Floating Island - Triple S Talent

Without further hesitation, Lein checked the requirements for promotion to the Master level.

[Promotion to Master Level]

- Soul Essence 10

- Power Essence 10,000

- Energy Crystals 100 million

- Soul Altar

- Complete soul formation

"Hmm..."

His eyes narrowed as he stared at the list of requirements. "Soul Essence? Power Essence?" he muttered, his voice calm, almost indifferent. "Quite easy."

Only God knew how difficult it was for ordinary people to obtain those items. But for Lein, it was merely a matter of time.

Seeing Soul Essence on the list of items, he recalled the moment when he killed Kanpolu during the Cui race war. When Kanpolu died, it dropped a single Soul Essence. It could be imagined how difficult it was to collect 10 Soul Essences, requiring the killing of 10 Nascent Soul (Tier-Master) rulers.

But that was no big deal for Lein—he already had over 10,000 Soul Essences, so he didn't have to worry about that. Next was Power Essence, which was the same... he also already had it.

"These items are very useful," Lein remarked. Not only were they useful for activating the Galactic Fortress, but Power Essence was also needed for the promotion test. He had previously duplicated it in large quantities, so obtaining 10,000 was no problem.

The last thing needed for the promotion test was 100 million crystals. Needless to say, Lein had crystals as numerous as the grains of sand on a beach.

Lein then turned his gaze to the next item: the Soul Altar.

"Soul Altar, huh?" Lein asked himself. He then inspected the attributes of his own Soul Altar.

(Soul Altar - Universe)

- EXP: +100%

- Attributes: +100%

- Skill Cooldown Reduction: +50%

- Soul: not active

"Hmm, how do I activate this?" Lein muttered. Since becoming a Tier-3 ruler, he had never activated his Soul Altar.

"Hmm..." Lein pondered for a moment, recalling when he first formed his altar core. He remembered sensing a sword shadow within himself. With a slight focus of his thoughts, he concentrated and tried to look inward.

In an instant, a breathtaking sight appeared. Lein was stunned.

"Whoa…" he whispered in surprise. In the silence of his mind, he saw something spinning inside him. A shadow of a galaxy—metallic black, shimmering with tiny white points of light scattered among its spirals. The galaxy rotated slowly but brimmed with energy. Its beauty rivaled any galaxy he had ever seen during his time on Earth.

"If I'm guessing correctly, this mission must be related to forming a soul. It's probably connected to the Soul Altar within me."

Lein concluded after thinking more deeply. Reflecting on it, he became curious about regular altars, golden altars, and even the Royal Altar. "I'll ask Nita about it later," Lein decided, not wanting to overthink.

Lein pondered over other Soul Altars—regular altars, golden altars, and even the Royal Altar. What if there was a higher level? A concept crossed his mind. "A Soul Altar beyond the universe level?"

Smack!

He suddenly gave himself a light slap. "I need to stop overthinking," he muttered with a wry smile. Others might spend their whole lives just trying to form a single Soul Altar, while here he was thinking about altars beyond the universe level.

"Never mind... I should go to the hospital later to clear my head," he said with a small laugh, finding humor in his own thoughts. After all, overthinking wouldn't get him anywhere.

Refocusing on his mission, Lein stared at the screen in front of him. "Next... Soul Formation Mission," he said eagerly. This was the most crucial part of it all. With anticipation, he pressed the soul formation mission feature and waited for what would happen.

[Mission : Soul Formation]

A mission for the chosen rulers. Form the strongest soul to conquer the universe. Steady your heart, focus your mind, stand tall, and walk with the souls of true rulers.

- Mission duration: unlimited

- Cost to unlock the trial:

->[Free: each failure will permanently reduce attributes by 10%]

->[1 Soul Essence, no penalty. The cost will double for each subsequent trial]

Lein carefully examined the mission screen, scrutinizing the words displayed there.

"Just like the previous missions," he whispered softly, recalling the promotion mission to Tier-3 he had undergone before.

He snorted lightly, staring skeptically at the screen. "This system is getting more devious by the day. Choices like these... are they running low on Soul Essence?" he muttered cynically, feeling the system was becoming 'money-hungry.'

"Should I take the trial now?" Lein pondered to himself. The situation was currently one of war, and he didn't know how long he would spend within the soul formation mission's trial.

Lein observed the teleportation hub around him, hearing and seeing explosions caused by the towers aimed at killing the alien creatures emerging from the portals. Even though the intensity of the attacks had decreased significantly, they were still dangerous.

To ease his worries, Lein opened the alliance chat and the class system. He saw that most were safe, leaving only a few islands marked with red-level threats.

"Alright then... now…" Lein made up his mind after thinking for a while. His island wasn't under severe pressure, and he had left many of his clones on standby to help the human race alliance in case they were needed or encountered high-level creatures.

Reopening the mission panel, he selected the (Soul Formation Mission).

[Do you want to undertake the Soul Formation Mission?]

"Yes."

[Please choose a payment method: Free / 1 Soul Essence]

"1 Soul Essence."

As soon as he selected the 1 Soul Essence option, Lein's body seemed to be sucked in by some force, and gently, he saw his surroundings change in the blink of an eye. He looked around and found himself on a vast field of fresh green grass.

As far as the eye could see, Lein saw only fields of green grass, with bright-colored flowers scattered here and there, making him feel at ease.

Wush…

A gentle, fresh breeze blew, brushing against Lein's face and tousling his short hair, caressing his entire body with the softness of nature. He took a deep breath, feeling as if he were standing on a mountain peak, amidst a flower-filled garden brimming with peace.

"Ahh… so refreshing," he exclaimed in admiration.

Everything in that place felt so real and captivating, yet Lein remained cautious. "Is this just an illusion?" he asked himself, now examining every detail closely, hoping to find something unusual.

A moment later, his eyes caught sight of a strange object in the distance. A round sphere floated atop a tall white pillar shaped like a cylinder. He slowly approached.

(Soul Construction Orb)

Insert a piece of the soul to receive an evaluation from the Soul Construction Orb. The higher the level of the soul piece, the higher the evaluation of the soul produced.

Current Evaluation:

- Soul: -

- Strength: 0

- Defense: 0

- Intelligence: 0

- Agility: 0

"Okay, so now what?" Lein asked in confusion.

Aside from the item's description and a simple evaluation from the construction orb, there were no other useful features. He examined the pillar holding the Soul Construction Orb, only finding the smooth surface of the support pillar—nothing else.

Dum… Dum…

Lein, who was closely inspecting the pillar and the Soul Construction Orb, turned around and saw several 5-meter-tall portals suddenly standing upright on the ground.

Dum… Dum…

Not just one portal—more portals kept appearing. They materialized from the empty air above, then quickly dropped down, crashing into the ground and disturbing the grass that swayed gently above the soil.

"Damn… such an unesthetic trial," Lein muttered with slight annoyance. He could've slept on the grass beneath his feet if it were possible. But now, seeing dozens, hundreds, even thousands of portals descending from the sky and ruining the fresh grass was irritating.

Each portal was almost identical to the others. The only small difference was the figure on top of the portal—some shaped like objects, others shaped like animals, and some resembling humans.

Lein stepped slowly toward the nearest portal that stood tall in front of him. The door stood five meters high, made of green jade material that emitted a soft glow. Its sides were adorned with fine but sturdy hexagonal patterns, creating an artistic and mystical impression. Atop the door, a turtle-shaped figure adorned the portal's pinnacle, as if symbolizing it.

A holographic text appeared before him:

[Soul Door: Hard-Shelled Turtle]

"A turtle living in the boundless ocean, capable of enhancing the durability of its shell. If your strength is insufficient, do not waste your life attempting to defeat it."

Lein read the description with a slight smile. "Hmm… an interesting turtle," he said lightly, as if talking to himself. Without a second thought, he stepped closer and slowly extended his hand toward the portal. When his skin touched the portal's surface, it felt as though he was dipping his hand into water—soft, fluid, yet without any resistance.

[You have successfully entered the Soul Door.]

In an instant, the scenery around him changed. Lein, who had previously been standing in a vast field of grass, now found himself standing on the edge of a beach. The sun shone brightly in a clear blue sky, and the sound of gentle waves greeted him. Pristine white sand stretched along the shoreline, while palm trees swayed