Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

“It really pays to have a powerful backer,” Gong Jun said cheerfully.

For a materials science expert like him who loved to immerse himself in research, life was indeed comfortable and peaceful, with no need to worry about fighting and killing.

On his way back, Su Chen had also brought him a takeout order of Poached Fatty Beef from the Four Seasons Restaurant.

Outside the camp gate.

Yan Ruoruo looked up at the starry sky, the night wind brushing the stray hairs from her forehead.

In the northern sky, the Broken Star Ring that stretched across the heavens remained a horrifying, ashen expanse. Compared to the distant silhouette it had been on the day it first appeared, it was now noticeably closer.

“I can feel a faint pulse from it.”

She sighed coolly as Su Chen walked over.

After advancing from a Three-Star Spirit String Artisan to a Four-Star Spirit Hunter Chief Priest, her Spiritual Power had become noticeably sharper.

“A magnificent creation from the Age of Flesh and Blood, I suppose. It’s hard to say what will happen when it floats over us.” Su Chen’s gaze followed hers to the sky.

The previous night of extreme cold, for instance, was caused by the approach of an Ice Element stellar trajectory.

So it was truly hard to say what bizarre phenomena it might attract when the Broken Star Ring crossed the northern snow-capped mountains and drifted over this region.

‘With this in mind, I can pay another visit to the Underground Great Wall.’

‘Riding the momentum of my recent power surge, and with a planar treasure like the Time Hourglass, I can definitely open that coffin and probe the strength of a Reviver.’

‘This will be the second major item on my agenda.’

“Congratulations, you must be the richest person in the entire city now.” Ruoruo moved closer, smoothing a wrinkle on Su Chen’s overshirt with a familiar, natural motion.

“Doesn’t that make you my kept woman, then?” Su Chen teased.

His haul of Rune Essence from today alone was more than bountiful.

He had filled a large, heavy-duty hiking pack by the time he returned to camp at noon, and now, late at night, he had filled another. Factoring in his earnings from the previous two days, he had truly made a fortune.

Since the enemies he killed were generally powerful, a significant portion of the drops were High-Level Runes. Moreover, their previously captured loot, along with all the wealth they carried, had indirectly flowed into his possession.

Additionally, he had a huge pile of Spirit Marrow Crystals and Spiritual Dust Sand.

And a currently useless Dark Element Soul Core.

Although the construction of his personal Rune Map didn’t currently require these Spiritual Materials, they were still extremely valuable and could be sold.

Never mind opening an exchange; he had more than enough to start his own private bank.

Of course, that was just a joke.

Su Chen’s heirloom Jade Pendant was crying out to be fed. After he had fed it various forms of immense energy, the Jade Pendant itself had transformed. Its texture had become as warm and smooth as marrow, and its capacity to absorb more energy had also grown.

Not long ago, he had fed it six Lv7 Runes in one go, planning to check the results tomorrow.

Even his surplus Spiritual Materials could be consumed by it.

“As of today, the top-echelon players have essentially solidified their entire Rune Maps at Lv7. This marks the true dividing line in terms of power,” Su Chen said.

The three-day war brought on by the world mission had allowed countless people to experience a surge in power.

Yan Ziqian had confirmed he was at Lv7 in All Elements.

Yu Ziyuan and Pang Peng’s Rune Constructions were still a little incomplete, but they both had plenty of Rune Essence. As long as they were patient and acquired the Runes they needed from the various trading halls, they would be able to complete their Rune Maps.

Even Liao Dahai, who ranked in the top ten thousand on the final contribution leaderboard, had three Runes at Lv7.

Using him as a rough benchmark, one could see just how common Lv7 Runes had become.

It was, in the truest sense, a great leap forward in power for everyone.

However, the difficulty of advancing to Lv8 skyrocketed.

The previously stockpiled upgrade materials were now useless; the main problem had become finding the single, crucial Soul Core.

This bottleneck was holding Su Chen back as well.

If he wanted to maintain his lead, he had to find a Soul Core.

Of course, thanks to the First and Second Core Authorities of his Master of All Things ability, the actual power of his personal Rune Map had changed.

In the sequence bound to his First Authority, the following Runes were equivalent to Lv9: Destruction, Shadow Leap, Summon Ice Bird, Shadow Summon, and Healing Skill.

Holy Radiance, Flying Skill, Gravity Skill, Stir, and Corona Guard were equivalent to Lv8.

The sequence bound to his Second Authority included: Flame Burst Skill, Telekinesis, and Water Mirror Refraction.

These three Runes were equivalent to Lv10.

All things considered, his personal strength remained unshakeable.

But he couldn’t afford to be careless.

‘Find a Soul Core. That’s the third item on my agenda.’

He thought of Qingxi Stream, which he had visited one night. The power of the Ghostly Water Charm there was not to be underestimated; it used the entire river as its body, wielding the might of nature to carry out its slaughters.

If he could slay it, he might get a Spirit Element or Water Element Soul Core as a drop.

As for the fog-shrouded Mist Gorge, who knew what lurked in its depths? It was another key location to visit in the future.

「A short while later.」

After everyone returned to the camp, they gathered to chat for a while.

They didn’t leave and go their separate ways until one-thirty in the morning.

In the center of the first floor, two Magic Guide Hub Crystal Pillars were now linked, further strengthening the camp’s Barrier.

「Late that night.」

Inside the RV.

The dim night light fell upon Yan Ruoruo’s tall, curvaceous form. Perhaps it was the pent-up pressure of their life-or-death struggle needing release, or perhaps it was simply the deepening of their feelings for one another.

This cool beauty, normally as pure and untouchable as a snow lotus on an icy peak, now burned with a passion hot enough to melt reason, as if she wanted to merge her entire being into Su Chen’s body.

Her normally calm, deep eyes had long been clouded by a hazy mist, their clarity replaced by a heart-stopping passion and longing.

In that moment, Su Chen knew for certain: her emotions had returned.