by <unknown>
A Slime wobbled and said, “Beyond Grade As are a group of people who heed strength above all. Not long ago, Black Star made a historical achievement by fighting twelve enemies alone, so whether he’s senior enough or not doesn’t limit him at all.”
“Speaking of which, it seems like that conflict was the fuse that led to Black Star proposing to form the development union, and Manison is only a partner he brought in.”
“No no no. From the way I see it, signs were already showing during the Meeting of the Gods. They’ve been planning this since long ago. Black Star is the one who contributed most to forming the association, so he became the vice president. As for the goal of the Beyond Grade As, who knows? Maybe they’re planning to shuffle the deck using this opportunity during the exploration of the Flickering World.”
“I’ve done some research. Black Star has been very active lately. Not only did he take the lead in forming the development union, but he also became a new shareholder of the Limitless Financial Group. The date when the dynasty planned to officially sell the Evolutionary Totems to the public was also brought forward. He even stepped into the entertainment industry. In the files of the Galactic Cinematic Association, the movie adapted from Black Star’s true story has already been filmed. The director is the renowned Beny Travol. Maybe we’ll see the rise of Black Star very soon on screen.”
The host and the guests chatted.
Pa!
This time, a dynasty army officer slammed his glass on the table, curled his lips, and said with disdain, “What bullsh*t mediating. Just a group of Beyond Grade As putting up a show. Only idiots would believe what they’re saying.”
The people in the bar laughed.
Everyone there was a soldier of the dynasty who had a much clearer view of the matter than ordinary people and was on the dynasty’s side. With this army officer starting the conversation, the others all started chattering.
“This can be basically considered as the official association of the Beyond Grade As, looks like they finally are planning to take some of their rights back from the three Universal Civilizations.”
“I didn’t expect Black Star to be the main founder. Tsk, outsiders really can’t be trusted. To think I actually admired him for some time in the past.”
“Nothing weird about it. He isn’t a citizen of the dynasty, so there’s no reason to demand his absolute loyalty.”
“The future of the three Universal Civilizations is going to be tough from now on. They’re going to have another powerful competitor.”
Hearing the discussion between his comrades, Gaud shook his glass filled with amber-colored wine and silently stared at Han Xiao’s portrait in the show with unknown emotions in his eyes.
“Your position is getting higher and higher, huh…”
Due to the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy being snatched away, Gaud had been paying close attention to Han Xiao. He had been watching Han Xiao continuously getting more and more resources, acquiring a higher and higher position in the universe.
The ambush on Hila some time ago had shocked him when it revealed how fast Han Xiao was growing.
Gaud stopped shaking his glass. The wine spun in it and formed a vortex. He looked down at the vortex and smirked.
“Manison has planned this long ago. Now the chance had finally come. The development union is not a bad excuse. I’ll most likely join it after becoming a Beyond Grade A too. But I didn’t expect you to support this idea too. Do you agree with that theory about the shared battlefront for Beyond Grade As Manison gave, or… have you discovered that too?”
…
In Black Star Palace…
“Looks like the first appearance of the development union is very successful…”
Han Xiao leaned back in his chair, rested his legs on the table, and looked through the news from the various media in the quantum network with a satisfied expression.
Not long ago, the development union had officially announced its creation to the outside world. As the vice president, he had also made an appearance at the ceremony.
To normal people, the development union was suddenly formed out of nowhere. The movements of close to a hundred Beyond Grade As attracted all the attention, so as soon as the news was out, the entire universe started discussing it.
The majority of the forces in the Flickering World were the most shocked by this sudden event.
There were a lot of organizations exploring the Flickering World, but to these organizations, the true situation in the free competition zone was actually split between three sides. The dynasty was one, the federation and the church shared another side, and the Super Star Cluster Alliance was the last side.
Comparatively, the rest of the organizations there were scattered. The difference was like the conflict between companies and between nations.
Originally, although there were many Beyond Grade A organizations, they all belonged to different sides. However, as they united, if they formed a profit union, another huge force would appear. The situation would turn from the conflict between three sides into four sides.
However, this was just the speculation the outside world had. Neither Manison nor Han Xiao planned to make any aggressive moves. In the negotiation with the three Universal Civilizations, they tried to ask them to deal with the Super Star Cluster Alliance. Although Han Xiao was quite tempted to use this opportunity against the Modo Civilization, for the sake of the big picture, he could only reject it.
As per their plan, the biggest purpose of the development union currently was to provide a communication platform. Its top priority was to slowly connect the resources of its members and form a profit union between Beyond Grade As. After this huge profit network was formed and its foundation was built, creating a shared battlefront would finally be meaningful. Otherwise, the development union would only be an empty shell.
“Achieving this will take a very long time, and the three Universal Civilizations will definitely try to slow it down nonstop. Therefore, before it’s done, the development union won’t be able to do anything else. Even if those Beyond Grade As have their own plans, they won’t show it at the initial stage and will only support uniting the resources, achieving a win-win situation,” Han Xiao murmured.
The Beyond Grade A Association had just been formed, so there was still a very long road ahead for both Manison and his goals. This was a long-term plan that would take decades at the minimum and could not be hurried, so there was no need for him to keep thinking about it.
What was worth mentioning was that, using money and connections, as the only exception, Sorokin was able to acquire the position as a director where everyone else was peak Beyond Grade A.
After hearing about Sorokin’s acts from Traveler, he looked unaffected, but he actually secretly paid a lot of attention to this guy. As a shareholder of the Limitless Financial Group, Han Xiao did not act against Sorokin as it would only make Sorokin alarmed.
However, all things aside, Sorokin really had a knack for making money.
“This way, my goal is basically achieved. When the Calamity of the Supers erupts, I will be able to heavily interfere with it and even guide the main storyline of that version…” Han Xiao exhaled with a relaxed mood.
As the peak of personal strength, Beyond Grade As were the idols of countless Supers. Hence, Beyond Grade As uniting could guide the movement of the entire Super society to a certain extent. This was also one of the most important reasons why, when the Calamity of the Supers erupted, the influence of the Beyond Grade As quickly became stronger in the entire universe.
Temporarily putting this matter aside, Han Xiao opened the forums to look at the players’ opinions.
As expected, the focus of the players was not the meaning of the development union but the names of this many Beyond Grade As.
At this moment, Aurora walked in.
Han Xiao waved at her and said, “Come here.”
Aurora walked toward Han Xiao. She had suddenly been called to the of
fice and was quite confused.
Han Xiao suddenly grabbed Aurora’s forearm and pressed on it softly, all the way up to her shoulder.
Aurora’s body was stiff, but she did not move away. She was both curious and anxious.
“W-what are you doing?”
Han Xiao sized her up, took his hands off her, and said, “I’ve noticed that your physique is very special.”
“W-what do you mean?”
Pa!
Han Xiao took out the containment device of the Holy Light Particle and slapped it on the table.
“When I went to the secondary dimensions, I found a new Primal Esper Ability Entity. I’m hoping to put it inside your body. What do you think?”
After thorough consideration, he had decided to find a host for the Holy Light Particle.
He acknowledged the potential of the new power system brought by the Holy Light Seed, but it would consume its core essence. Therefore, finding a host who could heal its kidney deficiency was better than creating an Energy Host.
Hence, Aurora was the top choice.
If she turned out to be incompatible, Han Xiao would consider its host from his previous life, Evans.
“Primal Esper Ability?” Aurora curiously looked at the gold energy inside the containment device with her eyes wide open.
Unhappy, the Holy Light Particle sent a resentful telepathic message. “Hey, this is the host you’ve found for me? She’s too young!”
“Young? She’s just about ten years younger than me.” Han Xiao rolled his eyes.
“What‽ A Beyond Grade A like you must be at least a few hundred years old!” The Holy Light Particle was even more enraged. “Then, isn’t she a few hundred years old too? Shameless! Still acting as if she’s so young!”
“… Can I strangle it?”
Aurora was speechless.
I am young! What do you mean acting!
The Holy Light Particle was still complaining. “I need a strong male host. Only then will he be able to match my power!”
Knowing his personality well, Han Xiao said, “Stop spitting nonsense. One more word and I’ll give you to the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy to let him have his way with you.”
The Holy Light Particle shut up instantly.
Han Xiao pressed on the containment device and a needle came out of it. Seeing this, Aurora reluctantly reached out her hand, bit her lips, and let Han Xiao plug the needle into her.
Boom!
The next moment, a strong blinding light exploded in front of Han Xiao!
Chapter 1085. Perfect Host and Bai |
As the Holy Light Particle was injected into Aurora’s body, it started to fuse with her cells. The Vital Energy Esper Ability inside her also started to react to it quite vigorously.
A pale-golden light shot out from every inch of Aurora’s skin. She turned into a bright mini light source, as if every string of her hair had turned into light beams. She floated into the air, releasing an elegant and holy aura.
Han Xiao was paying close attention to Aurora and held the empty containment device in his hand. If he saw any signs of Aurora being damaged by the process, he would suck the Holy Light Particle out instantly.
Thankfully, the fusion process went very smoothly. When the light dissipated, Aurora finally descended to the floor. She looked like she had yet to regain focus from the state she was in earlier.
Pa!
Han Xiao snapped his fingers and said, “How are you feeling?”
“Somewhat… good?”
Aurora pressed on her heart and was uncertain.
“Since you were not hurt by it, you’re now the host of the Holy Light Particle. Can you feel its power?”
“Are you talking about this?”
Aurora closed her eyes to sense it for a moment, before extending her hands with palms up. She shook them, and a cluster of gold light appeared. It had tiny dots like a group of fireflies.
She’s able to use it this soon? There’s usually an adjustment period after the host fuses with a Primal Esper Ability.
However, I heard that the shorter the adjustment period is, the more compatible the host is.
The Vital Energy Esper Ability and the Holy Light Particle are indeed quite compatible. Maybe some kind of chemical reaction occurred. If that’s the case, I will be able to make use of the Holy Light Particle to the maximum, and my plan will be easier to execute…
Han Xiao caressed his chin.
He reached out to touch the cluster of light on top of Aurora’s palm, but this cluster of light actually dodged aside. Finding this quite funny, Han Xiao smiled and said, “Ah Ho, I know you can share the senses of your host after the fusion and can hear me speaking. Stop hiding. How’s this host?”
“Hmm…”
The Holy Light Particle appeared and yawned like a cat in the middle of a stretch. No longer looking down on Aurora, it immediately changed its attitude.
“It feels way too good. This is the first time I’ve sensed such rich life force. This is the best host I’ve ever had…”
“Humph, that’s not what you said earlier,” Aurora said unhappily.
“I was wrong. You’re the best. No one else could be nearly good enough.” The Holy Light Particle’s light cluster circled around Aurora like a puppy.
Han Xiao curled his lips.
Tsk tsk, weren’t you very tough just moments ago?
Aurora practiced for a while and was soon able to fully control it. In her senses, it was like she suddenly had an extra arm. Controlling it was a piece of cake.
“Go back and practice it more. The Primal Esper Abilities all have multiple uses. With the Holy Light Particle, you’ll be able to protect yourself from more dangers,” Han Xiao said.
Aurora’s job was to heal since her Esper Ability lacked destructive power. Now that she was the master of the Holy Light Particle, she would acquire many new abilities such as a stronger physique, high-speed flight, dimension traveling, punishing evil, and many others.
These abilities would increase her survivability by a huge extent, especially the ability to travel between dimensions. She would be able to escape much easier in the future if she was in danger.
However, the most important ability to Han Xiao was the ability to provide Holy Light Seeds. After he tested it, to his absolute surprise, his theory was right—Aurora’s Vital Energy Esper Ability could indeed replenish the energy the Holy Light Particle spent in giving out Holy Light Seeds. This meant that the new power system with the Holy Light Seed as the core could totally work.
This was extremely useful to the Black Star Army. It could both act as encouragement for the army’s warriors and attract ordinary people by letting them see the hope of becoming Supers.
Han Xiao briefly explained his plan. A little shocked, Aurora said softly, “So, you’re trying to spread it out…”
“Something like that. However, you’re the host now, so I’ll have to get your permission.”
Aurora wanted to say something but did not.
She had tested the ability to give out Holy Light Seeds earlier. Although her body could endure it, it would spend quite a lot of life force. If used often, she did not know if the life force she had been naturally accumulating would be enough. She might have to experience the feeling of being sucked dry every day.
After hesitating for a while, Aurora suddenly made up her mind. She closed her eyes and said firmly, “Okay. I—I can take it!”
“Why do you look like you’ve just decided to sacrifice yourself?” Han Xiao squeezed her nose and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, I won’t make you work for free. You can retrieve those Holy Light Seeds, which will not only make up for the life force you’ve lost but also help your life force grow at a rate much faster than you accumulate every day.”
“I’m not sure if it’s good to just snatch away what others worked hard for…” Aurora rejected it slightly. This went against her principles.
“Hahaha…” Han Xiao laughed out loud and said
with the tone of a rich man, “That’s easy! Money can’t solve everything, but it definitely can solve most things. I can hire a group of people to raise Holy Light Seeds specifically for you to harvest, which isn’t different from any other jobs at its core. I’m basically paying them for their time to create value for me. As long as the salary is good enough, it’ll be a totally legitimate exchange on both sides, so you don’t have to feel bad about it.”
“That does make sense…” Although Aurora leaned toward the lawful kind side of things, she was not stubborn. After hearing Han Xiao’s explanation, she did not reject it much anymore.
Snatching away the fruit of others’ labor without saying anything and telling others this was a job from the beginning were completely different things. Growing the Holy Light Seeds with meditation and other methods was just like any other job; the workers were no different from the other employees of the army.
Han Xiao chose Aurora to be the host not only because she might be able to use the Holy Light Seed ability to the maximum but also because he wanted Aurora to benefit from the fast growth provided by harvesting the Holy Light Seeds so that her level would increase faster.
Anyway, Aurora’s growth had no limits, and harvesting leeks would be countless times more efficient than naturally accumulating life force. She would basically have a group of people earning EXP for her. It had a Shadow Clone-vibe to Han Xiao.
If Aurora could step into the next level, the Black Star Army having three Beyond Grade As would really become a reality.
Han Xiao already had this thought when he came across the Underworld dimension. His goal was not for Aurora to gain a stronger healing ability but access to the functions of the Underworld. ‘Edo Tensei’ could only be achieved if Aurora became a Beyond Grade A too.
Compared to her healing ability, Han Xiao was more interested in those powerful individuals sleeping in the Underworld. They would be a very strong force.
What a little genius I am… Han Xiao chuckled in his mind.
The only problem was the Holy Accord organization. These people seemed especially interested in Primal Esper Abilities. If they discovered that the Holy Light Particle was in Aurora, they would most likely try to take it from her.
