Lance’s physical body was now four hundred tis stronger than before. Consequently, the power boosts provided by the Demonic Blood Escape and The Berserk God body had surged significantly.
However, truth be told, his ultimate combat strength hadn't actually increased all that much.
Nevertheless, his baseline combat power—his strength in his normal state—had skyrocketed by seven or eight realms.
Anyone looking at this would surely be baffled. His physical strength had literally increased over four hundred tis, yet his ultimate power hadn't moved the needle?
Yet, that was the cold, hard reality.
Previously, Lance’s baseline combat power—his strength without utilizing Destruction Power or Holy Light—had reached the first layer of the Galactic Realm.
That strength was composed of his cultivation techniques, martial arts, his physical body, and various other factors. If those external elents were stripped away, Lance’s raw physical combat power wouldn't even have reached Stellar Class (Rank 7)!
This was a complex distinction that required separating Lance’s physical body from his soul.
Although his physical cultivation rank was technically higher than his soul’s, his actual combat strength had long since left his physical body in the dust.
The reason was simple: no matter how powerful an elent was, the vast majority of its power amplified the soul realm.
Consequently, when Lance utilized Holy Light, his soul-based combat strength reached the seventh layer of the Galactic Realm.
Of course, by factoring in Void Power, his combat strength—theoretically, without using Destruction Power—had now climbed to the peak of the Galactic Realm!
However, that was entirely due to the inherent power of the elents, the Demonic Blood Escape, and the sheer potency of the Eternal Soul Protocol. It had very little to do with his physical body's strength.
Without those elental powers, Lance’s previous physical combat strength would have only reached Stellar Class (Rank 7).
The primary reason for this disparity was that Lance didn't possess a single talent that enhanced his physique. The twenty-fold boost provided by the Undying God-Body simply wasn't in the sa league as his soul-based abilities, which frequently reached the fourteenth or fifteenth rank.
If not for the Demonic Blood Escape and The Berserk God body, his pure physical combat strength wouldn't even have cleared Stellar Class (Rank 1).
Now that his physical combat strength had increased fifty-fold, it was the equivalent of catapulting his Stellar Class (Rank 7) physical strength directly into the sixth layer of the Galactic Realm.
A massive jump of nine minor realms!
And yet, Lance’s ultimate combat power hadn't seen a significant increase.
It followed a simple logic: Lance’s ultimate power was the sum of his physical strength and his soul strength.
If the standard combat strength for the first layer of the Galactic Realm was defined as 1, his soul strength would be 1,000 while his physical strength was a re 0.128. Now, his soul strength remained at 1,000, while his physical strength had risen to 50.
Although it was a four-hundred-fold increase, it did very little to move the ceiling of his maximum combat output.
Such was the frustration of lacking physical cultivation techniques. Fortunately, Lance now possessed The Void Dragon Physique, which provided a boost comparable to a Rank 14 elental affinity.
In other words, the only thing Lance was still missing for his physical body was a dedicated cultivation technique.
Actually, it wasn't that he lacked one entirely; it was just that its current level was insufficient. That technique was The Berserk God body.
Once The Berserk God body reached Rank 14 or higher through Reconstruction, Lance’s physical strength would surpass his soul strength—at least when not using Destruction Power.
When the two finally stacked, Lance’s combat power would explode, achieving a result where one plus one was far greater than two.
For the current Lance, achieving that goal was well within reach.
Unfortunately, Destruction Power was simply too terrifying. It was nearly impossible for his physical strength to ever match the sheer scale of Destruction Power.
"I need to raise my realm first," Lance thought, his eyes flickering as he reviewed his attributes. "For right now, increasing my cultivation level is the fastest way to boost my overall combat power."
His current overall strength already far exceeded any other genius, primarily because he possessed several Rank 14 and Rank 15 talents.
However, Rank 14 and 15 were nearly the apex of existence in this universe. Obtaining anything beyond that level would be extraordinarily difficult. In theory, Lance’s power modifiers had almost reached their limit. Even if he acquired a few more Rank 15 talents, they would only increase his strength by a single minor realm, or perhaps even less.
Yet, through cultivation, his power could surge by seven or eight realms in a single hour. Without a doubt, the most efficient path forward was cultivation.
"At my current cultivation speed, I'm gaining 300 billion CON every hour. That’s 7.2 trillion a day. To break through to the Stellar Realm, I only need 10 trillion CON."
In other words, he only needed a single day to reach the Stellar Realm. Once he did, his cultivation speed would increase by several hundred tis again.
Lance’s eyes sharpened. At this rate, by the ti The Genius Trials began, his cultivation level would have already reached the Galactic Realm.
More importantly, by then, the Reconstruction of all his martial arts and techniques would be complete. His combat power would be truly horrifying.
"The Galactic Realm might not be enough to catch the eyes of The Supre Divinities. If I want to reach the Star Sea Realm or even higher in such a short ti, I’ll have to go to The Virtual Universe!"
Lance’s eyes narrowed slightly before he closed them. His primary consciousness instantly dove into The Virtual Universe.
As for his remaining sub-consciousnessess, they stayed behind to continue tempering his techniques and cultivation.
Buzz!
After a bout of world-tilting vertigo, Lance felt his consciousness being pulled away.
"Welco back to The Virtual Universe, esteed cultivator!"
The notification chid, and Lance opened his eyes to find himself standing once again within the digital expanse of The Virtual Universe.
"Virtual Universe! Take to the Planetary Class power rankings!"
Lance didn't hesitate to give the command. That was right—the Planetary Class rankings!
Having reached Planetary Class (Rank 2), he estimated that taking down the top spot in this bracket wouldn't be an issue at all.
Once he claid the rewards, he intended to head straight for the Galactic Realm rankings. There, he would hurl himself into battle after battle, using the cycle of death and rebirth to temper his strength to the limit.
"Acknowledged, honored cultivator!"
The Virtual Universe responded instantly. As the words faded, Lance’s body dissolved into nothingness, manifesting a mont later within the vast expanse of The Stairway Dinsion.
He stared up at the staircase that pierced the heavens, but no shock registered on his face. After everything he had been through, he considered himself a man of the world.
"Sa as usual. Bring out the strength test. I've got training to get back to," Lance urged the mont he arrived.
"Honored powerhouse, you shattered the Planetary Class testing apparatus during your previous visit. Therefore, you may skip the assessnt and proceed directly to the Top 10 based on your current power levels." The notification chid inside his mind.
"Skipping it again? Fine, let's go straight for the Top 10!"
Lance was montarily taken aback. The fact that his previous feat of crushing a star placed him at the peak of The Supre God-Realm of Destruction’s rankings was sothing to ponder. He had been formidable even before his breakthrough; now that his power had taken a qualitative leap, he could only imagine how terrifying he had beco.
Hum!
Without delay, The Virtual Universe warped Lance onto a boundless arena. The platform was staggering, spanning several light-years in diater.
Theoretically, it was impossible for a Planetary Class fighter to destroy such a structure. Even Lance, with his current strength, couldn't hope to shatter a continental landmass an entire light-year wide.
Vwoom!
Space rippled, and a middle-aged man with a weathered face and a long spear strapped to his back materialized before Lance.
The man froze the mont he saw Lance.
"Another new face? There’ve been a lot of those lately. Tell , which of The Hidden Civilizations are you from?" he asked, his brow furrowed in curiosity.
The Spear-Mage Master had originally been ranked in the Top 5. However, the past few weeks had seen a sudden influx of monstrous geniuses. These newcors had already displaced ten percent of the top thousand ranks across every bracket.
To the scions of the great civilizations, the pattern was clear. These sudden challengers were undoubtedly from reclusive superpower factions or were "hidden aces" kept in reserve by major races until now.
After all, geniuses of this caliber were pri targets for assassination. Their families guarded them like treasures, but with The Universal Genius Competition looming, they could no longer be kept in the shadows.
A lucky break could land them a spot as a disciple to one of The Supre Divinities, a fate that would see them soar to the heavens. Even failing that, becoming the apprentice of an Immortal Class powerhouse was a dream worth chasing.
"Uh, sorry. You've got it wrong. I don't belong to any great power," Lance explained with a sigh.
A great power? The Milky Way hadn't even reached Tier 8 civilization status yet. It was hardly a "major player" in the grand sche of things.
"Still hiding it? You're a cautious one." The man smiled, assuming Lance was simply playing his cards close to his chest.
He surmised that Lance’s backing might not be that formidable after all, or else he wouldn't be so tight-lipped. For mbers of small factions, revealing their origin invited death; for those from large ones, hiding it often led to the sa result.
A small-ti genius who talked too much was easily hunted by rivals. Conversely, few would dare touch a disciple from a major sect if they knew who they were dealing with. By staying silent, Lance risked being mistaken for an unprotected prodigy, which was an open invitation for trouble.
Generally speaking, eight out of ten people who refused to na their background had none worth ntioning. To the man, it was obvious Lance fell into this category.
"Background" didn't refer to race. One look at Lance confird he was of The Desolates—one of the apex races in the universe. There was no need to ask about that.
Background ant imdiate bloodline or the strength of one's ntor and grand-masters. To be considered a "great power," one needed at least an Immortal Grade backing. Without an Immortal Class powerhouse to shield them, a high-tier talent simply couldn't survive the scrutiny.
And anyone capable of breaking into the Top 10 of The Supre God-Realm of Destruction rankings was undeniably a supre genius.
"If you're unwilling to speak, then let's get to it!"
The man didn't waste another breath. He swept his spear in a wide arc. Clang! The ring of vibrating steel echoed across the entire arena.
"Are you kidding ? I'm not hiding anything—I really am from a small faction!" Lance was speechless. Was there sothing wrong with this guy's head?
But since the fight was starting anyway, Lance stopped arguing. He reached out and gripped the empty air. Clang! In an instant, a spear manifested in his hand.
Roar!
An earth-shaking dragon's cry erupted from every fiber of Lance’s being. Vast amounts of blood-qi surged from his pores, coalescing into the massive, towering phantom of a Dragon God behind him.
The sheer pressure made The Spear-Mage Master tremble with excitent. "Hahaha! What spirit! Fight!" the man roared.
"Fight!" Lance’s gaze turned razor-sharp.
"Hah!"
Both n roared simultaneously, and their figures vanished from their spots in a blur of violent motion.
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