Bang!
A sharp blast echoed through the training room.
The data lit up on the punching force monitor.
532 kilograms.
Rowan stared at the glowing red digits on the screen, struggling to contain his excitement.
He hadn't expected such a massive jump in strength.
Just two days ago, his peak punching power had barely reached 199 kilograms.
Now? 532. The leap was staggering.
Still in disbelief, he launched another full-force punch.
Bang!
533 kilograms.
The monitor flashed another absurd number.
This time, there was no denying it his strength had soared to a whole new level.
"Let's test speed next!"
Pumped with adrenaline, Rowan activated the velocity sensor.
Whoosh!
Just like before, he dashed from one end of the room to the other at full tilt.
His body moved like a blur, faster than lightning. Compared to sprinters like Usain Bolt, he was on a completely different level.
Beep-beep!
The red light on the sensor flickered, and the final number appeared on the screen.
14.1 meters per second.
"Holy—!"
Rowan couldn't help but curse out loud.
He'd felt it while sprinting his body was terrifyingly light, the wind tearing across his face but he hadn't expected it to be this fast.
14.1 meters per second. What did that even mean?
Even Bolt, the Olympic legend, only clocked in at 10.438 meters per second at his peak.
Rowan was far faster now.
In terms of pure speed, he had already reached the pinnacle of what a regular Earth human could achieve.
"Punching strength around 500 kilos... speed at 14 meters per second... that puts me around the level of an Intermediate Dojo Trainee in the Swallowed Star world."
Rowan's eyes sparkled as he stared at the monitor and murmured to himself.
In the Swallowed Star universe, an Advanced Dojo Trainee was defined by a punching force of 600 kilograms and a sprint speed of 15 meters per second.
He was already closing in fast.
As for becoming a Quasi-Warrior, the benchmark was 900 kilograms of punching power and 25 meters per second in speed.
He was only 16 years old now. With this trajectory, reaching that level before 20 was entirely within reach.
"But compared to Luo Feng, I'm still way behind. That guy passed the intermediate exam the moment he joined the dojo at 16, and became an advanced trainee by 17..."
Thinking about Luo Feng's god-tier talent as a Spirit Reader, Rowan couldn't help but feel a little bitter.
Luo Feng's mental aptitude was unmatched on Earth. Every time he fainted, his body got significantly stronger.
It wasn't even a fair competition.
"If only I had a Spirit Reader's talent too..."
Rowan sighed.
Spirit Readers had too many advantages in the early stages. They started two full levels above physical fighters.
They could fly. They could attack in groups.
And above all... they looked cool.
If Rowan had the same talent, with his current physical stats, a single fainting episode might be enough to catapult him straight to the Quasi-Warrior threshold.
"But that's just wishful thinking. Even with the talent, you have to become a fighter first to awaken it. No use aiming too high right now."
He shook his head, pushing the distracting thoughts away and wiped the sweat off his brow.
Next, Rowan began testing his other physical metrics:
Height: 191 cm
Weight: 90 kg
Body fat: 9%
Bench press: 655 kg
Squat: 672 kg
Standing vertical jump: 203 cm
Punching force: 533 kg
Speed: 14.1 m/s
Every single number surpassed the current human world records.
He was the perfect template for peak human performance.
Although he still had a gap to bridge before reaching super-soldiers like Captain America, to regular people, he was already on a whole other level absolutely terrifying.
"And this is just the beginning. I only just got infected with the RR virus. There's still so much more room to grow!"
Looking at the numbers, Rowan's smile widened in satisfaction.
"Next step making money."
He toweled off, packed his things, and left the training room with a swipe of his security card.
With his current physique, even if he trained in a traditional way, there was a solid chance he could reach the level of a Quasi-Warrior before twenty.
But that pace was still too slow.
The Swallowed Star world had more to offer than just Dragon Blood when it came to enhancing the body.
Rare medicinal herbs, high-tier beast flesh, and specialized enhancement gear all of these could drastically boost one's physical abilities.
That was exactly why, out of the three Advanced Trainees at Yi'an District's Third High School, two of them were rich kids.
With enough money, you could buy your way to power.
And since Rowan had the means to access those resources, he wouldn't let the opportunity pass him by.
After a quick shower at his apartment, he grabbed his bank card and headed out.
From S.H.I.E.L.D.'s underground level, he drove his Ford SUV into the city not directly to the Huaxian supplier, but first to Brooklyn, where he rented a quiet warehouse tucked away from prying eyes.
Real estate in New York was outrageously expensive. The 300-square-meter warehouse cost him a hefty 100,000 dollars for just one month.
Even so, he didn't dare rent it long-term.
Once the lease was signed, Rowan drove to meet the Huaxian distributor.
They were a medium-sized grain logistics company, importing premium rice from Huaxia by cargo ship, then repackaging it into bags for domestic sale.
The production line was spotless, and the quality of the rice was top-tier.
Nowadays, most Huaxian exporters selected only their finest products for international shipment, and this batch of northeastern rice was no exception.
Rowan took one look and immediately agreed.
There was no room for doubt.
"Here's the deposit. The delivery address is 751 8th Avenue, Brooklyn."
"You've got guts, Mr. Rowan. I look forward to working with you again," the boss replied.
His name was Zhou Yao, a calm, reliable man in his early forties. They shook hands firmly.
"You will," Rowan smiled.
This wouldn't be the last time he worked with Zhou.
Rowan had already sketched out a plan: take rice from the Marvel world, sell it in the Swallowed Star world, then use the profits to purchase Kro-Alloy and sell that back in Marvel.
A clean, simple cycle with double the profit margins.
By 3 p.m. that afternoon, Zhou Yao had already delivered all 2,500 tons of rice to the Brooklyn warehouse.
Just as Rowan requested, the rice was packaged in blank, unlabeled bags, each weighing 50 jin.
"Excellent. Your efficiency is impressive, Mr. Zhou. I've sent the final payment. I'll contact you again in a few days."
Zhou's face lit up as soon as the payment came through and Rowan mentioned future orders.
Customers who paid generously and didn't haggle were a rare treat.
"Looking forward to it!"
After Zhou and his crew left, Rowan gazed at the mountains of rice bags filling the warehouse.
2,500 tons meant 5 million jin.
At 50 jin per bag, that came out to a full 100,000 bags.
In the Swallowed Star world, these could easily fetch 30 to 40 million Huaxian credits.
Pure profit.
"Time to go see Howard Zhou for that ID. Then I'll talk to him about rice and Kro-Alloy."
Rowan headed toward the small utility room in the southwest corner of the warehouse.
This would be his transit point to the Swallowed Star world.
His dual-world ring was his most guarded secret. Every time he traveled between dimensions, he needed to be absolutely certain there were no hidden cameras or anyone spying on him.
The small room was completely empty. Even the couch had been removed. The four white walls were bare nothing that could conceal a lens or a microphone.
Once inside, Rowan snapped his fingers.
A swirl of blue-black energy spiraled outward and with a shimmer, his figure vanished.
The next moment, Rowan appeared inside a modest inn in the Swallowed Star universe.