Civilization Advancement Assessment, Begins!

At the same time.

In the outer space of Blue Star, within synchronous orbit.

Absolute vacuum and deathly silence were the eternal backdrop of this star sector.

A moon-white starship suddenly emerged from the void, resembling a gentle pearl inlaid upon black velvet.

The ship's lines were elegant and fluid, as if woven from naturally growing vines and solidified starlight. Countless fine, emerald-green runes pulsed slowly across its hull, radiating an ancient and profound charm that formed a strange contrast with the deathly silence of the surrounding void.

Irelia Hina stood quietly before the observation window at the ship's bow.

She wore a long dress that seemed woven from pure starlight and hazy mist. Her skin was as white and lustrous as jade, her features exquisite and ethereal, and a diamond-shaped crystal between her brows shimmered with a restrained light, reflecting the azure planet below.

Her expression was calm and serene, yet deep within her eyes, which were as vast as a sea of stars, waves were surging.

Her five-thousand-year term as a guardian was nearing its end. Even though she only needed to wait for the civilization promotion assessment to conclude before laying down her heavy burden, Irelia felt an unprecedented tension in her heart.

Because according to the rules of the Human Race, the civilization promotion assessment would be presided over by the arrival of an Eternal God-level entity!

However, as a powerful race, the Human Race did not provide many slots for Spirit Race civilization guardians.

Setting aside the fact that serving as a civilization guardian allowed one to observe the rise and fall of intelligent civilizations—which was of immense benefit to a Star-Vortex level cultivator in comprehending cosmic rules—more importantly, for a Star-Vortex level, receiving even a hint of guidance or favor from an Eternal God could change one's destiny!

Therefore, the competition for Human Race civilization guardian slots within the Spirit Race was extremely fierce.

Irelia's slender fingers unconsciously stroked the observation window.

Ten thousand years ago, her family's strength had been severely damaged when her grandfather, a ninth-tier Star-Domain level expert, accidentally perished, leaving two of the three Star-Domain level elders injured and one dead. The family was subsequently suppressed from all sides by rival families and declined rapidly.

In the depths of despair, her grandmother had defied all opposition and exhausted the vast majority of the family's resources to secure this "Human Race civilization guardian" slot for her, which offered a chance to come into contact with an Eternal God.

After hitting wall after wall, this was the only solution the family could conceive in their desperation.

Because the connections of an Eternal God-level entity could transcend racial boundaries; even if it were only a Human Race Eternal God, it would be enough to exert influence within the Spirit Race.

Even for the slightest possibility, the family had still hollowed out its foundation for this.

As a direct descendant of the family and its most talented Star-Vortex level expert, Irelia knew the weight of her responsibility. She had worked diligently for five thousand years, never daring to slacken in the slightest, and finally, this moment had arrived.

The assessment was beginning, and the god was descending!

She prayed silently in her heart, hoping only that the incoming god would at least be pro-Spirit Race or from a neutral faction.

Time passed in anxious waiting.

Irelia took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

According to the time notified in advance by the virtual network, they should be arriving.

A trace of tense determination flashed in the depths of her eyes.

Immediately, Irelia's figure transformed into a cold stream of light, passing through the ship's airlock and multiple shields to appear in the cold void outside the Emerald Whisper Starship.

She suppressed the light of the crystal on her forehead, adjusted her posture to the most perfect and respectful state, and then hovered there, waiting quietly.

A moment later, as if to confirm her premonition.

Boom!

Without any warning, a terrifying pressure originating from the source of the universe descended suddenly!

This pressure directly shook the underlying rules of space, and the space in the synchronous orbit region seemed to be torn and twisted by an invisible giant hand.

Irelia's heart was gripped instantly.

Ssh.

In the void not far away, a deep rift was silently sliced open, and a streamlined, shuttle-shaped starship slid slowly out, as if emerging from the shadows of a higher dimension.

It was matte black, barely over a hundred meters long, with a surface as smooth as a mirror. It lacked any superfluous decoration and looked ordinary, yet it felt like the purest, coldest stone condensed from the universe, radiating a suffocating sense of absolute oppression that formed a sharp contrast with the ornate Emerald Whisper Starship.

The airlock slid open silently like mercury.

A figure stepped out slowly.

He was not a being of flesh and blood, but was composed of pure light and shadow, along with countless, infinitely minute, and ever-changing profound runes.

His very existence seemed to be a distorted node in the rules of space, radiating a law-bound rhythm that made the soul tremble instinctively.

Almost simultaneously, a silver-white intelligent light sphere floated beside the light-and-shadow avatar, with pale gold data streams flowing across it.

"Master, target planet serial number: TC-YHLHXB-ZJ-G-7392113, arrival precise."

The light sphere's synthesized voice was calm and waveless.

Irelia only glanced at it, and she felt her soul origin tremble violently.

She knew in her heart that this was an absolute suppression at the level of life itself.

She dared not look directly at the face composed of runes, so she quickly lowered her head slightly and moved forward a few steps, performing the most ancient and noble kowtow ceremony of the Spirit Race:

"Irelia Hina, 37th Guardian of the Blue Star civilization, welcomes Your Excellency Xu Chen. May your will guide the trajectory of the galaxy."

The god's avatar, with its face composed of light and shadow, remained unmoved. When his gaze swept over the Spirit Race mark on Irelia's forehead, the flowing torrent of runes seemed to freeze imperceptibly for a fleeting moment.

"Spirit Race."

A cold voice echoed in the void.

Irelia's heart constricted violently, yet she dared not make a single move, remaining frozen in her respectful bow.

Then followed a period of agonizing, despair-inducing silence.

It was not until cold sweat had beaded upon her forehead that Irelia finally heard a flat, indifferent voice ring out.

"Very well. Let her handle the trivial matters."

"As you command, Master."

The intelligent orb of light pulsed with a steady glow.

Irelia was momentarily stunned, then snapped her head up, only to realize her mistake and hurriedly lower it again.

Suppressing the surge of excitement in her heart, she made her voice even more gentle and humble, laced with the perfect measure of gratitude:

"I thank Your Excellency for your trust! You must be weary from your journey; would you care to move to the Emerald Whisper Starship for a brief rest? We have prepared the Spirit Race's specialty, Clear Radiance Dew, aboard the vessel."

The gaze of the divine avatar did not shift in the slightest, nor did he offer any response to Irelia's words, as if she were nothing more than an insignificant speck of dust in the starry void.

He simply issued a flat command.

"Begin the assessment."

"As you command, Master."

The intelligent orb flickered for a moment.

"Blue Star civilization development index comprehensive assessment: 0.73. Energy environment assessment: extremely barren. Intelligent species potential model deduction: low. Projected potential rating: Level 2."

"Recommendation: Execute standard low-energy consumption assessment procedure. Resource allocation level: 2."

The divine avatar's face, composed of light and shadow runes, remained devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

His gaze did not even drift toward the beautiful planet below, wrapped in blue oceans and green continents, as if it were merely an inconsequential mote of cosmic dust.

He gave the slightest "nod" with a head formed of pure laws and source energy.

"Execute."

A flat voice resonated directly through the void.

The light of the intelligent orb pulsed rhythmically.

"Command confirmed: Executing standard Level 2 promotion assessment procedure."

The next instant!

An invisible, vast, and unimaginably majestic force of law erupted, centered on the divine avatar!

This power was not a physical shockwave; it acted directly upon the underlying architecture of space itself.

Across the entire region where Blue Star resided, space rippled like a superfluid struck by a boulder, creating distortions in the laws that were invisible to the naked eye and impossible for precision instruments to capture.

A colossal, translucent "membrane of light," seemingly composed of countless flowing, illusory runes, expanded instantly, silently and completely shrouding the entire Blue Star and its near-Earth space.

On the surface of Blue Star, every high-precision timer in operation—be it an atomic clock or a quartz watch—suffered a minute, almost imperceptible synchronization error in that very moment.

Deep-space detection signals across the globe were instantly blocked, and the images transmitted to the ground from satellites in near-Earth orbit flickered with a momentary burst of static.

The projection of the illusory divine kingdom—the Abyssal Realm—had descended!