And now the Aigus Star System is completely off-limits unless I break in forcibly; otherwise, I cannot go to that ancient star pattern origin to gather materials for the time being.

"Now the First Corps of Aigus is already stationed in the outer layer of the star domain. If you want to go there, you’ll have to clash with them head-on, and it’s not worth it."

Lan Gu spoke up.

He had maintained an air of calmness from the very beginning, showing a confident demeanor. Although he mentioned the inability to find Fire Mystic Crystal, Zhang Xiaoman noticed that he seemed to have other plans in mind, and couldn’t help but ask curiously:

"Chairman Lan Gu, may I ask if you have any other methods?"

Lan Gu revealed a slight smile and said:

"Ji Xing, no matter what, you are the Honorary Elder of our Lan Family. Since you’ve chosen to cooperate with us, naturally we won’t treat you poorly. Come with me, I’ll take you to meet someone."

As he finished speaking, he began to channel Dark Spiritual Power, causing a glowing white light to emanate from his body.

Zhang Xiaoman didn’t hesitate and took a few steps forward to stand beside Lan Gu. Immediately, the three of them transformed into a stream of light and rushed towards Heaven’s Secret. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Another Dark Speed movement!

This time, Zhang Xiaoman personally experienced the effect of the Fifth Stage Dark Speed. After landing, the Dark Spiritual Power within his body surged intensely.

He knew this was a side effect of being forcibly taken along despite insufficient ability. Fortunately, with his formidable strength, he easily adapted to it.

Now the group had already shifted to another planet, several hundred million kilometers away from the cultivation planet Zhang Xiaoman was previously on.

Such a vast distance was traversed in just a second or two under Chairman Lan Gu’s Dark Speed, illustrating the extraordinary scale of the Fifth Stage Dark Speed.

"Chairman Lan, you’ve arrived."

A young red-haired man landed beside them and greeted.

Clearly, he was the one Lan Gu had actively brought Zhang Xiaoman to meet this time.

"Allow me to introduce you; this is Ji Xing, and this is Kareel, one of the most outstanding Dream Masters in the Dark Spirit Star Domain Alliance. I put in quite some effort to invite him this time."

"Hello, so you are Ji Xing, the genius who entered the Pseudo Realm. I’m Kareel, pleased to meet you."

The red-haired man politely bowed to Zhang Xiaoman.

Although he was an exceptionally talented Dream Master and a hot commodity across various forces, he was truly insignificant compared to a powerful Dark Spirit like Zhang Xiaoman.

If it were just an ordinary Control Level person, Kareel might not be so eager to greet him.

But the other party had already stepped into the Pseudo Realm, meaning that he would inevitably become an Upper Control Level master in the future.

In the vast Dark Spirit Star Domain Alliance, Upper Control Level masters were few and far between, and they were esteemed figures with significant names in their respective realms.

Faced with such a future Upper Control Level master, it may not be possible to win them over easily, but at the very least, maintaining a proper attitude and forging a good relationship is essential.

Kareel performed a common courtesy, which Zhang Xiaoman returned, having understood Lan Gu’s intentions.

"Dream Master... indeed, that’s a solution... However, materializing third-level materials is quite different from second-level; the difficulty is likely very high..."

Zhang Xiaoman was secretly amazed. The red-haired man’s strength wasn’t particularly formidable, yet he could materialize a third-level Fire Mystic Crystal, which was truly beyond his expectations.

Zhang Xiaoman himself was also a Dream Master, albeit self-taught and still at the Primary Stage. But after several dream materializations, he was aware of the tremendous difficulty of materializing objects. Besides a strong spiritual power, it requires a deep understanding of various heavenly materials and earthly treasures, including their attributes, origins, growth environments, traits, etc.

Sometimes, to materialize a specific item, a Dream Master must create a broader plan, realizing a series of interconnected factors to significantly enhance the chances of success.

Zhang Xiaoman had heard of people materializing third-level materials before, but never had he heard of anyone succeeding in materializing a top-tier material like the Fire Mystic Crystal.

"Ji Xing, you must have figured out our plan. Since the Fire Mystic Crystal couldn’t be found on the market, we’ll have to rely on Dream Masters to materialize it. However, this will consume more Star Dust than originally planned. Are you okay with that?"

Lan Gu looked at Zhang Xiaoman intently.

He had witnessed his financial power. If it were anyone else, he might not have made such a plan.

But Zhang Xiaoman threw around Star Dust as if it cost nothing, leaving Lan Gu somewhat baffled. Usually, people gather materials for Star Imprints through years of accumulation and serendipitous opportunities, and it often takes decades or even centuries to gather them fully.

But not Zhang Xiaoman. Once he discovered where materials appeared, he would act decisively with overwhelming force, using vast amounts of Star Coins and Star Dust to leave competitors bewildered. In less than a year, he had nearly amassed the materials for imprinting the Fourth Star Pattern.

That’s the Fourth Star Pattern, materials that ordinary people couldn’t gather in a lifetime—which he collected in just a few months. It’s truly jaw-dropping.

As the saying goes, financial resources are a person’s foundation. It’s not just Zhang Xiaoman’s inherent talent and power, but this foundation that led the Lan Family to draw him in so eagerly.

"I see, since the market temporarily doesn’t have Fire Mystic Crystal available, I’ll turn to Dream Masters to materialize it. That way, I can acquire the resources for the Fourth Star Pattern imprint in a short time."

Zhang Xiaoman nodded to himself. He had this inkling before coming here, and now his suspicions were confirmed.

He had no objections to this plan; after all, he was striving to rapidly enhance his strength, and any problem solvable with money was not truly a problem.

Subsequently, Kareel explained his plan to Zhang Xiaoman in detail.

Contrary to initial thoughts, Kareel alone was far from enough to materialize a top-quality third-level Fire Mystic Crystal. Even with his genius regarded as reaching the master’s realm, it was impossible for him to achieve the materialization alone.

Therefore, the Lan Family gathered a large batch of Dream Masters. This dream-creating operation required thirty high-level Dream Masters to work simultaneously, using a special dream-connection device to pull everyone into the same dream. Then, through a strategic approach, the Fire Mystic Crystal Zhang Xiaoman needed would be materialized.

The Lan Family generously covered all the recruitment costs for the Dream Masters, but the critical Star Dust needed for materialization was up to Zhang Xiaoman.

Materializing a third-level item of the same rank as the Doomsday Crystal would require significant amounts of Star Dust, a figure so substantial that even someone like Zhang Xiaoman felt the sting.

After roughly estimating, he realized the expenditure would need at least two hundred Star Dust, an astonishing figure.

When Zhang Xiaoman had previously materialized Elf Powder by himself, it only cost him one portion, yet now, the expenditure would be over two hundred times that for Elf Powder.

Of course, the Star Dust materialized Fire Mystic Crystal would certainly be of premium cost, but with his urgent need for the material to break through, it was a necessity.

Zhang Xiaoman believed that once he broke through to the Upper Control Level, he would have a greater advantage in exploring and combating not just the Alien Species on Water Blue Star, but also the Immortal Realm on the Divine Ancient Continent and even the Insect Race of the Phantom Spirit Star System.