"Now that you mention it." Wumadi narrowed his eyes, digging through memory. "When the Galaxy Lord first appeared, the weapon he used — I think it was a cauldron?"Yedu considered it. "The books say that before every fight he'd shout something. 'Lord Ding,' I think. So the weapon must have been called Lord Ding.""Both from small worlds. Both freakishly gifted. Brother Long isn't as overbearing as the Galaxy Lord was, but his strength is nothing to shrug at." Wumadi thought of Ethan's abilities and shook his head. "You've made a fine friend this time. Look after him. Plenty of clans will be attacking his homeworld soon. Post your people on the roads to it and turn them back."He had fully claimed Ethan as one of his own now. One of his own did not take a scratch while he could help it.Yedu nodded and went at once.The Bimeng star domain was far from the Black Dragon range. Even at full speed, three months was the minimum. To guard against whatever might happen in those months, Yedu w

"You two have done more for my city than I can say." The lord was a lizard-man — black scales, a lizard's head, a human body, a long tail, towering at five or six meters. His eyes, slit-pupiled and gold, moved between them, warm and eager. "You have no idea how we've suffered. Our star domain is remote. We have no resources. Every year we rank dead last. No one invests here. No one even travels through, except to refuel.""No higher rank, fewer resources. Round and round. We only fall further behind." He sighed. "Every meeting, I keep my head down, I can't look anyone in the eye. This year, because of you, our economy climbed eighteen places. We'll win the progress award. We'll receive so many resources. The Black Dragon Domain will grow."Ethan glanced at him and said nothing.Tang seized the chance. "My lord, you're too kind. We're all part of this domain. It's what we should do. Don't be so polite. We'll work harder still, make the Black Dragon Domain a famous economic power across

"Then I'll thank you in advance." Ethan let the Giant envoy leave with a friendly nod. "We've got all kinds of strange tech and ability back on Earth. If you ever want to compare notes, you'd be welcome. The three of us ought to be able to get on well enough."He meant every word. Free muscle was exactly what he needed, and the Giants were the best muscle in the known universe. They were rare, almost touchy about privacy, but every single one of them was worth ten thousand ordinary fighters. The whole cosmos agreed on that. Put the Giants between his home and whatever came next, with the Bimeng Clan backing them up, and Earth ought to be safe for a long while.He chatted with the Giant side a little longer, exchanged a few more promises, and took his leave. The Bimeng had a birth to celebrate — Zhongyao, their little one, had come out showing the old blood. The Giants, meanwhile, were already arguing over who got to be first in line for the Birth-Granting Pill. They hadn't welcomed a

"Bloodline test. I wonder what mine'll be. I'm actually kind of nervous.""Everything on Earth is better now, isn't it? All this new tech. All these ways to get stronger. Not like before, when you had to feel your way in the dark.""Heard that once you max out your Class, you can actually leave Earth. Go out into the universe. There are academies and everything out there. Places to train, places to get stronger.""Things have been nothing but war lately. Can Earth really hold?""Of course we can. We've got Ethan."The crowd packed the square, almost all of them young. The test was aimed first at the young — especially the ones who hadn't gone through their Awakening yet. The older folks could make a special appointment later.Ethan looked down over them from the platform, and something moved in his chest.This was where Jiangnan Walled City had stood. It had been destroyed, monsters and rubble, and when the bodies were cleared and the survivors came home, they'd built the city back up

"In three months, True God Academy opens its doors." Ethan didn't lie to him. "I figure I'll leave Earth in about a month. But there's no crisis right now. As long as the Giants and the Bimeng are standing with us, we can handle the guardian challenge."He turned to the old man."And you should go out too, Tang. With your strength, you'll do fine off-planet. This isn't the Earth it used to be. It doesn't need us hiding under its skirts anymore. It needs a push to grow. We can't guard it forever. And the second we stop getting stronger ourselves, the next time a real disaster hits, we won't be able to save it either. We can't count on other people to come and pull us out. Only strength you build yourself is strength that holds."His gaze drifted back down to the square.The people down there had talent. All of them. Every kind of Class, every kind of gift. Put them out in the universe and they'd find somewhere to stand, something they were good at. He'd seen too much already. He'd watc