Chapter 994 The “Wh.o.r.e“ of the Beyond Grade As
The red energy that saturated the entire sky was quickly absorbed back into Hila’s body, and the red light within her eyes dimmed. However, her aura seemed as though she was a totally new person.
After twenty years of grueling training in the universe, Hila had finally taken this step. In her previous life, she had arrived at the Beyond Grade A realm earlier than this, so she had always had the potential.
After transforming into a Beyond Grade A species, Hila’s appearance became more refined, her skin was cleansed and flawless, and her genes were greatly optimized.
Though her growth rate could not be compared to Black Star, Ames was equally amazed by Hila’s talent. Compared to those who needed centuries to reach this stage, Hila’s special S Grade Esper Ability had greatly shortened her journey.
“How do you feel?”
Ames sized Hila up, her eyes glowing with appreciation, as though she was viewing a work of art.
“Miraculous.” Hila was sensing the changes and thoughtfully spoke. “So, this is the world in the eyes of the Beyond Grade A. Everything feels different.”
“Hehe, slowly experience and get used to it. We have plenty of time.” Ames slightly smiled.
Hila breathed out, a spark of excitement flas.h.i.+ng across her eyes.
The me now should be able to barely catch up to Black Star.
I can… return.
Ames then controlled her force field, taking out the communicator and sending it to Hila’s side as she smiled. “Do you want to share this good news with him?”
Hila received the communicator, but after hesitating a few seconds, she shook her head.
“No, I’ll surprise him by personally returning.”
…
On Planet Crimson Ring, a saucer shaped s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p pierced through the Psionic Seal Ring, slowly approaching Planet Crimson Ring. On the star bridge stood a huge figure in front of the porthole, silently staring at the growing Planet Crimson Ring.
This person possessed a bright silver body, and his skin was like flowing liquid metal. One could only see a pair of metallic eyes on his face, and any other places are as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the galaxy outside the window. He was not wearing clothes and possessed no s.e.xual characteristics.
He was a newly born Beyond Grade A, having ascended just five years prior. He was considered a Beyond Grade A seed from the Sea of Star Spirits, and a hundred years ago, he had locked himself into the core of a dying star to cultivate in a perilous method that only gave a slim chance of survival. A hundred years later, like a coc.o.o.n, he broke out, transforming into a new life form born from the core of the star.
He abandoned his original name, naming himself ‘Silver Shadow’, and formed his own Beyond Grade A organization within the Sea of Star Spirits. Over the past few years, he had made a name for himself and developed rapidly, forming a base of operations within the Sea Of Star Spirits.
Silver Shadow had accepted the dynasty’s invitation, so he had traveled over to meet the Dynasty Ruler as well as the Beyond Grade As of the dynasty.
At this moment, one of his officers came up behind him and whispered, “Your Excellency Silver Shadow, we’re about to descend.”
“Hmm.” Silver Shadow’s voice was cold and brought with it the timbre much like a metal vibration. It was akin to an electronic sound without emotion.
The officer hesitated a while before asking, “Your Excellency, if I may ask, why are we choosing to join the dynasty?”
“Are you questioning my decision?” Silver Shadow did not even turn around.
“I do not.” The officer immediately refuted that. He had not joined Silver Shadow for long, so he did not dare offend him at this time. He spoke in a hesitant tone. “I just feel that the offers from the Arcane Church and the Federation of Light were much better.”
Silver Shadow did not deny that. “With the development of the Flickering World, the attraction the dynasty has now prevails over the rest, so the Federation and the Church have to pay higher prices. It’s not because they value me. Furthermore, the power distribution in the Sea of Star Spirits has reached saturation, and only the Flickering World can provide me with more room to develop. Thus, choosing the dynasty is the better option for me… However, this is not the main reason I chose to join them.”
“Then why?”
“The Evolution Cube… as well as Black Star.” Silver Shadow paused. “If not for the fact that Black Star, who has possession of the Evolution Cube, is with the dynasty, I would not have agreed to their invitation.”
“That’s right. The dynasty said that they were going to gather a few Beyond Grade As to meet you. Will Black Star come as well? If he’s there, you can make your request.”
“Heh, from what I know, those old Beyond Grade A fogeys seldom appear at such affairs. The most one will see is Urranrell’s bodyguard, Dark Lord Clotti. As for whether Black Star will come or not, I do not know,” Silver Shadow muttered. “But I would like him to come so that I can spar against him.”
“You wish to spar with Black Star?” The officer got a shock. “He rose to the peak of the Beyond Grade A realm more than a decade ago and is even recorded as one of the strongest Mechanical Deities. While he has been silent these few years, still…”
“I know what you mean. There’s no need to say any more. The Beyond Grade A circle within the three Universal Civilizations have always ostracized newcomers. If you want the right to speak, you have to prove it through your strength. Since I must fight, I might as well pick a stronger one.”
The Silver Shadow turned around, coldly remarking, “Dark Lord, Dragon King, and Illusory Deity. These three veterans have the highest status of the Beyond Grade As within the dynasty, and directly behind them would be Black Star, who only took a few decades to reach the Beyond Grade A realm. He is almost guaranteed to succeed the trio and will be the main pillar of the dynasty in the future, holding the most authority. In just twenty years, to grow to such a state, I’m extremely interested in him, and if he wants me to listen to him, I must experience just how good he is.”
Very quickly, the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p landed on the political core of Planet Crimson Ring, Tarunamir Palace. Silver Shadow brought his officers to exit the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p and followed the attendants to walk into the palace.
Boom!
At this instant, a strong overbearing Beyond Grade A pressure burst out, viciously pressuring him. This was obviously an opening gambit by the seniors.
Silver Shadow did not show any weakness, and the aura unique to a Beyond Grade A burst out from him and pushed back hard.
Bang bang bang!
Rings of invisible shockwaves seemed to burst apart in midair.
As though sensing his att.i.tude, the Beyond Grade A pressure receded quickly like the tide.
“We’ll meet with the Ruler first.” Silver Shadow coldly gazed toward the direction of the aura before following the attendants to another location.
At the same time, inside a room far away, a few of the Beyond Grade A allies of the dynasty were seated.
“The newcomers now are really arrogant. None of them are willing to bow their heads.” Beyoni sighed.
“That’s right. Thinking back, when I first fought Black… cough cough.” Viru embarra.s.sedly coughed twice, sneaking a look at Han Xiao who was sitting at the head using his Lord’s Descent.
Han Xiao smirked and made a sarcastic remark. “That time, you couldn’t even beat a newbie like me.”
“That was different. You’re a special case that broke all records in history, and you’re even at the peak of Beyond Grade A now. Losing to you at that time… shouldn’t be too embarra.s.sing, right?” Viru laughed hollowly.
“No, it was embarra.s.sing.” Lotus Swordsman harshly shot him down.
Everyone could not help but burst into laughter.
Over the past few years, Han Xiao had already established a deep level of friends.h.i.+p with most of the Beyond Grade A allies in the dynasty. Due to his strength and legendary points, he had a greater say in this circle, only behind Dark Lord, Dragon King, and Illusory Deity. He had long shed his ident.i.ty as a newcomer.
Among the dynasty alliance, only the stubborn little Ty-Ty refused to admit his influence; the rest all were in awe of him.
That day, there were nine Beyond Grade A present. Neither Milizaus nor Kant were there, but it was still more than when Han Xiao had arrived for the first time.
The last person to experience such a battle was Han Xiao himself. Seeing Silver Shadow was just like seeing the him of yesteryear, coming in with as much pomp and fanfare.
He was not interested in bullying the newcomers together with this group of Beyond Grade As, so he did not pressure Silver Shadow with his momentum like the rest. He chose to come because he wanted to see Silver Shadow.
If he remembered correctly, this Silver Shadow was a special existence among the Beyond Grade As. He had molded himself into something equivalent to a Universal Treasure during this life evolution, but right now, this ability should have awoken yet.
In the later version during his past life, Silver Shadow had an infamous nickname among the players—the ‘Wh.o.r.e’ of the Beyond Grade As!
According to incomplete statistics, during the World Tree Civilization battles, over twenty Beyond Grade As had ‘used’ Silver Shadow before.
Among them, the one who utilized his abilities the most was the late bloomer Karlot, which earned him the nickname of ‘Wh.o.r.e Monopolizer’ Karlot.
While Han Xiao wished to turn this ‘public good’ into a ‘private good’, this sort of thinking was a bit unrealistic, so he settled for making contact with the other party first.
At this time, Ravenlaude was surveying the audience. “We will most likely have to do a spar later. Who’s going up?”
“I have no interest.” Lotus Swordsman firmly refused.
“Don’t look at me.” Beyoni waved his hands. “You should know that I’m not good at solo battles.”
“I…” Viru hesitated a little. After the thras.h.i.+ng Han Xiao had given him, he was no longer that pa.s.sionate about such matters and ended up shaking his head. “I won’t go up either.”
“Black Star, are you interested?” Maximiler looked over.
“I never fight unnecessary fights.” Han Xiao waved his hands in refusal. He did not have any intention of bullying a newcomer who should be worth befriending.
Moreover, they were on Planet Crimson Ring, the capital of the dynasty. He had not stationed much machinery there, and any machines that broke would need to be fixed.
By the side, Kohler, who was treated like transparent gla.s.s, finally opened his mouth in resignation. “Since none of you are interested, let me do it.”
Everyone cast their sight over, with suspicion on their faces.
Without any exaggeration, Kohler was the one recognized as the most noob, even taking Beyoni into account.
“I’m still a Pugilist cla.s.s that specializes in individual battles. What sort of expressions are you guys showing‽” Kohler was embarra.s.sed and angry.
“We’re afraid of you embarra.s.sing us,” Lotus Swordsman said straightforwardly.
Taking advantage of the people teasing Kohler, Han Xiao scooted over to Beyoni’s side, whispering, “How’ve you been doing recently?”
“How else can I be doing‽” Beyoni replied in a not-so-polite manner. “Thanks to you, the Modo Civilization is constantly trying to suppress my race. The other day, those idiots even fired a long-range galactic missile toward my Land of the Fire Core, ploughing the entire landscape for me. Are you paying for the damages?”
“Nope, speak to the dynasty for compensation. It was them who allowed me to do so.” Han Xiao dryly coughed.
Over the past few years, Lothaire had been making waves within the Modo Civilization, a.s.sa.s.sinating target after target. He had already thoroughly offended the entire civilization many times over.
Modo naturally vented his anger on Beyoni, who was an ally of the dynasty. In those few years, he had been beaten black and blue, an innocent bystander dragged into the affair.
While Lothaire was cautious in handling matters, it was not as if he experienced no danger. Treading the thin line between life and death had allowed him to grow rapidly. While there was some measure of luck involved, it was not as exaggerated as Feidin and Nero, and more of relying on his own skills to escape the situation.
His a.s.sa.s.sin’s Society was developing quite well, having already nurtured a group of interstellar killers. On paper, it was a bounty hunter organization within the black market, but in secret, they were Han Xiao’s Shadowers.
After chatting for a while, Silver Shadow’s aura suddenly drew closer. Everyone instinctively knew that his talk with the Ruler had already ended and put on a serious expression.
Swoosh.
The doors opened, and two people walked in. One of them was Clotti with a pa.s.sive expression. He walked up until he reached Han Xiao’s side, taking a seat at the head.
The other was naturally Silver Shadow. He stood in the middle of the room, surveying the area and the Beyond Grade As present. Finally, his gaze stopped on Han Xiao’s avatar.
“You’re Silver Shadow from the Sea of Star Spirits?” Viru was the first to open his mouth, pretentiously sneering. “You don’t seem to respect us much.”
“Why should I respect you?” Silver Shadow indifferently replied.
By the side, Kohler coldly laughed. “How arrogant. A pity, this place is the Crimson Dynasty. The dynasty does not allow such prideful characters to exist.”
Hearing this, Han Xiao immediately cast a glance at him.
Why does that sentence sound so familiar?
Silver Shadow turned to Kohler, and after being silent for a while, he finally said, “There’s someone like you in the dynasty? I’ve never heard of you.”
Kohler’s gaze turned frosty. He was originally only pretending, but having been insulted, the person in question could not suppress his rage.
“Within the Beyond Grade A circle, status and authority are earned by strength. I believe you understand this rule as well.” Kohler pushed his hands against his kneecaps, leaning forward. “You’ve come to the Ruler’s side as an ally of the dynasty, but you haven’t earned respect among us. Do you dare you spar against me?”
“You? Forget it, you’re not my opponent.”
Silver Shadow’s tone was calm, as though he had just spoken a fact.
Without waiting for Kohler to continue, he turned to look at Han Xiao, leisurely saying, “If I must spar, I will of course choose someone stronger. Black Star, do you have the guts to fight me?”
Han Xiao was stunned in place.
Why did it suddenly become my problem?
I only came here to support you.
The eyes of everyone present lit up, and a look of interest crossed their expressions.
There were people, who after stepping into the Beyond Grade A realm, felt that their strength had no limits and would like to leapfrog to directly challenge those at the peak. This sort of mentality often appeared in the Beyond Grade As, so people did not find Silver Shadow to be weird.
It was just like how a newborn calf might dare to challenge a tiger. The spirit of daring to challenge someone stronger was also a good mentality.
Han Xiao was about to decline, but he discovered a notification on his interface and immediately swallowed his words.
Glancing at the notification, he almost let out a cry.
Silver Shadow had initiated the battle, which directly triggered the mission for battling against the Beyond Grade A. Just as had happened against Heber and Manison, not only was the experience reward good, he even had the chance to draw a skill from the other party.
After so many years of research, Han Xiao was now more aware of the trigger mechanism for such missions. If the other party took the initiative to request a battle, then the rate of the mission appearing was insanely high. Right now, while there were only a few people within this room, they could all be considered big shots within the universe, so there was sufficient influence to activate the mission.
This newcomer is too generous, to actually give me a skill the moment he showed up… Han Xiao could not help shaking his head.
“Alright, no need to be aggressive. I can agree to that.”
Silver Shadow nodded before suddenly saying, “Just sparring itself is pointless. Shall we have a bet as well?”
Han Xiao was curious. “What do you want to bet?”
“I wish to borrow the Evolution Cube. If I gain the advantage or even win in this battle, please accede to my request. If I lose, I can fulfil any request you have of me, so long as it does not cross the line.”
“Done. It’s a small matter.” Han Xiao nodded. He did not lose out in any way.
At this moment, the cold-faced Clotti opened his mouth. “Go fight outside the Psionic Seal Ring. Don’t fight near the mother planet.”
Hearing this, Han Xiao suddenly felt a strange feeling in his heart.
You seem to have also said this the previous time, and it was even the exact same wording. You just came here to be a referee, right?
…
Urranrell stood by the window at the office within Tarunamir Palace. She raised her head to see a group of Beyond Grade As rising like s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps, disappearing beyond the horizon.
“Ruler, have Black Star and the rest left?”
There were several other upper echelons within that room, consisting mostly of advocates of the Evolution Cube being handed over. Among them was the hawk faction Bekorodi, as well as Ludwell, who previously owed Han Xiao a favor.
Urranrell turned around, indifferently commenting, “Hmm. It seems that Clotti said they went beyond the Psionic Seal Ring to battle.”
“That…” Bekorodi mused for a while before saying, “Your Excellency Ruler, what do you think of our plan then?”
Urranrell’s brow creased. “Gaud’s ability is indeed the first of its kind, but we can’t even do anything with our techniques. Are you sure of the success?”
“Right now, no.” Bekorodi shook his head. “He only told me that, as long as he reaches the Beyond Grade A level, his Esper ability will allow him to a.n.a.lyze the principle behind the Evolutionary energy. You also know how miraculous the powers of Espers are.”
“Beyond Grade A…” Urranrell shook her head. “He thinks that he will reach that realm for sure? Even so, how long does he even need?”
“Not sure. We can only wait.”
Hearing this, Urranrell could not help but fall into silence.
Seeing this Bekorodi could not help but push some more. “Your Excellency, this is a good chance. Black Star has already proved that it is nigh impossible for the dynasty to obtain the Evolution Cube from him. We cannot use any domineering methods against him, but if we can dissect and a.n.a.lyze the energy ourselves and replicate it, Black Star will have no excuses. This is not offending him, and he has no grounds to forbid us studying the Evolution Cube, so even if he’s dissatisfied, he can’t do anything!”
“I know.” Urranrell’s brows were still furrowed. “But Gaud’s request is for him to come into contact with the actual body of the Evolution Cube. If his goal is discovered by Black Star, this may anger him.”
“This is a small risk, but we’re not trying to s.n.a.t.c.h the cube, so it isn’t so serious. Furthermore, Gaud has always been someone our dynasty supports, so it is natural that we provide him the quota for the Evolution Cube.”
Urranrell was still hesitant. The Evolution Cube was Black Star’s, and the dynasty could not s.n.a.t.c.h it, but it would be a different matter if they managed to create one themselves.
From a personal viewpoint, Urranrell did not have any problems with Black Star and was even pleased with his performance.
However, as the Ruler, she had to consider the issue from the standpoint of the dynasty. The benefits of the Evolutionary Totems were too great, and they had to be recharged every decade or so. Allowing an ‘outsider’ to monopolize it was not something the dynasty was comfortable with.
“This is not necessarily to s.n.a.t.c.h away the interests of Black Star but to prevent the outcome of Black Star losing the Evolution Cube some day. It’s better for the dynasty to study the mystery of the Evolution Cube in advance as a backup.” Bekorodi struck while the iron was hot.“He makes sense,” Ludwell added.
Speaking of whom, Ludwell had owed Han Xiao a favor, but in previous years, he had taken the initiative to invest within the Shattered Star Ring, suppressing the Limitless Financial Group, which was in a way repaying his favor.
Today, he did not go against Bekorodi but rather supported this plan. It was not because he had issues with Han Xiao, but rather, from a professional viewpoint… the success rate of this proposal seemed quite high.
Urranrell thought for a while longer before sighing and replying, “Bekorodi, Black Star will come over later. You can use your name to invite him to discuss the matter of exchanging the Evolution Cube with something else one last time.
“If he still rejects, then put that plan into motion. Remember, the fewer people who know about this, the better. This is especially so for Black Star. If he finds out, he will definitely think of ways to prevent it.”
Hearing this, Bekorodi and the others in the room had expressions of joy and immediately nodded in response.
“Understood.”