Marvel: The other side of the double-passing door is Devouring the Stars

Chapter 452 The Clash of Spear and Shield!
“Understood,” the three replied in unison.

After the meeting, the three went to the martial arts gym's lounge. Although physically exhausted, they were all pondering the same question—how to significantly improve their strength in a short period of time?

“I have an idea,” Thor broke the silence, “How about we go to the Pacific Ocean for special training?”

"The Pacific Ocean?" Rowan's eyes lit up. "You mean that desolate sea area?"

“Yes,” Thor nodded, “it’s far from human habitation, surrounded by ocean for thousands of kilometers, making it the perfect place for high-intensity training. Moreover, the complex marine environment is helpful for our understanding of the laws.”

“That’s a good idea,” Hong agreed. “There we can fight with all our might without worrying about harming innocent bystanders. Plus, we can learn from each other’s mistakes and discover each other’s weaknesses.”

"It's settled then," Rowan decided. "We'll leave tomorrow. Just the three of us, no one else. We'll undergo a week of intensive training there."

"A week?" Thor raised an eyebrow. "That short?"

“The main fleet could arrive at any moment; we don’t have much time,” Rowan said. “We must achieve the best training results in the shortest amount of time.”

“Then let’s push this week’s training intensity to the limit,” Hong said. “At least ten hours of high-intensity matches every day.”

“Agreed,” Thor said, rubbing his hands together. “I’ve been wanting to fight you all for a long time.”

The next morning, the three set off lightly equipped. They didn't tell anyone the specific training location, only reporting to Hong Shuizhu before leaving.

From the base city in China to the depths of the Pacific Ocean, even at the speed of three people, it would take several hours. The journey passed countless islands and seas, eventually leading to a completely desolate area.

Located in the center of the Pacific Ocean, this area has no land within a radius of 3,000 kilometers. The sea is turbulent and the water is tens of thousands of meters deep. Due to the harsh climate, even seabirds are rarely seen, making it one of the most desolate sea areas on Earth.

"This is it," Rowan stopped a hundred meters above the sea. "The perfect training ground."

“Indeed excellent,” Hong said, looking around. “There are no obstructions, and the ocean below can withstand any level of the aftershocks of an attack.”

“Let’s begin,” Thor said eagerly, “first, let’s agree on the rules.”

“The rules are simple,” Rowan said. “We’ll take turns in one-on-one all-out battles. Each fight lasts an hour, followed by a half-hour break to recover, and then the next fight begins.”

“That sounds cruel enough,” Hong laughed, “but I like it.”

“Furthermore,” Rowan added, “you can’t hold back in battle; you must go all out. Only under true life-or-death pressure can you unleash your full potential.”

“Understood,” the two nodded.

“So, for the first match, I’ll face Thor,” Rowan said, looking at Thor, “Let me see how much you’ve improved lately.”

“I couldn’t be more excited!” Thor exclaimed. “I’ve been itching to test my skills against you ever since you displayed that terrifying power in Qinglan City.”

Hong consciously stepped back to a distance, acting as referee and observer.

"Are you ready?" Rowan asked.

“Anytime,” Thor said, crackling his wrists as electricity began to crackle around him.

"Let's begin!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Thor launched the first attack. With a wave of his hands, countless bolts of lightning descended from the sky, striking Rowan in a dense barrage.

"Lightning Realm - A Thousand Thunderbolts Descend!"

This is Thor's signature move, a simultaneous attack of thousands of lightning bolts, which even a seventh-level stellar warrior must defend against with all their might.

But Rowan simply waved his hand, and a storm barrier formed in front of him. Lightning struck the barrier and was completely blocked.

“An attack of this magnitude won’t hurt me,” Rowan said calmly. “Show me your true strength.”

"Hmph, this is just a warm-up," Thor smirked. "The real attack is just beginning. The Ultimate Lightning Technique—Purple Heaven Divine Lightning!"

The lightning around his body suddenly turned purple. It was lightning compressed to its extreme, more than ten times more powerful than ordinary lightning. The purple lightning, like a sword of divine punishment, crashed down on Rowan.

“Not bad,” Rowan said, a hint of approval in his eyes, “that’s more like it.”

He no longer merely defended, but actively engaged in combat. The power of the storm condensed in his hand, transforming into a massive wind blade.

"Storm Technique - Sky-Splitting Slash!"

The wind blade and the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning collided in mid-air, unleashing a devastating collision. Purple lightning and silver storms intertwined, forming a massive sphere of energy.

boom!
The energy sphere exploded, generating a shockwave that created waves hundreds of meters high on the sea surface. The seawater evaporated, forming large plumes of white mist.

“Not enough,” Rowan flashed behind Thor, “too slow.”

"What?" Thor was shocked and immediately turned around. But Rowan's attack had already arrived, striking him on the shoulder with a palm.

boom!
Thor was sent flying hundreds of meters, tumbling several times in the air before regaining his footing. A sharp pain shot through his shoulder; if Rowan hadn't held back, that blow would have been enough to severely injure him.

"Damn it," Thor wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, "when did you become so fast?"

"I grasped this while cultivating on Shennong Peak," Rowan explained. "The essence of wind is flow and speed. Mastering this allows for a significant increase in speed."

"Then I'll be even faster!" Thor gritted his teeth, the purple lightning around him intensifying. "Lightning Secret Technique—Thor's Possession!"

He transformed into a streak of purple lightning, his speed increasing dramatically. In Hong's eyes, Thor had become a blurry shadow, his location only detectable by his aura.

"This speed has increased at least threefold," Hong thought with a start. "Thor has been hiding his abilities very well."

Rowan also wore a serious expression. He knew Thor still had a trump card up his sleeve, and now it was finally being revealed.

The two engaged in a high-speed chase through the air. Purple lightning and silver storms intertwined in the sky, leaving countless afterimages. Each clash generated massive energy fluctuations, churning the sea below.

"Awesome!" Thor laughed. "This is the real battle!"

“Yes,” Rowan laughed, “We didn’t dare to go all out in the city, but now we can finally fight with our full strength.”

The battle lasted a full hour. When both sides were exhausted, Hong declared the battle over.

"A draw," Hong commented. "Both of you are exhausted; continuing will only result in mutual destruction."

"Huff, huff," Thor gasped for breath. "Rowan, you've really gotten a lot stronger."

“You too,” Rowan said, equally out of breath, “that Thor-possessed state was so strong, I almost couldn’t keep up with your speed.”

"But in the end, you still came out on top," Thor said with a wry smile. "Your Storm Judgment was truly terrifying. Even though you didn't unleash its full power, the sheer pressure it exerted was enough to frighten me."

“That move is too taxing; we can’t use it carelessly,” Rowan said. “Besides, there are still many imperfections.” The two landed on the sea and sat down to rest and recover. Hong took out the prepared nutrient solution and recovery potions and distributed them to the two of them.

“Your fight has given me a lot of inspiration,” Hong said, “especially in terms of speed, where I am clearly inferior to you.”

“Everyone has their own strengths,” Rowan said. “Your strengths are defense and endurance. In the battle of Qinglan City, if it weren’t for your indestructible body, that building would have collapsed long ago.”

“That’s right,” Thor agreed, “your defense is the strongest among the three of us.”

“But no matter how strong the defense is, if the speed can't keep up, you'll still be on the defensive,” Hong shook his head and said. “I must improve my speed, otherwise it will become my weakness.”

“That’s perfect,” Rowan said. “Once Thor and I recover, our next match will be against you. I’ll use my speed advantage to suppress you the entire time, forcing you to push your limits.”

“I couldn’t ask for more,” Hong said, his eyes gleaming with fighting spirit.

Half an hour later, both of them had recovered to a near-complete state. The second battle began.

This time it's Luo Wen versus Hong.

“Hong, get ready,” Rowan said seriously. “I’ll be attacking with speed the whole time, giving you no chance to breathe.”

“Come on,” Hong took a deep breath, golden armor appearing on his body, “let me see where my defense limits are.”

Luo Wen's figure vanished instantly, and the next second he appeared to Hong's left, striking out with a palm.

Hong reacted quickly, immediately turning to block. But Rowan's attack was just a feint; the real attack came from his right.

boom!
Hong was hit and his body tilted to the right. But his golden armor was sturdy, and the blow did not cause any real damage.

"Still too slow," Rowan's voice echoed from all directions. "Next strike."

Rowan launched a rapid and relentless attack. He moved at high speed around Hong, attacking from every angle. Each strike was precise and sharp, targeting the weakest points in Hong's defenses.

Hong defended with all his might, forming a shield of golden law power. But Luo Wen's speed was simply too fast; he couldn't keep up and could only passively take the hits.

"No, this can't go on," Hong thought to himself, considering a solution. "I must find his movement pattern."

He closed his eyes, no longer using his vision to track Rowan, but instead using his mental power to perceive him. In his mental perception, Rowan's movement trajectory became clear.

"Found it!" Hong suddenly opened his eyes and punched the seemingly empty space.

Rowan happened to be there and was hit squarely in the chest by the punch. Although he defended himself in time, he was still knocked back several steps.

“Not bad,” Rowan praised, “You’ve finally caught up with my pace.”

“But that’s not enough,” Hong said. “I can only barely predict your position; in a real fight, I’ll still be half a beat behind.”

“Then keep training until you can keep up completely,” Rowan quickened his pace, “This time I’ll be even faster!”

The battle intensified once again. Rowan's speed increased, and Hong's reflexes improved accordingly. Under the life-or-death pressure, Hong's potential was gradually unleashed.

An hour later, Hong was able to keep up with Rowan's speed and was no longer completely on the defensive. Although he was still at a disadvantage, he had the ability to fight back.

“Great progress,” Rowan stopped his attack. “With a few more days of training, your speed problem will be improved.”

"Thank you," Hong said, panting, "You were so fast, I almost couldn't keep up."

“This is only the first day,” Rowan cautioned. “There are still six days to go, and the intensity will only increase.”

“I’m ready,” Hong said firmly.

After a break, the third battle began—Hong versus Thor.

This battle was completely different in style. Hong's defense clashed with Thor's attacks, creating a contest of spear and shield.

“Come on, Thor,” Hong said, getting into a fighting stance, “let’s see if you can break through my defenses.”

“That’s hard to say,” Thor laughed. “My Purple Heaven Divine Lightning can even penetrate a stellar-level eighth-tier defense.”

“Then let’s give it a try,” Hong Quanli said, unleashing his Golden Domain, his entire body enveloped in golden light.

Thor showed no mercy, unleashing his strongest lightning attack. Purple lightning cascaded down like a waterfall, striking Hong's defenses.

Boom boom boom!
Despite the continuous explosions, Hong's defenses remained standing. The golden light flickered incessantly, but never shattered.

"The defense is indeed astonishing," Thor remarked. "It seems I need to step up my efforts."

The battle lasted an hour, with Thor using every possible attack method, but none could completely break through Hong's defenses. In the end, Hong's defenses prevailed.

"Your turtle shell is really hard," Thor said, sitting exhausted on the surface of the sea. "I've used all my strength, but I still can't break it."

“This is both my strength and my weakness,” Hong said. “My defense is strong, but my attack and speed are lacking.”

"Therefore, we need to complement each other," Rowan concluded. "Hong will handle defense and protection, Thor will handle the offensive, and I will handle crowd control and speed. If we can coordinate perfectly, our combat power will increase several times over."

“That’s right,” Hong nodded. “In the next few days, we’ll not only be training individually, but also doing team training.”

And so, the three began their hellish training in the Pacific Ocean. More than ten hours of intense battles every day put them under immense pressure.

But it is precisely under this pressure that their strength is rapidly improving.

Hong's speed is increasing, and although he is still the slowest of the three, he is no longer a significant weakness.

Thor's attack power continued to increase. His Purple Heaven Divine Thunder, after constant tempering, had become close to the level of a ninth-tier stellar-level lightning.

Rowan's control over the laws of storms has become more refined, and his Storm Judgment is constantly being improved, with decreasing energy consumption but increasing power.

On the fourth day, the three began training together.

“Now we’ll simulate a battle with the Kara fleet,” Rowan said. “I’ll play the main force, and the two of you will coordinate an attack on me.”

"One against two?" Thor raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

“Confirmed,” Rowan nodded. “There are definitely beings in the Kara fleet stronger than Sakaar. We must be prepared to face such a powerful enemy alone.”

“Then we won’t stand on ceremony,” Hong and Thor exchanged a glance and attacked Rowan simultaneously.

This two-on-one training was extremely arduous. Rowan had to deal with attacks from two people simultaneously, which put him under immense pressure. But it was precisely this pressure that continuously honed his combat instincts.

(End of this chapter)