Chapter 21: The Spirit Seed of Life

Ji Xinghuo had once thought if he could choose any career template, the Magnet Maniac would be in his top three, way above “Titanium Cobalt Draconian”.

He never imagined that one day it would come true!

Still, the path of the Magnet Maniac, though powerful, is much harder than other careers.

Its template consists of seven abilities.

Apart from “Thunder Hand” and “High-Frequency Thought,” the other four abilities are extremely rare and cannot be bought with money.

He would probably have to spend a lot of effort finding these abilities.

“Anyway, I’ll integrate the Rotating Magnetic Field tomorrow,” Ji Xinghuo carefully saved the exotic seed, feeling exhausted after a long day, and soon fell asleep.

The next day.

As soon as it was light, Ji Xinghuo was up and out the door.

He had slept well last night; his All-Seeing Pupil hadn’t detected any danger or anything unusual, and he didn’t notice anyone following him as he took a couple of turns around the city after leaving the hotel.

Ji Xinghuo had told Zhou Yi the day before that he planned to relax for a few days and wouldn’t report to the Sword Bureau just yet.

So, he had some time to prepare before running.

At 9 AM, Ji Xinghuo arrived at a large shopping mall in the heart of Chang’an City, located atop a hundred-story building packed with various stores and goods, bustling suspended streets, and sky gardens offering breathtaking city views.

Ji Xinghuo entered a store named “Celestial Brave”.

The store was elegantly decorated with a spacious, bright hall embracing modernist style, featuring a row of glass cases displaying various exotic seeds right at the entrance!

Celestial Brave is a well-known chain under the Asia-Pacific Community, specializing in exotic seeds and other precious oddities from the Star Realm.

Ji Xinghuo casually glanced around.

Just the seeds displayed had many at the exceptional level; their total value was about forty to fifty million.

The store was bustling with many customers, including aliens and ordinary people there to broaden their horizons.

Regardless of the customer type, the staff attended warmly to all, without discrimination, and allowed customers close access to the seeds upon request.

No one dared to harbor ill intentions.

In a corner of the main hall sat a woman with an expressionless face, her unnaturally pale skin and pitch-black pupils contrasted sharply with her pale eyes, her gaze sweeping around the store, indicating she was not to be messed with.

Ji Xinghuo glanced at her and then averted his eyes.

“Evil spirit.”

“Probably a super alien.”

Most of the store’s staff were aliens too, ranging from junior to senior levels, armed to form a team capable of venturing into the Star Realm.

Indeed, behind Celestial Brave was a large company specializing in Star Realm hunting.

“Sir, do you have a preferred exotic seed?” a female staff member approached to greet him.

Ji Xinghuo intended to get straight to the point but then said, “I’m just looking around, there might be something I like.”

The staff member remained enthusiastic. “May I know which type of seed interests you, sir?”

“Any type is fine.”

Ji Xinghuo pointed at a seed inside the counter and asked, “Can I feel this seed?”

“Of course.” The store promptly unlocked the counter, took out a seed resembling a red-hot coal, and handed it to Ji Xinghuo, cautioning, “Be careful, sir, it’s quite hot.”

Ji Xinghuo took the seed, feeling its searing heat.

At the same time, his All-Seeing Pupil displayed the seed’s information.

[Seed: Combustion]

[Grade: Exceptional]

[Integration Success Rate: 85%]

[Upgradeable: Yes]

“It is Combustion,” Ji Xinghuo thought, “the core ability of Flame Fury.” His second brother, Zhong Ming, was a Flame Fury.

The staff explained, “Sir, you are probably aware of the effects of Combustion?”

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

As the name suggests, Combustion involves internal burning.

Unlike typical burning, its fuel is star power and physical energy, trading for significant gains in strength, speed, and neural responses. The entire person becomes akin to an internal combustion engine, violently exerting power outward with top-ranking destructive power among all careers.

The star power consumption of Combustion is extremely high; a junior alien might not last even half a minute after activation.

Thus, a Flame Fury must defeat their opponent before the burning stops.

It’s either kill or be killed.

This ability shapes the Flame Fury’s combat style: if provoked, they burst into flames and pursue their target like a mad dog. They are not to be trifled with easily.

“Sir, our store’s ‘Combustion’ is top-quality, well-preserved. If you purchase it, we also offer integration services, and a special ointment for quick burn healing as a free gift…”

The store bustlingly promoted the seed.

Ji Xinghuo wasn’t particularly interested but listened patiently all the same.

His attention was on the [Integration Success Rate]—an astonishing 85%, indicating that if he wished, he too could become a Flame Fury.

“What are the integration success rates for other seeds?” Ji Xinghuo thought.

He was intrigued.

“Thank you,” he handed the seed back to the staff and indicated another seed he wished to examine.

The staff brought out the seed.

As Ji Xinghuo touched it, the information appeared again.

[Seed: Star Force]

[Grade: Exceptional]

[Integration Success Rate: 92%]

[Upgradeable: Yes]

Star Force is the core ability of a Martial Artist.

It allows an alien to finely control their star power, combining martial arts and power techniques to create various “forces” that enhance strength, speed, and burst, and can also be used for defense. It’s very versatile and has high potential.

Star Force seeds are relatively easy to obtain and extensively produced.

Moreover, the Martial Artist career template scores 39 points, offering a high cost-performance ratio with many advancement paths due to its low resource requirements.

Therefore, Martial Artists are the most numerous career.

According to ADC statistics, 12% of aliens are Martial Artists, ranking number one among all careers!

After examining the “Star Force” seed, Ji Xinghuo quickly returned it to the staff and then requested to view other seeds.

[Steel Bone] Integration Success Rate: 76% [Hound’s Sniff] Integration_Success Rate: 68% [Molten Hand] Integration_Success Rate: 66% [Steadfast Will] Integration_Success Rate: 80% [Muscle Memory] Integration_Success Rate: 77% [Flash Step] Integration_Success Rate: 95%.

Ji Xinghuo sequentially examined over a dozen seeds, trying each one in turn.

He noticed something unusual.

Not one seed had an integration success rate below 65%, and most were above 75%, with rates over 80% being the most common.

There was decidedly something amiss!

Whether it’s ADC or the Star Realm Department’s research, both came to the same conclusion: the average success rate for random combinations of two seeds is only about 20%.

With his skillful hands, why was there such a high rate of success?

Could it be due to the All-Seeing Pupil?

Moreover, the success rates provided by the All-Seeing Pupil seemed to hint at a secret rule: the higher the success rate of a seed, the more potent its effects after integration!

Conversely, seeds with lower success rates, even after integration, would not yield additional effects.

“Does the success rate indicate compatibility?”

Ji Xinghuo was profoundly shaken.

If this rule was correct, it meant the All-Seeing Pupil could guide him along an optimal evolutionary path, completely freeing him from the constraints of a career template!

The integration success rate has nothing to do with the quality of the seed.

He could directly choose the seed with the highest success rate for integration.

Both “Star Force” and “Flash Step” had integration success rates above 90%. Especially “Flash Step,” at an impressive 95%, and yet it was just a basic ability.

“Given this situation…”

Ji Xinghuo’s thoughts raced. “Could it be that the most suitable path for me isn’t a specific career template but rather an unorthodox alien?”

He continued his thoughts while asking the staff to keep bringing out seeds.

While the staff met all of Ji Xinghuo’s requests, a hint of suspicion appeared in her eyes. The stationed evil spirit also cast a watchful glance, slightly furrowing her brow.

“That’s enough, thank you.” Not wanting to cause too much commotion, Ji Xinghuo stopped examining the seeds.

The female staff breathed a sigh of relief. “Sir, do you have a seed in mind?”

“No.”

Ji Xinghuo shook his head, causing the staff to look disappointed, but his next words immediately filled her with immense joy. “Please give me a Life Spirit Seed. I’d like to buy one.”

“Life Spirit Seed!” The staff member was momentarily stunned before regaining her composure, happily saying, “Certainly, sir, please follow me.”

Nearby customers overheard their conversation and cast envious glances at Ji Xinghuo.

The Life Spirit Seed is a capacity-expanding oddity!

An alien can only integrate one seed per evolutionary step, but capacity-expanding oddities break this limit.

The Star Realm produces many such oddities.

The Life Spirit Seed has the highest production rate, the most common, and is the only capacity-expanding oddity most aliens will encounter in their lifetime.

It allows an alien to integrate an additional seed, usable only once per person and ineffective for super aliens and higher ranks.

It’s also the most affordable of the capacity-expanding oddities.

However, “affordable” is relative to other capacity-expanding oddities. The price of the Life Spirit Seed remains stable at eight million Asia dollars.

As long as one can afford it, many aliens buy a Life Spirit Seed to quickly enhance their strength.

Ji Xinghuo hadn’t dared to hope for one.

The ten million given by Xia Qingyu, though left without a message in the letter, could be guessed to intend for Ji Xinghuo to purchase a Life Spirit Seed.

Naturally, this was under the assumption that he had become an alien.

Ji Xinghuo followed the staff into the VIP reception room of “Celestial Brave.” Soon, the store manager appeared and, after Ji Xinghuo paid eight million Asia dollars, promptly handed over the Life Spirit Seed.

The Life Spirit Seed looked like a golden seed.

It was only as big as a little finger. Despite its small size, Ji Xinghuo felt the surging vitality within, somewhat similar to a seed.

“If Mr. Ji would like to transport the spirit seed, we will prepare a portable refrigeration box for you,” the store manager offered warmly.

“No need.”

Ji Xinghuo tossed the Life Spirit Seed into his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp before saying, “Please prepare a cultivation room for me.”

“Certainly, certainly.”

The store manager personally escorted Ji Xinghuo to the door of a luxurious cultivation room.

After entering, Ji Xinghuo looked around to ensure there were no hidden cameras, then sat down in the center. He waited a moment—the Life Spirit Seed had been completely digested and absorbed, and a hunger similar to an empty stomach emerged.

This meant he could integrate another seed.

He took out the Rotating Magnetic Field’s seed and without hesitation, tossed it into his mouth, swallowing it down his throat in one smooth motion.

It was like swallowing a flavorless jelly.

The integration method for the Rotating Magnetic Field seed was the simplest—ingestion. A few minutes later, changes began!