“There are a few specific considerations when caring for these flowers.” Zhong Yun walked over to the racks, pointing to the three pots on the very top shelf. “You will be responsible for these three from now on. Although you are a professional florist, you certainly haven't dealt with these particular plants before.”

The girl nodded her head vigorously, like a chick pecking grain, her small face flushed bright red with excitement.

“Right, what’s your name?”

“Xu Guanming.”

It took half an hour to explain all the precautions for tending these three flowers. Because they had been force-ripened, they were far more delicate than usual, requiring even more diligent attention.

“Any other questions?” Zhong Yun asked after demonstrating everything.

Xu Guanming shook her head. “I’ve noted everything down.”

“Good. You can head back now, and be here again tomorrow morning at six.” Zhong Yun clapped the dirt off his hands and ushered her out.

“Um, that…” Xu Guanming asked with a hint of hopeful anticipation, “Will Teacher Zhong Yun be here tomorrow?”

After sending that peculiar girl away, Zhong Yun also stepped out. For the last few months, he had either been accompanied by Chen Wentianhai or Liu Yunqi; it had been a long time since he had gone out alone.

He hesitated, thinking about calling Xiao Ruo out. Then he remembered Yunqi and dismissed the thought. It wouldn't be so bad to wander around by himself.

Since the students had started their break, the streets were noticeably more crowded, filled with many young couples strolling arm in arm.

After browsing for a while, Zhong Yun lost interest and found a lounge-style cafe to sit down in, enjoying this moment of leisure while listening to some beautiful, unfamiliar melody.

Suddenly, his pocket vibrated. He pulled out his portable computer and saw a message from Xiao Ling: the second batch of twenty thousand humans from the Omni National Bank had successfully arrived at Planet ‘Qiyun.’

And then there was the good news that truly energized Zhong Yun: the ‘World Tree’ had sprouted. It had taken over four months—what a difficult feat. It would take nearly another year and a half to grow into a sapling, and fifty years to mature fully.

Fortunately, the sapling would already secrete tree sap. By that time, Zhong Yun’s physical cultivation technique should have reached the Ninth Layer. With the World Tree sap, advancing to the Tenth Level would be as natural as water flowing downhill.

It was when he first arrived at Planet ‘Qiyun’ a year ago that he asked Xiao Ling when he could reach Level Ten, and Xiao Ling had replied two and a half years. It seemed now that he had been planning this trajectory even then.

The lounge was quite busy. Although transparent heat-insulating glass panels covered the entire pedestrian street, maintaining the ambient temperature at a perfectly comfortable level, it was already winter, yet the young, spirited women on the street were still dressed lightly.

Just like the hot girl at the table opposite Zhong Yun, whose skirt was so short he could glimpse a corner of her undergarment. Still, he wasn't particularly interested in that type.

His gaze drifted to another table, where a long-haired girl sat wearing a white camisole beneath a long, flowing cloth dress. While not conventionally stunning, she possessed a very pleasing charm.

Perhaps due to the advanced civilization, affluent living conditions, and medical breakthroughs on Dawa, one truly couldn't find an unattractive person. Any random person found on the street would be considered a beauty by Earth standards.

Inherent flaws were not an issue. With current medical technology, correcting them was not difficult. Obesity was also not a problem, thanks to purely green, low-side-effect slimming medicines and equipment that could sculpt whatever one desired.

Of course, most people merely had regular features; those truly possessing exceptional allure were in the minority. People like Xiao Ruo, Qin Qun, and Gong Yao were top-tier examples—wherever they stood, they commanded immediate attention.

And Liu Yunqi was on the level of a national calamity beauty—Zhong Yun had only ever seen two people of that caliber in his entire life.

One was the reigning superstar, the incandescently famous Heavenly Queen singer, Ming Yunyu. Although he hadn't met her in person, Tianhai, as a devoted fan, had collected full-face, unedited photos of her from her school days—she was devastatingly beautiful.

The second was Yu Daoqing. Her beauty was exquisite and absolute, like an unprecedented, priceless piece of art. In her presence, Zhong Yun was always exceedingly careful, fearful that one careless move might shatter her. Her beauty was breathtakingly unnerving.

Two others were somewhat special. They were more beautiful than Xiao Ruo’s group, yet seemed to lack something compared to Liu Yunqi’s caliber, falling somewhere between the two levels. One was Dong Wan, the girl who once worked as the receptionist at Zhong’s Machinery, now Zhong Yun’s homeroom teacher. She fiercely upheld her principles, preferring to remain a front desk clerk rather than betray herself to achieve her dreams. But Zhong Yun saw straight through to her heart; she was a fragile girl who inspired deep pity.

The other was Shui Lianyu, the base doctor. The first time Zhong Yun saw her, he thought he was looking at an angel. He had never seen such a pure face—clean, transparent, and utterly unsullied. Looking at her always seemed to calm the restlessness within him.

The ringing of his phone interrupted Zhong Yun’s thoughts; it was Yu Daoqing calling to hurry him along. Checking the time, it was almost mealtime. Zhong Yun paid the bill and left the cafe, enduring the flirtatious glances of the hot girl opposite him.

Every time he ascended the Mingzhu Tower, Zhong Yun was met with myriad strange looks, but he was used to it. Occasionally, when sharing the dedicated VIP elevator with someone, they would try to strike up a conversation. Every time, Zhong Yun would simply say, “I work here.”

On the Nine Hundredth Floor, Zhong Yun encountered an unexpected sight. The elevator to Nine Hundred and One was right next to the General Manager’s office. Just as Zhong Yun rounded a corner, he saw Ou Feng and Yang Siqing entering the GM’s office, looking quite familiar with each other.

Hadn't Yang Siqing claimed to have a mountain of official business? Why was she here? With a flicker of doubt, Zhong Yun stepped into the elevator, though it was only a fleeting suspicion.

Given Yang Siqing's previous standing, being well-acquainted with Ou Feng wasn't entirely strange, Zhong Yun reasoned.

Suddenly, Zhong Yun grasped a mind-boggling possibility: Yang Siqing... Yu Daoqing? He froze completely. Yu Daoqing? Yang Siqing?

Could it be…?

It couldn't be that coincidental, could it? Zhong Yun felt a chill run down his scalp.

Before he could delve deeper, the elevator arrived. Taking a breath to suppress the rising doubt, he decided he would ask her later.

The main hall was as spacious as ever. Just as Zhong Yun reached the doorway, the door opened, and Yu Daoqing emerged with an unfamiliar young man.

“Let me introduce you,” Yu Daoqing said, gesturing toward the young man beside her. “This is Sir Vincent of the Sata Empire, a compatriot from Jialan as well.”

Vincent was clearly Caucasian, with deep-set features and wavy brown hair. He carried himself with an air of scholarly refinement that immediately fostered goodwill.

“This is a new compatriot I just met, Zhong Yun,” Yu Daoqing introduced him to Vincent in a language Zhong Yun had never heard before.

Seeing the man warmly extend his hand, Zhong Yun, despite not understanding the words, forced a smile and shook it.

Yu Daoqing was prepared and handed Zhong Yun an automatic translator—a tiny device resembling an earbud, almost invisible once worn.

Putting it on, Zhong Yun could finally converse with Vincent, who hailed from a foreign land.

“I was very sorry to hear about the air crash involving your country’s spacecraft participating in our Youth Martial Arts Competition earlier this year,” Vincent said with a grave expression.

Zhong Yun glanced at Yu Daoqing. Noticing his look, Yu Daoqing subtly shook her head, signaling that she hadn't revealed his participation in the Youth Martial Arts Competition either.

“Thank you for your concern,” Zhong Yun replied politely.

“Brother Zhong, you’re not yet twenty years old, are you?” Vincent inquired.

“I just turned seventeen,” Zhong Yun felt awkward about the overly familiar way the man addressed him as ‘Brother Zhong,’ but attributed it to the automatic translator.

“Oh, my heavens!” Vincent’s expression was dramatic. “If I’m not mistaken, Brother Zhong’s physical cultivation has already reached the Seventh Level. Has Dawa’s martial arts level become this high?”

Without going to the Martial Arts Association to test, Zhong Yun genuinely didn't know his current rank. He still couldn't fully grasp how physical cultivation was graded. His yuan kept increasing, and he felt he hadn't encountered any obstacles or bottlenecks, much less broken through, so he truly had no idea of his current level.

“Sir Vincent, you flatter me too much.” Zhong Yun certainly knew how to be humble.

“We are compatriots, please don’t be so formal; just call me Vincent,” Vincent seemed very eager to connect.

“Vincent, are you here in Dawa to participate in the Interstellar Flower Exhibition?” Zhong Yun switched smoothly to the topic.

Zhong Yun didn't see much connection between flowers and culture, but he knew it was a grand event, having learned about it from the news. Even though the exhibition was still a month away, over fifty nations had already arrived in Dawa.

This must be the busiest time for news correspondents—every time a nation arrived, they received a comprehensive report detailing their location, distance from Dawa, how long it took them to achieve intermediate civilization status, and so on. It served well to educate the public on interstellar knowledge.

“The Interstellar Flower Exhibition is held once every ten years. Speaking of which, President Yu put forth a great deal of effort to secure the hosting rights for your nation,” Vincent said with a smile.

Zhong Yun looked at Yu Daoqing in surprise. Seeing her smile without refuting it, he wondered: did she possess such significant influence?

“Right, Zhong Yun, do you pilot mechs?” Vincent changed the subject.

“Only in online games,” Zhong Yun laughed, explaining, “Mechs are controlled items where we are; ordinary citizens have very little access to them.”

“What a pity,” Vincent shook his head regretfully. “You are at the perfect age now. If you could receive proper, effective training, your future achievements would be limitless.”

Zhong Yun smiled faintly, inwardly disagreeing. No matter how powerful a mech was, one person could only pilot one, limiting its overall impact. Training was necessary, but dedicating all one's focus to it would be unwise—starships are the true way forward!

Imagining the day he would command a fleet composed of tens of thousands of starships, Zhong Yun couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

P: There will be another chapter tonight. Have you all cast your second monthly ticket? It’s hard for newcomers, please give me more support and cast your monthly votes for me!