The instant the giant stone rose into the air, the students in the dozens of helicopters cried out, their faces filled with disbelief as they stared at the scene outside, completely stunned.

A massive stone, as large as a mountain, had actually taken flight. It even broke the sound barrier, flying at supersonic speed and stirring up a terrible storm. Was this really still the real world?

Many were dumbstruck, their faces etched with disbelief; some even doubted if they were dreaming.

This was truly too outrageous!

The Star Lord of Greedy Wolf had already despaired and given up on escaping.

Over four thousand tons! That was eight million pounds!

Such a weighty giant stone was tossed into the sky like a common toy!

Moreover, it broke the sound barrier, attacking and piercing like a sharp arrow. Such terrifying power definitely wasn't something an Innate level Martial Artist could achieve!

A Semi-Saint! Or even a Saint!

What's going on? How could such a powerful expert attack these students? A flicker of confusion crossed the Star Lord of Greedy Wolf's mind, then a speculation suddenly formed.

Could it be that someone wants to lure the snake out of its hole, to draw out our Myth Organization's people hidden on Penglai Island, intending to clear the obstacles? Is someone trying to deal with the Nine Heavens Profound Girl?

The more she considered it, the more plausible this speculation seemed.

The battle between the Nine Heavens Profound Girl and Athena would undoubtedly attract the attention of Transcendents worldwide. Among them, there would surely be some with ulterior motives, which was why the Myth Organization had dispatched members to secretly eliminate such schemers.

However, when the students were suddenly attacked, she had no choice but to intervene and reveal herself.

Damn it! Exactly which power is behind this? The Star Lord of Greedy Wolf cursed silently. She wanted to go back and notify her companions, but seeing the rapidly approaching submarine, she knew her chance was gone.

A mountain-sized boulder, weighing over eight million pounds and flying at supersonic speed, hurled through the air by an unseen force. The kinetic energy contained within this projectile, likely launched by a Semi-Saint or even a Saint, was terrifyingly potent.

Even a Semi-Saint facing such an attack would likely die instantly, let alone an ordinary Innate Great Grandmaster like her.

Death was certain! Damn it!

Just then, in the nick of time, Qin Heng, inside the armed helicopter, suddenly flipped his palm and extended a finger, gently tapping the empty air before him.

Only Nie Rongrong noticed this gesture.

Within the cabin, only she clearly saw a golden light, imperceptible to ordinary people, burst forth from Qin Heng's fingertip. It carried a sharpness seemingly capable of slicing open the void as it slashed towards the giant stone.

"Qin Heng, you...!?" Nie Rongrong looked at him, her expression filled with concern. She whispered, "The Star Lord of Greedy Wolf is facing an attack likely at the Semi-Saint level! The power is too terrifying, you need to be caref—"

CLANG!!

Before Nie Rongrong could finish, an incredibly clear and resonant sword cry echoed from outside!

Like the cry of a crane piercing the highest heavens, it instantly resounded in all directions. A golden sword light descended from the Ninth Heaven, like an Immortal's descending blade, utterly devoid of any worldly aura.

RIP!

Before everyone's incredibly shocked eyes, the golden sword light directly tore open a massive spatial rift, over three hundred meters long, between the giant stone and the Star Lord of Greedy Wolf!

BOOM!!

The massive rock, over a hundred meters in length and flying at supersonic speed, plunged into the rift with its unimaginably terrifying kinetic energy, then erupted with a deafening explosion.

It sounded as if tens of millions of bombs had detonated within, the noise alone terrifying to the extreme. Yet, externally, there wasn't the slightest tremor, not even a hint of a shockwave.

Everything became incredibly calm.

As the spatial rift carved by the golden sword light slowly healed and vanished, the sky regained its tranquility. The sea below also calmed, as if nothing had ever happened.

Heaven and earth, all things, seemed to stand still. Everything was enveloped in an unparalleled peace.

It was as if nothing had occurred, as if the earth-shattering attack from the submarine had never existed!

Just moments before, everyone's nerves had been stretched taut, worried for the Star Lord of Greedy Wolf.

The golden sword light had erased all danger in an instant, deeply etching itself into the minds of all who witnessed it, and especially into the heart of the Star Lord of Greedy Wolf.

A long time passed.

Only then did the still-shaken Star Lord of Greedy Wolf come to her senses. A flicker of relief crossed her beautiful face as she took a deep breath, cupped her hands in the air in a salute, and called out loudly, "Thank you, Senior, for saving my life!"

The sky was high, the clouds were pale, and a gentle sea breeze ruffled her hair, but no reply came.

「Meanwhile.」

Inside the armed helicopter, Qin Heng withdrew his finger and said to Nie Rongrong beside him, "Little Fox, if you don't want to return to Mount Tu this time, then stay with me."

"Huh?" Nie Rongrong was taken aback, nearly failing to comprehend. Then, her face paled. "You're saying this military training could be very dangerous? Right... that attack just now, even a peak Innate expert would have no way to resist. How could this be? Why would the military send us here for training?"

She couldn't understand it.

"Perhaps, for them, it has reached a point where they have no choice but to gamble," Qin Heng said, his gaze drifting towards the sky.

Through his Divine Sense, he could "see" the sea of Heavenly Essence boiling and surging. It wouldn't be long before the first large-scale resurgence of Spiritual Energy truly began!

The resurgence of Spiritual Energy would inevitably lead to an increase in the number of powerful individuals. This enhancement of personal martial strength would have a colossal impact on society's overall framework and even the geopolitical landscape of the world.

The nation had to be fully prepared before this great change arrived.

The students sent to Penglai Island this time were freshmen from Beijing University, Tsinghua University, and Fudan University—by conventional standards, the most outstanding of the younger generation.

Sending these individuals to Penglai Island, a Fairy Island where numerous experts from the ancient Mythological Era once gathered, was definitely not just for mere military training.

As Qin Heng gazed at the sky, in an armed helicopter from Tsinghua University, another young man was also looking upward before his gaze shifted to Penglai Island in the distance.

This great opportunity will surely be mine!

「On a small island three kilometers away.」

It was a desolate island, seldom visited by humans. The sea surged, crashing against the reefs, and the whistling sea breeze mingled with the roar of the waves.

At the island's edge, a man in an ancient Japanese Shinto priest's robe suddenly turned deathly pale. He spat out a mouthful of blood, clutched his chest, and knelt on the ground, his expression one of excruciating pain.

"Great Priest! What's wrong!?" Beside him, a beautiful woman in a Japanese miko outfit quickly supported him, asking with concern, "Are you alright?"

"DAMN IT!" The priest slowly raised his head, his gaze cold as he stared in the direction of Penglai Island. He ground out through clenched teeth, "Despicable Chinese! They have a peak Semi-Saint hidden among them! They ambushed me!

"Follow me, Miwako! We're going to Penglai, the legendary Fairy Island where Immortal Gods gathered! We must obtain that great fated opportunity and slaughter every last one of those pig-like Chinese!!

"The great curtain is about to rise! The success or failure of this endeavor is paramount!!"