“Right now, you guys should be assured of my strength, right?”

Han Xiao snapped his fingers, and the mechanical suit folded and contracted, merging into his body.

Joey took a breath, suppressing his frustration of being beaten up, before seriously speaking.

“… You’re indeed the strongest Beyond Grade A I’ve ever seen, but what you need to do is far from what can be achieved with an individual’s power. It may be okay for you to protect yourself, but others don’t have your ability. It’s too difficult to unite the entire Beyond Grade A class and become a force on par with the three Universal Civilizations!”

“At the core, you’re just unwilling to even bear the slightest risk.” Han Xiao pursed his lips.

Joey spoke in a low voice. “I witnessed the entire Tragedy of the Pinnacles. The three Universal Civilizations are not doing anything now not because they’re really afraid of you. Don’t be fooled by the current stalemate. The current strength of the Beyond Grade A Association is not enough to compete against the three Universal Civilizations on the same level, and they’re just looking for low-cost solutions to their problems. If they do not care about the consequences, the three Universal Civilizations truly have the power to destroy the current explored universe, turning it into a barren land.”

Han Xiao lightly shook his head. “Spare me your alarmist talk. Unless the three Universal Civilizations go crazy, this sort of situation will never occur. Thus, your assumption is meaningless. Who would ask to be euthanized after getting a slight cold or flu? The most suitable option for us right now is to fight for peace.”

“The three Universal Civilizations allow Beyond Grade As to exist, but they do not want us to unite…” Joey hesitated before tentatively saying, “Since you’ve mastered this precious Sanctum Revival technique, why do you have to use it to carry out such a dangerous business? With your strength, you can be completely independent, treating the Sanctum Revival as a form of business. You can cooperate with the three Universal Civilizations and the various Beyond Grade As. In any case, the Sanctum Revival is only limited to one time, so everyone can be satisfied!”

Han Xiao stared at him for a while before speaking calmly. “Everyone has their own goals and ambitions.”

He did not think it surprising that Joey would have this mentality. Most of the hermits preferred to be alone, but they still wished to enjoy the benefits of the Sanctum Revival, without the risk of any danger.

“Is there really no way around this?” Joey appeared a little disappointed. After hiding for so many years, he did not wish to expose himself to the eyes of the advanced civilizations.

Han Xiao waved his hands without answering. His intention was obvious.

Joey paused for a while but did not give up, trying to persuade Han Xiao further.

“Black Star, if the three Universal Civilizations really manage to obtain the Sanctum Revival technology, then that will be the day they take action. The three Universal Civilizations will definitely try to monopolize this technology and will attempt to neutralize this advantage of the association. The three Universal Civilizations just have to get rid of you and then revive you before anyone else does in order to not be challenged any more… I feel that you should stop walking down this path.”

Han Xiao frowned and spoke in a slightly offended tone.

“Do I need you to remind me of such things? You might think that it would be safer to join the three Universal Civilizations after they have mastered the technology, but think about it. The three Universal Civilizations’ target of revival will not be as loose as ours. They will not think much of Beyond Grade As after gaining this huge weapon, so Beyond Grade As will only become a tool for them to unify, and if they are unwilling to become tools, then they will not be able to enjoy the benefit that is the Sanctum Revival.

“Why else do you think the association is resisting? Only when we exist can the Beyond Grade As still achieve the maximum freedom. If you don’t choose to bet and contribute your strength now, how long will you wait? To have to constantly look forward and backward, afraid of this and that, don’t be naïve. There’s no surefire method to win. If you have a need for the Sanctum Revival, then you have to give something up. If you’re not interested, then stop wasting my time and continue your own escape from reality. Obediently stay out of the way until the end of your life.”

Joey’s expression was twisted, his emotions tangled, as he dully replied, “I did not mean that. Could you give us some time to consider instead…”

Hearing this, Han Xiao no longer made any noise but took out a few secure communicators, throwing them toward the four. “This can allow you to connect to me directly. If you make up your mind, inform me. Right now, the situation is still stable, so you have a lot of time to consider. I hope to get a satisfactory answer. If you only choose to continuously shy away from the changes of the times, in the end, you can only passively accept the final results. If you don’t fight and pay for yourself, who else can you count on?”

Finished, Han Xiao waved his hand, recovering his army into the secondary dimensional army box before disappearing in place with a single teleport. He had no intention of returning to the Land of Four Gods as a guest.

Seeing this, Joey and his party could not help but stare at each other. After a long while, one of them said, “Is Black Star fed up with us?”

“Seems that way… Joey, you seem to have annoyed him.”

“He wouldn’t be offended, right?”

The four of them were concerned about their gains and losses.

Their feelings were very complicated. On one hand, they wished to avoid all risks, tagging behind Black Star to ask until they were confident that it was completely safe, but they were also worried that this sort of questioning would make him unhappy.

This was especially so since they had just seen the opponent’s combat power. They subconsciously shrank back at the mere thought.

Joey gripped the communicator and helplessly said, “Black Star is right. My request might be too much… Let’s discuss it ourselves first. We shall not disturb him.”

…

His vision blurred, and Han Xiao was teleported back to his office in Black Star Palace. He took off his mechanical suit, sighing.

“My trip was worthwhile… I just don’t know if they will agree.”

Stroking his chin, Han Xiao felt curious.

He had a lot of experience in interacting with Beyond Grade As. With such people who had no ambition or motivation, rather than settling things amicably, it was better to show off his strength and influence.

These people had stayed away from the world for too long a period and had no ambition. They were soft tempered, and trying to persuade them with nice ways would take double the work to achieve half the effort. On the contrary, a person with strong authority would instill a psychological tendency to make up their minds and settle on a decision in them.

He knew Joey well, that this person was the type that would only regret when things were too late. He was an indecisive person, so it would be basically impossible to convince the other party to join the association on the spot. Even if the discussion went well, the other party would hesitate and ask many questions. Instead, it would be better for him to develop a tough attitude, rule over their tendencies and let them worry about their own personal gains and losses themselves.

After all, the association was full of talents, and there was no urgent need for the four of them to join. He was not begging them; it was rather the other way around.

Han Xiao himself did not fancy the strength of the four but their identities.

“If they are willing to join, then this will indirectly send a signal to all the recluses in the secondary dimensions. Perhaps they will lead us to find more secluded hermits, increasing the momentum of the association.”

In his opinion, succeeding in this was a good thing, but it would not be much of a pity if he failed.

Han Xiao didn’t take this matter to heart, turning his head and opening his interface to turn in his mission.

_____________

You have received 65 billion experience.

You have received the talent ‘Secondary Dimension Adaptor’!

Secondary Dimension Adaptor: When battling in the secondary dimension world, you will gain bonuses of 3 – 6% in Attack, Resistance, Ability Strengthening, and all Attributes. This effect also applies to mechanical soldiers, summons, and subsidiaries.

_____________

“The effect is not bad. Three percent is better than nothing.”

Han Xiao nodded, just focusing on the lower limit of the stat boost.

A prompt also appeared, asking him to select a subject to extract an ability from.

Recalling his combat information, of the four of them, there were two Mages, a Psychic, and a Pugilist. Their Molding Talents likely fitted with their own Classes, so it was impossible to obtain. He simply chose Joey as his target to obtain an Intellect talent.

_____________

You have received the reward: Randomly draw an ability from Joey Terrain (Talent/Ability).

Remark: Joey Terrain is a Mage, not suitable for your Class, so the extracted skills will be appropriately adjusted.

Randomizing… complete!

Please select one from the five options below as the reward.

1. Melee Mastery – Talent: +1 Melee skills Level, +25% Melee attack power, +25% Melee attack frequency, +20% Melee parry rate. (As a qualified combat mage, it is reasonable to be good at melee)

2. Aura Wave—General Version – Ability: The commonly seen Super skill, by compressing one’s energy in the body then releasing it as a shock wave. The lethality is low, but it will give various negative statuses depending on one’s Energy Attribute. If one’s Class is a Pugilist, it will automatically be replaced by the Pugilist’s Shockwave Blast skill. Cooldown: 24s. Consumes 120 Energy.

3. Multiple Staff Strikes – Ability: When using a stick-based weapon (such as a Staff), you are able to unleash a continuous attack in an instant, gaining an extra 6 – 12% attack power bonus. The number of attacks depends on your DEX attribute, with a maximum of 12 times. Cooldown: 44s. Consumes 80 Energy and 270 Stamina.

4. Crisis Intuition – Talent: When you’re about to be attacked, you will receive a strong alert.

5. The Ancient Ones – Talent: A long life brings about precious spiritual wealth. +20% INT, +10% MYS, +2 all skill Levels.

_____________

“This…”

Han Xiao’s mouth twitched. He did not know what to choose.

[The Ancient Ones], why is it always you?

This talent keeps popping out. Just how much does it love me?

Do you really want me to become an ‘ancient one’‽

Han Xiao glanced at the other options but only felt that they were too offensive. He almost wanted to curse out at the fact that a mage could possess the talent [Melee Mastery], totally not respecting the fact that they were a paper Class!

The five options were a jumbled mess, and there was no need to hesitate in his choice.

_____________

You have chosen the talent [The Ancient Ones]!

_____________

A wave of coolness spread through his mind, and Han Xiao felt revitalized. He could feel that his thought processes had become a lot quicker, as though he had been through a comfortable massage.

Compared to the four hermits, this talent was his biggest gain in this trip. Finally, he managed to obtain a positive fate with [The Ancient Ones] talent, which he had missed out on many times.

This time, he no longer needed the Old Man Manison’s Character Summon Card to reach the power of his explosive state.

Moreover, the Character Summon Card would still be useful. This would be similar to having double Perfect Mechanical Sense, having multiple The Ancient Ones stacked…

“Yo, I’ve gained quite a bit.”

Han Xiao had an expression of happiness as he switched off his interface and sent a message to Oathkeeper, telling him the problem was solved.

Kotlin and Joey both gave him a slight surprise, but there was no danger in the end. Everything was handled smoothly without anything being revealed.

However, this also caused him to have a sense of urgency.

“The longer I wait, the easier it is for such accidents to happen. I need to speed up the efficiency of harvesting experience…”

Han Xiao took a look at the movements of the army players before opening the book titled ‘Cultivation of Leeks’…

“Right now, the scale of players is too big. There are no big movements in the army, and the daily missions are also limited. It will not be easy for players to gain experience… It seems that the best method would be to scatter some ‘fertilizer’ to create more jobs for the players, accelerating their acquisition of experience. At the same time, I probably have to improve the internal welfare system of the army to better harvest their labor output…”