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--- Chapter 509 ---
"Come on, Brother Han... I'm still waiting for you," Xu Deming muttered, monitoring the spiking stellar energy signatures from the Heavenly Star Observation Platform thousands of miles away. "The Spiritual Handshake is ready to commence at any moment."
At this very instant, several glass-like gems floated silently in the high atmosphere above Heaven Dou City and its satellite regions, emitting a faint, rhythmic pulse. They appeared somewhat illusory, yet remained very much tangible.
These gems functioned as signal towers, amplifying and distributing Han Yuan's immense spiritual wavelength across the vast urban sprawl, and orbital satellites in outer space then processed the incoming massive dataset of individuals selected by Gnosia's algorithm.
Back at the Heavenly Star Observation Platform, Han Yuan executed the Divine Art: Myriad Covenant of Existence.
It was a spirit-based Divine Art that allowed him to project an illusory yet binding contract upon target souls, linking them directly to the Beta Test Form of the DND Realm—a domain made purely from his Authority of Dream.
Given Han Yuan's current realm of cultivation and level of control over the Authority of Dream, this Beta Test DND Realm was merely a fraction of its eventual final scale.
Regardless, it was more than sufficient to host the conscious minds of ten thousand individuals simultaneously, specifically, the ten thousand "chosen seeds" filtered by Gnosia's programs.
Han Yuan's mind operated at hyper speeds as stellar energy transformed into thousands of silk-like threads of light. Bursting forth from the venue, they darted across the night sky, spreading rapidly toward Heaven Dou City and its surrounding urban sectors.
"It's here!" Xu Deming watched intently as the starlight collided with the illusory gem relays, flashing brilliantly for a split second before bridging directly to his satellites and locking onto the designated candidates below.
Deep within the moon facility, brilliant rows of indicators illuminated the central console. Gnosia processed the real-time data stream before reporting calmly:
'The Spiritual Handshake is successful. All nodes locked.'
'200... 300... 6,900... 7,100... 9,999... 10,000!'
'Target matrix ready for server integration.'
"Commence!" Xu Deming ordered decisively.
'Commencing forced spiritual login and connection!' Gnosia responded monotonously.
In an instant, around ten thousand clusters of glimmering stars, carrying the dreaming minds of youths, manifested across the planet surface, and then soared outward from Heaven Dou City like a sprawling constellation web drawn from the earth to the moon.
Xu Deming sat alone in the dim control room, leaning forward. "Gnosia, report status."
'Mental Connection: Stable,' Gnosia reported continuously.
'Spirit Manifestation: Stable.'
'Dream Sedation: Stable.'
'Mental Status of Players: Stable.'
'Beta Test World Status: Stable.'
'Spiritual Handshake: Stable.'
'The Heaven Dou Server is officially online until the next scheduled maintenance and update patch!'
"Yes!" Xu Deming clenched his fist tightly. "We actually pulled it off!"
He paused, glancing at the diagnostics monitor. "Wait... what is the status of Player Zero? I mean, Brother Han?"
'ID: Player Zero is currently offline. He has not logged into the DND Realm yet,' Gnosia replied with a rare trace of uncertainty.
"What? What is he planning down there?" Xu Deming gazed at the visual feed and indeed saw Han Yuan still standing at the center of the Heavenly Star Observation Platform.
"Wait... he's still assisting that girl's spirit evolution," Xu Deming narrowed his dim eyes in thought. "Shining Sun... Could this girl actually be a distant branch of my Xu Family's bloodline as well?"
A rare, contemplative smile touched his lips. "Perhaps this really is fate."
"When the Sun, Moon, and Stars converge... a noble and grand future shall arrive upon this world."
Back on the platform, Han Yuan felt a throbbing headache hit his temple as he frowned deeply. Ultimately, his young physical vessel was pushing its limits to process such an astronomical load of mental activity.
Moreover, the Authority of Dream was not something he could utilize too much. It consumed spiritual energy and the Law of Dream, which even Alpha and Beta used sparingly.
Fortunately, the virtual operation of the DND Realm would soon begin feeding an immense supply of Dream Force back to Han Yuan.
As long as the ten thousand chosen seeds believed in the authenticity of the dream world they were plunged into, it would only be a matter of time before Han Yuan gained the foundation to ascend to godhood as a Dream God!
"Phew," Han Yuan calmly regulated his breath, absorbing the surrounding stellar energy to restore his drained spiritual power until the heavy, mental fog in his mind cleared.
'Damn... I probably won't be able to utilize the Authority of Dream again until these Beta Testers adapt to the initial DND Realm...'
'What a drag.'
'Anyway, onto the next phase: Symbiotic Mutual Evolution!'
He turned his gaze toward the meditating Mu Xi. Unlike the chosen youths across Heaven Dou City, she had been selected by Gnosia as a "special-targeted player" outside the geographical limits of Heaven Dou City.
Of course, since she was deep in meditation now, she had not yet logged into the dream-woven world. Right now, she was bearing the unstoppable Baptism of Stars, enduring the terrifying, sacred heat of the celestial force that burned the impurities out of her body.
Mu Xi and the Fire Raging Lion groaned, sweating profusely. The Shining Sun Martial Soul swayed erratically, its very core trembling under the sheer weight of the divine stellar energy.
Zzt!
A faint stream of scorching, orangish-crimson lightning suddenly crackled outward from the sun's core. Seeing this mutation, Han Yuan couldn't help but smile in genuine approval.
"Good job, Sister Mu Xi," He praised the girl softly. "Now, let me handle the rest."
The Star Liberation Crown burst with brilliant, multi-colored starlight as Han Yuan invoked the Divine Art: Myriad Covenant of Existence once more.
This time, however, he used the technique to bind Mu Xi's evolving spirit as a subordinate spirit under the authority of his Star Liberation Crown.
It was the same principle Alpha had used to form subordination contracts with Ye Lingling and Ye Xuelan. At its core, the Star Liberation Crown was a god-level martial soul of absolute authority over stars, and resonating with it, the Shining Sun Martial Soul received an insurmountable leap in quality and potential.
Was it worth the energy investment? Without a doubt!
Han Yuan lost nothing in the exchange. Stellar energy was a resource he possessed in limitless abundance. Bestowing a fraction of it upon a future powerhouse like Mu Xi was an investment that would yield unimaginable returns.
Who knew? Mu Xi might very well ascend as the Sun Goddess of this dark era, illuminating the world with her grace.
"Hmm..."
A sudden sense of soothing warmth spread through Mu Xi's mind, not the scorching heat of the star baptism, but a gentle, relaxing tide that washed over her entire being. She couldn't help but smile softly in her meditative state. "Xiao Yuan..."
Under the astonished, wide-eyed gazes of everyone present, Mu Xi then underwent a visible, stunning transformation.
Nourished by the stellar energy, her frame grew taller and more slender, her unsteady posture changing with newfound grace. Her skin smoothed to a flawless, porcelain radiance, while her long hair cascaded down her back, taking on a brilliant crimson luster.
Above her head, her Shining Sun Martial Soul evolved completely.
Its color shifted to a deep, orangish-crimson with a glowing golden core, perfectly matching her hair, while discharging arcs of fierce, golden-red lightning into the surrounding air.
Beside her, the Fire Raging Lion underwent an equally stunning evolution. It swelled to three times its original size, now possessing wings woven by red lightning. Its body surged with dense, explosive muscle while chaotic thunder and solar flames danced across its fur.
Most shocking of all were her spirit rings. Mu Xi's two yellow century-old rings began to vibrate violently before transforming into vibrant purple, ascending into thousand-year rings, each etched with intricate, orange solar patterns.
Mu Xi slowly opened her red eyes. A faint, glowing Golden Sun mark now graced her fair forehead, adding a captivating layer of charm to her much-matured face.
'Xiao Yuan..." She blinked, gazing directly at Han Yuan standing before her. Without warning, she pounced forward, wrapping her arms tightly around him in a radiant, beaming smile.
"Xiao Yuan... Sister loves you to death!"
Han Yuan chuckled softly, letting Mu Xi hug him as he gently patted her back. "Mhm. Now, you have the power to protect yourself, Sister Mu Xi..."
"Protect myself? No, I want to protect you!" Mu Xi declared boldly, leaning in to give him a sweet, unhesitating peck on the cheek.