Yefan gazed at his parents, smiling warmly. His nose stung with emotion.
So many years had passed.
In the next moment, the family embraced each other tightly.
They spoke about many things, though Yefan had modified a lot of the details.
Some of the things he had experienced were too fantastical—telling them everything as it was would have been unbelievable for his parents.
"So, you accidentally entered a space rift and ended up living in another world for a few years," his father said, filled with emotion.
"Truly a blessing in disguise," his father added.
"Yeah, I got lucky," Yefan chuckled softly.
The space rift explanation was a convenient way to explain his long absence.
"All these years must have been hard on you," his mother said, wiping tears from her eyes.
"I'm fine," Yefan reassured her. "In fact, I've learned a lot of powerful cultivation techniques."
"Cultivation techniques?" His parents' eyes widened with surprise at the mention of those words.
Yefan smiled and patiently explained everything to them.
"This is incredible," his parents exclaimed, astonished by what they were hearing and seeing.
"No wonder we've been placed in such a secure area. I thought it was just good fortune," they reflected.
"Yes, and you can cultivate too," Yefan said with a smile.
"But we're already so old," his mother hesitated.
"That doesn't matter. With me guiding you, you'll definitely succeed," Yefan said earnestly.
Soon after, Yefan began teaching them the cultivation techniques. Though their age made it more challenging, with Yefan's help, guiding his parents to start their cultivation journey wasn't too difficult.
Time passed quickly, and before long, his parents had successfully grasped the basics and entered into a state of cultivation.
Yefan then stepped out of his home.
"Commander Zhao, you're still here?" Yefan called out as he saw the figure of Commander Zhao at the gate of the community.
The commander was sitting on a bench, staring at the sky as if deep in thought.
"Mr. Yefan," Commander Zhao quickly stood up at the sound of Yefan's voice, his gaze focused on him.
"The Supreme Commander of the nation wishes to speak with you," Zhao said, addressing Yefan.
"The Supreme Commander of the nation?" Yefan raised his eyebrows in surprise.
That was no ordinary person—he was the top military leader of the country.
"Is he here?"
"No, the Supreme Commander is quite far from here," Zhao explained. "That area is also being attacked by alien beasts and otherworldly beings, so it's difficult for him to come."
"But we can still communicate through a video call," he added.
"A virtual meeting, then?" Yefan quickly grasped the situation.
"Exactly," Commander Zhao nodded, awaiting Yefan's response.
"Alright."
Following Commander Zhao, Yefan entered the command center.
The video conference soon began and continued well into the evening before it finally concluded.
"Congratulations, Chief Advisor Yefan," Commander Zhao extended his hand toward Yefan.
"There's nothing to congratulate," Yefan said, shaking his hand.
In the meeting with the Supreme Commander and other national leaders, a crucial decision had been made.
Yefan had been appointed the country's Chief Advisor, responsible for establishing special martial arts academies across the nation.
Given the current state of the world, relying on guns and cannons alone was no longer enough.
Every human needed to become stronger.
"I plan to form a global Martial Alliance," Yefan declared. "We'll establish martial academies based on this organization and teach everyone how to cultivate."
He had made up his mind.
"Starting tonight, we'll begin with the soldiers of Tianyun City!" Yefan announced.
"Yes, sir!" Commander Zhao saluted.
Soon, Yefan appeared in the central square of Tianyun City, where all the city's soldiers had gathered to listen to Yefan as he taught them the cultivation techniques.
The introductory techniques were not too difficult, especially for well-trained soldiers. Cultivating came more easily to them.
The entire night, under Yefan's guidance, the square was filled with the silhouettes of people practicing cultivation.
As each person began learning the techniques, the powerful cosmic energy in the atmosphere surged into their bodies.
"This… this is cosmic energy?" Commander Zhao's eyes widened with shock as he felt the energy flowing into his body.
Although he had heard about the cultivation technique from Lian City, experiencing it firsthand was a different matter.
He couldn't believe how powerful the technique was.
It allowed them to absorb the cosmic energy present in the air.
While the Earth had always had faint traces of cosmic energy, the influx of energy from the space rifts had made the planet's energy more abundant.
This increased energy would accelerate their cultivation.
Without hesitation, Commander Zhao sat cross-legged on the ground, following Yefan's teachings on the Body Tempering Technique. He began absorbing the surrounding energy to temper his body.
Time passed.
Yefan hovered in the air, overseeing the mass of soldiers entering their cultivation state.
"My parents should still be in their cultivation state. I'll check the situation in the otherworld for now," Yefan thought as he scanned the vast square below.
In the next moment, he willed his body to move, flying swiftly toward the horizon.
Whoosh—
Yefan's flight speed was astonishing, and his figure quickly disappeared from view.
In a brief moment, he had already left Tianyun City far behind, heading toward the distant regions.
The area around Tianyun City was relatively clear of otherworldly invaders, making it a safe zone.
However, the neighboring city clearly bore the marks of devastation, with several space rifts visible in the distance.
The city had almost entirely become a wasteland.
Bombing marks were scattered everywhere, evidence of the brutal efforts to fend off the invaders.
There was no choice but to use missiles to deal with the alien beasts and invaders, even though it resulted in heavy losses on both sides.
And at the mouth of the space rifts, more alien beasts were still pouring out!
These creatures were enormous, standing twenty to thirty meters tall.
As soon as they emerged, their blood-red eyes locked onto Yefan, who was floating in the sky.
Immediately, they opened their mouths wide, spewing liquid in his direction!