Chapter 28: Difference Between Rank 1 and Rank 2

Jin took another glance at the gaunt old man. That glance was all he needed for Against-Heaven’s Understanding to kick in once more.

[Your Understanding is Against Heaven. By peering into the secrets of a strong Evolver, you have comprehended the Low Innate Skill ’Spiritual Sight’.]

With |Spiritual Sight|, Jin sensed the energy fluctuations that the old man attempted to hide. From that sensing, he found the old man to be in the 4th Level of the 2nd Rank.

Though that was only a Major Realm and a few Minor Stages above the 1st Rank Pinnacle, the difference between the two was miles apart.

If a 1st Rank Pinnacle Evolver could demolish a town or city block, then even the weakest of 2nd Rank Evolvers could easily sweep away whole districts.

The difference was like heaven and earth.

’The 1st Rank and the 2nd Rank…’ Jin’s mind stirred.

From what he could glean from the Goddess of Wisdom’s database as a Level 3 Citizen, the primary cause for disparity between a Rank 1 and Rank 2 Evolver was because of a singular concept. Namely—

Intent.

No matter how one progressed through their respective Evolutionary Paths to reach the 1st Pinnacle, to take the next step—a massive leap—you had to comprehend an Intent.

The power you wielded in the 2nd Rank largely depended on the Intent you comprehended, how much affinity you had for it, and how many Intents you comprehended before breaking through to the 2nd Rank.

That wasn’t to say you couldn’t continue to comprehend Intents after achieving the 2nd Rank; it was just that the effects were better if you cultivated your Intents during the foundational 1st Rank.

Even without the Goddess’s database, with Against-Heaven’s Understanding, Jin grasped the contents of the 2nd Rank while in Huaxia. He knew roughly the direction he had to take, but it just couldn’t be done in that low-level world.

If even the Great Truths of Huaxia were so easily comprehended and fathomed by Jin, then naturally any Intents consolidated there wouldn’t be any good. Therefore, other than taking some elements as reference for future Intent creation, he assimilated none of that world’s fundamentals into the Martial Dao Evolutionary Path.

There could be no mistakes when it came to the Martial Dao Path.

’But this old man…’

[Your Understanding is Against Heaven. By observing a 2nd Rank 4th Level Evolver for prolonged periods of time, you have begun to comprehend the mysteries of the 2nd Rank…]

[Your Understanding is Against Heaven. By observing a 2nd Rank 4th Level Evolver for prolonged periods of time, you have begun to comprehend the mysteries of the 2nd Rank…]

[Your Understanding is Against Heaven. By observing a 2nd Rank 4th Level Evolver for prolonged periods of time, you have begun to comprehend the mysteries of the 2nd Rank…]

[Your…]

Every second Jin stared at the old man, the more he delved into the secret truths of the 2nd Rank.

Of course, the yield would be better if he saw the gaunt old man in action, but that seemed unlikely to happen unless he initiated a battle himself.

“Grandpa, that homeless person is looking at you strangely.” The 19-year-old girl standing next to the old man whispered into his ear, clearly wary.

“Hm?” The gaunt old man turned in the direction his granddaughter pointed out. He saw Jin standing there, emitting no hostility, simply standing and… staring.

“Is there something I can do for you, young man?” asked the gaunt old man, unable to sense Jin’s strength, thinking him to be just another mortal.

“You dare gaze at the esteemed President Valen of Astranova Industries!?”

“Courting death!”

“Who let this hobo into the gallery room?? I’ll fire whoever it is!”

The various fawners of the gaunt old man hurled insults and threats at Jin. This included the Agents and Managers who should be treating all customers impartially.

But in this world, if your standing or status was high enough, what were rules and standards?

Impartiality was a guise meant to blind the weak and poor. Nothing more.

“My name is Jin Stratus,” Jin announced himself, to which the whole room fell silent.

Before bursting out in laughter.

“Kid, who gives a shit if you’re Jin, Ben, or Bob, you’re a nobody!” a Manager of the Agency sneered. “But if you don’t apologize to the revered President Valen right this instant and get lost, I can’t guarantee what’ll happen to you next—”

“Wait,” Valen suddenly said, his pupils contracting. “Did you say… your name was Jin Stratus…?”

The others in the gallery room were confused. Why was a multi-millionaire as influential and powerful as Valen Astra stuck up on a name none of them knew?

Was there someone important with the name Jin Stratus??

Jin looked toward the startled old man. He nodded.

“This…” President Valen paused, before taking everyone by surprise by bowing respectfully.

“This one sees Level 3 Citizen Jin Stratus!”

“!!!” “!!!”

Were they hearing things correctly??

A Level 3 Citizen!?

’Surely the President is mistaken, and that hobo isn’t actually a Level 3 Citizen. Because there’s no way it could be anything else… right…?’

To understand why everyone was so freaked out, you had to realize that your Citizen Level wasn’t just a change in the number behind your name. It was an elevation in status.

Even a Level 2 Citizen was akin to nobility on Pacific Blue Star, with there only being so many in each district.

As for Level 3 Citizens… you could comb through thousands of districts and several cities, yet still not find one.

They were even rarer than Rank 3 Evolvers, who were known as city-destroyer class Evolvers.

To not only meet a Level 3 Citizen in any single district but also offend him, just how unlucky did you have to be…?

This was why those in the gallery room refused to believe the incomprehensible. Not a single one of them could compare to even a tenth of a Level 3 Citizen’s worth.

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