"If I am unable to find a way to bring you out of your shell, I am going to have to leave you here in the Second God's Sanctuary." Han Sen touched the gourd in his hand and spoke to it. He thought the situation with the gourd was unfair.
He knew the gourd was a treasure, and it possessed the six Cog armaments inside it. Leaving them behind in the Second God's Sanctuary would be a grand waste.
"If the silver fox was able to break the sky and go to the Third God's Sanctuary, does that mean I can use the same method to cross over? If I could, then I could at least take the gourd with me," Han Sen thought to himself.
But Han Sen knew he needed the right timing to pull off something like that. He couldn't just tear the skies asunder willy-nilly. The silver fox had been in the right place at the right time. The little blighter ate the fruit, and that was the catalyst for its ascension. Right now, no matter how strong Han Sen had become, he could not break the fabric of the skies.
For a human to break through the very atmosphere was almost unheard of, and not even demigods had been reported to have achieved such a feat. The only person Han Sen had heard of doing such a thing was the creator of the Dongxuan Sutra: Dong Xuanzi.
The silver fox's ascension seemed like bottled lightning, as in, it was a perfect storm of factors that led to it being able to access the Third God's Shelter.
Han Sen was not in a rush to be a surpasser just yet, however. His four-year service in the army would be over soon, and he planned on leveling up once he had finished his service.
Although Ji Yanran repeatedly mentioned her desire for marriage after his service in the army was over, Han Sen kept on delaying it.
He was afraid of accessing the Third God's Sanctuary and dying, leaving her a widow. Perhaps the Zhao family would not forget their feud, and would manage to spread the rumor that he was actually from the Luo family.
But even if that did not happen, the lotus symbol on his forehead still worried him.
The Ji family was hoping, after Han Sen finished his term of service, he could be a military sergeant. With the Ji family's power, they could easily establish a career for him in the military.
But Han Sen rejected their offers, wanting to retire and be free for a time. He wanted to go home and spend time with his mother and little sister, and then move on to the Third God's Sanctuary.
On this day, Han Sen felt a vibration stemming from his Sea of Soul. The Aqua Reaper beast soul died, and then disappeared.
"It looks like he escaped." Han Sen wore a complicated expression, but he was not surprised. Ning Yue was no ordinary person. He had been possessed by the Aqua Reaper, but still, he had never passed on any useful information. It was only a matter of time until he managed to escape it.
That being said, Han Sen had thought he would have escaped sooner.
There had not been much important news in the Alliance recently. The Zhao family was still a favored name, but their production of high-class Angel Gene Fluid was slowly winding down.
Dong Lin's pet pills, on the other hand, had started to receive more good feedback. Their prices began to rise in response to the growing demand, and in time, it was wagered they could compete against Angel Gene Fluid.
The pet pills Han Sen and Ji Ruozhen bought were purchased at a good time, and had they wanted the same quantity now, it would have cost them a dozen times more. Crazier yet, the prices were still on an upward trajectory.
It was difficult to purchase large quantities of the pet pills these days. Dong Lin's production was not enough to serve and meet the demand of the Alliance. The people of the Ji family, who did not invest in the pills when it was first suggested to them by Ji Ruozhen, were regretting their mistake deeply.
After retiring, Han Sent went to Roca Planet and stayed at home for some time. He spent a few days with his mother and little sister, and then spent time with Zhang Danfeng.
He did whatever he wanted to, in addition to researching what he could about the Third God's Sanctuary.
Going there would be difficult, and even Han Sen's mother was not confident she herself could survive there. That was why she never chose to become a surpasser.
Although Han Sen's chances of survival were better than most, all it would take was an unlucky roll of the dice to twist his fate. If he ended up in a high-level spirit shelter where the spirit despised him, he'd be killed without trouble. There'd be nothing he could do to escape such a fate.
Han Sen enjoyed the days of relaxation as best as he could. He had a lie-in most days, and it was freeing for him not to worry about training or hunting more super creatures. For once he had true peace of mind.
He frequently spent time practicing with Little Yan, too. She had developed into a pretty young girl now, and in three years, she'd enter the First God's Sanctuary.
With Han Sen's reputation, it did not matter where she ended up, she'd be taken good care of. There was no need for Han Sen to worry about her well-being as much as he once had.
He saw a lot of himself in Little Yan. She was very independent and strong, the clear result of having been raised by a single mother. Without someone taking care of her, she could still survive and most likely thrive.
But Little Yan was just a girl, and that was a different than Han Sen. It would be better if someone could take care of her, because Han Sen didn't want her to suffer.
Han Sen did go back to the sanctuary, every now and then, to check on his gourd. It looked the same as it always did, and there was no sign of it changing.
Han Sen stayed at his home for a month, and when he went back to the sanctuary, he went to visit the Evolution Pool. He stood next to it and removed his clothes; with the gourd in hand, he jumped in.
He did not know if the pool could work for the gourd, but there was no harm in trying.
Han Sen really wanted to bring the gourd with him, because if he didn't, he'd lose all the astounding weapons that were inside it. Heaven knew who would end up owning them, one day.
The Evolution Pool was like an endless, aquatic abyss. It was like a black hole.
Han Sen's body continued to fall, as if he was being dropped into a bottomless vacuum. The composition of his body began to melt away, as his flesh decomposed.
Han Sen did not feel any pain, and he could not see or hear anything. It felt as if his body was being reborn.
It felt as if he was in purgatory, soon to be graced with a new life.
"Evolution Successful; you have achieved the rank of Surpasser. You have gained an additional one-hundred-year lifespan. Your super body has evolved – Super King Spirit."
Han Sen: Super Body – Super King Spirit
Title: Surpasser
Lifespan: 400
Next Evolution Requirement: 100 Geno Points
Owned Geno Points: 0
Han Sen was pushed to the surface of the water as he heard the announcement, informing him of his success in evolving.
Before Han Sen could admire his new surpasser body, however, he felt his left hand becoming overwhelmed by a pulsing power.
The gourd in his left hand was vibrating like mad.