Shadow was extremely frustrated. He was nothing more than a void soul, a failed assassin, residing within a tiny piece of Morstone, with nothing to offer Brian Carter as payment.

　　The sea breeze brushed his face as Brian Carter took off his clothes and jumped into the water, heading toward the waves.

　　Although this was Shadow's illusory world, the sensation of the sea was no different from that of a real ocean.

　　After swimming a lap in the water, Brian Carter returned to the beach and lay there naked.

　　On his left thigh, at some unknown point, a pattern had appeared. It was small and not very noticeable, resembling a flower about to bloom.

　　“Huh?” Shadow's gaze fixed on Brian Carter's thigh.

　　“What are you doing?” Brian Carter shivered. Being looked at like that by another man made him feel very uncomfortable.

　　“I've got it! I can teach you 【Shadow Moon】! You have the talent to surpass the speed of light. If you cultivate 【Shadow Moon】, your achievements will be limitless,” Shadow said excitedly.

　　“Shadow Moon? What's that?” Brian Carter asked, puzzled.

　　“【Shadow Moon】 is the ultimate martial art passed down in my lineage, an authentic top-tier assassination technique. Many people want to learn it but have no way to find a master.”

　　“Oh, so it's an assassination technique. After I learn it, will I become a failed assassin like you? That doesn't really appeal to me. You'd better think of something else,” Brian Carter said with a laugh.

　　Shadow said anxiously, “What do you mean, failed assassin? Even the weakest in my sect could kill an interstellar judge in one move. How could such a technique be inferior!”

　　Brian Carter chuckled, “Who did you say you killed just now?”

　　Shadow scratched his head, realizing he had let something slip. “Just pretend I didn't say anything. There are some things I can't tell you. What you need to understand is that although you used the gene optimization serum to open your seventh brain region and optimize your body structure, the side effects of this serum are beyond your imagination.”

　　“Right now, you possess the greatest potential you ever will. At the same time, no technique can help you advance your cultivation even a bit further, unless you have my help. Otherwise, you'll be stuck at the pitiful Starlight level for the rest of your life.”

　　Brian Carter listened in a daze. He blinked and asked, “What do you mean? Why can't my cultivation progress anymore? If I can't improve, what's the point of you teaching me 【Shadow Moon】? And what do you mean by greatest potential?”

　　Seeing Brian Carter's curiosity piqued, Shadow felt a bit smug. “Here's the thing: the gene optimization serum you took was extremely violent. It completely broke through the barrier of your seventh brain region. Now, you are in a state of 100% activation.”

　　“The nightshade poppy flower on your left leg is the best proof. Those who possess the nightshade poppy totem have unlimited potential. If the opportunity is right, you could reach unimaginable heights. You should know that ordinary humans, even if they open the seventh brain region, won't have unlimited potential, because they don't open it 100%.”

　　“Although you've fully opened your seventh brain region, the excessively violent energy has also completely locked your internal enhancement system. From now on, you won't be able to improve your level through cultivation—only by using large amounts of medicine.”

　　Brian Carter nodded. “I get it. You mean that if I want to level up in the future, I have to take the kind of medicine you mentioned, or else I'll be stuck at my current level forever.”

　　Shadow tapped lightly in the air, and suddenly, countless strange plants and animals, as well as bottles of potions, appeared in the sky.

　　“Look, all these medicines can help you level up. I may not be a successful assassin, but when it comes to pharmacology in my sect, no one surpasses me except my master. My strength isn't assassination—it's knowledge,” Shadow said proudly.

　　Brian Carter burst out laughing. “Bro, you say you're the best at poetry in your sect, but your skills are really crap.”

　　Shadow's face darkened. “Your poetry is indeed much better than mine, which is why I agreed to help you, using my pharmacological knowledge and the top technique 【Shadow Moon】 as repayment. That should be enough, right?”

　　“I agree,” Brian Carter said straightforwardly.

　　So-called poetry and songs are all things left by those before us. Trading them for Shadow's top technique was basically a deal with no cost. If Brian Carter refused, that would be truly foolish.

　　……

　　On the top floor of the Earth Federation A-Class Citizen Management Center, there was a computer.

　　This was no ordinary computer, but an intelligent machine capable of connecting to the interstellar internet.

　　Through this computer, one could access the Pan-Human Alliance network and communicate with other planets within the alliance.

　　There were only ten such computers on Earth, all gifts from the Pan-Human Alliance. In all of Asia, only the Beijing and Tokyo branches had one each.

　　After smoothly completing the usage procedures, the staff led Brian Carter to the room where the supercomputer was kept.

　　The computer was placed alone in a sealed room. A heavy metal door sealed the room tightly, without even a single window.