The next day, ZER appeared precisely on time, in the same empty space, clad in the same black attire, with eyes of pure obsidian.

"Answer me. Why was I transported from Earth to this location? Don't tell me you don't know, and don't use 'insufficient authorization' as an excuse. If you don't give me an answer today, I'm reporting you to the National Security Bureau immediately."

The moment he materialized, Zhong Yun sprang up, his questioning hitting ZER like a barrage of artillery fire.

ZER regarded Zhong Yun, and an actual chill seemed to emanate from those virtual black eyes. Zhong Yun held his ground, meeting the gaze without yielding an inch.

After a long moment, as if sensing his unwavering resolve, ZER decided to concede. "When I initiated, your soul had already attached itself to me. You became my host. I then helped you find this body."

Zhong Yun felt a slight disappointment and asked, "Do you still remember where you were when you initiated?"

"Twenty million light-years from here. The coordinates are..."

"And what is that place?"

"It was an asteroid field."

Zhong Yun refused to give up. "Do you know of the Milky Way galaxy?"

"Never heard of it."

It made sense. Aliens surely wouldn't call it the Milky Way. It was most likely another designation. Thinking this, a wave of despair washed over him. The vast, boundless universe—where was the road home?

"Begin training," ZER commanded.

Zhong Yun took a deep breath. Even without news of Earth for now, he had to live well.

He gritted his teeth, pouring his entire focus into the training. Regardless of ZER's origin, since it could facilitate his soul transference and knew the training methods of the Jialan people, it must have come from some highly advanced civilization. To live better, he could not afford to slacken.

Today there were nine movements again. Because Zhong Yun was fully dedicated, he mastered the set of movements quickly.

Seeing that his practice was nearly complete, ZER was about to depart when Zhong Yun called him back. "What is the Mika Ray?"

"The Mika Ray exists only at the center of the universe. It is the strongest known penetrating ray. Furthermore, it has another use: when applied to a human body, it induces the body to secrete a substance—Yuan."

"Yuan? What is that?" Zhong Yun was curious.

"To this day, no one has been able to analyze the composition of Yuan. We only know it is both a substance and an energy, generated exclusively within living organisms, possessing miraculous efficacy."

"The function of the Yuan produced varies by race. Due to their unique genetic structure, the Yuan produced by the Jialan people generates mental energy. Statistics show that among all advanced civilizations, the Jialan people possess the highest average IQ."

"That's amazing!" Zhong Yun couldn't help but suck in a breath, then asked, "What about us Dawo people?"

"Based on my scans of your body, the results indicate that the Yuan produced by the Dawo people is overwhelmingly aggressive in nature. However, your body lacks the foundation to generate Yuan, requiring the aid of the Mika Ray."

"Moreover, Dawo Yuan, aside from its aggression, lacks outstanding utility. It is estimated that only Yuan reaching Level Three allows one to move about in space."

"What?" Zhong Yun thought he misheard. Moving in space? Did ZER think he was a Super Saiyan? Damn, even Super Saiyans couldn't survive in the cosmos. This joke was too much.

"Wait, are you saying... flying in space without any equipment?" Zhong Yun asked cautiously.

"Correct."

Zhong Yun licked his lips; his mouth felt dry and ragged. "When can I reach Level Three?" he managed to rasp, his voice beginning to tremble with excitement. To fly into space—good heavens, was he dreaming?

"Regrettably, my energy reserves are insufficient to sustain you to the Level Three stage."

It felt like a bucket of icy water had been dumped over his head. Zhong Yun froze, then urged desperately, "What energy do you need? I'll get it for you—electricity? Nuclear power? Or energy cells?"

"Origin Stone."

"Origin Stone. No problem, I'll procure it for you. Tell me, where can I find them?" Zhong Yun asked urgently, a fierce fighting spirit igniting within him. For this immense power, he would slay gods and buddhas; no one would stand in his way.

"The Dawo system has only two potential locations for Origin Stones: the military or the black market."

Zhong Yun calmed down, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Does your database contain technological data from advanced civilizations?"

Dawo was merely an intermediate civilization. Merely revealing a piece of advanced civilization's technology would undoubtedly stun the ruling class of Dawo. By then, forget just asking for an Origin Stone; they likely wouldn't refuse if he demanded an entire administrative planet.

"Due to severe energy limitations, only a very small portion is currently accessible—only data pertaining to Jialan. You can view it once you enter that room."

Before ZER finished speaking, Zhong Yun rushed toward that room in a frenzy. Seeing the stacks upon stacks of documents, he let out a cheer.

For the following month, aside from his physical training, he was immersed in that room, greedily devouring knowledge from an advanced civilization.

Perhaps the Jialan training methods were truly superior; in less than ten days, Zhong Yun achieved a near-eidetic memory, and his comprehension climbed several rungs. Coupled with the knowledge originating from an advanced civilization, the harvest of that single month was unimaginably vast.

However, his initial assumption had been too naive—believing that presenting a piece of Jialan technology would sway the Dawo rulers. ZER had delivered a harsh reality check.

In any civilization, the transmission of technology follows a sequential lineage, accumulating gradually from lower to higher levels. Skipping steps incurs devastating costs.

Furthermore, the Jialan culture and technology were fundamentally incompatible with the Dawo system; even if given freely, the Dawo couldn't utilize it. It was like giving a cultivator the secrets of forbidden spells from a world of magic—a complete waste of effort.

That path was blocked. After a brief moment of frustration, Zhong Yun rallied. All roads lead to Rome; if this path was closed, there was another.

The Jialan people were not famous across the universe for their technology.

The day before his self-imposed break ended, Zhong Yun carried a box and took a public transport shuttle to the Flower Market. This was his first outing since his transportation, and he felt a mixture of novelty and excitement.

Though his outward appearance hadn't changed, the man standing there was incomparably different from the one of a month ago.

A few days prior, his physical conditioning had finally met the required standard. According to ZER, his Yuan intensity had barely scraped the threshold of Level One. Of course, this rapid growth was entirely attributable to the powerful effects of the Mika Ray.

How powerful was Level One Yuan? Although Zhong Yun hadn't visited a specialized testing facility, ZER claimed his overall physical quality was 28.5 times that of an ordinary Dawo citizen. For comparison, the physical quality of this year’s heavyweight boxing champion was only 11.3 times that of an average person.

Although Mingzhou City covered a vast area, its transportation was highly convenient. The public transport shuttles were driverless cars running on fixed tracks at high speeds.

In less than half an hour, Zhong Yun arrived at the Flower Market in the western part of the city. Stepping off the shuttle, he immediately caught the faintest scent of blossoms, which invigorated his spirit. Since generating Yuan within his body, he felt a unique affinity for plant life.

The Flower Market was teeming with people, vibrant and busy. Because the citizens of Mingzhou City enjoyed such material wealth, they placed a high value on spiritual pursuits. Flowers, as beautiful objects, were naturally cherished by the populace.

The Flower Market was perhaps the closest place in the city to nature, featuring very few modern amenities. Everywhere he looked were splashes of brilliant color; the air was thick with intoxicating fragrance, as if he were submerged in an ocean of blossoms.

The outer areas featured common household flora, purchased by regular residents. Zhong Yun gave them a cursory glance before entering the second alleyway, where the quality of the flowers elevated significantly, catering to middle-income families with refined tastes.

Zhong Yun moved on without stopping, proceeding directly into the third alleyway—this was where the true masterpieces resided.