Showing customers extracts was normally a salespersonâs job, but Xu Sheng, the store manager, personally led Su Ze to the Rank 1 extract display case and gave him an enthusiastic introduction.
In Xu Shengâs eyes, Su Ze was a future VIP. After all, the ten billion points on Su Zeâs card would have to be spent sooner or later.
Su Zeâs gaze swept over the shopâs extracts. The display cases only held Rank 1 and Rank 2 extracts, arranged by quality.
The lowest-grade, Rank 1, E-rank extracts generally cost less than ten thousand. The cheapest were the Burrowing Mouse and Water-Spraying Frog extracts, selling for five thousand a vial.
Su Ze, of course, had no intention of buying such garbage extracts. He wasnât short on money; if he was buying something, he would buy the best.
His gaze swept across the products. He noticed that with each step up in quality, the price multiplied several times over. A Rank 1, A-rank extract already cost over a million Lin Coins.
But Su Ze still looked down on A-rank. Zhao Lingxiao never absorbed any extract below S-rank, so he had to get an S-rank as well. Anything less would be an insult to his current status.
Su Ze continued looking and suddenly realized there were no more Rank 1 extracts. Further down, everything was a Rank 2 extract, radiating an orange evolutionary glow.
He looked at Xu Sheng beside him and asked, confused, "You donât have any Rank 1, S-rank extracts in your store?"
Xu Sheng knew Su Ze was incredibly wealthy and would certainly look down on A-rank extracts. He smiled sheepishly. "S-rank extracts are rare to begin with, and demand is low in a small city like Heiyan City, so we donât keep them in stock. If youâre not in a hurry, I can have one transferred from a branch in another city. It could be here by tomorrow."
Su Ze frowned. Time was the one thing he was short on. The sooner he completed his evolution, the better he could protect himself.
Besides, it probably wouldnât be long before the mysterious organization tracked him to this shop. They might even post people to watch the place, so he wouldnât dare come back tomorrow.
It was best to buy a suitable extract today.
However, if not even Evolutionary Technology had Rank 1, S-rank extracts in stock, it would likely be even harder to find one elsewhere in Heiyan City.
âMaybe I should just settle for an A-rank extract?â
Su Ze shook his head to himself. He had the means, so he refused to compromise.
His gaze fell on the Rank 2 extracts to the side, and a crazy idea suddenly popped into his head... âShould I try absorbing a Rank 2 extract?â
It was common knowledge that Mortal-level Life Forms could only absorb Rank 1 extracts. They couldnât skip a rank to absorb Rank 2 extracts.
But Su Ze was someone who defied common sense. Possessing the Divine Grace of Evolution skill, he had already absorbed one more extract than other Mortal-level Life Forms, giving him an extra opportunity to strengthen his body.
Su Ze mulled over the feasibility of absorbing a Rank 2 extract...
âMortal-level Life Forms canât absorb Rank 2 extracts because their bodies arenât strong enough to withstand the powerful evolutionary energy. But my current physical constitution should have already surpassed the limits of a Mortal-level Life Form.â
âNot only have I absorbed one more extract than anyone else, but the quality of the ones Iâve absorbed is top-tier. Iâve taken two S-rank extracts. And while I donât know the rank of Princess Zhuzhiâs extract, the fact that it granted a god-tier skill like Divine Grace of Evolution means it most likely surpasses S-rank!â
âIn both the quantity and quality of extracts Iâve absorbed, Iâve broken the limits of a Mortal-level Life Form. It stands to reason that my physical constitution has also surpassed those limits. A Rank 2 extract... might just be worth a try.â
Su Ze began to carefully inspect the Rank 2 extracts in the display case.
The shopâs Rank 2 extracts also only ranged from E-rank to A-rank, with no S-ranks. But that didnât matter; even if there were any, Su Ze wouldnât dare absorb one.
The higher the quality of an extract, the richer its evolutionary energy and the more difficult it is to absorb. Su Ze knew that as a Mortal-level Life Form attempting to skip a rank, absorbing a low-quality one was already pushing his limits. If he dared to try a high-quality one, it would be purely suicidal; his body would most likely explode.
Even a Rank 2, E-rank extract contained far more concentrated evolutionary energy than a Rank 1, S-rank one and would provide a much greater boost to his constitution. Its skill, however, might not be as practical as one from a Rank 1, S-rank extract.
So, when choosing a Rank 2 extract, Su Ze focused mainly on the skill. The best choice would be a low-quality extract with a useful skill.
Su Ze didnât even consider Rank 2 extracts of C-rank or higherâthey could cause a sudden, violent death. He focused his attention on the E-rank and D-rank extracts.
Below each vial in the display case was an electronic screen showing the extractâs information, including its price and skill.
Su Ze quickly read through the skill descriptions for all the Rank 2, E-rank extracts. A few were decent, but none of them particularly excited him.
The survival skills from low-level Rank 2 extracts were all rather mediocre. If he were truly cornered by Zhang Fantie or someone from the mysterious organization, they would only buy him a few extra seconds at most.
What would really help him escape were Disguise Skills, but those were quite rare, and Su Ze didnât see any in the display case.
He had to settle for the next best thing: absorbing a skill that would boost his combat power.
âThe skills Rhino Charge and Ant Power have basically defined my current combat style as primarily close-quarters. I use Rhino Charge to close in on enemies, then unleash Ant Power to crush them with sheer force. It would be best to add either an attack or a defense skill now, as either would greatly enhance my combat capabilities.â
Ant Power was strong, but it only amplified his strengthâit was like a stat boost, not a direct attack skill. If paired with a powerful attack skill to fully unleash that strength bonus, Su Zeâs offensive power would reach a terrifying level.
Pairing it with a defensive skill would be a safer, more prudent choice that couldnât go wrong.
âIf I canât find anything better, Iâll have to choose one of those Rank 2, E-rank extracts with a defense skill...â Su Ze turned his attention to the Rank 2, D-rank extracts.
A moment later, his eyes lit up as a Rank 2, D-rank extract caught his attention.
Rock Scorpion Extract
Rank: 2, D-Rank
Possible Skills: Needle Strike, Paralysis Toxin, Rock Shield
Price: 6,000,000 Lin Coins
The price wasnât too steep, roughly the same as a Rank 1, S-rank extract. What really caught Su Zeâs eye was the "Needle Strike" skill.
Needle Strike: Focus all of your bodyâs power into a single point to unleash a piercing strike. (If the user has mastered poison-type skills, this skill can gain Poison Attachment.)
This was a very good, powerful attack skill with two properties: "piercing" and "Poison Attachment." However, since Su Ze hadnât mastered any poison-type skills, the Poison Attachment property was useless to him for now.
But what truly excited Su Ze was how perfectly Needle Strike synergized with Ant Power. First, he could use Ant Power to amplify his strength, then use Needle Strike to focus all that power into a single point. It would undoubtedly unleash terrifying destructive force!
Who needed defense with that?
The best defense is a good offense!
âThis is the one!â
The Needle Strike skill was definitely no weaker than a skill from a Rank 1, S-rank extractâit might even be stronger. And as a Rank 2, D-rank extract, the Rock Scorpion Extractâs body-strengthening effect would certainly far surpass that of any Rank 1 extract.
In other words, as long as Su Ze could successfully absorb it, the Rock Scorpion Extract was absolutely a better choice for him than any Rank 1, S-rank extract.
The only issue was that the Rock Scorpion Extract had three possible skills, and Su Ze wasnât guaranteed to get "Needle Strike." That would be up to luck.
Even getting the defensive skill Rock Shield would be acceptable. Of the three skills, only Paralysis Toxin wasnât a good fit for him.
"Iâll take it!"
Su Ze pointed decisively at the Rock Scorpion Extract in the display case.