Chapter 416: The Melting Pearl

Chapter 416: The Melting Pearl

As Alien Symbiosis reached Level 5, it no longer randomly shared abilities, and Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but feel both ecstatic and strangely disappointed.

"I was hoping to test my luck again. Tch..."

He shook his head, amused.

Immediately, he activated Alien Symbiosis, and the connection between him and Qinghong became incredibly clear, allowing him to directly sense its ability. However, this sensation was rather vague, and he had to concentrate to discern the ability's function.

Thanks to his Myriad Phenomenon Eyes, Ji Xinghuo was well aware of Qinghong's ability situation.

Without hesitation, he chose "Star Realm Leap".

Actually, Qinghong's other star-falling ability, "Vacuum Guide Source", was also an excellent choice. It provided a sense of vacuum and allowed one to absorb zero-point energy from it to replenish star power and physical energy.

However, Ji Xinghuo had no plans to develop in the direction of a "Vacuum Stringer" for now; his spiritual energy had long been attuned to that of an "Electric Field Stringer", making it difficult to manage both.

In comparison, "Star Realm Leap" seemed more useful.

Ji Xinghuo locked onto the shared ability in his mind.

Instantly, he felt a slight ripple spreading from his body, its range growing larger and larger. The surrounding space began to distort like ripples on a pond, continuously expanding to a diameter of a thousand meters.

Before Ji Xinghuo's eyes, layers of dimensions and spaces appeared.

His gaze pierced through the void, seeing through to the very essence!

Amidst countless fleeting lights and shadows, Ji Xinghuo caught a glimpse of a vortex channel similar to the one created when a leap array was activated. Outside the channel was an infinite energy ocean—a Dirac Sea composed of zero-point vacuum energy!

"This feeling..."

Ji Xinghuo was stunned, unable to describe his current emotions with words.

When Qinghong had fused with "Star Realm Leap" before, he had watched the entire process from the sidelines. But being in the midst of it himself was an entirely different experience.

It felt as if the universe were revealing its deepest secrets, and even if it were just the tip of the iceberg, it was enough to make one's soul tremble.

Yet, it also felt intangible, as if separated by an invisible barrier.

"This should be the difference between the Star Realm and the galaxy," Ji Xinghuo recalled Ye Zhen's previous words, and he had experienced this himself. Any abilities or treasures related to space worked normally in the Star Realm, but they all became ineffective in the Milky Way galaxy.

The space of the Star Realm was like water, relatively easy to navigate and traverse.

Meanwhile, the space of the Milky Way was like steel, solid and impenetrable.

"I have the Myriad Phenomenon Eyes; it should be different for me," Ji Xinghuo thought to himself. After a few minutes, the spatial ripples around him gradually faded, and everything returned to normal.

His ability information had also been updated.

[Ability: Star Realm Leap (Level 3 – 709/61211)]



Ji Xinghuo subconsciously looked up. Because he was on Heihuan Star, obtaining the star-falling ability did not trigger an astronomical phenomenon.

The level and upgrade progress of Star Realm Leap were synchronized with Qinghong's.

He immediately demonstrated it.

Instantly, the space before him unfolded in layers, like dimensions stretching out to form a safe passage leading into the distance.

Qinghong, who was by his side, widened her eyes, her mind filled with confusion.

"It really works!"

"Even outside the Star Realm, I can still perform a leap," Ji Xinghuo rejoiced, but he soon became aware of a problem.

The distance was too short!

At the same Level 3 Star Realm Leap, Qinghong could leap about 600 kilometers when she used it in the Star Realm. In contrast, Ji Xinghuo's range might not even be a tenth of that, and the landing point of the passage was very blurry, reaching only about 50 kilometers.

For such a short distance, the preparation time for the leap was almost the same as leaping 600 kilometers in the Star Realm, nearly ten seconds.

Ji Xinghuo's body was enveloped in light as he leaped into the spatial passage with Qinghong.

The next moment,

He appeared in a desolate wilderness, still on the Silent Wasteland. He opened his personal terminal to check his satellite map location.

"52 kilometers."

Ji Xinghuo shook his head but wasn't too disappointed.

At the very least, he could still use the leap ability in the Milky Way galaxy, and even with a range less than a tenth of what it was in the Star Realm, it was still extremely useful.

"After all, this ability is called 'Star Realm Leap' and not 'Galaxy Leap'," Ji Xinghuo thought, content.

Moreover, it could still be upgraded.

He had just over 600,000 units of spiritual source energy, which he had originally intended to reserve. However, upgrading Star Realm Leap to Level 4 only required 60,000 units of spiritual source energy, and it would increase the distance significantly. Returning to the Star Realm would also save him time on his journey, so he decided to upgrade it by one level first.

As more than 60,000 units of spiritual source energy were invested, Star Realm Leap advanced to [Level 4 – 1/306331].

Ji Xinghuo attempted another leap.

This time, his maximum leap distance exceeded 300 kilometers.

"If I were in the Star Realm, I should be able to leap about 3,500 kilometers," Ji Xinghuo silently estimated. "But the preparation time for the leap would be much longer, probably around 20 seconds!"

In battle, he definitely wouldn't be able to leap the maximum distance.

Ji Xinghuo turned to her.

With Alien Symbiosis reaching Level 5, she could now choose abilities on her own, but she didn't know which one to pick. She had too many abilities, and she wanted each and every one of them, but she was afraid they might not be a good match.

"Don't choose yet," Ji Xinghuo said after some thought. He smiled and added, "Wait until I fuse with the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon's Body, and then you can share that ability as well."

The sharing opportunities provided by Alien Symbiosis could also be saved for later.

Qinghong's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously.

Ji Xinghuo had previously mentioned the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon's Body to her. With the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon's Blood, she already possessed a part of the puzzle. In the future, when both abilities merged, it would be akin to possessing the "Titanium-Cobalt Dragon Vein." It wouldn't be a true dragon, but it would surpass even the mighty beasts.

"It's time to leave Heihuan Star," Ji Xinghuo declared.

Ji Xinghuo began to leap repeatedly, each time covering the maximum distance of over 300 kilometers.

Without the ability Vacuum Guide Source, his perception of space and dimensions fell short of Qinghong's. Even with the aid of his Myriad Phenomenon Eyes and spiritual energy, his accuracy in pinpointing the landing point of his leaps was still lacking, with an average error of nearly 5 kilometers.

It would take repeated practice to improve the precision of his landings.

In just a few minutes,

Ji Xinghuo traversed the Silent Wasteland from south to north, leaping to a location near the northern hunting outpost.

During each leap, he maintained his invisibility to avoid being spotted by satellites or encountering anyone.

Upon entering the outpost,

Moments later, Ji Xinghuo boarded a transport plane and, after a high-speed flight of several hours, crossed the equator to return to the Arctic transfer station. There, he met with Karula to dispose of a portion of the lower-value exotics, earning him over 300 Ether Crystals.

These exotics were just a quarter of his total collection.

Even so, the sheer number of exotics left Karula astonished. With his experience, he could guess that these exotics all came from the Earth Devouring Insects.

"My Lord,"

As Ji Xinghuo collected the Ether Crystals, he prepared to leave, but Karula stopped him, a mysterious look on his face.

"What is it?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

A smile appeared on Karula's serpentine face as he asked cautiously, "My Lord, you've been hunting in the Silent Wasteland for so long. Have you ever encountered a calamity-level Earth Devouring Insect?"

"Yes."

"With your strength, you must have surely defeated it." Karula flattered him before continuing, "I wanted to ask if you happened to obtain a 'Gravity Field' ability? Not every calamity-level Earth Devouring Insect has a Starfall Exotic, so I couldn't be sure."

"I have one." Ji Xinghuo possessed two Gravity Fields, and he could afford to part with one in exchange for Ether Crystals.

"You do!"

Karula's eyes lit up with excitement. He asked eagerly, "My Lord, do you wish to sell it or trade it for something else?"

Ji Xinghuo thought for a moment before quoting a price. "Ten thousand Ether Crystals."

It was only after reaching the True Dragon Dynasty that he realized just how much of a discount the Voidling Trader had given him on the items he had purchased, be it exotics or weapons and equipment. It had all been an investment in his future.

Selling "Absolute Hit" to Princess Sophia had actually been a significant loss.

The value of the Gravity Field ability was slightly lower than that of Absolute Hit, but not by much. Asking for ten thousand Ether Crystals was more than fair.

"That's too high!"

Karula shook his head repeatedly.

"Then forget it." Ji Xinghuo didn't have an urgent need for Ether Crystals, and since Karula found the price too high, he decided to hold onto it for now, not wanting to haggle over the price.

"My Lord, please wait," Karula said hastily. "I'd like to make an exchange with you."

He left the room and returned shortly with a delicate box in his hand. Placing it on the table in front of Ji Xinghuo, he opened it to reveal a white sphere about three centimeters in diameter, its surface smooth and glossy. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the sphere was actually a container.

Within the white sphere was a strange liquid that emitted an odd pulsation.

This pulsation made Ji Xinghuo feel slightly uncomfortable, and he instinctively felt a sense of resistance towards it.

"Take a look, my Lord," Karula said, introducing the item. "This is a Melting Pearl."

Ji Xinghuo remained silent.

Karula quickly continued, his tone eager, "By using the Melting Pearl, you can eliminate a fused ability and regain the chance to fuse with another exotic. It's like having a do-over."

Ji Xinghuo's expression shifted slightly. Now this was a valuable item!

While the total number of abilities remained unchanged, having another chance to choose an exotic was like being given a regret pill.

The vast majority of Exotics, especially those who had evolved multiple times, wished they could replace some of the abilities they had fused with.

Either the ability didn't live up to their expectations after fusion, leading to regret, or their initial choices were made when they were weaker, as a temporary measure, and now that they were stronger, they had better options but lacked the opportunities to fuse with them.

The power amplification of Thunderclap Hand was negligible as well.

Thus, Ji Xinghuo had not upgraded it in a long time, unwilling to waste his spiritual source energy.

If he could erase Thunderclap Hand with the Melting Pearl, he could replace it with a better ability.

However, Ji Xinghuo did not let his intentions show.

He maintained a calm expression and asked, "Karula, what's the deal with the Melting Pearl?"

"My lord, your caution is justified," Karula replied in a low voice. "The Melting Pearl is a prohibited item of the first degree in the Dynasty. I only obtained it by chance, but I dared not sell it until I had traded with you several times."

Ji Xinghuo narrowed his eyes. "A prohibited item?"

Karula nodded. "My lord, you may not be aware, but the Melting Pearl is made from the bone marrow of the Stinging Dragon. The bone marrow of a fully grown Stinging Dragon can produce several hundred Melting Pearls, but no matter how many there are, it's never enough to meet market demand. Many unscrupulous individuals target Stinging Dragons, so how could the Dynasty allow their trade?"

Ji Xinghuo understood.

The Stinging Dragon belonged to the Illusion Dragon species, an extremely rare type of true dragon. In the entire True Dragon Dynasty, there were only three Stinging Dragon families, even fewer than the Divine Dragon species.

No wonder Karula wanted to sell the Melting Pearls privately. Before today, Karula must have been investigating for a long time.

As someone who was not a true dragon, had traded multiple times, and had the financial means, Ji Xinghuo was a very suitable client.

"How do you want to trade?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

Karula smiled. "Ten thousand Ether Crystals."

Ji Xinghuo's expression immediately turned gloomy. In essence, the Melting Pearl was a capacity-expanding item, and considering that it could erase an ability, it was slightly less valuable than other capacity-expanding items. Its price was solely based on its specialty, and it was definitely not worth this much.

The vast majority of rare capacity-expanding items usable by fifth to sixth-stage Exotics did not sell for ten thousand Ether Crystals.

"My lord, this is, after all, a prohibited item. It entails a significant risk," Karula said, afraid that Ji Xinghuo would leave.

If the trade didn't go through, the Melting Pearls in his hands would become a liability.

"Your risk has nothing to do with me," Ji Xinghuo said, not falling for his ploy. He took out a Gravity Field exotic from his waist pouch and said directly, "One Gravity Field for three Melting Pearls. Take it or leave it."

Each Exotic could use the Melting Pearl at most three times.

Upon hearing this, Karula hurriedly said, "My lord, you're driving a hard bargain. I can't accept that."

As expected...

Ji Xinghuo knew from his tone that Karula had more than just three Melting Pearls.

Melting Pearls were prohibited items and had to be sold secretly, whereas the Starfall Exotic was a hard currency.

One Starfall Exotic for three Melting Pearls was definitely a fair deal.

Karula's offer was nothing but an attempt to fleece him.

Ji Xinghuo didn't beat around the bush. "I'm about to return to the Star Realm. The next time I come to Heihuan Star, I won't be keeping the exotic for you. If you want to make the trade, do it now, or you'll miss this opportunity."

"Alright..."

Seeing that Ji Xinghuo didn't seem to be bluffing, Karula had no choice but to agree.

While there was a huge market for Melting Pearls and countless Exotics wanted them, very few Exotics had the financial means and could keep the transaction confidential.

He had been trying to sell this batch of Melting Pearls secretly for a long time, and still had more than half of them left, which had become a hot potato.

Three Melting Pearls for one Starfall Exotic was still a profitable deal.

Soon, Karula brought two more Melting Pearls and traded them for the Gravity Field exotic. After appraising it, a delighted expression appeared on his face. He could now sell the Starfall Exotic openly and exchange it for Ether Crystals.

Seeing Karula's expression, Ji Xinghuo's heart stirred.

This Red Viper had sold many Melting Pearls and must have accumulated a substantial fortune. It wouldn't be surprising if he had several hundred thousand Ether Crystals.

If only he could rob him...

Ji Xinghuo shook his head inwardly. That would go against his principles. Moreover, Karula definitely had backing and connections with the True Dragon families. He might even be a front for some powerful figure and was not someone to be trifled with.

"My lord, please have a safe journey," Karula said, unaware of Ji Xinghuo's thoughts, seeing him off respectfully.

Not long after,

Ji Xinghuo, accompanied by the Antler Cloud Elk, boarded the space elevator, reached the orbital space station, and smoothly passed through the stargate, returning to the long-unvisited Star Realm. Then, riding the Antler Cloud Elk, he left Yu Huicheng and ventured into the uninhabited wilderness.

A burst of light enveloped him as he entered the leap channel.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end