Star Valley's development grew more dazzling with each passing year.
The city's skyline continued to climb, while the energy rail network spread into every new district like vines through a forest.
The old, low stone houses were systematically demolished and replaced by skyscrapers built around new alloy frames.
The streets grew wider, and public hover pods ran more frequently. Plans were underway to build an even larger three-dimensional transportation hub in the city center. The communications department, led by Qi Ming, successfully upgraded the Lingyu Communication Device to its third generation, achieving stable, real-time voice transmission.
An information deluge surged through Star Valley's neural network, making the city run more efficiently.
Lie Zhao's Thunder Armor Project had already reached its fifth iteration.
The Thunder Armor Type Five comprehensively enhanced soldiers' capabilities, integrated closely with individual Crystal Energy Guns, and enabled the sharing of tactical data across entire legions.
Star Valley's military might resembled a carefully armed steel beast, with sharp claws and keen senses.
Meanwhile, Jing Si's path of inner cultivation had brought no earth-shattering breakthroughs, yet it was quietly transforming the foundations of her people.
With the Qi-Guiding Breathing Technique and an improved version of the genetic optimization serum, the average physical fitness of the new generation of Rongling had improved significantly. They were also more attuned to energy than their ancestors.
Though gradual, this change laid a firmer foundation for the race's future.
Everything seemed to be flourishing.
Resources poured in from conquered lands, technology blossomed across every field, and the population continued to grow. The flame of civilization had never shone so brightly.
Tu Hu had witnessed it all.
His chronic ailment clung to him like a bone-deep parasite and had never gone away. He needed increasingly potent liquor to keep it at bay.
Yet, in contrast,