The Mysterious Starry Sky Base

At two in the afternoon, Fang Yu and Xia Yao left the public cafeteria and arrived at the base's No. 3 Entry and Exit Inspection Passage.

"There are so many people," Fang Yu said in surprise.

At a glance, there had to be over a hundred people lined up in front of the passage. They were all martial artists, fully armed and equipped, and quite a few looked like students.

But many of the martial artists also looked older, with cold expressions. Their gazes held a trace of disdain as they looked at the student martial artists.

"There are a lot."

"Iron Wall Base was the second Starry Sky Base the Blue Moon Civilization established after Homesight Base," Xia Yao explained. "It's also the safest of the seven Starry Sky Bases."

"No. 12 Secondary Base is mainly used for practical training by students from the Xia Nation's many martial arts universities," Xia Yao explained. "But many civilian martial artists below level 30 also choose to come here to venture out and hunt vicious beasts."

"After all, students like us mainly focus on cultivation, and we only have actual combat twice a year."

"If the base relied on us alone, its utilization rate wouldn't be very high," Xia Yao said.

Fang Yu nodded. Martial arts university students were all in the prime of their lives, and their main focus was on honing their skills and raising their life level... The main purpose of actual combat was to temper the students.

Civilian martial artists were different.

Most were already over thirty, and quite a few had graduated from martial arts junior colleges. Their strength improved extremely slowly by then, so they ventured out and fought on Primordial Star mainly to make money.

They lived on the edge of a blade, facing extreme danger.

But they could also earn money at an astonishing rate... If an Intermediate Martial Artist stayed on Primordial Star year-round, making two or three million Star Coins a year was easy.

Of course, it was also extremely dangerous.

Without tremendous financial pressure, most martial artists wouldn't risk their lives like that.

Time passed.

Under the watchful eyes of numerous robots carrying firearms, Fang Yu and Xia Yao passed through inspection after inspection and entered the base's hundred-meter-high metal wall.

Then, under guidance, the two boarded a small six-seat aircraft and began flying along a metal passage toward the outside of the base.

"The inspections are really strict," Fang Yu couldn't help saying. "Quite a few people in front of us seemed to have been penalized just now."

"Yeah, most of them were new students." Xia Yao smiled helplessly. "A lot of people don't believe it applies to them, so they bring some technological equipment, especially cameras and small drones, hoping to take pictures and videos..."

Fang Yu nodded.

Although he had brought a phone, he had left it in his room in the building. According to the rules, once he left the base, he could no longer use Blue Star's network and could only use his communication star ring to contact the Starry Sky Base.

"Experienced martial artists don't make that mistake," Xia Yao said. "The first violation only costs one point; the second costs ten points, the third costs a hundred, and so on..."

"So the first time is precious."

"Those newbies just lost their precious first time like that." Xia Yao grinned. "I lost my first time in a daze too."

Fang Yu was at a loss.

He had already noticed that his female teammate was quite bold and feisty. But on second thought, that made sense. How many female martial artists who spent their lives on the edge of death could be timid little rabbits?

Whoosh!

The aircraft flew along the curving passage. After traveling over a hundred meters, it emerged completely, and the view suddenly opened up. A vast expanse appeared before Fang Yu's eyes.

"The safe zone?" Fang Yu looked out.

The so-called safe zone.

Before Fang Yu's eyes was an endless hilly wasteland. Most of the trees were no bigger than shrubs, with scattered rocks and weeds everywhere.

It was utterly desolate.

"Fang Yu, there's nothing worth looking at up ahead. Look back," Xia Yao said with a smile.

Fang Yu turned to look.

What a magnificent sight!

"So this is a Starry Sky Base?" Fang Yu held his breath. The aircraft was moving fast and had soon traveled several hundred meters, allowing him to gradually make out the full extent of the Starry Sky Base.

It was an incredible steel behemoth.

The steel walls stood a hundred meters high and stretched out in a straight line to either side, extending for probably more than ten kilometers. Countless mechanical gun barrels lined the walls, and enormous warships could be faintly seen hovering above the base, including giant warships over a thousand meters long.

They simply hovered there.

It was breathtaking.

This was a sight that could never be seen on Blue Star.

"This is only a secondary base, essentially a subsidiary base," Xia Yao said with a smile. "When you get the chance to visit Iron Wall Main Base, you'll understand what a real Starry Sky Base is. Its walls alone are over a thousand meters high, and the area it covers is unbelievably vast."

Metal walls over a thousand meters high?

That was somewhat beyond Fang Yu's imagination.

"This Starry Sky Base is so high-tech. Robots handle guidance, deliveries, and inspections, and they all carry firearms... Why are we martial artists the only ones not allowed to use technological items?" Fang Yu couldn't help asking. "We can't even use phones."

"I don't know."

"Actually, you're not the only one. Many martial artists have speculated about it," Xia Yao said, shaking her head. "It's not just us martial artists of the Blue Moon Civilization who are forbidden from using technological items. Even the powerful aliens we've encountered wear identical communication star rings... but they don't have any other high-tech items either."

"And as far as I know, those alien civilizations have also established Starry Sky Bases on Primordial Star."

"There are even rumors that the Starry Sky Bases established by the various civilizations all look similar..." Xia Yao said in a low voice.

Fang Yu was taken aback.

"In any case, there's definitely a secret behind it, but it's not something we can get involved in. That's for Starry Sky Martial Artists and the alliance's highest authorities to worry about." Xia Yao spread her hands. "All we can do is hunt as many vicious beasts as possible within the alliance's rules and grow stronger."

"Even if the sky falls, it won't be our turn to hold it up."

Fang Yu nodded slightly.

Back when he was still at junior college, he hadn't thought deeply about it... But now that he had come to Primordial Star, the star gate, the Starry Sky Base, and the various hard-to-explain rules all inevitably gave rise to many speculations.

"Primordial Star's environment is extremely similar to Blue Star's. Its gravity is 1.2 times Earth's, and the oxygen content in the air is slightly higher... Its flora and fauna and terrain are similar too..."

"But there's no night on Primordial Star. It only has two seasons: polar day and polar darkness!"

"By Blue Star's calendar, the first half of the year is polar darkness. Everything turns dim and gray, and visibility drops, like dusk on Blue Star... The second half is polar day. For example, it's polar day now, so it'll stay light the whole time."

"Everything within a hundred kilometers of the Starry Sky Base is part of the safe zone. The vicious beasts here are generally below level 15, and none exceed level 20. Civilization Warriors above level 20 can use their communication wristbands to summon an aircraft anywhere in the safe zone for quick travel."

"Beyond a hundred kilometers is the wilderness zone."

"The Star Power concentration in the wilderness zone is extremely high, which is why Primordial Star has given rise to countless vicious beasts... Most vicious beasts don't need to eat much. They can survive for a long time just by absorbing Star Power..."

Xia Yao's explanations, combined with what he saw along the way, gave Fang Yu a more concrete understanding of Primordial Star.

"You're strong, so there's no need to start your trial with level 12 or 13 vicious beasts. They wouldn't challenge you at all," Xia Yao said. "We'll head straight for the outer edge of the safe zone."

"Okay."

Fang Yu looked into the distance. Along the way, he could see quite a few martial artists who looked like students fighting vicious beasts in the wasteland's canyons to temper themselves.

Occasionally,

he also saw many vicious beast carcasses, and even human skulls, as well as broken weapons and decayed battle suits... Clearly, even in the so-called safe zone, many trainee martial artists had lost their lives.

"The death rate for martial artists is high."

"The death rate for martial arts university students is high too."

"Take our class," Xia Yao said softly. "If you scroll to the bottom of the rankings, you'll see that even with the two hundred-plus new students from junior colleges, there are only a little over five thousand people."

"That many have died?" Fang Yu's pupils contracted slightly. He really hadn't noticed before.

That death rate had already reached three percent.

They had only just started their fourth year, and most of the combat they had participated in before should have been "combat training." Yet so many had already died?

How many would die after becoming professional martial artists?

Fang Yu's heart sank, and he couldn't help thinking of his mother... She had graduated from Huguang Martial Arts University and gone to venture out on Primordial Star after graduation, where she had gone missing.

"Missing" was just a nicer way to put it.

When people died fighting vicious beasts in the vast wilderness zone, their bodies were unlikely to be left behind. Naturally, the Blue Moon Alliance therefore classified them as "missing" in its statistics.

The aircraft continued onward.

Even the enormous Starry Sky Base had become a line on the horizon.

"Fang Yu."

"There's a Crimson Flame Cat up ahead." Xia Yao suddenly pointed into the near distance. "Judging by its size, it should be between level 16 and level 18. It's a very suitable first opponent for you."