Chapter 72: Signing the contract Ethan spread out his mental domain and reached out to Dragon, Leon, and Alexander for their opinions. This wasn’t just his own matter. The fate of everyone on Earth was tied to this choice. Soon, he received positive responses from all of them. So Ethan signed the contract. But it wasn’t a paper contract—it was a contract bound by the laws of the universe. Arthur took the time to explain everything in detail. When both sides completed the signing, something strange happened. All the people on Earth felt a surge of power flow into their bodies. It was the bloodline power of the Primordial Human Race. With this highest-level contract in place, every person on Earth now carried one percent of the Primordial Human bloodline. What did this bloodline do? It elevated their genes in ways no technology ever could. A purebred Primordial Human held at least fifty percent of this ancient blood in their veins. The other half was diluted from the original progenitors. But even at fifty percent, they were five times stronger than ordinary humans on earth at every cultivation level. Even the average person without any awakened abilities could live for five hundred years. Among the Primordial Humans, talent was judged by comprehension, core size, and the percentage of bloodline they possessed. Fifty percent was considered standard. But if the bloodline rose to sixty percent or more, their power grew immensely. They could grasp the laws of the universe faster, because their very blood was mixed with those laws. There were many such gifts. And now, the humans of Earth had been granted the beginning of that blood. Even if it was just one percent, with the Tier 9 Bloodline Evolution Fluid, it could be raised to fifty percent—comparable to a pure Primordial Human. Arthur shared something even more astonishing. "There’s a saying," he told Ethan. "If your bloodline can ever be purified to eighty percent, when you reach the Planetary Realm, you will awaken a special ability—the Eye of Destruction. With it, you can comprehend the Law of Destruction itself." Creation and Destruction were also supreme grade law. Benefit after benefit...no wonder they were called a sovereign race. Then Queen Freya’s calm, powerful voice echoed in everyone’s minds: "Congratulations, children of Earth, for signing the highest-level contract. You are now part of the Primordial Human Race. Your rewards will arrive within five hours. All martial artists may now enter the Virtual Reality Network simply by thinking of it. You will be logged into your assigned place." The message caused a huge commotion. People could feel that their strength had grown. A list of rewards appeared clearly in their minds. Excitement was everywhere. They all longed to enter this Virtual Reality, but no one dared to rush in. Everyone waited to see what their leaders would do first. Ethan suddenly thought of something important. "Your Highness," he asked, "is there any way to help someone awaken if they don’t have an elemental core?" Arthur looked at him with a calm expression. "It isn’t impossible," he said slowly. "But the cost is very high. Even with you paying only one percent of the normal price, you’d still need a billion contribution points to buy a Seed of Law." Ethan’s heart began to race. He didn’t care how high the price was. If there was a way, he would get it for his family. Trying to keep his voice polite, he asked, "What are contribution points? How does one earn them?" Arthur nodded. "Contribution points are the currency our race uses. You earn them by performing valuable services—if you invent something important, you earn points. If you discover something vital for the race, you earn points. But the fastest and simplest way is to fight on the battlefield against other races. The more enemies you defeat, the more contribution points you gain." Ethan finally understood. Conflict was everywhere because resources weren’t infinite. Every race wanted to gather them for themselves. "So there really is a battlefield against other races?" he thought to himself. "I haven’t felt proper fighting satisfaction except the Ocean Emperor. Maybe out there, I’ll finally meet opponents worth my strength." A hungry grin crept across his face. Arthur continued, "All right, everything here is finished. Soon, someone will arrive to install a teleportation chamber. Once it’s active, you’ll be able to connect to all the regions under our control." "Your Highness," Ethan asked, "just how vast is our domain?" Arthur looked pleased. He noticed that Ethan now referred to the Primordial Humans as our people instead of your people. With pride, he replied, "We control one million galaxies." Ethan’s eyes widened. One million galaxies. The scale of it left him silent. "What about the other four sovereign races?" he finally asked. Arthur wasn’t surprised by the question. He had seen the AI with Ethan and knew Ethan had been briefed. In a solemn tone, Arthur explained, "The Celestial Race holds five million galaxies. The Vampires control half a million. The Cosmic Behemoths and the Titans are few in number, so each only holds around one hundred thousand galaxies." The Celestial Race was truly on another level. "Maybe one day," Ethan thought, "I’ll have a chance to fight them." Then he asked, "Your Highness, is there anything that can help one comprehend the Supreme Laws?" Arthur looked at him with surprise. "You want to comprehend Supreme Laws before even reaching the Planetary Realm?" Ethan laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just wanted to know if such things exist. That’s all." Arthur relaxed. "That’s good. You have great potential, but if you try to rush too far ahead, you could destroy your foundation. As for your question, yes—there are many things that can help. You’ll find them in the Virtual Universe. But know this: they cost an enormous amount of points." Ethan nodded seriously. A path was enough—he would earn what he needed. He thought of something else. "Your Highness, do we have a battlefield for those under the Planetary Realm?" Arthur smiled at the eager look in Ethan’s eyes. "Already thinking about earning points?" Ethan nodded honestly. Arthur chuckled. "Yes. That battlefield has the largest number of combatants. You’ll be able to go there once your teleportation station is ready. Until then, focus on reaching the Emperor Realm. That breakthrough will make you much safer." Ethan agreed. He was thinking the same thing. And when he received the Bloodline Evolution Fluid, his combat power would rise to an entirely new level. He was determined to sweep the battlefield himself. After that, the four emissaries left Earth. Master Po finally let out a long breath of relief. "Boss, I was terrified. What do you want to do next?" Ethan said calmly, "Let’s visit the Virtual Universe first. I want to see what makes it so special." With a single thought, he entered. He found himself standing inside a city. The place was unbelievable. It was more advanced than the most futuristic movie he had ever seen. As soon as he appeared, he noticed people staring at him with curiosity. "Who is he?" "How did he just appear here?" Ethan was just as puzzled. "Where...is this place?" he wondered. A young man walked up to him and asked in a harsh tone, "Who are you? How did you arrive here?" Ethan tilted his head slightly. "Where am I?" The young man blinked in surprise. He didn’t even know? The Virtual Universe was under Queen Freya’s supervision—mistakes shouldn’t be possible. Still, he answered patiently, "This is Solaris—the capital city on the Primordial Star of the Primordial Humans. Now, can you tell me who you are?" Ethan felt a little dizzy. "Why would I be logged into the Primordial Star itself?" He took a breath and explained, "I’m Ethan Hunt from Earth." "Earth?" The young man frowned. "Where is that? And how could you be here in the capital?" "I’m not sure," Ethan said honestly. "Some time ago, an emissary came to our planet. He made an X-level contract with us and said we were now part of the Primordial Human Race. Maybe that’s why?" The young man’s legs began to tremble. "Hehe...brother, please ignore my nonsense just now. I haven’t slept for three days—my head isn’t working right. Would you like me to be your guide?" Ethan was speechless at the sudden change in attitude. "Is he like a girl on her period or something?" he wondered but kept it to himself. Out loud, he said, "Please—that would be a great help. May I know your name?" The man slapped his forehead in embarrassment. "Look at my manners. I’m sorry. My name is Genos." Ethan grinned, feeling more at ease. "Then do you have a bald master?" Genos looked puzzled. "Sorry...I don’t get it." Ethan waved it off. "Never mind. Shall we go?" "Sure," Genos said, beaming. His friendliness was genuine. Everyone knew that civilizations with an X-level contract produced monsters among their people. And usually, the one to arrive first was their leader. The Primordial Humans had their youngest supreme who came from an X-level contracted civilization. In some ways, such a civilization was valued even higher than pure-blood Primordial Humans—because their strength was earned, not inherited. While they spoke, some young men and women watched them from a distance. "What’s Genos talking about with that stranger? Let’s go see." A beautiful girl stepped forward, her cold, distant aura making everyone cautious around her. But Ethan could tell she probably held a higher status. She asked Genos evenly, "Who is he? How did he arrive here?" Genos smiled politely. "Ms. Aurelia, he is a brother from an X-level contracted civilization. This is his first time here, so I offered to show him around." Everyone froze in shock. An X-level civilization... "Damn," someone whispered, "why didn’t we go up to greet him first?" Even Aurelia’s cold gaze flickered with curiosity. She studied Ethan carefully. He looked like a top-class handsome young man, he must be from a very high-level place the primordial alliance found. Ethan took a small step forward, tried to sound friendly. "Hello, everyone. I’m Ethan Hunt. It’s nice to meet you all." This was his first time here. He wanted to make some friends if he could. Back on Earth, no one dared to treat him as an equal anymore. Even his cousins, Leila and Cedric, didn’t dare to approach him anymore.Only his parents,grandpas,Rose and Ryan could talk to him in a easy manner. But here, among the Primordial Humans, he hoped he might find peers who were as strong as him—people he could stand beside without feeling so alone. The group introduced themselves warmly, their curiosity turning into open friendliness. Genos said cheerfully, "Shall we go, brother? There are so many things I’d love to show you. You’ll be amazed, I promise." Ethan smiled, feeling a lightness in his chest he hadn’t felt in a long time. "Sure," he said, and with a final wave to the others, he followed Genos into the heart of Solaris.