Now, the Star Alliance, with the addition of the Phantom Spirit Clan, has grown stronger, no longer a large frame without corresponding depth.

In a sense, the Star Alliance is a massive organization that spans multiple star systems, encompasses various races, and operates diverse worlds.

The environment on Karon Planet is relatively good, showing a second-level habitability according to the Dark Star Alliance’s environment detection program, even surpassing the living standards of Skull Star.

However, Karon Planet is still in a state where everything is waiting to be developed, requiring the joint effort of these Phantoms to complete the construction.

On the other side, after assimilating this batch of Phantoms, Zhang Xiaoman didn’t keep his focus here, as he has many worlds to supervise and it’s impossible to stay on Karon Star all the time.

Zhang Xiaoman appointed Yadun as his spokesperson. This guy has decent talent, is willing to cultivate diligently, and most importantly, is loyal. Naturally, he wouldn’t foolishly replace him with someone else.

All the star maps provided by Yadun have been searched, and all detectable transmission crystals have been sensed. Apart from some clan members who had already fallen, the others are basically here.

Of course, there must still be other survivors within the Phantom Spirit Star System. But without the help of transmission crystals, finding them becomes difficult, and that is the next task for Yadun and his team.

During the development of the Phantom Spirit Clan, Zhang Xiaoman hasn’t been idle. He spent almost half his time in the Second Universe, aiming to find materials that could help him imprint the fourth star pattern.

It must be said, imprinting the fourth star pattern is not something anyone can achieve. Besides discussing the difficulty of imprinting, just the materials alone are enough to dissuade 99% of people.

These materials include four different third-level materials, each nearly as valuable as a Doomsday Crystal, indicating their immense rarity.

Not just these top-notch materials, even the expenses for other first and second-level Dark Spirit materials are extremely high. The list contains over 2,000 items, mainly second-level materials, which are not cheap, each costing at least tens of thousands of Star Coins, with an average value exceeding a million.

The main issue is that these materials are quite difficult to acquire, especially in the current wartime environment. Previously scarce Dark Spirit materials have become even more sought after, with demand far exceeding supply. If it weren’t for Zhang Xiaoman’s substantial wealth, he wouldn’t be able to gather so many resources.

Now he understands why the essentials for cultivation, "wealth, companions, method, and place," prioritize "wealth" as the first. Considering the situation, even during the peak of the Dark Star Alliance, concentrating all the Dark Spirit materials in the Vortex Star System might not suffice to produce a few fourth star patterns in a short time.

Fortunately, with persistence and the extensive use of Star Dust, Zhang Xiaoman has almost gathered the materials, leaving only the last and most difficult item—the Fire Mystic Crystal.

This is a third-level material, generally collected from star beasts, or obtained by condensing fire attribute minerals.

Zhang Xiaoman inquired about the Fire Mystic Crystal, but it hasn’t appeared for a long time, with the last recorded sighting happening thirty years ago. It was sold for a high price in an auction house five Vortex Star Systems away from Skull Star.

In the past, Fire Mystic Crystals were primarily produced by a star beast known as the Undying Divine Bird. A certain chairperson owned such a Divine Bird, which would resurrect every thousand years, dispersing its cultivation and condensing a Mystic Crystal with each rebirth. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

However, now, after the war, that chairperson hasn’t been seen for a long time, and the Undying Divine Bird seems to have vanished. Zhang Xiaoman has searched for ways to contact them but has found no leads and had to give up.

Now, he has basically accumulated all the materials, except for the Fire Mystic Crystal, which halts his progress and feels terribly frustrating. He is absolutely unwilling to give up.

"No way, I must find a way to get that Fire Mystic Crystal. Once I can imprint the fourth star pattern, my strength will have a qualitative breakthrough. By then, I should be able to directly reach the peak of the Upper Control Level, maybe even touch the threshold of the Extraordinary Level..."

On a planet in the Second Universe, Zhang Xiaoman sits cross-legged, just finishing a day of cultivation, and is now staring at the Darknet trading center, contemplating his next move.

Currently, his power is at the Middle Control Level Peak. If he imprints the fourth star pattern, directly advancing to a superior realm isn’t impossible.

Although the materials for the fourth star pattern are precious and the imprinting difficulty is great, the corresponding benefits are considerable. According to Ziwei, the improvement from the first three star patterns combined is far less than what this fourth one offers.

Considering Zhang Xiaoman’s current strength, after completing the imprint of the fourth star pattern, it’s indeed likely to directly break through to the peak of Upper Control Level.

By then, his strength will completely surpass Ziwei.