Asteroid Belt Around White Tower, Skyreach Mining Company

The second advanced body-forging potion only lasted one day, but the pain it brought Song Chi far surpassed that of the previous potion, which had lasted three days.

The reason was simple: the medicine was too potent, while his physical condition was not strong enough. He could not handle such a powerful supplement.

It was painful, but for the astonishing training results, Song Chi could only grit his teeth and endure.

While Song Chi was training with all his might, a fleet sped through the silent starry sky beyond the White Tower Floating Continent.

The fleet did not contain many ships, fewer than ten in total. Having departed from the White Tower Floating Continent, they headed straight for a nearby asteroid belt.

The asteroid belt was less than three hundred million kilometers from the White Tower Floating Continent. With the fleet cruising at light speed, they reached its outskirts in just over ten minutes.

Since it lay within the White Tower Floating Continent's gravitational field, the asteroid belt had simply been named the Asteroid Belt Around White Tower.

The Asteroid Belt Around White Tower was a medium-sized asteroid belt, stretching less than a hundred thousand kilometers across. After centuries of continuous mining by several companies from the White Tower Floating Continent, its resources had essentially been depleted. Only scattered regions still saw the occasional civilian interstellar mining ship.

"Who would have thought that such a nearly exhausted resource site would still conceal an exceptionally rare Titanium Crystal vein?"

In the main control room of the leftmost ship at the head of the fleet, Shen Wenjie spoke with a faint sigh.

At his words, Song Chao's voice came from another guardian-class Psionic Shuttle that remained in communication with the Bronze Halberd beneath Shen Wenjie's feet.

"Let's hope so. Those two Skyreach Mining workers who spread the news only saw ore suspected to be Titanium Crystal. They never actually mined it to confirm."

After their brief exchange, the two ships took the lead into the asteroid belt ahead, followed closely by seven Psionic Airships of varying lengths.

That was right. All nine ships in the fleet were Kindling Starships.

As they continued onward, they encountered many ordinary interstellar mining ships drifting through the asteroid belt. Although this asteroid belt had already been mined for centuries, there were no other resource sites around the White Tower Floating Continent. Naturally, some independent miners still came here to try their luck.

After all, while the days when resources could be mined everywhere had passed centuries ago, there had still been no shortage of cases in recent years where people discovered overlooked rare resources and became rich overnight.

When they saw the passing fleet, the reactions of those interstellar mining ships were identical. They all moved aside early, afraid of offending such important figures.

To ordinary people like them, every Kindling Starship belonged to an untouchable big shot. They could not afford to provoke any of them, much less the Kindling Starships in this fleet, which were vastly different from those they had seen before—especially the two at the front.

Pitch-black armor covered the entire hundred-meter hulls. One glance at the faintly glowing energy shields was enough to tell they were surely impregnable. At the bows, the several-meter-wide barrels of the main cannons looked utterly ferocious, while even the secondary cannons scattered across the hulls could easily tear apart any interstellar mining ship fitted with the best possible equipment.

The fleet advanced without encountering any mishaps.

The Skyreach Mining exclusive mining zone was one of the liveliest mining areas in the Asteroid Belt Around White Tower. Every day, hundreds or even thousands of interstellar mining ships traveled back and forth through this region. Because of this, Skyreach Mining had specially assembled a mining patrol fleet to maintain daily order in the area.

"Brother Lu, I got pretty lucky today. I mined five tons of Adamantine. After work, how about we head over to Widow Sun's for a drink? This little brother will treat you. I heard Widow Sun's mother went back to her hometown a few days ago. After we finish drinking, Brother Lu can have some fun."

At that, Lu Erhe, who had been bored out of his mind in the patrol boat, brightened at once. He then feigned indifference and said, "Got it. We'll talk after work. Just remember not to skim too much, or if it gets exposed, I won't have time to clean up your mess."

Hearing Lu Erhe's reply, Old He aboard the mining ship to the side grinned, knowing he would have another extra gain today.

After composing himself slightly, Old He bowed with a smile and shut off the short-range communication. What Lu Erhe did not know was that as soon as the communication was cut, the fawning look on Old He's face abruptly changed into one of ridicule.

"Heh, Widow Sun has been screwed by who knows how many men, yet only you, Lu Erhe the fool, still treat her like a treasure."

After sneering, Old He prepared to turn his mining ship toward the company's inspection point. But the next instant, his body stiffened as he turned his gaze toward the nearby starry sky.

"A... a fleet of Kindling Starships? Why are there so many Kindling Starships here? They don't look like the lowest-grade Psionic Shuttles either. Could they all be first-rank Kindling Starships?"

Old He was clearly not the only miner to spot the Kindling Starship fleet. Since Song Chao and Shen Wenjie had made no attempt to conceal themselves, before long, most of the miners throughout the area had discovered the fleet's presence.

The result was that in less than two minutes, hundreds of interstellar mining ships scattered to both sides of the mining zone at unprecedented speed, consciously clearing out the central area.

Yet the unfamiliar Kindling fleet showed no intention of leaving. Just as the miners were baffled, a cold mechanical voice came from the leading Kindling Starship.

"Who is in charge of this mining zone?"

After a moment of hesitation, the miners pushed forward Lu Erhe, the patrol captain. Just as Lu Erhe was trembling in fear, the message from the opposing Kindling Starship merely requested a detailed star map of the mining zone.

Lu Erhe let out an enormous sigh of relief. He had only become patrol captain through connections, all so he could line his pockets while in office. Asking him to defend the company's mining zone to the death would have been far too much for him.

Almost the instant the other side asked, he transmitted the detailed star map of the mining zone. If he had hesitated even a little longer, he would not have been Lu Erhe.

Aboard the Bronze Halberd Psionic Shuttle, Shen Wenjie compared this star map with the one he had acquired from the market a few days earlier. After confirming that it was correct, he exchanged a glance with Song Chao.

The two nodded, and the fleet set off again toward the mining-zone coordinates they had obtained.

However, only eight of the nine Kindling Starships departed. One remained where it was, and a ring of light spread from the ship, quickly enveloping more than half the mining zone.

On an asteroid dozens of meters in diameter, Old He's interstellar mining ship rested quietly against its surface. While everyone else was still confused, Old He was the first to recognize the obscure curtain of light.

"They even deployed a temporary communications blockade device. Looks like something good has appeared in this mining zone again."