Chapter 78: Psychic Power

“Did Yan Kuang tell you his name was Valerian?” Chi Zhonglin asked Ji Xinghuo, looking surprised.

“You know him?”

“I know him, but he doesn’t know me,” Chi Zhonglin shook his head. “This Valerian is not simple. If I’m not mistaken, he’s ranked over 350 on the Heavenly Ladder and has quite a reputation in the New Roman Empire. He’s very powerful too.”

Ji Xinghuo was also a bit surprised.

The Heavenly Ladder, often mentioned, is one of three rankings set by the ADC, positioned below the King’s List and the Legends List, but it gets the most attention.

There are only two criteria for making it onto the Heavenly Ladder: one must be under fifty years old and below the legendary rank.

Any extraordinary individual from any country or region can make the list if they’re strong enough. With a total of 10,000 slots, these individuals are considered the upcoming global elite. The higher the rank, the stronger the individual and the greater the chance of achieving legendary status.

Though 10,000 spots seem plenty, it represents only a small fraction.

Just within the Asia-Pacific Community alone, there are 150,000 superhuman beings. Adding other countries, the total could exceed half a million!

Out of every fifty superhumans, only one makes it onto the Heavenly Ladder.

Even the last person on the ladder has defeated 98% of other superhumans.

Moreover, not all on the ladder are superhumans. A few exceptional talents manage to get ranked even while still advanced beings. Zhao Manying is an example; even before she became a superhuman, her rank had already entered the top 300 last year.

There are many ways to make it onto the ladder, the simplest being to defeat someone already on it and take their place.

There is also an assessment system.

Individuals are evaluated across six categories: psychic abilities, star power, physique, martial skills, willpower, and external elements. Their overall combat effectiveness is calculated and compared.

The global ladder is updated daily. The ADC invests substantial funds to maintain update frequency and data accuracy, employing a massive professional team for information collection, data statistics, evaluation, analysis, and more, all to keep the ladder appealing.

The ladder hence enjoys extensive visibility, and the ADC easily recoups its investment through advertising.

Almost every exceptional individual aims to make it onto the ladder.

Ji Xinghuo turned to Ren Mian beside him; with Sister Ren’s capabilities, she’d definitely be in the top 500.

However, she’s not listed.

ADC’s information gathering falters in the Star Realm, and since Sister Ren doesn’t return to Earth, they can’t collect her data.

As for Chi Zhonglin and Jiangnan Caiyi, they are among the top-tier advanced individuals, stronger than many superhumans.

If they wanted to make the list, they likely could.

Ji Xinghuo guessed that the two could probably rank in the last 300 places on the ladder, just the reverse of Valerian’s ranking.

Yet, Valerian’s displayed power didn’t seem that strong.

Ji Xinghuo became even more certain that Valerian wasn’t being truthful.

“Ranked over 350, surely he’d have enough power to handle a few dozen first and second-tier Gekko people,” Chi Zhonglin speculated.

“Maybe his injury isn’t mild but severe?”

“Very likely.”

Ji Xinghuo nodded. Even after saving Valerian’s life, he wouldn’t reveal the true extent of his injury. Even if Ji Xinghuo hadn’t intervened, Valerian would have found a way to escape.

“Whatever Valerian’s hiding, it’s none of our concern,” Ren Mian halted the discussion. “Our target is Deep Rock Rift. We need to avoid contact with others as much as possible on the way there, especially avoiding conflicts with the North Luo Master Clan.”

“Understood, Sister Ren,” Chi Zhonglin responded.

Ji Xinghuo didn’t say more.

Deep Rock Rift was a whopping four thousand kilometers from Olympia, located at the easternmost edge of North Luo Master Clan territory. They had to cross dozens of the clan’s cities and settlements along the way, each step fraught with danger.

And being in enemy territory meant countless foes would pursue them once exposed.

Which is why Ren Mian needed him.

Ji Xinghuo knew his task was to lead the team, avoid North Luo Master Clan’s forces, minimize conflicts, and ultimately reach Deep Rock Rift.

As to what they’d do upon reaching the valley, Ren Mian hadn’t disclosed yet.

The team continued their journey.

Each day, they woke up to travel with only two or three rests in between. They’d camp at night and resume at dawn.

This continued for a total of fourteen Star Realm days, nearly a month in Earth terms.

The four travelers covered more than just four thousand kilometers as they often had to detour, avoiding cities and enemies, ultimately traveling over five thousand kilometers.

Despite recovering quickly, Ji Xinghuo was utterly exhausted after fourteen days of relentless travel, engaging magnetic field sensing throughout.

However, extensive use of magnetic field sensing also served as training, making him more adept at it and exceptionally familiar with magnetic signals, allowing him to discern more information.

Along the way, they encountered a few battles.

These involved fewer and weaker enemies, allowing them to quickly eliminate the threat and move on.

There were also numerous instances of monster hunting, which yielded some exotic species.

Ji Xinghuo’s psychic energy accumulated to over 230 points, not very high. His star power also saw a slight increase, reaching 390 points!

“We’ve finally arrived!”

The team stood on a cliff, looking ahead at a vast gorge stretching over hundreds of kilometers, resembling a fierce scar on the land.

Even from ten kilometers away, they could see its dark crevasses surrounded by jagged rocks, like a gaping maw waiting to devour.

Ji Xinghuo withdrew his gaze.

He glanced at his teammates. Apart from Ren Mian, who looked radiant as ever, both Chi Zhonglin and Jiangnan Caiyi appeared dusty and weary.

Of course, he felt the most exhausted, his mind almost numb.

“Xinghuo, you’ve worked hard.”

Ren Mian placed a white honeysuckle flower gently on Ji Xinghuo’s forehead, its coolness seeping into his mind, bringing much relief.

“We still have time today. Let’s rest and enter Deep Rock Rift tomorrow.”

Soon, the group set up camp a few kilometers from Deep Rock Rift, ate, and Ji Xinghuo along with two team members laid down to rest, guarded by Ren Mian.

They slept until late into the night. Ji Xinghuo woke up fully recovered, his spirits high.

“Sister Ren.”

Ji Xinghuo sat up and saw that both Chi Zhonglin and Jiangnan Caiyi were awake as well; they hadn’t exerted much during the journey and so had recovered even quicker.

“Awake?” Ren Mian smiled. “Come have some food.”

Jiangnan Caiyi was already feeding Qinghong, who hadn’t had much to eat during the past half-month on the road.

After eating, Ji Xinghuo finally asked, “Sister Ren, what’s our hunting target this time?”

Both Chi Zhonglin and Jiangnan Caiyi looked over.

They had been curious about this throughout the past half-month but Ren Mian had kept it confidential. Now that they were at Deep Rock Rift, could she tell them?

Ren Mian nodded slightly and spoke softly, “It’s a Chan Spirit.”

“What is a Chan Spirit?” Ji Xinghuo hadn’t heard of it, but he saw serious expressions settle on Chi Zhonglin and Jiangnan Caiyi’s faces—they clearly knew.

“A Chan Spirit is an offspring of the Ancient Magic Toad,” Ren Mian explained.

Ji Xinghuo’s complexion changed at this information.

The Ancient Magic Toad was known as one of the Star Gods, termed “The Oldest One,” “Toad of the Gods.” Though perhaps not as widely revered as the four major gods, he was nevertheless a significant figure, just a step behind them.

It was said that the Ancient Magic Toad was among the oldest of the Star Gods with powers that could potentially destroy a planet!

“Don’t worry too much; it’s just a regular Chan Spirit.”

Ren Mian appeared relaxed, explaining, “In the Star Realm, any toad-like species with intelligence claims to be a descendant of the Ancient Magic Toad. In reality, most have no blood relation to him.”

“Even if it really is a descendant of the Ancient Magic Toad, itu’s not a big deal.”

“Descendants of the Ancient Magic Toad are as numerous as stars in the sky—new ones are born daily, and old ones die. The god himself doesn’t care.”

“Our concern lies elsewhere.”

Ren Mian’s expression turned serious as she spoke.

“What is itu?” Ji Xinghuo asked.

“This Chan Spirit isn’t living alone,” Ren Mian explained. “It’s kept by the North Luo Master Clan. Beneath Deep Rock Rift lies a city of Gekko people. Apart from them, a portion of the other three tribes specially protects the Chan Spirit.”

Chi Zhonglin looked puzzled. “Why protect it?”

“This Chan Spirit lays tens of thousands of eggs annually. Among these, a few are anomalies—they can’t hatch but are a kind of expansion oddity.”

Ji Xinghuo and his teammates’ eyes lit up.

Expansion oddities!

This was something all exceptional beings longed for, never too much, always welcome.

“Chan Spirit eggs can incorporate an exotic species into oneself without any limit on ranks; each individual can use it just once,” Ren Mian said. “Not only do we need to secure Chan Spirit eggs enough for each of us, we also need to kill the Chan Spirit and harvest its exotic species.”

“A psychic exotic species?” Chi Zhonglin asked.

“Exactly,” Ren Mian nodded softly. “This top-tier Chan Spirit undoubtedly possesses ‘psychic power.’ I need this exotic type.”

Ji Xinghuo suddenly realized.

No wonder Sister Ren had led the team deep into North Luo Master Clan territory—it was all for psychic power!

Psychic power was an ultra-rare exotic type, also one of the most special. It was exceedingly rare.

Because it could unlock the door to cultivating mental powers!

On Earth, there’s a mighty professional archetype called “Psychic Strangers,” and its core exotic ability is psychic power.

Psychic power is a tool that can transform star power into an intangible mental force. Paired with “adjusting exotic abilities,” it reshapes and controls various forms of energy.

Psychic Strangers have many subdivisions.

Common ones include Thermal Strangers, Kinetic Strangers, and Sonic Strangers. Less common are Electric Field Strangers, Optical Strangers, and Nuclear Strangers, among others.

Each subdivision manipulates different forms of energy.

Regardless of the subdivision, any Psychic Stranger possesses power far beyond ordinary professions.

Moreover, Psychic Strangers rarely specialize in psychic power alone; most combine it with various other professional templates, forming advanced professions!