Chapter 1 The Founding

"Did you hear? Hundreds of Super-As in the Shattered Star Ring have jointly established a new organization..."

In the officers' bar of a certain military base closed off by the Empire, the usually lively atmosphere was gone. Some had their glasses suspended near their mouths, forgetting to drink. Others had their hands covering the mouths of their glasses, their fingers subconsciously stroking the glass. Still others squinted, with thick cigarettes dangling from their mouths, the smoke swirling around them as they let them burn.

Everyone held a different pose, but the only thing they had in common was that they were all turning their heads in the same direction, their eyes converging on the virtual screen on the wall of the bar, which was currently broadcasting a current affairs talk show.

The screen showed a studio, where a host was leading several guests in a lively discussion of the latest big news.

The quiet bar was filled only with the enthusiastic voices of the program's guests.

"I know, the Super-A Advancement Federation of the Shattered Star Ring, it was just established not long ago. They invited a large number of interstellar media and released press releases, and now the whole universe is talking about it."

"Almost all the Super-As in the universe have joined in a high-profile manner. Heh, these big shots really can't stand being lonely."

Host: "According to the data, the purpose of this organization is to mediate the increasingly frequent conflicts of force among the Super-As. On the day of its establishment, they held a plenary meeting, and under the observation of the interstellar media, they publicly conducted more than a dozen mediations, resolving dozens of conflicts between Super-As through peaceful negotiations. The facts have proved that it is very effective. These people have stopped their disputes, and the frequent Super-A conflict incidents in recent times have been effectively curbed, and no one is unlucky enough to be caught in the conflict anymore."

"It seems that this organization is still very useful." A guest who served as a senior executive of a consortium complained, "The destructive power of the Super-As is too great. Their disputes often cause huge public losses. Either a planet is blown up, or bystanders are killed by the aftermath. It's rare that there is now an organization that can manage these people."

"Yeah, yeah, I have a friend who lives in the Shattered Star Ring. He went to watch Black Star's duel with the Overlord decades ago, and died unfortunately because he was too close, and there was no compensation afterwards." Someone complained, "I don't know what the people who join in the fun are thinking. Do they think it's a concert or something?"

"How many ordinary people have been accidentally killed by Espers? This is a social contradiction that has existed for a long time. According to research, the number of ordinary people who die directly or indirectly from Espers every day in the entire universe is about 10 to the power of 10. Think about how terrible this data is. This is a big problem that is closely related to our lives."

A guest said indignantly, representing a certain organization for equal rights between ordinary people and Espers.

"So I think this organization is of extraordinary significance. The Super-As deserve their status as the pinnacle of the Esper class, and have set a good example for all Espers in the universe, and are very responsible." The host smiled, avoiding this sensitive topic, and displayed virtual avatars of Manison and Han Xiao on the screen behind him, saying, "And the two main initiators are the Machinery Country and Black Star, who respectively serve as the chairman and vice-chairman of the Advancement Federation."

"Oh, these two are big shots among big shots!"

A socialite made an exaggerated gesture: "Manison doesn't need to be said, he is an old Super-A, everyone is familiar with him. No one finds it strange that he sits in the position of chairman. On the contrary, Black Star, he is a figure who has only risen in recent decades, and he has suppressed other veterans and sat on the second chair."

"Super-As are a bunch of guys who value strength above all else. Not long ago, Black Star fought twelve enemies with one, and achieved a historic record. Seniority is not a limiting factor for him." A starry-eyed Slimer danced.

"Speaking of which, Black Star proposed the idea of the Advancement Federation. It seems that the trigger was this battle. Manison was just a partner he pulled in."

"No, no, I think there were clues in the Gods' Meeting. They had planned it for a long time. Black Star was the one who mediated it, and he got the position of vice-chairman because he contributed the most. As for the purpose of these Super-As, who knows? Maybe they also want to reshuffle the cards during the development of the Shattered Star Ring. Anyway, everyone is the same."

"I checked the information. Black Star has been very active recently. He not only took the lead in establishing the Advancement Federation, but also became a new shareholder of the Infinite Consortium. The Empire's official sale of Evolution Totems has also been put on the agenda, and he has even entered the entertainment industry. In the archives of the Interstellar Film Association, a film adapted from Black Star's deeds has been officially approved, and the director is the well-known producer Benny Travor. Perhaps we will soon be able to witness the process of Black Star's rise on the screen."

The host and guests talked eloquently.

*Clang.*

At this moment, an Imperial officer heavily put down his glass, curled his lip, and said disdainfully, "What a load of crap mediation, a bunch of Super-As acting, it's really something they can do, only a bunch of idiots would believe their nonsense."

The people in the bar burst into laughter.

Everyone present was discerning, and they were also soldiers of the Empire, so standing on the Empire's position, they couldn't help but start talking.

"This is considered the official association of the Super-As. It seems that they finally want to take back some power from the three great civilizations."

"I didn't expect Black Star to be the main person in charge, hey, as expected, outsiders can't be trusted. I used to admire him for a while."

"There's nothing strange about it. He's not an Imperial citizen after all, there's no reason to demand his absolute loyalty."

"The three great civilizations are going to have a hard time in the future, another force has emerged that cannot be ignored."

Listening to the discussion of his colleagues, Hodd swirled the glass containing the amber liquid, silently staring at Han Xiao's virtual avatar in the program, his eyes full of meaning.

"Your status is getting higher and higher..."

Because the Chaos Secret Energy was snatched away, Hodd had been paying close attention to Han Xiao, watching Han Xiao constantly acquire capital and his status in the universe getting higher and higher.

The Hela rescue battle some time ago also made him once again surprised by Han Xiao's growth rate.

Hodd's wrist stopped, and the liquid continued to swirl and rotate in the glass due to inertia. He lowered his head, watching the vortex in the glass, and a playful arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Manison had this idea before, and now he finally has the opportunity. The Advancement Federation is a good excuse. When I become a Super-A, I'll probably have to join. But I didn't expect you to support this approach. Do you agree with Manison's theory of a united front for Super-As, or are you saying... have you also discovered that thing?"

...

Black Star Palace, Legion Commander's office.

"It seems that the debut of the Advancement Federation was very successful..."

Han Xiao leaned back in his chair, put his legs on the table, and quickly checked the news from various media in the quantum network, with a satisfied look on his face.

Just recently, the Advancement Federation officially announced its establishment to the outside world, and he, as the vice-chairman, also made an appearance at the ceremony.

For the average person, the establishment of the Advancement Federation was unannounced, and the movements of nearly a hundred Super-As attracted attention, so as soon as the news was released, it caused widespread discussion in all sectors of the universe.

And the most shocked was the Shattered Star Ring. The vast majority of forces in the Free Competition Zone were stunned by this sudden event.

There are many forces exploring the Shattered Star Ring, but in the view of these organizations, the real situation in the Free Competition Zone is actually a three-legged confrontation, with the Empire on one side alone, the Crimson Dynasty and the Arcane Church united on one side, and the Star Cluster Alliance on the last side.

In contrast, other freely exploring forces are only economic problems, and are a group of scattered soldiers, while these three parties are political confrontations, which are the disputes of the top giants, like the difference between corporate disputes and national disputes.

Originally, although there were many Super-A forces, they each had their own affiliations, but now they are holding together. If they form a community of interests, then a behemoth will emerge, and the situation may change from a three-legged confrontation to a four-party struggle.

However, this is just speculation from the outside world. Neither Manison nor Han Xiao intend to carry out vigorous actions. In the negotiations on ultimate knowledge, the three great civilizations tried to get them to deal with the Star Cluster Alliance. Even though Han Xiao really wanted to take the opportunity to target the Modo Civilization, he could only refuse in order to take the overall situation into account.

In the plan, the greatest role of the Advancement Federation at present is to provide a platform for communication. The primary task is to slowly integrate the resources of various members through the platform, and strive to form a Super-A community of interests—only by condensing this scattered sand into a huge network of interests and consolidating the foundation can a united front have meaning. Otherwise, the Advancement Federation is just an empty shell.

"It will take a long time to accomplish this, and the three great civilizations will definitely continue to obstruct it, so before it is completed, the Advancement Federation has no energy to do anything else... Even if those Super-As have their own ideas, they will not show it in the initial stage, and will only support such resource integration to achieve a win-win situation."

Han Xiao scratched his chin with his thumb and muttered to himself.

The Super-A Association has just been established, and there is still a long way to go before it reaches Manison's or his own vision. This is a long-term career, with a time unit of at least ten years as the basis. There is no need to rush it, so there is no need to always keep it in mind.

It is worth mentioning that Sorokin, as the only oddball, used money and connections to pave the way and squeezed into the council seat crowded with peak Super-As.

After learning about Sorokin's attitude from the Traveler, Han Xiao remained calm on the surface, but in fact secretly focused on this guy. Now the situation has changed, and it has become a situation where the enemy is in the open and he is in the dark. As a shareholder of the consortium, Han Xiao did not exclude Sorokin, as that would only arouse the other party's vigilance.

However, as the saying goes, mastering Marxism in reverse can lead to wealth. Putting aside everything else, Sorokin is still quite good at making money.

"In this way, my goal will be achieved. When the Superpower Calamity breaks out, I will be able to intervene in a high position, and even guide the main line of this version..." Han Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.

Super-As are at the pinnacle of individual power and are the idols of countless Espers. The Super-As group together can guide the trends of the entire Esper class to a certain extent. This is also an important reason why the influence of the Superpower Calamity quickly swept the universe after it broke out.

Putting this matter aside for the time being, Han Xiao opened the forum to browse the players' views on this matter.

Unsurprisingly, the focus of the players' attention was not the significance of the Advancement Federation, but the names of so many Super-As. They were talking with great interest about these top NPCs.

He even saw a post from a Chinese player, who applied the style of Liangshanbo to the Super-A Association, and ranked each Super-A member:

Hubaoyi Manison, Yu Qilin Black Star, Zhiduo Xing Kesuye, Ruyunlong Millizaus, Huaheshang Serraon, Xiao Xuanfeng Sorokin, Jiuwenlong Secret Lord...

Seeing one familiar person after another being assigned a seat, the corners of Han Xiao's mouth rose wildly.

When he saw Hela's nickname, he finally couldn't hold it in and laughed wildly, slapping the table.

"Mother Night Fork Hela?! Pu hahaha ha—"

"What are you laughing at?"

At this moment, Aurora walked in, and was surprised to see Han Xiao looking so ecstatic.

"Cough cough, it's nothing."

Han Xiao suppressed his laughter, wiped the corners of his eyes, and beckoned to Aurora, "Come here."

Aurora heard this and walked to Han Xiao. She had been suddenly called to the office, and was now looking puzzled.

Han Xiao suddenly raised his hand and grabbed Aurora's forearm, pinching it carefully, all the way to her shoulder.

Aurora's body stiffened, and she stood still without dodging, both curious and uneasy.

"W-what are you doing?"

Han Xiao looked her up and down, retracted his hand, and pondered, "I think your bones are amazing, you can hold on even if you are counterattacked."

"W-what do you mean?"

*Clang.*

Hearing this, Han Xiao took out the containment device for the Holy Light Particle and slapped it on the table, smiling:

"I went to the secondary dimension this time and found a new Primal Esper Ability, I want to inject it into your body, what do you think?"

Han Xiao explained it again. After some consideration, he decided to find a host for the Holy Light Particle.

He valued the new power system brought by the Holy Light Seed, and this would consume Origin Energy, so finding a host who could use Life Energy Potions to cure kidney deficiency was more useful than making it into a Secret Energy user.

And Aurora, who came with the life Esper Ability, was naturally the first choice. Letting her be the host would basically eliminate kidney deficiency.

If it didn't match, Han Xiao would consider the host Evans from his previous life.

"Primal Esper Ability?" Aurora widened her eyes and curiously looked at the golden energy in the containment device.

The Holy Light Particle was unhappy and sent out indignant mental fluctuations: "Hey, this is the host you found for me? She's too tender!"

"Tender my ass, she's only about ten years younger than me." Han Xiao secretly rolled his eyes.

"What! You Super-As are at least hundreds of years old!" The Holy Light Particle was even more angry, "Then isn't she also hundreds of years old? Shameless, still pretending to be tender!"

"...Can I pinch it to death?"

Aurora had a black line on her forehead.

I...呸, your sister, I am full of vitality, I was born so tender, pretending my ass!

The Holy Light Particle was still relentless, clamoring, "I want a strong male host, that's the only way to be worthy of my power!"

Han Xiao had already figured out its temper and said angrily, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? If you keep yapping, I'll give you to the Chaos Secret Energy and let it play with you."

The Holy Light Particle instantly shut up, very efficient in its cowardice.

Han Xiao pressed the containment device, and a needle popped out. When Aurora saw this, she reluctantly stretched out her hand, bit her lip, and let Han Xiao stick a needle into her body.

*Boom!*

The next moment, a strong light suddenly burst in front of Han Xiao's eyes, like a solar flare!