The strong warriors and soldier creatures on the outside were discussing the grand gathering with animated expressions.
"It is said that this guy, Jia Yan, has gained some reputation in this resource gathering contest," one of them mused, "His combat ability can even overshadow some Mid-term powerhouses. But who knows if that’s really true."
"Enough talk," Tianpa Peng dismissed the conversation, his tone now far from the respectful one he used with Jia Yan, "There are strong ones outside, but most of them can’t even compare to us in combat power. I could easily suppress him with just a fraction of my strength."
The creatures at this gathering spot recognized some of the strong ones from the outside, yet for the majority of outsiders they felt nothing but scorn. After all, being here meant they had decent talents and were guided by the Strong Ones personally.
Moreover, they had access to unique combat training and material aid, which naturally elevated their combat capabilities well above the outside strong ones of the same level. Looking down on the majority of outsiders was, therefore, inevitable.
They were particularly disdainful of the increasingly famous Jia Yan, considering he was merely an existence from the Early Stage of Star Space. No matter how strong he was, there were limits.
Setting aside these creatures who underestimated Jia Yan’s strength, let’s focus on Jia Yan as he entered the gathering point.
"So this is what they call a gathering point," Jia Yan observed his surroundings with a sense of surprise.
The entire place radiated a bizarre aura. To Big Mosquito, the atmosphere here was full of a terrifying energy that his body was gradually absorbing.
His exoskeleton developed some pore-like holes, enabling him to breathe.
His body’s functions also began to change, signaling the start of a transformation.
Jia Yan’s body and mind had reached the extreme limit of mutation, and today he fully unfolded, a process naturally progressing from incremental accumulation to rapid release!
Thud, thud, thud, he walked through the massive structure.
Many things in this place were metal creations, intertwined in a complex web.
Some metal modules were larger than Jia Yan himself, while others were as thin as strands of hair—a visitor unaware of their purpose might mistake this place for a sophisticated research center, not realizing it was merely a spot facilitating resource gathering for outsiders.
"If Earth people could assimilate this technology, it could advance their science by tens of thousands of years! Alas, the gap is too vast even for those extra-terrestrial beings of the Orion Arm to fathom, let alone understand," Jia Yan mused as he looked at the technological creations around him, his eyes reflecting surprise.
However, he didn’t forget his mission and continued to observe his surroundings as he moved forward.
Jia Yan keenly noticed that the massive building housed defensive weapons; different from those he had seen in the Orion Arm and the Red Light Building on Earth, these weapons were not large, but the horrendous power emanating from them provoked an involuntary response in Jia Yan’s body. Knowing his heightened sense of danger was strong, the fact that it was triggered now indicated that the peril of this place shouldn’t be underestimated.
"This place is meant for those grand meeting contestants to collect Chaos Stones, but each contestant has a strict limit on the number of Chaos Stones they can gather. Here, I’m limited to twenty stones. A small number, yet if sold, they would bring a considerable sum of money, but more importantly, prestige!"
Jia Yan moved forward and soon saw an area about a hundred and fifty meters in length and width.
Inside this area, light shimmered and danced, moving slowly.
Faced with this spectacle, Jia Yan felt a desire to hold his breath, not wanting to disturb the beauty of it all.
But that was impossible, for this was exactly what he sought—the very thing that had occupied his thoughts but had never seen before—the precious Chaos Stone!
The so-called Chaos Stones were now displayed before Jia Yan.
They weren’t literal stones but embedded within the stones, emitting rays of light. Their greenish luminescence was bizarre, suggesting that the energy contained within was immensely formidable.
They lay exposed, embedded in the ground.
The surrounding soil wasn’t ordinary either—it was also infused with energy, enough to delight certain powers, and yet here, it merely served as a backdrop to the Chaos Stones!?
"This is the Chaos Stone!"
Jia Yan approached, astonished.
In the air around him, streams of energy assaulted him, swiftly merging into his body. Jia Yan could feel that the energy in the air was immense, completely beneficial for him. However, it was clear that for other strong ones, this same energy would be unassimilable and almost toxic.
"So this is the source of the toxin."
Jia Yan looked at the palm-sized Chaos Stones, small but brimming with energy that deeply enticed him.
He glanced around him.
Above his head, there appeared to be surveillance devices.