A couple of days earlier

Under the veil of darkness that shrouded Riverside City, the gentle breeze whispered secrets of resilience and determination.

The city, weary from the struggles of another hectic day, lay in momentary rest. The streets, once bustling with the hustle and bustle of daily life, now echoed with quiet anticipation.

However, amidst the tranquil night, the blinding blue light in the sky refused to wane—an ever-present reminder that the world was no longer solely ours.

For decades, the alien force known as the Shataki had stationed its colossal spaceships above Earth, a constant spectacle in the heavens.

Initially, the citizens of the Blue Earth struggled to adapt to the imposing structures looming overhead.

The indomitable mega-structure in the sky was a stark symbol of an invasion that had become an inescapable reality.

As the years unfolded in a tapestry of wars and conflicts, a peculiar acceptance settled over the people.

Children born during the alien invasion grew up under the assumption that the colossal vessels had always graced their skies.

It wasn't until stories from their elders or lessons in history class that they learned of a time when the Blue Earth had not been under extraterrestrial dominion.

In the heart of the besieged world stood Riverside City, a resilient bastion and one of humanity's last shelters.

Millions of citizens clung to the hope of a better tomorrow, their spirits unbroken in the face of overwhelming adversity.

The city's skyline, once a symbol of human achievement, now shared the horizon with the ominous silhouettes of the alien behemoths.

Twenty years of relentless warfare against the Shataki had forged an unyielding spirit among the people.

Just as despair threatened to consume them, a mysterious system notification emerged in the minds of everyone above the age of 14.

This cryptic message offered a chance to alter their destinies by venturing into an ancient world—a realm untethered from the grip of extraterrestrial invaders.

Initially met with skepticism, the invitation became a beacon of hope as more individuals embraced the unknown and ventured into the ancient world.

Those who returned brought with them powers and strengths that transcended human comprehension.

The revelation sent shockwaves through the world, igniting a frenzy as people rushed to partake in this mysterious system, hoping to gain the strength needed to repel the malevolent Shataki.

The danger of the ancient world led people to their deaths. Yet, that didn't stop people from trying, even at the expense of their lives.

In the ancient world, they had a chance to get stronger and change their destiny. No one wanted to miss such a chance when their world was under the invasion of the Shataki.

After twenty years of exploration of the ancient world, the world had gained a footing in the ancient world. Many powerful people appeared one after the other, and the norms of the Blue Earth changed.

Now, it was ruled by powerful martial art practitioners. Since, in the ancient world, you can only get stronger by practicing martial art and cultivating Qi to strengthen your body.

With the reign of martial art, every family wanted their children to awaken powerful Spirit Roots.

Spirit Roots, an innate ability of a person that determined their aptitude for cultivation. Spirit Roots graded from Grade-9 to Grade-1.

Grade-9 being the weakest and Grade-1 being the highest.

Each grade was now further divided into low, medium, high, and supreme grade.

Low Grade-9 spirit roots were the most common, and only a few had medium grade, high grade, and even supreme grade.

Anyone with low Grade-8 spirit roots was a genius among geniuses. As for Grade-7, they were monsters among geniuses. The government would support such families with everything they needed, turning them into one of the pillars of humanity.

Apart from that, people with innate physiques are also common. They have the same grading like the Spirit Roots.

Therefore, on Blue Earth, a person with no Spirit Roots and no innate Physique was referred to as trash. They served as the dregs of the society.

In an abandoned factory, a group of young people around the age of 16 gathered together and discussed in hushed voices.

"Li," a sweet voice called.

Amanda, one of the Maple High school flowers, looked at the average-looking boy known as Li with a charming smile.

"Even though you have trashy spirit roots without any physique, you are stronger than almost everyone that pass the trials of the ancient worlds," she said, still maintaining her beautiful smile.

Standing behind her were her henchmen; they were the ones trying to win the heart of the school flower and would do anything for her.

Caleb Li looked at the girl he had been chasing since they were in middle school. He was part of those chasing after the beauty, Amanda.

Previously, she ignored him, and when they tested his spirit roots in school and found out he was a useless trash, he knew all hope to court Amanda was lost.

But who would have expected that the jade pendant that had been with him since he could remember would gather a mysterious energy that strengthened his body, making him one of the strongest in the school.

With that, he trained harder and continued to chase Amanda. He loved her with all his heart and would give anything and everything to win her heart.

And that's what he did; he raced to win her heart, telling her about the mysterious abilities of the jade pendant.

From that day onward, Amanda's behavior toward him changed. They became like a couple in the school, gaining the jealousy of everyone.

Those were one of the happiest days for him. It was over a year since Amanda had been going out with him, but today things were different.

She called him to meet in this old abandoned factory, and without thinking twice, he rushed down there.

"Amanda, why did you bring a lot of people? I thought you said it was a private moment between us," Li asked with a slight frown.

"Haha. Of course, it is a private moment," Amanda laughed, her voice dripping with scorn.

"You may be trash and be okay with it, but I am not. My spirit root is about to upgrade to Supreme grade, and I need to thank you for that. So, to quicken the upgrade, I need the jade pendant permanently."

Caleb Li stared intently at her, and his instinct was telling him something bad was about to happen to him, but his love for Amanda made him throw it to the back of his mind.

"Why will you need it permanently? You know how much the pendant means to me. Besides, I've given it to you many times to boost your power, and I can still give it to you when my strength increases, so why don't you wait."

"Enough. I don't want to hear your nonsense. I've endured your useless and pathetic family for a whole year. I can't anymore. Why do you think I started going out with you? If you think it's because I like you, you're more stupid than I thought. What I need is the jade pendant, and I'm going to get it tonight."

With that, she looked at the boys behind and said with an alluring smile. "Kill him and get the jade pendant for me, and you will get what you want."

The boys had their eyes brighten up, and they turned to look at Caleb Li as if he was already a corpse.

Without uttering a word, they attacked him with their martial art.

As for Caleb Li, he was stunned. He never expected the girl that would act sweet and coy with him was merely using him for the jade pendant.

He had shared his secret with her out of love for her. As long as he got stronger and passed the college entrance examination, he wouldn't have hesitated to give her the pendant.

She meant a lot to him than a jade pendant. Now, he realized he was nothing to her.

Bang!

A powerful fist slammed into his chest, sending him flying. He crashed to the ground without making a sound. The pain he was feeling in his heart was ten times more painful than the physical pain.

He didn't try to fight the five boys. Even if he fought them, he couldn't defeat them since they had passed the trial of the ancient worlds and were no longer ordinary humans.

Their strength was terrifying for any ordinary human to contend with.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He lay on the ground as various powerful attacks slammed into his body. Filled with anguish and regret, a drop of tears dripped from the corner of his eyes.

Slowly, life drifted from his body before it went blank. Dead.

Huh!

One of the boys looked at the lifeless body on the ground, raised his hand for the others to stop their attack. He bent down and checked if he was still breathing.

Confirming his death, he removed the jade pendant from his neck and smiled.

"Amanda, he's dead, and here is the pendant." The boy walked toward her and gave her the jade pendant.

"Good." Her smile was full of satisfaction. "Boys, let's go. It's time for your reward." Her voice filled with charm and seduction.

Leading her entourage out of the abandoned factory. Suddenly, Caleb Li's lifeless body twitched.

******* 

[AN: Please, support this book with your power stones. ]