He had no idea that the enhanced Subatomic Serum had caused such a stir! The report was describing how all of the big companies, consortiums, and n.o.bles in Blue Star were rus.h.i.+ng to purchase it!

However, Steve had only produced eighteen bottles of the enhanced Subatomic Serum for the auction. To date, five bottles of the enhanced Subatomic Serum had been sold during the auction.

He checked his account balance and saw that the amount in it had reached 180 million in original gold! The first bottle had been auctioned at a sky-high amount of 100 million on the very first day. The remaining bottles were each sold at tens of millions in the subsequent days following.

Steve was shocked by this huge amount of income, then realized that there were still 13 bottles left to sell. Although each bottle would not fetch higher than the previous ones, the total amount would still be an astronomical figure!

The enhanced version of the Subatomic Serum had unexpectedly caused such a big stir. I guess it would be better not to expose it in the future...

Steve warned himself. He knew that the top forces of the state of Doyle would now be vying for the serum. Now, if people were to find out that he was the creator of the enhanced Subatomic Serum, it would only bring disaster.

Countless people wanted the secret of the enhanced Subatomic Serum, as it could bring them countless wealth or even the capability of creating a top Fortune 500 enterprise. As such, many would even be willing to break the law to get their hands on it. In fact, Steve wouldn't have been surprised if some people were already plotting an evil plan, just waiting for their opportunity to strike.

Even if Steve was willing to cooperate with the big corporations, collaborating with them in using his enhanced Subatomic Serum, he was still afraid that they would try to figure a way to place him under their control.

That's more than enough money now, as all I need if enough for me and my sister to continue our training…

Steve had big plans for himself, as well as for his sister.

After the award ceremony tomorrow, recruits would likely be given a few days off, so that they could go home and visit their loved ones. After all, it had been more than three months since the beginning of their training.

However, after they returned from visiting their loved ones, it would be a while before they could see them again. Unless there was a special mission, they would only get to see their loved ones a few times a year.

Steve had made up his mind not to go public with the information about the enhanced Subatomic Serum before his strength had reached its full potential. As for his ident.i.ty as a clown pharmacist, it would better for him not to use it, unless it was absolutely necessary.

He would also stop using the ident.i.ty as a clown pharmacist during his meetings with the Masa Group. From now on, the clown ident.i.ty would vanish from the world!

...

The next day, at the award ceremony.

Steve arrived very early, as he wanted to find Lucy.Yet, as the start of the award ceremony neared, he still hadn't seen her.

He did Sofia. However, Sofia deliberately avoided him. This left Steve feeling puzzled, wondering how, in just one day, Sofia could have changed so much.

"As the award ceremony begins, the top 10 recruits are invited to come up to the stage to receive their awards," Leikas, the stand-in host, announced.

Steve and Sofia took to the podium. There were a total of eight people on the podium, as Stuart was still recovering from his injuries. Luckily, his life wasn't in any danger and he was well on the road to recovery.

"How come there are only eight people? Where is Lucy?" Leikas could not help but ask.

His eyes were on Steve and Sofia, as the two of them were the closest relations to Lucy. Both Sofia and Steve were similarly clueless, as they had been looking for Lucy as well, but to no avail.

"I'm sorry that I'm late." Just then, Lucy's familiar voice was heard. She stepped onto the podium, ignored Sophia, and walked straight up to Steve, putting her arm around his shoulder.

"Congratulations on getting number one. You didn't let me down," Lucy said with a soft voice, smiling sweetly at Steve.

When Sofia saw that Lucy was ignoring her, she suddenly felt a huge sense of loss, like a big hole in her heart.

"Where did you go? Sofia and I were looking for you the whole day!" Steve asked Lucy softly.

Lucy avoided making eye contact with Steve and did not answer. Just then, Wendy's voice was heard and the crowd went quiet.

"Once your name is read, come up and receive your award."

The order of receiving the awards started from the tenth and ended with the first, so Steve was the last to receive his award. Soon, the top six had received their awards.

Then, it was Lucy's and Andrew's turns. Stuart's turn was skipped, as he was absent, and Sofia's turn was next.

"First in the recruits' ranking battle, Steve. Please come up and receive your award!" Leikas announced.

Steve had a lot to say to Lucy, but it was not the right time yet. He marched solemnly forward and stood before Wendy.

"Your performance was very good. The instructors decided to reward you with 1,000 points, as well as the 'Intermediate Practices of Energy Absorption,'" Wendy said.

After he heard that, Steve could not help but breathe harder. He had always wanted to get the "Intermediate Practices of Energy Absorption," but could never find a way before.

The recruits present at the scene were all screaming in surprise. There had never been such an award given to the winners of the previous ranking battles!

"Don't get happy too soon. The 'Intermediate Practices of Energy Absorption' isn't as easy to use as you think. It's actually meant for those whose cell activation level has reached 100%," Wendy warned.

"Why only after one's cell activation reaches 100%?" Steve asked curiously.

Wendy patiently explained to Steve, "Under normal circ.u.mstances, when cell activation grows by 1%, combat power increases by three points. However, scientific research has shown that the basis of the increase of combat power in tandem with the cell growth is more than three points. So, cell activation of 100%, coupled with weapons and armory, would only reach up to 500 points or so. It is difficult to break through 600 points."

Wendy paused for a moment, letting the information sink in, then continued. "And, cell activation's true ultimate combat power is theoretically 1,000. When cell activation has reached more than 600 points of combat power, any F grade weapons would lose their ability to increase combat power."

Hearing this explanation, Steve then understood the real role of the "Intermediate Practices of Energy Absorption."

"After the cell activation reaches 100%, can the 'Intermediate Practices of Energy Absorption' increase the cell's combat power?" Steve asked.

"Yes, the most important function of the 'Intermediate Practices of Energy Absorption' is to enhance the cell's combat power. Originally, one with a cell activation level of 100% could only achieve 300 points of combat power, but the practice of 'Intermediate Practices of Energy Absorption' can increase the combat power to more than 300 points. However, according to the record, the strongest human could only achieve a maximum of 900 points," Wendy said, before adding, "And, the higher the combat power, the greater the potential, as well as the more benefits gained after becoming an evolved being."

The real application of the "Intermediate Practices of Energy Absorption" is to enhance one's potential and increase cell activation's combat power. This was very important to Steve, so hearing this piece of information made him even more excited.