First Evolution

Elementary Esper!

Although Ji Xinghuo had been able to confirm the successful fusion himself, seeing the words "Elementary Esper" on the interface still filled him with uncontrollable joy.

The 23rd Century was the age of espers.

There was an enormous gulf between ordinary people and espers. The disparity in individual power affected every aspect of human society.

From culture, economics, and politics to technology, sports, and entertainment, espers held advantages everywhere and almost dominated all human activity.

Even though some nations went to great lengths to downplay the gap between espers and ordinary people, emphasizing equality before the law and even restricting esper rights in certain places to deliberately favor ordinary people, ordinary people would always be the disadvantaged group in reality.

Espers possessed not only supernatural abilities, but were also stronger, smarter, and even longer-lived.

Ordinary people were inherently less confident when facing espers.

Some espers who had gone far down the path of evolution had effectively become a different species from ordinary humans.

In feudal times, there was a saying: "All pursuits are lowly; only scholarship is noble." Nowadays, it was: "All pursuits are lowly; only espers are noble."

The saying might have been somewhat exaggerated, but it was not far from the truth.

No matter what country they belonged to or what political system they lived under, the first goal every person set in life once they understood the world was to become an esper! Ji Xinghuo was naturally no exception.

And now, he had finally done it. He had joined the ranks of espers!

"Doctor!"

Someone suddenly cried out in the observation room. A young man's face had gone deathly pale as he shouted, "My head hurts so much! What's happening?" Blood trickled from his nostrils. His expression was pained and panicked as he cried out wildly, "Did my fusion fail?"

A doctor arrived immediately with two nurses. After only two glances, he shook his head. "Take him to the Medical Room right away. His rejection is rather severe; he may need emergency treatment."

"My fusion failed?" The young man caught the implication.

"Yes." The doctor comforted him. "There's no danger to your life. At most, you'll recover within a year, and then you can try fusing with another Ability Seed."

The nurses helped the young man to his feet. Looking utterly devastated, he wailed, "I fused with 'Beast Speaker.' Next time, I'll have to pay for an Ability Seed myself. More than two million Asia Yuan... what year will I ever save up that much money..."

Ji Xinghuo and the few people remaining in the observation room watched as he was taken to the Medical Room, all wearing sympathetic expressions.

Every citizen of the Asia-Pacific Community had only one chance to obtain an Ability Seed for free.

If the fusion failed, they had to purchase an Ability Seed themselves before they could try again.

The core ability of almost every Class Template was at least an Outstanding Ability, worth no less than one million Asia Yuan. Without family support, young people simply could not afford it. Even with low-interest state loans, it was still a crushing burden.

For the vast majority of ordinary people, one failed fusion was a tremendous blow—both a financial loss and a loss of time. Many gave up on becoming espers because of it.

Ji Xinghuo felt fortunate.

He continued examining his interface. Aside from his Rank changing to Elementary Esper, his abilities no longer displayed as none. It now showed that he possessed "Thousand Spirit Dexterous Hands," followed by the information: Level 1, 1/47.

"Level 1."

Ji Xinghuo rubbed his chin. That was easy enough to understand. Abilities could be leveled up through training, and since he had just fused with Thousand Spirit Dexterous Hands, it was naturally at Level 1.

But what did the "1/47" after it mean? "Ability level-up progress?"

Ji Xinghuo could not help but speculate. Could it be like a skill in a virtual game, where increasing proficiency to 47/47 would raise Thousand Spirit Dexterous Hands to Level 2? But games had skill points for leveling up. What would he use? His gaze fell on Spirit Source Energy, which was still a big fat zero and had not changed.

He had pondered it for a long time the previous night. Ji Xinghuo had never heard the term Spirit Source Energy before, nor could he find any relevant answers online. Searches related to espers turned up psionic energy, the mind, mental power, and the like, but nothing called Spirit Source Energy.

However, Ji Xinghuo did not dwell on it for long.

Even if he could not directly raise his level, the progress display alone was already an enormous help.

There were corresponding methods for training abilities. Countries around the world had compiled vast amounts of data on different abilities, and Thousand Spirit Dexterous Hands had more than a dozen training methods available for download from the Astral Department's official website.

However, ability training was long, tedious, and difficult. People often trained for years without leveling up, making it an agonizing ordeal.

As a result, many espers could not persevere. Their abilities remained at very low levels, unable to unlock their potential or power.

But because he knew his level-up progress, he had a clear goal.

Every training session would provide positive feedback. If a training method was ineffective or wrong, he could correct it promptly. Knowing that he would definitely level up, he could even calculate the exact date of advancement and make a training plan. His abilities would certainly level up far faster than those of other espers! Ji Xinghuo was full of confidence.

The human-shaped phantom of himself beside the information on the interface had also changed.

Most noticeably, fine lines had appeared inside both arms, extending from his neck through his shoulders and arms all the way to his palms and fingertips, like a dense neural network.

Whenever he focused on the arms of the human-shaped phantom, the neural network inside lit up, becoming extremely conspicuous.

At the same time, it was labeled: Thousand Spirit Dexterous Hands, Level 1.

Ji Xinghuo was somewhat confused. The ability information was already displayed beside it, so why repeat the label on the human-shaped phantom? Did it serve another purpose?

He observed carefully for a moment and soon made a discovery.

The lines in the arms where Thousand Spirit Dexterous Hands resided emitted faint points of light. Like free-floating energy, they spread through the body of the human-shaped phantom and gradually diffused throughout his entire body. As time passed, the points of light filled every corner of his body. Though still faint, they could no longer be ignored.

"Stellar Force!"

Ji Xinghuo suddenly understood. These points of light represented Stellar Force.

At the same time, another line of text appeared among the information on the left side of the interface, beneath Rank.

Stellar Force: 1

"So it really is Stellar Force!" Ji Xinghuo was delighted that he had guessed correctly.

All espers had to train their Stellar Force. Its importance and priority even surpassed abilities, because Stellar Force was the original driving force behind the evolution of life!

Stellar Force was converted from Ether energy. The human body absorbed Ether and transformed it into Stellar Force, strengthening the body's power, speed, and endurance, promoting life evolution, and extending one's lifespan.

It could be said that Stellar Force opened the door to cultivation. Only by possessing Stellar Force could one be considered to have truly embarked on the path of evolution!

An esper's ability could be mediocre or even useless, but their Stellar Force could never be weak, because Stellar Force was the source of an esper's strength.

Moreover, using abilities also consumed Stellar Force.

To use a virtual game as an analogy, abilities were skills, while Stellar Force was a character's attributes—it was both health points and mana points.

Obtaining Stellar Force was not difficult. At least, it was very simple for espers.

As long as one fused with any Ability Seed, one could master Stellar Force. Ability Seeds were born in the Astral Realm and naturally contained Ether energy. Once the fusion succeeded, Stellar Force would be produced within the body.

Training Stellar Force was a required course for espers.

There were no cultivation techniques or shortcuts. There was only one way to train Stellar Force: continuously exercise the body to expend the Stellar Force within, then wait for it to recover.

Through repeated depletion and recovery, Stellar Force would slowly increase.

From the Elementary Esper stage to the Advanced Esper stage, Stellar Force drifted through the body in the form of an undetectable energy. It was relatively weak.

It could not be seen from the outside, either. Only the esper themselves could sense it.

Thus, Stellar Force possessed a subjective quality.

Yet Stellar Force truly existed. Once it accumulated to a certain extent, it would allow an esper to evolve. After advancing, they could fuse with another ability.

With Earth's technology, it was impossible to detect the existence of Stellar Force, let alone measure it precisely.

Yet the Myriad Stellar Eye could display it directly.

However, the Stellar Force shown on the interface was merely a number without a unit. Therefore, Ji Xinghuo had no way to compare his Stellar Force with that of other espers. For now, he could only treat it as a reference.

A few minutes later, the Stellar Force value became 2.

Ji Xinghuo soon experienced the effects of Stellar Force firsthand.

It was as though an invisible energy had been injected into his body, making his limbs increasingly stronger. His internal organs were being strengthened from within and without, while his hearing, touch, and sense of smell all improved slightly to varying degrees.

Every breath became deeper and longer, and every heartbeat became more powerful.

It felt as though his entire body possessed inexhaustible strength, and he was brimming with energy. "This is an esper's power!"

As Ji Xinghuo continued to feel the changes in his body, a staff member approached and asked, "Mr. Ji, have you successfully fused with it?" He had been in the observation room for over half an hour.

"Yes." Ji Xinghuo stood and nodded.

"Congratulations."

The staff member offered a routine congratulation, then reminded him, "Mr. Ji, you may go home now. Over the next few days, your body will be in the Initial Evolution Period, and the changes will be significant. Do not engage in overly strenuous exercise during this time, and avoid excessive fatigue. Adapt to your esper strength as soon as possible, so as not to injure others."

Ji Xinghuo nodded. This was all common knowledge.

When an ordinary person leaped into becoming an esper, their first life evolution brought the greatest changes and lasted the longest. It also varied from person to person.

Some needed a week, or even half a month, to complete their evolution, while others needed only a few hours.

The speed of evolution did not affect the degree of enhancement.

Ji Xinghuo glanced at the Myriad Stellar Eye interface. The points of light in the human silhouette were still increasing, and his Stellar Force had already risen to 3. He estimated that his Initial Evolution Period would last more than a day.

After leaving the Esper Service Center, Ji Xinghuo received a notification from the Astral Department. He had officially become a registered esper of the Asia-Pacific Community.

Because he had used a free Ability Seed and enjoyed citizen benefits, he had to unconditionally comply once if the nation issued a summons in the future, fulfilling his duty as a citizen.

"I just hope they don't send me a summons while I'm still too weak."

Ji Xinghuo thought to himself.

He did not resist being summoned. It was his duty, only natural.

In fact, the vast majority of espers in the Asian Commonwealth would never receive a national summons in their lifetime. This was because over ninety percent of espers remained Elementary Espers for their entire lives. They were not strong enough, and it would never be their turn to head to the battlefield.

If there ever came a day when even Elementary Espers had to be summoned, then the Asia-Pacific Community, or even the entire Earth, would surely be in a critical situation.

That would be no good news at all.

Ji Xinghuo was not afraid of dedicating himself to his country. He only feared that he would be too weak and throw away his life for nothing.

As he walked out of Tianqin Stadium, he heard a wave of noisy, fervent shouting from afar. "Sword Immortal! Sword Immortal! The Moon Palace Sword Immortal is invincible beneath the heavens!"

The cries came one after another, growing increasingly impassioned.

Ji Xinghuo turned to look and discovered that several hundred people had gathered in the plaza outside the gates on the other side of Tianqin Stadium. Most were young. Each wore clothes printed with golden five-pointed stars and held up shining signs, shouting slogans in unison after the leader, their faces filled with excitement and fanaticism.

They looked up at the stadium's outer wall, where a massive screen dozens of meters tall displayed a breathtakingly beautiful woman with a tall, graceful figure.

She wore a fitted combat suit and held a longsword in reverse behind her back. Her expression was solemn, and her beautiful eyes stared straight ahead as though she had locked onto an opponent. Several espers in similar combat suits surrounded her, making her the center of attention.

"So it was her."

Ji Xinghuo suddenly understood.

The woman on the screen was Zhao Manying, a world-famous genius esper. The people gathered outside the stadium were all her fans.

But it was somewhat strange. Why had so many people suddenly come?

Ji Xinghuo checked the news on his phone, and his expression froze. "Zhao Manying has advanced to a Super Esper? No wonder..."

What had happened only half an hour ago had already climbed to the top of the national Hot Search rankings.

It was sensational news even on a global scale.

"Advancing to Super Esper at twenty-two? That's insane!"

Ji Xinghuo could not help sighing inwardly. Beneath his admiration was a faint trace of bitterness. He was twenty-two as well, even a few months older. Just moments ago, he had been smug about advancing to an Elementary Esper, while she had already become a Super Esper and broken multiple records.

"As expected of the Sword Immortal." Ji Xinghuo secretly praised her. "There was no choice but to be impressed."

He followed Zhao Manying's social media account too. Whenever he had time, he watched her matches, so he knew a great deal about her.

Zhao Manying had fused with an Ability Seed and become an esper at sixteen, evolved into an Intermediate Esper at seventeen, and at eighteen, the Martial Dao Association had named her the youngest Sword Art Grandmaster in history.

After advancing to an Advanced Esper at twenty, Zhao Manying signed an astronomical contract with the Empyrean Star Club, entered the Super League, became a competitive esper, and was groomed as the core of the team.

Most Super League team members were Super Espers, a whole Rank above Zhao Manying.

Even so, Zhao Manying had remained nearly unbeatable in the arena.

Her Class Template was Swordsman. With swordsmanship unrivaled across the globe, few opponents could withstand her in a one-on-one duel.

However, competitive league battles placed greater emphasis on teamwork. The other members of the Empyrean Star Team were not particularly strong and could not offer enough support. Thus, despite Zhao Manying having been with the club for two years, her team had never achieved outstanding results and had remained in the upper-middle tier.

But that did not affect Zhao Manying's popularity in the slightest.

The reason was simple. Beyond her unprecedented talent in the sword path, Zhao Manying also possessed beauty capable of toppling nations! There were many beautiful women in this era, but women whose looks, figure, and temperament could match Zhao Manying's were few and far between.

There were many geniuses in this era, but geniuses whose Stellar Force, abilities, and martial arts could match Zhao Manying's were exceedingly rare.

Beautiful women were always a scarce resource, and talent even more so.

When both stood at the very pinnacle of the world and were concentrated in one person, the result was explosive!

Zhao Manying's popularity was unimaginably high, surpassing every star in the cultural and entertainment industries. Though she was only an Advanced Esper, her fame rivaled that of a Celestial King, perhaps even surpassing one.

Her billions of fans were spread across the globe, from the Asia-Pacific Community to the New Roman Empire, from the Southern Kingdom to the Latin Revolutionary Army. Almost everyone knew her. Every one of her matches was a headline event watched by at least a billion people, with a level of attention other teams could only envy. Over the past two years, the Empyrean Star Club had made a fortune.

Zhao Manying was a true global idol! She had many nicknames, the most famous of which was "Sword Immortal."

There were also "Century's Pride," "Greatest Genius of Our Time," "Second Global Goddess," "Moon Palace Sword Immortal," and more. Some were well deserved, while others were overly exaggerated. In any case, they were all terms of praise.

Now that Zhao Manying had advanced to Super Esper in less than two years, her strength was bound to soar dramatically.

Even though the Super League placed greater emphasis on team battles, the Empyrean Star Club's overall strength would rise accordingly.

For the next few years, the Empyrean Star Club would surely be a top favorite for the championship.

That was why these fans and diehard supporters were so excited. The moment the news broke, they gathered at the Empyrean Star Team's home arena to show their support, chattering animatedly as they brimmed with hope for the team's future.

Ji Xinghuo went over and watched for a few minutes.

The plaza outside Tianqin Stadium was packed with people. Security personnel quickly came out to maintain order, but more and more fans kept arriving, and the scene became somewhat chaotic.

Ji Xinghuo hurriedly got into his car and left.

Inside the car, he turned on the built-in projection screen. Almost every platform, livestream channel, and social media site was discussing Zhao Manying's advancement to Super Esper.

Hosts and commentators spoke nonstop before the cameras.

Sports programs ran data analyses and predicted the Empyrean Star Team's results; esper bloggers speculated how many places Zhao Manying might climb on the Global Ladder; entertainment channels gossiped about Zhao Manying's private life;

Economic news focused on the Empyrean Star Club's stock price;

Meanwhile, fans either praised Zhao Manying's talent or simply lusted after her looks, venting their emotions online.

That day, the entire world's attention was fixed on Zhao Manying.

No one cared that another person of the same age in Chang'an, also named Ji Xinghuo, had become an esper.

Even Ji Xinghuo himself was not particularly excited, because he knew he would become an esper sooner or later. He had never expected it to make any impact.