Time flies. A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

The Earth Star World had undergone considerable changes.

Secret Martial Artists at or above the Qi Dao Grandmaster level went into seclusion, never to be seen again.

Just as Hu Qi had predicted, in the fifth year after the disappearance of the Black Blood Species...

...the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy vanished completely, depleted.

The path of the Secret Martial Artist was, for all intents and purposes, severed.

No matter how prodigious the talents of later generations, it was impossible for them to advance any further.

Consequently, humanity could only focus its efforts elsewhere.

With the excavation of the second Noki Civilization’s ruins, technology entered an era of rapid development.

Now, looking at Earth Star from space...

...one would notice that the once-azure surface of the planet was now dotted with pale silver, umbrella-like domes.

These domes covered entire cities. They were constructed from super-strength nanomaterials, capable of resisting cosmic radiation and extreme weather while also automatically adjusting light and temperature.

This kept the environment within the cities constantly at optimal conditions.

On Earth Star, the city skylines were dominated by towering skyscrapers that pierced the clouds. These buildings were no longer made of traditional reinforced concrete but were constructed from new, intelligent materials.

Their surfaces were covered in a thin solar film that efficiently absorbed solar energy, converting it into a continuous power supply for the city’s operations.

Within the cities, fleets of pilotless flying vehicles and cars moved in an orderly fashion through a three-dimensional transportation network. They used advanced sensors and artificial intelligence systems for autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance, drastically improving traffic efficiency and safety.

On the ground, the roads were paved with deformable smart materials that could automatically adjust their width and shape according to traffic flow.

And underground, super-maglev trains connected the core districts of various cities at astonishing speeds.

Shifting one’s gaze higher, one would see the once silver-white, barren Moon Star.

It was now covered in a shimmering, silver metallic shell. This was a protective layer made of advanced nanomaterials that could resist cosmic radiation and asteroid impacts, as well as regulate the Moon Star’s internal temperature and atmospheric pressure, making it habitable for humans.

Giant, transparent domes, like crystal bubbles, enclosed one city district after another. The lights blazed brightly within, making each one seem like a small, independent world.

Occasionally, one could see aircraft traveling between the Moon Star and Earth Star.

The Inner Earth World had also been transformed.

However, it was not as prosperous as the surface. Its level of civilization and technology was only equivalent to that of the former Surface World.

In comparison, it seemed backward and barren.

This was a deliberate choice by the surface humans.

Although the people of the Earth Core and the surface were both of the Human Race, and could even be traced back to a common ancestor...

...they were not truly considered one and the same.

It was like someone from the information age looking at a primitive tribe living in the jungle.

In the current Earth Star World, people were divided into a rigid hierarchy.

The Inner Earth World was undoubtedly the Lower Class, while the surface was the Upper Class. As for the Moon Star, only the true elite could reside there long-term.

...

"Summer break is almost here. Lingling, do you have any plans?"

「Anshan City, The Surface」

In a coffee shop near a street corner.

Two girls, around sixteen or seventeen, sat facing each other.

The one who spoke was a round-faced girl on the left, wearing a pink hair clip.

She reached for the steaming coffee delivered by a robot server, took a sip, and looked at the girl across from her.

The girl called Lingling wore black-framed glasses and had a somewhat dazed expression.

Hearing this, she pushed the glasses up the bridge of her nose.

It seemed as if she had just snapped out of a daze.

"I’ve already signed up for Martial Arts classes at the Red Scale Martial Arts Hall. I’m planning to use this break to improve my strength and try to break through to the Qi Blood Third Transformation! That way, I can get some extra points on the college entrance exams."

"Lingling, with your liberal arts grades, you don’t even need the bonus points from Martial Arts. Besides, practicing Secret Martial Arts is too hard.

A Secret Martial Artist in the Qi Blood Realm isn’t even as effective as a single shot of a Genetic Optimization Potion. Even experts at the Martial Arts Family level can’t withstand a blast from a laser weapon.

My old man said that when I graduate, he’s handing the company over to me. I’ll hire you to be my company’s brain trust. We’ll be sisters in arms, making it big and strong. I’ll make sure you live the good life."

The round-faced girl patted her chest with a "leave it all to me" expression.

Her clothes were all the latest seasonal fashions. She was clearly more than just a little wealthy.

After speaking, she seemed to remember something and tapped a silver watch on her wrist. A virtual screen immediately projected out, hovering between the two of them.

On it was a tall, handsome young man. In the background behind him stood a huge, exquisite palace that looked as if it were made of mercury.

It was clearly a promotional ad for a tourist spot on the Moon Star.

"Oh, right! I’ve been wanting to go to this Guanghan Palace attraction on the Moon Star for ages. They got Brother Mingming to be the spokesperson this time, and there’s a chance to get his autograph and interact with him. Lingling, you have to come with me! I already bought the tickets."

Seeing this, the girl in the black-framed glasses, Wu Ling, was a little speechless.

The "Brother Mingming" she mentioned was a hot young idol who had blown up in recent years, and her rich bestie was a total stan who only cared about his looks.

"No thanks. I still want to rely on my own efforts. Besides, I feel like there has to be more to Secret Martial Arts cultivation. Those Secret Martial Artists from the past who could fly through the sky and burrow through the earth must have been real. Otherwise, records like that wouldn’t exist."

As Wu Ling said this, a fanatical look appeared on her face, a stark contrast to her previously dazed expression.

Watching this, the round-faced girl was a bit exasperated.

"Are you dense? Qi Blood Power exists, so it’s normal that you can master it through special training methods.

But all that stuff about True Essence, channeling Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy, flying through the sky... it’s completely unscientific. How could a person possibly—"

Suddenly, the round-faced girl stopped mid-sentence, her gaze fixed dazedly on something.

Wu Ling was all too familiar with that look.

It was the love-struck expression she got whenever she saw a handsome guy.

Following her gaze, she saw it was just as she’d expected.

The door to the coffee shop was pushed open, and in walked a handsome Young Man in a black trench coat.

After taking a to-go coffee from the barista, he seemed to notice their gazes. The Young Man turned his head and gave them a gentle smile.

Then, without lingering, he turned and left.

"Xiaowan, snap out of it! He’s already gone."

Wu Ling watched the Young Man leave and patted the round-faced girl’s hand.

"Oh my god, he’s so handsome! And he has such an amazing presence! He’s even better-looking than Brother Mingming! Did you see that? He just smiled at me! Should I have gone and asked for his contact info?"

The round-faced girl snapped back to reality, her face flushed with excitement.

Wu Ling was speechless.

But she also knew her best friend was all talk. If she were actually told to go say hello, she wouldn’t have the guts.

...

The Young Man walked down the street.

His gaze swept over the flying vehicles and cars hovering in the air and the skyscrapers that reached for the clouds.

A touch of melancholy flickered in his eyes.

’A hundred years... gone just like that.’

The Young Man was none other than Hu Qi.

However, his current appearance had been slightly adjusted.

His entire body was even enveloped in an invisible layer of the Power of the Heart.

For one thing, his true appearance was too perfect.

More importantly, as his power had deepened...

...if an ordinary person were to look directly at his body, they would be affected by his emotional fluctuations.

A single careless moment could cause them to have a mental breakdown or suffer a spiritual shock, driving them mad or even killing them on the spot.

Ordinary humans, and even Secret Martial Artists, were incapable of looking directly at his true form.

Fortunately, the Twisted Light existed.

Otherwise, Hu Qi could only have appeared as an avatar or clone.

Over the past century, after taking some time to rest and relax...

...he had spent most of his time in seclusion. After all, Cultivation could also reduce the consumption of Modification Points when increasing his strength.

He had, of course, overheard the two girls’ conversation.

A hundred-plus years was not a short time.

For an ordinary person, it was enough time for two or three generations to pass and for the older generation to die out.

Qi Dao Grandmasters no longer appeared before the common people.

The strongest experts ordinary people could see were merely of the Martial Arts Family.

As for the Qi Dao Grandmasters who came after the Martial Arts Family and could perform the Void Soaring Step, or the Refining God Venerables who were like Immortal Gods, people now treated them as mere myths.

’But for technology to have reached this level... it’s probably nearing this world’s limit, unless it can achieve dimensional ascension...’

Hu Qi took a sip of his coffee.

He hadn’t originally liked the bitter taste of coffee, but after drinking it for a while, it wasn’t so bad.

Hu Qi had a comprehensive understanding of the current state of Earth Star’s technological development.

In fact, with his memories from Nuo Star, the current level was merely equivalent to having barely recovered to the technological standards of the former Noki Civilization.

Just then, the communication device he wore chimed.

After Hu Qi saw the content of the message, he paused, a peculiar expression appearing on his face.