Greetings, My Lord

It was still night, the sky was dark and dotted with stars, and the lake was as quiet and picturesque as a painting. A gentle breeze blew across the vast estate, and the training ground, naturally quite large at five hundred meters in length and width, was illuminated as brightly as day by the lights.

A white-haired youth in a pitch-black training suit stood in the empty training ground, while a group of Stellar Rank guards stood watch at a distance.

Swish. A battle blade made of star-blue material, resembling glazed glass and faintly etched with exquisite, mysterious patterns, appeared in his hand out of thin air.

Though it looked like an ordinary blade on the surface, it actually weighed several thousand kilograms. Its primary material was a precious substance called "Star Essence Stone," crafted with specialized techniques, making it far more expensive than a C Rank spaceship.

Su Ke held it gently, recalling the content of the introductory manual for Eighteen Star Rays he had read earlier. After his life essence had leaped forward, his thinking ability, memory, and consciousness intensity had also improved significantly. It seemed as though the hazy memories of his past life were becoming clear as well.

Suddenly, he slashed forward. This was the starting move; afterward, his movements alternated between fast and slow, naturally carrying a rhythm. The sharp edge of the blade occasionally whistled through the air. His figure became blurred, and the blade transformed into streaks of blue flowing light.

"The essential mystery of Eighteen Star Rays lies in light. The person and the blade must... become light!" Su Ke recalled the most important sentence from the manual. "One must perceive the mystery of light at every moment while practicing the blade."

An apprentice could not yet grasp this, but upon breaking through to the Planetary Rank, one's Gene Origin Energy could already manifest a "light" attribute.

Su Ke did his utmost to swing the blade meticulously according to the records in the manual, sometimes asking his nearby Stellar Rank guard, Khair, for guidance.

Khair was a Stellar Rank 9 Martial Artist who was proficient in blade techniques, which was something Su Ke had considered in advance. It was a pity that Khair himself did not possess the light attribute, but he was more than enough to provide guidance on blade techniques alone.

After all, Su Ke had not even reached the standard of "excellent" in the basics of blade techniques.

If one followed the progression of Earth's standards—Specialized, Mastery, Perfection, and Artistic Conception—he was currently only at the peak of the Specialized stage.

"Young Master, you should have moved your blade forward by another half-inch for the best result."

"Like this?"

"Also, the transition between your previous two postures was problematic; the angle was wrong..."

Finally... the night passed.

Su Ke stopped and let out a soft breath.

His eyes remained bright and energetic, and there wasn't a single drop of sweat on his forehead.

For a Planetary Rank powerhouse, this level of training intensity was not worth mentioning.

The blade techniques he had practiced all night surfaced and intertwined in his mind, constantly merging.

With a thought, a line of pale gold text quietly appeared.

[Eighteen Star Rays: 7%/Level 1]

Su Ke finally confirmed one thing: for a manual, perhaps he had to reach the entry level before this attribute bar would appear.

"The first three chapters of Eighteen Star Rays are for the apprentice stage. With the foundation I accumulated before, plus my current breakthrough to the Planetary Rank and my stronger control over my body, getting started was easy..." Su Ke breathed a sigh of relief.

After completing the three apprentice chapters of Eighteen Star Rays, one's force output could reach 6.

After completing the six Planetary Rank chapters, one's force output could reach 18.

Once the nine Stellar Rank chapters were successfully cultivated, the force output would be 32.

The higher one cultivated Eighteen Star Rays, the faster the body would be tempered. Moreover, Su Ke had the A9 Evolution Package to assist his cultivation, so his rate of improvement would only get faster and faster.

In the morning, Su Ke, now dressed in white, sat at the long dining table in the estate's main hall, eating his breakfast in a slow and leisurely manner, as elegant as a noble. Sunlight streamed in from the large, colorful floor-to-ceiling windows on the right, making the scene look like a painting.

Lyumila, a slim and petite woman dressed as a housekeeper, stood by his side, whispering reports on various tasks.

Outside the estate, groups of slave guards patrolled the grounds.

Other residents in the surrounding area had already discovered that this massive estate seemed to have a new owner, and they were all observing in secret.

When they discovered that the guards were all uniformly Planetary Rank 9—and even included Stellar Rank powerhouses—they were shocked, realizing that the owner of this estate had a significant background. Some even began to harbor thoughts of paying a visit to curry favor.

After finishing his meal, Su Ke took a walk around his estate. The slave guards he encountered along the way stopped to bow respectfully to him.

"My parents are still working on a spaceship," Su Ke thought to himself. "Traveling back and forth between stars is not only hard work but sometimes dangerous. When my parents return this time, they shouldn't continue this job."

Without realizing it, Su Ke walked to the edge of the estate and looked up at the beautiful lake, which sat on the land like a sapphire. "Hmm? It really is a feast for the eyes. No wonder the property here isn't cheap." Su Ke smiled.

Su Ke walked toward the lakeside, followed by the two Stellar Rank 9 guards, Khair and Lyumila.

Just as Su Ke was admiring the lakeside scenery, several figures approached from not far ahead.

Seeing people coming, Su Ke stepped back silently, and his two guards, Khair and Lyumila, immediately stepped forward vigilantly to block his path.

As they drew closer, he could see that the leader was a middle-aged man wearing a gorgeous robe. He had a chubby build, green skin, and two antennae twitching on his head, his narrow eyes gleaming with shrewdness.

He was accompanied by two beautifully dressed young women, while a few bodyguards followed at a slightly greater distance.

"Respected Lord, please forgive the intrusion." Before he had even fully approached, the chubby middle-aged man, who wobbled like a water barrel, spoke loudly. His round face was filled with a humble smile that crinkled his green skin. "I am Bamifladofu, a merchant living nearby. It is an honor to meet you." He did not forget to introduce the two young women beside him. "These are my two daughters, Tamina and Lila." He scolded the two exceptionally beautiful girls, "Why haven't you greeted the Lord yet?"

"Greetings, Lord." The two girls, dressed in gorgeous gowns—one slender and pure, the other charming and fiery—were rare beauties. They bowed respectfully to Su Ke in unison, their eyes shining as they looked at him.

Su Ke remained behind Lyumila and the others, glancing at this uninvited merchant. As for the two beautiful girls, he only gave them an extra look before nodding slightly: "Hmm." He had already asked Lyumila to investigate the situation of the nearby residents, and he had heard this merchant's name during breakfast. He apparently owned one of the top twenty companies on Moon River Planet and had extensive connections; he was considered a big shot on Moon River Planet, but Su Ke didn't care at all.

His tone was very flat, but the smile on the merchant Bamifladofu's face grew wider.

At this moment, Bamifladofu was muttering to himself, "He travels with two Stellar Rank 9 bodyguards; what kind of big shot is this? Hmm, I must curry favor with him." As a qualified and pure merchant, he had always been good at managing relationships. When he learned that a new owner had arrived at this large estate and that the person had a significant background, he realized his opportunity had come.

If he could establish a relationship with this big shot, his business would surely develop more smoothly. This was why he had brought his two most beautiful daughters; if he could please the other party, he would be more than happy to let his daughters be treated as playthings. In any case, he had hundreds of sons and daughters, and sacrificing two was nothing.