Compared to the team competition rewards, the individual competition rewards were far more generous, both in quality and quantity.
Especially for Lin Yuan, who secured the global first place, the rewards were indeed substantial.
"Mr. Lin Yuan, if you have any questions about the items on the reward list, feel free to ask me."
Standing beside him was a woman in a pink dress, her graceful demeanor made one naturally feel a sense of goodwill.
The reward list contained fifty items.
There were high-tech weapons, spacecraft, and other advanced equipment.
There were also evolutionary paths and techniques, like the 'Purple Thunder' path practiced by the Thunder God, a path that once dominated the Azure Wave Star.
Furthermore, there were cosmic 'wonders,' starry 'treasures,' and rare 'spiritual items.'
Lin Yuan, as the champion of the individual competition, could select five items with priority.
This meant that the fifty items on the list had to wait for Lin Yuan to choose before other evolving participants could make their choices.
According to the tournament rules, the first place could choose five items, the second and third places could choose three items each, and the fourth to tenth places could choose one item each.
"Which five should I choose?" Lin Yuan pondered quickly.
To be honest, Lin Yuan wanted all fifty items on the list.
Each was worth millions and was not something money alone could buy due to citizen restrictions and other limitations.
Even if Lin Yuan couldn't use them, he could sell them, and many would be willing to pay a premium.
"Third-tier genetic serum? I don't need it."
"Fourth-tier railgun? Also unnecessary."
Continuing to eliminate options, Lin Yuan finally confirmed his five choices.
1: Fourth-tier Life Fruit.
This cosmic wonder contained a vast amount of life force.
For evolvers below the fifth tier, no matter how severe their injuries, as long as their soul remained intact, consuming the Life Fruit could quickly restore them.
It's considered a life-saving treasure.
Even for fifth-tier evolvers, this fruit has some effect, as long as the injury isn't fatal.
Lin Yuan chose the Life Fruit to prepare for extreme situations, so he could have something to rely on if injured.
Moreover, in the Universal Human Alliance, the Life Fruit held stable value, always in high demand.
2: Soul defense treasure 'Soul Suppression Bell.' This bell could guard one's soul, effectively defending against other soul attacks or disturbances.
The soul is vital in determining whether one belongs to the human race in the Universal Human Alliance.
For example, certain cosmic prodigies who have seized the powerful body of a special lifeform, or offspring of great figures who have switched to stronger bodies—their soul remains constant, determining their identity.
3: Nine Li Liquid.
This liquid could significantly enhance physical strength for evolvers below the fourth tier.
Just like the soul, the body is equally essential.
Nine Li Liquid costs around fifty billion in the human Mall app and gets snapped up as soon as it appears.
4: Soul Nourishment Jade.
Wearing this jade long-term can subtly strengthen the soul.
For the fifth item, Lin Yuan chose a sixth-tier evolutionary method.
This method, originating from another life-bearing planet, was described as beneficial for his martial path cultivation system, helping to fill its gaps.
If Lin Yuan were to purchase it directly, each evolutionary method would cost billions, and this sixth-tier method was among the finest of the fifty items.
"That's all," Lin Yuan said, returning the reward list to the woman in the pink dress.
"Alright," she replied softly but added before leaving, "By the way, Mr. Lin Yuan, in a while, there might be news from the Crimson Leviathan Star Domain."
Lin Yuan nodded.
Before his third traversal, the Goddess of Wisdom had informed him that this tournament might catch the eye of the Crimson Leviathan Star Lord—a paramount figure who governs an entire Star Domain.
The Azure Wave Star, where Lin Yuan resided, was among the millions of life-bearing planets governed by the Crimson Leviathan Star Domain.
The Goddess of Wisdom's explanation was vague, only hinting that Lin Yuan could get noticed by the Crimson Leviathan Star Lord, but even such attention might not provoke any reaction.
After Lin Yuan made his choice, the other evolvers began to select in order.
"I’ll choose these three."
Fang Qing spoke, though there was a slight disappointment in his tone.
He had secured second place in this tournament, right after Lin Yuan.
Despite that, Fang Qing felt a sense of inadequacy.
The disparity between his and Lin Yuan’s strength was too vast.
If Thunder God or Yang Wei had obtained second place, he might have accepted it and felt hopeful about surpassing them.
The white-bearded elder sitting on his shoulder shook his head, "Young Fang, you shouldn't blame yourself. Lin Yuan might seem talented, but the evolutionary path he's following cannot compare to the 'Ancient God' path."
"He might be ahead now, but in ten or even hundreds of years, you will surpass him. You have the qualifications to cultivate the ‘Ancient God’ path and with my guidance, there’s hope for you to step into the sixth tier."
"And Lin Yuan? He'll likely be stuck at the sixth-tier barrier, and then you can have your revenge."
The old man comforted, though truth be told, he wished he could swap disciples, finding Lin Yuan more promising.
But, the 'Ancient God' path's inheritance once selected, couldn't change, so the old man's only path was to guide Fang Qing.
“Indeed.”
“Being stronger now doesn’t mean anything.”
“What matters is the future, the long-term.”
“As long as I can step into the sixth tier, roam the starry seas, and strike down stars, that would be far more satisfying.”
Fang Qing exhaled deeply, suddenly feeling hopeful about his future.
Time flowed by.
News of the Azure Wave Star tournament quickly spread among surrounding life-bearing planets.
A fourth-tier evolver had emerged, something unheard of for tens of thousands of years.
On a medium life-bearing planet, like the Azure Wave Star, the probability of a fourth-tier evolver being born under a hundred years of age was almost zero.
Only on the higher-tier life-bearing planets or star domain main planets was this likelihood greater.
At the Azure Wave Star's ship landing area, a beautiful woman stepped out.
In this interstellar era, appearances hardly differed among men and women.
Thanks to genetic correction or advanced cosmetic procedures with no side effects, everyone could look their best.
However, this woman wasn't just stunning; she bore a special allure that made men want to conquer her.
“Who would’ve thought a remote planet could produce a fourth-tier under a hundred?” This captivating woman had just disembarked from a ship when a floating vehicle awaited her.
“The mission this time is to entice this fourth-tier talent, to influence him as much as possible…”
Thoughts raced through the woman's mind.
Direct assassination involved a huge cost.
To kill a fourth-tier, a fifth-tier strength was needed.
If a fourth-tier attempted, they wouldn’t be able to kill the target instantly, and the planetary defense energy cannons would arrive in seconds.
Only a fifth-tier could succeed, but they'd be shredded by the planet's defense system and the arriving human experts.
Thus, assassinating a human fourth-tier genius required sacrificing a fifth-tier's life.
Moreover, this fifth-tier would need to infiltrate human society with a complete, legal identity to even approach the target—a task a hundred times harder than raising a fifth-tier expert.
The human Federation's three goddesses weren't to be underestimated.
To bypass their information blockade, any alien race paid a steep price.
So, unless dealing with the founders of advanced evolution paths, alien races rarely resorted to assassination.
It was considered a last resort.
There were countless other methods without turning to murder.
Water Moon District, Residence No. 32
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, contemplating the ‘Pagoda’ evolution path.
The Pagoda path, a sixth-tier evolution method, hailed from Pagoda Star, a higher-tier life-bearing planet.
It was the very path Lin Yuan chose during the tournament.
“Truly profound.”
He pondered this path.
[With your heaven-defying comprehension, you are constantly improving the martial evolution path by understanding the Pagoda evolution path.]
[With your heaven-defying comprehension, you are constantly improving the martial evolution path by understanding the Pagoda evolution path.]
[With your heaven-defying comprehension, you are constantly improving the martial evolution path by understanding the Pagoda evolution path.]
With such extraordinary comprehension, Lin Yuan progressed every moment.
Studying other advanced evolution methods accelerated his understanding.
"Even such a profound path cannot exceed the sixth-tier limitation," Lin Yuan sighed.
Advancing from the sixth to seventh tier was a significant hurdle for both evolution paths and evolvers.
"Forget it."
"Perhaps a walk will clear my mind."
Rising from his underground training hall, Lin Yuan decided to stroll through the Water Moon District's garden.
The luxurious garden boasted flowers from every season, uplifting any observer’s mood.
Since it was early morning, the garden was nearly empty, providing a peaceful environment.
Suddenly, a beautiful woman approached from the opposite direction, seemingly also a resident of the district.
"Hmm?"
Lin Yuan had a peculiar feeling, as if being watched, prompting him to glance at the woman several times.
He looked once.
Again.
And again.
Stopping altogether, he watched the woman's departing figure.
"Men," mused the woman, sensing Lin Yuan’s gaze without turning around.
She deliberately chose this timing to create the illusion of a chance meeting with Lin Yuan.
Her race practiced a unique charm technique, naturally garnering the affection of the opposite gender.
As she walked, she unknowingly utilized this charm.
Consequently, the fourth-tier genius was mesmerized to the point of stopping in his tracks.
This bolstered her confidence for the next steps.
For dealing with these brilliant young human talents, sapping their will was the best approach.
It was far easier and more fulfilling than outright assassination.
[With your heaven-defying comprehension, you've identified an unknown 'charm technique' from observing an unknown life form.]
“Unknown ‘charm technique’?” Lin Yuan pondered.
He soon realized this technique likely wasn't something the human race could perform.
"If it's a technique humans can't employ, how did she do it?” he wondered.
Convinced the beautiful woman used the unknown charm on him, he wouldn't have sensed and understood it so fully otherwise.
"If there’s a problem, consult the Goddess," Lin Yuan thought.
Returning home, he connected to the Goddess of Wisdom, uploading the unknown technique.
Moments later, a response came.
"Honored citizen Lin Yuan, this 'charm technique' belongs to the Flower Spirit Race, crafted from their bloodline talents combined with related secret arts to form a high-level 'charm technique' that can bewilder the mind."
The Goddess's explanation was clear.
“Flower Spirit Race?” Lin Yuan squinted slightly.
This race, a plant-like lifeform, was known to be adversaries of the human race.
Skilled in disguise and mind manipulation, they often infiltrated human civilization as spies.
“That woman must be an alien, a member of the Flower Spirit Race,” Lin Yuan considered, recalling the woman he encountered in the garden.
Given the Universal Human Alliance's myriad life-bearing planets and high-end districts, her presence near Lin Yuan likely wasn't coincidence.
"Is it because of the tournament exposure?" Lin Yuan mused internally.
Revealing his fourth-tier prowess was a decision made after consulting the Goddess of Wisdom.
Her explanation was that a young fourth-tier human talent would indeed attract alien attention but not enough to place them on an assassination list.
The most they'd face would be temptation and seduction, and forearmed wisdom from the Goddess should avert trouble.
More, Lin Yuan’s display of fourth-tier strength could catch the attention of the Crimson Leviathan Star Lord, potentially leading to significant opportunities and benefits.
"The risk isn't high. The chance of fortune is substantial," was Lin Yuan's reason for showcasing his strength.
"Discovering an alien among us..."
Lin Yuan's thoughts raced.
This alien presence could very well yield benefits for him.
Tracking this alien might reveal more hidden foes.
Plus, these infiltrators surely carried many treasures.
Lin Yuan stood to gain amidst the confusion.
"Forget it. No need to mingle with these shadows."
Resolute, Lin Yuan promptly contacted the Goddess of Wisdom.
"Goddess of Wisdom, I have something to report."
Urging for monthly votes!
(End of Chapter)