Chapter 62: Evolution

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Evolution

Headmistress Nyxara raised her hand, her smooth, gentle voice echoing effortlessly through the atmosphere. "Thank you, everyone. You may sit."

Immediately, the professors and the distinguished guests on the platform returned to their seats. Elira walked toward Nyxara and politely extended the microphone.

"Here, Headmistress."

Nyxara waved her hand in gentle refusal and tapped Elira’s shoulder. "No need. Go and take your seat."

She then stepped toward the front of the stage, looking out over the massive crowd as she began her address.

"Good morning, new students." Nyxara greeted them, her gentle tone meticulously enhanced by spiritual energy so that it reached every single corner of the stadium. "I am the Headmistress of Nexus Academy. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Every one of you standing here has already proven that you possess the raw talent required to walk through these gates. But remember this-being admitted into this academy is not the end of your journey." She paused, allowing her words to carry weight. "It is merely the beginning."

"From this day onward, you will stand beside geniuses from countless races, territories, and backgrounds. Some of you will rise above your peers. Some will struggle. And some will discover that the talent you once considered extraordinary is nothing special within these walls and beyond it," Nyxara said, her gaze sharpening.

"Do not let that discourage you. This academy does not exist to dictate what you can become. It exists to grant you the opportunity to find out." A faint, elegant smile touched her lips as her resonant voice filled the arena.

"Here, you will learn. You will compete. You will fail, and you will succeed. You will forge lifelong friendships, bitter rivalries, and perhaps even encounter individuals who will alter the entire course of your existence."She slowly swept her gaze across the students.

"But never forget the core reason you came here. Power without discipline is nothing. Talent without effort is utterly wasted. And knowledge without the courage to act upon it is entirely meaningless."

Her voice grew perceptibly firmer as she drove the point home. "Therefore, I expect every student of Nexus Academy to pursue their designated path with unwavering determination. You may hail from an apex, powerful family. You may possess an extraordinary bloodline. You may have awakened an amazing talent that others can only dream of."

"None of that grants you the right to look down upon another student. And none of it grants you the right to look down upon yourself." The stadium remained completely silent, hanging onto every syllable. "Within these walls, your actions will define you far more than your origins ever could."

Nyxara’s gaze swept across the freshmen one final time. "Study hard. Train harder. Challenge yourselves constantly. And when the day inevitably comes that you stand at the absolute limits of what you believe you can achieve... break those limits."

"Welcome to Nexus Academy. May your time here become the beginning of something truly extraordinary."

The moment she finished speaking, the stadium erupted into a thunderous wave of applause.

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Once Headmistress Nyxara concluded her speech, Elira stepped back up to officially bring the orientation ceremony to a close. As the sea of students rose from their seats to exit, Aeon turned to his companions.

"Hey, guys. Wait up for me outside. I need to go speak with someone real quick." Leaving them with that note, he navigated down the tiered seating decks.

His trajectory was completely deliberate; his passive telepathic senses were locked firmly onto Leonhardt, ensuring he wouldn’t lose track of him in the shifting crowd.

After crossing through a few crowded rows, he spotted Leonhardt heading toward the main exit arches of the stadium. Aeon accelerated his pace, stepping smoothly into Leonhardt’s path to halt his momentum.

Leonhardt was an undeniably handsome young man, boasting short black hair and striking golden eyes. He carried a towering frame standing at 185 cm tall, complemented by broad shoulders.

Initially caught off guard by the sudden obstruction, Leonhardt flashed a brief look of caution. However, Aeon simply smiled politely and extended his right hand.

"Hello. My name is Aeon Astaraeas. I noticed you were part of the top 20 rankers last night. I was curious to see which rank you secured," Aeon greeted him warmly, projecting a seamless first impression.

Leonhardt was taken aback, narrowing his eyes slightly as he internally questioned if the top ranker harbored an unspoken agenda.

He certainly hadn’t anticipated the famous Aeon Astaraeas casually introducing himself. Still, maintaining his manners, he reached out and firmly accepted the handshake.

"My name is Leonhardt Arclight. I was ranked third."

Instantly, a mechanical chime echoed within Aeon’s consciousness as a translucent panel materialized before his eyes.

[DING!]

[Physical contact with a valid target has been established.]

[Would you like to initialize the Boundless Bond protocol?]

’Yes.’

[DING!]

[Target localized: Leonhardt Arclight.]

[Binding sequence initialized... Successfully completed!]

[You have established a permanent Boundless Bond with the target.]

[Would you like to initiate the 100x Return sequence immediately?]

’Not at the moment.’

[DING]

[You have successfully touched a tourget]

[Do you wish to initialize the Boundless Bond]

’Yes.’

[DING]

[Binding target, Leonhardt Arclight]

[Binding Successfully]

[You have successfully bonded with the target.]

[Do you wish to initiate 100× return]

’Not at the moment.’

Aeon barely managed to conceal his excitement. He was burning with curiosity to see the finalized attributes of Leonhardt’s title and special talent once they were Amplified 100x.

’System, do titles possess standard ranks? If they don’t, will my Infinite Evolution still evolve them to adapt?’ Aeon questioned internally, sorting through his understanding of the concept.

[Yes, Master. Titles are fundamentally ranked from Common all the way to the Infinite Rank. Your Infinite Evolution trait will evolve them, as titles are seamlessly woven into the baseline fabric of your existence and soul.]

Satisfied with the response, Aeon offered a parting nod to Leonhardt. "It’s a pleasure to meet you. I should probably catch up with my friends before they leave without me. I’ll be seeing you around the campus."

Aeon turned on his heel and jogged out of the stadium, regrouping with Alex and the others who were waiting near the exterior courtyard.

"Hey, guys! What do you say we spend the rest of the day exploring the campus grounds? This academy is massive. There has to be a ton of interesting spots to see."

The group readily agreed to the casual adventure. This time, while Damian was absent from their group, Seraphina naturally slid into the group, anchoring herself to Aeon’s side.

They spent the next seven hours embarking on a comprehensive tour of every public sector they were cleared to visit. They purchased high-grade clothes, browsed unique items, visited the training arenas to watch upperclassmen engage in fierce combat, and sampled various exotic culinary dishes.

It was a deeply relaxing afternoon that everyone thoroughly enjoyed—save for the constant, silent psychological warfare occurring between Seraphina and Sophia.

Seraphina made a deliberate habit of constantly offering Aeon food or pointing out clothes for him, prompting Sophia to immediately step in and stubbornly compete with her. The unfolding dynamic added a hilarious, dramatic layer to their walk.

As twilight began to blanket the academy, the group finally bid each other farewell, resolving to prepare for the upcoming morning classes. Utilizing the nearest localized teleportation terminal, everyone dispersed toward their respective residential blocks.

Whoosh!

Aeon materialized cleanly inside the foyer of his floating villa. Heading straight upstairs to his master bedroom, he locked the doors behind him and opened a rift, tearing open a glowing portal that connected directly into his private Infinite Omniverse Dimension.

’It’s finally time to integrate the accumulated rewards from the quests and the three separate bonds,’ Aeon thought, preparing himself for what is coming.

’Right now, I have exactly one remaining bond slot left. I’ll reserve it until I can thoroughly inspect the status windows of the remaining top 20 rankers.’

Anticipation coursed through him as he contemplated the sheer scale of the imminent power upgrade. Without a second thought, Aeon stepped through the dimensional threshold, materializing over the familiar golden ocean world. Sinking into a cross-legged, meditative stance on the liquid surface, he addressed his interface.

"System, initiate the 100x Return for the newly established bonds."

[DING]

[Initializing 100x Amplified Return on Target: Elysaria]

[Calculating reward .. ]

[DING]

[Calculation complete. You have receivedthe followings:-]

[Special Talent acquired: Chrono Dominion(EX)—> Origin Genesis of Time(Origin)]

[Physique acquired: Runic Nexus Physique(SSS)—> Primordial Runic Sovereign Physique(Primordial)]

[Bloodline acquired: Astral Dragon Bloodline (Ex)—> Origin Cosmos Dragon Bloodline(Origin)]

[Affinity acquired: Astral (Origin)]

[DING]

[For compensation for the talent choose one to evolve it 100x]

Aeon didn’t need to overthink wich one to select, knowing full well that his Infinite Evolution talent would eventually evolve every acquired trait to scale to the Infinite threshold regardless.

"Apply the evolution onto the newly acquired Special Talent," Aeon directed.

[DING]

[Directing alternative 100x amplification onto the acquired Special Talent]

[Processing evolution Origin —> Infinite...]

[Evolution complete. You have successfully acquired: Special Talent: Eternal Genesis of Time(Infinite)]

Aeon nodded in deep satisfaction, his aura rippling across the golden waters as he issued a final command. "Continue."

[DING]

[Initializing 100x Amplified Return on Target: Seraphina Veylith]

[Calculating reward .. ]

[DING]

[Calculation complete. You have received the followings:-]

[Title acquired: The Regressor(Divine) —> The Eternal Fateless(Infinite)]

[Special Talent acquired: Space-Time Sovereign(Divine)—> Infinite Space-Time Omnipotence(Infinite)]

[Physique acquired: Heaven-Fallen Physique(Divine)—> Eternal Origin-Defying Physique(Divine)]

[Bloodline acquired: Celestial Duality Bloodline(Ex)—> Origin Yin-Yang Bloodline(Origin)]

[Affinity acquired: Space-Time(Infinite), Darklight(Infinite)]

[DING]

[For compensation for the talent choose one to evolve it 100x]

"I choose the bloodline," Aeon replied. It was the only ability he possessed that had yet to reach the Infinite Rank. At this point, Infinite Evolution no longer needed to do the work for him.

[Processing evolution Origin —> Infinite...]

[Evolution complete. You have successfully acquired: Bloodline: Infinite Yin-Yang Bloodline(Infinite)]

[DING]

[Initializing 100x Amplified Return on Target: Leonhardt Arclight]

[Calculating reward .. ]

[DING]

[Calculation complete. You have receivedthe followings:-]

[Title acquired: The Blessed of Heavens(Divine)—> The Beloved Of Infinity(Infinite)]

[Special Talent acquired: The Heavenly Chosen (Divine)—> The Heir of Infinity(Infinite)]

[Physique acquired: Divine Sword Physique(Divine)—> Infinite Sword Dao Physique(Infinite)]

[Bloodline acquired: Heavenly Seraph Bloodline (Divine)—> Eternal Seraph Bloodline(Infinite)]

[Affinity acquired: Sword(Infinite), Light(Infinite)]

[DING]

[For compensation for the talent choose one to evolve it 100x]

[Note: It has been detected that the returned rewards from the bond with Leonhardt Arclight contain nothing below the Infinite Rank. You may choose any one of the newly acquired rewards.]

Aeon didn’t give it much thought and immediately made his choice. "I choose the new bloodline from Elysaria."

[Processing evolution Origin —> Infinite...]

[Evolution complete. You have successfully acquired: Bloodline: Infinite Cosmic Dragon Bloodline(Infinite)]

[100× Bond Return Completed]

[All rewards from the bonded target have been amplified by 100× and successfully distributed.]

[Would you like to integrate the acquired rewards from the bonds and from the quests]

[Warning: Host will experience pain you have never felt before. Please brace yourself]

Aeon already knew what kind of pain awaited him, and he was certain this time would be no different. If anything, it might be even more painful.

"Yes. Start the integration." Aeon gave the command as he gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the pain.

[DING]

[Integrating the rewards...]

[Phase1:Integrating the Special Talents..]

True to its words, Aeon immediately felt the soul-crushing pain. But this time, it was far more intense. His entire existence—his body, soul, and mind—was being integrated with concepts beyond his imagination.

"Arrrrrrrrrrrgh!"

Aeon screamed through gritted teeth, desperately enduring the overwhelming pain. It didn’t matter how much stronger he had become or how many times he had endured and adapted to pain before. This was on an entirely different level.

[Phase 2: Integrating the acquired Physiques...]

[Phase 3: Integrating the inherited Bloodlines...]

[Phase 4: Integrating the acquired Affinities...]

[Phase 5:Integrating the Acquired Titles...]

BOOOOOM!

Immediately after the notification appeared, Aeon’s entire body and soul were destroyed, leaving behind nothing but countless particles of light that scattered in every direction.

The spirits watching the entire scene were shocked.

"What is going on? Is he dead? What happened to him?" a Burning Spirit asked as he floated in the air.

Just moments ago, they had felt an immense power entering Aeon’s existence. Yet, in the very next moment, his entire body and soul had been completely destroyed.

"He is not dead. I can still feel my connection with him. He is alive." The Moon Spirit replied as she placed a hand over her chest.

Suddenly, the scattered particles of light began returning to the place where Aeon had been sitting, as though an invisible force was pulling them back.

The particles gathered together and grew denser and denser, gradually condensing into a two meter-tall dragon egg.

The egg possessed a mesmerizing cosmic appearance. Its surface constantly shifted like a living starry sky, with countless stars, nebulas, and celestial bodies forming and disappearing across it.

[DING]

[Conditions have been met.]

[Infinite Evolution has been Activated.]

[Detected: The Master possesses multiple powers with different ranks and origins.]

[Detected: The Master possesses multiple powers not supposed for one to have]

[Warning: Lower-ranked and incompatible powers are being destroyed, absorbed, or devoured during the evolution process.]

[Warning: The Master’s existence is being destroyed by the overwhelming powers.]

[Ding]

[Evolving the Master’s Existence...]

[Initiating Balance Correction...]

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