anwhile, at The Martial Paragon Hall on Ancient Earth.
More than a dozen powerhouses, each radiating a terrifying aura, were gathered around the hall. They waited in solemn silence, their expressions grave.
Among them, seven were elderly, four were middle-aged, and one was a woman in her twenties dressed in flowing robes of fla.
Every single one of these individuals was a Stellar Class powerhouse of the human race.
The five younger powerhouses had all attained the Stellar Class within the last fifty thousand years.
Among them, the woman dressed in fla-colored robes was Ignis. She was the only female mber of The High Guardians to reach the Stellar Class, a feat she accomplished just over ten thousand years ago.
Her talent was considered second only to The Martial Paragon himself.
In a re fifteen thousand years, she had already reached Stellar Class (Rank 3), making her the fourth strongest individual in the human race.
Hummmmm—!
Suddenly, a massive surge of energy rippled through the air. At the center of The Martial Paragon Hall, atop the primary throne, a shimr of virtual power began to fluctuate. Monts later, an old man clad in a pitch-black robe appeared before them, radiating an aura capable of shattering worlds.
Though this elder was nearing the end of his natural lifespan, his spirit and vitality were at their absolute peak.
He appeared several tis more robust and vigorous than those Stellar Class powerhouses who were only seventy or eighty thousand years old.
Upon seeing the old man, every one of The High Guardians stood up in unison.
"Greetings, Lord Martial Paragon!"
"Greetings, Lord Martial Paragon!"
"Greetings, Lord Martial Paragon!"
"Greetings, Lord Martial Paragon!"
...
...
At that mont, everyone offered a deep, respectful salute, their reverence coming from the very depths of their souls.
"You lot... how many tis must I tell you? There is no need for such formalities."
Seeing these junior powerhouses of the human race who had grown into their own, The Martial Paragon smiled and stroked his beard.
His gaze then shifted toward Ignis, the only one among them who could still be considered young, and he spoke with a chuckle.
"Ignis, your strength has grown significantly again. Keep working hard; perhaps the burden of guarding the human race will fall to you."
The Martial Paragon nodded with satisfaction. Reaching Stellar Class (Rank 3) at only fifteen thousand years of age gave her a very real chance of becoming a Stellar Class (Rank 9) powerhouse in the future.
If that happened, the powerhouses of the other four races wouldn't dare to pressure humanity so heavily. After all, their strongest leaders were only around the eighth rank.
"You overpraise , ntor. My strength... it is still far too weak," Ignis replied, her voice tinged with a hint of dejection.
She knew all too well that, despite her talent, she wouldn't be able to step into her ntor's position in ti. The Martial Paragon's end was drawing near.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. These old bones of mine can still hold out for a while. Perhaps, in the ti I have left, I can find a way to break through—or find a way to enhance your talent."
Looking at Ignis's expression, The Martial Paragon let out a soft sigh.
In recent years, he had been wandering beyond The Milky Way. His first goal was to see if he could find a breakthrough, as he had been stuck at the limit of the Stellar Class for many years. His second goal was to find treasures that could elevate his disciple's innate potential.
Regrettably, he had achieved neither.
"Right then. Did you summon back for sothing important? Are those four other races acting up again? If they're getting too arrogant, I’ll just go and slaughter those four old fossils before I do anything else."
The Martial Paragon suddenly recalled the purpose of the eting. His tone was curious at first, but by the end, it was laced with an overwhelming, bone-chilling Psionic Pressure.
He wasn't overly worried about the state of humanity after his passing because he had already made a decision: before he died, he would personally execute the strongest leaders of the other four races. As soone at the absolute limit of the Stellar Class, he possessed the power to do exactly that.
The strongest among those races were only Stellar Class (Rank 8), with the absolute best being Rank 9.
To put it bluntly, even if they all attacked him together, they wouldn't necessarily be his match.
Hearing the Paragon's words, The High Guardians all shared a wry smile. This wasn't the first ti The Martial Paragon had made such a threat.
Thirty thousand years ago, when the other four races saw the terrifying speed of human developnt, they ford an alliance to wipe humanity out. However, before their armies could even mobilize, The Martial Paragon caught wind of it and launched a preemptive strike.
The result was sothing the four races found impossible to accept: their respective leaders were all hamred into oblivion by The Martial Paragon alone. At the ti, The Martial Paragon was only Stellar Class (Rank 9), and his opponents were of the sa rank—one was even at Rank 10.
And yet, they all died. Every single one of them.
That battle left the four races utterly terrified.
For over twenty thousand years, they didn't dare provoke the human race.
The only reason they had started acting up recently was because they had calculated that The Martial Paragon’s hundred-thousand-year lifespan was nearly up. Furthermore, he had been missing for many years, so they were testing the waters to see if he was still alive.
If The Martial Paragon were truly dead, they would mobilize their entire forces. If all four races attacked at once, humanity would have no way to resist.
Little did they know that The Martial Paragon had once discovered a treasure in a secret realm that extended his life by five thousand years. Theoretically, he could live for a hundred and five thousand years.
While most people died before hitting the hundred-thousand-year mark, The Martial Paragon still had at least one or two thousand years of life remaining.
Perhaps, in that ti, he might break through to the Galactic Realm. If he did, his lifespan would jump to a million years, allowing him to suppress the fortune of the human race for another millennium. By then, humanity would completely dominate The Milky Way.
"Lord Martial Paragon, we actually have two pieces of good news for you," Guardian Aether spoke up hastily. Though not the strongest, he was the most senior of The High Guardians.
Almost everyone present had grown up under his watch. It was a sha he had reached his peak too early, before The Martial Paragon could find the heavenly treasures needed to boost his talent; otherwise, his strength would be several ranks higher.
"Oh? Good news, and two of them?" The Martial Paragon's eyes lit up. If all twelve of The High Guardians had gathered to deliver "good news," it was definitely no small matter.
Of course, as long as it wasn't bad news, he was happy.
"The first is that just a few minutes ago, our Central Intellect intercepted a ssage sent by a Tartaran Planetary Class powerhouse right before his death.
The ssage reveals that an unexplored secret realm has appeared within the borders of The Milky Way!
As soon as we discovered the video log, we dispatched the nearest experts to investigate. It’s confird—the realm is indeed untouched!"
Guardian Aether excitedly shared the news with The Martial Paragon, while simultaneously transmitting all the video data and analytical reports.
After reviewing the footage and the data, The Martial Paragon's pupils constricted slightly.
An unexplored secret realm... that ant it almost certainly contained the inheritance of a powerhouse who was at least at the Galactic Realm!
If he could obtain an inheritance of that level, there was a very high probability he could ascend and beco a super-powerhouse of the Galactic Realm.
The thought made him tremble with excitent. Although he had long ago co to terms with life and death, the approach of his limit had weighed heavily on him. He feared that once he was gone, the human race would be exterminated by the other races.
He had watched humanity grow from its infancy; to him, every human was like his own child.
Now, an opportunity to break through his current limits was practically within his grasp. He couldn't suppress the tremor of excitent in his soul.
"Good news. This is incredible news," The Martial Paragon said, his voice grave and urgent. "I’m returning to The Milky Way imdiately. At top speed, it should take about a day. Listen carefully: you must enact a total information blackout for the next hour. Under no circumstances can the other races discover this!"
He paused, his mind racing. "Based on the footage of that Tartaran’s death, this secret realm is likely searching for a successor with high talent. Take a group of our best geniuses and see if any can enter. If soone is fortunate enough to obtain that inheritance, it’s as good as if I had claid it myself."
The weight of his words hung heavy in the air. If the other races caught wind of this, humanity’s future would be in jeopardy. But if soone—anyone—secured that legacy, The Martial Paragon was prepared to personally guard them for at least two thousand years, ensuring they reached their full potential.
He would spend his final years sweeping away every obstacle in their path. Humanity’s hope would be placed in their hands. The species would not only survive but thrive, growing stronger than ever before.
Of course, if he returned and claid the inheritance himself, that would be just as well.
Even as he spoke, his physical body was already boarding humanity’s sole Tier 7 starship. The engines roared to life, and the vessel tore through the void at maximum velocity toward The Milky Way.
"Understood. The orders have been dispatched," Guardian Aether replied, matching his solemn tone. "We are gathering every S-rank genius and above to attempt the trial. Regardless of their current power, as long as they were ever evaluated as S-rank, they will be sent to try."
The Martial Paragon gave a sharp nod of approval.
"Good," he said, a rare, relaxed smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Now, what was the second piece of good news? Don't tell you found two secret realms?" He allowed himself the small joke; now that he was en route, there was no use in being consud by anxiety.
However, as the topic shifted to the second update, the atmosphere among the others beca electric with excitent.
"Actually," Guardian Aether said, his voice trembling with emotion, "this might be even more significant than a secret realm."
"Oh?" The Martial Paragon’s eyes sharpened.
"Humanity has produced a monster—a super-genius nad Lance," Guardian Aether reported, his excitent boiling over. "Based on every tric we have, his talent is at least SS-rank. Personally, I suspect it’s even higher. Ever since I first encountered him, I've never once seen that boy use his full strength."
The Martial Paragon stood up so abruptly his chair nearly flew backward. "An SS-rank genius? Possibly higher? Are you certain?"
He was genuinely shaken. He knew better than anyone that a secret realm was a gamble—it was fraught with lethal dangers that could kill even him. Even if he survived and gained the inheritance, there was no guarantee he would reach the Galactic Realm before his ti ran out.
If the inheritance went to a lesser talent, they would likely hit a ceiling at the Stellar Class regardless of the teaching. Even the undivided attention of a Galactic Realm powerhouse couldn't guarantee the creation of another; history was littered with the tragedies of great masters whose legacies died with them because their disciples lacked the talent to carry the torch.
But an SS-rank talent changed everything.
With that kind of potential, reaching the Stellar Class was a certainty. With enough resources and proper guidance, breaking into the Galactic Realm beca a genuine possibility.
The Martial Paragon rembered his own path. He had been an SS-rank genius, though only just barely. He had been born in an era when humanity had only just begun to crawl into the stars. Had he not stumbled upon a cultivation thod by sheer luck, his talent—even if it had been SSS-rank—would have ant nothing. He had spent his life fumbling in the dark, inventing his own techniques and clawing for every scrap of resources.
Despite those impossible odds, he had reached the peak of the Stellar Class. A boy like Lance, with the sa talent and the backing of a modern federation, couldn't possibly fail to reach that level.
"Yes. Here is his file and all recorded combat footage," Guardian Aether said, quickly pulling up the archives.
He projected the videos: Lance slaughtering the Blaze Demon Wolves on Pyre-7 and the subsequent footage from Solaris Academy where he cut through over a dozen human geniuses.
The Martial Paragon watched the screen, a storm of emotions surging within him as he analyzed every movent, every flick of the boy's wrist.
Fifteen years old. He had killed over a dozen S-rank geniuses at the Grandmaster level, plus an S rank elite. And he had done it in a single strike. One move. The sheer absurdity of that talent left even The Martial Paragon reeling.
The surrounding High Guardians watched the playback, their hearts hamring against their ribs. It wasn't just Lance's power that shocked them; it was the fact that such power resided in soone so young. It defied logic.
"Is this all? Just these two videos?" The Martial Paragon asked, taking a deep, steadying breath. These clips alone proved Lance was an SS-rank talent, but he didn't quite see the "terrifying" level Guardian Aether had described. Hidden strength, after all, was hard to judge from a distance.
"There is one more battle," Guardian Aether said, a look of awe crossing his face as he recalled the destruction of House Sterling on the Mother Planet. "In my opinion, this one is far more frightening."
He pulled the surveillance footage from The Imperial Hub on Planet Silvermoon.
On the screen, a pillar of fla plunged from the heavens, striking with such terrifying precision that the viewers fell into a stunned silence.
The control over that energy was uncanny. Truthfully, only a handful of people in that room were capable of that level of surgical accuracy.
As he watched the inferno descend, The Martial Paragon’s eyes erupted with a brilliant light. For the first ti in centuries, he felt a flicker of true hope. After all these years, humanity had finally produced soone capable of taking the burden from his shoulders.
He began devouring Lance’s history—his rise from a War Orphan to his current heights. As soone who had endured a similarly grueling path, The Martial Paragon understood exactly how much hardship and grit it took to survive such an upbringing.
When he saw that Lance had raised Lillian—a girl with whom he shared no blood—he knew everything he needed to know about the boy's character. If Lance beca a powerhouse, he would be like him: a man of selfless devotion to his people.
"That level of energy control... at his current realm, he’s already at the peak of the Master rank," The Martial Paragon whispered. "Any normal person with that control would be an S genius, but his martial arts talent is equally overwhelming."
He looked at the frozen image of the boy on the screen. "This talent isn't just SS-rank. It’s SSS. Humanity has hope!"
He slamd his fist onto the table. "This boy, Lance... he is the next Martial Paragon!"
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