Chapter 1272 Progress and Acciden
The news of the return of the Immortals spread like wildfire. In this current situation, this matter had received much more attention, with many organizations secretly in awe.
There were tens of millions of Immortal Grade B Supers, and no one could ignore this strength, especially if a few million of them belonged to the Black Star Army. This made many of the large organizations, including the three Universal Civilizations, more vigilant. They were worried that the Black Star Army would take major action after the return of their powerful armed forces.
However, these organizations soon heaved a sigh of relief as they saw the Immortals just going about their daily tasks, without any huge changes in their schedules.
It was just that every time after they disappeared, the strength of these Immortals would grow. This was a law that had been discovered. Many of the top organizations had confirmed this through the intelligence that the Immortals strength was still growing, which led them to feel concerned.
While they were only at the Grade B realm, their strength was already terrifying. Every organization knew that if the Immortals continued to grow, it would inevitably impact the existing universe's structure and produce unknown effects, which was not good.
Furthermore, the current galactic society was now also aware of the Sanctum Revivals, and thus, they unconsciously linked it to the immortal nature of the players.
On the internet, public anger, which had begun to cool down, once again flared up. The galactic residents discussed recent events, giving rise to much speculation. There were rumors that the reason Black Star had mastered the Sanctum Revival was precisely because he discovered some clues from the Immortals.
The speculation was reasonable, and got the widest acceptance, making countless people feel that they had stumbled across the secret of Black Star.
For a period of time, almost all organizations in the universe started to offer more generous conditions for the Immortals, enthusiastic to win them over so as to research the Sanctum Revivals through them.
However, with the lessons learned through the collapse of the Limitless Financial Group, as well as the version name being called Black Star's Era, most players rejected the olive branches that the small and medium sized organizations offered and instead transferred over to the Black Star Army. The army once again ushered in a period of members skyrocketing.
As the saying went, better late than never. Because of certain factors, many players had already missed out several versions with the Black Star Army. Now that the new version had just opened, it was a good opportunity for them to start afresh, and many of them did not wish to throw away this opportunity.
The movements of the players attracted the attention of the entire universe, and countless organizations paid attention to this covetously yet fearfully.
…
In the territory of the Black Star Army, on the rocky, mountain-like surface, two figures were fighting each other at an extreme speed, leaving a series of afterimages. Each of their collisions resulted in a ring of compressed air exploding.
This was a secret training ground hidden on a barren planet.
Bang bang bang!
The two slammed into each other, much like an earth dragon rampaging amid the ground, kicking up choking sand and dust. Their Pugilist auras shot everywhere, exploding rocks and mountains alike.
Suddenly, the figure wearing heavy training armor seemed to have discovered a flaw in the opponent, raising his elbow before condensing his Pugilist flames at the point of contact. This skewed the opponent's defensive posture, and taking advantage of this short opportunity, a sharp leg whip swept across like a tomahawk, creating a sonic boom from the speed alone as it closed the distance to the opponent's chest in the blink of an eye.
Bang!
A silver figure was thrown out like a cannonball, smashing through three mountains before embedding deeply in the fourth. There was a loud bang as the rocks surrounding it crumbled, leaving behind a deep pit filled with smoke and dust.
"…Good fight."
The silver figure shook himself, and the hill was blasted to pieces, turning into a rain of rocks.
He suspended himself in midair, his body akin to flowing mercury. The depression made in his chest was quickly recovering. This person was Silver Shadow.
His opponent did not pursue the attack, taking off his helmet to reveal an honest face. It was none other than Karlot.
Silver Shadow flew in front of Karlot and nodded. "Your progress is getting faster. It has been little more than a year, yet the current you can probably beat three of the you from a year ago. Within the Calamity Grade, your abilities are pretty good."
"Am I that good?" Karlot scratched his head. He was a little embarrassed as he was used to being the worst performing.
"Your Pugilist potential is something I've rarely seen in my life. Given time, I'm sure your achievements will be higher than mine," Silver Shadow said emotionally.
He had suppressed his strength to the Calamity Grade to battle with Karlot, but the latter's performance completely surprised him, giving him immense pressure.
Initially, when Black Star had asked him to come teach Karlot, Silver Shadow was a little unwilling, but after a year of guidance, all negative thoughts had flown out of the window.
Karlot's abilities soared upward at an incredible speed. If he was only an ordinary Calamity Grade in the past, right now, he was near the boss level, and this change only happened within a year!
Silver Shadow could feel a sort of Beyond Grade A potential coming from Karlot, so instead of rejecting his teaching, he instead became even more dedicated, almost unreservedly imparting his Pugilist experiences to Karlot. If Karlot became a Beyond Grade A, it would be a good thing for him too.
Black Star had a wide range of connections and had no shortage of friends who were experts in the Pugilist system. However, he actually gave such a good opportunity to Silver Shadow. Thus, Silver Shadow could not help but feel grateful to Han Xiao, thinking that Black Star was supporting him.
However, Silver Shadow devoted himself to teaching Karlot not just entirely out of goodwill of cultivating a younger generation. He was also extremely compatible with Karlot in terms of personality, and they got along very well.
"It's because you have taught me well." Karlot smiled in an honest manner.
"It's not entirely my credit. You have to thank Black Star as well. His vision is truly too precise, and if he had not taught me how to guide you, I probably would not have a clue." Silver Shadow shook his head.
Because Han Xiao had seen through Karlot's growth mechanism in the interface, he had asked Silver Shadow to conduct targeted training, specifically explaining each Pugilist concept before training at high intensities. The result was that they achieved double the results with half the effort, creating this remarkable achievement of allowing Karlot to improve by leaps and bounds.
According to the original growth trajectory, Karlot was a late bloomer, but the main reason was that he was not clear about his own characteristics, so he could only slowly explore and accumulate, wasting a lot of time. If there was a targeted exercise for him at the very beginning, perhaps Karlot's rise to power would have been much faster.
If they were to compare, Karlot was similar to the famed Hero Guo [1. Guo Jing, also known as Hero Guo, is a fictional character from Jin Yong's novel "Legend of the Condor Heroes"], hiding outstanding talent under his simple and honest appearance. Both of them also did not meet the right teacher at the beginning, wasting too much time. If they had practiced the correct method from the beginning, their combat strength would have long soared and solidified.
Because the interface could list one's advantages and disadvantages, in terms of training, there was no one in the universe more suited for guidance than Han Xiao.
Not only Karlot, but the hundreds of Beyond Grade A seeds who joined the Black Star Army also obtained some guidance, making tremendous progress in their cultivation. All of them had begun to treat Han Xiao as some sort of spiritual mentor.
At this moment, the very person being mentioned appeared beside Karlot and Silver Shadow in a remote projection.
"Your Excellency Black Star."
Silver Shadow and Karlot immediately saluted him.
"How's the training coming along?" Han Xiao smiled.
"He improved once again, and he can even break through my defense now." Silver Shadow let out an appreciative smile.
"Dang, not bad. Keep working, you'll soon step into the Beyond Grade A realm. At that time, I'll find even more teachers for you to keep growing." Han Xiao laughed cheerfully.
He had completely grasped the correct training method Karlot needed. The crucial factor behind [Everlasting Martial Path] was to accumulate Pugilist insight, and a shortcut was to have him interact with many Beyond Grade A pugilists to quickly improve his Pugilist insight. This would allow him to complete the transformation of his talent, allowing him to take the fast track to improving himself.
The moment Karlot reached the Beyond Grade A realm, Han Xiao planned to use his own personal connections to have Beyond Grade A Pugilists guide Karlot and teach him experiences and insights. With Karlot's simple and honest attitude, Han Xiao was sure that his investment would not lose out but rather allow him to earn plenty in return.
After exchanging a few more words, Han Xiao wrapped up the conversation and left.
Karlot exhaled, feeling very heartened inside himself.
In this past year, no matter how busy Black Star was, he would call every ten days or so to inquire about his training progress. He even made a training plan specifically for him and invited Silver Shadow, a Beyond Grade A, to be his teacher. All this had shown the importance Black Star placed in him.
As the saying went, there was no harm without comparison. Thinking back to how the dynasty had treated him, even if Karlot was not a small-minded person, he could not help but feel that both parties were simply not comparable.
The kindness shown to him was firmly engraved in his heart. Even if one removed his idolatry for Black Star, his sense of belonging toward Black Star had already broken through the roof.
Since you treat me like a state scholar, I'll be sure to repay this country with my life!
…
In Black Star Palace's office, Han Xiao shut down the remote projection, smiling brightly.
"Karlot was really worth training. Just a year and his growth is already so high. If we follow this trend, he might even surpass Lothaire and reach the Beyond Grade A realm first."
He could not be more satisfied with Karlot. This guy was indeed the poster boy of the future Pugilist system.
Lothaire was still stuck outside the door of the Beyond Grade A realm. This final step was the most difficult, and it was unknown how long he would take.
On the other hand, Evans had been cultivating diligently for several decades. Because the players were not online, he could not absorb any new abilities. He had only been polishing his core abilities and upgrading his realm. He had finally realized his potential, succeeding in entering the Calamity Grade as well.
Han Xiao was full of expectations for this new 'EsGod'. Since the players had returned, they could finally add some new abilities to Evans.
In addition to these potential stocks, the army had expanded its advanced combatants by many times, hosting a large number of Beyond Grade A seeds, including many talented people worth training.
Oh, that's right, there's still that balding baby Sylvia.
A pity, that with her potential, the most she can reach will probably be the Beyond Grade A realm.
Han Xiao felt that she should actually just remain as the Chief Administrative Official…
Shaking his head, Han Xiao took out the communicator and scanned it.
Right now, the universe is reacting to the players' return, worrying that if they continue to grow, they'll become more lawless, shaking the order of the Galactic Society. It is actually true to think so. The fuse has already been lit.
The ancients used this phrase in the past: a pugilist could use his strength for evil. This trait was perfectly demonstrated by the players; as their strength grew, they became harder to control. This would allow one to understand why the Calamity of the Supers was named thus, which was accurate if looking from the players' perspective.
"The three Universal Civilizations will be moving soon. I keep feeling that something is about to happen."
Han Xiao rubbed his forehead as he frowned.
At this moment, a black flame suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, rapidly expanding into a projection of Oathkeeper's soul.
Han Xiao raised his brows. "Why are you not saying hi? Did you come to me because you've collected another set of keys?"
"Not yet." Oathkeeper's tone was solemn. "Black Star, I have two pieces of bad news for you."
"Oh? Say them."
"There's a traitor that has appeared among the group of avengers, who wishes to sell out the Holy Accord in return for the assistance of an advanced civilization's help to seek revenge."
Han Xiao's expression sank. "How did this happen? Has the news been leaked?"
"Pangon is currently in pursuit of the traitor, and we've managed to intercept the intelligence temporarily."
Han Xiao furrowed his brows. "Then the other bad news?"
"Someone used magic to spy on the Holy Accord. We've traced the source and discovered that it came from the secondary dimensions. Most likely, we've been discovered by some existence hidden in the secondary dimensions, but we're still unclear as to who it is," Oathkeeper said in a heavy tone.
Hearing this, Han Xiao calmly stood up, putting on his cloak.
"Give me the coordinates. I'll go take a look."