Rowan narrowed his eyes slightly.
He could clearly sense those hostile gazes lingering on him, yet he felt no fear.
Twenty meters away, within the crowd, stood a man whose presence was impossible to ignore.
He was towering to an almost exaggerated degree, like a mountain standing upright among lesser peaks.
This was Hawk, a second-tier Universe-level expert, and the undisputed leader of the group harboring murderous intent and thoughts of robbery.
Hawk stood nearly two and a half meters tall. His muscles bulged powerfully, every inch of his body hard as forged steel, as if capable of shattering stars with a single charge. His skin was a dull gray, rough and etched with strange patterns. Wild black hair spilled freely over his broad shoulders, adding to his savage aura.
Clustered around him were twelve subordinates, all at the Stellar level.
The moment Rowan stepped out of the trading center, his perception sharpened to its limit, like a bowstring pulled taut.
A trace of cold sharpness flickered through his eyes, yet his pace did not slow. Instead, he calmly quickened his steps, communicating silently with Babata.
"Babata, I sense trouble following us."
His voice was low and steady.
"I noticed it as well," Babata replied within his mind, methodically analyzing the situation. "One Universe-level second tier and twelve Stellar-level followers. But do not worry. On Dragon Star, robbery and murder are strictly forbidden. A Domain Lord oversees this place. No matter how bold they are, they will not dare act here. Once you leave Dragon Star, however, that will be a different matter entirely."
Rowan nodded faintly, already forming a plan.
He showed no outward reaction, as if nothing unusual had happened, and walked straight toward a luxury hotel.
The hotel was called Starlight of the Cosmos.
Its entire structure was built from transparent energy crystals, and under Dragon Star's strange ambient light, it radiated an imposing brilliance. Those entering and leaving were all figures of status, most of them at the Stellar level.
Rowan inspected the scale with satisfaction. After entering, he quickly completed the check-in process at the front desk.
Accommodation here was calculated by the year rather than by the day.
One year cost twenty-seven thousand Black Dragon Coins.
The price was slightly higher than in other regions, but that was to be expected for a luxury establishment.
Even the guards stationed at the entrance were all at least third-tier Stellar level.
After checking in, Rowan swiftly entered his room and shut the door behind him, sealing off all outside noise and danger.
The room was spacious and brightly lit, filled with sleek, futuristic furnishings. Soft light flowed across the walls like liquid starlight.
Rowan walked to the center of the room and carefully retrieved the three precious Monster Bloodline Evolution Serums from his storage space.
In the dim interior, the vial resembled a mysterious star, emitting a deep violet glow. The liquid inside seemed alive, slowly flowing, dotted with shimmering golden specks.
It was breathtakingly beautiful.
Compared to the bloodline evolution serum Rowan had once used himself, this one was even more exquisite.
He stored one of the serums inside the Beast Control Ring.
"Eastern Sea," Rowan said calmly, holding out the vial. "Drink this. It will grant you the power to shake the universe itself."
The Eastern Sea Azure Dragon hesitated for not even a moment. It opened its massive jaws and swallowed the serum whole.
In an instant, its body convulsed violently.
A terrifying surge of energy erupted from within it like a volcanic explosion. Its scales blazed with blinding light as their original vibrant green was devoured by darkness, gradually transforming into a deep, mysterious ink-gold color. This was the mark of transcendent power.
Across its surface, its genes were torn apart and reshaped by an invisible force. Scales twisted, shattered, and reassembled in new patterns. Every change was accompanied by agonized roars that echoed through the Beast Control World.
Evolution was agony.
The Eastern Sea Azure Dragon felt as if its body were being ripped apart piece by piece. Every inch of flesh screamed in pain. It felt as though blades were slicing through its blood and bone, even its internal organs spared no torment.
This was a transformation that reached deep into the soul.
"Master, it hurts. It hurts so much…"
Its despairing voice echoed through Rowan's mind.
Rowan sighed softly.
He remembered his own experience all too well. He had endured more than two full days of unbearable pain when he used a bloodline evolution serum, nearly dying in the process.
Bloodline evolution was always despair before rebirth.
But if one endured, infinite hope awaited beyond it.
"Hold on," Rowan said firmly. "Once you endure this, your bloodline will become far stronger. Only then can you walk farther into the future."
Hearing Rowan's voice, the Azure Dragon finally steadied itself.
It understood clearly that its strength was far inferior to its master's. At its current level, it could not assist Rowan at all. If it remained weak, it would only become a burden.
Rowan wanted it to grow stronger, but growth demanded resolve.
Faith took root.
The Eastern Sea Azure Dragon clenched its will and endured the overwhelming pain without lowering its head, without begging.
Sensing the transformation of its willpower, Rowan smiled faintly.
At the same time, he enveloped the entire room in a layer of mental force, forcibly sealing it. No external probe could detect what was happening inside.
Slowly, Rowan placed one hand on his ring.
Far away, in the Marvel world, Rowan's original body removed the Mind Stone and the Power Stone from the Infinity Gauntlet, drawing upon the Heart of the Eternal Flame.
Through the ring, the stones were transmitted directly to Rowan.
Rowan gently grasped the Power Stone and the Mind Stone, secretly channeling their energy into the world within the Beast Control Ring.
Violet and deep blue energies flowed inside, perfectly restrained under Rowan's precise control. Not a trace of power leaked outward.
Now at Stellar-level ninth tier, Rowan could manipulate the Mind Stone and Power Stone with ease, even without the Infinity Gauntlet.
The power flowed seamlessly.
Babata sensed nothing.
Inside the Beast Control World, the Eastern Sea Azure Dragon continued its agonizing struggle. Its body trembled violently, its size steadily increasing.
Then the power of the stones touched it.
The two immense forces gently enveloped the Azure Dragon's body and slowly merged into it.
Its cells reacted instantly.
Like starving children, they devoured the strange energies with madness and hunger.
Its realm broke through to Stellar-level first tier in an instant.
But it did not stop.
Stellar-level second tier. Third tier. Fourth tier.
By the third day, it had reached Stellar-level ninth tier.
Three full days passed.
Rowan thought the process was finished.
But the energy continued to pour in endlessly.
Even at Stellar-level ninth tier, the Azure Dragon's body continued evolving.
Its scales radiated a dark crimson glow.
By the seventh day, the transformation finally neared completion.
When the Eastern Sea Azure Dragon slowly opened its eyes again, an unprecedented strength shone within them.
A visible beam of white light shot forth, striking the world barrier of the Beast Control Realm itself.
Its spiritual power had broken through to Universe-level first tier.
Its physical body had reached Universe-level first tier as well.
Its length now exceeded ten kilometers. The once-spacious Beast Control World felt cramped by comparison.
Left with no choice, the Azure Dragon activated its innate ability to manipulate its true form. Power surged through its body, and it shrank to a third of its size, becoming denser, more refined, and even more formidable.
Rowan's consciousness entered the Beast Control World.
What he saw stunned him.
Golden lightning filled the skies.
Each bolt was so terrifying that even a Stellar-level first-tier expert would be annihilated instantly.
Rowan was genuinely shocked.
He had not expected that using the Power Stone and Mind Stone together would elevate the Eastern Sea Azure Dragon directly to the Universe level.
Its bloodline had clearly undergone a profound leap, no longer resembling a mere mid-tier lineage.
The Azure Dragon's ink-gold scales gleamed brilliantly, each one like the hardest armor in the cosmos. Golden lightning crackled across its body, forming a vast lightning domain that made space itself tremble.
"It even comprehended a Lightning Domain," Rowan muttered, disbelief and excitement flashing in his eyes. "This is absurd."
As a reward, Rowan produced a fourth-tier mental weapon.
A colossal battle axe.
The axe was over twenty meters wide, its surface engraved with fierce lightning runes.
This weapon had been seized long ago during a dangerous expedition. Rowan had once considered giving it to a thunder-type warrior, but now it had found its rightful owner.
Though designed for humanoid use, it would suffice for now.
Later, Rowan would have a weapon forged specifically for the Azure Dragon.
"This axe is yours," Rowan said with a smile. "Master it well."
The Eastern Sea Azure Dragon accepted it eagerly. In its massive claws, the axe looked almost like a toothpick, yet it was delighted nonetheless.
It began practicing within the Beast Control World.
Using mental force, it swung the axe, generating violent energy storms with every motion. Weapon and wielder gradually synchronized, approaching perfect harmony.
The axe cleaved through space, leaving radiant trails of light.
In midair, it split into one thousand and eighty-one smaller axes, each carrying terrifying power as they danced through the void.
This was only the first layer of the weapon's true method.
Like the Sky-Escape Shuttle, it required specific control techniques to unlock its full might.
Rowan was not in a hurry.
Those star pirates outside were not going anywhere.
Let them wait.
While the Azure Dragon trained, Rowan used the time to deepen his understanding of the Law of Time.
As one of the universe's supreme proto-laws, time possessed unfathomable might. With it, one could freeze space, halt motion, and even stop time itself in a limited area.
Even an instant of temporal stagnation could determine the outcome of a battle between geniuses.
Unless the opponent possessed far superior mastery of laws, breaking free by force.
Thus, one month passed.
The Eastern Sea Azure Dragon could now form a thousand-meter-long titanic axe through pure mental control.
Even Rowan felt a chill watching it.
Blocking such an attack would require the Sky-Escape Shuttle at full power, and even then, damage would be inevitable.
A normal Stellar-level ninth-tier mental expert would be utterly powerless against it.
"Master, I have mastered the first level of the axe," the Azure Dragon reported eagerly. "But the second level is too profound. With my current ability, I cannot fully wield it yet."
Rowan nodded slowly.
That was more than enough.
For now.