"Wait, we have to fight? Can't I just forfeit? I don't think I’m any match for you."
Theia clutched her magic staff, taking two hesitant steps back. Fear clouded her eyes as she looked at Lance. It was clear that the Destruction Power radiating from him struck a primal terror into the very core of her abilities.
Among the ten Supre Powers, Ti and Space stood apart, but the others were generally considered equal in rank. However, Destruction Power was undeniably the most terrifying in terms of raw lethality. While Life Power was imnse, it functioned primarily as a support attribute. In a clash between two experts of equal cultivation, Destruction Power would claim a decisive victory every ti. Life Power simply lacked the offensive edge to compete in a direct confrontation.
Because Lance’s foundation far exceeded her own, Theia’s instincts scread at her to flee. Had the roles been reversed—if her cultivation dwarfed his—Lance wouldn’t have felt a shred of fear. Instead, he would have been consud by an overwhelming battle lust.
That was the nature of Destruction Power: reckless, aggressive, and unstoppable.
"How about this? Hit with your strongest technique," Lance suggested, hoping to avoid a drawn-out bullying of such a naive girl. "If I survive, you forfeit. If I die, well, then you win by default."
"Oh? But… won’t it hurt?"
Theia’s question left Lance montarily speechless. He stared at her, dumbfounded.
"Good grief, woman! We’re cultivators. How do you expect to survive a real fight with that attitude? Now, do it! Attack !" Lance barked, his voice booming.
Theia flinched, looking genuinely aggrieved by his tone. Nevertheless, she hurriedly raised her magic staff, holding it upright before her.
"Great Goddess of Vitality, in the na of Theia Lastree, I beseech you..."
A grand, resonant incantation began to pour from her lips.
Vrummm!
The surrounding void began to churn as an inexhaustible torrent of life essence surged into existence.
Lance’s expression turned solemn. Despite her timid nature, Theia was a Planetary Class (Rank 10) powerhouse—vastly superior to him in cultivation level. Combined with her mastery of a Supre Elent, she was not an opponent to be taken lightly. If he grew complacent, he could easily end up dead.
He imdiately concentrated his Destruction Power within his soul. The mont anything felt off, he would unleash it to incinerate her Life Power at the source.
Theia’s chant reached its crescendo.
"In my na, strike down the one before ! Life—Ignition!"
As the soft whisper ended, a streak of Life Power transford into a beam of flowing light. It slamd into Lance’s chest instantly. Even with his senses sharpened to the limit, the attack was so fast he didn't even have ti to blink.
Boom!
The Life Power detonated inside his body.
Lance’s eyes widened as he realized the nature of the attack. His very life force had been set ablaze, beginning to burn with a frenzied intensity.
Life force was, essentially, a person's lifespan. Every living being's life force trickled away second by second; the stronger the cultivator, the more robust that pool of energy beca. Each breakthrough granted a massive surge in longevity, but it remained a finite resource. Even those at the Immortal Grade, who possessed theoretically infinite lifespans, weren't truly immune. Immortals achieved longevity by partially shielding themselves from Ti Power, preventing their life force from eroding over the ages.
However, against a move like this, even an Immortal’s lifespan would be forcibly ignited. Once the wick burned out, death followed—absolute and final.
That was the crisis Lance faced.
Thanks to his Undying God-Body, his life force was billions of tis greater than a typical cultivator's, and he possessed a massive resistance to life-draining effects. Yet, at this terrifying rate of combustion, he would still be dead within a few years. A normal Planetary Class peak expert would have turned to ash in a heartbeat.
In a real death match, Lance could have easily killed Theia in the ti he had left. But even if he killed her, he would still succumb to the "burn" a few years later.
He finally understood her combat style. For anyone else, this was an unsolvable death sentence.
The combustion was so potent that not even the top-ranked Stellar Class peak expert could withstand it for more than a second. While a second was enough ti to kill Theia, in the real world, the attacker would still be a dead man walking. Considering the top of the Stellar Class leaderboard possessed combat power equivalent to the Star Sea Realm, this ant Theia could theoretically force a double-death against a Universal Class powerhouse.
Against anyone stronger, she would likely fail simply because she wouldn't be able to land the hit.
"If this is the extent of the attack, then I don't need to worry. To , Life Power holds no lethality. Perish!"
Lance unleashed his Destruction Power.
Buzz!
The flas of Life Power within his body flickered like a candle in a hurricane before being snuffed out instantly.
Even more shocking was how the Destruction Power behaved next. It didn't just stop the fire; it began to "destroy" the very concept of the damage already dealt. Lance felt his life force surging back, reverting to its original, pristine state as if the consumption had never happened.
Lance blinked, stunned by his own power. It can even destroy abstract consequences like that?
"Eh? How are you okay?" Theia stared at him, her face a mask of disappointnt and resignation. "I knew it. I’m really no match for you!"
Lance offered a small, confident smile. "It just so happens that your Life Power is ineffective against ."
"Oh, I see!" Theia said, the realization dawning on her. She made a ntal note to stay far away from Lance in the future. Her ntor had always told her to keep her distance from people she couldn't beat. "Well, then I forfeit. But you have to rember your promise! Don't forget to tell people about !"
"Don't worry. I’m a man of my word," Lance replied with a grin.
"Great! I'll see you around then!" Theia waved happily and transford into a streak of light, vanishing from the arena.
Congratulations! You have successfully defeated the Rank 1 player on the leaderboard.
As this is your first ti claiming the Rank 1 position in the Planetary Class, please select from the following rewards:
Option 1: 10 God-Realm Credits
(Note: Virtual Universe currencies include: Virtual Coins, Domain Lord Credits, World Lord Credits, God-Realm Credits, and Supre Universal Credits. 1 Virtual Coin has the purchasing power of one Tier 7 Low-Grade weapon. 1 Domain Lord Credit is worth one Tier 11 Low-Grade weapon, and so on. 1 God-Realm Credit is worth one Tier 10 Gold Tier - Low weapon. 1 Supre Universal Credit is worth one Tier 14 Low-Grade weapon.)
Option 2: One 10 Gold Tier - Low weapon, pill, formation, or cultivation technique of Perfect Quality.
(Estimated Value: 100 God-Realm Credits)
Option 3: Any non-Epic dicinal herb, forging material, or formation material below Tier 13.
(Value: 10 to 1,000 God-Realm Credits)
The rewards appeared, following the sa structure as before. This ti, Lance had no intention of passing them up.
"I'll take a 10 Gold Tier - Low weapon of the Umbra attribute," Lance declared. "And for the rest... give a Tier 13 Low-Grade combat suit."
Lance spoke his mind imdiately. Cultivation techniques and martial skills required ti to master once chosen, and his Grade 11 options were already sufficient. Weapons, however, were a different story. He felt that his current Grade 11 armants and combat suits—even those upgraded to Grade 13 after repairs—were no longer enough to match his soaring power or provide the protection he required.
Consequently, he selected a Grade 13 weapon and combat suit, both of the Perfect quality.
Once he repaired them using Exploits, their power would jump to Grade 14 at minimum, perhaps even reaching Grade 15.
With enough energy to fuel them, these items might even possess the power to obliterate an Immortal Grade entity.
Without a doubt, they would beco the ultimate safeguards for his life.
This was a decision he had only reached after his recent eting with God-Emperor Mortis.
[Selection complete. Order dispatched. Estimated delivery to your location: 24 hours.]
As Lance finished his selection, the voice of The Virtual Universe rang out.
"A single day? Perfect. That gives just enough ti to begin the Reconstruction. In that case, send to the Stellar Class rankings!"
Lance wasn't surprised by the delivery ti. He imdiately gave his orders to the system.
The ti for a frantic surge in strength had arrived.
Deep within The Milky Way, a starship hurtled through the void toward Terra, the human howorld, at a terrifying velocity.
As a Tier 7 vessel, it took only a matter of minutes to cross the vast distance and arrive before a small, unassuming planetary system.
The ship slowed to a crawl, coming to a halt before a vibrant, azure planet.
Clang!
The airlock hissed and slid open. An elderly man drifted out from the ship’s hold.
He gazed at the planet before him, his eyes shimring with profound emotion.
"I’m finally back. After all these years, the Mother Planet hasn't changed a bit."
"It’s a pity," the old man murmured to the empty void. "Though this is the Terra of my people, it is far too small. If our race hadn't inherited the legacy of the Atlantis civilization within the Bermuda Triangle, we never would have made it this far."
The old man sighed. Compared to the various life-bearing planets scattered across the cosmos, the Mother Planet was truly microscopic.
This man was none other than The Martial Paragon of humanity.
After a day and night of relentless travel, he had finally returned.
However, he was completely unaware of the cataclysmic events currently shaking The Milky Way.
Because of the orders Lance had issued before his departure, the entire human race was currently undergoing a violent internal purge. In just a few hours, hundreds of trillions of human elites identified on the traitor list had been executed.
These individuals held vital positions across the stars, ranging from local Presidents of Warrior Alliances in small cities to the Sovereigns of entire mid-tier star systems.
Now, every single one of them was dead. The Planetary Class powerhouses among them had even had their Souls utterly obliterated by the High Guardians.
Because of these traitors, countless human geniuses had perished needlessly at the hands of their own kind. Previously, their treachery had been masked, their communications shielded by the AI cores of the other four races.
While those four alien AIs weren't powerful enough to seize control of The Human Supre Core, hiding the defection of these turncoats had been a simple task.
But now that the truth was out, the human race would not tolerate such vermin in their midst.
Even though so of these traitors were the disciples or direct descendants of the High Guardians themselves, they were slaughtered without exception.
The purge was so consuming that the High Guardians had completely forgotten to notify The Martial Paragon.
Having seen no signs of conflict during his journey back through The Milky Way, The Martial Paragon finally allowed himself to relax.
"Main Core, report on the current status of the human race!"
The first thing he did upon his return was establish a link with The Supre Core.
Previously, he had been too far away to connect to the Tier 7 Supre Core, but now that he was back in the system, he had full access.
[Identity verified: 10th Controller.]
[Martial Paragon, what specific information do you require?]
The AI Core responded imdiately upon recognizing his signature.
"The four races—what is their status? And what happened to the Secret Realm? I went to the coordinates, but everyone was gone."
The Martial Paragon spoke with a heavy, serious tone.
He had gone straight to the Secret Realm's opening site upon his arrival, hoping to suppress the powerhouses of the four races personally. To his utter bewildernt, he had found the place deserted.
The mont he took control of The Supre Core on Terra, his priority was to understand exactly what state his people were in.
[Martial Paragon, the powerhouses of the four races have been completely annihilated by High Guardian Lance. Furthermore, the four rival races within The Milky Way have been driven to extinction. Human forces are currently seizing their territories and remaining resources.]
The Supre Core calmly recounted the sequence of events.
The Martial Paragon stood frozen, his mind gone completely blank.
The Emperors of the four races... all killed by Lance?
He winced, sucking in a sharp breath. Lance is only fifteen years old! How is it possible for him to kill Stellar Class experts at the absolute limit?
Even in the entire Glacial Star-System, there are only a handful of such monstrous geniuses, right?
He had no way of knowing that while The Glacial Star-System was a terrifying, unreachable entity in his eyes, it was nothing more than a speck of dust to the current Lance.
After all, the very creator of The Glacial Star-System was currently spending his days with Lance, having only successfully exacted his revenge thanks to the boy's help.
"This Lance... he is a true blessing to our race! With a talent like his, perhaps I can finally lead our people to the Atlantis civilization and apply for our race to officially recognize our ancestry!"
The Martial Paragon was visibly shaken with excitent. In truth, he had visited the Atlantis civilization more than once over the years. It was a daunting Grade 11 civilization, ruled by super-beings of the Domain Lord Realm.
In the past, he hadn't even been able to move past the outer fringes of their civilization because his personal strength was simply too pathetic.
For tens of thousands of years, he had applied multiple tis to have The Galactic Terrans rged into the Atlantis civilization. Every single ti, the result was the sa: rejection.
Humanity was simply too weak. Atlantis, a Tier 11 civilization, had no interest in absorbing a Tier 7 entity. A rger required a series of support policies and resource allocations that they wouldn't waste on a race without potential or sufficient power. A civilization had to reach Grade 9 to even be considered.
The only other way in was the ergence of a "Super Genius."
These were the hard requirents for entry into Atlantis.
Because of their rejection, The Martial Paragon had spent years desperately visiting the Grade 10 civilizations of The Desolates.
Even there, the answer was always the sa: humanity needed to be a Tier 8 civilization at the very least.
Though that goal was ambitious, The Martial Paragon had hoped to see it realized within his lifeti. This was why he had been so obsessed with increasing his own strength—firstly to extend his lifespan, and secondly to facilitate a rger with a higher civilization.
Only under the protection of a powerhouse like The Desolates could the overall strength of the human race improve rapidly.
And now, Lance had given him the hope he needed to join Atlantis.
"If Lance's talent is the real deal, I will transmit his data to Atlantis tomorrow. With him, our race might finally earn an exception and enter the fold!"
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