Facing Director Raymond’s teasing, Lance could only offer a helpless expnation.

  "It’s fine. You aren’t engaged now, but there’s always ter. I’ll be waiting for my invite to the wedding feast!" Raymond chuckled, giving Lance a heavy sp on the shoulder. "Besides, my niece is a Psion who awakened a C-Rank Trait and she’s a beauty to boot. She’s just barely qualified for a monster genius like you."

  Lance rolled his eyes. The Director was being so aggressive about it that someone who didn't know better would think Lorraine was his own daughter.

  "Uncle Raymond!!"

  Lance had thick skin, but Lorraine was still a young woman. She gred at Raymond, then shot a look at her father, Duke Lucius, who was busy fanning the fmes. Finally, she turned away, refusing to acknowledge the two old men and their ck of decorum.

  "Alright, Raymond, stop teasing her."

  Duke Lucius straightened his colr and turned to the remaining guests with a polite bow. "Everyone, please forgive my poor hosting today. The Lorraine family has urgent matters to attend to. We will make it up to you all another time."

  The representatives of the various families were no fools. They took the hint immediately. They left the vish gifts they had prepared, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and made their exits.

  Everyone knew that as of tonight, the Lorraines were the undisputed top family in Silvermoon City. Even the President of the Profession Guild wouldn't dare provoke them now.

  Late night, Lorraine Manor, Holographic Star-Garden.

  Lance and Lorraine walked through a sea of shimmering flowers generated by virtual projection technology.

  "Lance, thank you. For everything today," Lorraine said softly, finally breaking the silence.

  "You don't need to be so formal with me. If it wasn't for Uncle Lucius, I would have died in the Wilderness Hunting Zone a long time ago."

  Lance smiled. As he recalled the memories of the "original" Lance, he felt a wave of genuine emotion. In this era of cold pragmatism, men like Duke Lucius were rare. The man hadn't just saved his life; he’d provided a job that paid enough to keep him and his sister fed and supplied with high-grade nutrition.

  "My father is my father. I am myself. Including this time, you’ve saved me twice. I’ll find a way to repay that debt," Lorraine said, stopping to look at him with a dead-serious expression.

  Lance sighed, feeling a bit helpless. "Since you’re so insistent, there is one thing I need help with."

  "What is it? Just name it," Lorraine nodded eagerly.

  "Starting tomorrow, I’m leaving Pnet Silvermoon for a while to take the entrance exam for Soris Academy. I’ll be gone for a week, maybe longer. During that time, could you look after Lillian?"

  Lance looked at her earnestly. Leaving Lillian alone at home didn't sit right with him, and the exam in the Soris Intermediate Sector was high-risk. While he had the Undying God-Body, if he got stuck somewhere and couldn't make it back in time, her safety was his biggest concern.

  "So, your goal is Soris Academy..."

  A fsh of surprise crossed Lorraine’s eyes, though it quickly turned to understanding. With the terrifying talent Lance had shown, it only made sense.

  "Consider it done. I’ve actually received a waiver for the Imperial Royal War Academy, so I don't need to take the Unified Exam. I’ll pick Lillian up tomorrow morning and bring her to the manor."

  "Thanks. That’s a huge weight off my shoulders."

  "Time really flies, doesn't it? It’s already been three years since we met," Lance said, walking to the edge of the holographic garden and looking down at the glowing lights of Silvermoon City.

  "Yeah, it really has. To think we’re both heading off to higher academies now."

  Lorraine drifted into her own memories. Three years ago, a scrawny, determined boy had first entered her world. Born into privilege, it was only then she realized there were people her age who had to struggle on the brink of death just to survive. Now, that same boy had grown to a height she could only look up to.

  They fell into a comfortable silence, watching the night sky.

  Suddenly, the atmosphere high above the city began to shift. Brilliant ribbons of colored light bloomed within the clouds. High-energy particles collided, painting the sky in a dreamlike kaleidoscope of seven colors.

  "The Silvermoon Aurora! It’s appearing today? This only happens once a century!" Lorraine cried out in delight.

  "Oh, I remember this. My instructors said that because of Silvermoon City's unique geographic location, the pnetary magnetic field undergoes a violent shift every few hundred years, creating this atmospheric optical phenomenon," Lance expined, his tone purely scientific.

  Lorraine went silent, turning to stare at the total "brick" of a man beside her.

  "You... you really are something else! Can't you be a little romantic? How are you ever going to get a girlfriend?"

  She looked back at the sky, her eyes misty. "My mother told me before she passed... any man and woman who witness the Silvermoon Aurora together will grow old and gray by each other's side. It’s such a beautiful legend, and you expin it with 'magnetic field shifts.'"

  "Uh... I didn't know. People actually believe that?" Lance scratched his head. "Wait, according to that, since this only happens every few centuries, does that mean I have to stay single for hundreds of years to find a girl? I can't exactly go grab a random person off the street right now..."

  As he spoke, something clicked. He subconsciously gnced at Lorraine.

  "Actually, come to think of it... aren't we a 'man and woman' right now?"

  The moment the words left his mouth, Lance regretted it. He shut his mouth tight.

  He looked at Lorraine and saw that her face was already glowing a deep red. Under the backdrop of the radiant aurora, her exquisite profile made Lance’s heart skip a beat.

  An hour ter, after the aurora faded, Lance made an excuse and scurried back home.

  "Man, I go out for one night and I almost end up with a wife. Is it because my Charisma stat is too high?"

  Back in his room, Lance ran a hand through his hair.

  "But... the further I go, the more the original Lance's memories merge with mine. Everything he went through feels like my own life."

  He frowned. His feelings for Lillian, in particur—that instinctive protective urge—was something deeper than just "downloading" a memory.

  "Whatever. No use overthinking it. It’s time to check the rewards. I need to upgrade my gear and skills."

  Lance’s eyes sharpened as he pulled up the Federation Interstelr Marketpce interface. A massive holographic screen appeared before him, its crity far surpassing the 8K dispys of his old world.

  System Alert: Distinguished A+ Rank Elite, your rewards have been issued. Please check your inbox.

  Content Includes: 1 Billion Credits, one Tier 4 Cultivation Method, two Tier 3 War Arts, one Tier 3 Weapon, and one Tier 3 Nano Combat Suit.

  Lance gnced at his bance. His meager savings of 100,000 had skyrocketed to one billion. This was enough to buy a mountain of high-grade alchemy potions.

  But what he cared about most was the exchange authorization.

  A "Tier 4 Method" corresponded to the Gold Rank. If he were to buy one, it would cost at least a hundred billion Credits. These were top-tier resources usually reserved for Grandmasters.

  "A Tier 4 method can repce the Titanium War Art. As for the War Arts, given my current situation, I need a movement technique to boost my speed and a high-lethality technique for my weapon."

  Lance calcuted his moves. He had one "Exploit Fix" left. In two hours, the daily reset would give him three more—enough to Reconstruct the new method, skills, and gear.

  As for energy reserves, he was set for a long time. These resources should be enough to push him all the way to Grandmaster.

  "System, search all exchangeable methods. Filter criteria: highest popurity, must simultaneously strengthen the physical body and the Soul!"

  Lance didn't hesitate. A dual-cultivation method for body and soul was the logical choice; otherwise, he’d have to waste another reconstruction quota on separate techniques.

  “Directive received. Searching target methods...”

  The AI hub of the marketpce whirred to life. Data streams of various methods flooded Lance’s vision. Most had astronomical price tags.

  Psionic-Somatic Resonance Protocol: Tier 4 - Low Rank War Art.Difficulty: 3 Stars (Out of 10)Power Index: 3 StarsDescription: The most fundamental synchronization method for psionic energy and the physical body. Extremely low entry barrier. Popur choice.Downside: Power is mediocre; not rated as 'Epic.'Price: 600 Billion Credits.

  Lance looked at the top-seller. 600 billion was no small sum, but the low entry barrier made it a bestseller. He scanned further and realized most dual-cultivation methods had difficulties of 7 or 8 stars without a significant jump in power.

  "It seems the dual-cultivation path is so hard to even start that most people are discouraged. To actually achieve something is even harder."

  Lance nodded. However, with the thousand-fold comprehension granted by his Elemental Saint Body, a 3-star or an 8-star difficulty made no difference to him. Perhaps only a 10-star difficulty would feel like a challenge.

  "Marketpce, ignore popurity. Search for the method with the highest power output and the highest cultivation speed bonus!"

  “Directive confirmed.”

  The list cleared instantly, leaving only one lonely entry. When Lance read the description, his spirit jolted.

  The Soul Obliteration Protocol: Tier 4 - Low Rank.Difficulty: 10 Stars.Power Index: 10 Stars.Description: The most extreme psionic cultivation algorithm. The user must actively tear their own Soul apart, using the self-repair process to increase soul strength. Simultaneously, the dissipated soul fragments are converted into bio-electrical signals to nourish the body.Downside: Tearing the soul involves absolute, agonizing pain. A single slip-up will result in total consciousness colpse (Brain Death).Warning: This method is cssified as 'Extermination Css.' Do not redeem! Statistics show that out of 1,000 practitioners, 999 die on the first attempt. The st one dies during a subsequent cycle.Note: Theoretically viable, practically a suicide program.Price: Infinite (Not for sale).

  Rows of bright red warning text only served to make Lance's pulse quicken.

  "Holy shit. Tearing the soul to gain power? This is literally tailor-made for my Undying God-Body! I’ve hit the jackpot!"

  However, the "Not for Sale" tag gave him pause. If I can't buy it, why show it?

  "Wait... Marketpce, I have 'Exchange Authorization.' The rules say I can unconditionally redeem any Tier 4 Low Rank method in the database. Is this within the scope?"

  The AI crunched the logic. This forbidden method’s power far exceeded standard Epic Rank skills, but because of the mortality rate, it was beled a hazardous good. But as long as it was in the database...

  “Analyzing rules... Item cannot be purchased with Credits but is not excluded from the 'Authorization Exchange' list. The Soul Obliteration Protocol meets redemption standards. Warning: Cultivating this method is extremely dangerous. Confirm redemption?”

  "Redeem! Do it now!"

  “Congratutions, A+ Rank Elite. Consuming Tier 4 Exchange Authorization. Redemption successful. Commencing neural data transfer...”

  Vroom—!!!

  A massive stream of information was piped through his wrist communicator directly into his cerebral cortex. The forbidden knowledge of the Soul Obliteration Protocol was seared into his mind.

  As he read the specific steps, Lance felt a chill down his spine. It was literally using raw willpower to rip one's soul into shreds, forcing a near-death state to trigger the self-repair mechanism. Usually, this repair resulted in a massive surge in soul strength.

  The method divided soul-shredding into four levels:

  First Stage: Shred 1/3 of the soul. Power boost: 200%.

  Second Stage: Split the soul in two. Power boost: 400%.

  Third Stage: Divide into five pieces. Power boost: 800%.

  Fourth Stage: Divide into ten pieces. Power boost: 1600% (16x Soul Strength).

  If one reached the fourth stage, the power would surpass even ordinary Rank 6/Legendary methods. However, most people didn't even survive the first stage before their brains shut down.

  Historically, the only person to reach the third stage was a mutant Psion. With this method, that genius was invincible among his peers in an intermediate gaxy. Unfortunately, he vanished in a cloud of spiritual dust while attempting the fourth stage.

  "This is insane. Tearing the soul into ten pieces... I doubt many could endure that pain."

  Lance marveled at the madness of it. Then, a look of ruthlessness fshed in his eyes. He sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and began to circute his mental energy according to the protocol.

  The entry difficulty was massive. "Soul Shredding" required incredible micro-control. If you weren't a Psion, you couldn't even start.

  Fortunately, while Lance wasn't a professional Psion yet, his Elemental Saint Body allowed him to manipute his own spiritual energy at will. Within seconds, he manifested two massive hands of mental force within his consciousness space.

  The hands gripped the glowing orb of his soul.

  Before he even applied pressure, the primal terror from the depths of his being made his heart race.

  "In for a penny, in for a pound! Let’s start small!"

  Lance took a deep breath and commanded the invisible hands to yank outward with everything they had.