.

Maybe…

Extending his mental force, he projected two primal concepts into the serpent’s mind: life and death. To emphasize, he pressed the blade to its brow.

Fear shone in its golden eyes. Slowly, shakily, it nodded.

Rowan smiled.

“Good. Now… I’ll implant a slave collar. Don’t resist.”

From his storage, he produced a nano-detonation collar given by Helen Zhao.

Though he could have embedded it remotely with telekinesis, Rowan chose to place it by hand to test the serpent’s obedience.

It didn’t lash out. Not even when he pressed the device into the cracked scales at its brow.

The collar sank in, fusing into a dark mark.

Satisfied, Rowan uncorked a vial of emerald liquid Water of Life and poured it down the serpent’s throat.

Almost instantly, its wounds began to knit. Shattered scales sloughed away as fresh ones sprouted.

Its eyes widened, shock and fear warring within them.

Rowan’s voice echoed into its mind.

“From now on, you’re my pet. Do what I say, or suffer.”

To make his point, he activated the collar.

Crackle!

Sparks tore through its skull.

The serpent writhed and shrieked in agony until the current ceased.

When it finally lay still again, it was trembling, eyes full of terror.

“Excellent.”

Rowan nodded. Even Lord-level monsters feared pain more than death.

He patted its head. “Now… take me flying.”

With a hiss, the serpent spread its wings, blowing rubble aside, and launched skyward.

Rowan stood proudly on its head, relishing the alien thrill.

Flying by shuttle was efficient. But riding a beast… that was style.

The serpent circled City 001, scattering lesser monsters like leaves before a storm.

Here, with no King-level beasts, it reigned supreme.

Rowan estimated its top speed at 600 meters per second. Respectable close to his own shield speed.

If it evolved to High Lord level, it could hit 750. Enough to give Councilors headaches.

“Not bad at all. With some training… maybe even a dose of dragon’s blood…”

He smirked.

With four vials of dragon’s blood on hand, why not experiment?

If this serpent proved obedient, it might even serve as his guardian beast in the Marvel world.

A pet that could dominate land, sea, and sky.

Perfect.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep