The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

No further questions were asked.

The photo crystal is still being broadcast live. Yang Wanqing leans it against the balcony railing, the camera pointed at the night view of the floating islands outside.

The topic of discussion in the live chat has shifted from "Pluto's disappearance" to another direction.

"So cultivation really is useful."

"Chen Hao's combat strength has already proven the upper limit of cultivation."

"Is the upper limit planet destruction?"

"Maybe this isn't even the limit. Who knows?"

"The question is... how do I get to that level?"

"First, practice your spiritual energy perception. That's the first step."

"I enrolled at the martial arts school. The waiting list is for three months from now. All the spots are already filled."

"My private martial arts school is fully booked. The kind that teaches basic techniques."

"The university's basic energy course has been changed from an elective to a compulsory course."

"true and false?"

"Our school has announced that it will be a compulsory course for all students starting next semester."

"It's not just universities. High schools are pushing it too. My brother's school will start adding Flame Spirit Stone Perception classes next week."

"I've heard it's even more extreme in the military. All special forces members are being forced into mandatory training."

"Nonsense... He can destroy a planet all by himself. What will we rely on for war in the future? Missiles? Or cultivators?"

"If every country could cultivate a few master cultivators..."

"Don't even think about it. Blue Star has only been mysteriously revived for a short time. Chen Hao's talent is extraordinary. Ordinary people are lucky to even reach the Body Tempering stage."

"Even those in the Body Tempering stage are much stronger than ordinary people."

"Indeed. None of the instructors at the martial arts school have even reached the Golden Body Realm, but they could easily take on three special forces soldiers."

"This is the meaning of cultivation... even if it doesn't lead to the destruction of a planet. Strengthening the body and prolonging life is enough."

"I will start meditating tonight."

"Me too."

"The era of universal spiritual cultivation is truly coming."

Chen Siyao glanced at the comments section.

Cultivation for all.

These four characters have appeared with increasing frequency in recent months.

From the initial conceptual discussions... to the implementation of policies in various countries... to now, after the Pluto event, this trend is accelerating.

It's not a small-scale acceleration; it's exponential.

Because the stimulation was too strong.

One person wiped out a planet. This information struck everyone's mind, bringing not only shock but also a profound sense of urgency.

A thirst for power.

Spiritual practice is no longer a mystical pursuit. It's no longer a game for a select few. It has become a basic necessity for survival.

Yang Wanqing finished the last piece of flatbread. He wiped his mouth.

"Yaoyao, when do you think I'll be able to cultivate to Master's level?"

Chen Siyao glanced at her.

"You should break through to the Golden Body Realm first."

"Ugh...that's so discouraging."

Yang Wanqing pouted. But her hands had already unconsciously begun to circulate spiritual energy according to the guidance of the cultivation technique.

Night fell. Half of the lights on the floating islands gradually went out.

Chen Siyao ended the live stream.

Yang Wanqing was already snoring in the room.

Chen Siyao stood on the balcony.

Chen Hao is still outside.

She leaned against the doorframe and watched for a while. Chen Hao had his back to her, gazing at the dome of the Taiyin Realm.

Above the dome, beyond the moon, lies the pitch-black expanse of space.

One star is missing.

She turned and went back to her room.

She took two steps, then stopped. She turned back and glanced at Chen Hao's retreating figure.

"elder brother."

Chen Hao didn't turn around. "Mm."

"Good night."

She went into the room.

Blue Star.

The third day after Pluto disappeared.

It took global media seventy-two hours to digest this news.

From the initial "astronomical anomaly"... to "suspected human intervention"... and then to "after Chen Hao went to Pluto alone, the planet disappeared permanently from the solar system".

The wording gradually approaches the truth.

However, no official body has made a definitive statement.

Nobody dares.

The official statement from the China Special Affairs Bureau is that "the incident is under investigation."

The White House spokesperson used a brilliant phrase... "We have noticed astronomical changes in the region of Pluto's orbit and are working with the international astronomical community to confirm them."

Cooperation confirmed.

What are you confirming? That planet is gone. What are you confirming?

But the authorities dare not say it, and the public doesn't care about that.

The most popular video on short video platforms is a live stream of Pluto's disappearance using a telescope, broadcast by an astronomy blogger.

In the video, the dim little point of light suddenly burst into a burst of white light, and then nothing happened.

The screen went black. The replay of that live stream garnered over six billion views within forty-eight hours.

Six billion.

The total population of Earth is eight billion.

The most popular comment in the comments section... "He wiped out the demons on that planet. Are you still hesitating about signing up to learn cultivation?"

This comment has seventeen million likes.

The changes began on the second day.

The capital city. Dawn Private Advanced Martial Arts Academy.

The dean's surname is Hu. He is fifty-six years old and at the Meridian Opening Realm. Before his mysterious resurrection, he was an elder of an ancient martial arts sect, but later retired and became a Tai Chi teacher in a park.

After his mysterious resurrection, he was among the first cultivators to break through to the Meridian Opening Realm. Later, he was given a school by the capital to teach basic cultivation techniques.

The school was completed in December. Enrollment began in January. The first batch of students numbered three hundred. More than two thousand people applied.

On the first morning after the Pluto incident, Dean Hu's phone rang forty-seven times.

It was a call from the Academic Affairs Office.

"Dean, the queue outside stretches to the second street."

How many people?

"The security guards roughly counted at least two thousand. And it's still increasing."

Dean Hu arrived at the school gate two minutes later.

He stood on the steps, looking at the crowds winding down the long street. There were people of all ages.

There were high school students carrying backpacks, office workers in suits, and young mothers pushing strollers. The babies in the strollers were sleeping, and the mothers were queuing up.

An older woman in a floral cotton-padded jacket squeezed to the front.

"Dean! Are you still accepting students? I want to learn cultivation!"

Dean Hu's lips twitched slightly. "Ma'am, how old are you?"

"Fifty-eight! What's wrong? Can't you cultivate at fifty-eight?"

"It's not that it's impossible... there's no age limit for basic techniques, but your spiritual perception might be limited."

"I don't care!" the middle-aged woman said with great enthusiasm. "That young man single-handedly destroyed Pluto. If I don't learn cultivation, I'll be too embarrassed to even greet people when I go out."

Dean Hu didn't know what to say.

A young man in his early twenties chimed in. "Dean, I studied physics. I've calculated it—it would take about 10 to the power of 29 joules of energy to destroy Pluto. What I want to know now is, how much energy can the human body actually hold? What's the upper limit? I need to try it myself."

"I'm studying medicine," another person raised their hand. "My advisor has already approved a project on the mechanism by which Reiki repairs human cells. But I need to develop Reiki perception myself before I can conduct experiments."

Not just the capital city.

Shanghai. Tianhe Martial Arts School.

"All spots are filled."

"When did it fill up?"

"Half an hour ago."

"I started queuing at five o'clock!"

"Someone arrived at four o'clock ahead of us."