[ Wealth: $1,410,600,200 FD (Federal Dollars) | 5,000 UC (Universal Credits) ]

​Even though Neo had just spent nineteen thousand Universal Credits in a single hour, a soft chime from his wrist terminal signaled an automatic refill. The Sovereign Corporation back on Earth was generating massive revenue across the Sol-III. The Universal Network’s Banking Sector ensured the automated conversion from Federal Dollars to Universal Credits went flawlessly, instantly depositing fresh funds into his account.

​Looking at the 25,000 broken, cursed, and crippled elves kneeling before him, Neo knew sheer numbers were not enough. He had the bodies required to set up a solid foundation for the Zenith Empire, but before they could conquer anything, they needed intense, unifying training.

​Through his brief underworld inquiries and data skimming in the commercial rings, he had heard whispers of an ancient trial world known as the Heavenly Gourd.

​It was an exclusive sanctuary for those who sought raw strength, intense battle experience, and the perfect environment to forge an unbreakable unity among their ranks.

The most unique and valuable aspect of this specific domain was its safety net.

No one would truly die inside the trial.

If a warrior suffered a fatal blow, they would simply be ejected from the Heavenly Gourd with their lives intact.

​A local lord, rumored to be a terrifying Legend Type 4 entity, managed this brutal combat world. After running a few more queries through the planetary network, Neo learned the entrance fee was incredibly high. It would cost exactly 10,000 Universal Credits to send all 25,000 of his new soldiers inside for a duration of 30 days.

​Still, Neo agreed to the plan immediately. He authorized another massive currency conversion from his Federal Dollars to cover the upcoming cost. It was the absolute best way to give his fragile army real war experience without the risk of losing a single unit.

​That being said, he was not a fool. He knew he could not just rely on the trial world alone. Throwing a starving, cursed, and severely injured army straight into a brutal combat zone was a recipe for instant failure. Their bodies would give out before they even swung a sword.

​He needed to heal their fractured mana cores, stabilize their stellar mutations, and reignite their physical vitality. He planned to use his supreme unique talent, Universal Synthesis, to create incredibly powerful supplements for them.

​With that ambitious goal in mind, Neo left his newly acquired army in the secure docking bays under the strict supervision of Elena and Dr. Clark.

He then ventured deep into the glowing commercial district to buy power pills and potions from the high-end Elven Drugstores.

​The bell chimed elegantly as he walked into the "Verdant Leaf Apothecary."

It was a massive, luxurious shop filled with floating crystal vials and shelves of glowing magical herbs.

The smell here was very nice and refreshing. Neo felt his mind relaxing just being there.

​"Welcome, esteemed customer," the elven shopkeeper greeted warmly.

With his unnaturally big ears, he looked like a greedy elf.

"Are you looking for our high-tier celestial healing elixirs? Or perhaps some rare foundation-building pills tailored for young masters?"

​Neo walked directly up to the main crystal counter. He did not need their overpriced, finished products. He just needed more volume and raw compatible ingredients to feed his Universal Synthesis.

Neo looked straight the elf, saying calmly,

​"I have a very specific order, shopkeeper. I need your lowest-grade vitality pills, raw unpolished mana stones, and basic elemental cleansing potions. Give me ten thousand units of each. Furthermore, I want the unrefined, corrupted stellar herbs you keep locked in the storage room. The toxic ones no regular alchemist will buy."

​The shopkeeper blinked.

"Sir, those low-grade items are for mere peasants. And the corrupted stellar herbs are highly toxic to the elven body. Are you quite sure about this purchase?"

He seemed bewildered by the demand.

​"Do I look like a man who repeats himself? Just pack them and calculate the total." Neo said coldly.

​"R-Right away, Young Master," the shopkeeper stuttered, hurrying to the back room to fulfill the bizarre order.

​Neo smiled inwardly. The foolish shopkeeper saw only cheap trash and toxic weeds. But once Neo combined these base materials using the power of Universal Synthesis, he would create a batch of miraculous elixirs that not even the greatest alchemists of the Elven Star System could comprehend.

Hours later.

The cargo bay of the Ghost ship was completely silent as Neo stood before a literal mountain of cheap materials.

Ten thousand low-grade vitality pills, ten thousand unpolished mana stones, ten thousand basic cleansing potions, and a massive pile of highly toxic, corrupted stellar herbs filled the reinforced chamber.

​Down in the lower decks, Elena and Dr. Clark were busy managing the 25,000 newly acquired elves. The slaves were resting in the medical wards, completely unaware of the miraculous transformation about to take place above them.

​Neo cracked his knuckles, then extended both hands toward the massive pile of resources.

​"Let the forging begin," Neo whispered to empty room.

​[ Skill Activated: Universal Synthesis (Supreme) ]

​The radiant whute light completely enveloped the first batch of materials.

As an immediate effect, 1,000 low-grade vitality pills and 1,000 unpolished mana stones floated into the air.

Under Neo’s absolute control, the raw, chaotic energy within the stones was violently crushed and merged with the weak medicinal properties of the pills.

​ As all the impurities were instantly burned away, a foul smell filled the aur.

Ignoring the foul emission, the two cheap components fused together, condensing into a single, flawless, ruby-red pill that pulsed with an intense, rhythmic heartbeat.

​[ Synthesis Successful! ]

[ Result: Mana-Blood Pill x1000 ]

[ Grade: E ]

[ Description: Instantly heals fractured mana cores, replenishes physical vitality, and purifies the elven bloodline. ]

​Neo smiled a little because of the success, but did not stop to celebrate. He immediately shifted his focus to the next batch.

His hands glowed even brighter.

​He lifted the basic elemental cleansing potions and the highly toxic corrupted stellar herbs.

These herbs were known to rot the flesh of ordinary elves, but Neo saw past their toxicity. The herbs contained pure, untamed stellar energy. By combining them with the cleansing potions, he could force the liquid to purify the toxic elements while keeping the raw evolutionary power completely intact.

​[ Synthesis Successful! ]

[ Result: Stellar Mutation Elixir x1000 ]

[ Grade: D ]

[ Description: This safely stabilizes corrupted cosmic energy, and forcibly triggers and completes high-tier physical mutations without the risk of bodily collapse. ]

​"It ia Good. But still not enough. I need something that will awaken their latent potential to the limit," Neo said to himself, pushing his massive energy reserves to the absolute limit.

​For the next four hours, the synthesis chamber was a storm of cosmic light and spinning magical energies.

​