In the Black Star Palace's private factory for legion commanders, Han Xiao walked in carrying a briefcase, placed it on the table, and flipped it open with a click. He then took out two cylindrical containers containing Primal Esper Ability and examined them in his hands.
It swayed slightly; the emerald green Primal Esper Ability was very viscous, with a liquid-like texture, while the sky-blue Primal Esper Ability resembled a wisp of mist containing ice shards.
The emerald green power is called "Natural Spiritual Energy," which can manipulate various plants and greatly accelerate their growth. It can also summon wild beasts and possess various powers derived from nature, much like a druid. While its direct combat ability is somewhat weak, it can extract and synthesize various toxins from different plants, making it quite useful for research. The Sanctum used this ability to cultivate various magical plants and toxins.
The sky-blue one, named "Frost Authority," not only controls the cold air but can also temporarily transform ice and snow into ice sculpture golem warriors, covered in ice armor, wielding ice swords, and treading on the biting Cold Wind, spreading death without warmth. It also grants itself multiple transformation abilities... It is said that a sufficiently powerful host can even freeze molecular motion for a short time, creating the effect of freezing spacetime.
"These two abilities are actually quite good, after all, they are composite Primal Esper Ability. However, their function is secondary; the main thing is that they activated my milestone."
Han Xiao fiddled with the two vials of Primal Esper Ability, lost in thought.
The [Primordial Esper Ability Collector] milestone grants him targeted enhancements when facing ability users, giving him an innate advantage with remarkable results.
The [Third Sanctum] fragments rewarded by the mission seem useless at the moment, but Han Xiao thinks they might come in handy after obtaining the method to open the Sanctuary from the Sanctum.
"By the way, who should I entrust these two abilities to...?"
Han Xiao quickly filtered through one candidate after another in his mind.
The first choice is to give it to Evans. With his talent, he should be able to ignore compatibility and easily master the Primal Esper Ability, just like the Sorokin.
However, after thinking about it, Han Xiao temporarily rejected the idea. Evans ' primary task now is to level up and rationally combine various superpowers with his own combat style. Even if Evans were given two Primal Esper Ability, this guy wouldn't have much energy to focus on researching them.
Moreover, Evans's level is still too low, and he has no opportunity to fight, so having the Primal Esper Ability is just for show.
"Let's first look among the Legion's officers for a suitable host. If not, then we'll consider Evans as a last resort," Han Xiao thought to himself.
After putting away his two tubes of Primal Esper Ability, Han Xiao opened the data storage device. He hadn't had time to carefully review the two golden blueprints sent by the Sanctum Organization earlier, but now he was able to examine them in detail.
The blueprints provided by the Sanctum are all based on relatively ancient technologies, probably relics preserved from the exploration era, and haven't been improved much. One blueprint is called "Psionic Obelisk," which has effects such as energy property conversion and energy barrier. The difference between it and a regular shield is that it has extraordinary resistance to energy attacks and can absorb the power of attacks to restore the shield value.
But this is only the basic function. The core function of the Psionic Obelisk is to provide a vast amount of energy to an area that can be freely borrowed without the need for transmission channels. Simply put, this thing can increase the energy concentration of an area, making various energy factors denser and more active.
In other words, the Psionic Obelisk is like a magical artifact that can increase the concentration of spiritual energy in a place, similar to an artificial demonic tide or a blessed land.
Because the obelisks provide public energy that can be borrowed freely without any conduits, they are no different from sacred objects or wonders to ordinary civilizations. The extreme activity of the energy factors allows individuals to utilize energy in more ways, increasing the likelihood of various cultivation systems and raising the proportion of superhumans. At the same time, receiving a large-scale infusion of obelisk energy can also temporarily grant ordinary people special transformations, allowing them to immediately possess combat power.
The effects of the Psionic Obelisk are somewhat similar to those of the Evolution Totem, but they have different focuses. The former focuses on increasing the overall energy concentration within a region, while the latter focuses on optimizing the genes of individual life forms within the region. In comparison, the Evolution Totem is more exotic.
However, this thing is still useful. Placing it in various bases of the legion can improve the training efficiency of legion members and foster more powerful individuals. At the same time, it can also be sold to run a business. Even if the sales volume is not as high as that of the Evolution Totem, it is still a good source of wealth.
The Sanctum Organization values secrecy, so they don't sell Psionic Obelisk; they'd just gather dust in their warehouses. They're not skilled in mechanical technology, but they've made a fortune solely through psionic technology, so they chose to provide Black Star with a way to make money.
--Actually, the blueprints that the Sanctum Organization originally intended to exchange were not these. The Oathkeeper felt that Black Star was unfathomable, so they exchanged them for better blueprints, possibly due to some kind of "paying protection money" mentality.
The other blueprint is called "Getter Wave Fist," which sounds like Pugilist Class technique, but it is actually a composite attack device.
This device is a blueprint for weaponry and energy branches. It has a complete set of complex equipment, but it is not assembled like a firearm. Instead, it is dispersed, like an external carrier. Through a special process of energy gathering, compression, conversion, and launch, it releases a powerful attack called "Getter Wave Fist".
At the same time, this is not a single move. Depending on the different operating routes of the device, Getter Wave Fist has many variations, which can be used in close combat, mid-range combat, and long-range combat. The blueprints record dozens of matching operating routes, and each different operating mode represents a move with its own unique name. They are all names of the same series with the "Getter" logo.
"Compared to blueprints, this thing looks more like a mechanical version of a martial arts manual. It should be used by mechanical martial artists."
Han Xiao scratched his head.
With the Psionic Obelisk, Getter Wave Fist, and the Titan Spinal Center and Mechanical Territory given by Glory, I finally got my four golden blueprints and recouped my final payment.
The blueprints are all ready; the next step is to turn them from blueprints into physical objects.
"There are still about two months until the public commendation ceremony for the Three Universal Civilizations. It's a good time to go into seclusion, produce four finished products, and obtain the Divine Transformation Points... Besides, I've been making quite a bit of noise lately, so I'll take this opportunity to keep a low profile for a while, digest the impact, and consolidate my reputation."
With a firm resolve, Han Xiao rubbed his hands together, eager to get into manufacturing mode.
Central Galaxy, a secret training base of the Crimson Dynasty.
A group of operators in military uniforms were operating equipment in a room full of instruments. One of the walls of the room was a huge, protruding, transparent viewing window. Two senior officers stood in front of the viewing window, one was the base commander and the other was the base chief.
Their gazes passed through the window, looking down to see a vast, inverted pyramid-shaped space, reaching hundreds of meters in depth. A man sat at the bottom, radiating intense energy fluctuations. Glowing energy particles spread along the open walls, then converged at the top and fell back down, forming a cycle that repeated endlessly.
This is a specially designed training ground for superhumans, which can improve training efficiency. The person using this facility at this moment is Gaud, and the room full of instruments is the monitoring room, where many operators are monitoring Gaud's energy level fluctuation readings.
"He's progressing very quickly; he's a promising talent." The head instructor gazed at the figure below and nodded in satisfaction.
"Yes... He's the most likely candidate to reach Beyond Grade A this year. Not only does he have potential, but his abilities are also extremely powerful. Perhaps one day, he will succeed Lord Clottey." The base manager agreed.
"Black Star is still ahead, it's not his turn yet."
"I was just saying that, and besides, Black Star isn't even a direct subordinate."
The two spoke in hushed tones.
Gaud has been training here for many years and has made Godspeed progress. He can overcome all kinds of obstacles with ease and there are almost no bottlenecks. He uses an extremely radical approach to sublimate his life level. Although it is extremely dangerous, it gives people the feeling of being very familiar with the path.
In their view, even if Gaud's talent couldn't compare to Black Star's, who broke historical records, it wasn't far behind.
The head instructor glanced at the instrument's readings and clicked his tongue in amazement, saying, "At this rate, he'll probably enter the Beyond Grade A realm within two to eight years. He's the most efficient learner I've ever seen... not counting Black Star."
"Looks like we're about to witness another Beyond Grade A rise." The base manager chuckled. "The higher-ups have already sent people to inquire twice; it seems they're also paying close attention to Gaud's progress."
Cultivating a direct descendant of Beyond Grade A is a remarkable achievement. As long as Gaud completes his promotion, his position can also be moved up.
After chatting for a few minutes, their conversation returned to work.
"Has the list of candidates for this batch of new trainees been released yet?" the head instructor asked.
"It's been reviewed and is ready to be handed over to you." The base manager brought up a virtual screen and displayed a list.
These secret training bases periodically select talents from within the Empire for targeted training. If someone has potential, the Empire doesn't mind starting from a young age, nurturing them from Grade D all the way up to Calamity Grade, God protégés. Therefore, they recruit not only Calamity Grade but also divide them into different grades and classes according to their rank.
The lower the class level, the fiercer the competition. In grades below the Calamity Grade," an elimination system has always been in place. You either pass the assessment or pack your things and go back to the military to serve. If you're capable, you can go; if you're not, don't occupy the position.
The list is very long, with each person's resume and achievements listed, boasting countless honors; they are all elites from their respective fleets.
The head instructor carefully reviewed the list, and when he saw the last special admission spot, he was slightly taken aback. Among a group of elites with impressive resumes, there was a guy with almost no honors, and his photo looked silly and he had no presence at all.
"Carrot? Who is this guy? Why would the higher-ups choose such an ordinary-looking fellow?"
The head instructor looked puzzled and read Carrot's short resume three times, only to find the word "mediocre".
Although the secret training base doesn't only recruit elite students, it still needs to have some unique characteristics. How did this guy, who looks no different from an ordinary soldier, manage to sneak in?
Could it be someone with connections?
The empire's top brass is corrupt too!
The head instructor was heartbroken.
"I wasn't very clear about it before, so I specifically inquired about it," the base manager said hesitantly. "They said that Black Star publicly expressed his optimism about this person many years ago, but he hasn't shown any outstanding performance since then, so the higher-ups are planning to give it a try and see if they can cultivate him."
"I see..." The head instructor suddenly realized, then frowned. "I think it's a waste of a spot. So many years have passed. If he had potential, he would have shown it long ago. What's the point of training him now with a gambling mentality?"
"If you strongly object, I'll pass your opinion up for you." The base supervisor didn't care; after all, he wasn't the one teaching the students.
The head instructor frowned, pondered for a few seconds, and finally shook his head. "Fine, the higher-ups have made their decision, so I'll just follow orders and give him a chance... But I won't deliberately go easy on him. If he doesn't meet the assessment requirements, he'll be eliminated anyway, and the higher-ups won't have anything to say."
Compulsory education is not emphasized here. The head instructor only likes top students and is too lazy to spend energy on struggling students. He even thinks that taking a second look at them is a waste of time. In his view, concentrating all resources on outstanding students is the solution to maximize resource efficiency.
"That's good." The base manager glanced at the list again and clicked his tongue. "Then I'll put him in one of the most elite classes, give him the toughest opponents, and he won't stay long. He'll probably be leaving after the first quarter."
The base director shared a similar idea: turning a poor student into an elite wouldn't help his political achievements; only cultivating an elite into a top-level force would count as a merit.
Therefore, he doesn't mind using his power within the rules to eliminate as many underachieving students as possible, thereby freeing up places to recruit more new students and then discovering new potential talents from among them.
In his view, this is also a proper use of limited resources, and survival of the fittest is a natural law.
Central Galaxy, Constellation Corridor, Crimson Dynasty Advanced Academy of Sciences, Spatial Coordinate Research Group, Wormhole Positioning Project Office.
The Academy of Sciences is divided into many groups and various complex projects, and wormhole location is a very large project. All kinds of suspicious wormhole data collected by the Empire are analyzed and deduced here.
The wormhole data left behind by the Sorokin was just one of the research team's goals for this project, and it was even a sample number that wasn't considered particularly important.
The research team leader was calculating wormhole models in the lab when his secretary hurriedly walked in.
"Team leader, the higher-ups have given their approval; they've rejected our application for this batch of wormhole travel tests."
"Rejected?" The research team leader asked in surprise. "Isn't it usually just a formality? Why aren't we allowed to conduct on-site research this time?"
After deducing partial coordinates of a wormhole, a directional shuttle test is usually conducted. Several multi-functional probes are sent through the wormhole to conduct on-site investigation and positioning, thereby establishing a more accurate coordinate system and testing whether there are any deviations in the data deduction. This is a routine experimental method.
The research team leader was particularly interested in this batch of test samples, which included data on the wormholes left behind by the Sorokin.
He wasn't concerned about what lay behind the wormhole; it was just that this sample was particularly difficult to calculate. Having finally determined the range, he was eager to know if he had made a mistake in his calculation.
The secretary adjusted his glasses and hesitated, "I don't know the specifics, but I heard it was a suggestion from His Excellency Black Star. The higher-ups think it makes a lot of sense, so they've temporarily tightened the review standards for most research projects."
"How did this get involved with Black Star? What did he say?"
"He seemed to be saying that the Super Star Cluster Alliance is now stirring up trouble, and if a conflict breaks out, the Three Universal Civilizations will be too busy to attend to anything else. Therefore, it's best to reduce the possibility of random risks and suggested suspending all research projects on wormholes. The higher-ups accepted his suggestion."
The research team leader couldn't help but complain, "Black Star is at least half a scientist; isn't he just causing us trouble?"
At this moment, a researcher cautiously approached, "Team leader, um... do we still need to conduct our shuttle test?"
Upon hearing this, the research group leader said irritably:
"What are you doing? You dare to conduct this research without approval from higher-ups? You little brat, this is blatant disrespect! I need to correct your thinking. Someone, bring me two sets of uncalculated wormhole data. Let him calculate it! If he can't, your vacation for this year is canceled!"
"... Huh, so we used to have holidays?" The researcher scratched his head, looking confused. Where did our holidays go?