Lance expertly dissected the Shadow Stalker's corpse as a [System Alert] flashed through his mind.

  "A pity. I've already used up today's 'Authority Reset' chances."

  Watching his [Alloy Warblade] slice through the beast's abdomen, Lance felt a twinge of regret. This basic piece of equipment contained over seven hundred logical exploits. If he could execute the reconstruction program, its quality would be forcibly dragged up to at least the mid-tier of [Gold Rank] (Tier 3).

  Over time, Lance had deduced the System's ranking logic:

  [F-Rank / Bronze]: Less than 10 defects. Cannon fodder gear or talents.

  [E-Rank / Silver]: 10 to 100 defects. The backbone of most Professionals.

  [D-Rank / Gold]: 100 to 1,000 defects. The threshold of true power.

  [C-Rank / Grandmaster]: 1,000 to 10,000 defects. Strategic-level resources capable of suppressing entire regions.

  [B-Rank / Great Grandmaster]: Over 100,000 defects. The realm of Demigods, touching upon the laws of reality.

  As for anything higher, Lance's current authority was insufficient to observe it.

  Although the warblade in his hand had decent potential with its 700+ exploits, Lance didn't plan to waste a precious repair charge on it. If he had the charges, he'd rather buy a high-potential base item from the auction house and god-forge it.

  Moments later, Lance pried a fist-sized crystal glowing with a ghostly blue luster from the Shadow Stalker's shattered chest cavity.

  "So this is a [Void Core]?"

  He examined the crystal with curiosity. Rumor had it that this thing contained the essence of a Void Beast's energy, accounting for over sixty percent of the monster's economic value.

  [Ding—High-Energy Aggregate Detected: Peak Bronze Rank Core]

  [Analysis Complete... 4,754 Logical Exploits found! Execute Reconstruction?]

  The system prompt rang in his mind, causing Lance's pupils to contract sharply.

  "Over four thousand exploits!? That means... if reconstruction succeeds, this core will jump straight to [Grandmaster] (Tier 4)!"

  Lance's heart beat faster. In the Federation black market or within the Guild, a Grandmaster-grade core typically floated between tens to hundreds of billions of Credits. A Grandmaster-level Void Beast rivaled a Tier 4 human powerhouse. In all of Silvermoon City, entities of that level could be counted on one hand.

  "Wait for the authority refresh tonight. I'll run an experiment first to see if the reconstructed core undergoes property mutation."

  Lance suppressed his excitement. He wasn't worried about being targeted for selling high-tier resources; the Profession Guild's recycling terminals used top-level encryption algorithms. Even the higher-ups had no right to access a trader's identity at will.

  His only concern was "mutation." Like the alchemy potion before, which became several times more potent, selling such "miracles" on the open market could easily trigger a storm.

  "I'll stress-test a Tier 2 core tonight first."

  Lance stowed the core away. Ignoring the awe and terror in the eyes of the onlookers, his figure blurred, vanishing into the dense alien rainforest.

  Only after he had been gone for a long time did the rookies collapsed on the ground dare to swallow their spit.

  "Was that... a monster? To have that kind of insta-kill ability at his age... even the geniuses at the Imperial Royal War Academy aren't that scary, right?"

  "Since when did Silvermoon City produce such a ruthless character? I've never even heard of him."

  "I suspect... he's a scion from a major family in the Imperial Capital, just here to grab a Professional title. No wonder the exam rules changed so drastically."

  "Makes sense. Looks like we're riding on this 'Young Master's' coattails. That's why the exam turned into a 'Survival Run'..."

  The group whispered among themselves before realizing the scent of blood would attract more predators. They scattered like startled birds.

  Meanwhile, at the edge of Void Planet X-10's atmosphere.

  The massive aerospace carrier hovered silently in orbit, blue thruster flames flickering faintly in the high altitude.

  "Beep! Data link established. Ground detection signals synchronized."

  Inside the command tower, following the main AI's announcement, the massive holographic ring wall split into hundreds of dynamic windows.

  These were the real-time POV feeds transmitted from every candidate's [Retinal Combat Lens].

  Due to signal delay during the carrier's ascent, the screens lagged behind ground reality by about a minute.

  "Initiate full-spectrum monitoring. Prioritize marking high-energy reaction zones."

  Director Raymond ordered in a low voice. His eyes were glued to Lance's channel. On screen, Lance was weaving through the deadly forest with a gait that was both bizarrely efficient and terrifyingly calm, as if this wasn't a lethal wasteland, but his own backyard.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Every student was equipped with a budget version of these lenses. They not only synced vision for rear assessment but also detected basic Void energy fluctuations.

  In the Guild's high-end models, these lenses could even instantly analyze an opponent's racial weaknesses and predict attack trajectories. As for top-tier "Combat Power Scanners," the entire Silvermoon System couldn't produce more than a few.

  "Raymond, how is the little guy doing?"

  A deep voice emerged from the shadows.

  At that moment, an elderly holographic projection abruptly materialized in the center of the control room.

  "President, Lance has formally entered Void Planet X-10. The Genius Evaluation System's real-time recording is active," Director Raymond stated, straightening his spine and adopting a tone of utmost respect.

  The elder addressed as "President" was President Alistair—the supreme commander of the Profession Guild's Silvermoon City branch. Not only did he control the city's armed forces, but he was also a veteran powerhouse who had stepped into the [Gold Rank] (Tier 3) many years ago.

  In truth, this mission to Void Planet X-10 far exceeded the scope of a normal Professional exam. For Lance, this was a secret "Elite Evaluation Test." All combat data was being beamed directly to the Profession Guild Headquarters on Ancient Earth, where the Central Intellect would determine Lance's final genius classification.

  "Good." President Alistair's expression was grave. He whispered a stern command, "Remember, Lance is our only hope in the last ten years. If the system predicts a confirmed death scenario, use the carrier's main cannons to provide cover fire. We must get him back. The evaluation can fail, but he cannot fall!"

  Raymond nodded heavily. They could not afford to lose a seedling of this caliber.

  "By the way, what about that boy, Julian? House Stuart has been touting him as a rare talent. Does he have a shot at touching the threshold of 'Genius Certification'?" the President asked casually.

  "Unlikely. Pull up Julian's retinal feed. Let's check his progress," Raymond ordered the technicians with a frown.

  "Report... Sir, it's bad!" The flight operator’s fingers flew across the console before he cried out in alarm. "Julian's life signal vanished completely fifty-eight seconds after landing!"

  Immediately, the footage—lagging due to the signal delay—was forcibly pinned to the main screen. The display clearly replayed the gruesome scene of Julian being bisected and swallowed whole by the Shadow Stalker.

  "A Peak [Bronze Rank] Shadow Stalker!? Why was it in the landing safety zone? How did the Recon Team clear the site!?" Raymond slammed his fist onto the console in fury. He suddenly remembered Lance's POV—the boy had been running fast. Was he being chased by that beast?

  "Director, the Shadow Stalker is a stealth-type Void Beast. When filtering for Tier 2 [Silver Rank] fluctuations, the energy monitors can easily overlook life signs at the limit of Tier 1..." the subordinate explained, trembling.

  "Bastards! Switch to Lance's synchronized feed immediately! Confirm his status! Kinetics Team, prepare for low-altitude extraction!" Raymond broke into a cold sweat. Who could have guessed that in a hundred-mile radius devoid of Silver monsters, a half-step Tier 2 assassin was camping the landing zone?

  Even the projection of President Alistair held its breath, eyes glued to the screen.

  However, the next second, the screen displayed a suffocating scene: Lance's earth-shattering spiral kick exploding the Shadow Stalker's head like a blender meeting a fruit.

  The control room fell into a deathly silence.

  One kick to explode a Peak Bronze head? That kind of raw explosive power and physical density... even a freshly ascended [Silver Rank] Professional might not be able to execute it so cleanly.

  BEEP—BEEP—BEEP!

  EXTREME LEVEL ALERT!

  Suddenly, the carrier's red emergency lights strobed wildly. The cold, mechanical voice of the Central Intellect echoed across all channels:

  [Judgment by Federation Core Intellect Complete: Target 'Lance' evaluated as Genius Rank A (Imperial Pillar Level).]

  [Security Protocol Activated: All combat data for this target has been automatically upgraded to Class-B Confidentiality (Provincial Governor Level). Current command crew clearance insufficient. Real-time feed access denied.]

  [Visual Transmission... Forcibly Terminated!!]

  Everyone present was left with blank minds, stunned by the cascade of alarms.

  "Class-B Confidentiality... God, Lance is an A-Rank Genius?!"

  "That's impossible! The entire Morton Province only produces one A-Rank seedling every few decades! Shouldn't a monster like that be sent directly to the Imperial Royal War Academy?"

  "Every A-Rank genius is a strategic weapon of the Federation future. How could a fringe star city like Silvermoon breed a monster of this level?!"

  The control room instantly descended into near-mad chaos.

  Raymond and President Alistair exchanged glances. Beyond the extreme shock in their eyes, there was the thrill of survival and an unprecedented gravity.

  "You should all know what a Class-B Secrecy ban implies. If any detail of Lance's combat you saw today leaks out, you will face a court-martial!"

  Raymond took a deep breath, his tone laced with grim murderous intent as he scanned the room. "Until the Guild makes a formal announcement, keep your mouths shut."

  The military officers and operators fell silent as cicadas in winter, nodding frantically.

  "President, Lance's location signal has been forcibly encrypted by the Central Intellect," Raymond said anxiously, looking at the blank main screen. "This means if he actually encounters danger, we won't even have the coordinates to rescue him!"

  President Alistair's phantom image sighed deeply, his eyes profound. "We can no longer interfere. Since he's been rated as A-Rank, it means he holds trump cards that even the Intellect marvels at. As long as he isn't foolish enough to provoke those sleeping old monsters, this planet shouldn't be able to keep him."

  "Class-B Authority... Even my mentor doesn't have the clearance to access those files." The old man shook his head helplessly.

  On the Surface.

  Lance had no idea he had become the Guild High Command's "Top Secret Object." He was following the tactical map on his [Retinal Combat Lens], steadily stepping into a zone marked "Yellow" for Moderate Danger.

  The map system, connected to the carrier's recon satellites, divided the terrain into four tiers:

  White Zone: Low-level Void Beast roaming area.

  Yellow Zone: Territory of [Silver Rank] (Tier 2) Lords.

  Orange Zone: Hunting grounds for [Gold Rank] (Tier 3) powerhouses.

  Red Zone: [Grandmaster] (Tier 4) Forbidden Lands.

  Lance leaped onto an ancient tree, its trunk thick enough to require several people to encircle. Standing in the shadows of the canopy, he slowly closed his eyes and began to perceive his surroundings.

  In an instant, the perspective in his sea of consciousness underwent a drastic change. The colorful primeval forest vanished, replaced by a deep, abyssal darkness. Within that darkness, red "Aether Fires" of varying intensities were densely distributed.

  These orbs of light were scattered across a radius of several kilometers. Those faint as fireflies were common beasts; those bright as lamps were Tier 1 Void Beasts. And several kilometers directly ahead, a crimson orb raging like a torch was devouring the surrounding energy.

  This was the additional sensory ability granted by his [SS-Rank Talent: Elemental Saint Body]—Spiritual Intuition.

  Currently, his sensory radius was stable at four kilometers.

  "The abilities of the [Elemental Saint Body] are truly perverse. I can not only pinpoint the exact coordinates of Void Beasts but even lock onto their weaknesses in advance through the frequency of their energy fluctuations."

  Lance gripped his [Alloy Warblade], a cold look of anticipation curling the corner of his mouth.

  "I wonder... aside from making me nearly immortal, does the [SSS-Rank Talent: Undying God-Body] hide similar 'divine' abilities not described by the system..."