Every single past recipient of a Bloodline Crystal had been one of the top geniuses on the Lin Hua Continent.

Of those still alive today, some have likely become helmsmen of great families, while others have joined the upper echelons of the Lin Hua Country government...

Even the one who fared the worst, the King of Mu, was still the monarch of one of the six nations—a Saint-level overlord.

’If all these people are puppets of the aliens...’

The thought alone sent a chill down Su Ze’s spine.

Liou Wenxin said reassuringly, "It might not be as terrible as we’re imagining. This ’mental contamination’ only influences a person’s thoughts on a subconscious level. It doesn’t cause them to completely lose their sense of self."

"For example, if a King is subjected to this mental contamination, he’ll still know he’s a King. It’s not like his soul is possessed and he suddenly thinks he’s an alien. However, he might change from a kind person into a cruel one, or from a diligent person into a lazy one. The specific changes depend on what the inflictor wants him to become."

"That’s still terrifying," Su Ze said. "Unknowingly becoming a stranger to yourself, doing things you never would have, wanted to, or were willing to do... I wonder if that’s how the King of Mu was controlled."

’If the King of Mu really was under the aliens’ Mind Control, then all of his irrational behavior would make sense.’

’But the mental contamination is established through the Bloodline Contract.’

’If the King of Mu signed the Bloodline Contract and was subsequently put under Mind Control, how did he manage to dissolve the contract and pass the Bloodline Crystal to his daughter?’

’Did he somehow learn how to dissolve the Bloodline Contract *after* being controlled?’

’But as Liou Wenxin said, the contamination only influences the mind; it isn’t a full-blown possession. There’s no way he could have suddenly gained new memories, like knowledge of the aliens’ secret arts.’

Liou Wenxin took a small sip of her milk tea. After a moment of serious thought, she said, "I suspect the mental contamination is only the first step. Those alien lifeforms definitely have other arrangements. The contamination only influences one’s thinking; it’s a far cry from complete control."

"They’ve gone to such great lengths for all this; there has to be a purpose. Is it merely to control a few human geniuses? That would be meaningless to them."

"So, mentally contaminating those geniuses is just the first step. There’s definitely a next move, and I suspect the real endgame is the Bloodline Crystal itself!"

"The Bloodline Crystal?" Su Ze felt like he was onto something.

He organized his thoughts, voicing them one by one.

"Even the final victors who pass through the Divine Dice’s rigorous trials aren’t guaranteed a Bloodline Crystal. Only a tiny, select group of the most brilliant geniuses receive one. This suggests that the aliens behind the curtain want the Bloodline Crystals to fall into the hands of true prodigies."

"We don’t know if anyone besides me has signed a Bloodline Contract, but signing one means you can’t give the Bloodline Crystal away. For your own safety, you also have to evolve to the Saint-level and absorb the crystal as quickly as possible. This is further proof that the masterminds want these true geniuses to absorb the Bloodline Crystals, not have them fall into the hands of others."

"These two points alone are enough to prove how important the Bloodline Crystal is to those masterminds."

Liou Wenxin nodded in approval. "You’re right. Every single recipient of a Bloodline Crystal rushes to break through to the Saint-level as fast as possible after the Divine Dice trials end. Then they absorb the crystal immediately, terrified that someone else will come after it."

"But there’s one more thing. The masterminds can’t guarantee that a genius who obtains a Bloodline Crystal won’t be killed and have it stolen from them. If that were to happen, wouldn’t their whole scheme be for nothing?"

"There’s no way the masterminds haven’t considered that. So, what does that tell us?"

A look of sudden understanding dawned on Su Ze’s face. "So, the genius isn’t important—or at least, not as important. The truly important thing is the Bloodline Crystal! No matter whose hands it falls into, it will be absorbed. And once it’s absorbed, the masterminds’ plan will have succeeded!"

’Anyone capable of absorbing a Bloodline Crystal has to be a Saint-level expert. The ideal scenario for the masterminds is for one of those top-tier geniuses to become a Saint and then absorb the crystal.’

’But if the genius who received the crystal gets killed and it’s stolen, the worst-case scenario is that some other Saint-level expert will absorb it.’

’Their goal is to get the Bloodline Crystal absorbed by a human!’

’What happens after you absorb a Bloodline Crystal?’

Su Ze didn’t know, but he was sure the consequences were far more severe than just mental contamination.

’Did the King of Mu realize there was a problem with the Bloodline Crystal, so he refused to absorb it himself? And then gave it to his daughter to absorb instead?’

’Forget it. The King of Mu is still an enigma...’ Su Ze forced all speculation about the king from his mind.

’What’s the point of overthinking it? When I’m strong enough, I’ll just take a trip to Mu Country and slap the King of Mu to death. I don’t care if he’s from Blue Star or an alien.’

The thought that the Bloodline Crystal in his possession was a hot potato left Su Ze feeling dejected. He certainly couldn’t absorb it himself, nor could he sell it. On top of that, he would constantly be targeted by Saint-level experts who were ignorant of the truth.

’If only I had known. I would’ve just left the Divine Dice after the fifth trial and let someone else take the Bloodline Crystal.’

But it was too late for regrets. He decided to seal the Bloodline Crystal away and find a good hiding place for it.

On another note, Su Ze recalled that he himself had absorbed a fragmented Bloodline Crystal. Even though it was third-hand, he couldn’t be sure it wouldn’t cause problems.

Su Ze was mostly worried about his own safety, whereas Liou Wenxin was considering the bigger picture.

"This is serious. And terrifying." She squeezed the plastic cup in her hand, crushing it into an hourglass shape. "And we can’t report this to the Sovereign Country. Who knows what would happen if we did."

Ever since the Divine Dice appeared, over ninety percent of all Bloodline Crystal recipients have been from the Sovereign Country. If the people who absorbed those crystals are indeed compromised, reporting this matter to the Sovereign Country now would be asking for trouble.

"What do you plan to do?" Su Ze asked.

Liou Wenxin took a deep breath. "I’m going to start by finding a list of all the past first-place winners of the Divine Dice trials. That should give us an idea of just how deep this rabbit hole goes."

"Should we tell Mr. Zhou and Mr. Gu?"

"We can ask for their help," Liou Wenxin said. "None of Dongli’s overlords have ever obtained a Bloodline Crystal, so they can be trusted."

Su Ze was speechless.

’Trustworthy (X), mediocre talent (✓).’

Still, Su Ze agreed they should inform Mr. Gu and the others. He and Liou Wenxin weren’t saviors; there was no need for them to shoulder such a massive burden alone. Some things were best left for the old-timers to fret over.

Besides, the sooner they knew, the sooner they could prepare.

For the moment, the two of them dropped the topic and moved on to discussing how to handle a few items.

Liou Wenxin went through her recommendations one by one. "Based on my examination of the headless clone, there isn’t a major issue. The residual spiritual energy is minimal and should dissipate on its own within a few days. It won’t stop you from using it, but to be on the safe side, I’d avoid using it rashly."

"The Bloodline Crystal carries an unknown danger. It’s best to find a secure and well-hidden place for it."

"The sixth-tier extract is fine. Even though it comes from an alien beast, it won’t affect your ability to absorb and use it."

Su Ze followed Liou Wenxin’s advice. He put away the sixth-tier extract and placed the headless clone in a separate Storage Ring, resolving not to use it unless absolutely necessary.

As for the Bloodline Crystal, he found a box in the lab that could block fluctuations of evolutionary power. He placed the crystal inside, intending to have Mr. Ya take it deep underground later.

"I’m planning to go find Mr. Zhou in a bit to discuss the Bloodline Crystal. Do you want to come with?" Liou Wenxin asked.

Su Ze remembered he had a meeting with Xu Sheng, so he declined.

After leaving Liou Wenxin’s lab, Su Ze summoned Mr. Ya. The two of them phased thousands of meters beneath Dongli University.

There weren’t even any strange beasts this deep underground, and the average student certainly didn’t have the ability to phase this far down. It was a relatively safe place to hide the Bloodline Crystal.

After hiding the box containing the Bloodline Crystal in the earth, Su Ze and Mr. Ya phased back to the surface.

Afterward, Mr. Ya performed another divination for Su Ze. The result was still "wreathed in red light."

’I really can’t shake off this state of danger!’

’It seems the danger really has nothing to do with the Bloodline Crystal...’

’It’s not that Mr. Ya’s ability is faulty; he tests others and they all come up safe. Only I show a red light.’

’Perhaps I really am in danger, a danger that originates from within me...’ Su Ze suspected he was carrying some unknown risk. He even wondered if it might be related to the "Divine Grace of Evolution."

After all, "Divine Grace of Evolution" was a skill that came from a Bloodline Crystal, and the crystals were tainted. It was possible that this had planted a hidden vulnerability within him.

If that was the case, Su Ze felt the King of Mu had to be connected to it somehow.

...

「Around noon」

Xu Sheng arrived at Dongli University and invited Su Ze to a meal at a restaurant near the campus entrance.

Su Ze brought Mr. Ya along, since he also had some items he wanted to sell.

"Mr. Su! Every time I see you, I have to crane my neck higher and squint my eyes tighter." Xu Sheng was full of eager flattery the moment he saw Su Ze.

"And why is that?" Su Ze asked, curious.

"It’s because your status keeps rising, and the radiance you give off grows ever more brilliant! I have no choice but to look up at you and squint. If I opened my eyes any wider, I’m afraid your dazzling light would blind me!"

"Your flattery is getting more and more elaborate," Su Ze said with a smile, shaking his head.

"I’m not just flattering you! I still remember the first time I met you, which was only half a year ago. Back then, you hadn’t even completed a single evolution. Now, in just six short months, you’ve become a genius renowned throughout the Lin Hua Continent, a Butterfly Stage expert... Thinking back on it now, it truly feels like a dream."

Xu Sheng was genuinely filled with emotion.

Backed by Evolutionary Technology, his information network was quite effective. He knew all about Su Ze’s performance in the Divine Dice this time.

He often found himself thinking recently: ’Just what kind of monster did I stumble upon in that little shop in Heiyan City back then!’