"Finally, I'm back!" Xena Xiao exclaimed as she stepped off the spacecraft, looking over the familiar architecture of Earth with joy. Although it couldn't compare to the grandeur of the Milanar Corporation's headquarters, this was her home. The corporation's HQ could never replace her true roots.
At the school gate, Xena bid farewell to the nine students who had accompanied her on the trip, then called home to let her family know she had returned from Milan Star. Deciding it was close enough, she chose to walk home, declining a ride from the family servants.
The wide streets were mostly empty. With humanity's preference for personal aircraft and public sky vehicles, ground travel was now rare, leaving the streets quiet and spacious.
Then, suddenly, a wave of killing intent swept over her.
Pop!
A bullet sliced through the air in complete silence, heading straight for Xena's head.
"A gun!" Xena's mind flashed with recognition. Firearms had become obsolete relics in this era. Few still used them because their power was low. Even the police had upgraded to advanced laser weaponry. However, some assassins preferred modified guns with specialized bullets, packing enough punch to pierce the defenses of an unprepared awakener in a single shot.
Advanced laser weapons were strictly controlled and could be traced, making them unsuitable for killers. In this world, guns had thus become the weapon of choice for lower-tier assassins.
Xena instinctively realized she was under attack.
Clang!
The bullet struck her head, producing a metallic clang as it bounced off. A trickle of blood seeped from where her skin had split open. Though her skull was unscathed, the bullet had cracked her skin—a testament to its power.
"Ouch!" Xena gasped inwardly at the pain.
At that moment, Ethan Lin's voice came through from the Guardian Spirit Space, "Xena, fall down and play dead!"
Without hesitation, Xena let herself collapse to the ground with a convincing thud.
Inside the Guardian Spirit Space, Xena's voice was filled with urgency. "Ethan, someone's trying to kill me."
"I know. Just stay down for now. Let's draw them out, and when the time comes, I'll take control of your body to fight. Don't resist when I do," Ethan instructed calmly.
"Got it." Trusting Ethan's superior strength and mastery of ancient Huaxia martial arts, Xena prepared herself mentally. With him guiding her body, she knew her combat power would increase dramatically.
Only seconds after Xena fell, six shadowy figures appeared around her. One of them stepped forward, ready to check her pulse.
Ethan had already assessed their strength. "Six Purification Stage awakeners, likely between Levels One and Two," he noted.
Once, this level of threat might have alarmed him. But now, Ethan was confident. While Xena's physical body was at the ninth level of the Flesh Refinement Stage, her strength was nearly equal to that of a Purification Stage Level One awakener. And he wielded martial techniques from a billion years past—top-tier Divine Skills in this era.
He quickly concluded these assassins possessed only rudimentary combat skills.
"Xena, clear your mind!" he commanded.
Xena obeyed, allowing her consciousness to recede, while Ethan took full control of her body.
Whoosh!
Xena's eyes snapped open, now blazing with a fierce intensity.
As one assassin leaned closer, Ethan, controlling Xena's body, struck with the Vajra Palm technique, landing a powerful blow to the man's throat.
Crack!
With the sickening sound of breaking bones, the assassin crumpled, dead.
"She's still alive? Impossible!" The remaining five assassins stared in shock.
The bullet they'd used was crafted from rare minerals mined on a distant star, sharp enough to pierce even the defenses of a high-level Purification Stage awakener. And yet, their target had survived.
But they quickly regained their composure. As experienced killers, their reflexes were honed to respond instantly.
"Summon the Guardian Spirit!"
"Summon the Guardian Spirit!"
In moments, five Guardian Spirits materialized on the deserted street. Each one radiated the power of the same stage as its respective summoner, though noticeably stronger.
"Mid-level Guardian Spirits," Ethan noted. They were hardly impressive but undoubtedly more formidable than their awakeners.
Ethan knew he could take down these Guardian Spirits with effort. However, killing the awakeners directly was simpler. Once a summoner fell, their Guardian Spirit would vanish automatically.
Swish!
Moving with uncanny speed, Ethan dodged one of the Guardian Spirits and appeared before its summoner. With another Vajra Palm, he shattered the man's heart.
The second assassin fell.
In that moment, Ethan seemed to become a ghostly shadow, swift and deadly. He was using a technique from the ancient Huaxia era, the Ethereal Step Technique, more commonly known as the legendary art of qinggong.
During his days on Milan Star, Ethan hadn't merely passed on the Muscle-Tendon Classic (Tendon and Marrow Transformation Technique) to Xena. He had also mastered the Ethereal Step Technique, making him nearly untouchable by any normal foe.
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