WHOOSH!!!

  In an instant, all one hundred and eight of Seraphine's acupuncture points, high and low, erupted with brilliant divine light.

  Like greedy, gaping mouths, they frantically swallowed the boundless ocean of Ether flooding the world.

  Endless Ether was instantly converted by her into high-quantity Aether.

  WHOOSH!!!

  Aether, whose quality was constantly leaping, transformed into streams of almost materialized radiant light flowing profusely. They moved like hundreds of thousands of bright snakes of light, swirling and dancing wildly around Seraphine's body.

  SWISH SWISH SWISH!!!

  Seraphine's entire body flashed with cold light. In an instant, hundreds and thousands of phantom weapons appeared out of thin air.

  Sword light and fierce wind swept across the landscape.

  The bushes and grass within a few hundred meters, as if uniformly mowed by a sharp scythe, were suddenly sheared short as the grass flew everywhere.

  CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!!!

  The thick, hard rock layer beneath Seraphine's feet sparked with many specks of fire.

  It was truly plowed out by hundreds and thousands of Aether phantom weapons, scattered in a storm, creating countless hideous dents and grooves.

  Now.

  Seraphine finally took another step on the path of martial arts, reaching the second stage of Mystic Aperture:

  The Phantom Armament stage.

  After reaching this stage, the total amount of Aether within the practitioner's body will significantly increase.

  Furthermore, the control and usage of Aether will become more refined.

  One can materialize various phantom weapons as hard as steel to attack from a distance.

  And amidst the endless Ether tide, with the assistance of the evolved Eye of True Revelation, Seraphine's martial arts realm leaped again. It did not stop there.

  Suddenly rising another level.

  Reaching the third stage: The Aether Domain stage.

  Strictly speaking, this stage is the true essence of the 【Mystic Aperture】 great realm.

  According to Seraphine's deduction and design, this stage has a large number of layers, numbering over nine.

  Each layer requires the practitioner to Etherize the twelve acupuncture points around their body.

  Doing so, internally, can greatly temper and strengthen the body's intensity.

  Externally, it can use Aether to construct an Aether Domain several feet thick, providing both offense and defense.

  Each time this stage is advanced by one layer, the practitioner's body strength will increase by a segment.

  Simultaneously, another layer of energy field will be constructed outside the body.

  Finally, with nine layers perfected, the entire body's acupuncture points will form a single entity.

  The nine layers of energy fields will overlap and merge into one, reaching a thickness of several feet.

  Imagine if a practitioner is surrounded by steel walls several feet thick.

  Let alone single firearms, even if besieged by heavy firepower or even cruise missiles, they absolutely cannot be penetrated or destroyed.

  At this level, a martial artist's destructive power and sustained combat capability will completely surpass the ordinary.

  Even a greater number of regular Evershield Body experts would not be a match.

  But for Seraphine, who possesses extraordinary martial arts wisdom, the thickness of the energy field is not absolute.

  BOOM!!!

  A platinum light suddenly burst from her body, and a layer of energy field about several feet thick was instantly constructed outside her body.

  Its thickness far exceeded the theoretical 'few feet' count.

  But this was far from over.

  BOOM!!!

  Another layer of energy field appeared.

  BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

  Large areas of the surrounding air continuously vibrated. Layer upon layer of blazing light energy fields overlapped outside Seraphine's body, completely enveloping her.

  From a distance, one could only see a giant sphere of light rapidly expanding on the ground.

  Wherever it passed, grass, trees, and mud all turned into ash.

  A few minutes later.

  BOOM!!!

  A torrent of incredibly pure, ultimately yang Aether suddenly surged from the top of Seraphine's head, sweeping through the expanse of the sky.

  Centered around her, a platinum energy field with a diameter of a hundred meters and a considerable thickness rumbled as it enveloped the ground.

  In an instant, the weather changed unpredictably. Incomparably violent lightning flashed and surged within the upper cloud layers, as if it could descend at any moment.

  The entire world was suddenly enveloped in a great pressure, giving people an intense sense of suffocation.

  The Eye of True Revelation was indeed that terrifying.

  It actually allowed Seraphine to achieve complete mastery of the nine layers, reaching the peak of the Mystic Aperture great realm.

  Furthermore, because her physical strength and Aether quantity were originally greatly enhanced, the intensity and range of her energy field far surpassed the ordinary.

  BANG BANG!!!

  After the energy field reached a hundred meters in diameter, Seraphine's Aether color gradually changed.

  It began to transform from platinum towards pure gold.

  Upon discovering that 《Celestial Flute》 had been cultivated to its peak, Seraphine decided to use this cultivation method as a basis to deduce an even stronger one.

  "If the cultivation method is not enough, then I will create one more!"

  ...

  At the same time, those old martial artists hidden within the ancient sects scattered in the deep forests and remote mountains of Emberlight also broke through their barriers in the great Ether tide, entering higher realms.

  There were even some ancient monsters who had long since reached the Evershield Body realm and were living in seclusion.

  They too, at this critical moment, took the most crucial step. They found the threshold to the path forward in martial arts and even stepped into it.

  If at this moment the perspective were raised, raised, and raised again, flying into the sky and observing from the highest point in the air down below, then one could see on the vast and boundless land.

  Among the various wild animals, the extremely few individuals whose eyes held a spiritual light significantly brighter than their counterparts seemed to have all sensed something.

  Yes. They sensed the Ether.

  These animals, whose innate talent and aptitude were much higher than their peers, were all raising their heads and opening their mouths at this moment. They desperately used all their might, as if nursing, to gulp in the suddenly appearing endless Ether.

  They vaguely knew: Ether was a good thing, better than any food.

  This was merely the land.

  And in the even more vast ocean, countless large and small fish that humans had seen or never seen, as well as the mysterious deep-sea giant beasts beneath the deep sea, were also frantically swimming and evolving.

  Especially in the deepest ten thousand-meter trenches of the Pacific Ocean, some extremely large and ugly deep-sea monsters that humans had never seen before were all fiercely struggling and swimming.

  The danger level of these monsters far surpassed those of the land animals, and they too wanted to evolve.

  And on the surface of Earth.

  In many cities, towns, and throughout the wilderness, a handful of individual humans felt a sudden spark of inspiration. They realized, in an instant, the marvelous potential of Ether.

  They immediately dropped everything. They threw their heads back, opening their mouths and nostrils to desperately inhale Ether as if fighting for their very lives.

  For a moment, the natural world of Earth fell into an eerie silence.

  Countless creatures swallowed the surging Ether, evolving their physical limits and heightening their intelligence.

  As this small number of humans and animals continuously absorbed the energy, their genetic chains, their souls, and even deeper layers of their being began a rapid evolution.

  This manifested as a variety of supernatural abilities.

  Not long after the first great Ether tide passed, many newly awakened superpower users lost control of their temperaments. They began flaunting their abilities across every social media platform.

  Setting fires, spitting ice, or conjuring miniature whirlwinds.

  It was chaos.

  A few over-excited users even accidentally leveled their own homes while live-streaming.

  Among the observing netizens, there were those who questioned, those who were confused, those who were thrilled, and those harboring malicious intent.

  These live clips were quickly edited by thousands of users.

  Soon, fragmented GIF images of these supernatural displays spread like a virus, reaching every corner of the digital world.

  The meme 【Superpowers truly exist】 was born.

  Once it took root, it spread from one to ten, ten to a hundred, a hundred to a thousand, and a thousand to ten thousand.

  At an exponential rate, it spread like wildfire across the entire globe.

  The younger generation, those who live and breathe on the internet, were the first to fully grasp the existence of superpowers.

  They felt as if they had finally awoken from a long dream.

  They realized that superpowers were not just fictional illusions from movies and manga, but a reality existing in the physical world.

  They were ecstatic.

  Even that word cannot fully capture the raw emotion of these young people.

  They felt they had uncovered the true face of a seemingly ordinary world.

  Deep in their hearts, a wild desire to lash out emerged.

  In an instant, their neighbors, relatives, and elders became aware of these powers. Under the fervent pressure of the youth around them, everyone, whether they liked it or not, learned the truth.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Finally, the entire human society on Earth reached a boiling point.

  When the higher echelons of various nations noticed the "mass outbreak of superpower users," they realized with a massive headache that it was already too late.

  As the ones in power, they naturally knew about superpower users. They even knew far too much about Ether.

  In the past, Ether concentration was so low that it could never be absorbed or used by any person or equipment. It could not drive scientific progress or enhance human productivity.

  In their eyes, it was just another secret hidden behind the curtain, a secret with zero value.

  There were many such secrets.

  Take the extremely rare superpower users who had existed for ages. Their numbers had never truly grown throughout history.

  Although high-threat individuals appeared occasionally, their numbers were nothing compared to the eastern martial artists or western combat artists.

  At least 99% of those users could, at most, light a cigarette to look cool, bend a spoon, or perform magic tricks to impress girls.

  They weren't a threat to society.

  They weren't even qualified to be sparring partners for martial artists, let alone serve as cannon fodder for national armies on the battlefield.

  Therefore, in the priority list of global affairs, superpower users were always ranked at the very bottom.

  Compare them to the Evershield Body, the highest threat level in the martial arts community.

  Even though their movement, stealth, and direct attack capabilities were extreme, their various ability ranges had already been recorded by national militaries.

  There were countermeasures.

  No matter how strong an Evershield Body was, they were still carbon-based lifeforms with clear weaknesses.

  The combat methods of martial artists were not particularly mystical. They were based on close combat; their speed and strength were just far beyond ordinary people.

  If the military truly needed to take them out, they only needed to invest a bit of time into a combat plan and expend enough ammunition and force. In the end, they could be dealt with.

  The military wasn't overly afraid of them.

  But superpower users were a different story.

  Their abilities were far too mystical, and their types were too messy and complicated.

  Flames, ice, whirlwinds, hypnosis, transformation, extreme speed, regeneration, beast transformation, flight, telekinesis, multiplication, immense strength.

  There were even stranger, more dangerous abilities that completely violated scientific principles.

  In the past, their numbers were too small and their strength was too low. Even if their abilities were bizarre, they couldn't cause much damage.

  But after this Ether tide, intelligence departments conducted emergency raids. The higher echelons of various countries suddenly discovered a terrifying truth.

  Their old perceptions were completely shattered.

  According to the intelligence, those "older generation" superpower users previously on file had seen their power levels increase dozens or even hundreds of times.

  Some had surged by thousands!

  This is too dangerous.

  Simply too dangerous.

  Then there were the newly awakened, more numerous users.

  From a current perspective, their intensity is low. There isn't much difference between them and ordinary people yet.

  But the way the Ether tide boosted the original users caused governments to develop a strong sense of vigilance.

  If these high-threat individuals continue to grow in number, their impact on society is inevitable.

  They will actively influence, or even shake, the current social structures of every nation on Earth.

  Whether through violent or non-violent means, the result is the same.

  One can foresee it: the paralysis of human society, or the collapse of the entire Earth civilization, is at the doorstep.

  Thus, the global perspective, especially among powerful nations, underwent a quiet shift.

  In a very short time, one cruel order after another was passed down to every department.

  Specific "working" departments were ordered to organize professional teams. Their mission: to capture superpower users who intended to use their abilities for violence or illegal gain.

  Make no mistake, that number is not small.

  And that was for the groups that still followed the rules.

  Forces and organizations with no regard for appearances have already begun indiscriminately snatching superpower users for cruel experiments.

  Especially in war-torn regions.

  Warlord magnates with immense financial power are operating without restraint, completely ignoring any external influence.

  Thus, accompanied by chaos and bloodshed, the new era of Ether recovery officially raised its curtain.

  And in the arena at this time.

  The Ether was also incredibly dense.

  First, over a dozen martial artists sat on the ground, absorbing the world's Ether.

  Among them were Caelus, Vale, Veritas, Kael, and others.

  They all reaped significant benefits from the great Ether tide.

  Their realm increases are self-evident, but the key is that the seeds of superpowers have already taken root and sprouted within their bodies. They are growing healthily and will bear fruit after a period of time.

  Thereafter, more martial artists who couldn't sense the Ether, though somewhat bewildered, also followed suit. They tried to absorb Ether and cultivate themselves.

  Although they didn't know what was happening.

  But upon seeing the behavior of those dozen or so martial artists, they understood that some kind of encounter must have occurred.

  So they also similarly sat cross-legged on the ground, trying to sense the changes in the outside world, imitating what they saw.

  And among the martial artists present, the weakest had at least the Roaring Vitalis realm.

  Their physical bodies and souls were not weak.

  So it wasn't long before they also sensed the existence of Ether and began to absorb it laboriously.

  Compared to those who were the first to hear the "Sound of Evolution" and were trailblazers.

  Those who were slower to advance clearly had a significantly lower speed and quantity of Ether absorption.

  But this situation did not mean their aptitude was poor.

  It could only be said that the adaptability of their physical bodies and souls to Ether, as well as their sensing ability, was considerably weaker.

  Ten minutes later...

  Caelus let out a long breath and slowly stood up. He looked at Vale and Veritas who also stood up, stroking his beard and smiling genially:

  "My injuries are completely healed, my cultivation has soared. Marvelous, truly marvelous!"

  Vale cackled: "Yes, yes, indeed. Now that the world's Ether has recovered, us old bones might still be able to take another step forward."

  Clearly, he had received the information from the Sound of Evolution and fully understood the existence and function of Ether.

  Veritas clasped his hands together, sighing worriedly: "Amitabha, this poor monk feels the world may become restless."

  Kael in the distant auditorium cracked his neck, suddenly jumping up from his seat, saying with a cheerful expression:

  "Woah, I feel like I've already got one foot into the Evershield Body realm!"

  Alban, who was sitting cross-legged beside him, had an incredulous look. He frowned, looked at him, and said disdainfully:

  "What nonsense are you talking about, kid? How old are you?!"

  "Ai ai ai ~"

  Kael chuckled, "Ambition is not about age. Who knows, maybe I will be amazing in the future, and you'll still have to stick with me."

  "Go, go, go ~"

  Alban waved his hand with a look of disgust.

  Just at this moment, screams of agony suddenly echoed from the arena entrance, belonging to the guards.

  Before the crowd could even react.

  BANG!

  A shriveled, bloodless corpse was launched with a whoosh into the center of the arena, collapsing into a heap of grisly fragments. What horrified onlookers was that this pile of remains contained not a single drop of blood, eerily suggesting the person had been viciously drained before death.

  "How audacious!"

  One of Caelus's subordinates, a burly man in a blue robe, roared coldly.

  He took several steps in quick succession, intending to rush over and investigate the situation.

  But at this very moment.

  WHOOSH!!

  A grey figure suddenly shot out from the entrance, hurtling directly towards him.

  The blue-robed strong man's expression turned savage. He immediately bellowed and unleashed his fists, intending to engage the strange approaching enemy.

  A second later, the two collided.

  BOOM!!

  The air shrieked.

  A deafening roar spread throughout the entire arena, startling the martial artists who were engrossed in cultivation.

  CRACK CRACK CRACK!

  "Ah ah ah!"

  The sickening sound of bones twisting and shattering, mixed with agonized screams, echoed through the entire arena.

  With a sickening thud, the blue-robed martial artist slammed into the center of the arena.

  His two arms were grotesquely twisted and deformed into two masses of mangled flesh and pulped bone. His chest burst open, ribs jutting out and flesh peeled back. Looking inside, it was a hideous, ruined mess, utterly unbearable to behold.

  Torn into pieces.

  Died on the spot.

  The horrified crowd witnessed a mysterious figure in a gray robe with a covered face. He held a raw heart in his hand, gnawing at it rapidly as if eating an apple.

  Caelus's expression shifted. He shouted and leaped down from the stage, rushing to the corpse and kneeling to investigate.

  Vale and Veritas followed suit.

  "Instantly having his chest broken open and his heart taken... my subordinate had clearly reached the Metalborn realm. His body was as hard as steel. How could he be so utterly vulnerable?"

  Caelus glanced at the corpse and said in a deep voice: "Furthermore, more than half of his vital energy is dried up, as if completely drained. This..."

  Vale narrowed her eyes and spoke in a hoarse voice: "The 《Hellblood Sutra》! Only this wicked technique can achieve this."

  Abbot Veritas's white eyebrows furrowed tightly: "Could it be that great demon from before?"

  The three people's expressions suddenly turned serious. They looked up at the gray-robed figure slowly walking onto the arena in the distance.

  Caelus said heavily: "You are actually not dead!"

  "Even with only half a body left, you can still survive. Truly..."

  Vale said gloomily: "A scourge that lasts a thousand years!"

  Veritas's prayer beads spun rapidly in his hand. He said solemnly: "The aura of blood resentment is so dense, even greater than before. Indeed, it is you, this great demon!!"

  Alban, sitting in the stands, was struck as if by lightning upon hearing the words of the great elders.

  He couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock and say: "Zhoutian Velos? Zhoutian Velos! We're doomed, doomed, doomed..."

  Kael probed curiously, asking: "What's happening? What's finished finished finished finished?"

  Alban shouted as he stood up, grabbed the bewildered Kael, and ran outwards. He roared as he ran:

  "Stop asking! What the hell are you asking?! Hurry and follow me!"

  "Hey hey hey!"

  Kael was dragged along, his feet constantly stumbling, his head wildly turning to look around.

  He saw that among the surrounding crowd, only a few older people were struggling to escape.

  Those younger ones, who looked down on him, remained in their original seats. They seemed determined to watch the commotion to the end.

  These martial artists were used to seeing blood. Even witnessing someone die in such a gruesome manner right before their eyes, they still didn't feel overly affected.

  "Stop looking! I'll tell you when we're far away."

  Leaving behind these words, Alban gritted his teeth and pulled Kael's footsteps faster. In an instant, they disappeared from the arena.

  On the stage.

  The grey-robed man named Velos raised his eyes to look at the three people who were ready for battle in the distance. He couldn't help but let out a hoarse, prolonged laugh:

  "I have to say, that previous ambush indeed took half of my life.

  But I am naturally blessed with strong fortune. Even if severely wounded, I will still experience the sweetness after suffering."

  Caelus said solemnly: "Before, half of your body was shattered, and finally, you fell into a sea infested with sharks. I didn't expect you could survive like that."

  Vale continued coldly: "Moreover, you could even regenerate your limbs. Velos, you are truly a beast not raised by humans!"

  "Ah ah ah ah, and it's all thanks to you all."

  Velos let out a weak, cold laugh.

  "Over the past twenty years, I have endured the boundless agony brought by my ruined limbs, day and night.

  Finally, I perfectly fused Western Blood Witchcraft with Eastern Martial Arts, thereby creating a supreme great technique!"

  Having said that, Velos suddenly tore apart his grey robe, revealing a body that was abnormally muscular and unlike that of a human.

  "Shattering the old body and forging a new form, I have finally leaped above the Evershield Body realm!"

  Velos's incredibly burly body was revealed.

  Crimson lines snaked across his shoulders, neck, chest, and abdomen, even forming a grotesque, large demonic face on his back.

  His eyes had mutated into two red orbs emitting half a meter of crimson light.

  A mess of grey hair on the back of his head danced wildly without wind.

  Looking from a distance, his entire being was filled with a bloodthirsty, maniacal, evil, and tyrannical aura.

  More like a demon than a human.

  "Did you feel that enormous energy that just descended from the sky? Thanks to its blessing, I seem to have become stronger again!"

  Velos said in a hoarse voice: "Sigh... What a pity. I had already glimpsed the path forward in martial arts before. Given a little more time, I could definitely have broken through the Evershield Body!

  It's all because of you all, making me waste so many years.

  Tell me, how should I repay you all?!"

  Caelus, over a hundred meters away, said in a cold voice: "You bloodthirsty lunatic who kills for pleasure, a demonic... I only regret killing you too late!"

  "Oh dear."

  Velos shook his head.

  "They were just some useless commoners. Kill them if they're killed. We Evershield Body martial artists are extraordinary and transcendent. How can mortals compare?

  Caelus, oh Caelus, from this, it can be seen how weak and ordinary your martial arts will is.

  I conclude, in this life, you absolutely cannot ascend the path forward in martial arts!

  Ah, no, you will die here today!"

  "Amitabha!"

  Veritas pressed his palms together, and chanted a loud Buddhist phrase:

  "Demon, before, to create your evil technique, you emptied three entire villages, with several thousand lives tragically perishing by your hand. Do you not have a shred of remorse?"

  "Remorse? HA HA HA HA HA HA!!"

  Velos let out a wild laugh.

  "For the birth of my peerless divine technique, their deaths were meaningful.

  Martial arts are fundamentally born for slaughter. If you fear this and fear that, what the hell are you practicing martial arts for!"

  Outside the arena.

  Kael, who had been dragged and run several thousand meters outwards by Alban, could no longer contain himself and urgently asked:

  "Hey hey hey, hurry up and tell me, what's that person's background?"

  Alban, without turning his head, ran and said:

  "That Velos was the number one under heaven in the past, known at that time as the 'Martial Arts Beast'!

  In that era, there were about ten Evershield Body experts. But because that demon couldn't break through his realm for a long time, he went mad and started killing people everywhere, provoking public outrage. Finally, the other nine great Evershield Body experts set up a trap and besieged him.

  In the end, it took four fully buried Evershield Body experts to kill that demon and sink him into the sea. Who would have thought that today we would encounter this killing fiend again!"

  "So badass!" Kael exclaimed in admiration, his mouth agape.

  Alban sighed, saying: "Now there are only my master and his two fellow Evershield Body experts left, and everyone is injured. It's impossible for them to win. If we stay there, we'll only be a burden and of no use..."

  Before he could finish speaking, an incredibly powerful vital energy...

  No!

  It was a fluctuation of power more advanced than vital energy that surged over, forcing the two of them back several steps.

  "What's happening?!"

  The two assumed defensive stances while intently looking ahead.