Chapter 83: The Teleportation Crystal

Chapter 83: The Teleportation Crystal

Ji Xinghuo's vision blurred, and he felt his body lighten. When his vision cleared, he found himself in an open field, no longer in the cave. He turned and saw Ren Mian, his teammates, and the giant toad corpse at their feet.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"We're out!" exclaimed Chi Zhonglin, her eyes lighting up as she spotted the hexagonal crystal in Ren Mian's hand. "Sister Ren, is that the legendary Teleportation Crystal? If I'd known you had this, I wouldn't have been so worried."

"What else could it be?" Ren Mian laughed.

"I can't believe it's real!" Chi Zhonglin marveled.

Ji Xinghuo was equally curious. He had heard about Teleportation Crystals online but had always assumed they were just rumors. He never expected such an object to truly exist, capable of teleporting people through space in an instant.

"I only have this one Teleportation Crystal, and it took a great deal to acquire it," Ren Mian said as she handed the crystal to Ji Xinghuo. "Teleportation Crystals come in different grades. This one is the lowest grade and can be used a maximum of five times, teleporting us no more than 50 kilometers."

Ji Xinghuo took the crystal, surprised by how light it felt.

The Teleportation Crystal was only about ten centimeters long and had a diameter of roughly three centimeters. It was hexagonal in shape, hard and smooth in texture, and semi-transparent like an icicle. Flickers of starlight sparkled within, dazzling and reminiscent of the Milky Way reflected on a starlit night.

As Ji Xinghuo passed the crystal to Chi Zhonglin for her to admire, he suddenly asked, "Sister Ren, are Teleportation Crystals natural or man-made?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Ren Mian replied with a shake of her head. "But I suspect they are mostly man-made, a product of Aether Technology. Each Teleportation Crystal seems to have the same structure, and the method and conditions for their use are identical."

Aether Technology!

Ji Xinghuo's heart skipped a beat, but he soon calmed down.

There were highly advanced technological civilizations in the Star Realm, but they were not the physical technologies familiar to Earthlings. Instead, they were based on the application of aether energy and the laws of the Star Realm.

Even the most powerful galactic civilizations that entered the Star Realm had mastered Aether Technology.

To the true hegemons of the Star Realm, the Tianyu Wang Court, which ruled over the Thousand Peaks and Forest, was but a primitive and backward race that knew nothing of Aether Technology.

It would be extremely difficult for Earth to come into contact with such advanced technology.

"The Teleportation Crystal must be incredibly valuable, right?" Chi Zhonglin asked, her eyes glued to the crystal in her hand. "It must be worth several hundred million at least!"

"Hehe…"

Ren Mian neither confirmed nor denied, simply putting the Teleportation Crystal away.

She turned her attention to the massive toad corpse beside them. Under the sunlight, the toad resembled a puddle of rotten meat, its back covered in a dense cluster of bumps that emitted a putrid odor.

"Cayi?" Ren Mian took out a peach petal and placed it on Jiang Nan Cayi's body. Within seconds, color returned to her pale face, and her stellar energy and physical strength rapidly recovered. The pain from the injuries inflicted by the toad's spiritual attacks disappeared in the blink of an eye.

She also tended to Ji Xinghuo and Chi Zhonglin, ensuring the entire team was back in top shape.

"I'll collect the exotic species," Jiang Nan Cayi said, brandishing her warrior sword and beginning to dissect the toad's corpse.

Ren Mian, meanwhile, started sifting through the large clump of transparent slime, searching for the capacity-expanding oddities among the thousands of eggs.

"Cayi, I'll help you," Ji Xinghuo offered, drawing his Lightning War Blade and placing his hand on the toad's corpse.

Instantly, information about the extraordinary monster appeared before him.

[Monster: Toad Spirit]



[Level: Superb]



[Exotic Species: Spiritual Power, Tongue Spear, High-Frequency Thought, Toughness, Slippery Skin, Rapid Self-Healing, Rapid Metabolism]



Ji Xinghuo was surprised as he read through the interface information.

The Toad Spirit possessed seven exotic species, and all of them were self-awakened, meaning that all seven could be collected.

Unsurprisingly, the most valuable was "Spiritual Power," which was likely the most expensive super-limit exotic ability.

While the Rotating Magnetic Field might be more powerful and rarer, it couldn't compare to the versatility of Spiritual Power, hence its lower market value.

"Tongue Spear" was an outstanding exotic ability that allowed the user to strike with their tongue like a lightning-fast spear, making it extremely difficult to guard against and delivering devastating damage.

"High-Frequency Thought" was a quality exotic ability often included in many profession templates.

The Magnetic Field Maniac required the fusion of High-Frequency Thought, as did the Spiritual Stringist. Many professions that demanded quick reactions and thought processes typically included High-Frequency Thought, especially the Spiritual Stringist, for whom it was essential. Without it, manipulating complex and ever-changing energy would be impossible.

The remaining four exotic abilities were of slightly lesser value.

Slippery Skin was quite useful, as it made one's skin greasy and slippery, causing physical attacks to land with less force and reducing damage.

Rapid Self-Healing was sure to be in high demand, as it allowed Exotics to consume stellar energy to accelerate their recovery from injuries.

Toughness and Rapid Metabolism were both exotic abilities found in the Giant General's profession template.

Not a single one of the Toad Spirit's seven exotic abilities was useless.

On the right side of the interface, the locations of the toad's seven exotic species were displayed. Ji Xinghuo's first choice was "Spiritual Power," and with a single slash of his blade, he cleaved open the toad's brain, finding within its marrow a white sphere the size of a thumb. It resembled a pearl, soft in texture and emitting a faint glow.

"Spiritual Power exotic species!" Jiang Nan Cayi exclaimed, impressed by Ji Xinghuo's efficiency in locating the exotic species.

The other three members of the team were equally captivated.

[Exotic Species: Spiritual Power]



[Grade: Super Limit]



[Fusion Success Rate: 99%]



[Upgradable: Yes]



Ji Xinghuo studied the information about the exotic species, surprised to see that his fusion success rate with Spiritual Power was so high, just like with the Rotating Magnetic Field.

"Congratulations, Sister Ren," Ji Xinghuo said with a smile.

"I wouldn't have been able to obtain Spiritual Power without your help," Ren Mian said gratefully, her eyes sweeping over the three of them before settling on Ji Xinghuo.

Unforeseen circumstances had arisen during their hunt for the Toad Spirit, but they had still managed to obtain the Spiritual Power exotic species smoothly, and Ji Xinghuo had played a pivotal role in their success.

In fact, their mission would not have been possible without him.

Firstly, it was thanks to Ji Xinghuo's scouting abilities that they had avoided countless enemies along the way, allowing the entire team to reach the Deep Rock Rift safely.

Similarly, without Ji Xinghuo's sensing abilities, they wouldn't have discovered the hunting team. His quick countermeasures, using the five Super Exotics as bait, had drawn the Legendary Great Kun away, setting up the perfect opportunity for them to strike.

In the cave, Ji Xinghuo's well-timed arrow had struck the Toad Spirit, shattering its spiritual power and creating an opening for Chi Zhonglin to launch a surprise attack from behind. Without that crucial shot, the battle might have dragged on until the Legendary Great Kun rushed into the cave.

Even on their return journey to Olympia, Ji Xinghuo's guidance had been indispensable.

Ren Mian was well aware of all of this.

When she had recruited Ji Xinghuo the previous year, it had been more out of curiosity than anything else. She never could have imagined that he would bring her surprise after surprise.

"If only we had Xinghuo with us back then..."

At that moment, Ren Mian's mind was filled with thoughts, and her eyes reflected the complexity of her emotions. She found herself slightly lost in thought.

"Sister Ren?"

Ji Xinghuo guessed her train of thought, but her gaze made him feel a little uncomfortable.

Ren Mian snapped back to attention, her ears reddening slightly. Fortunately, with only her eyes visible due to the scarf, Ji Xinghuo didn't notice. She maintained a calm demeanor and said, "You three continue collecting the exotic species. Be quick about it. We must leave this place as soon as possible."

With that, she resumed sifting through the toad's eggs.

Ji Xinghuo chuckled to himself and efficiently collected the remaining six exotic species according to the interface information.

The exotic species varied in appearance, but Ji Xinghuo was most interested in High-Frequency Thought.

[Exotic Species: High-Frequency Thought]



[Grade: Quality]



[Fusion Success Rate: 92%]



[Upgradable: Yes]



This exotic species manifested as a soft mass of flesh, born from a small organ within the Toad Spirit's brain. Many monsters also possessed high-frequency thought, and after fusion, Exotics could stimulate their brains to enter a high-frequency state, enhancing their cognitive and neural responses, resulting in a significant boost to their combat prowess.

Of course, High-Frequency Thought consumed a considerable amount of stellar energy and placed a heavy burden on the brain, so it couldn't be used frequently, or it would cause brain damage.

Although High-Frequency Thought was not a high-grade exotic, merely a quality ability, it was highly sought-after on the market and not easily acquired.

This was because too many Exotics needed it.

Its selling price was often higher than that of most exceptional abilities, typically exceeding three million Asian dollars.

Noticing Ji Xinghuo's interest in High-Frequency Thought, Ren Mian said, "I believe the Magnetic Field Maniac template includes High-Frequency Thought, right, Xinghuo?"

"Yes," Ji Xinghuo nodded.

"Then you should keep this exotic species. Luckily, we also obtained the Toad Spirit's Savage Egg, so you can fuse another exotic species." She had already found several Toad Spirit eggs within the clump of slime.

"Don't you need it, Sister Ren?" Ji Xinghuo asked, puzzled.

Spiritual Power and High-Frequency Thought were a perfect combination, and every Spiritual Stringer needed to fuse High-Frequency Thought to truly unleash the power of Spiritual Power.

"I'm going to fuse Spiritual Power first, and then I'll prepare for my advancement to Super Exotic," Ren Mian explained. "That might take a year or two, and who knows when I'll be able to fuse another exotic species after that. If you need it, go ahead and fuse this High-Frequency Thought. I can always buy another one when I need it."

Understanding dawned on Ji Xinghuo's face. Advancing from an advanced Exotic to a Super Exotic was the first bottleneck one encountered on the path of life evolution.

This evolution wasn't triggered simply by having sufficient stellar energy.

Instead, one had to implant a "star gland" into their body. This organ was capable of storing, releasing, and condensing stellar energy, significantly increasing its density and altering its nature.

Sometimes, finding a matching star gland wasn't easy, and it could take a long time.

A few months would be considered quick, and a wait of several years was not uncommon.

Ji Xinghuo looked at Chi Zhonglin and Jiang Nan Cayi, and both indicated that they didn't need High-Frequency Thought. They, too, would be preparing for their advancement to Super Exotics after returning.

"Alright, then I'll take it," Ji Xinghuo said, and he had Qinghong store the High-Frequency Thought exotic species in his dimensional stomach.

"A total of six Toad Spirit eggs!" Ren Mian exclaimed as she finished examining all the eggs. "Our luck has been pretty good. Just with these six eggs, our trip here has been more than worthwhile."

There was one egg for each member of the team, with two left over.

Ji Xinghuo was delighted as well. The value of the Toad Spirit eggs was evidently higher than that of the Qingkong Fruit.

Much higher, in fact.

Although they could only add one exotic species and could only be used once in a lifetime, the Toad Spirit eggs were not limited by rank, meaning anyone could consume them, including Legendaries, Titans, and even Star Shepherds!

"Let's go," said Ren Mian, her mood uplifted. "We're heading back to Olympia now."

The four of them traveled westward, quickly putting distance between themselves and the Deep Rock Rift.

Hours after they left, a squad of Stone Lizardmen warriors found the Toad Spirit's corpse.

Soon after, the Legendary Great Kun arrived, but there was no sign of Ji Xinghuo and his team. He let out a furious roar, taking out his frustration by killing the Stone Lizardmen present.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end