Lian Chan was a beautiful and powerful royal, and the source of many men's fantasies.
On this day, when she began streaming, Zhou Ping tuned in to watch. There, he saw Yu Tuoshan engaged in a fight with a human.
Immediately, he recognized the human on-screen was Han Sen, and so he called for all his workmates to gather and watch the fight alongside him.
When Yu Tuoshan was thrown away, the boisterous shura all fell silent and the stream was dead. Zhou Ping and his crowd, though, were the complete opposite; they felt immeasurable excitement.
"Awesome!" Zhou Ping exclaimed.
Although they were not formally acquainted with one another, they felt a great pride in watching Han Sen do what he did.
Overall, what they felt was strange, and it was a feeling that only came from circumstances in which a triumph was achievable against all odds or if you were hopelessly outnumbered.
"Wait a minute; why is he giving up his chance of a guaranteed victory?" An officer did not understand Han Sen's decision to give the shura prince another chance.
"If he stops fighting now, he will have just won the match. The shura would not believe it to have been a fair fight, or a victory for Han Sen brought on through actual battle," a white-haired officer explained. Then, he went on to say, "If Han Sen carries on fighting and can keep up a similar performance, he will be admired all the more."
"But if..." A younger officer tried to speak, but his words immediately dropped into miserable silence. His meaning was clear to all there, however.
They were worried Han Sen might not be able to engineer another win.
Han Sen was too young, they thought. Many humans could beat high-level shura, but they were all far older than he was.
At the same age, it was far more difficult for a human to triumph in such fights. For someone as young as Han Sen, it was nigh impossible.
If Han Sen gave up his chance of victory now, could he do it again?
The elderly officer said, "If a victory was achieved through luck, and it was perceived that way, it'd reflect worse on the person than if they were to simply lose."
Understanding his actions more, the officers all looked at Han Sen with greater admiration. In unison, they said, "What a lad! We need more humans like him."
Chapter 1057: Bullying the Shura Prince
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Zhou Ping looked at Han Sen. He and the others agreed with what the old officer had told them, but they really did not want the human competitor to lose.
Yu Tuoshan looked at his opponent and said, "I must say I never expected to encounter a human as honorable as you."
"Our culture is richer than you might think; we're not all composed of heartless rabble. Maybe when this is through, you can consider trying to learn more about us?" Han Sen was not fond of this compliment, as it suggested something quite sour.
"Let's strike." Yu Tuoshan's muscles suddenly rippled and exploded with a number of green, pulsating veins.
The muscles now looked like steel cannons, and the shura's once-pretty face looked hideous and demonic.
"If he's transforming now, he must only now be preparing to fight for real. This time, he means business," Ji Hailan said, with a frown.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Zhao Yongbo said.
Ji Hailan replied, "Of course, that's what Angel Gene specializes in."
"You..." Zhao Yongbo's face looked like he had been delivered a very personal insult.
"Stop arguing," Bai Yishan said, to quell any possible bickering that may have arisen.
Back in the arena, Han Sen watched Yu Tuoshan transform but remained unfazed. He stayed motionless.
After the transformation, he noticed Yu Tuoshan's lifeforce had increased considerably. The prince was now of much greater strength than Han Sen.
And again, he was unfazed. Raw strength was not absolute, and it was only one component of the art of combat. Han Sen had more than a few tricks up his sleeve, ready to deal with this simple, brutish threat.
Yu Tuoshan was not as strong as a king spirit of the Third God's Sanctuary.
When it came to fitness, Han Sen was lacking against king spirits, too. But his skills and abilities were, for all intents and purposes, just as strong.
Yu Tuoshan believed Han Sen was weak, but the truth was the opposite, and Han Sen knew it.
Raw power wasn't the end-all.
Han Sen had been fortunate, though. His experiences during his time in the sanctuaries had led to him having nine open gene locks at a fitness level that was believed to be almost impossible. No one had ever achieved what he had done before.
Yu Tuoshan noticed Han Sen wasn't moving an inch, so he took the opportunity to strike. As if his arm was a blade, he swung it towards his despised opponent.
He was using Shura Slash this time, wanting to ensure he ended the fight now and avoided allowing any more unfortunate mishaps to occur.
Yu Tuoshan's hands were like metal cannonballs, nearing Han Sen at a frightening pace with the plain desire to break him.
"Ah, that is the prince we all know and love. Witness the power, people! If Han Sen even thinks of blocking those fists, he can say goodbye to his hands." Lian Chan's smug attitude had returned.
This was partially true for all the shura now. Excitement and fervor had returned to them in spades, which made Zhou Ping worry quite a bit.
Shura Slash was devastating against most humans who were unfortunate enough to be at the receiving end of it.
While it appeared fairly ordinary, the power it delivered was more frightening than any weapon.
Yu Tuoshan had reached the zenith of what was possible with this skill. He had mastered it, well and truly, and it would bring ruin to any human that sought to withstand it—or so it was believed.
Everyone thought Han Sen would dodge the strike, but just like before, Han Sen reached out his hand and attempted to grab his opponent's fist.
"Fool!" Lou Lan said.
The shura who watched the stream yelled in delight.
But Han Sen was successful. He grabbed Yu Tuoshan's hand, and the metallic cannonballs were brought to an abrupt stop.
His hands were like pythons, and following the stop, Han Sen lifted Yu Tuoshan into the air and threw him down on the ground.
Boom!
Han Sen walked forward and grabbed the shura by the waist, piledriving him into the ruined floor of the arena.
Roar! Yu Tuoshan raged like a monster. He leapt to his feet and ran towards Han Sen.
Boom!
Han Sen side-stepped, grabbed the shura's arm, and suplexed him into the ground.
The third-rank shura prince's nose snapped.
Given a breath, Yu Tuoshan got back to his feet and tried to madly attack Han Sen once again. But it was like they were stuck in a loop because the same thing started to happen over and over. The prince would be thrown to the ground by Han Sen's mountain-strong muscles, before leaping up to try again and falling prey to the same parry.
Everyone was quiet. There was no booing, and neither was there any thunderous applause. There was just silence. It was incredibly difficult to fathom what their eyes were relaying to them; they were now actually witnessing Han Sen bully a shura prince.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Despite the countless times he was thrown to the ground, Yu Tuoshan refused to concede. And eventually, he was spending more time on the ground than on his feet.
Yu Tuoshan's hard body was as flimsy as an old dishcloth now.
It was a horrifying scene, one that nearly petrified all those who watched.
Chapter 1058: The Strongest Genius in History
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Turn off the stream," Lou Lan quickly said.
Lian Chan agreed. She hastily turned it off, with her face drained of all color.
She had planned to allow everyone to watch a shura prince destroy a petty human to raise morale, but clearly, her plan had backfired.
With the stream turned off, the people who had tuned in to watch now wondered whether or not what they had seen was real.
They couldn't believe a shura prince could have been bullied so cruelly by a young human like that.
Zhou Ping and his people could hardly contain their excitement, though, as it had been a long time since they felt such pride in their human brethren.
"I'll beat you next time," Yu Tuoshan wheezed, as he was carried out of the arena by paramedics. He was looking poorly, drenched in green blood.
"Power is not everything. You should work on the finesse of your skills. Just so you know, you lost to Yin Yang Blast," Han Sen said.
"Yin Yang Blast? I'll remember that." Yu Tuoshan coughed. He was determined to remember the name of that skill, in case the shura were ever able to learn it.
When Bai Yishan heard Han Sen say this, he was happier than ever.
"Teacher Zhao, take care of Han Sen," Ji Hailan ordered.
"Hmph." Zhao Yongo scoffed.
Ji Hailan was utterly delighted, following what they had just witnessed. He quickly brought Han Sen over, for personal introductions with the other members of the expedition.
Ji Hailan introduced Bai Yishan, who was the strongest of the team and a professor.
Bai Yishan said, "There is no need for an introduction with me. I'm closer with Han Sen than any of you lot are."
Everyone looked at Han Sen and Bai Yishan, and Ji Hailan was prompted to ask, "Really?"
Han Sen nodded and explained, "The skill I used was devised by Professor Bai. He just never took me as a formal student."
Professor Bai had tricked Han Sen into learning Yin Yang Blast, but he still took his time with Han Sen seriously. He taught him many things, and although it wasn't an official teacher-student relationship, it felt like one.
Bai Yishan, with a wry smile, said, "I can't accept you as a student. Whenever we meet, something bad tends to follow. Many of my Saint Hall licenses were taken by you, after all."
Ji Yanran was the official team leader, but Bai Yishan was the authoritative figure amongst them.
Ji Hailan was more than glad their relationship was this good.
When the introductions were over, someone came over to ask about Yin Yang Blast.
They were shocked, learning Han Sen was able to defeat the shura prince by using it.
If Han Sen had created it, they wouldn't have asked him to learn it, out of respect.
But they had now learned that Professor Bai had invented it, and as such, they were keen to ask about it. They all believed it should have been on sale in the Saint Hall.
Who wouldn't want a hyper geno art that powerful, right? But Bai Yishan explained that it had been banned. Han Sen was just fortunate enough to learn the skill before it was forbidden.
This disappointed everyone. While it was good to learn more about Han Sen's technique in beating the shura prince, it was pointless if there was no chance of them ever being able to do the same.
Someone then started to wonder what it might take for the skill to get unbanned.
Bai Yishan had helped out Han Sen a good deal, so if there was anything Han Sen could do to return the favor, he would have jumped at the chance. And if there was indeed a way to get Yin Yang Blast unbanned, Han Sen would have relished the chance of making this happen.
With Bai Yishan there, though, there was no need for him to explain to the crowd why the skill was as powerful as it was.
If anyone asked, Han Sen could just tell them, "You want to know why? Unban the skill and you can find out."
With Bai Yishan there to explain the skill's intricacies, everyone's desire to learn this skill only continued to increase.
Still, Han Sen was being misleading. The reason Yin Yang Blast had been so useful in defeating the shura prince was due to Han Sen's simulation of Bao'er's energy flow. Without that, even Yin Yang Blast wouldn't have stood against the might of Yu Tuoshan.
The close-quarter combat skills of the shura were incredible. Using Yin Yang Blast the way Han Sen had would fail for all the others.
After Yu Tuoshan was healed, they all went off to the crystallizer ruins as planned.
But the word of their battle spread quickly throughout the Alliance.
Zhou Ping had made sure to record the stream, and he distributed the highlights of the fight to his close friends in the Alliance.
He hadn't wished for it to be widely distributed, but the fight was so amazing, his friends couldn't help but share it as much as they could. It didn't take long at all for it to go viral. And what made it even more sensational was the fact that it had originally been recorded by a shura and had leaked from a stream in shura territory.
Because of confidentiality agreements, humans weren't supposed to leak this.
But someone had the balls to, and once it was uploaded to Skynet, there was no chance of recovering it. Needless to say, everyone in the Alliance was shocked.
The two fighters in the video were recognizable, too; the human, in particular. That was Han Sen, and most people were familiar with him.
What made the video so shocking was Han Sen's age, not just his already-prestigious identity.
A young human had beaten a third-rank shura. It was all so very glorious.
Han Sen's reputation was now even higher than a number of demi-gods. He was given a new nickname: The Strongest Genius in the Alliance.
Chapter 1059: Unicorn Beetle Mutation
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Asleep on the spaceship, with Ji Yanran in his arms, rested The Strongest Genius in the Alliance.
Ji Yanran had avoided watching the fight against the shura prince. She had been unable to cope with the thought of Han Sen being savagely beaten or even killed, all in the desire to accompany her on an expedition. She waited outside until news of what had occurred was known. A wave of relief unlike any other washed over her, upon hearing about Han Sen's victory.
He had to have been tired, though. It was now morning, but Han Sen was still fast asleep.
Still, in space, there was no day or night cycle; therefore, it did not matter what time he chose to wake up.
All of a sudden, though, Han Sen felt an itch. He scratched it away, but it returned to plague his nose. Han Sen's sneeze woke him from his slumber.
He discovered a green unicorn beetle had climbed onto his face and had almost scrambled up into his nostrils.
Han Sen pulled it away and put the familiar beetle down on the bed.
Han Sen had received this beetle from a crystallizer ruin long ago.
He'd had it for a very long time, but there was nothing special about it he could tell. It was a strange creature, though. In the years Han Sen had kept it, it hadn't had to drink or eat at all. It had remained the exact same as it was the first day Han Sen came into ownership of the insect.
There was one other curious aspect to the beetle. Han Sen had discovered that, if left alone without interaction for a long time, the beetle would begin to appear lazy and lifeless. And it was during this state that the creature's colors would also begin to fade or at least lessen and dim.
If Han Sen ever wished to reverse this status, all he would have to do was pick it up, interact with it, and take it around with him for a few days.
These peculiar aspects aside, for all intents and purposes, the beetle was a lame creature that provided no obvious benefit. Or at least that was how it appeared, as Han Sen was still of the belief it was special and it had a purpose. Whatever that purpose was, he just hadn't been made privy to it yet, he thought. The expedition he was about to embark on would be dangerous, though, so he made sure to bring it with him, hoping it'd prove useful somehow.
Ji Yanran was still sleeping while this occurred, so Han Sen removed himself from the bed with great care, as not to disturb her.
Suddenly, the green plating of the beetle looked strange. The creature became translucent, revealing the presence of gears and cogs inside it, all in delicate motion. It was not unlike the inner-workings of an old watch.
Han Sen was surprised, to say the least. Over the course of the last few years in which he had owned the beetle, he had yet to see anything remotely similar to this occur.
Just as Han Sen approached the little creature to examine it, there was an announcement from the ship's speakers.
"We will be arriving at APX-706 shortly. Please convene at the meeting room before arrival."
The announcement startled Ji Yanran from her sleep, so she quickly removed the blanket. With the slender curves and succulent portions of her divine body now on full display, Han Sen was suddenly overcome with the desire to return to bed—with her.
Unfortunately, now was not the time for that. They both got changed and went to the meeting room, as instructed.
Han Sen took the beetle with him, placing it in his pocket. He was going to check it out once the meeting was over.
The shura and humans gathered in the meeting room. Once there, they were shown an image of the planet on a projector screen.
The ruins they were going to examine were quite different from the ones Han Sen had seen before. The entire planet was crystallized, but it wasn't obvious at first glance.
On the surface of the planet, it looked like any other lush planet would. The geography was wild and inviting, cloaked in thick and unspoiled greenery.
The planet's atmosphere was primarily comprised of nitrogen and oxygen, making it an ideal candidate for future human colonization, as well.
Eventually, the spaceship touched down with a rumble.
After they discussed what needed to be done on their mission, they separated again. They were going to start their investigation in three hours.
Due to the injuries Yu Tuoshan had incurred, they were already two days late in beginning the operation.
When the time to embark on the expedition came, the crew left the ship inside their warframes. While the atmospheric conditions had been revealed to be fine, the use of warframes was just protocol for the initial exploration of an unexplored planet. It was a precaution.
As Han Sen guided his warframe, he examined the unicorn beetle he had brought with him.
After arriving at the planet, the cogs inside the beetle had been running faster than ever.
Han Sen wasn't sure what it meant, but it interested him enough to spend most of his time examining it.
Aside from those movements, though, there was nothing different about the creature. Even the beetle's lifeforce had remained the exact same.
Eventually, they arrived at their desired location. Swiftly, they established a base of operation and proceeded to the entrance of the ruins.
Surprisingly, at the entrance of these ruins, there weren't many indicators of past crystallizer habitation. The presence of crystallizer technology was quite low, actually.
One thing Han Sen did find, though, half-hidden beneath the dense undergrowth, was a twenty-meter wide black crystal roulette board.
On that board, you could espy the presence of many lines and symbols that were commonly associated with the crystallizer civilization.
There were also markings on the board that extended all the way across. They were like partitions, or the slices of a cake that resulted in twenty portions.
Four of the slots possessed a warning sign of sorts, but Han Sen wasn't exactly sure what they meant or what they might have been indicating. No one else did either, just as no one knew what might be found deeper inside the ruins.
When Han Sen first saw the roulette board, though, he was shocked.
The symbols were identical to the ones on the beetle. They were ones he was very familiar with. He didn't even have to take another look at the beetle to confirm this.
"Are these two things connected, by some chance?" Han Sen wondered, as he placed his hand inside his pocket.
He was going to touch the beetle, but he felt something else instead. He brought his hand back out of his pocket and noticed his fingers were bleeding from a newly-formed wound.