The observers were left stunned. A mutual destruction? Had both The Solaris Emperor and the Cryo-Wraith Monarch perished together? The sheer speed of the conclusion left everyone in a state of catatonic shock.

  ...

  "You’ve directed quite a play, kid," Sovereign Glacia remarked from within the small bell, looking up at the sky above the crumbling Planet Solaris.

  Everything that had just transpired was a sophisticated projection generated by Lance’s Tier 7 Wrist Communicator. Only one element had been real: the Star-Shatter Cannon. That weapon actually existed, and its power was indeed sufficient to kill the Emperor.

  "But there’s a massive flaw in your script," she continued. "The 'Cryo-Wraith Monarch' might be dead here, but the real one is very much alive. How do you plan to explain that when the human powerhouses investigate? Or are you going to film a sequel where he miraculously survives and escapes? If you do, it’ll eventually blow up in your face. This incident is too big. The moment the real Monarch comes out to refute the story, you’re in deep trouble."

  "Is that so? Perhaps," Lance replied with a faint, enigmatic smile.

  However, what no one else knew was that an hour ago, in the extreme northern reaches of the Milky Way, a very real drama had unfolded.

  In a desolate, starless region of space filled only with asteroid belts, a Tier-6 starship had arrived in secret. Aboard the vessel was none other than the real Cryo-Wraith Monarch of the Tartaran race, accompanied by a Peak Grandmaster subordinate.

  The subordinate had detected anomalous energy fluctuations indicative of a Secret Realm and had invited the Monarch to secure it. Driven by greed for a high-tier cosmic inheritance, the Monarch attacked the spatial anomaly, tearing open a massive rift.

  Ecstatic, the two flew their ship directly into the breach. But the moment they entered, a cold, mechanical voice echoed through the void.

  "Beep! Target talent insufficient. Commencing eradication!"

  Before the Monarch could even react, an invisible wave of energy swept over them. The ship, the Peak Grandmaster, and the mighty Cryo-Wraith Monarch were instantly erased from existence.

  Before its destruction, the ship had managed to transmit a heavily encrypted distress signal. By pure coincidence, the signal's trajectory passed near the Solaris system and was intercepted and deciphered by Lance's Tier-7 AI. Therefore, Lance was the only person in the universe who knew that the real Cryo-Wraith Monarch was already dead.

  ...

  "Let's go. Everything is resolved, and neither Selina nor I have been exposed," Lance said, teasing the entity trapped in his hand. "As a master, you act so impulsively. Did you really plan to take Selina and become fugitives across the stars?"

  "Hmph! You think I couldn't handle a mess like this?" Sovereign Glacia retorted, irritated. "And how was I impulsive? I was protecting my disciple! So what if we became fugitives? I'm used to wandering."

  Suddenly, a thought struck her. "Say, little brother... how about I marry my disciple off to you, and in exchange, you let her master go?"

  Lance rolled his eyes. "Stop dreaming. Until I find a permanent solution, you're staying right where you are."

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  He unceremoniously shoved the small bell into his robes. At the same time, he silently sacrificed another portion of his internal organs, using the Heavenly Demon Disintegration technique to refresh his peak combat state. Holding Sovereign Glacia captive required a constant, massive drain on his spiritual energy; a single lapse in concentration could allow her to break free.

  "Right, the Core Star-Flame! I can't let that go to waste!"

  Suddenly remembering his spoils of war, Lance moved toward the location where the Emperor had kept his prized cosmic flame. However, his steps halted when he saw the glowing barrier surrounding it. If he left the flame here, not only would it be a massive waste, but his carefully constructed cover story might unravel.

  "Damn it, I almost forgot. It's sealed inside an array... and I know nothing about formations!" Lance muttered, exasperated.

  The barrier before him was a powerful 6th-Rank Array. It was designed to withstand attacks from Planetary Class powerhouses. While Lance's Immortal Soul Protocol was devastating against spiritual entities like Glacia, his physical destructive power was nowhere near enough to break a high-tier array by force.

  "I guess I'll have to learn the basic theory right now," Lance sighed, opening the Martial Alliance Mall interface to see if he could find a quick fix.

  He quickly located a section dedicated to Array Master manuals. The guides were categorized by rank, with prices varying based on the author's mastery. Glancing at his balance of 100 billion Credits, Lance realized these foundational texts were surprisingly affordable.

  Lance didn't hesitate. He dropped 10 billion Credits on a 5th-rank Array Master’s instructional manual. A quick glance at the sales figures showed a staggering three million copies sold.

  This meant that a single Array Master had raked in a mind-blowing 30 quadrillion Credits from this manual alone!

  "They always say high-level Professionals are filthy rich. Now I see why," Lance muttered. As someone who was still effectively a pauper in the grand scheme of the cosmos, he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

  [System Alert: Redemption successful! "Array Master Basic Instructional Manual" acquired.]

  A chime rang in his mind, followed immediately by a massive influx of information. His consciousness was flooded with knowledge—not just the fundamentals of array theory, but a vast library of 1st and 2nd-rank array formations.

  "This is basically a step-by-step masterclass," Lance thought, his eyes shimmering. "With a guide this detailed, mastering this shouldn't be too difficult."

  He closed his eyes, instantly projecting a Holographic Simulation Space within his mind. With a flick of his wrist, a mountain of array-crafting materials manifested before him.

  "A 1st-rank array requires the user to have mutated spiritual power to carve the Array Inscriptions onto the foundation."

  Lance focused, manifesting a 1st-rank, 10-star Void Core. In array theory, the Void Core served as the cornerstone. To ensure absolute stability, Lance chose the high-quality 10-star Core to host a simple 1st-rank, 1-star array.

  The barrier to becoming an Array Master was incredibly high because spiritual mutation was mandatory. Furthermore, to carve a Void Core, one’s spiritual strength usually had to be several ranks higher than the Core itself. Because of these harsh requirements, Array Masters were universally revered.

  Lance began to trace the inscriptions onto the Void Core with his spiritual energy. Perhaps it was his 100,000x Affinity, or perhaps the manual was simply that comprehensive, but he encountered zero resistance. In less than a minute, he had successfully carved a 1st-rank Low-Grade Defensive Array into the Core.

  [System Alert: Congratulations! You have successfully constructed a [Qualified] 1st-Rank Low-Grade Array. Profession Unlocked: Array Master Current Level: 1st-Rank Low-Grade (0/100 EXP, [Qualified])]

  Lance’s spirit surged at the notification.

  "It actually unlocked the profession level?"

  The sight of the experience bar thrilled him. Having an EXP bar meant his progression would be linear and guaranteed. Once the EXP bar filled, the system would automatically grant him new insights.

  "Wait... System, can the Array Master profession undergo Reconstruction!?" A sudden thought struck him.

  [System Alert: Reconstruction is available for Profession-type skills. Note: Reconstruction will not increase your experience or rank. What changes is the [Quality]—the grade of the arrays the Array Master produces. When the Host repairs the Array Master [Exploits], the system will upgrade your foundation based on your current potential and Affinity. This will effectively push your crafting quality to its absolute limit. This Reconstruction is a permanent, lifetime upgrade. Would you like to begin scanning the Array Master talent for Exploits?]

  System Notification: A massive stockpile has been detected!

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