Chapter 2397 - Ascension Realm Fenglin City, Redstone Restaurant:

Fang Shihan and her entourage stood before a man in one of the Redstone Restaurant's VIP rooms, which had an antique flair. The man sat cross-legged on the floor with his eyes closed.

Despite the fact that half of the man's hair had already turned white, his facial features were that of a man in his early 40s. In truth, however, he was already over 70. Although this elderly man wasn't as large or robust as Matt and the others, his aura felt like that of an unshakable mountain. Standing in his presence, one couldn't help but revere the old man.

This man was none other than Situ Qingtian, Fang Shihan and her companions' instructor.

"Matt, is Shi Feng truly as powerful as Shihan described? Was he really able to combine the power of his attacks?" Situ Qingtian asked as he opened his eyes and looked at the younger man before him.

"I'm sure of it. The moment after the first hit, his strike's penetrating power doubled. If I hadn't reacted quickly enough and diverted some of the force, He would've likely knocked me out," Matt said, nodding. Before today, he had only ever experienced that level of power from Situ Qingtian, and the memory of Shi Feng's hits were still fresh in his mind.

"Instructor, I investigated Shi Feng thoroughly, and there were no reports of him possessing this kind of strength. He's only recently reached the grandmaster realm and partially enhanced his mental capacity. He must've found something in God's Domain that has allowed him to execute such a technique in the real world," Fang Shihan surmised.

"It seems Zero Wing isn't so simple, after all. I must have many secrets," Situ Qingtian said. "I suspect this Shi Feng has made considerable progress in the Realms of Truth. He's likely reached the Ascension Realm at the very least."

"The Ascension Realm?! How is that possible?!" Matt exclaimed.

Mythology had discovered the Realms of Truth combat system, which had profound principles, in God's Domain. At first, some of the various superpowers had labeled the Realms of Truth as the Spiritualization Realm, and they had discovered that learning these principles allowed one to gain unbelievable control with combat techniques. Learning these principles was akin to engraving combat techniques on one's bones. Players that learned these principles and practiced them successfully could execute a combat technique with every movement. They could exhibit strength far beyond their natural potential.

However, progressing through the Realms of Truth was an intense challenge. Even Matt, a genius, had barely begun, yet he was considered one of the most accomplished individuals in Mythology. And now, they discovered that Shi Feng, who was much younger than Matt, had gone beyond, reaching the Ascension Realm. How could he allow himself to believe it?

"That is why I am sure Zero Wing has hidden many secrets. Mythology has expended a lot of manpower and resources to explore the Realms of Truth, yet we have barely uncovered some of the training methods," Situ Qingtian said, his interest in Zero Wing growing. "Zero Wing must've obtained some clues relating to the Realms of Truth and uncovered detailed training methods. No individual could reach such a standard by themselves, otherwise."

"If that is true, we must obtain this secret!" Fang Shihan declared, passion burning in her gaze.

Mythology had constantly been searching for the Realms of Truth's secrets, but the clues they had uncovered were few and vague. Needless to say, they had yet to discover any systematic training methods.

If she could get her hands on Zero Wing's training system and combine it and Mythology's research, not only could she improve her own combat standards, but she could also gain more authority within the Guild.

Vice Guild Leader, Zero Wing's roots on the eastern continent are too solid to shake right now, especially now that it has Stone Forest City. I'm afraid that we won't be able to cause any significant damage. Even if we target the Heaven's Rumble Training Center, our results will likely be negligible. At worst, we'll slow Zero Wing's recruitment rate, but we won't be able to harm the Guild's foundations directly," Matt anxiously said.

He desperately wanted a Realms of Truth training system, as well. If he could progress further through the Realms of Truth, not only would he grow stronger in God's Domain, but he'd also gain more combat power in the real world.

"Don't worry about it. Since we now know Zero Wing has obtained clues regarding the Realms of Truth, our Guild will not let it out of our sight. I've read through the reports on Zero Wing. It seems the Guild is at war with Starlink, and the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion's Phoenix Rain is part of the reason it has held on for so long," Situ Qingtian calmly stated. "If we can interfere and prevent Phoenix Rain from helping Zero Wing, I doubt the Guild will last long against Starlink. Shihan, visit the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion and inform Ku Rong of our stance. I'm sure that old fellow will make the wise decision."

"I understand. I'll get it done once I return," Fang Shihan said, nodding.

She had thought of pressuring the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, too, but she was only a Vice Guild Leader from one of Mythology's many Branch Guilds. Although she had a good reputation in the Guild, she had no authority to represent the Guild in crucial matters. Now that she had permission, however, she didn't have to worry about any negative repercussions.

Whether or not the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion would give in to her demands wasn't even a question. Mythology was one of the Five Great Super Guilds in God's Domain. Even ordinary Super Guilds had to show it respect, not to mention a super-first-rate Guild like the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion.

Meanwhile, in Zero Wing's main headquarters...

Once Shi Feng received the 20 bottles of Life Potion from Fang Shihan's subordinate, he gave three bottles to Lei Bao. He instructed the man to visit the Extraordinary Tower with the Berserker Lei Bao had made for fun in God's Domain.

After his fight with Matt, Shi Feng had an odd sense of impending danger.

Although Zero Wing was developing smoothly in God's Domain, it was far too weak in the real world, especially when it came to poaching talented fighters. The various superpowers had already begun to do so on a large scale.

However, since Shi Feng was so busy with his affairs in God's Domain, he didn't have time to pay attention to Heaven's Rumble's development. If he wanted his training center to grow, he'd need another grandmaster martial artist to defend it long-term.

Among those working in Heaven's Rumble, Lei Bao was undoubtedly the closest to reaching the grandmaster realm. After him, there were Fire Dance and the others.

Lei Bao's physical fitness and control had already peaked, and he was only a step away from breaking into the grandmaster realm. To make that final step, his mental capacity needed to undergo a qualitative transformation.

Although training in the Extraordinary Tower wasn't nearly as effective as training in the Tower of Four Gods, Lei Bao had a high chance of making that final step with the help of the Life Potions. Once he became a grandmaster, Heaven's Rumble would grow at a frightening pace. The training center would also have a much better chance of resisting the various major corporation's harassment.

After finishing with Lei Bao, Shi Feng split another 10 Life Potions among Fire Dance, Violet Cloud, Cola, Shadow Sword, and Turtledove, the Guild's experts that had already grasped internal force. The Life Potions should help them develop their physical fitness and mental capacity.

Shi Feng then drank one of the Life Potions before returning to his virtual gaming cabin and logging back into God's Domain. He intended to open the portal to the western continent as soon as possible. Only then could Zero Wing stabilize its foothold in God's Domain and secure enough resources and strength to develop the Heaven's Rumble Training Center.

By the time Shi Feng reentered God's Domain, Cola and the others were, for the most part, rested and ready. The team resumed grinding in the Demonwolf Mountain Range's outer region for a while, collecting the last Mana strands for their quest.

"This quest is a tough one. If not for the Fine-Gold Guards, we wouldn't have had any hope of completing it. I wonder what kind of rewards we'll get once we turn it in." Blackie pondered, filled with anticipation as he watched Shi Feng collect the final Mana strand. "It'd be awesome if we earned a Fragmented Legendary item."

This was the first time they had completed an Inferior Legendary Quest, and they had obtained this quest in a Level 100-plus neutral map. The quest rewards would definitely be extraordinary.

"Alright, tidy up. Once everyone's ready, we're leaving," Shi Feng said, chuckling at Blackie's excitement.

He did not particularly care about the reward items. He knew that not even an Inferior Legendary Quest had a high chance of granting a Fragmented Legendary item. Rather, he looked forward to the Favorability they'd earn with the Famed Smith, Alba Gray.

In no time, Shi Feng and his team stood before Alba Gray once more.