Mu Taro!
By now, it was almost certain—this man was none other than the legendary founder of the Muten School. Recent discoveries had unearthed buried truths, revealing that he had once truly existed and personally saved Earth from otherworldly demons. Not only that, but he also had deep ties to Mu Tam from Planet Company. His real age was an enigma, and in the eyes of the public, his life was already a legend among legends!
Before the tournament wrapped up for the day, the host did not disclose how the three remaining contestants would face off the next day, leaving everyone to speculate.
As the day's excitement settled and night fell, the audience, still buzzing with adrenaline, returned to their lodgings. Before sleeping, they browsed news and social media, only to stumble upon a "Microblog" post that had already amassed hundreds of thousands of shares in just minutes.
"Wait, isn't this Planet Company's CEO Mu Tam's personal account? Damn, this guy rarely posts anything. And now, just a few words from him are racking up millions of shares…" One user, surprised by the rare post, clicked on it.
Mu Tam's profile picture was an adorable childhood photo of Ninn. The post itself contained just one sentence, accompanied by an image:
[The first-ever "World's Best Martial Arts Tournament" in Earth's history… The champion of 'World's Best' should truly live up to the name. (Smile)]
[Attached image: A night scene captured on a phone. Closest to the camera was Mu Tam's wife, Lavinia, suggesting that Tam had taken the picture while walking beside her. Ahead of them were three people. In the center was a vibrant young woman wearing a short-sleeved top and denim shorts, smiling radiantly as she looked back. She held hands with two individuals—one appeared to be an elderly woman, while the other was a now-familiar figure with long, gray-white hair…]
"My father-in-law is so annoying! Took him this long to finally post a beautiful picture of my wife!" one user immediately commented, clearly thrilled at seeing Ninn in the image. Though she rarely appeared in public, her unparalleled beauty and charm had already cemented her status as a national goddess.
"Wait a minute, is that gray-haired old man holding her hand really Taro? Is he the same Master Taro who competed in the World's Best Martial Arts Tournament? Who exactly is he, Mr. Hathaway? What should I even call him?!" another user asked, clearly trying to piece things together.
"A Muten Master… The Muten School… Planet Company… Damn, there's a huge story here!"
"If anyone else were called 'World's Best,' I wouldn't accept it. But if this Master Taro really is the Muten Master who once saved the world, then I acknowledge him as number one!"
"I wasn't originally interested in this tournament, but I grew up hearing my grandfather tell stories about the Muten School who saved the world. My grandpa witnessed that apocalyptic disaster firsthand as a child. He personally saw the Muten School eliminate the demons. He even saw him summon a divine bird to bless the people, bringing all the dead back to life! Look at the top-left corner of the image—do you see that dark-red bird? If Master Taro is truly the Muten School, then this tournament actually managed to bring a living legend out of myth! I'm a die-hard fan from now on!"
This comment, posted by a user named "Heart of Ice Lotus," quickly gained over a thousand likes and responses.
"Wait, there really is a bird in the picture!"
"The lighting was too dim at first, but yeah, it's red!"
"No doubt about it now!"
"Grandpa!!!"
At that moment, Mu Tam himself reshared the post, adding just three words:
[No words needed.]
With that, the confirmation was official—Taro was indeed the Muten School, personally acknowledged by Mu Tam!
---
"Dad, why did you take a picture of me?!" Ninn complained as she scrolled through her phone while walking back to the hotel. "And what's with all this 'father-in-law' and 'wife' nonsense? So annoying!"
Mu Tam pocketed his phone and replied casually, "They like you, which means our Ninn is beautiful."
As they walked down the street, occasional pedestrians passed by but paid them no mind, as if they were invisible. Clearly, they had been veiled by Taro's magic, making them undetectable.
Taro and Hathaway accompanied their son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter back to the hotel where they were staying. Once they arrived, the elderly couple prepared to leave, preferring the comfort of their island home.
Tam asked before leaving, "Mom, how is the research on the virtual reality technology interacting with Jarvis progressing at your institute?"
"There are still some challenges... but we're close to achieving results," Hathaway replied, holding onto Taro's arm.
The Phoenix fluttered its wings and landed on Taro's shoulder. Taro said, "Soon..." His gaze swept across the newly emerged small cityscape outside the main city under the night sky, as if he was scanning the entire Earth. He murmured, "The whole world will change because of this."
"I'm looking forward to it, Dad. That virtual Earth network you mentioned… that 'Second Earth'," Tam said with a smile. Along with his wife and daughter, he bid farewell to Taro and Hathaway before turning back to enter the hotel. The "invisibility" spell remained active until they reached their room; otherwise, the reporters lying in wait all around the hotel would have caught them.
"Let's go home," Taro said. He and his wife, Hathaway, exchanged smiles. The Phoenix let out a cry from his shoulder, and in the next instant, the two of them, along with the bird, disappeared from the street in front of the hotel.
---
The night was deep, and the sea breeze gently swept across the island under the dark sky.
A faint trace of dawn emerged from the horizon where the dark sky met the vast ocean, its soft light falling upon a spherical stone at the highest point of the island.
Taro hovered in mid-air outside his residence, seated in a meditative pose. The early morning breeze tousled his gray-white hair, yet not a single drop of the sea mist or morning dew in the wind could touch him. At the break of day, the vitality of the earth, forests, sky, and ocean began to stir. Having remained in this position since Hathaway fell asleep at midnight, Taro was most attuned to these subtle shifts in the world's energy.
His eyes remained closed in deep contemplation, unmoved by the shifting winds and clouds.
…
This was a realm of seeming void.
A torrent of green data surged endlessly across the sky, like the pulsing heartbeat of the world's breath.
Taro's figure, faint at first, gradually became clearer—hissing and flickering into existence beneath this vast digital sky.
A mass of dark green data streams coalesced beside him, forming a humanoid shape in midair. Finally, it solidified into the form of a refined middle-aged man.
"Mr. Taro," the fully manifested Jarvis gave a slight bow and greeted, "For someone as powerful as you to continue striving so tirelessly—it is truly admirable."
"There's even flattery written into your code?" Taro was still taking in the unique scenery of this digital world—this special, spirit-like space built from Jarvis's unique source code. Hearing Jarvis's words, he turned his head with a smile.