Marvel's master of cosmic magic

Chapter 521

"Done."

About ten minutes later, Rowan Mercer slowly withdrew his hand.

"So this is the Core Flow," he murmured. "No wonder Nathaniel Hale said his understanding surpassed Vincent Barlow’s."

With the Mount Longhu methods, the ancient inheritance he had acquired earlier, and a complete view of how Evan Clarke’s internal energy circulated, reconstructing the technique had been straightforward. Rowan now understood exactly what the Core Flow really did.

The Heavenly Talisman let a user manifest any spell effect directly through raw energy, without tools or symbols, and with even greater force than traditional casting. The deeper someone’s mastery of spellcraft, the more terrifying it became. Spirit Command could forcibly bind or devour any entity, whether a centuries-old spectral creature or a human soul, permanently strengthening the user in the process.

But none of that came close to the Core Flow.

This technique sat at the absolute ceiling of mystic combat.

It passively nullified any energy-based ability that touched the user, forcing all opponents into pure physical combat. It amplified the body, purged toxins, reinforced defenses, and stabilized the nervous system under extreme stress. In practice, it felt like a perfected fusion of divine shielding and raw force enhancement.

Its only real weakness was energy consumption.

Once the user ran dry, the effect collapsed.

Rowan didn’t care.

To him, mana, spiritual force, and bio-energy were all the same fuel. He had more than he could ever burn through.

While decoding Evan’s technique, Rowan had also skimmed parts of his memory.

Years ago, Nathaniel Hale had stormed an assassin sect alone, tanked a neurotoxin that should have liquefied his organs, and still slaughtered over a dozen top-tier mystics afterward. He only died because his energy finally bottomed out and the poison finished the job.

If his reserves had held, he wouldn’t have needed to spend his life in hiding.

At that point, nothing short of a god-level physical monster could’ve killed him.

It reminded Rowan of the Black Dragon from another world. Magic didn’t work on it. Only fists did. And no human could win that contest.

Once Rowan finished integrating the Core Flow, he would be exactly that kind of problem.

"That’s it...? Already?" Evan Clarke blinked.

"All you did was touch my head."

"You didn’t even feel it because you didn’t know how the technique worked," Rowan said. "I had to reverse-engineer it from your energy pathways. That took time."

Evan inhaled sharply.

"So you’re telling me... you can steal anyone’s abilities just by touching them?"

Rowan smiled faintly.

"Not steal. Read their memory. Eyes work too, actually."

He added casually:

"I usually ask permission first. Basic decency."

Evan stiffened.

"You... looked at my memories too, didn’t you?"

"Had to. That’s how I rebuilt the technique."

Rowan patted his shoulder.

"Friendly advice. You’re in good shape for a mystic, but moderation matters."

He paused.

"Burnout ruins lives."

Fiona Barlow wandered over, her expression neutral and curious.

"What’s burnout?"

Evan choked.

"Nothing. Nothing important."

Rowan gave him an amused look.

"So what now?" Rowan asked.

Evan scratched his head.

"We stay with the Company. It’s safer that way."

He wasn’t stupid.

With Fiona’s condition, staying under institutional protection was the only rational option. If the truth ever leaked, no independent group could protect them. Not even Mount Longhu.

"Relying on organizations is a temporary solution," Rowan said. "Relying on your own strength is permanent."

He looked Evan in the eye.

"You’re sitting on the highest-tier combat technique in existence. Use it."

"If you ever reach the level of someone like Nathaniel Hale, nobody will dare touch you or Fiona."

Evan nodded slowly.

"...Thanks."

Then he hesitated.

"Rowan. You’re not even curious about immortality?"

Rowan turned away.

"Already solved that problem."

He waved once and vanished.