Life Spirit Seed

Ji Xinghuo had considered it before: if he could freely choose a Class Template, Magnetic Field Maniac would rank among his top three choices, far above Titanium Cobalt Dragon Man.

He had never imagined that one day it would actually come true!

However, while Magnetic Field Maniac was powerful, it was far more difficult to develop than other classes.

Its template consisted of seven abilities.

Aside from Thunderclap Hand and High-Frequency Thinking, the other four abilities were exceedingly rare—impossible to buy even with money.

He would probably have to spend a great deal of effort searching for those abilities in the future.

"No matter what, I'll fuse with Rotating Magnetic Field first thing tomorrow." Ji Xinghuo tucked the Ability Seed away close to his body. He had experienced too much today, and even with his stamina, he felt exhausted. He soon fell asleep.

The next day.

Not long after dawn, Ji Xinghuo got up and left.

He had slept well last night. Myriad Stellar Eye had not detected any approaching danger or abnormalities. After leaving the hotel and making a couple of rounds through the city, he found no one following him either.

Ji Xinghuo had told Zhou Yishang yesterday that he wanted to relax for a few days and would not report to the Sharp Sword Bureau for the time being.

So before making his escape, he still had some time to prepare.

At nine in the morning, Ji Xinghuo arrived at a large shopping mall in the center of Chang'an City. The mall occupied a hundred-story skyscraper and covered an enormous area. Its countless shops and dazzling array of goods filled suspended streets bustling with pedestrians, while aerial gardens offered magnificent views of the city.

Ji Xinghuo entered a store called Star Warrior.

The store's decor was grand yet simple. Its bright, minimalist hall had a modernist style, and a row of glass display cases stood right by the entrance, containing Ability Seeds in all kinds of forms!

Star Warrior was a famous chain store throughout the Asian Commonwealth. Its main products were Ability Seeds, along with other precious oddities produced in the Star Realm.

Ji Xinghuo casually glanced around.

Quite a few of the displayed Ability Seeds had already reached Excellent grade. Their total value alone was forty to fifty million Asia Yuan.

There were many customers in the store, including both Espers and ordinary people who had merely come to broaden their horizons.

No matter what kind of customer they were, the clerks served them enthusiastically and without discrimination. If a customer requested it, they could even take out an Ability Seed for close inspection.

No one dared entertain any crooked thoughts.

In a corner on one side of the hall sat an expressionless woman. Her skin was an unnaturally pale white, her pitch-black pupils formed a stark contrast with the whites of her eyes, and her gaze swept back and forth across the store. One look was enough to tell that she was not someone to be trifled with.

Ji Xinghuo withdrew his gaze after only one glance.

"An Evil Spirit."

"Very likely a Super Esper."

Most of the store staff were Espers as well, ranging from Elementary to Advanced. Armed properly, they would form a Hunting Team capable of venturing into the Star Realm.

In fact, the company behind Star Warrior specialized in Star Realm hunting.

"Sir, do you have any Ability Seeds in mind?" A female clerk came over to greet him.

Ji Xinghuo had intended to get straight to the point, but after thinking it over, he said, "I'm just looking around. Maybe I'll find something I like."

The clerk's enthusiasm did not diminish. "What type of Ability Seed are you interested in, sir?"

"Any type is fine."

Ji Xinghuo pointed to an Ability Seed in a display case and asked, "May I get a feel for that one?"

"Of course." Without hesitation, the clerk unlocked the case, took out something resembling a piece of glowing charcoal, and handed it to Ji Xinghuo. "Please be careful, sir. It's a little hot."

Ji Xinghuo took the Ability Seed and felt scorching heat in his hand.

At the same time, the interface of Myriad Stellar Eye appeared in his vision, displaying the Ability Seed's information.

Ability Seed: Internal Combustion

Grade: Excellent

Fusion Success Rate: 85%

Upgradeable: Yes

It really is Internal Combustion, Ji Xinghuo thought. The core ability of a Flame Berserker. His second brother, Zhong Ming, was a Flame Berserker.

"Sir, you should know what Internal Combustion does, right?" the clerk introduced.

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

As its name implied, Internal Combustion was combustion within the body.

But unlike ordinary burning, its fuel was Stellar Force and physical stamina. In exchange, it granted comprehensive boosts to strength, speed, and neural reactions. The whole body became like an internal combustion engine, frantically doing work outward. Its destructive explosive power ranked among the best of all classes.

Internal Combustion consumed Stellar Force at an extreme rate. After activating it, an Elementary Esper might not even last half a minute before being drained dry.

Therefore, a Flame Berserker had to defeat the enemy before the burning ended.

Either you died, or I did.

This ability shaped the Flame Berserker's combat style. At the slightest disagreement, their whole body would burst into flames as they chased people down like rabid dogs. They were not to be provoked lightly.

"Sir, the Internal Combustion in our store is of first-rate quality and has been perfectly preserved. If you purchase it, we'll also provide fusion services and a special ointment for rapidly treating burns..."

The clerk enthusiastically promoted the Ability Seed.

Ji Xinghuo was not particularly interested, but he still listened patiently.

His attention was on the fusion success rate. It had actually reached 85%, which meant that if he wanted to, he could become a Flame Berserker too.

I wonder what the fusion success rates of other Ability Seeds are?

Ji Xinghuo's heart stirred.

"Thank you." He returned the Ability Seed to the clerk, then pointed at another one to indicate that he wanted to see it.

The clerk took out the Ability Seed.

When Ji Xinghuo's hand touched it, the information appeared again.

Ability Seed: Star Force

Grade: Excellent

Fusion Success Rate: 92%

Upgradeable: Yes

Star Force was the core ability of a Martial Artist.

It allowed Espers to finely control their Stellar Force. Combined with martial arts and force-generation techniques, it could create many different kinds of force, enhancing strength, speed, and explosive power while also serving defensive purposes. It was extremely versatile and possessed enormous potential.

Star Force Ability Seeds were relatively easy to obtain and produced in large quantities.

Furthermore, the Martial Artist Class Template had a rating of 39 points. It required little resource investment, offered excellent value, and had many options for further advancement.

Thus, Martial Artists were the most numerous class.

According to ADC statistics, 12% of Espers were Martial Artists, ranking first among all classes!

After examining the Star Force Ability Seed, Ji Xinghuo quickly returned it to the clerk, then asked to view other Ability Seeds.

Steel Bone had a 76% fusion success rate, Hound's Sniff had 68%, Hot Melt Hand had 66%, Steadfast Will had 80%, Muscle Memory had 77%, and Flash Step had 95%.

Ji Xinghuo examined more than a dozen Ability Seeds in succession, handling every single one.

He discovered something abnormal.

Not one Ability Seed had a fusion success rate below 65%. Most were above 75%, and success rates over 80% were the most common.

There was definitely something wrong!

Both the ADC and Astral Department research had reached the same conclusion: among any two randomly chosen Ability Seeds, the average success rate for a combination was only around 20%.

Why were the success rates still so high when he already possessed Thousand Spirit Dexterous Hands? Could this be another effect of Myriad Stellar Eye? Moreover, the success rates given by Myriad Stellar Eye seemed to contain some hidden principle. The higher the success rate of an Ability Seed, the greater its power would seemingly be after fusion!

Conversely, Ability Seeds with lower success rates would not produce any additional effects even if successfully fused.

Is the success rate compatibility?

Ji Xinghuo was profoundly shaken.

If that pattern was correct, it meant Myriad Stellar Eye could point out the best evolutionary path for him. He did not need to be bound by a Class Template at all! Fusion success rate had nothing to do with an Ability Seed's grade.

He could simply choose the Ability Seed with the highest success rate for fusion.

Both Star Force and Flash Step had fusion success rates above 90%. Flash Step in particular had an astonishing 95% success rate, yet it was merely a basic ability.

If that's the case...

Ji Xinghuo's thoughts raced. Could it be that what suits me best isn't a particular Class Template, but being an Unclassed Esper?

As he thought, he continued asking the clerk to bring out Ability Seeds.

Though the clerk fulfilled all of Ji Xinghuo's requests, a trace of unease appeared in her eyes. The Evil Spirit overseeing the store also looked over and frowned slightly.

"All right, thank you." Ji Xinghuo did not want to make too much of a scene, so he stopped examining Ability Seeds.

The female clerk sighed in relief. "Is there an Ability Seed you want, sir?"

"No."

Ji Xinghuo shook his head, disappointing the clerk. But his next words immediately made her overjoyed. "Please get me a Life Spirit Seed. I want to buy one."

"A Life Spirit Seed!" The clerk froze for a moment before recovering. Delighted, she said, "Certainly, sir. Please come with me."

The nearby customers heard their conversation and cast envious looks at Ji Xinghuo.

A Life Spirit Seed was an Expansion Oddity! Each time an Esper underwent life evolution, they could only fuse with one Ability Seed, but Expansion Oddities could break that limit.

The Star Realm produced many Expansion Oddities.

Life Spirit Seeds had the highest output and were the most common. For the vast majority of Espers, they were the only Expansion Oddity they would ever encounter in their lives.

It allowed an Esper to fuse with one additional Ability Seed. Each person could use it only once, and it was ineffective for Super Espers and Espers of higher Ranks.

At the same time, it was also the cheapest Expansion Oddity.

But "cheap" was only relative to other Expansion Oddities. The price of a Life Spirit Seed had always remained stable: eight million Asia Yuan per seed.

As long as they could afford it, many Espers would buy a Life Spirit Seed to quickly increase their strength.

Ji Xinghuo had not originally dared hope for one either.

Although Xia Qingyu had left no message with the ten million he gifted, Ji Xinghuo could guess that Xia Qingyu's intention had been to let him buy a Life Spirit Seed.

Of course, that was on the condition that he became an Esper.

Ji Xinghuo followed the clerk into Star Warrior's VIP reception room. Soon, the store manager appeared. Once Ji Xinghuo had paid eight million Asia Yuan, the manager immediately handed him the Life Spirit Seed.

The Life Spirit Seed looked like a golden seed.

It was only as large as a pinky fingertip, but despite its small size, Ji Xinghuo could feel the surging life force within it. It was somewhat similar to an Ability Seed.

"If Mr. Ji wishes to take the seed with him, we can prepare a portable refrigerated case for you," the store manager said warmly.

"There's no need."

Ji Xinghuo tossed the Life Spirit Seed directly into his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. Then he said, "Please prepare a cultivation room for me."

"Of course, of course."

The store manager personally escorted Ji Xinghuo to the door of a luxurious cultivation room.

After entering, Ji Xinghuo inspected the room and confirmed there were no hidden cameras before sitting down in the middle. He waited for a while until the Life Spirit Seed had been completely digested and absorbed. A hunger similar to an empty stomach rose within him.

That meant he could fuse with another Ability Seed.

He took out the Ability Seed of Rotating Magnetic Field. Without hesitation, he tossed it into his mouth again. It slid down his throat and into his stomach.

It was like swallowing a piece of jelly, except it had no taste.

The fusion method for Rotating Magnetic Field was the simplest: swallowing it. A few minutes later, the changes began!