"Miss, they’re here."

The moment Chloe summoned Thunderbird’s Feather, she felt the overwhelming presence stop outside the apartment.

Whoever it was had completely locked onto them.

The pressure rolling off that person was enormous, so dense it almost felt physical. Every instinct Chloe had as a martial artist screamed that the figure standing beyond the door was dangerous far beyond normal standards.

They were already here.

She immediately grabbed Anya’s hand and guided her out of the bedroom while tightening her grip around Thunderbird’s Feather. Blue lightning crackled softly around the curved blade as her sharp eyes fixed themselves on the apartment entrance.

Part of her wanted to press the emergency beacon immediately and summon the family’s experts without hesitation.

But something stopped her.

The person outside carried terrifying power, yes, but strangely enough, Chloe couldn’t sense any killing intent from them. Their presence felt overwhelming, oppressive even, yet not hostile in the way true enemies usually felt.

And beneath all that pressure, there was something oddly familiar. As if she had encountered this person before.

’Maybe they’re not an enemy...’

The thought crossed her mind briefly.

Even if she turned out to be wrong, Chloe still believed she could stall long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Besides, although Anya’s Phoenix Cry technique was still incomplete and nowhere near the legendary stage of true phoenix rebirth, her movement technique, Soaring Cloud Steps, had already been mastered to perfection. Escaping wouldn’t be difficult for her.

More importantly, Chloe knew Anya hated involving the family unless absolutely necessary. Triggering a false alarm would only result in stricter supervision and even less personal freedom afterward.

So Chloe endured the pressure and waited. Then finally, the person outside reached the door. And without hesitation, both hands pressed against it.

Chloe’s pupils immediately narrowed.

Her senses clearly picked up a massive surge of inner energy flowing directly from the stranger’s palms into the metal door itself.

’So much power.’

It was far more than she originally estimated. If that energy exploded outward, the entire door would probably disintegrate instantly.

They didn’t reach for the doorbell, or give any warning. Just brute force.

’An enemy.’

Chloe’s expression darkened immediately as she prepared herself for battle. She was just about to tell Anya to activate the emergency beacon when suddenly, something completely unexpected happened.

The person outside didn’t destroy the door.

Click.

A sharp mechanical sound echoed through the apartment. Then the lock quietly twisted open by itself.

Chloe froze.

For a split second, her mind went completely blank. The door hadn’t been forced open. It had simply unlocked from the other side as though an invisible hand had reached through the metal and turned it.

"Could this be... a legendary cultivator?"

Even Chloe’s voice sounded shaken now.

She knew true masters could manipulate objects with inner energy to some extent. Her own master had demonstrated small feats before, moving lightweight objects or influencing simple mechanisms from close range.

But this was different.

Unlocking a complex door mechanism from outside the apartment without directly touching the lock itself required absurd precision and control over inner energy. Forget Chloe. Even her master might not be capable of pulling something like this off so casually.

And according to everything she’d been taught, cultivators barely existed anymore.

The ancient sects had vanished long ago. The techniques capable of true cultivation had mostly disappeared with them.

Stories about immortals flying through the skies, manipulating the world itself, or extending their lifespan beyond mortal limits were treated more like myths now than reality. Modern martial artists focused on strengthening the body and refining combat techniques, not chasing legends.

Yet what she had just witnessed didn’t feel like ordinary martial arts at all.

Chloe glanced toward Anya, and the two girls immediately understood each other’s thoughts without speaking.

Whoever stood outside was far beyond anything they had expected.

They were mysterious, powerful, and completely unknown. And now the door was opening.

Anya unconsciously tightened her grip around the emergency beacon. Her thumb hovered directly above the red button.

Creak.

The apartment door slowly swung inward.

Anya was just about to press the button when suddenly, a familiar figure stepped through the doorway.

"Marcus!"

Her entire body stiffened instantly. The emergency beacon slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a loud clatter.

"M-Marcus...?"

Even Chloe stammered. For the first time in years, she genuinely couldn’t process what she was seeing.

No wonder the energy had felt strangely familiar. No wonder she hadn’t sensed actual hostility.

But Marcus?

Marcus was the terrifying presence outside the door? Her thoughts nearly short-circuited.

’Am I hallucinating?’

Chloe blinked several times in disbelief while staring at him. Marcus practiced martial arts?

No... this wasn’t just martial arts anymore. That monstrous inner energy, that impossible level of control, and that absurd pressure. Could Marcus actually be a cultivator?

Someone at Chloe’s level could usually tell at a glance whether another person trained in martial arts or not. She might not always know how strong someone truly was, but sensing the existence of inner energy itself was basic instinct for experienced practitioners.

And every single time she had met Marcus in college, he had felt completely ordinary.

He had no inner energy or martial aura. He was Just a normal university student.

’So what exactly are you...? What kind of technique are you practicing?’

Of course, none of this confusion existed in Marcus’s mind.

After logging out, he had immediately rushed over to see Anya without warning Chloe beforehand. Why would either of them ever expect him to arrive by practically flying across rooftops in the middle of the night?

The moment Marcus stepped inside, he found both girls staring at him like they had just seen a ghost.

Chloe was even holding a lightning-covered sword pointed vaguely in his direction.

Marcus blinked.

Okay... that was definitely strange. But he barely had time to think about it before his attention landed entirely on Anya.

"Anya."

His voice softened immediately. In a single step, he crossed the distance between them and stopped right in front of her.

His heartbeat thundered inside his chest.

"Anya... I’m sorry."

There was too much he wanted to say, and too much he needed to explain.

The misunderstanding, the years apart... The feelings he’d buried because he thought she’d rejected him.

Marcus looked into her eyes, ready to finally say everything honestly, but the moment he saw her expression, the words caught in his throat.

Anya was trying to smile, trying so hard and failing completely.

The instant he appeared in the doorway, tears had already filled her eyes. Now they spilled freely down her porcelain cheeks no matter how hard she tried to hold them back.

She looked heartbreakingly beautiful like that. A trembling smile hidden beneath tears, delicate as a flower caught in the rain.

Marcus felt his chest ache painfully.

"Marcus..."

Anya called his name softly. She didn’t want explanations anymore. She didn’t want misunderstandings or regret or hesitation.

Not now.

Before Marcus could say another word, she suddenly threw herself into his arms. She wrapped both arms tightly around him as though afraid he might disappear if she let go.

And the tears she’d been holding back finally came pouring out completely.