"Inspector Silas Stuart of Planet Silvermoon! I never expected a backwater rock like yours to produce an S-Rank and an A+ Rank genius simultaneously. And yet, they’re guarded by nothing but an old fossil like you—a mere Grandmaster (Rank 1). You’re practically gifting me this victory, Silas!"

  Polyla, a powerful Skrull, stared at Silas Stuart with a mocking sneer.

  In his eyes, the human race—a pathetic species whose Source Essence remained stagnant at the first rotation—didn't deserve to be ranked among the Five Great Races.

  His arrogance was palpable.

  Among the Skrulls, a cultivator reaching Gold Tier (Rank 10) was required to achieve a second Mana Rotation before they could promote to Grandmaster. The difficulty for a Skrull to reach the second rotation was roughly equivalent to a human reaching the first.

  Consequently, an average Skrull Grandmaster was twice as powerful as a human of the same rank.

  "Hmph. Enough talk. Your kind has slaughtered far too many of our geniuses over the years. Today, I’m settling the score!" Silas Stuart bellowed. He didn't wait for a rebuttal, instantly unleashing a violent surge of Grandmaster-level Source Essence.

  Rumble!!!

  The terrifying pressure of his Source Essence exploded outward, rippling through the vacuum in every direction.

  "Overconfident ape!" Polyla barked, his expression shifting to one of pure disdain.

  Boom!!!

  In an instant, pillars of sickly green Source Essence erupted from Polyla’s body, soaring into the void.

  The sheer intensity of his aura was on a completely different level compared to Silas Stuart’s. The gap was staggering.

  "Now’s the chance! Shadow Demon Cannon—blast the bastard!" Silas suddenly roared with desperate excitement.

  Vroom!!!

  The Morton Warship behind him shuddered as a massive pillar of pitch-black light erupted from its primary battery.

  The beam tore through the void at a terrifying velocity, hurtling toward Polyla before he could finish his posturing.

  The sudden ambush left Polyla momentarily stunned.

  "Damn it! You senile bastard, you’re playing dirty!"

  Naive as he was, the Skrull hadn't expected a human to disregard the "honorable" duel of experts so flagrantly.

  But it was too late for words. He scrambled to mobilize his full power, manifesting a dense barrier of energy directly in front of him.

  BOOM! RUMBLE!!!

  A world-shaking explosion followed. Polyla was swallowed whole by the devastating impact of the Shadow Demon Cannon.

  As a Tier 4 Mid-Grade weapon, a direct hit from the Shadow Demon Cannon carried enough destructive force to level an entire metropolis like Silvermoon City in a single strike.

  "Did we get him!?"

  Silas Stuart stared intently at the heart of the explosion. He knew the Shadow Demon Cannon was already cycling its recharge, but the next shot would take at least ten seconds.

  Given the disparity between their strengths, ten seconds was more than enough time for a Skrull expert to kill him several times over.

  What unsettled him even more was the Skrull vessel in the distance. It remained motionless, showing no reaction whatsoever—as if they weren't the least bit concerned about their captain’s survival.

  "Hmph!"

  A cold snort cut through the chaos, and a sudden shockwave blew the smoke and fire apart.

  Polyla emerged from the wreckage of the blast, appearing entirely unscathed.

  "Old man, no amount of schemes can bridge the gap in raw power!" Polyla flicked a speck of dust off his shoulder, his voice dripping with contempt as he looked at Silas.

  "No effect? Just as I feared..." Silas Stuart let out a weary sigh.

  He hadn't truly expected to kill the man, but seeing Polyla without even a scratch made his heart sink. If Silas had taken that hit himself, he would have been reduced to ash instantly.

  Was the power gap truly this insurmountable?

  "Since you've run out of tricks, it’s my turn. Die, old man!"

  Polyla snorted, and then he moved.

  Rumble!!!

  A terrifying green radiance erupted from his body. He extended his right hand, palm facing forward.

  Vroom!

  Boundless green energy began to spiral frantically into his palm, condensing into a massive, unstable orb of glowing power.

  "Perish!" Polyla roared, his body blazing with emerald light.

  ROAR!!!!!!

  At that exact, knife-edge moment, an earth-shattering dragon’s cry erupted from the depths of the void.

  Before Polyla or Silas Stuart could even process what was happening, a gargantuan head materialized. A bloody maw, vast enough to swallow the stars, snapped shut—engulfing the fully powered Polyla in a single bite.

  Gulp!

  With a sickeningly loud sound of swallowing, Polyla—a Grandmaster-level threat—was simply eaten.

  The scene left everyone present paralyzed with shock.

  Hovering in the starry sky was a massive, black dragon possessing three terrifying heads.

  Boom!!!

  Suddenly, a muffled explosion vibrated within the dragon’s torso—likely the energy orb Polyla had been holding.

  Hearts hammered in chests. For a second, Silas wondered if Polyla would manage to burst through the beast's stomach and escape.

  Belch!

  Instead, to everyone’s horror, the massive three-headed black dragon simply let out a loud, satisfied burp.

  "He’s dead! Impossible... Lord Polyla's Bio-signature has vanished!"

  Inside the Skrull warship, panic erupted instantly.

  If a Bio-signature vanished under these circumstances, there was a ninety-nine percent chance the subject was dead.

  "Quick! Start the engines! Move! Do you all want to die here!?" a Skrull at the peak of the Origin Realm shrieked in terror.

  The crew snapped out of their stupor, slamming the ship’s propulsion systems to their absolute limits.

  Vroom!!!

  The massive Skrull vessel lurched forward, its engines flaring as it attempted to bolt into the distance.

  ROAR!!!

  Noir had no intention of letting them leave.

  One of Noir’s three heads tilted back and let out a long, piercing howl toward the heavens.

  In an instant, a sea of dark, rolling clouds surged into existence directly in the path of the fleeing ship.

  Puff!

  The Skrull ship plowed into the dark mist and was instantly pinned in place, its momentum killed as if it had hit a wall of solid lead.

  ROAR!!!

  With a final, thunderous roar, Noir’s massive form turned into a streak of black light, diving headlong into the dark clouds.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  A series of violent explosions echoed from within the mist.

  Silas Stuart watched the carnage, his mind completely blank.

  "Right... we need to run!!"

  Finally, after nearly a minute of stunned silence, Silas snapped back to reality. He scrambled back into the Morton Warship.

  "Activate all shields! Maximum engine output!" he barked at the ship's Central Intellect as soon as he reached the bridge.

  Vroom!!!

  The warship hummed with power as the protective barriers flickered back to life, enveloping the hull.

  Whoosh!

  With a surge of kinetic energy, the Morton Warship transformed into a black streak, racing away from the battlefield at top speed.

  No one noticed, save for Lance and Selina standing near the breach in the hull, a fist-sized ball of black mist flying back toward the ship just as it accelerated.

  The mist streaked through the gap and landed in Lance’s palm. As the darkness dissipated, Noir settled onto his hand.

  Belch!

  Noir let out another small burp, gave Selina a condescending side-eye, and then crawled back into Lance’s pocket.

  Lance shook his head slightly. "This little guy certainly knows how to hold a grudge."

  Lance gave a helpless chuckle as he watched Noir’s antics.

  "I didn't expect it to be this powerful at such a small size," Selina said, still reeling from the display of raw strength Noir had just shown.

  "It’s only natural," her instructor’s voice echoed in her mind, beginning the explanation. "The Infernal Cerberus-Dragon is a high-lineage [Void Beast]. Its Constitution (CON) potential reaches Rank 5, which is the biological equivalent of a human at the fifth rotation of Source Essence. Combine that with the fact that its actual level is higher than that Skrull’s, and a one-shot kill becomes trivial."

  Selina’s shock deepened as she listened.

  This thing is Lance’s pet? Just how many secrets is this boy hiding?

  "Alright, work’s done," Lance said, watching the swarm of maintenance nanobots begin their frantic repairs on the hull. "The ship’s taken some damage, though. We’ll have to wait for repairs before we can re-enter FTL travel. Looks like we’ll be a bit late reaching Planet Solaris."

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  "Wait... where is everyone!?"

  Meanwhile, Reed stood by the escape pods, looking around in utter confusion. "Where did they go? And why the hell did the ship just start moving?"

  Back in his room, Lance checked the time. It was already 11:30 PM. The day was almost over.

  "Well, there’s no time left to learn a new [War Art]. I might as well use today’s quota to fix the [Exploits] in a [Void Core]."

  Lance sighed and pulled a milky-white [Void Core] from his pocket.

  Since he was planning to upgrade his weaponry soon, there was no point in repairing his current gear. As for the new [War Arts] he had just exchanged for, it was better to master them to the [Perfect] rank through practice before using the system to repair them. Otherwise, if he repaired them now, he’d have to start the learning process from scratch with a much more complex version, which would take far too long.

  "System, repair this [Void Core]," Lance commanded.

  [System Alert: Tier 3 Light-attribute Void Core detected. Exploits found: 7.8 million. Commencing repair?]

  The number made Lance’s pupils contract. 7.8 million?

  His previous flame-attribute [Void Core] only had a few hundred thousand [Exploits], which had resulted in a [Rank 6] core. Seven million meant this would be a [Rank 7] [Void Core].

  Among light-type abilities, the weakest is 'Illumination'—completely useless for anything other than a flashlight, yet it's still an E-Rank trait, Lance thought, his eyes shimmering. The mid-tier is 'Light Force' at A-Rank, and the high-tier is 'Holy Light,' an S-Rank trait. If this repair is this massive, this core might lead to an SS-Rank ability. I wonder what it’ll be.

  Without further hesitation, he gave the order. "Repair it."

  [System Alert: Order received. Commencing Void Core reconstruction.]

  Vroom!!!

  A blinding radiance erupted from the milky-white orb in Lance’s hand.

  The [Void Core] began to shift, its structure becoming infinitely more complex. The number of runes etched onto its surface multiplied by tens of thousands every second.

  Soon, a crystal-clear, brilliant white [Void Core] sat in his palm. Even without absorbing it, Lance could feel the terrifying, primordial power humming within.

  [System Announcement: Congratulations. 7.8 million Exploits repaired. You have obtained a Tier 7, 7-Star [Holy Light Void Core]. Consumption will grant the SS-Rank Trait: [Holy Light Power] and a massive reserve of Soul energy.]

  "SS-Rank [Holy Light Power]? Now that’s a find," Lance muttered, his eyes brightening.

  While he knew SS-Rank traits were theoretically superior, he wasn't entirely sure of the specific combat applications of [Holy Light]. In human history, geniuses with [Holy Light Power] were practically non-existent. Usually, a person's genius rating was tied to the grade of their trait; for example, if Lorraine cultivated her C-Rank trait to its limit, she would likely be certified as a C-Rank elite.

  Geniuses whose cultivation talent far outstripped their trait—like Chase, whose sword talent allowed him to be an A-Rank elite despite a C-Rank trait—were rare. But with an SS-Rank trait, as long as the user wasn't a complete failure at cultivation, they were guaranteed to be an SS-Rank paragon. There were only a handful of such individuals in the entire Federation, and most of them topped out at S-Rank.

  Lance didn't overthink it. He tilted his head back and swallowed the [Void Core].

  BOOM!!!

  A surge of power so violent it felt like a tidal wave crashed into his [Consciousness Hub].

  The sheer volume of [Soul] energy was staggering, flooding his mind and gathering in the space above his mental center. A massive orb of light began to coalesce, housing an ocean of energy.

  Compared to his previous 70,000-point reserve, this felt at least a thousand times larger. Lance’s mind raced. Tier 7 energy is on a different level. My future repair speed is going to skyrocket.

  Vroom!!!

  Suddenly, the space above his [Consciousness Hub] ignited. Brilliant motes of light manifested from the void, rushing toward the center of his mind with terrifying speed.

  As the energy gathered, the new light sphere expanded rapidly. Just like the golden solar sphere next to it, this was the manifestation of his [Holy Light] trait.

  It swelled until it matched the size of the [Solar Stellar Flame], but it didn't stop there. It continued to grow until it was several times larger than the solar flame before finally stabilizing.

  The hierarchy was clear: [Holy Light Power] was significantly more potent than the [Solar Stellar Flame].

  [System Alert: Congratulations. You have successfully awakened [Holy Light Power]. Soul energy reserves updated: 80,000,000 points.]

  Lance slowly opened his eyes, feeling the new power thrumming in his veins.

  Buzz!

  He clenched his fist in the air, and a halo of brilliant, pure white light radiated from his hand.

  "Grrr!?"

  A low growl vibrated from his pocket. Noir poked its three small heads out, looking at the radiant light with immediate suspicion. The little dragon bared its teeth and hissed, its infernal nature reacting instinctively against the overwhelming holy radiance.

  "The system mentioned before that as an Infernal Cerberus-Dragon, Noir is a dark-type [Void Beast]," Lance said with a chuckle, watching the little creature's reaction. "In its infancy, it can only use S-Rank [Darkness Power], but once it reaches its growth stage, it’ll tap into SSS-Rank [Yin Power]. If it evolves to its limit, there's even a chance it awakens [Hell Power], which is far beyond SSS-Rank. All three of those energies are diametrically opposed to [Holy Light Power]. No wonder the little guy looks so annoyed."

  Lance willed the [Holy Light Power] in his hand to dissipate.

  "Rawr?" Noir tilted its heads, realizing the source of the irritating light was its master. It instantly dropped its guard and rubbed its heads against Lance's palm affectionately.

  "Alright, go back to sleep," Lance said, shaking his head at the little dragon's shifting moods.

  [System Alert: A new day has begun. Congratulations, Host. You have received 4 [Reconstruction Quotas].]

  Lance’s eyes lit up at the notification.

  "Refreshed already? But I haven't mastered the new [War Arts] yet. I’ll have to save the [Reconstruction] for later."

  Lance closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into the [Holographic Simulation Space]. He immediately began studying his newly acquired cultivation technique: the [Bloodlust Art].

  The most striking feature of this technique—the part Lance loved most—was its ability to instantly burn the user’s blood to grant a massive power boost. Though it was technically only a Tier 4 Peak-grade technique, the 'Bloodlust' state provided a staggering 6x multiplier to his overall strength.

  Such a multiplier was unheard of for Tier 4 techniques; usually, a 6x boost was the hallmark of Tier 5 arts or higher.

  The drawback, of course, was devastating. A single use of 'Bloodlust' would drain ninety percent of the user's Constitution (CON). For a normal person, recovering from such a state would take decades—if they didn't just drop dead on the spot.

  But for someone with the [Undying God-Body], Lance couldn't help but smirk. To him, this wasn't a suicide move; it was a god-tier buff.

  With this, I can skyrocket my combat power on command. It’s perfect.

  Moreover, the technique was fundamentally simple to learn. As long as one understood the circulatory nodes and wasn't afraid of dying, they could reach the maximum output of the 'Bloodlust' state.

  Lance began his training. Assisted by the [Elemental Saint Body], his comprehension speed was off the charts. It took him a mere two hours to master the intricacies of this Tier 4 Peak-grade technique, pushing it all the way to the [Perfect] rank.

  He didn't stop there. He immediately transitioned into practicing his new movement technique, [Flame Steps], and his defensive [War Art], [Black-Gold War Body].

  [Black-Gold War Body] was a Tier 4 Mid-grade technique that provided a 5x multiplier to defensive capabilities. While it was superior to almost any other technique in its rank, it still fell short of the [Epic Rank] [Titanium War Body].

  However, Lance didn't mind. He knew that the [Titanium War Body] had already reached its limit through previous reconstruction. The [Black-Gold War Body], on the other hand, was an unpolished gem. Once he fully developed its potential through the system, its power would undoubtedly be terrifying.

  Mastering two Tier 4 techniques would normally take an eternity, even for a genius. But with the [Elemental Saint Body] and a full day of undisturbed time, Lance was confident.

  He plunged back into training, while simultaneously performing the [Near-Death Loop] in his [Consciousness Hub] by repeatedly tearing his [Soul].

  [System Alert: Congratulations! You have reached [Novice] rank in [Flame Steps]!]

  [System Alert: Congratulations! You have reached [Proficient] rank in [Flame Steps]!]

  [System Alert: Congratulations! You have reached [Expert] rank in [Flame Steps]!]

  In just three hours, Lance pushed his movement technique to the [Expert] rank.

  For most practitioners, the journey from [Expert] to [Perfect] took years, if not decades. Reaching the [Perfect] rank required capturing the very essence of the technique's creator—something many failed to do in a lifetime.

  [System Alert: Soul trauma successfully repaired. Gained 600 Soul points and 200 Constitution (CON) points!]

  [System Alert: Congratulations! Your Martial Rank has increased to [Gold Tier, Rank 8]!]

  [Current Soul Reserve: 12,000 / 30,000]

  Lance checked the time. Repairing his soul trauma now took only about ten minutes, despite him tearing it into twenty separate fragments. At this rate, he was gaining nearly 2,400 Soul points and 800 CON points per hour.

  Only five hours had passed since he had consumed the new [Void Core].

  "My martial rank is already nearing [Gold Tier, Rank 10]. Keep going!" Lance’s lips curled into a confident grin. He shut his eyes once more, doubling down on his dual-track training.

  Time continued to bleed away.

  [System Alert: Congratulations! You have reached [Perfect] rank in [Flame Steps]! When combined with Flame Power, speed is increased by 450%. Using higher-tier fire affinities will result in even greater speed multipliers!]

  Three hours later, the system chime echoed in his mind. Lance paused his martial training and focused on his [Soul]. Only a tiny fragment of the latest tear remained to be mended.

  Buzz!

  A surge of energy rippled through him as the last gap closed.

  [System Alert: Soul trauma successfully repaired. Gained 600 Soul points and 200 Constitution (CON) points!]

  [System Alert: Congratulations! Your Martial Rank has increased to [Gold Tier, Rank 10]! Constitution (CON) Reserve function unlocked!]

  [Soul Reserve: 19,000 / 30,000]

  [Constitution (CON) Reserve: 100 / 30,000]

  "Finally. The dual peak of the [Gold Rank]—the absolute limit for both Body and Soul," Lance muttered.

  At this rate, it wouldn't be long before his Soul reserve was capped. He felt a surge of raw power coursing through him. He wasn't entirely sure how strong he was at full output anymore, but he knew that once his Soul was fully fortified again, he would be a force of nature.

  "Now... for the [Black-Gold War Body]."

  Lance’s eyes flashed. He closed them again, beginning the mental derivation of the defensive art. Its principles were similar to the [Titanium War Body], though the way Source Essence was used to construct the internal framework differed slightly.

  Because of the similarities between the two arts, it took Lance only five more hours to push the [Black-Gold War Body] to the [Perfect] rank.

  [System Alert: Congratulations! You have successfully mastered the [Black-Gold War Body] to the [Perfect] rank! At full output, defensive capabilities are increased by 500%.]

  [System Alert: Soul reserves have reached 30,000 points. Soul Metamorphosis is commencing!]

  Two system notifications rang out in rapid succession within Lance’s mind.

  "Finishing both at the same time? Perfect. Let’s get this over with," Lance muttered with a thin smile.

  Rumble!!!

  Suddenly, Lance’s [Soul] began to vibrate violently. In an instant, a series of runes—intricate and ancient beyond comprehension—manifested around his spiritual form.

  Under the influence of these runes, Lance felt his [Soul] ignite.

  The runes acted like a spiritual furnace, incinerating the impurities within his soul and refining its essence at a terrifying speed. At that moment, streams of pure [Soul] energy began to manifest from the void.

  This energy felt fundamentally different from the [Soul] reserves he had obtained by consuming [Void Cores]. The energy from Cores had to be converted and integrated before it was truly his, but these new streams were identical to his own aura—as if they were a missing part of himself being returned.

  "So this is where the [Soul] reserves the system helped me accumulate went," Lance realized, a flash of understanding crossing his mind. "It was all for this moment."

  With the influx of this pure energy, Lance could feel the very nature of his [Soul] undergoing a rapid elevation. This wasn't merely a quantitative increase in size; it was a qualitative transformation.

  Once the full 30,000-point reserve was funneled into his spirit, the strength of Lance’s [Soul] had tripled.

  He had achieved [Tier 3 Soul Metamorphosis].

  [System Alert: Phase 1 of Soul Metamorphosis is complete. Phase 2 requires a Soul reserve of 100,000 points. Upon completion, the Host's Soul Metamorphosis will reach Tier 6.]

  "One hundred thousand?" Lance wasn't bothered in the slightest. "At my current cultivation speed, it won't take long at all."

  A small investment now would yield returns far beyond a mere hundred thousand points in the future.

  "Now that my foundation is stronger, it's time for the main event. System, repair all [Exploits] for the [Bloodlust Art], [Flame Steps], and [Black-Gold War Body]!"

  [System Alert: Commands received! Commencing reconstruction!]

  Rumble!!!

  In the next heartbeat, a flood of raw, primordial information surged into Lance’s [Consciousness Hub]. A powerful cultivation manual and two superior [War Arts] etched themselves into his memory, instantly reaching the [Perfect] rank of mastery.

  Lance himself was stunned by the sheer scale of the upgrade.

  [System Announcement: Congratulations! 39.8 million Exploits in the [Bloodlust Art] have been repaired. You have obtained the Rank 8 Technique: [Heavenly Demon Disintegration Art]!]

  [System Announcement: 2.8 million Exploits in [Flame Steps] have been repaired. You have obtained the Rank 7 War Art: [Flame Dragon Flash]!]

  [System Announcement: 3.8 million Exploits in [Black-Gold War Body] have been repaired. You have obtained the Rank 7 War Art: [Star War Body]!]

  Three techniques. The weakest among them was Rank 7, while the primary cultivation art had reached a staggering Rank 8. The name resonated with Lance—[Heavenly Demon Disintegration Art].

  It sounded like one of those classic "self-mutilation for power" techniques, but he had managed to refine it into its ultimate form. Combined with his [Undying God-Body], this wasn't just a buff—it made him an unkillable, high-output monster.

  He immediately pulled up the descriptions.

  [Heavenly Demon Disintegration Art]

  Source: The signature technique of the Heavenly Demons, a supreme cosmic race. Normally restricted to their bloodline, but the racial lock has been removed through reconstruction.

  Effect: By sacrificing a portion of the user's physical body, one gains a massive surge in combat power. The greater the sacrifice, the larger the multiplier.

  Note: The Heavenly Demon race can slowly regenerate after disintegration. Other races usually perish after one use. However, this technique is a pure burst art and does not significantly increase passive cultivation speed.

  Lance nodded in approval. It was exactly what he expected—closer to a racial trait than a standard technique. The fact that it didn't boost his cultivation speed didn't matter. He didn't cultivate through meditation or forms; he cultivated through the [Near-Death Loop].

  If he tried to use normal self-harm to cultivate his body, he might accidentally overdo it and kill himself. But with a structured art like this...

  "Let’s give it a test drive," Lance whispered, a predatory grin spreading across his face.

  Without hesitation, he activated the [Heavenly Demon Disintegration Art].

  THUMP!

  A dull, muffled sound echoed through the room as Lance’s left arm suddenly disintegrated, exploding into a cloud of crimson mist.

  Vroom!

  The mist was instantly reabsorbed into his body. In that heartbeat, Lance felt his raw power skyrocket by a factor of ten!

  Simultaneously, the energy of the [Undying God-Body] flared. His missing arm began to knit itself back together at a visible rate, bone, muscle, and skin weaving back into existence in the blink of an eye.

  [System Alert: Minor trauma repaired. Consumed 20 CON Reserve points. Constitution (CON) +20!]

  A single arm. To the current Lance, losing an arm was less significant than a papercut to a normal person. A papercut took days to heal; his arm took seconds.

  "This is incredible," Lance muttered, clenching his newly formed fist. "Ten times the power for just an arm... what would happen if I sacrificed my entire body?"

  The thought was as terrifying as it was enticing.