"Wait... something's not right!!"

  Lance’s brow furrowed. He turned his mental gaze inward, focusing on his [Soul], only to discover that a fragment 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 times 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 fundamentally change his situation. In fact, the extra time needed for recovery would give him a chance to acclimate to his skyrocketing physical capabilities. Rapid growth required a period of adjustment, after all.

  He turned his attention to the descriptions of his two new [War Arts].

  [Fme Dragon Fsh]: Consumes Fme Power to manifest a fire dragon, resulting in an explosive burst of speed. The higher the grade of the fme 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]

  Name: Lance

  Reconstruction Quota: 1/4

  Martial Rank: [Gold Tier, Rank 10] (3,900 / 30,000)

  Soul Rank: [Gold Tier, Rank 10] (Tier 3 Metamorphosis, 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), [Elemental Saint Body] (SS-Rank, 3000x Cultivation/Affinity Multiplier), [Sor Stelr Fme] (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 Colpse Fist] (Rank 4 Low, 400%), [Meteor Spear Art] (Rank 6 Mid, 1000%), [Sor Fre Bst] (Rank 6 Peak, 1500%), [Fme Dragon Fsh] (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 same accelerated pace. There are exactly ten hours left in the day... I wonder how far I can push myself."

  His eyes fshed as he activated the disintegration art once more. Since the technique consumed 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 fragments, 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 mere 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 calcuted. He suspected this wasn't even the upper limit of the technique; the more he sacrificed, the more god-like his strength would become.

  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 st for at least five minutes. Five minutes was more than enough time to end a life; if he couldn't kill an enemy in five minutes, an hour wouldn't change the outcome. 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 downtime 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 repce my primary art for a very long time."

  A confident smile pyed 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 time 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 time ticked by, his reserves of Soul and Constitution points climbed steadily. He was accumuting roughly 2,400 points in both categories every hour.

  Ten hours ter, 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 sin back on Hunting Pnet 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 shame this is only Tier 5 essence, but 800,000 points should st us a while."

  Lance split the essence. He consumed half himself and handed the remaining portion to Noir.

  Despite its size, the little beast was a bck 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, momentarily growing several sizes rger to swallow its share in one gulp.

  Belch!

  The dragon let out a satisfied burp and promptly burrowed back into Lance’s pocket to resume 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 pn.

  "The ship is almost there. If I can push my Source Essence Compression to the 3rd rotation before we nd, hunting Tier 4 beasts will be much easier."

  Lance checked the navigational chart. They were on the final approach to Pnet Soris. He closed his eyes once more, plunging back into cultivation.

  Three hours ter.

  [System Alert: Constitution (CON) reserves have reached 30,000 points. Commencing 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 becomes 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: Congratutions! 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... meaning 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 times stronger. Even at Rank 1 of the [Grandmaster] stage, his raw physical power would rival a Rank 6 expert.

  "This system is truly something 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 time.

  Ding-ding-ding!

  A cold, synthesized voice echoed through every corridor of the vessel.

  "Attention all personnel. The Morton Warship has arrived in the Soris Intermediate Sector. We are beginning our descent. Please prepare for nding."

  "Warning: The gravity of the Soris Intermediate Sector is 100x the standard gravity of Mother Pnet. Personnel unable to withstand 100G are advised to activate the anti-gravity systems on their combat suits immediately."

  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 pnet in this sector was ten times the size of Pnet Silvermoon, let alone the original Mother Pnet.

  Every pnet's rotation had been artificially synchronized to match Mother Pnet’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 times rger than the Sun back in the Sol system," Lance marveled. "And that pnet over there—the one rger than a sun—that must be Pnet Soris."

  The scale of the system was breathtaking. Pnet Soris likely had a volume millions of times greater than Mother Pnet. Theoretically, its gravity should have been thousands of times stronger, but the entire pnet was clearly equipped with massive anti-gravity fields to keep the surface at a manageable 100G.

  Of course, "manageable" was a retive term. In the Soris 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 become permanent residents of Pnet Soris. This meant 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.

  "Time 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 immediately."

  He stood up and strode confidently out of his cabin toward the main airlock.

  "Is this it? Is this Pnet Soris? 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 pnet.

  A fsh of long-buried anger flickered in her eyes.

  "I’ve told you before," a spectral, translucent figure drifted into view beside her, looking at Pnet Soris with a look of bored indifference. "Now that you are my disciple, not a single genius in this insignificant Soris 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 Gcia, 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 Gcia went silent for a moment, her spectral brow twitching.

  "Ahem... naturally. Once you have mastered my [Extreme Frost Scripture], you will awaken a [Desote Grade] talent: the [Extreme Frost Holy Power]. When that happens, you’ll be able to sughter any so-called 'genius' from the backwater provinces like they were nothing."

  Sovereign Gcia gave a dismissive ugh. She wasn't just boasting; a [Desote 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 [Sor Stelr Fme]. 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 Gcia encouraged her with a smile. Internally, however, she sighed. This girl is so dangerously naive and easy to fool.

  Gcia hadn't even mastered the [Extreme Frost Scripture] to its completion during her own lifetime; 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 Gcia stood frozen in the air, looking like she’d been turned to stone.

  "What a mess... 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 mechanical groan that vibrated through the earth, the Morton Warship settled onto a massive nding pad.

  Led by Sis Stuart, Lance and Selina stepped down the ramp and onto the surface of the imperial capital. Lance gnced around and was immediately struck by the sight of tens of thousands of warships parked in neat, dense rows across the spaceport. Ships were nding and taking off every few minutes in a synchronized mechanical ballet.

  "Lance, Selina, we are only here to drop you off. We can only stay for ten minutes," Sis 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."

  "Remember to be here on time. If you’re te, 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 remembers 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 something even stronger arrived to vaporize every single cell in his body instantly, he could regenerate from a scrap of flesh.

  Selina, meanwhile, had reverted to her icy, aloof persona the moment 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 [Stelr Css] expert would have a hard time killing her.

  "Good," Sis 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 pza 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 pnet 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 pza, 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 pce like Morton Province, such individuals would be considered supreme 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 pns 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 come along?" Lance didn't want to leave her alone in a strange city, and the Guild was just a short distance from the central pza.

  "Sure. I need to go there anyway to cim my promotion rewards," Selina said.

  Lance remembered 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 Pza of the Soris Imperial Capital. It was a gargantuan space, covering nearly four hundred square kilometers—a concrete sea twenty kilometers long and twenty kilometers 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 pnets converged on this spot, waiting for the examination that would change the course of their lives.

  To accommodate them, the surrounding infrastructure was fwless. There were Tier 5 medical complexes and a headquarters for the Profession Guild that reached a staggering ten thousand meters into the sky. Every aspect of life—food, clothing, shelter, and transport—was meticulously managed. These youths were the future of the Soris Intermediate Sector, and in a broader sense, the future of the entire human race.

  A few minutes ter, Lance and Selina moved with the crowd into the massive Profession Guild tower.

  Inside, both quickly finalized their equipment upgrades. Lance’s new primary weapon was a Rank 4 Mid-grade Bze 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 pnet shrouded in perpetual fme, located roughly five hundred light-years from Pnet Soris. They were beings of living fire, and their most powerful members reached the [Pnetary Css]. Even the Soris 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 particur Void Core had been harvested by a [Great Grandmaster] after sying a [Grandmaster]-level Cinder Demon. The weapon possessed a potent innate fire attribute, granting it devastating destructive power.

  Selina, meanwhile, exchanged her weapon for a Rank 4 longsword with simir 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 time for rest.

  Vroom!!!

  Suddenly, a violent tremor rippled through the atmosphere. High above, a colossal warship—ten times the size of the Morton—descended from the clouds. The massive vessel was so rge it blotted out a quarter of the sky above the assembly grounds.

  "A red-dot fg? I thought that nonsense was unified out of existence eras ago," Lance muttered, his brow furrowing as he caught sight of the emblem embzoned on the ship's hull.

  "A Tier 5 High-grade warship? Which pnet is this from!?" someone in the crowd shouted.

  "It’s from the Oros System! They’re descendants of the Oros Cn!"

  "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 Soris 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 smmed into the ground. It didn't even bother extending nding struts, relying on its sheer mass to crush the pavement. Several geniuses had to scramble out of the way to avoid being fttened. The ship effectively seized a quarter of the entire pza for itself, forcing everyone else into cramped quarters.

  The btant arrogance of the move left many faces darkened with fury.

  "A bunch of barbarians. They get a little power and think they own the gaxy."

  "Ranked seventh and acting like they’re the Emperors of Soris."

  "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 pnet, every one of them had fought their way through countless rivals. They weren't the type to take such disrespect lying down.

  Cng!!!

  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 pza.

  "Hmph. A bunch of trash," he sneered, his voice carrying clearly across the grounds.

  "The hell did you say to me, 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 pza like a cannon shot. The Oros youth vomited a spray of blood and was sent hurtling backward like a missile, smming violently into the hull of his own ship.

  Blood spttered across the polished metal.

  "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 immediately. 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 pza.

  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 gred down at Kaelen.

  "Go ahead, you old fossil," Kaelen barked, refusing to buckle under the pressure. "Lay a finger on me. I double-dog dare you. Let’s see if my grandfather doesn't turn your entire star system into a graveyard!"