"Wait... sothing's not right!!"
Lance’s brow furrowed. He turned his ntal gaze inward, focusing on his [Soul], only to discover that a fragnt of his spiritual essence was missing as well.
"So this technique sacrifices both the soul and the body simultaneously. No wonder the power boost is so instantaneous and terrifying!"
The realization struck him. If sacrificing a single hand provided a ten-fold increase, then sacrificing half his body would likely grant a boost of thirty tis or more. A multiplier of that magnitude was beyond what a standard Rank 8 technique should be capable of—unless the price paid was more than just physical.
"Fortunately, both my soul and my body can be repaired. The soul just takes a bit longer," Lance mused. He smiled, realizing it didn't fundantally change his situation. In fact, the extra ti needed for recovery would give him a chance to acclimate to his skyrocketing physical capabilities. Rapid growth required a period of adjustnt, after all.
He turned his attention to the descriptions of his two new [War Arts].
[Fla Dragon Flash]: Consus Fla Power to manifest a fire dragon, resulting in an explosive burst of speed. The higher the grade of the fla used, the faster the burst.
Base Effect: 1500% Speed.
[Star War Body]: Draws upon the astral power of the celestial stars, anchoring it within the body to drastically increase physical defense and raw strength.
Base Effect: 1500% Defense.
Bonus: If paired with the S-Rank Trait [Star Power], Defense is increased by 2000%.
Lance nodded in satisfaction. As Rank 7 [War Arts], their potency was exactly as high as he had hoped.
"System, open my [User Status Panel]," Lance commanded.
[User Status Panel]
Na: Lance
Reconstruction Quota: 1/4
Martial Rank: [Gold Tier, Rank 10] (3,900 / 30,000)
Soul Rank: [Gold Tier, Rank 10] (Tier 3 tamorphosis, 100 / 50,000)
Constitution (CON): 10,000 (1 pt = 300kg of force)
Soul: 10,000
Skills: Spear Mastery (Late Proficient, 300% dmg, 2000/5000)
Traits: [Undying God-Body] (SSS-Rank, 300% Combat Power), [Elental Saint Body] (SS-Rank, 3000x Cultivation/Affinity Multiplier), [Solar Stellar Fla] (S-Rank), [Holy Light Power] (SS-Rank).
Techniques: [Titanium War Art] (Rank 4 Low, 300% Cultivation speed), [Eternal Soul Protocol] (Immortal Grade, Rank 5 Broken, 32x multiplier), [Heavenly Demon Disintegration Art] (Rank 8).
War Arts: [Titanium Collapse Fist] (Rank 4 Low, 400%), [teor Spear Art] (Rank 6 Mid, 1000%), [Solar Flare Blast] (Rank 6 Peak, 1500%), [Fla Dragon Flash] (Rank 7 Mid, 1500%), [Star War Body] (Rank 7 Mid, 1500%).
Pet: [Infernal Cerberus-Dragon] (Noir) (SSS-Rank, Tier 4, 6-Star).
Lance was thoroughly pleased with his current status.
"With the [Heavenly Demon Disintegration Art], my body and soul can now grow at the sa accelerated pace. There are exactly ten hours left in the day... I wonder how far I can push myself."
His eyes flashed as he activated the disintegration art once more. Since the technique consud his soul as well, Lance didn't dare sacrifice 99% of his body all at once. His soul currently had a limit of being divided into twenty fragnts, so he settled on sacrificing 95% of his physical mass.
BOOM!!!
Following the activation of the art, Lance’s body violently disintegrated, exploding into a dense cloud of blood mist that filled the room. Only a single, powerfully rhythmic heart remained suspended in the void.
Even as a re heart, the aura radiating from it was so overwhelming that Lance himself felt a jolt of shock. A thirty-fold boost. It was exactly as he had calculated. He suspected this wasn't even the upper limit of the technique; the more he sacrificed, the more god-like his strength would beco.
To any outside observer, the sight would be baffling. How could a man fight when he was nothing but a heart?
Yet, for Lance, the state was temporary.
Buzz!!!
A surge of vitality instantly flooded the suspended heart. Within less than a second, muscle, bone, and skin knit themselves back together with preternatural speed. Lance was completely restored.
The most absurd part? The aura of the thirty-fold power boost hadn't faded. The effect remained active.
Lance estimated that the "disintegrated" state's power boost would last for at least five minutes. Five minutes was more than enough ti to end a life; if he couldn't kill an enemy in five minutes, an hour wouldn't change the outco. More importantly, since his soul only took fifteen minutes to fully repair, he only had to survive for ten minutes after the buff wore off before he could trigger it again.
Of course, if a 30x multiplier wasn't enough to win, he probably wouldn't survive those ten minutes of downti anyway.
In the future, as my soul repair speed increases, I might be able to maintain this 30x combat state indefinitely, Lance thought. That’s when I’ll be truly unstoppable.
"For now, this technique is more than enough. I won't need to replace my primary art for a very long ti."
A confident smile played on his lips as he felt the raw power thrumming through his restored limbs. By his current estimation, even a [Grandmaster (Rank 9)] expert might struggle to match him.
Lance spent the remaining hours in a grueling cycle of cultivation. Every ti he triggered the [Heavenly Demon Disintegration Art], he spent fifteen minutes recovering. With every repair, both his physical strength and soul essence surged.
[System Alert: Dual trauma (Body & Soul) successfully repaired. Gained 600 Soul points and 600 CON points!]
[System Alert: Dual trauma (Body & Soul) successfully repaired. Gained 600 Soul points and 600 CON points!]
[System Alert: Dual trauma (Body & Soul) successfully repaired. Gained 600 Soul points and 600 CON points!]
As ti ticked by, his reserves of Soul and Constitution points climbed steadily. He was accumulating roughly 2,400 points in both categories every hour.
Ten hours later, as the [Reconstruction Quota] was about to refresh, Lance—well-prepared as always—produced a vial of vibrant, crimson liquid. It was the blood essence refined from the corpse of a Tier 3, 3-Star [Void Beast] he had slain back on Hunting Planet X-10.
He intended to use his final quota to repair every single [Exploit] within this essence.
[System Alert: 80,000 Exploits in Tier 3, 3-Star Blood Essence repaired. You have obtained Tier 5 Void Beast Blood Essence. Consumption will grant 800,000 Constitution (CON) energy reserve.]
As the light faded, the vial of blood essence in Lance’s hand underwent a profound transformation, its color deepening and its energy stabilizing.
"Rawr!!!"
A tiny, eager cry erupted from Lance’s pocket. Noir scrambled out, hovering in the air as it stared at the vial, practically drooling over the concentrated energy.
"You’ve got a sharp nose, don't you?" Lance chuckled, looking at the excited little dragon. "I can't give you the whole thing, though. My own CON reserves are half-empty; I need to top them off. It’s a sha this is only Tier 5 essence, but 800,000 points should last us a while."
Lance split the essence. He consud half himself and handed the remaining portion to Noir.
Despite its size, the little beast was a black hole for energy. The 100,000 points he’d given it previously had already been incinerated. If it hadn't gorged itself on those Skrulls earlier, it wouldn't have reached [Tier 4, 6-Star] so quickly.
Noir widened its maw, montarily growing several sizes larger to swallow its share in one gulp.
Belch!
The dragon let out a satisfied burp and promptly burrowed back into Lance’s pocket to resu its slumber.
"Four hundred thousand won't keep this little guy fed for long," Lance mused, his eyes glinting. "I’ll need to track down a Tier 4 Void Beast soon. If I reconstruct Tier 4 essence, I can probably net tens of millions in CON reserves. That should be enough for both of us."
Finding a Tier 4 [Void Beast] was no easy task, but he had a plan.
"The ship is almost there. If I can push my Source Essence Compression to the 3rd rotation before we land, hunting Tier 4 beasts will be much easier."
Lance checked the navigational chart. They were on the final approach to Planet Solaris. He closed his eyes once more, plunging back into cultivation.
Three hours later.
[System Alert: Constitution (CON) reserves have reached 30,000 points. Comncing Source Essence Compression!]
Lance’s eyes snapped open as a violent surge of power flooded his Dantian.
He could feel his internal Source Essence beginning to spin at a dizzying, terrifying velocity. At the center of the vortex, droplets of pale-gold liquid began to condense.
"The 3rd rotation turns gas into liquid... then the 10th rotation must be solid, right?" Lance thought, marveling at the process. "If it becos solid, it’ll be just like the 'Golden Cores' from those ancient cultivation legends."
The liquid essence felt infinitely denser and more potent than the gaseous state. The quality of his energy had tripled. This was the hallmark of the 3rd Rotation.
Slowly, fueled by the 30,000 points of CON energy, Lance’s Dantian was filled to the brim with pale-gold liquid.
[System Alert: Congratulations! Your Source Essence has successfully reached the 3rd Rotation. Constitution (CON) quality has evolved. Current ratio: 1 pt CON = 900kg of force.]
Lance’s eyes lit up at the notification. While his raw CON score couldn't increase until he broke through to [Grandmaster], the "weight" of each point had evolved.
"So, if I hit the 10th rotation, 1 point of CON will equal 3,000kg? And when I promote to [Grandmaster], that multiplier usually jumps ten-fold... aning 1 point would equal 30,000kg of force!"
The math was staggering. A normal practitioner who promoted to [Grandmaster] after only a single rotation would have 1 point equal to only 1,000kg. Lance would be thirty tis stronger. Even at Rank 1 of the [Grandmaster] stage, his raw physical power would rival a Rank 6 expert.
"This system is truly sothing else," Lance whispered, a grin spreading across his face. With this kind of foundation, reaching the top of the food chain was only a matter of ti.
Ding-ding-ding!
A cold, synthesized voice echoed through every corridor of the vessel.
"Attention all personnel. The Morton Warship has arrived in the Solaris Interdiate Sector. We are beginning our descent. Please prepare for landing."
"Warning: The gravity of the Solaris Interdiate Sector is 100x the standard gravity of Mother Planet. Personnel unable to withstand 100G are advised to activate the anti-gravity systems on their combat suits imdiately."
Lance stood up and stretched, the joints in his body popping like firecrackers.
"Finally. We were supposed to be here yesterday afternoon. It's already the dawn of the second day."
He walked to the observation port, looking out at the vastness of the system.
Before him sat a massive, cold-white star, surrounded by thousands of orbiting celestial bodies of varying sizes. They moved in a complex, synchronized dance, acting as a single, unified entity.
Their most striking feature was their scale. Even the smallest habitable planet in this sector was ten tis the size of Planet Silvermoon, let alone the original Mother Planet.
Every planet's rotation had been artificially synchronized to match Mother Planet’s 24-hour cycle. This was the ultimate tribute to the origin of humanity—even a hundred thousand years into the future, a day remained twenty-four hours long.
"That star... it has to be at least a hundred tis larger than the Sun back in the Sol system," Lance marveled. "And that planet over there—the one larger than a sun—that must be Planet Solaris."
The scale of the system was breathtaking. Planet Solaris likely had a volu millions of tis greater than Mother Planet. Theoretically, its gravity should have been thousands of tis stronger, but the entire planet was clearly equipped with massive anti-gravity fields to keep the surface at a manageable 100G.
Of course, "manageable" was a relative term. In the Solaris system, if you weren't at least an [Awakened] warrior, you weren't even qualified to be a resident.
This 100G gravity acted as a natural filter.
Only those whose cultivation had reached [Silver Rank] or higher were qualified to relocate from the thousands of surrounding habitable worlds and beco permanent residents of Planet Solaris. This ant that every single person living on this colossal world was, at minimum, an [Awakened] professional of the Silver Tier.
It was a staggering thought, and Lance found it impossible not to be impressed by the sheer scale of humanity’s power here.
"Lance, prepare to disembark!" Reed’s voice crackled over the ship’s intercom, pulling Lance out of his thoughts.
"Ti to go. I’m finally going to see my new weapon," Lance said with a faint smile. "And my four new [Reconstruction Quotas] just refreshed—I might as well put them to use imdiately."
He stood up and strode confidently out of his cabin toward the main airlock.
"Is this it? Is this Planet Solaris? Master, I’ve really made it. I’m finally going to see that person," Selina murmured, staring out her own viewport at the approaching titan of a planet.
A flash of long-buried anger flickered in her eyes.
"I’ve told you before," a spectral, translucent figure drifted into view beside her, looking at Planet Solaris with a look of bored indifference. "Now that you are my disciple, not a single genius in this insignificant Solaris Sector—nor the entire Milky Way—will ever surpass you. There is no need to let these petty family matters trouble your heart."
To Lance and the others, this world was an awe-inspiring seat of power. To Sovereign Glacia, it was no different from a grain of sand. At the height of her power, the territories she ruled contained systems like this by the millions.
"What about Lance, Master?" Selina asked suddenly, her voice tinged with curiosity. "Can I surpass him?"
Sovereign Glacia went silent for a mont, her spectral brow twitching.
"Ahem... naturally. Once you have mastered my [Extre Frost Scripture], you will awaken a [Desolate Grade] talent: the [Extre Frost Holy Power]. When that happens, you’ll be able to slaughter any so-called 'genius' from the backwater provinces like they were nothing."
Sovereign Glacia gave a dismissive laugh. She wasn't just boasting; a [Desolate Grade] talent was an existence far beyond the SSS-Rank. In her eyes, no matter how gifted Lance was, he had only grasped the S-Rank [Solar Stellar Fla]. Surpassing him should be a simple matter.
"I understand. I’ll work hard, Master," Selina said, her face set in a mask of determination. "Whether it’s that person or Lance, I will be the one standing at the top!"
"That’s the spirit, my disciple! Keep at it!" Sovereign Glacia encouraged her with a smile. Internally, however, she sighed. This girl is so dangerously naive and easy to fool.
Glacia hadn't even mastered the [Extre Frost Scripture] to its completion during her own lifeti; the chances of this girl, whose innate talent was far inferior to her own, doing so were slim to none.
"Selina! The ship has docked!" Lance’s voice rang out from the corridor.
"Coming!"
One second, Selina was the cold, ambitious warrior promising to crush Lance; the next, a bright, genuine smile broke across her face as she hurried toward the door without a second thought.
Sovereign Glacia stood frozen in the air, looking like she’d been turned to stone.
"What a ss... how did I end up with such a simple-minded disciple?" the ancient sovereign muttered, her pride stinging. With an annoyed huff, she vanished, retreating into the depths of Selina’s consciousness to hide.
Rumble!!!
With a heavy chanical groan that vibrated through the earth, the Morton Warship settled onto a massive landing pad.
Led by Silas Stuart, Lance and Selina stepped down the ramp and onto the surface of the imperial capital. Lance glanced around and was imdiately struck by the sight of tens of thousands of warships parked in neat, dense rows across the spaceport. Ships were landing and taking off every few minutes in a synchronized chanical ballet.
"Lance, Selina, we are only here to drop you off. We can only stay for ten minutes," Silas Stuart said, his tone turning solemn as he addressed the two teenagers. "The exam officially begins tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM sharp. You should spend today getting familiar with your surroundings."
"Rember to be here on ti. If you’re late, you’ll have to wait another year for the next Unified Exam. And most importantly... during the exam, watch your backs. Only those who stay alive can be called winners. No one rembers a dead genius, no matter how bright they were."
"We understand, Inspector. Don't worry," Lance replied with a calm smile.
In truth, he wasn't worried about death in the slightest. With his current strength and the [Undying God-Body], unless a Great Grandmaster or sothing even stronger arrived to vaporize every single cell in his body instantly, he could regenerate from a scrap of flesh.
Selina, anwhile, had reverted to her icy, aloof persona the mont they stepped into the public eye. It was as if her warmth was a limited resource reserved only for Lance. Her Master’s presence ensured that even a [Stellar Class] expert would have a hard ti killing her.
"Good," Silas said, checking his wrist communicator. "Then I’ll be off. Stay safe, both of you. I’ll be back to pick you up once the trials are over."
Despite his lingering concern, the Inspector boarded the warship, which soon ascended and disappeared into the clouds.
Left alone, Lance surveyed the area. The massive plaza was already swarming with over a million young geniuses, both male and female. Many were sizing each other up. When they looked at Lance and Selina, they mostly saw two fifteen-to-sixteen-year-olds and wondered which planet had sent such young representatives.
However, once they noticed that both of them were "only" at the [Gold Tier, Rank 1], most of the other contestants lost interest. At their age, being [Gold Rank 1] suggested a talent level between A and S-Rank. But in this plaza, there were already hundreds of certified S-Rank geniuses, many of whom were twenty years old and hovering near the [Grandmaster] threshold.
"There really are a lot of monsters here," Lance muttered. Most of the youths were around twenty and were unanimously at the [Gold Rank]. He even spotted several S-Rank geniuses who were already half-step [Grandmasters].
In a place like Morton Province, such individuals would be considered supre powers, yet here, they were just another face in the crowd. It was a sobering reminder of the scale of the central sectors.
"Do you have plans for the afternoon?" Lance asked Selina.
"Nothing," she replied simply.
"I’m heading to the Profession Guild to pick up a few things. Do you want to co along?" Lance didn't want to leave her alone in a strange city, and the Guild was just a short distance from the central plaza.
"Sure. I need to go there anyway to claim my promotion rewards," Selina said.
Lance rembered that her status as an [A-Rank Elite] had been upgraded to A during their journey; her rewards would have scaled up accordingly.
"Perfect. Let’s go."
The two set off across the Central Plaza of the Solaris Imperial Capital. It was a gargantuan space, covering nearly four hundred square kiloters—a concrete sea twenty kiloters long and twenty kiloters wide, surrounded by the towering, futuristic spires of the greatest city in the sector.
Every year, millions of elite geniuses from over a million habitable planets converged on this spot, waiting for the examination that would change the course of their lives.
To accommodate them, the surrounding infrastructure was flawless. There were Tier 5 dical complexes and a headquarters for the Profession Guild that reached a staggering ten thousand ters into the sky. Every aspect of life—food, clothing, shelter, and transport—was ticulously managed. These youths were the future of the Solaris Interdiate Sector, and in a broader sense, the future of the entire human race.
A few minutes later, Lance and Selina moved with the crowd into the massive Profession Guild tower.
Inside, both quickly finalized their equipnt upgrades. Lance’s new primary weapon was a Rank 4 Mid-grade Blaze Demon Spear. It was rumored that the weapon had a Cinder Demon’s Void Core fused directly into its shaft.
Cinder Demons were a powerful race originating from a planet shrouded in perpetual fla, located roughly five hundred light-years from Planet Solaris. They were beings of living fire, and their most powerful mbers reached the [Planetary Class]. Even the Solaris Emperor hesitated to provoke the Cinder Emperor, the leader of their kind.
While the Cinder Emperor was untouchable, many of its kin were less powerful. This particular Void Core had been harvested by a [Great Grandmaster] after slaying a [Grandmaster]-level Cinder Demon. The weapon possessed a potent innate fire attribute, granting it devastating destructive power.
Selina, anwhile, exchanged her weapon for a Rank 4 longsword with similar ice-attribute properties.
With their gear secured, the two headed back to the designated waiting area. There were only a few hours left before the start, leaving no ti for rest.
Vroom!!!
Suddenly, a violent tremor rippled through the atmosphere. High above, a colossal warship—ten tis the size of the Morton—descended from the clouds. The massive vessel was so large it blotted out a quarter of the sky above the assembly grounds.
"A red-dot flag? I thought that nonsense was unified out of existence eras ago," Lance muttered, his brow furrowing as he caught sight of the emblem emblazoned on the ship's hull.
"A Tier 5 High-grade warship? Which planet is this from!?" soone in the crowd shouted.
"It’s from the Oros System! They’re descendants of the Oros Clan!"
"What? That Oros System? I heard their ruler is a [Great Grandmaster (Rank 7)]. They control over three hundred habitable worlds. I didn’t expect them to send such a massive delegation."
"The Oros System is ranked in the top ten across the entire Solaris sector. They produce A Rank elites every year, and an S-Rank genius every decade. They’re a powerhouse."
"You lot better be careful. The Oros people are notoriously ruthless. They don't just win; they kill. Every year, dozens of geniuses end up dead at their hands."
"Hmph, so what? If they’re weak, they die, no matter how 'ruthless' they are. I'll kill every one of them I see."
The atmosphere among the gathered geniuses turned sour. It was clear the Oros System was not well-liked.
Rumble!!!
With a thunderous impact, the massive ship slamd into the ground. It didn't even bother extending landing struts, relying on its sheer mass to crush the pavent. Several geniuses had to scramble out of the way to avoid being flattened. The ship effectively seized a quarter of the entire plaza for itself, forcing everyone else into cramped quarters.
The blatant arrogance of the move left many faces darkened with fury.
"A bunch of barbarians. They get a little power and think they own the galaxy."
"Ranked seventh and acting like they’re the Emperors of Solaris."
"Just wait until the trial starts. If I see an Oros scout, I'm gutting him first."
These geniuses were not known for their patience. To represent an entire planet, every one of them had fought their way through countless rivals. They weren't the type to take such disrespect lying down.
Clang!!!
The ship’s massive hatch hissed open. Under the glow of a tractor beam, a group of youths descended, their chins held high with unbearable pride. Each wore a combat gi resembling ancient martial arts uniforms, with the red-dot emblem stitched over their hearts. Their attire was completely out of step with the modern gear of the surrounding crowd.
The leader of the group, an S-Rank genius at [Gold Tier, Rank 8], swept a disdainful gaze across the plaza.
"Hmph. A bunch of trash," he sneered, his voice carrying clearly across the grounds.
"The hell did you say to , you little brat!?"
A burly youth among the S-Rank geniuses snapped instantly.
Rumble!!!
In a blur of motion, a terrifying aura erupted from the youth as he rocketed toward the Oros leader.
"Nani?" The Oros youth’s eyes widened in shock as the challenger appeared in his face.
The attacker didn't give him a second to think. He wound back a massive fist and smashed it squarely into the Oros leader's face.
BOOM!!!
The impact echoed across the plaza like a cannon shot. The Oros youth vomited a spray of blood and was sent hurtling backward like a missile, slamming violently into the hull of his own ship.
Blood splattered across the polished tal.
"Holy sh*t! That’s Kaelen from the Lionheart System! His grandfather is the ruler of their sector—Lord Regulus, a [Great Grandmaster (Rank 8)]!"
"Incredible! Kaelen is a genuine S-Rank genius. He’s a half-step [Grandmaster]. They say he’s on the verge of his first rotation."
"Did those Oros idiots really think they were the only ones here with a pedigree?"
Everyone recognized Kaelen imdiately. The Lionheart System was one of the few star systems ranked even higher than the Oros System.
"God damn. Imagine being [Gold Tier, Rank 8] and acting that cocky," Kaelen spat, shaking out his hand. He turned his gaze toward the other Oros geniuses, who were now standing frozen in shock.
"Any of the rest of you want a punch!?" Kaelen grinned, looking at the cowering youths with pure contempt.
"You absolute brat... you dare!?"
A roar that shook the very heavens erupted from the Oros warship. Suddenly, a soul-crushing pressure characteristic of a [Great Grandmaster] descended upon the plaza.
The weight was suffocating. Every genius in the area felt their breath hitch as the terrifying aura bore down on them.
A withered, skeletal old man drifted out of the ship’s hatch, his eyes cold and murderous as he glared down at Kaelen.
"Go ahead, you old fossil," Kaelen barked, refusing to buckle under the pressure. "Lay a finger on . I double-dog dare you. Let’s see if my grandfather doesn't turn your entire star system into a graveyard!"
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