A deafening roar crashed down from the apex of the sky.

  The terrifying soundwave swept across the earth instantly. Forests for kilometers around trembled under the pressure, leaves falling like rain.

  System Alert: High-energy biological reaction detected!

  Warning: Gold Rank - Intermediate Void Beast has entered radar warning zone. Please execute tactical retreat immediately!

  Warning: Repeat, target has locked onto this vessel!

  Ear-piercing electronic alarms blared throughout the entire Aerospace Carrier. On the deck, the faces of the surviving students turned deathly pale.

  Gold Rank - Intermediate? How could a monster of this level appear in the outer zone of the exam?

  "Dammit! Energy shields to full power! Now!"

  Director Raymond's face changed drastically as he roared, charging into the control room.

  Humm—!

  Following the command, the carrier blossomed with dazzling azure light, forming a thick, translucent protective barrier.

  Through the retinal main screen, Raymond saw the behemoth—a terrifying Griffin standing over thirty meters tall with a wingspan exceeding sixty meters. Its claws, crackling with lightning, tore through the void with a shriek and slammed viciously onto the shield.

  Crrrack!!!

  Before the absolute power of a Gold Rank - Intermediate beast, the transport ship's civilian-grade shield was as fragile as tissue paper. The moment the claws landed, the shield shattered into countless energy fragments. Immediately after, the Griffin's heavy strike slammed directly into the hull of the several-hundred-meter-long ship.

  Rumble—!

  Under the massive impact, the colossal Aerospace Carrier tumbled wildly across the wasteland like a broken ball. Inside the hull, weaker students suffered broken bones from the impact, blood flowing freely, and several lost vital signs on the spot.

  Roar—!

  The Griffin swooped down and landed. It raised a claw the size of a millstone in front of the hunk of metal, its eyes flashing with brutal light.

  Inside the control room, everyone fell into despair. Raymond clenched his fists tight. Even if the President of Silvermoon City arrived personally, facing a Lord-class flying Void Beast, escape from death would be difficult.

  "Are we going to die here?"

  Despair spread like a plague.

  SKREEE—!!!

  Just as the Griffin was about to deliver the killing blow, an eardrum-piercing dragon cry exploded from the distant horizon.

  BOOM!!!

  A pillar of destruction, black as ink, tore through the sky and bombarded the Griffin's body with pinpoint accuracy.

  Roar—!

  The powerful Gold Rank Griffin didn't even have time to scream. Within that black light filled with the aura of annihilation, it was instantly molecularized and dissolved into nothingness.

  The sudden turn of events left everyone in the control room dumbfounded. Then, a deeper fear enveloped them.

  "Insta-kill... It insta-killed a Gold Rank - Intermediate Griffin?"

  "That was a Dark-attribute energy beam. Is it the taboo creature of this planet—the Thunder Dragon King? No, the Thunder Dragon King is Lightning-attribute!"

  "Does... Hunting Planet X-10 hide an existence even more terrifying than the Thunder Dragon King?"

  While everyone was still reeling in terror, minutes ticked by, but the source of the black light never appeared.

  A few minutes later, the carrier's damage broadcast echoed through the cabin:

  Registered Quasi-Professional approaching hull... Current Carrier damage 70%. Tractor System malfunction. Unable to execute auto-retrieval.

  Lance was alive?

  "Quick! Find a way to get him up here! Send an emergency distress signal to Silvermoon City immediately!"

  Raymond trembled with excitement. If Lance was alive, it meant that even with heavy casualties in this exam, Planet Silvermoon had preserved its most precious seed!

  He pushed open the twisted cabin door and stumbled out.

  However, the sight that greeted him froze him in place. Lance was standing casually atop a pile of ship wreckage, wrapped in a makeshift cloak sewn from the hide of a Silver Tier, Rank 3 Void Beast.

  "Director, what happened? How'd the ship get trashed like this?" Lance asked with an "innocent" look.

  "...We just encountered a Gold Rank Void Beast attack. Luckily, a more powerful creature passed by and killed it. Are you alright?" Raymond suppressed the shock in his heart.

  However, when he habitually activated his Retinal Combat Lens, the data feedback made his pupils constrict.

  Scan Analysis: Target Cloak Material — Silver Tier, Rank 3, Berserk Mountain Bear Hide.

  Berserk Mountain Bear? That was a ferocious beast with strength rivaling the peak of Silver Rank. And Lance was wearing its skin as clothes?

  A storm raged in Raymond's heart. Only fifteen years old, yet not only surviving the beast horde but counter-hunting a Tier 3 Void Beast. This potential had likely touched the threshold of A+ or even S-Rank!

  As for the fist-sized, three-headed black lizard on Lance's shoulder, he merely glanced at it, dismissing it as some peculiar pet Lance had picked up.

  "If a monster-level genius like this had been discovered by the Capital earlier, his current strength would be unimaginable." Raymond sighed inwardly. In his eyes, Lance was perhaps the kind of hidden genius who concealed his talent due to humble origins.

  "Thanks for the concern, Director. I found a cave to hide in for the day. Got lucky, didn't get hurt," Lance lied with a smile.

  Raymond's mouth twitched. Hiding? You're wearing a bear skin and telling me you were hiding?

  "Since you're safe, don't call me Director anymore. With your strength, you'll likely surpass me soon," Raymond smiled bitterly. "If you don't mind, just call me Raymond."

  "Sure thing," Lance agreed readily, skipping the polite refusal.

  "You're going to be famous when we get back," Raymond lowered his voice. "I've already received internal requests from Chief Inspectors of several major provinces. Some are even willing to offer a hundred million Credits in annual cultivation funds and top-tier resources. Do you want to join them?"

  "Join another province?" Lance shook his head. "A hundred million a year is tempting, but I think staying here is fine too."

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  With his current hunting efficiency, a hundred million credits was just a matter of killing one or two high-tier Void Beasts. No need to be someone else's high-level wage slave.

  "Wise choice." Raymond patted his shoulder approvingly. "Our Morton Province's Chief Inspector isn't just anyone. He's one of the recognized Seven Grandmasters of Planet Silvermoon. The treatment he offers won't be any worse."

  "Seven Grandmasters?" Lance paused slightly.

  The population of Planet Silvermoon was dozens of times that of the Mother Planet, governing over thirty provinces. The Chief Inspector of each province was at least a powerhouse who had Surpassed Gold Rank (Innate Limit).

  Above these powerhouses, only a very few could complete the "First Transformation of True Qi," sublimating Source Mana into "Grandmaster True Essence." This sublimation was a qualitative leap, boosting destructive power instantly by tenfold! Only seven people on the entire planet had stepped into that realm.

  HUMM—!!!

  Suddenly, an extremely heavy spatial pressure descended from the sky.

  Lance frowned, looking up sharply at the clouds.

  A black behemoth, fully ten thousand meters in diameter and shrouded in a protective shield of countless flickering blue runes—The Morton Warship—slowly lowered its altitude like a floating city.

  The massive shadow instantly eclipsed the earth for kilometers around.

  "That's a Tier 4 Interstellar Battleship..." Lance couldn't help but marvel. In his previous life, weapons of this level only existed in sci-fi movie concepts.

  "That is Chief Inspector Silas Stuart's vessel!" Raymond exclaimed in excitement.

  A massive blue tractor beam instantly enveloped the entire damaged carrier and all survivors. Under the suffocating traction force, they were sucked into the belly of the leviathan.

  Minutes later, inside The Morton Warship.

  Lance was led by a Gold Rank guard into an extremely vast, oppressive chamber. In the center, an old man floated in the void with his eyes closed, the space around him seeming to warp slightly due to his presence.

  Levitation... A Grandmaster powerhouse.

  Lance's pupils constricted slightly as he subtly pulled up his panel:

  User Status Panel

  Name: Lance

  Current Rank: Silver Tier, Rank 9

  Soul Rank: Silver Tier, Rank 7

  Constitution (CON): 951 (Approx. 285 tons Explosive Force)

  Soul: 705

  Contract Beast: Noir (Gold Tier, Rank 9)

  In less than a day, Lance's strength had undergone another massive leap. He was just one step away from advancing to Gold Rank and condensing Innate Source Power.

  Yet even so, facing this Grandmaster figure who had completed the "First Transformation" of Source Power, he still felt a level suppression. The gap between Grandmaster Rank 1 and Gold Rank Rank 9 was a tenfold energy chasm!

  Suddenly, Silas Stuart, sitting above, opened his eyes. Two rays of light, sharp as lightning, shot straight at Lance.

  An overwhelming Grandmaster pressure descended instantly. It was clearly a test.

  Lance straightened his spine, bearing the crushing pressure capable of pulverizing steel, his mind racing: The System says once I truly step into Grandmaster, all my supreme talents will undergo a qualitative change...

  By then, who will be the true superior?

  Lance felt a spark of anticipation in his heart.

  "You must be Lance. To think your rank has already reached Bronze Tier, Rank 3 at this age... truly, heroes emerge from the young!"

  Sensing that Lance could steadily withstand his mental pressure—calibrated to the level of Bronze Tier, Rank 5—the undisguised delight on Chief Inspector Silas Stuart's aged face was evident.

  At this age, with this strength, Lance was almost on par with Silas's own peak years. Keep in mind, although Silas didn't come from a top interstellar noble house, his parents were both Gold Rank powerhouses. The resources poured into him since childhood were far beyond what a kid from the slums like Lance could compare to.

  From this perspective, Lance's talent had already surpassed his own.

  Of course, the only reason Silas perceived Lance as being at "Tier 3" was entirely due to the effect of the Elemental Saint Body. This supreme talent allowed Lance to blend perfectly into the flow of Aether. Not only did it accelerate his comprehension, but it also made the planetary energy fluctuations spontaneously mask his aura.

  If Lance wished, he could stand right in front of an enemy, and neither their senses nor the most precise detectors would be able to capture his presence.

  "You overpraise me, Chief Inspector. Compared to you, this junior's meager strength is far from adequate."

  Lance bowed slightly, his tone steady. This neither humble nor arrogant response made Silas pause for a moment before bursting into loud laughter.

  "Good kid! Actually using me as a benchmark. Not bad, you've got guts! With your potential, you indeed have a chance to surpass me in the future."

  Silas slowly descended to the ground, scrutinizing the young man before him, his expression gradually turning serious.

  "I made this trip personally to deliver two messages."

  "Please speak." Lance also put away his smile.

  "First, regarding your Paragon Trial rating certification." Silas clasped his hands behind his back. "Because your retinal records from the wilderness are incomplete, based on the fragmented footage, your actual combat power far exceeds the records. The Speaker takes this very seriously and specifically ordered me to verify it personally."

  Here, Silas gave Lance a teasing look. "I didn't expect you to hide so deeply, kid. If I hadn't tested you myself, your rating would probably be a whole tier lower."

  "Cough... The recording lens had a little 'glitch'. Sorry for the trouble, sir." Lance coughed dryly. He had turned off the lens to hide the System's secrets, so he had to make up an excuse.

  "No matter. I hereby officially set your rating to—A+ Rank: Elite Evaluation. In Federation history, every genius on Planet Silvermoon rated A+ has eventually grown to at least the Innate Limit, and most have stepped into the Grandmaster realm. I hope you will be the next."

  "I will do my best to reach Grandmaster as soon as possible." Lance nodded in promise. After witnessing the suppressive power of Grandmaster True Essence, his thirst for strength had only intensified.

  "Good! Since you have such ambition, let me tell you the second matter."

  Silas tapped the empty air, and a magnificent holographic star map instantly unfurled within the chamber.

  "The core territory currently ruled by our Human Federation is located in the Milky Way Galaxy. The Milky Way is a giant galaxy, administrating three thousand Intermediate Sectors. Each Intermediate Sector manages hundreds of thousands, or even over a million, life-bearing planets."

  With a wave of Silas's hand, the star map zoomed in, finally locking onto a stellar system burning with golden-crimson brilliance.

  "Our Silvermoon System is merely an insignificant, small-scale system belonging to the Solaris Intermediate Sector. Solaris governs seven hundred thousand sub-systems, totaling 1.3 million administrative planets."

  "And among these 1.3 million planets, favored children of heaven are as numerous as sands in the Ganges. Monsters who reach Gold Rank (Innate) at your age are everywhere."

  Silas waved his hand, turning the cabin walls transparent. It felt as if the two were standing in the center of the boundless starry sky. Looking at the dense points of light representing civilizations, Lance felt a surge of insignificance, followed immediately by boiling battle intent.

  "To cultivate these top-tier seeds, the Intermediate Ruler of Solaris—The Solaris Emperor—established a supreme academy on the main star: Solaris Academy."

  "For the geniuses on those 1.3 million planets, entering this academy is the ultimate glory. The academy's enrollment time happens to be the day after the Federal Unified Exam."

  Lance immediately understood the other's intent. "You mean, sir, you want me to participate in the selection for Solaris Academy?"

  "Correct." Silas nodded. "But as the pinnacle resource pool, its application conditions are extremely harsh. First, one must be under twenty years old; second, each planet can only send one candidate per term to participate in the final trial. After all, with 1.3 million planets, the Royal Family couldn't afford it if everyone went."

  "Ultimately, Solaris Academy only admits one hundred students per year. 'One in a million' isn't enough to describe the difficulty."

  Silas looked at Lance with a complex gaze. "Although your talent is a once-in-a-century occurrence for Planet Silvermoon, your opponents are all the elites under twenty on the planet. Currently, our star sector has seven A-Rank Geniuses and hundreds of B-Ranks. Most are from the Imperial Capital and possess the best resources. The strongest among them has already half-stepped into Gold Rank."

  "You are only fifteen; age is your disadvantage. However, The Speaker said that if you fail this year, treat it as broadening your horizons. Within the next five years, as long as you maintain this momentum, Planet Silvermoon's sole quota will belong to you. Once you are fortunate enough to be admitted, becoming a Planetary Rank Great Grandmaster in the future will be a given."

  Lance fell into thought. Competing against geniuses from over a million planets? Some even reaching Gold Rank at fifteen? That sounded a lot more interesting than rotting in Silvermoon City.

  "I understand. I accept this trial. But shouldn't registration for the selection have closed long ago?"

  "For ordinary people, it would indeed be too late." Silas smiled. "But The Speaker gave you special dispensation. Tomorrow morning at 0600 hours, all candidates from Planet Silvermoon will conduct the final Trial of Sovereignty aboard my ship, The Morton Warship. The winner will be personally escorted by me to the Solaris Main Star; the losers will be sent back to their hometowns."

  "Seems I have quite a bit of face." Lance smiled.

  "Additionally, in light of your A+ rating, the Federation reward has been deposited into your personal account. Including: 1 billion Credits, one Rank-4 Cultivation Method, two Rank-3 War Arts, a set of Rank-3 Alloy Weapons, and a Nano Combat Suit. You can check them after you return home."

  Silas gave his final instructions: "After you return, use these resources immediately to maximize your combat power. Remember, any top-tier selection trial comes with the risk of death. Survival is always priority number one."

  "Thank you, Chief Inspector."

  ...

  Lance received his Profession Badge. Crafted from Subspace nano-materials, this badge was a symbol of strength. Counterfeiting was strictly prohibited within the galaxy, punishable by immediate execution by the Guild.

  Looking at the dark purple badge in his hand, Lance sighed lightly. Without the System, the original owner likely wouldn't have touched the edge of this thing even until death.

  He put away the badge and returned to his home in Silvermoon City.

  "Beep—Identity verification passed. Welcome home."

  As the door opened and Lance stepped inside, he saw his sister, Lillian, jump up from the sofa.

  "Lance! Where have you been these past two days? Not even a message! I thought a pack of Void Beasts carried you off!"