Showing customers extracts was normally a salesperson's job, but Xu Sheng, the store manager, personally led Su Ze to the Rank 1 extract display case and gave him an enthusiastic introduction.
In Xu Sheng's eyes, Su Ze was a future VIP. After all, the ten billion points on Su Ze's card would have to be spent sooner or later.
Su Ze's gaze swept over the shop's extracts. The display cases only held Rank 1 and Rank 2 extracts, arranged by quality.
The lowest-grade, Rank 1, E-rank extracts generally cost less than ten thousand. The cheapest were the Burrowing Mouse and Water-Spraying Frog extracts, selling for five thousand a vial.
Su Ze, of course, had no intention of buying such garbage extracts. He wasn't short on money; if he was buying something, he would buy the best.
His gaze swept across the products. He noticed that with each step up in quality, the price multiplied several times over. A Rank 1, A-rank extract already cost over a million Lin Coins.
But Su Ze still looked down on A-rank. Zhao Lingxiao never absorbed any extract below S-rank, so he had to get an S-rank as well. Anything less would be an insult to his current status.
Su Ze continued looking and suddenly realized there were no more Rank 1 extracts. Further down, everything was a Rank 2 extract, radiating an orange evolutionary glow.
He looked at Xu Sheng beside him and asked, confused, "You don't have any Rank 1, S-rank extracts in your store?"
Xu Sheng knew Su Ze was incredibly wealthy and would certainly look down on A-rank extracts. He smiled sheepishly. "S-rank extracts are rare to begin with, and demand is low in a small city like Heiyan City, so we don't keep them in stock. If you're not in a hurry, I can have one transferred from a branch in another city. It could be here by tomorrow."
Su Ze frowned. Time was the one thing he was short on. The sooner he completed his evolution, the better he could protect himself.
Besides, it probably wouldn't be long before the mysterious organization tracked him to this shop. They might even post people to watch the place, so he wouldn't dare come back tomorrow.
It was best to buy a suitable extract today.
However, if not even Evolutionary Technology had Rank 1, S-rank extracts in stock, it would likely be even harder to find one elsewhere in Heiyan City.
'Maybe I should just settle for an A-rank extract?'
Su Ze shook his head to himself. He had the means, so he refused to compromise.
His gaze fell on the Rank 2 extracts to the side, and a crazy idea suddenly popped into his head... 'Should I try absorbing a Rank 2 extract?'
It was common knowledge that Mortal-level Life Forms could only absorb Rank 1 extracts. They couldn't skip a rank to absorb Rank 2 extracts.
But Su Ze was someone who defied common sense. Possessing the Divine Grace of Evolution skill, he had already absorbed one more extract than other Mortal-level Life Forms, giving him an extra opportunity to strengthen his body.
Su Ze mulled over the feasibility of absorbing a Rank 2 extract...
'Mortal-level Life Forms can't absorb Rank 2 extracts because their bodies aren't strong enough to withstand the powerful evolutionary energy. But my current physical constitution should have already surpassed the limits of a Mortal-level Life Form.'
'Not only have I absorbed one more extract than anyone else, but the quality of the ones I've absorbed is top-tier. I've taken two S-rank extracts. And while I don't know the rank of Princess Zhuzhi's extract, the fact that it granted a god-tier skill like Divine Grace of Evolution means it most likely surpasses S-rank!'
'In both the quantity and quality of extracts I've absorbed, I've broken the limits of a Mortal-level Life Form. It stands to reason that my physical constitution has also surpassed those limits. A Rank 2 extract... might just be worth a try.'
Su Ze began to carefully inspect the Rank 2 extracts in the display case.
The shop's Rank 2 extracts also only ranged from E-rank to A-rank, with no S-ranks. But that didn't matter; even if there were any, Su Ze wouldn't dare absorb one.
The higher the quality of an extract, the richer its evolutionary energy and the more difficult it is to absorb. Su Ze knew that as a Mortal-level Life Form attempting to skip a rank, absorbing a low-quality one was already pushing his limits. If he dared to try a high-quality one, it would be purely suicidal; his body would most likely explode.
Even a Rank 2, E-rank extract contained far more concentrated evolutionary energy than a Rank 1, S-rank one and would provide a much greater boost to his constitution. Its skill, however, might not be as practical as one from a Rank 1, S-rank extract.
So, when choosing a Rank 2 extract, Su Ze focused mainly on the skill. The best choice would be a low-quality extract with a useful skill.
Su Ze didn't even consider Rank 2 extracts of C-rank or higher—they could cause a sudden, violent death. He focused his attention on the E-rank and D-rank extracts.
Below each vial in the display case was an electronic screen showing the extract's information, including its price and skill.
Su Ze quickly read through the skill descriptions for all the Rank 2, E-rank extracts. A few were decent, but none of them particularly excited him.
The survival skills from low-level Rank 2 extracts were all rather mediocre. If he were truly cornered by Zhang Fantie or someone from the mysterious organization, they would only buy him a few extra seconds at most.
What would really help him escape were Disguise Skills, but those were quite rare, and Su Ze didn't see any in the display case.
He had to settle for the next best thing: absorbing a skill that would boost his combat power.
'The skills Rhino Charge and Ant Power have basically defined my current combat style as primarily close-quarters. I use Rhino Charge to close in on enemies, then unleash Ant Power to crush them with sheer force. It would be best to add either an attack or a defense skill now, as either would greatly enhance my combat capabilities.'
Ant Power was strong, but it only amplified his strength—it was like a stat boost, not a direct attack skill. If paired with a powerful attack skill to fully unleash that strength bonus, Su Ze's offensive power would reach a terrifying level.
Pairing it with a defensive skill would be a safer, more prudent choice that couldn't go wrong.
'If I can't find anything better, I'll have to choose one of those Rank 2, E-rank extracts with a defense skill...' Su Ze turned his attention to the Rank 2, D-rank extracts.
A moment later, his eyes lit up as a Rank 2, D-rank extract caught his attention.
Rock Scorpion Extract
Rank: 2, D-Rank
Possible Skills: Needle Strike, Paralysis Toxin, Rock Shield
Price: 6,000,000 Lin Coins
The price wasn't too steep, roughly the same as a Rank 1, S-rank extract. What really caught Su Ze's eye was the "Needle Strike" skill.
Needle Strike: Focus all of your body's power into a single point to unleash a piercing strike. (If the user has mastered poison-type skills, this skill can gain Poison Attachment.)
This was a very good, powerful attack skill with two properties: "piercing" and "Poison Attachment." However, since Su Ze hadn't mastered any poison-type skills, the Poison Attachment property was useless to him for now.
But what truly excited Su Ze was how perfectly Needle Strike synergized with Ant Power. First, he could use Ant Power to amplify his strength, then use Needle Strike to focus all that power into a single point. It would undoubtedly unleash terrifying destructive force!
Who needed defense with that?
The best defense is a good offense!
'This is the one!'
The Needle Strike skill was definitely no weaker than a skill from a Rank 1, S-rank extract—it might even be stronger. And as a Rank 2, D-rank extract, the Rock Scorpion Extract's body-strengthening effect would certainly far surpass that of any Rank 1 extract.
In other words, as long as Su Ze could successfully absorb it, the Rock Scorpion Extract was absolutely a better choice for him than any Rank 1, S-rank extract.
The only issue was that the Rock Scorpion Extract had three possible skills, and Su Ze wasn't guaranteed to get "Needle Strike." That would be up to luck.
Even getting the defensive skill Rock Shield would be acceptable. Of the three skills, only Paralysis Toxin wasn't a good fit for him.
"I'll take it!"
Su Ze pointed decisively at the Rock Scorpion Extract in the display case.