Extraterrestrial demons invaded; I laid the groundwork eight years in advance.

Xiaoqingshan Villa.

Shen Bai finished his cultivation and slowly opened his eyes.

In the past two days, the spiritual energy has become increasingly dense. With the help of this wave and the terrifying boost from his golden aptitude, he broke through two more levels and entered the sixth level of the first tier.

He stood up, stretched his limbs, picked up his phone and glanced at the time—6:12 a.m.

Nine days have passed since the spiritual energy revived, and tomorrow the Extraordinary Administration Bureau will officially announce its establishment to the public.

After changing his clothes, he went into his study. The sky outside the window was just beginning to brighten, the bamboo grove swayed gently in the morning breeze, and a few early birds chirped on the branches.

The raven had already woken up and was perched on the windowsill, tilting its head to look at him.

Nourished by the continuous spiritual energy, the raven's cultivation level steadily climbed from the first level of apprentice to the fourth level. Its feathers became even purer black, and when the morning light shone on them, their surfaces gleamed with iridescent metallic luster, like a polished obsidian.

Shen Bai picked up his phone, and the news pushed to the screen made him frown.

[South Pacific Islands: Spatial portals and monsters appear in multiple areas; military continues to deploy heavy firepower such as missiles]

[United Kingdom of the North: Supernatural creatures attack residential area, casualties unknown]

[Land of Samba: Unidentified monster spotted in slum; police say scene cordon has been established]

[France: Several citizens claim to have witnessed a "dark shadow" flying across the Seine]

A series of shocking headlines scrolled across the screen, and Shen Bai clicked on a few to read in detail.

The rift in the South Pacific island nation appeared in full view of everyone, and the local military used missiles and heavy artillery to kill the monster.

Reports of the rift have appeared on almost every continent, from the land of Samba to the land of Gaul and the United Kingdom of the North.

Although each crack was promptly resolved by members of the Dawn or the local military, public opinion could no longer be suppressed.

"Master, today's online public opinion monitoring report has been compiled," Xiao Cheng said. "Discussions about keywords such as 'monster,' 'red light,' and 'supernatural' have increased by 300% in the past 24 hours. The official explanation of 'atmospheric anomaly' is no longer able to appease the public. A large number of on-site videos and photos are spreading on social media platforms, and we can't delete them all."

  

Shen Bai opened the trending posts pushed by Xiao Cheng. One video had already garnered over 100 million views: the video showed a young man in his twenties lifting an overturned car with one hand, rescuing the driver trapped underneath. The comment section exploded.

"This must be special effects, right? How could a human have that kind of strength!"

"I've noticed it too. I've been running much faster lately, but I thought it was just my imagination..."

"My neighbor's child grew more than ten centimeters taller overnight. Is that a superpower?"

"Stop kidding, it's all fake."

"Fake my ass! I've seen a monster with my own eyes!"

Shen Bai turned off his phone and walked to the window.

Only ten days after the spiritual energy revived, ordinary people's bodies have already begun to change - without cultivation methods, the mere immersion in spiritual energy can slowly improve their physical fitness.

Some people become stronger, some have better eyesight, and some have faster reflexes. These changes may seem insignificant on their own, but when combined, they create an undeniable wave.

The existence of monsters is like a thin sheet of paper, which can be torn at any moment.

"Xiao Cheng, the latest data on global fissures."

"Master, over the past few days, a total of 250 rifts have appeared globally. Most were handled secretly by the Dawn Force, while a few were dealt with by local governments and militaries. However, some small countries are severely inadequate in their rift response capabilities, resulting in some casualties, and have now sought assistance from the international community."

Shen Bai's brows remained furrowed after hearing this.

The Eye of the Rhinoceros can locate rifts in advance, but only within its detection range. Outside of that range, Xiao Cheng's predictions are still inaccurate, and the Dawnbreaker forces cannot arrive immediately.

Those smaller countries have virtually no capacity to respond. Once the rift spreads, a global crisis will inevitably reach China sooner or later.

As he was pondering this, Li Zhou's communication request echoed in his mind.

"Sir, Director Chen Zhengping just called and wants to hold an emergency meeting at the Shuguang Group headquarters this afternoon."

Shen Bai was silent for a moment: "What time?"

"Two o'clock in the afternoon."

"You go participate. What are his requirements?"

Li Zhou paused for a moment, then said, "Director Chen said that public opinion is currently surging. Although the Extraordinary Management Bureau is about to be established, it does not yet have the personnel and combat power to directly deal with demons. He hopes that Dawn Group can share its cultivation methods, and they can provide compensation in other ways."

Shen Bai did not answer immediately. He had long anticipated this day would come; panic was spreading among the people, and the existence of the demon could no longer be concealed.

"That's possible, but not enough," Shen Bai said. "We'll provide the first-tier cultivation methods to the Administration Bureau, and make the apprentice-level cultivation methods freely available to the general public. Once ordinary people master them, they'll at least have the ability to protect themselves. We can also select those with better aptitude from among them and consider further training them."

"Understood. There's one more thing. Director Chen hopes that Shuguang Group can provide a batch of equipment for arming emergency response forces."

"Regarding the equipment, have Dr. Gu assess the production capacity. Prioritize Dawnbreaker; if there's surplus capacity, then provide it to the Administration. We can provide them with the basic version of the extraordinary technology."

"receive."

2 PM, Shuguang Group headquarters, top-floor conference room.

Li Zhou sat at one side of the long table, opposite Chen Zhengping and two assistants. Chen Zhengping looked much more haggard than when they last met.

"Mr. Li, I'll skip the formalities," Chen Zhengping said, getting straight to the point. "What are your thoughts on the requests we made earlier?"

Li Zhou picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said unhurriedly, "Regarding the cultivation method, Dawn can share it, but we've decided to make the basic cultivation method freely available to all. The basic version is sufficient to cultivate up to the ninth level of the Apprentice realm. As for the Management Bureau, we will provide a higher-level cultivation method, which you can take with you later."

"Regarding equipment, our current production capacity is limited, but we can provide some equipment while ensuring our own supply. In addition, we have decided to share some manufacturing technology, and you can arrange for your technical team to work with us."

Chen Zhengping was pleasantly surprised: "These conditions are all negotiable. When do you plan to make the cultivation method public?"

"The day after tomorrow," Li Zhou said, "the Dawn Group will hold a global press conference to officially release the three basic cultivation methods to China and the world free of charge. At the same time, we will provide accompanying cultivation guidance and precautions to ensure that ordinary people will not be injured due to improper cultivation."

"Globally?" Chen Zhengping frowned slightly.

"The monster invasion is a global problem, and China cannot remain unaffected. Publicly disclosing cultivation methods to help other countries enhance their extraordinary powers is also a way to buy China a strategic buffer." Li Zhou's tone was calm but firm. "Director Chen, this is not charity, it's self-preservation."

Chen Zhengping remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

The meeting lasted nearly two hours. After the two sides finalized the details of the cooperation framework, Chen Zhengping got up to take his leave.

Xiaoqingshan Villa.

Shen Bai sat in his study, sensing the entire meeting process through the Apostle Panel.

"Xiao Cheng, for the press conference the day after tomorrow, could you prepare some supporting materials for the cultivation method? Including an introductory guide, precautions, and answers to frequently asked questions. The language should be simple and easy to understand, avoiding technical jargon."

"Understood, Master." Xiao Cheng paused. "Master, after the cultivation method is made public, a large number of cultivators will appear in the common people, and some of them will inevitably go astray. Aren't you worried?"

Shen Bai leaned back in his chair, watching the sky outside the window gradually darken.

"What's the use of worrying?" he said softly. "The rifts are widening, and the monsters are getting stronger. Dawn and the governments of various countries alone can't stop them all. Cultivation for all is inevitable; ordinary people need the ability to protect themselves. As for those who go astray..." He paused, "Dawn exists for this very purpose."

Outside the window, the bamboo grove swayed gently in the night breeze. In the distance, city lights gradually lit up, like stubborn stars.

He knew that the press conference the day after tomorrow would completely change the world.

But he was already prepared.