Rubbing his chin, Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.
His upgrade costs were astronomical. He had also accumulated some experience during the version update, and according to the normal harvesting efficiency during the opening periods of the version, he would take about eighteen months to three years to accumulate enough to reach the level 360 advancement. This would also depend on the speed at which the players accumulated experience.
If he used his own proficiency in leek management, he might be able to speed up the players’ efficiency.
Before his advancement, Han Xiao also planned to have his God’s Trait Transformation Void branch reach the maximum level. This would also need time as he needed to craft more Universal Treasures.
This Main Storyline was a battle of factions; thus, the association would appear more attractive to the players. Furthermore, with him as the head of the association, there was no need to be afraid of anyone trying to poach his people. The players would automatically join his faction.
“Now that the players have returned, the fuse for the Calamity of the Supers has been readied. We have to see how the three Universal Civilizations will respond,” Han Xiao muttered.
…
On the Federation of Light’s mother planet, in the President’s Office, Louis stood by the window. He turned back to look at his Head of Intelligence, his brows furrowed as he considered this sticky situation.
“The Immortals have returned? Tsk, another bunch of troublesome fellows.”
“Do you need us to take action?” the Head of Intelligence asked.
Louis slowly returned to his seat, stroking his chin as he thought.
“Immortals… Is their resurrection principle also related to the Sanctum Revival?”
In this past year, the three Universal Civilizations had studied the Sanctum Revival theory, but even with astronomical sums of money poured in, they were still far away from actual results. While the three Universal Civilizations might have been at the forefront of the explored universe in terms of Information Form technology, it was still not perfected.
The three Universal Civilizations leaders would inquire about the progress of the research every few days, so Louis started to think that the players’ resurrection abilities had something to do with the Sanctum Revival. In his opinion, both of them were strange methods to revive, which could be seen as a connection.
After thinking about it further, Louis said in a solemn voice, “The Immortals are impenetrable, and we are still unable to find out the reason for their resurrections… Increase the funding for the Immortals project. We might find a breakthrough there.”
“Understood.”
The Head of Intelligence recorded it down.
Louis paused for a while more before asking, “How’s the situation in the outside world now?”
“The Class segregation is going well. We have succeeded in shaping a group of Supers who believe that the association’s excessive ambitions have affected the order through different treatments and one-sided propaganda. These are basically people who have been affected and have lost their benefits, thus allowing us to split the Supers into two opposing voices. While the contrasting voices are not many at the moment, they are enough. As long as they exist, those that support the association will always try to one-up them, pushing the association toward breaking ties with the three Universal Civilizations.”
“Well done.” Louis narrowed his eyes. “The greater the height, the greater the fall. The association has too many expectations on them. The moment we can make them suffer a small setback, we will be able to obtain twice the result with half the effort, hitting the association’s prestige hard and shaking more people’s hearts.”
The three Universal Civilizations did not wish for a Super organization that would herd the rest as a pack leader to appear. Not only them, but the Super Star Cluster Alliance was also secretly adjusting their strategies, splitting the voices of the Supers through public opinion.
It was just that the time had yet to come, so there was no need to see this method to the end since the disadvantages would outweigh the benefits.
Waving his hand to dismiss the Head of Intelligence, Louis waited for a while before two remote projections appeared in the room. They were the ‘Mechanic Empress’ Mornisa and ‘Defender’ Romo, both of whom were Beyond Grade A mechanics directly related to the Federation of Light.
“You’ve come,” Louis said. “You asked to see me. Did you manage to discover the location of the Mechanic Emperor’s true body?”
The Mechanics in the Federation of Light had been searching for the location of Manison’s body all these years, but they had never succeeded.
Romo shook his head. “He’s hidden himself too deeply. We still have no news regarding this.”
“Then, why did you want to see me?” Louis frowned.
Mornisa took a step forward at this moment, slowly saying, “I used to study under the Mechanic Emperor, and thus, I am familiar with the style of his Virtual Technology. A while back, I made a breakthrough with my technology, so I would like to enlist the help from the three Universal Civilizations to aid me in raiding Manison’s database through Virtual Intrusion!”
Louis was a little stunned. “What’s the purpose of you doing this?”
Mornisa’s eyes flashed. “I’ve taken a fancy to the Mechanic Emperor’s technological treasures. I wish to obtain his life research!”
She used to be the Mechanic Emperor’s student and was more familiar than everyone else with just how deep Manison’s reserves were. She had long thought of owning Manison’s knowledge, and thus, their relationship had become more and more estranged, partly due to her attempting to steal a portion of his research. This was also why she had to flee to the Federation of Light as a direct descendant in order to obtain protection.
Ever since Manison lost his authority, Mornisa had again coveted his research. In the past, she was not so certain, but due to her sudden breakthrough a while back, her confidence had grown.
Based on her calculations, she believed that with the help from the three Universal Civilizations, her current Virtual Technology would have a more than fifty percent chance of invading Manison’s database… The Mechanic Emperor might be strong, but he would not be able to stop so many people from attacking him.
“If it’s just for this reason, then I cannot accept your request.” Louis shook his head. “Furthermore, the Mechanic Emperor’s reputation is not for show. Are you sure you can crack his Virtual Technology?”
“Hehe, I also remember that the Mechanic Emperor has always liked to secretly infiltrate the database of the Federation of Light. For so many years, it is unknown how much secrets he has stolen, but you guys have turned a blind eye for too long. Don’t you think that our Federation of Light should fight back? No one should be able to pick at us, and we can destroy all the secrets he has collected about the Federation of Light! In addition, we might even obtain secrets from the Super Star Cluster Alliance in the Primeval Star River, which is the true enemy of the three Universal Civilizations.”
Louis’ eyes gleamed. He was a little tempted.
The three Universal Civilizations did not wish to provoke the association, but if it was purely infiltrating the database of the Mechanic Emperor, it should be fine. The three Universal Civilizations might be jittery toward the association, but they had never stopped their small tricks. Plus, the Mechanic Emperor was no longer the president, and he had never been on good terms with Black Star.
At this moment, Mornisa coldly laughed as she added, “As for my ability… hehe, now that more than half of the Machinery Faith has been taken by Black Star, the Mechanic Emperor’s strength has decayed and is no longer at his peak.
“As long as the three Universal Civilizations assist me, I’m sure I can invade his database. After this event, the federation will be able to obtain all the copied technological information.”
Louis weighed the pros and cons for a while before slowly nodding.
“I’m agreeable to your request. I’ll help you contact the dynasty and the church. We can give this matter a try and test the reaction of the association. Don’t disappoint me.”
Hearing this, Mornisa revealed a delighted smile.
“Relax, I’ll make you so happy you won’t even be able to talk.”
Chapter 1272 - Progress and Acciden
1272 Progress and Acciden
The news of the return of the Immortals spread like wildfire. In this current situation, this matter had received much more attention, with many organizations secretly in awe.There were tens of millions of Immortal Grade B Supers, and no one could ignore this strength, especially if a few million of them belonged to the Black Star Army. This made many of the large organizations, including the three Universal Civilizations, more vigilant. They were worried that the Black Star Army would take major action after the return of their powerful armed forces.
However, these organizations soon heaved a sigh of relief as they saw the Immortals just going about their daily tasks, without any huge changes in their schedules.
It was just that every time after they disappeared, the strength of these Immortals would grow. This was a law that had been discovered. Many of the top organizations had confirmed this through the intelligence that the Immortals strength was still growing, which led them to feel concerned.
While they were only at the Grade B realm, their strength was already terrifying. Every organization knew that if the Immortals continued to grow, it would inevitably impact the existing universe’s structure and produce unknown effects, which was not good.
Furthermore, the current galactic society was now also aware of the Sanctum Revivals, and thus, they unconsciously linked it to the immortal nature of the players.
On the internet, public anger, which had begun to cool down, once again flared up. The galactic residents discussed recent events, giving rise to much speculation. There were rumors that the reason Black Star had mastered the Sanctum Revival was precisely because he discovered some clues from the Immortals.
The speculation was reasonable, and got the widest acceptance, making countless people feel that they had stumbled across the secret of Black Star.
For a period of time, almost all organizations in the universe started to offer more generous conditions for the Immortals, enthusiastic to win them over so as to research the Sanctum Revivals through them.
However, with the lessons learned through the collapse of the Limitless Financial Group, as well as the version name being called Black Star’s Era, most players rejected the olive branches that the small and medium sized organizations offered and instead transferred over to the Black Star Army. The army once again ushered in a period of members skyrocketing.
As the saying went, better late than never. Because of certain factors, many players had already missed out several versions with the Black Star Army. Now that the new version had just opened, it was a good opportunity for them to start afresh, and many of them did not wish to throw away this opportunity.
The movements of the players attracted the attention of the entire universe, and countless organizations paid attention to this covetously yet fearfully.
…
In the territory of the Black Star Army, on the rocky, mountain-like surface, two figures were fighting each other at an extreme speed, leaving a series of afterimages. Each of their collisions resulted in a ring of compressed air exploding.
This was a secret training ground hidden on a barren planet.
Bang bang bang!
The two slammed into each other, much like an earth dragon rampaging amid the ground, kicking up choking sand and dust. Their Pugilist auras shot everywhere, exploding rocks and mountains alike.
Suddenly, the figure wearing heavy training armor seemed to have discovered a flaw in the opponent, raising his elbow before condensing his Pugilist flames at the point of contact. This skewed the opponent’s defensive posture, and taking advantage of this short opportunity, a sharp leg whip swept across like a tomahawk, creating a sonic boom from the speed alone as it closed the distance to the opponent’s chest in the blink of an eye.
Bang!
A silver figure was thrown out like a cannonball, smashing through three mountains before embedding deeply in the fourth. There was a loud bang as the rocks surrounding it crumbled, leaving behind a deep pit filled with smoke and dust.
“…Good fight.”
The silver figure shook himself, and the hill was blasted to pieces, turning into a rain of rocks.
He suspended himself in midair, his body akin to flowing mercury. The depression made in his chest was quickly recovering. This person was Silver Shadow.
His opponent did not pursue the attack, taking off his helmet to reveal an honest face. It was none other than Karlot.
Silver Shadow flew in front of Karlot and nodded. “Your progress is getting faster. It has been little more than a year, yet the current you can probably beat three of the you from a year ago. Within the Calamity Grade, your abilities are pretty good.”
“Am I that good?” Karlot scratched his head. He was a little embarrassed as he was used to being the worst performing.
“Your Pugilist potential is something I’ve rarely seen in my life. Given time, I’m sure your achievements will be higher than mine,” Silver Shadow said emotionally.
He had suppressed his strength to the Calamity Grade to battle with Karlot, but the latter’s performance completely surprised him, giving him immense pressure.
Initially, when Black Star had asked him to come teach Karlot, Silver Shadow was a little unwilling, but after a year of guidance, all negative thoughts had flown out of the window.
Karlot’s abilities soared upward at an incredible speed. If he was only an ordinary Calamity Grade in the past, right now, he was near the boss level, and this change only happened within a year!
Silver Shadow could feel a sort of Beyond Grade A potential coming from Karlot, so instead of rejecting his teaching, he instead became even more dedicated, almost unreservedly imparting his Pugilist experiences to Karlot. If Karlot became a Beyond Grade A, it would be a good thing for him too.
Black Star had a wide range of connections and had no shortage of friends who were experts in the Pugilist system. However, he actually gave such a good opportunity to Silver Shadow. Thus, Silver Shadow could not help but feel grateful to Han Xiao, thinking that Black Star was supporting him.
However, Silver Shadow devoted himself to teaching Karlot not just entirely out of goodwill of cultivating a younger generation. He was also extremely compatible with Karlot in terms of personality, and they got along very well.
“It’s because you have taught me well.” Karlot smiled in an honest manner.
“It’s not entirely my credit. You have to thank Black Star as well. His vision is truly too precise, and if he had not taught me how to guide you, I probably would not have a clue.” Silver Shadow shook his head.
Because Han Xiao had seen through Karlot’s growth mechanism in the interface, he had asked Silver Shadow to conduct targeted training, specifically explaining each Pugilist concept before training at high intensities. The result was that they achieved double the results with half the effort, creating this remarkable achievement of allowing Karlot to improve by leaps and bounds.
According to the original growth trajectory, Karlot was a late bloomer, but the main reason was that he was not clear about his own characteristics, so he could only slowly explore and accumulate, wasting a lot of time. If there was a targeted exercise for him at the very beginning, perhaps Karlot’s rise to power would have been much faster.
If they were to compare, Karlot was similar to the famed Hero Guo [1. Guo Jing, also known as Hero Guo, is a fictional character from Jin Yong’s novel “Legend of the Condor Heroes”], hiding outstanding talent under his simple and honest appearance. Both of them also did not meet the right teacher at the beginning, wasting too much time. If they had practiced th
e correct method from the beginning, their combat strength would have long soared and solidified.
Because the interface could list one’s advantages and disadvantages, in terms of training, there was no one in the universe more suited for guidance than Han Xiao.
Not only Karlot, but the hundreds of Beyond Grade A seeds who joined the Black Star Army also obtained some guidance, making tremendous progress in their cultivation. All of them had begun to treat Han Xiao as some sort of spiritual mentor.
At this moment, the very person being mentioned appeared beside Karlot and Silver Shadow in a remote projection.
“Your Excellency Black Star.”
Silver Shadow and Karlot immediately saluted him.
“How’s the training coming along?” Han Xiao smiled.
“He improved once again, and he can even break through my defense now.” Silver Shadow let out an appreciative smile.
“Dang, not bad. Keep working, you’ll soon step into the Beyond Grade A realm. At that time, I’ll find even more teachers for you to keep growing.” Han Xiao laughed cheerfully.
He had completely grasped the correct training method Karlot needed. The crucial factor behind [Everlasting Martial Path] was to accumulate Pugilist insight, and a shortcut was to have him interact with many Beyond Grade A pugilists to quickly improve his Pugilist insight. This would allow him to complete the transformation of his talent, allowing him to take the fast track to improving himself.
The moment Karlot reached the Beyond Grade A realm, Han Xiao planned to use his own personal connections to have Beyond Grade A Pugilists guide Karlot and teach him experiences and insights. With Karlot’s simple and honest attitude, Han Xiao was sure that his investment would not lose out but rather allow him to earn plenty in return.
After exchanging a few more words, Han Xiao wrapped up the conversation and left.
Karlot exhaled, feeling very heartened inside himself.
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 915
