Chapter 5: First Evolution

Chapter 5: First Evolution

A Novice Altered!

Although Ji Xinghuo could confirm the successful fusion on his own, seeing the words "Novice Altered" on the interface still filled him with joy.

The 23rd century belonged to the Altered.

A vast chasm existed between ordinary people and the Altered, and the disparity in individual power affected every aspect of human society.

From culture, economy, and politics to science, sports, and entertainment, the advantages of the Altered were omnipresent, dominating almost all human activities.

Even with nations trying to downplay the gap between Altered and ordinary individuals, emphasizing equality before the law, and in some cases, restricting the rights of Altered to favor ordinary citizens, in reality, ordinary people were always the disadvantaged group.

The Altered not only possessed supernatural abilities but were also stronger, smarter, and had longer lifespans.

Ordinary people naturally felt inferior when faced with the Altered.

Furthermore, those Altered who had progressed far along the evolutionary path had even become a different species from ordinary humans.

In the feudal era, the saying went, "All professions are inferior, only scholars are noble." Now, it was "All are inferior except the Altered."

While this statement might be an exaggeration, it wasn't far from the truth.

Regardless of their country of citizenship or political system, the first life goal of every person on Earth, from the time they gained awareness, was to become an Altered!

And Ji Xinghuo was no exception.

Now, he had finally achieved his goal and joined the ranks of the Altered!

"Doctor!"

Suddenly, a young man in the observation room cried out, his face pale. "My head hurts so badly. What's happening?" Blood trickled from his nostrils, and his expression was a mix of pain and panic. "Did I fail the fusion?"

A doctor and two nurses rushed over immediately. After a quick examination, the doctor shook his head. "Take him to the medical room immediately. His conflict is quite severe, and he might need emergency treatment."

"I failed the fusion?" The young man heard the unspoken truth in the doctor's words.

"Yes," the doctor consoled. "There's no danger to your life. At most, it will take a year to recover, and you can try fusing with an exotic species again."

The young man, supported by a nurse, looked dispirited. "I fused with a Beast Speaker. Next time I'll have to pay for the exotic species myself... over two million Asian dollars. How many years will it take for me to save up that much money?"

Ji Xinghuo and the few others left in the observation room watched as the young man was taken to the medical room, their faces filled with sympathy.

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

If the fusion failed, they would have to pay for the next attempt themselves.

And almost all core abilities of professional templates were at least extraordinary abilities, valued at no less than one million Asian dollars. Without family support, young people simply couldn't afford it, even with low-interest loans from the government.

For the vast majority of ordinary people, a failed fusion was a huge blow, resulting in both economic and time losses. Many gave up on becoming Altered because of this.

Ji Xinghuo felt fortunate.

He continued to examine his interface. In addition to his [Rank] changing to Novice Altered, he also noticed that his [Ability] was no longer blank. It displayed "Thousand Dexterous Hands," along with additional information: Level 1/47.

"Level one."

Ji Xinghuo stroked his chin. This was easy to understand. Abilities could be upgraded through training, and his newly acquired Thousand Dexterity Hands was at level one.

But what did the "1/47" after it mean?

"Ability upgrade progress?" Ji Xinghuo guessed. Could it be like the skills in virtual games, where as proficiency increased and reached 47/47, the Thousand Dexterity Hands would upgrade to level two? But in games, there were skill points for upgrades, so what would he use?

His gaze fell on the [Spiritual Source Energy], which remained at zero, unchanged.

He had pondered this term, "Spiritual Source Energy," for a long time last night. Ji Xinghuo had never heard of it before, and online searches yielded no relevant answers. Results related to Altered mentioned either spiritual power, or mind power, or spiritual energy, but none referred to something called Spiritual Source Energy.

However, Ji Xinghuo didn't dwell on it for too long.

Even if he couldn't directly increase his level, just having a progress indicator was already a great help.

"There were methods to upgrade abilities, and various nations had researched and gathered extensive data on different abilities. There were over a dozen training methods for Thousand Dexterity Hands, which could be downloaded from the Star Department's official website."

Nevertheless, ability training was often a long, dull, and challenging process, and many people trained for years without any upgrades, a truly painful experience.

As a result, many Altered couldn't persist, and their abilities remained at low levels, never unlocking the potential and power they held.

But with knowledge of the upgrade progress, Ji Xinghuo now had a clear goal.

Every ability training session would provide positive feedback, and he could promptly correct any ineffective or incorrect training methods. Knowing that an upgrade would definitely occur, he could even calculate the exact date of the upgrade, formulate a training plan, and advance his ability much faster than other Altered! Ji Xinghuo was confident about this.

Next to the information on the interface, the holographic image of his body had also changed.

The most noticeable alteration was the appearance of delicate lines within his arms, extending from the neck along the shoulders, arms, all the way to the palms and fingertips, resembling a intricate neural network.

When he focused on the arms of the holographic image, the neural network lit up prominently.

Along with it was the annotation: Thousand Spirit Dexterity Hand, Level 1.

Ji Xinghuo was a little confused. Wasn't the ability information already displayed on the side? Why was it repeated in the holographic image of the body? Did it serve some other purpose?

"Stellar Power!"

Ji Xinghuo exclaimed in realization. These specks of light represented stellar power.

At the same time, an additional line of text appeared on the left side of the interface, located below the [Rank].

[Stellar Power: 1]



"As expected, it's stellar power!" Ji Xinghuo was pleased that his guess was correct.

All Altered individuals had to train their stellar power, and its importance and priority surpassed that of abilities. This was because stellar power was the original driving force behind life evolution!

Stellar power was derived from ether energy. The human body absorbed ether and converted it into stellar power, strengthening physical strength, speed, and endurance, promoting life evolution, and extending lifespan.

It could be said that stellar power opened the door to cultivation, and only with stellar power could one truly embark on the path of evolution!

An Altered individual's ability might be mediocre or even useless, but their stellar power must not be weak, as it was the true source of their strength.

Moreover, using abilities also consumed stellar power.

To draw a comparison with virtual games, if abilities were skills, then stellar power was akin to character attributes—both health and mana.

Obtaining stellar power was not difficult, at least not for the Altered.

As long as one fused with any exotic species, they would gain mastery over stellar power. Exotic species were born in the Star Realm and inherently contained ether energy. A successful fusion would result in the generation of stellar power within the body.

Training stellar power was a mandatory lesson for the Altered.

There were no secret techniques or shortcuts; training stellar power only had one path—constantly exercising the body to deplete the stellar power within, and then waiting for it to recover.

Through repeated cycles of depletion and recovery, stellar power would slowly increase.

From the early stages of a novice Altered to that of an advanced Altered, stellar power existed in an undetectable energy form, appearing rather weak.

Externally, stellar power was even more invisible, perceivable only by the Altered individual themselves.

Hence, stellar power exhibited subjective characteristics.

However, stellar power was indeed real. When it accumulated to a certain extent, it would trigger the evolution of the Altered individual, allowing them to advance to the next rank and fuse with another ability.

With Earth's technology, it was impossible to detect the existence of stellar power, let alone obtain precise measurements.

Only the Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil could directly display it.

Nevertheless, the [Stellar Power] on the interface was merely a numerical value without any units, so Ji Xinghuo couldn't compare his stellar power with that of other Altered individuals. For now, he could only use it as a reference.

A few minutes later, the stellar power value changed to 2.

Ji Xinghuo soon felt the tangible effects of stellar power.

His body seemed infused with an invisible energy, making his limbs stronger, his internal organs enhanced from the inside out, and his senses of hearing, touch, and smell improved to a certain degree.

Each breath he took became longer, and each heartbeat grew more powerful.

He felt like he had boundless energy, and his spirits were lifted a hundredfold!

"This is the power of the Altered!"

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

"Yes," Ji Xinghuo replied as he stood up and nodded.

"Congratulations."

The staff member offered a perfunctory congratulations and reminded him, "Mr. Ji, you can go home now. In the next few days, your body will undergo its first evolution, and the changes will be significant. During this period, refrain from strenuous activities and avoid overexertion. You need to adapt to your new Altered powers quickly to prevent accidentally harming others."

Ji Xinghuo nodded, as these were all common knowledge.

Transitioning from an ordinary person to an Altered, the degree of the first life evolution was the most significant, and it lasted the longest, varying from person to person.

Some people might take a week or even half a month to complete their evolution, while others would only need a few hours.

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

Ji Xinghuo glanced at the Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil interface. The specks of light in the holographic body were still increasing, and the [Stellar Power] value had already reached 3. He estimated that his first evolution would last for more than a day.

After leaving the Altered Service Center, Ji Xinghuo received a notification from the Star Department, officially recognizing him as a registered Altered individual of the Asia-Pacific Community.

Since he had utilized the free exotic species and enjoyed the benefits of citizenship, he would have to unconditionally obey a summons from the nation in the future to fulfill his civic duty.

"I hope the summons doesn't arrive when I'm still weak," Ji Xinghuo thought to himself.

He didn't resent the summons; it was his obligation, and he accepted it as a matter of course.

In reality, the vast majority of Altered individuals in the APC would never receive a national summons in their lifetime because more than 90% of them would remain novice Altered, lacking the requisite strength to be sent to the battlefield.

If the day ever came when even novice Altered individuals were summoned, it would mean that the APC, or even the entire Earth, was facing a critical juncture.

That would certainly not be good news.

Ji Xinghuo wasn't afraid to make sacrifices for his country; he only feared that his strength wouldn't be enough, and he would end up losing his life in vain.

As he walked out of the Tianqin Stadium, he heard a loud and enthusiastic chorus from a distance: "Sword Immortal! Sword Immortal! Guanghan Sword Immortal, invincible under the heavens!"

The shouts grew louder and more fervent.

Ji Xinghuo turned his head and noticed that on the other side of the Tianqin Stadium, in the square outside the main entrance, hundreds of people had gathered, mostly young, wearing clothes emblazoned with golden five-pointed stars and holding shiny placards. They followed the leader's chant, their faces filled with excitement and fanaticism.

"So it's her," Ji Xinghuo realized.

The woman on the screen was Zhao Manying, a globally renowned Altered genius, and the crowd gathered outside the stadium were her fans.

However, it was strange to see so many people appear so suddenly.

Ji Xinghuo opened his phone to check the news, and his expression turned to one of surprise. "Zhao Manying has advanced to a Super Altered, no wonder..."

An event that had occurred just half an hour ago was already topping the national trending charts.

It was big news worldwide as well.

"Becoming a Super Altered at 22 years old, that's absurd!"

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but exclaim, a mix of admiration and a hint of sour grapes. He was also 22, just a few months older, and while he had been proud of his advancement to a Novice Altered, someone else had already reached the Super Altered level and broken multiple records.

"She truly deserves the title of Sword Immortal, I can't help but admire her," Ji Xinghuo thought to himself.

He followed Zhao Manying's social media accounts and often watched her competitions, so he knew her quite well.

Zhao Manying had become an Altered at 16, evolved to Intermediate Altered at 17, and at 18, the Martial Arts Association recognized her as the youngest "Sword Master" in history.

At 20, after advancing to Advanced Altered, Zhao Manying signed a lucrative contract with the "Emperor Star" club, joining the Super League as a competition Altered and being groomed as a core member of the team.

Most members of the Super League teams were Super Altered, a whole level above Zhao Manying.

Even so, she rarely met her match in the arena.

Her professional template was "Swordsman," and with her unparalleled swordsmanship, she was rarely bested in one-on-one duels.

However, the Super League battles tended to favor team collaboration, and the other members of the Emperor Star team weren't particularly remarkable, unable to provide sufficient support. As a result, in the two years since Zhao Manying had joined the club, her team hadn't achieved outstanding results, lingering in the middle to upper-middle ranks.

But this didn't affect Zhao Manying's popularity in the slightest.

The reason was simple: in addition to her ancient and unparalleled talent in swordsmanship, Zhao Manying also possessed breathtaking beauty!

In this era, there were many beautiful women, but very few could match Zhao Manying's level of beauty, figure, and charm.

This era had produced many geniuses, but very few could compare to Zhao Manying in terms of stellar power, abilities, and martial arts prowess.

Beautiful women were always a scarce resource, and talent was even rarer.

To have both concentrated in one person was an explosive combination!

Zhao Manying's popularity was unimaginable, surpassing all cultural and entertainment celebrities. Even as an Advanced Altered, her fame rivaled that of a "Superstar," or perhaps even exceeded it.

She had over ten billion fans worldwide, from the Asia-Pacific Community to the New Roman Empire, from the Southern Kingdom to the Latin Revolutionary Army; almost everyone knew her name. Her every match was a focal point, attracting at least a billion viewers, a level of popularity unmatched by other teams. The Emperor Star club had been raking in huge profits these past two years.

Zhao Manying was a true global idol!

She had many other nicknames, the most famous being "Sword Immortal."

There was also "Century's Pride," "Contemporary First Genius," "Second Global Goddess," "Guanghan Sword Immortal," and more, some fitting, some exaggerated, but all praising her.

Now, Zhao Manying had advanced to a Super Altered in less than two years, and her strength would undoubtedly surge.

Even though the Super League focused more on team battles, the overall strength of the Emperor Star club would rise with her.

In the coming years, the Emperor Star club would undoubtedly be one of the favorites to win the championship.

That was why the fans and die-hard supporters were so excited, gathering at the Emperor Star team's home stadium to cheer as soon as the news broke, chatting enthusiastically and brimming with hope for the team's future.

Ji Xinghuo joined the crowd for a few minutes.

The square outside the Tianqin Stadium was bustling with people, and security guards were working to maintain order. However, more and more fans kept arriving, and the scene became a little chaotic.

Ji Xinghuo quickly got into his car and left.

In the car, he turned on the built-in projection screen, and almost every platform, live channel, and social media feed was discussing Zhao Manying's advancement to Super Altered.

The hosts and commentators were eloquently expressing their views.

Sports programs analyzed data and predicted the Emperor Star team's performance;

Altered bloggers speculated about Zhao Manying's new ranking on the "Global Ladder;"

Entertainment channels gossiped about Zhao Manying's personal life;

And economic news focused on the Emperor Star club's stock price.

The fans, meanwhile, either praised Zhao Manying's talent or simply admired her looks, venting their emotions online.

On this day, the world's attention was on Zhao Manying.

No one cared that a young man named Ji Xinghuo, of the same age and also from Chang'an, had become an Altered.

Even Ji Xinghuo himself wasn't particularly excited, as he knew that becoming an Altered was inevitable for him, and he didn't expect it to make much of an impact.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end