Other Races

Lin Shuyao snorted, her expression rather complicated. "You still don't understand. For commoners to rise is harder than reaching the heavens."

"It wasn't as though the Tian Yuan Galaxy hadn't produced geniuses from commoner backgrounds over the past century, but such people either possessed a Top-grade Bone Structure or above, had Peerless Comprehension found only once in ten thousand, or received help from a true benefactor."

"He had none of those three. Even if his comprehension was slightly better than average, he ultimately wasn't from the same world as us."

At this point, Lin Shuyao rubbed her head and said, "Once you enter middle school and begin martial arts training, you may see some commoner geniuses who appear outstanding."

"But most of them are mediocre. Look again after a few years, and those people who once seemed dazzling will appear utterly ordinary."

"True top-tier geniuses are usually as dazzling as comets. Take Ye Qingfeng from Third High, for example. Although Chu Kuang had mastered two martial arts to perfection, there was still a difference between them as vast as the clouds and mud."

Lin Shuyao spoke at length, recalling middle school, when Chu Kuang had been the third student in the entire school to master a basic cultivation technique.

Many people believed that Chu Kuang possessed Peerless Comprehension comparable to a Top-grade Bone Structure. At the very least, he should have Ninth Grade comprehension, since Chu Kuang had never received private tutoring in advance.

Back then, Lin Shuyao had also believed Chu Kuang would rise like a comet. Unfortunately, as time passed, he still had not brought even a basic cultivation technique to perfection by high school. He had already faded into the crowd.

Thinking of this, Lin Shuyao sighed. "I did have a favorable impression of him, but since there can be no outcome, it is better to keep a respectful distance from the very beginning."

"Otherwise, a hundred years from now, there will be nothing but added sorrow."

Lin Shuya shook her head. "He brought two basic cultivation techniques to perfection one after another. Perhaps he had previously gone down the wrong path and wasted his comprehension, but has now broken through after accumulating strength for so long?"

"What are you thinking? How could there be so many cases of sudden breakthroughs after long accumulation?"

Lin Shuyao smiled and said nothing more.

"..."

"Don't go to places with too many people."

Chu Kuang walked home, unable to help sinking into thought as he recalled Lin Shuyao's words.

Clearly, Lin Shuyao seemed to know something, but because it involved classified information, she could not directly tell him the secret.

Boom—

At that moment, a violent explosion suddenly rang out in the distance.

He looked up and saw a spatial rift abruptly tear open within a luxurious villa district in the distance. A group of figures with wings on their backs flew out, diving toward one of the villas.

"The Winged Race."

Chu Kuang's pupils narrowed as he recognized their origin.

The Winged Race was a native race of the Sirius Domain and one of the races under the Sirius Civilization.

Back then, the Yan Yuan Human King had led troops into the Tian Yuan Galaxy, waging war across this starry expanse against the Sirius Civilization and the other races under its command.

In that battle, the Yan Yuan Human King had led his forces in slaughtering vast numbers of other races, completely driving back the Sirius Civilization and its allied forces.

Most of those races had retreated with the Sirius Civilization, but quite a few that had failed to escape in time hid within the Dark Domain of the Tian Yuan Galaxy.

These civilizations possessed the Space Technology needed to open the Dark Domain. On one hand, they stubbornly defended it against humanity; on the other, they often opened spatial rifts and launched Dark Tides into the main universe to pillage and slaughter.

During the first few decades, these other races had caused humanity enormous losses. Chu Kuang's father had lost an arm in a Dark Tide while saving Chu Kuang.

However, as humanity gradually gained a foothold in the Dark Domain over recent years, the number of Dark Tides launched by the other races had steadily declined.

This was mainly because, over time, humanity had used vast quantities of technological weaponry to fortify every major planet like an iron barrel. The losses caused by Dark Tides had become lower and lower.

Within the Dark Domain, without technological support, these other races could still contend with humanity. But once they entered the main universe and faced humanity's technological weapons and mechs, even a massive Dark Tide would only result in losses outweighing gains.

"This isn't a Dark Tide. It's an elite Winged Race force."

"Their objective definitely isn't simple killing and plunder."

Thoughts flashed through Chu Kuang's mind, and he quickly guessed their target.

A villa district, a spatial rift, and a sudden assault by a small elite force of other races—put those keywords together, and their purpose was obvious.

"A surprise attack, a decapitation strike... They want to kill an important figure of humanity?"

Chu Kuang's heart trembled slightly as he saw the battle in the sky change.

Beams of laser light tore through the void, precisely sniping one powerful alien after another on the spot.

Yet the other races did not lack powerful experts. One Winged Race member withstood the laser cannons. Its pair of wings, seemingly forged from true gold, tore through countless blockades as it shot toward the villa.

"Taking laser cannon fire head-on... This is a Transcendent Realm alien."

Chu Kuang drew a sharp breath. A Transcendent Realm alien had a Life Level of at least twenty-one. The basic physical strength of such a powerhouse exceeded one hundred million kilograms, and its short-term explosive power could even sever rivers.

If it were allowed to charge recklessly into the villa district, it could probably reduce the entire area to ruins in a very short time.

Boom—

At that very instant, a tremendous roar erupted from the villa. The Winged Race powerhouse spat blood as it flew backward. Even from over ten kilometers away, Chu Kuang found the sound deafening.

Then, eighteen silver-white mechs shot out from the villa, dragging wings of light behind them like eighteen angels as they surrounded it.

"Sky Patrol Armor."

Chu Kuang's pupils contracted slightly. The Sky Patrol Armor was a commonly used second-order battle armor of humanity. Forged with second-order exotic iron, numerous rare materials, and the technology of human civilization, it was a crystallization of source energy and technology.

When piloted by a Mortal Transformation Realm martial artist who had cultivated a battle body, such armor could often contend against a Second-Order Transcendent Realm martial artist.

Below it were first-order sequence armors such as Berserk Ape, Vajra, and Po Jun. Above it were third-order top-tier battle armors, and even fourth-order legendary battle armors.

These battle armors were crystallizations of human civilization and one of the foundations allowing humanity to suppress the other races in the main universe.

"Eighteen Sky Patrol Armors. You really think highly of me."

At the same time, the alien in the sky roared. Looking at the eighteen Sky Patrol Armors around it, despair appeared on its face. "Before I die, can you tell me who exactly leaked the information?"

"Why should a dead man know so much?"

The armored man at the front spoke. The sword in his hand bloomed with blazing flames, like an angel's sword judging heretics, and slashed toward the alien with searing source energy.

At that instant, the spatial rift suddenly shuddered violently, as though it were about to split completely apart.

Then a giant hand that blotted out the sky reached out from within, carrying boundless power as it grabbed toward the eighteen Sky Patrol Armors. It clearly intended to rescue the Transcendent Realm Winged Race powerhouse.

Clang—

But at that very moment, a streak of saber light slashed down from the far end of the sky.

The saber light was more than a thousand zhang long, like a heaven-cleaving blade splitting the clouds as it descended from the nine heavens. In an instant, it severed that arm on the spot.

Hmph—

A muffled groan came from the depths of the spatial rift. Then it decisively abandoned the rescue attempt, and the torn space instantly vanished.

As for the Transcendent Realm Winged Race powerhouse, it was reduced to nothing but scraps by the saber aura in an instant.

At that moment, a regretful voice drifted through the void. "What a pity. I originally wanted to capture an alien prodigy with the potential to reach the Divine Treasury Realm. Who knew an old bastard would intervene from afar?"

"You're overthinking it. Would an alien prodigy with that kind of potential risk itself for the sake of a mere Top-grade Bone Structure?"

The voices in the void gradually faded away. Then large numbers of robots began repairing the battlefield, and every trace of the battle vanished in the blink of an eye.

Chu Kuang stood where he was. Recalling the scene of that battle, he felt a chill run down his spine, yet he also felt an irrepressible, extreme longing.

That single slash had split open the sky. Even the height of the clouds in the nine heavens could not compare to its grandeur and vastness.

The moment he looked at that slash, it was as though he were gazing up at a god.

"One day, I will become a powerhouse of that level too."

Chu Kuang clenched his fists tightly, deeply shaken by this era of high martial arts.

Such a powerhouse was merely a local expert of the Tian Yuan Galaxy. Among humanity's many heroes throughout the Milky Way Galaxy, he might not even stand out. Humanity's true foundation lay within the Milky Way Galaxy itself.

Carrying that shock and yearning, Chu Kuang hurried home.

Along the way, he recalled everything he had seen and gained a vague understanding of today's events.

"The other races acted to assassinate a human prodigy, but there are surrenderists within their ranks."

Chu Kuang murmured inwardly. The Tian Yuan Galaxy had clearly made sufficient preparations for this battle.

They had even accurately calculated the Winged Race's assassination target and deliberately arranged precise protection and an ambush.

The only explanation was that humanity had planted a spy among the other races, and that spy was likely someone high in their ranks.

In his previous life, Chu Kuang had read many novels about struggles against other races. Humanity was usually infiltrated like a sieve. This was the first time he had seen the other races infiltrated into a sieve by humanity.

But it made sense when he thought about it. For humanity to become one of the overlords of the Milky Way Galaxy, its level of civilization, social organization, and internal counter-infiltration capabilities had to far surpass those of ordinary alien races.

With such foundations and confidence in their civilization, combined with a relatively open atmosphere, the chances of powerful figures within humanity being infiltrated were naturally extremely low. Infiltrating an ordinary alien race would naturally be effortless.

If every member of a civilization were exploited like beasts of burden, forced to work more than ten hours a day just to barely support themselves, then others would not need to put effort into infiltration. They would only need to offer a nine-to-five job, and everyone would defect.

Of course, if human civilization were that unfair internally, it probably could not have become an overlord of the Milky Way Galaxy, much less left the Milky Way Galaxy.

"Only relative fairness within society can maintain a civilization's cohesion."

Chu Kuang murmured, then suddenly smiled. "So I've become one of the imperialist powers?"