Upon arriving at the combat training room and closing the door, I found myself alone in the vast room.
Han Xiao took a deep breath, stretched his shoulders, and opened the attribute panel.
The "40% experience penalty" negative status that had been hanging in the status bar for more than a dozen months was only going to last a few minutes. As he watched the timer tick by, Han Xiao's mood fluctuated slightly, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that his suffering had finally come to an end.
"It wasn't easy, sixteen months of experience penalty..." Han Xiao sighed.
Sixteen months ago, I finally stepped into the highest level of power and became a new Beyond Grade A. People who have just entered this circle always encounter more covetousness and hostility.
In just a year and a half, things have been turbulent. First, he fought against Sisko to protect the Evolution Cube, then he faced a challenge from Heber, went to the Crimson Dynasty's home planet to report for duty, was provoked by the Empire's allies to measure his strength, and incidentally clashed with the Sorokin. Not long ago, he also encountered the biggest crisis to date and was almost wiped out by the Arcane Church.
Having only been Beyond Grade A for about a year and a half, he had already experienced so many crises. Looking back, it felt like a lifetime ago. Han Xiao was still a little shaken and scared, and secretly let out a breath.
Fortunately, thanks to my quick wit and handsome looks, I managed to avert these dangers... Han Xiao shamelessly gave himself a thumbs up.
A crisis can also be an opportunity, and it has helped me establish my position. Now I have finally escaped the negative effects of past mistakes.
Things are getting better! Things are getting better!
Han Xiao rubbed his hands together, his face beaming with joy.
"I'm level 260 now. I leveled up urgently while dealing with those scoundrels from the Arcane Church, which cost me 40% more experience. With the experience I've been accumulating again during this time..." Han Xiao looked at his experience bar and estimated, then his eyes lit up, "I should be able to reach level 280."
At this level, the experience required to upgrade each level is staggering, an utterly disheartening number.
Han Xiao roughly calculated that, without experience penalties and ignoring advancement and job changes, the experience he gained to level up once was roughly enough for a level 1 player to level up to around level 160, and possibly more... Moreover, as the level increases, the cost of leveling up also increases by a certain coefficient.
Without a long-term, stable channel for reaping experience from players, at the current level of quest rewards, it would take forever to reach level 280 just by doing quests.
The experience I've accumulated during this period is enough to reach level 280, even with the help of Political Asset. The combined effect of those few points of Political Asset experience efficiency boost is similar to a constant Double Experience Card, boosting any way of gaining experience.
Terrifying!
After a moment of reflection, the duration of the experience penalty finally came to an end, the icon faded, and disappeared from the status bar.
"The side effects of the Evolution Cube are finally gone."
Han Xiao smiled, rubbed his muscles, and sensed the activity of his cells. The actual manifestation of this side effect was that the cells were slowly adapting to the rapid evolution of the genes. The stronger the individual, the more energy the cells carried, and the longer the transformation process was. At this moment, the faint discomfort in his cells finally dissipated, and the transformation was completely completed.
"The Evolution Cube's effect is indeed powerful. I've only used it once. According to the mechanism shown on the panel, I should be able to gain a new level of evolution every time my Qi Realm increases."
Han Xiao nodded secretly. He had rushed to use the Evolution Cube last time in order to reach Beyond Grade A, but the side effects came at the wrong time. He didn't plan to use the Evolution Cube only once. However, he would have to choose the right time next time. The best time to use the Evolution Cube would be after he had used up all his accumulated experience during the version update.
But that was still a long way off. Han Xiao returned his attention to the attribute panel, calmed his breathing, started burning experience points, and chose to level up.
[Mechanic Dominator] has been upgraded to Lv2. Strength +360, Agility +5, Endurance +12, Intelligence +15. You gain 12 free attribute points and 1 potential point!
[The Mechanic Dominator has been upgraded to Lv20. Strength +360, Agility +5, Endurance +12, Intelligence +15. You gain 12 free attribute points and 1 potential point!]
A surge of heat rose within my body, and my energy level gradually increased.
As the experience bar slowly dwindled, the main character's level soared, eventually stopping at level 20.
The advancement threshold, which occurs every 20 levels, arrived as scheduled, and a corresponding notification popped up on the panel.
[You have reached level 280, and you have triggered the advanced quest [Legend Sets Sail]]
[[Legend Sets Sail]: Gain 1 point of Universe-Level Legend Points -- Only the strong can write their own legends]
As soon as this advanced task popped up, it was displayed in gold with the "Completeable" status.
Han Xiao glanced at it and immediately burst out laughing.
The Universe-Level Legend Points is the highest level of Legend Points, requiring deeds that would shake the entire universe. Players need to complete very difficult tasks or do extremely outrageous things to have a chance to obtain it. This advanced level is already in the late game. In the version where the World Tree Civilization invaded, there was a relatively stable way to obtain the Universe-Level Legend Points.
Even with Han Xiao's current status, obtaining Universe-Level Legend Points is not easy.
However, Han Xiao happens to possess a Universe-Level Legend Points, and to make matters worse, it is the "Enemy of the Arcane"!
"This is really..." Han Xiao's lips twitched, "A blessing in disguise?"
He's been around for so many years, and this is the only one he's ever achieved that's at the Universe-Level Legend Points, which shows just how rare this thing is.
He doesn't have Mission Settlement Card right now. He originally thought he would be stuck on the level 280 advancement mission for a while, but unexpectedly... he got lucky this time.
Han Xiao grinned, his heart filled with joy.
Hehe, thanks to the old buddy from the Arcane Church for the Legend Points.
Oh, right, I also have to thank Fording... Just thinking about Fording makes Han Xiao's hands itch; he's gotten used to touching him.
This was a wonderful surprise, and Han Xiao didn't hesitate; he immediately chose to advance.
[You have met the task requirements]
[Level 280 advancement quest completed]
[Stamina bonus +55, 1 stamina + 410 health = 420 stamina]
[Your energy level has exceeded 52,000 Ona]
You have gained the perk [Multi-Resistance Enhancement]!
You have gained the special ability [Energy Usage Optimization]!
You have acquired the special ability [Higher Lifeform Vitality]!
[You have mastered the skill [Higher Lifeform Pressure]!]
[All your virtual technology skills will have their effectiveness increased by 40%]
With a crackling sound, lightning flashed in Han Xiao's eyes, and after a long while, he exhaled a cloud of misty, dark blue aura.
There was no species sublimation this time, and the pain of evolution was very low.
He looked down at himself; his appearance hadn't changed much, he'd grown taller, and his muscles looked more defined. His pectoral muscles were like two iron plates covering his chest, and his abdominal muscles were clearly angular.
My head was a little itchy, so I raised my hand to scratch it and pulled out a big clump of hair.
Hair loss?!
Han Xiao was shocked and hurriedly summoned the mirror. He breathed a sigh of relief after seeing clearly.
The advanced metabolism was catalyzed, and incidentally, the cells and tissues throughout the body were improved. The original hair fell out and new hair grew in. And the fallen hair was stuck in the scalp, no wonder it was itchy.
"Thank goodness, my thick, black hair is still here."
Han Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. He had almost thought he had embarked on the evil path of sacrificing his hair for power, becoming stronger the balder he became, and eventually turning into Bald Qiang.
The Mechanic Dominator's job level cap is 40, and it requires level 300 to advance to the next job. The next species ascension also requires level 300, and level 280 is considered a normal intermediate advancement.
However, the 52,000 energy level seems to be an implicit boundary. Beyond Grade A vary in strength, and not everyone reaches the 52,000 energy level. The abilities granted seem to be basic abilities acquired when reaching a new level.
After obtaining [Endless Material Science] and [Virtual Creator], my energy level surged, approaching 52,000 points. Now, with a 20-level increase and further advancement, I'm poised to break through that limit.
Han Xiao's eyes flickered as he glanced at the new ability, and its effects confirmed his guess.
Although there is no species evolution, each advancement is a sublimation of the level of life. Breaking through the 52,000 energy level enters a new realm of life. These are all passive abilities that high-level life forms are born with. Once you reach this level, almost everyone has them.
The [Multi-Resistance Enhancement] effect increases all resistances, similar to the [Perfect Mechanical Sense] effect, with a total bonus of 1.25x.
[Energy Usage Optimization] reduces the energy and stamina consumption of each skill by 27%, resulting in greater endurance.
[Higher Lifeform Vitality] increases maximum health and regeneration speed, with maximum health increased by 17% and base regeneration speed increased by 120%.
These three skills are all fundamental expertise, mainly improving resilience and making one more resilient in any profession.
The only skill, [Higher Lifeform Pressure], is an aura-type ability that can be toggled on and off. Life level itself has an oppressive effect of superiors over inferiors, and now it has been transformed into a skill.
The pressure can cover a range, affecting all individuals within that range and inflicting a negative status effect that reduces their attributes. However, it only works on intelligent beings of a lower rank than the user. Some individuals unaffected by mental influence are immune to this effect (such as mechanical lifeforms), making it useless in battles against beings of the same rank.
"Isn't this Conqueror's Haki?" Han Xiao scratched his head.
After thinking about it, this ability doesn't seem to have any use other than crushing noobs. And when it comes to crushing noobs, what need does a mechanic like him have for any special aura? He can just gang up on them.
Those three specialties are still more reliable.
Although it was just a regular advancement, the improvement was quite significant. In the later stages, every advancement was worthwhile.
My base stamina bonus is 1 stamina = 410 health points. The other abilities provide the following bonuses: [Advanced Tenacious Life] +60, [Eternal Body] +140 (1% increase every 2 levels), Grade S bonus +50, [Extraordinary Physique] +10% maximum health, [Higher Lifeform Vitality] +17% maximum health, and [Well-Trained] +100 health points.
In terms of Mechanical Force, there are also various specialties and skills that convert intelligence attributes into Mechanical Affinity.
He allocated his free attribute points and the book to his intelligence, carefully examined the changes on the attribute panel, and was satisfied.
[Total Level: 280]
[Main Occupation: Mechanic Class]
[Race: Black Star Race]
[Attributes: Strength 3347, Agility 4080, Stamina 6129, Intelligence 9029, Mysticism 2950, Charisma 1163, Luck 1]
[Free attribute points: 0]
[Potential Points: 21]
[Health Points: 5,137,427]
[Stamina: 4,417,950]
[Stamina: 89320 [Lv17]]
[Lv17 Total Strength Bonus: Strength +1206, Agility +1488, Stamina +1890, Intelligence +2345, Mysticism +1123, Maximum Stamina +311520, Mechanical Affinity +1632%]
[Energy Level: 53750]
[Rank: S+ (Beyond Grade A)]
[Grade S- Rank Bonus: Stamina +50, All Resistances +25%, Highest Attribute +25%, Other Attributes +15%, Additional 750 Free Attribute Points, 50 Potential Points]
[The future of Beyond Grade A is shrouded in mystery; everyone is groping their way forward. In the process of evolution, they will encounter various hurdles. Congratulations on crossing the first one.]
"This time the note is surprisingly formal."
Han Xiao rubbed his chest muscles, not teasing him about his size, but rather feeling a little uncomfortable.
Once you reach the S+ rank, the higher ranks are even stronger, but they are still collectively referred to as Beyond Grade A. In terms of destructive power, it is not a breakthrough qualitative change like the transition from Calamity Grade to Beyond Grade A. Since there is no clear reference between Beyond Grade A combat powers, the ranks within Beyond Grade A are also deduced, and the division method is like a minor realm, belonging to the category of quantitative change.
Just as people in the early days of exploration believed that the Calamity Grade was the upper limit of power, people now believe that the Beyond Grade A is the limit of personal power. What the Sorokin wants to do is to emulate the First Ones, break the limit, and innovate the power system to a higher level, bringing about a fundamental change. Regardless of the Sorokin's character, this pursuit alone is still very ambitious.
After advancing, the upgrade cost skyrocketed again. With just a glance, Han Xiao knew that he wouldn't have enough memory to reach level 300 in the short term. After all, he was earning players' experience through the faction shop, and even if he earned it quickly, it still required time to accumulate. Moreover, players had already learned a lot of knowledge, so the efficiency of providing experience was somewhat inconsistent.
He wasn't going to wait any longer. He had already been in seclusion for several months, and the sooner he eliminated this threat of the Sorokin, the better; the longer he waited, the more things might go wrong.
During this time, he has crafted a considerable amount of targeted equipment. As long as the Empire is willing to provide assistance, he dares not say he will definitely kill the Sorokin, but he is at least confident.
"We haven't been in contact with the Empire for a while, so I don't know how things are going with the Arcane Church... If they've reached an agreement, they should be able to spare some resources to deal with the Sorokin."
Han Xiao took out his communicator, preparing to contact Imperial personnel to inquire about the situation.
Just then, Phillip suddenly appeared.
"Master, someone just sent me an encrypted message."
"Sending encrypted messages in front of me? Sneaky. Decipher it and see who sent it."
"I... I couldn't decipher it by myself, that's why I came to you, hum." Phillip said, looking aggrieved.
Han Xiao paused, narrowing his eyes. Phillip was now his powerful virtual technology assistant. The fact that Phillip couldn't decipher the code on his own proved that the other side was no ordinary entity, at least a star cluster-level or higher force. Their secret contact with him must have some ulterior motive.
"What did the encrypted message say?"
"They say they are the remnants of the Space-Time Freezer and want to speak with you in person."
Han Xiao was taken aback, his expression changing slightly.
While researching the Space-Time Amber, he memorized the current situation of the Space-Time Freezer race.
So... is the Federation of Light looking for me?
The fact that they specifically sent the Space-Time Freezer race suggests they already know the origin of the Space-Time Amber?
A sense of vigilance rose in Han Xiao's heart as he pondered the intentions of the Federation of Light. After a moment's thought, he instructed Phillip:
Reply to him that I agree to meet.