[You have in the Emperor Octavius of the Divine Mountain Empire. His rating is: Maximum. Your ss change quest progress has been updated!]


    [You have in the Emperor Octavius of the Divine Mountain Empire, obtaining 300 Star Crystals.]


    "The old emperor did manage to save quite a few soldiers at thest moment." Sterlmented offhandedly as he nced at the numerous notifications flooding his screen.


    Regarding the collection of Star Crystals, Sterl''s panel disyed around 100 prompts for ordinary ck Armor soldiers, and roughly 30 to 40 prompts for various generals. With Octavius contributing 300 crystals, the total was more than enough.


    Of course, when Sterl killed the emperor, he was still a bit short on crystals. So, he casually ughtered a dozen more ck Armor soldiers to make up the final count of 500 crystals needed for his second ss requirement.


    "Who knew that legendary-level heads were worth so much?" he mused, somewhat puzzled.


    Little did he realize, the value of a perfect legendary figure like Octavius had significantly increased the number of crystals provided!


    At this moment, all the requirements for Sterl''s second ss change were nearlyplete... except for one minor detail.


    Sterl had confidently prepared for his second ss change, only to suddenly realize he was short on Purple Gold Coins...


    After some thought, he decided to open all the loot.


    After dealing with Octavius and finishing off the dozen ck Armor soldiers for the Star Crystals, Sterl hadined about theck of drops.


    This was because, after killing Octavius, the system disyed thepletion of the [Rebel] line quest. Due to Sterl''s high reputation within the Divine Mountain Empire, other ck Armor soldiers were treated as allies and thus dropped no loot.


    Fortunately, the soldiers and generals Sterl had killed earlier still provided some drops.


    He madly opened a batch of loot orbs. Although there wasn''t anything particrly valuable, he amassed a pile of equipment, skill books, and various items and materials, forming a small mountain of resources.


    Even after opening all the loot, he found he was still short of a hundred Purple Gold Coins.


    He left a message for Teresa, asking her toe over and collect the various items and resources, which could then be sold to fund their organization and be avable for Sterl''s use as needed.


    Sterl then eagerly rubbed his hands together and took out Octavius''s drop.


    "Looks like it''s going to be something good." he said excitedly. The loot orb glowed with a mysterious and extraordinary seven-colored light.


    [Would you like to open Octavius''s relics?]


    The transcendent system prompted him directly. It was truly worthy of a legendary figure''s drop, with a ceremonious feel.


    "Yes!"


    Sterl nodded, and the colorful orb burst into a dazzling array of lights, revealing several items that slowly floated before him. The transcendent system''s notifications flooded the screen once again.


    [Congrattions, you have opened the Seven-Colored Loot Orb. You have obtained the following items—]


    [You have gained 15 legend points.]


    [You have gained 30 Purple Gold Coins.]


    [You have obtained [Mountain Heavy Armor (Legendary)].]


    [You have obtained [Blood Sacrifice Technique (Special)].]


    [You have obtained the skill book [Earthshatter (Gold)].]


    [You have obtained [Arcane Skill: Mountain].]


    [You have obtained the [ck Armor Army Banner Blueprint].]


    [You have obtained the [Training Method: ck Armor Army].]


    ...


    "Holy crap!" Sterl couldn''t help but exim, his face lighting up with joy.


    "That''s a ton of loot." he marveled. No wonder Octavius, as the ruler of an entire empire linked to the main storyline of the Divine Mountain region, dropped such valuable items!


    Even though Sterl had anticipated some good loot, he couldn''t help but feel like he''d hit the jackpot!


    All the rewards were incredibly useful!


    First, the 15 legend points were higher than what Sterl had received from any other legendary soul he had in before. The value of legend points was self-exnatory—the more, the better!


    The 30 Purple Gold Coins bumped Sterl''s liquid funds up to 113 coins. After deducting the 100 coins needed for the ss change, he would still have 13 left.


    Perfect!


    In terms of equipment, although he only got one piece, the [Mountain Heavy Armor (Legendary)] was a legendary-tier item.


    Even though its quality wasn''t the highest, legendary equipment was extremely rare.


    Sterl didn''t n on using it himself, as he aimed to acquire diamond-tier gear when he reached the legendary level.


    However, the [Mountain Heavy Armor (Legendary)] would fetch a high price if sold.


    Feeling pleased, Sterl tossed the armor into his small world. Teresa wouldn''t be able to handle such an item, so Sterl decided to see if he could sell it in the Dark Moon Alliance or the Hall of Valor.


    Next, he obtained another [Arcane Skill: Mountain].


    "That''s the second one." he noted. "I should check if I can sell it in the Hall of Valor or the Dark Moon Alliance." Sterl felt a slight sweet frustration—he had so many resources that finding buyers was bing a challenge.


    Teresa, despite his trust in her, was still too low-level to effectively handle such high-tier items.


    Finally, Sterl examined the remaining drops—the ck Armor Army Banner Blueprint and the ck Armor Army Training Method. After reviewing their attributes, he decided not to sell them.


    The function of the former is to craft a banner that enhances all allied units within its range, providing straightforward benefits like damage reduction and damage increase.


    Thetter can be used to train NPCs into soldiers. It can also be used by yers to train themselves into the [ck Armor Army], a C-rank ss.


    Moreover, as long as the training method is avable and the corresponding materials are purchased, the training can be repeated indefinitely.


    Sterl thought about his mental world and immediately realized that these two items might be useful in the future. Without thinking further, he decided to find a way to teach the ck Armor Army training method to the virtual beings in his mental domain, hoping it might lead to some interesting changes.


    The final item he received was a skill book called [Blood Sacrifice Technique]. Sterl knew just from the name that this was likely the special ability Octavius used to sacrifice his descendants.


    "If I can invest some points into it and level it up, it might be useful to me." he mused.


    But he didn''t rush to learn the skill. Instead, he stored the [Blood Sacrifice Technique] in his small world.


    At the same time, Sterl didn''t im the rewards forpleting the Rebel route quest. Because...


    The second ss ceremony was already prepared!


    Naturally, Sterl had no hesitation in prioritizing the ss change.


    Sitting cross-legged, he quickly navigated through his panel.


    [You havepleted all preparations for the second ss ceremony. Do you wish to begin the ss change?]


    [Note: The ss change process involves significant energy fluctuations. You may experience some pain and difort. Please try to endure it.]


    "Yes."


    Without hesitation, Sterl chose to begin the ss change. He then closed his eyes, feeling his body gradually heating up.


    At that moment, Sterl felt the Purple Gold Coins, legend points, and 500 Star Crystals all melting into a unique energy that surged into his body!


    It was akin to pouring cold water onto hot oil.


    "Damn..."


    Sterl couldn''t help but curse under his breath. His entire body felt like it was being pricked by needles—delicate yet excruciatingly painful.


    However, having gone through numerous battles, he had built a decent tolerance for pain. He immediately followed the instinctive guidance that arose in his mind, directing the rampant energy.


    Sterl knew that this was just the appetizer; the real pain and challenges were yet toe.


    As the energy flowed into his body, he soon felt a slight breakthrough in some sort of restraint.


    He quickly allocated a point to his [Dimensional Traveler] ability. One of the reasons he was in a hurry toplete the second ss was because this ability''s cooldown had just reset.


    If he didn''t proceed with the ss change and enhance [Dimensional Traveler] now, he would have had to wait at least another day for the cooldown to reset again before he couldplete the second ss.


    After allocating the points, the description for [Dimensional Traveler] now included, "During ss change, you will draw better items, skills, equipment, etc."


    With this assurance, Sterl felt at ease to continue the ss change ceremony.


    The torrent of energy surged into his body, transforming him inside out. The once stable star sea in his mental domain began to shift again, with the massive energy being absorbed by countless stars. Even the small world Sterl had created experienced slight growth due to this influx of energy.


    "So good?" Sterl thought, pleasantly surprised. Considering this was just the beginning of the second ss, the benefits were already substantial. The full ss change would be even more remarkable.


    Simultaneously, countless stars in his mental domain trembled rapidly!


    Sterl expected a terrifying upheaval was imminent, but to his astonishment, after absorbing the energy, it seemed like his mental domain''s star sea was brewing something—and yet, it was as if a transparent membrane enveloped it, preventing any change!


    Simrly, his body''s various meridians and muscles, optimized and evolving in a new direction, were inexplicably suppressed.


    He felt like his attribute values were on the verge of skyrocketing, but they stubbornly remained unchanged!


    Then...


    It was over.


    "Over?"


    Sterl looked at his body in disbelief. There seemed to be no change at all!


    A notification appeared before him.


    [Congrattions onpleting your second ss.]


    [Your level cap has been unlocked.]


    [Your skills [Celestial Stars] and [Stardust] have been upgraded to Gold quality.]


    [You have drawn a new item. Would you like to view it?]


    ...


    The panel then fell silent again.


    Sterl stared at it for a long time, but nothing else happened. He checked his assets: all the Star Crystals were gone, 5 legend points were deducted, and 100 Purple Gold Coins were consumed.


    The second ss ceremony seemed to have concluded sessfully.


    "Are you kidding me?!" Sterl stood up, furious.