.Global Asset: Rebirth Of The Ruthless Scholar
Chapter 1: The Global Challenge
As The Forbidden City Of Multan Pulsed With Violet Energy, The Rest Of The World's Superpowers Were Growing Desperate. They Had Seen The Satellite Footage Of Xun Long Dismantling The Void-Crusher In Beijing. They Had Seen The Economic Collapse Of The Xun Clan. Fear Had Forced Them To Create Their Own "Heroes." From The United States, The European Union, And The United Kingdom, Seven "Chosen Ones"—Individuals Who Had Awakened Rare A-Rank Combat Classes Early—Formed An International Task Force.
Their Mission Was Simple: Enter Multan Under The Guise Of A "Diplomatic Inspection" And Neutralize The Threat Known As The Ruthless Scholar.
Xun Long Sat In The Iron-Yard's Command Center, Watching Their Stealth Transport Cross The Border. He Was Speaking In Russian To Li Mei, Who Was Coordinating The City's Defense Grid. "They Call Themselves 'The Vanguard Of Humanity.' It's A Rather Long Title For People Who Are About To Become Fertilizer."
"Master, They Have A 'Paladin' Class Leading Them," Li Mei Noted In Urdu. "He Claims His Shield Is Blessed By Divine Light."
Xun Long Let Out A Cold, Short Laugh. "Divine Light? They Still Think This Is A Fairy Tale. Li Mei, Disable The Outer Defensive Turrets. I Want Them To Walk Right To The Central Plaza. I Want Them To Feel Safe Before I Show Them What A Real Monster Looks Like."
Chapter 2: The Scholar's Reception
The Seven Heroes Arrived In The Heart Of Multan, Dressed In Glistening Armor And Carrying Weapons Infused With Low-Grade Dungeon Crystals. The People Of The Forbidden City, Now Fully Subjugated And Disciplined, Watched Them With A Mixture Of Pity And Silence.
Xun Long Met Them In The Plaza, Wearing Nothing But A Tailored Black Suit And His Patek Philippe. He Looked Like A Boy Among Giants.
"You Are Xun Long?" The American Paladin Asked In English, His Voice Booming. "We Are Here To Place This City Under International Oversight. Your Research Is Illegal, And Your Methods Are Inhumane."
Xun Long Tilted His Head, Looking At Them Like They Were Interesting Biological Samples. "Illegal?" He Replied In Flawless, Arrogant French. "In A World Where Reality Is Tearing At The Seams, You Still Cling To The Laws Of Men? How Quaint."
He Then Switched To Mandarin, Then Urdu, Addressing The Entire Plaza. "These Men Believe They Are Heroes Because They Can Swing Glowing Swords. They Have Come To Tell You That The Safety I Provided Is A Crime. One Chance. That Is What I Give Everyone. Turn Your Ship Around And Leave My Soil, Or The Next Language You Speak Will Be Screams."
Chapter 3: The Shattered Shield
The Paladin Didn't Listen. He Charged, His Shield Glowing With A Golden Radiance That Blunted The Air. It Was A Powerful Strike, One That Would Have Crushed A Tank.
Xun Long Didn't Move Until The Very Last Millisecond. He Didn't Use A Weapon. He Simply Reached Out And Placed A Single Finger Against The Center Of The "Divine" Shield. Using Mortal Optimization Combined With The Void Sovereign Class, He Found The Resonant Frequency Of The Holy Light.
With A Slight Flick Of His Finger, The Shield Didn't Just Break; It Inverted. The Golden Energy Imploded, Shattering The Paladin's Arm And Sending Him Flying Back Into His Own Teammates. The Sound Of Breaking Bone Echoed Through The Silence Of The Plaza.
"Your 'Light' Is Just A Manifestation Of Atmospheric Mana," Xun Long Said Coldly In English. "It Obeys The Laws Of Physics, And Since I Am The One Who Wrote The New Physics For This Region... It Obeys Me."
The Other Heroes Froze. They Realized In That Moment That They Weren't Fighting A Mage Or A Warrior. They Were Fighting The Architect Of The System Itself.
Chapter 4: The Brutal Education
The Fight That Followed Was Not A Battle; It Was A Lesson In Despair. The "Chosen Ones" Unleashed Everything—Fireballs, Ice Spikes, And Sonic Blasts. Xun Long Walked Through The Chaos With His Hands In His Pockets. Every Attack That Neared Him Was Either Absorbed By His Sovereign Shroud Or Redirected Toward Another Hero.
The Brutality Was Methodical. He Didn't Kill Them Instantly. He Targeted Their "Talents." Using His Infinite Class, He Manually Re-Wrote Their Internal Mana Circuits. One By One, The Heroes Lost Their Powers, Falling To The Ground As Ordinary, Broken Men.
"You Thought You Were Special Because The Rift Gave You A Gift," Xun Long Whispered To The Female Mage, Who Was Sobbing As Her Mana Vanished. He Spoke To Her In Russian, Making Her Realize That Even Her Most Secret Thoughts Were Accessible To Him. "But In My City, Gifts Are Only For Those Who Can Use Them Correcty. You? You Are Just A Waste Of Potential."
He Ordered The Omega Security Detail To Kidnap The Three Strongest Heroes And Bring Them To The Sub-Level Tunnels. He Wanted To See If Their "Chosen" DNA Could Be Used To Speed Up His Own Divine Bloodline Integration. Their Screams Were Muffled By The High-Tech Walls Of The Forbidden City.
Chapter 5: The Scholar's Decree
The Next Morning, Xun Long Transmitted A Global Broadcast. It Wasn't Just On TV; It Appeared On Every Smartphone And Digital Billboard On The Planet. He Sat In His Throne, The Golden Eye Glowing With A Sharp, Predatory Light.
"To The Nations Of The West," He Said In English, Then Mandarin, Then Urdu. "Your 'Heroes' Have Been Processed. They Are No Longer Combatants; They Are Research Subjects. Do Not Send More. I Have No Interest In Your Politics, But If You Interfere With The Construction Of The Forbidden City Again, I Will Stop Stabilizing The Rifts In Your Hemisphere."
The Threat Was Clear. Without Xun Long's Data And His Integration Serums, The Rest Of The World Would Be Overrun By Dungeons Within Weeks. He Had Taken The Entire World Hostage.
"Master," Li Mei Reported In Russian. "The General From Beijing Is On The Line. He Is Terrified. He Says The UN Is Considering A Full Military Strike."
"Let Them," Xun Long Replied. "I Need More Scrap Metal For The Outer Walls. Tell The General To Stay Out Of My Way, Or China Will Find Itself Without Its 'Golden Brain' At The Exact Moment The Red Rifts Turn Black."
Chapter 6: The Bloodline Fever
Deep In The Tunnels Of The Sleeping God, Xun Long's Body Began To React To The Harvested Hero DNA. The God-Tier Bloodline Within Him Was Like A Hungry Beast. His Pulse Hit 300 Beats Per Minute.
A Blast Of Golden Energy Erupted From His Chest, This Time Carrying A Physical Weight That Collapsed The Tunnels For Half A Mile. The Ground Above, In The Middle Of Multan, Cracked Open, Revealing A Glowing Vein Of Liquid Mana.
[Divine Bloodline Integration: 12% Complete.]
[Secondary God-Class Talent Detected: Chronos' Perception.]
Time Seemed To Slow Down. Xun Long Could See The Dust Motes Frozen In The Air. He Could See The Exact Movement Of Every Electron In The Reactor Above. The Struggle To Contain The Power Was Becoming Harder. He Was No Longer A Man; He Was Becoming A Living Rift.
"Li Mei..." He Gasped, His Voice Sounding Like Two People Speaking At Once. "The Game... Is Changing. The Beings In The Outer Realm... They Can Feel Me Now. We Need To Finish The 100 Chapters Of The First Wall. We Need To Be Ready Before The First Season Ends."
Chapter 7: The Overture Of The Dark King
As Volume 7 Came To A Close, The Forbidden City Had Formed A Permanent Barrier. A Massive Dome Of Violet And Golden Light Now Covered Multan, Visible From Space. It Was The Only Place On Earth Where The Dungeons Were Under Total Control.
Xun Long Stood On The Highest Spire, Looking At The World Outside. In The Distance, He Could See The Dark Portals Opening Over India And The Middle East, Monsters Pouring Out To Claim The Weak.
"They Think The Dungeons Are The Enemy," Xun Long Said In Urdu, His Golden Eye Blazing Through The Dark. "They Don't Realize That I Am The One Who Invited The Abyss In. And I Am The Only One Who Can Lock The Door."
He Tapped His Patek Philippe, Closing The Final Document Of Volume 7. He Was Prepared. The Scholars Were Ready. The Soldiers Were Armed. And The God Within Him Was Waking Up.