After a heated dispute, Thunder God was unable to restrain Han Jue and was forced to agree to take him to Antarctica.
In Han Jue's words, he was invincible below the King level.
As long as he didn't encounter a King-level monster, he was the strongest. Even relying on Frost, he was confident he could handle some King-level monsters, or at least survive long enough to escape.
Thunder God felt utterly helpless about this declaration and could only resolve to be more vigilant, keeping a closer eye on the young prodigy.
If anything happens to him, how will I ever explain this to Han Hechang? Thunder God thought grimly.
At the rear of the fighter craft, Han Jue studied the instructions for the Millennium Ice Marrow Crystal with intense focus.
The appearance of the crystal resembled the Purple Source Crystal he'd used before, translucent and beautiful, like captured winter light. However, the application method was similar to Dragon Blood rather than the Purple Source Crystal. The "thousand years" designation indicated quality rather than actual age, a distinction the instructions made clear.
Following the detailed directions carefully, Han Jue used Frost to chisel a small gap in the Millennium Ice Marrow Crystal's surface. Pure, transparent viscous liquid seeped from within, and he smeared it methodically across his entire body. A profound chill instantly engulfed him, penetrating to his very bones.
Having already endured the agonies of chalcedony and Dragon Blood, even the biting cold brought by the Millennium Ice Marrow Crystal failed to change Han Jue's expression significantly. His face remained calm, focused, though his jaw tightened against the sensation of ice crystallizing within his blood vessels.
Thunder God deliberately stopped the fighter craft mid-flight, hovering in place while he waited for Han Jue's transformation to complete. He couldn't risk the young warrior's concentration being disturbed during such a critical process.
The Millennium Ice Marrow Crystal possessed the power to elevate a mid-level War God directly to the peak of high-level War God status, with medicinal efficacy remaining even after that dramatic improvement.
Although Han Jue was currently only a junior War God, his physical fitness after intensive training in the gravity chamber had already approached that of a mid-level War God. This meant he retained the potential to break through directly to the high-level War God level. With sufficient integration of the crystal's power, he might even reach the upper echelons among high-level War Gods.
The greatest benefit of the Millennium Ice Marrow Crystal, however, was its ability to fully activate residual medicinal power lingering dormant within his body.
Han Jue had previously consumed chalcedony, Dragon Blood, and various other enhancement resources. All of them had left traces of unused medicinal power within his system, energy that hadn't been fully absorbed or utilized during the initial transformations.
Now, relying on the Millennium Ice Marrow Crystal to activate that dormant potential, he even had a slight chance of reaching the peak of high-level War God level, the absolute pinnacle before the invincible War God threshold.
If he succeeded, he would become a truly invincible War God.
An invincible War God at the age of sixteen.
The mere thought was extraordinary.
Several hours passed in complete silence, Thunder God monitoring the young warrior's vital signs from the cockpit while maintaining their position high above the clouds.
Finally, Han Jue completed his transformation. He clenched his fists experimentally, feeling the profound changes throughout his body. His muscles had become denser, his bones harder, his reflexes sharper. Every cell seemed to hum with newfound power.
"How does it feel?" Thunder God asked, his experienced eyes assessing Han Jue's condition.
"I think I could test my strength against a King-level monster," Han Jue said with absolute confidence, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"You dare!" Thunder God cursed, his expression darkening immediately. "If you even try, I'll throw you off this aircraft right now and let you walk home!"
This wasn't bravery, it was suicide.
Thunder God knew intimately the vast chasm separating the Apprentice and Planetary levels. It was a complete qualitative transformation, a fundamental shift in the very nature of power and existence.
Even the invincible War God represented merely a stronger Apprentice Ninth Level warrior. Facing a Planetary level directly meant certain death unless circumstances were extraordinarily favorable.
Perhaps with his comprehension of Water's Artistic Conception, Han Jue could hold his own against a single King-level monster briefly. But Antarctica teemed with dozens of King-level creatures. Could he fight one and survive? Perhaps. Could he fight ten simultaneously? Absolutely not.
"Alright, alright," Han Jue said quickly, raising his hands in surrender. "I was just speaking theoretically."
He genuinely feared this bald man might abandon him halfway through the journey, leaving him stranded in the middle of nowhere.
Han Jue still didn't know what had happened in Antarctica that necessitated Thunder God's personal intervention. It had to be significant, Thunder God rarely left his headquarters unless the situation was truly dire.
Meanwhile, back in Jiangnan Base City at the Han family manor, Han Hechang and Han Hesheng were having their own conversation.
"Hesheng, Little Jue has accomplished something remarkable at the training camp," Han Hechang said with obvious pride. "I'm afraid his strength has already surpassed mine."
"That's right," Han Hesheng replied, though his expression was helpless. "Since this morning, countless people have come asking questions, wanting to know why Little Jue has grown so fast, whether he's Thunder God's direct disciple, whether he'll join the Thunder Dojo permanently, and so on."
He shook his head ruefully. "This boy hasn't called home in over a month. If I hadn't heard about his achievements from others, I wouldn't know anything about his situation at the training camp."
"Little Jue's personality is just like mine," Han Hechang said with a laugh, clearly unbothered by such independence.
Han Hesheng rolled his eyes at his brother. Who in the Han family isn't like this?
The trait ran deep in their bloodline. It was said that since their great-grandfather's generation, before the Great Nirvana, the Han family had produced leaders in every field, each possessing that same unshakeable self-confidence. Later, because of that overwhelming confidence and refusal to compromise, many forces had united to drag the Han family down from its position of prominence, eventually reducing them to their current state.
However, with Han Jue's emergence, everything was changing.
The Han family would return to its peak. Han Hesheng was certain of it.
"Hesheng," Han Hechang said suddenly, his tone shifting to something more serious. "The Wang family and the Xu family from the HR Alliance contacted me. They want me to explore some newly discovered ruins with them."
Hearing this, Han Hesheng's expression also grew grave.
"These ruins appear to be a pharmaceutical facility from before the Great Nirvana," Han Hechang continued. "If I'm fortunate, the resources there might help your injuries recover. When that happens, the Han family will boast three councilors!"
His eyes gleamed with anticipation at the prospect.
"Brother, you must be more careful," Han Hesheng said, worry evident in his voice, though he made no attempt to dissuade his elder brother.
Persuasion would be useless. Han Hechang had already decided.
"I will," Han Hechang nodded, his expression softening slightly. "Little Jue shared his insights into Water's Artistic Conception with me. You should use them as a reference and comprehend it as quickly as possible. That way, once you recover from your injuries, you'll immediately be at high-level War God status."
He stood, preparing to depart. "I'll be leaving now. Take care of yourself."
Han Hechang's figure vanished from the spot in a blur of motion, leaving Han Hesheng alone in the vast manor, surrounded by silence and his own contemplations.
Antarctica, the frozen continent at the bottom of the world.
The fighter craft Thunder God piloted was a Qiankun-class vessel, capable of withstanding direct attacks from King-level monsters. It was second in quality only to Hong's personal aircraft, representing the pinnacle of human engineering.
At its maximum speed, reaching Antarctica from Leiwu Base City would take no more than a day, even accounting for the vast distance.
Soon, a small fortified town appeared before Han Jue on this endless white expanse, a human outpost carved from ice and necessity.
The moment Thunder God landed the fighter craft, a short, portly man approached, hurrying across the frozen ground. His expression shifted to surprise when he noticed Han Jue emerging from the aircraft alongside Thunder God.
"Founder, who is this?" the man asked, curiosity evident despite his professional demeanor.
"This is Inspector Han, an invincible War God," Thunder God said casually, the lie rolling off his tongue with practiced ease. "You should meet him properly."
The portly man's eyes widened, and he quickly offered a respectful bow to Han Jue.
"What's the current situation at the ruins?" Thunder God asked, cutting off any further pleasantries.
"The besieging King-level monsters retreated approximately three hours ago," the portly man reported, his tone shifting to something more professional. "However, the gates remain sealed. Inspector Jiang lost all contact after entering the ruins approximately two days ago, so he might have..."
He trailed off, the implication clear.
Thunder God's expression darkened, his jaw tightening. He waved his hand dismissively, indicating he didn't want to discuss the matter further.
"You stay here and guard the base," Thunder God commanded. "I'll investigate the ruins personally. As for Han Jue..."
"I'm going with you," Han Jue said immediately, his tone brooking no argument.
Thunder God paused, considering the young warrior for a long moment. Finally, he nodded. "Very well. That's acceptable."
The portly man looked at Han Jue with renewed interest, clearly reassessing the young prodigy's importance if Thunder God was allowing him to accompany the investigation.
Thunder God's reasoning was sound, the main danger at the ruins came from King-level monsters. As long as they didn't venture too deep into the ruins themselves, the risk remained manageable. He was confident he could protect Han Jue from external threats.
Boarding Thunder God's fighter craft once more, the two departed toward the ruins, leaving the fortified town behind.
The aircraft descended rapidly, navigating between towering ice formations until it finally landed at the foot of a massive snow-capped mountain that dominated the frozen landscape.
"Stay close to me. Don't run around," Thunder God instructed firmly, his tone leaving no room for discussion.
Han Jue nodded obediently, understanding the gravity of the situation.
Following Thunder God closely, the two soon arrived at a cave entrance carved into the mountain's base. The opening appeared natural at first glance, but subtle regularities in its shape suggested artificial modification.
The interior of the cave was constructed entirely of ice crystals, and their hardness was probably equivalent to the materials used in crafting ninth-series combat equipment. The walls constantly emitted waves of frigid air, creating an environment where ordinary humans would freeze solid within ten minutes of exposure.
Neither Han Jue nor Thunder God were ordinary humans. They moved through the tunnel freely, their enhanced physiques rendering the extreme cold merely uncomfortable rather than lethal.
After walking for several minutes through the winding passage, they emerged from the narrow tunnel into a vast open space.
The two stood at the threshold of an extraordinarily expansive cavern carved into the heart of the iceberg. The chamber was enormous, large enough to accommodate several football fields comfortably, with a ceiling that disappeared into darkness high above.
A massive crack split the cavern's roof far overhead, allowing a single shaft of sunlight to penetrate the depths. The beam illuminated motes of ice crystals suspended in the air, making them sparkle like tiny stars.
And there, in the very depths of this frozen cathedral, stood a door unlike anything Han Jue had ever seen.
The entrance was pure white, resembling polished jade, and it radiated an aura of ancient power that made the air itself seem to hum with energy. Intricate patterns covered its surface, geometric designs that hurt to look at directly, as if they contained meanings the human mind wasn't meant to comprehend.
This was the entrance to the ancient civilization ruins, and whatever secrets lay beyond that otherworldly threshold.