With a slow opening of his eyes, a bright, sharp gleam flashed within them. A surge of intense joy flooded him—he had broken through the Rank Twenty threshold, a barrier that had held him captive for two years.

He raised his hand, bringing it before his face, and suddenly clenched it into a fist. He had finally stepped onto the second tier of the Yuan Realm, fulfilling the requirements for the second level of access permission.

More importantly, he had discovered the method to shatter bottlenecks. From now on, whenever he encountered such a hindrance, he felt confident he could break through in the shortest time possible.

He stood up and headed toward the central nexus of Zone One, the core region controlling the entire sector, equivalent to the main control room of a starship. Among everyone, only he, possessing Level One access, could enter.

The main control room was vast and empty, devoid of any consoles or operational interfaces.

Zhong Yun faced the open space and boomed, "Connect me to the Main Brain."

The space lit up, and a spherical projection of light materialized in mid-air—the Management Light Brain responsible for all affairs within Zone One. Within the base, he needed no physical interaction; he only needed to issue commands to the Management Light Brain. Convenient and swift.

"Yes, Excellency," a synthesized voice emanated from the ball of light. Immediately after, the base’s Main Brain spoke, "Zhong Yun, you summoned me."

"I wish to undergo the ability assessment," Zhong Yun announced loudly.

The Main Brain fell silent for a moment. About ten seconds later, the voice returned, "Second level Yuan standard, meeting assessment requirements. Entering assessment space immediately. Please relax your body; do not resist."

An invisible force surged in from all directions. Zhong Yun felt a sharp alarm. That force rapidly descended upon him. His body felt as if it were being torn apart, with an underlying sensation of imminent expansion.

Recalling the Main Brain’s words, Zhong Yun did not struggle. If the Main Brain intended him harm, it would have acted long ago; it wouldn't have waited until now.

The tearing force intensified, warping the very space around him. Finally, Zhong Yun’s vision went black, and he felt his physical form dissolve. After a while, all external forces vanished without a trace. He felt utterly exhausted, as though he had just completed a session of extreme exertion.

Suddenly, Zhong Yun felt something was wrong. The ground beneath his feet was black. The control room he had just been in was entirely white. He snapped his head up. The surrounding scenery had completely transformed.

He was in an unimaginably immense space. The ceiling was a pale, hazy white, its height indeterminate. The floor was black. Looking toward the distance, the white and black met in a single, unbroken line at the horizon.

Zhong Yun spun around—nothing but endless, empty expanse in every direction. He gasped in shock. How had he arrived here in the blink of an eye?

He dared not move, remaining rooted to the spot. This must be the legendary spatial teleportation, a technology exclusive to civilizations above the Fourth Stage. Since the Main Brain had transported him here, it must be related to the assessment.

Indeed, after a moment, the Main Brain's voice echoed from the heavens. "Welcome to the Proving Ground. You will face the challenge of the second stage. As a newly ascended Second Level challenger, you will face ten opponents. Victory against the first opponent will pass the assessment."

"Assessment begins."

Following the Main Brain's command, a figure materialized twenty meters away from Zhong Yun. The person was of similar build, clad in a silver environmental suit, standing empty-handed.

Zhong Yun observed the opponent cautiously, determined to plan before acting. He was supremely confident about this stage; he performed challenges like this several times daily, and his combat skills had reached the pinnacle of mastery. In battles against peers, he rarely suffered defeat.

Yet, even so, he remained extremely wary, unwilling to let his guard down against any enemy. This was a lesson paid for in blood. In 'Combat Simulation,' all enemies were exceptionally cunning, and he had suffered numerous setbacks. Thus, even facing an ostensibly weaker foe now, he dared not become careless.

The opponent moved first, two beams of white light instantly erupting from his hands. With a powerful lunge, he shot toward Zhong Yun at terrifying speed.

"Good timing," Zhong Yun muttered internally. The Yuan within him spun frantically. He took a single backward step, delivering a simple straight punch.

"Shatter!"

The two white lights and his single purple punch collided, instantly whipping up a violent gale.

With a tremendous boom, under the unstoppable might of the 'Shatter' Sigil, the opponent was flung backward by the impact.

A perfect opening. Zhong Yun roared and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, closing the distance with blinding swiftness, arriving beneath the enemy just as their back was fully exposed.

Zhong Yun showed no mercy. His other fist, charged with long-held power, slammed directly into the opponent's back. Several patches of blood arced through the air, staining the black floor crimson.

With a heavy thud, the figure crashed to the ground, silent.

Zhong Yun breathed slightly heavily. Although the sequence of actions had been instantaneous, it had depleted a significant amount of Yuan. While the 'Shatter' Sigil possessed infinite destructive power, the opponent was not weak; he had sustained minor internal injury from the clash of fists, which he immediately suppressed. The final strike had been fatal.

Of course, given his strength, defeating the enemy without injury was possible, but that would require far more time. He desired swift victory.

The corpse on the ground vanished into thin air. Zhong Yun felt a flicker of suspicion. Was this virtual space, much like 'Combat Simulation'?

Just then, another figure materialized before him.

Zhong Yun’s eyes narrowed. He remembered the Main Brain’s words—he had ten enemies in total. Defeating one meant passing the assessment, but what about defeating two?

He licked his lips. The Main Brain would never perform a meaningless action. If that was the case, then let me defeat all ten of them! He straightened up and initiated the offensive...

Ultimately, Zhong Yun failed to defeat everyone. After slaying nine opponents, the utterly drained Zhong Yun finally fell to the tenth.

This was already a terrifying level of achievement, considering they were fighting in a continuous relay without any opportunity to rest. Moreover, his opponents grew progressively stronger.

By his estimation, the first opponent possessed strength equal to his own, both at Rank Twenty. The second was Rank Twenty-One. By the tenth opponent, he faced someone at Rank Twenty-Nine.

Zhong Yun relied entirely on the 'Shatter' Sigil, the 'Entwine' Sigil, and his superb combat techniques to consecutively overcome nine foes. Though he ultimately lost to the tenth, the sheer strength he displayed was undeniable.

The instant he was defeated, that mystical force reappeared, and Zhong Yun’s form vanished from the spot. When his vision cleared, he was back in the initial room.

"Defeated nine opponents, assessment passed, score of 91,532 points, overall ranking 837th. Promoted to Level Two access. Furthermore, as you rank within the top one thousand, you will receive the Six-Star Mecha, 'Water Illusion'," the Main Brain's voice remained cold, carrying an indifference that surpassed even that of Xiao Ling, as if disregarding everything.

A Six-Star Mecha. Zhong Yun smiled; it was worth the effort he expended, risking death to defeat nine opponents sequentially.

Aside from the 'Lone Swan,' he possessed no other Six-Star Mecha. Six-Star classified as advanced mecha. Truly worthy of the Lanssen Empire; they offered such a rare treasure immediately.

Zhong Yun stood up. His severe injuries from the fight seemed not to have followed him out; aside from mild fatigue, his body was perfectly intact.

He exited the room and, guided by a small transport unit, headed toward Zone Two.

Zone One and Zone Two were separated by a massive wall, and passage into Zone Two required traversing a tightly sealed gate equipped with a specialized sensor that only granted access to authorized personnel.

Zhong Yun's transport unit zipped along the fixed aerial route, traveling at speeds hundreds of times that of sound. The route was encased by transparent tubing, creating a vacuum within. Thus, despite the immense velocity, no disruptive shockwaves impacted the exterior environment.

Although Zone One and Zone Two were far apart, the journey was swift at dozens of times the speed of sound. The transport unit did not slow down; as it approached the Zone Two gate, the sealed tunnel opened. The sensor automatically recognized Zhong Yun's clearance, allowing him smooth passage into Zone Two.

The layout of Zone Two mirrored that of Zone One, with the notable exception of the towering structures visible in the distance.

Upon reaching the control room for Zone Two, it was identical to Zone One, managed entirely by its own Management Light Brain. The Zone Two Management Light Brain, besides managing its own sector, could directly issue commands to the Management Light Brain of Zone One.

Zhong Yun pulled up all data for Zone Two and began reviewing it. Upon initial inspection, even with preparation, his heart skipped a beat from the colossal surprise.

Zone Two was fifty percent larger than Zone One. Ultimately, this sector produced only one category of item: the 'Mist Mountain Class' spacecraft and warships.

The entirety of Zone Two consisted of parts factories dedicated to manufacturing components for the 'Mist Mountain Class' vessels, which were assembled into finished products in the shipyards.

Mass-producing 'Mist Mountain Class' warships—Zhong Yun felt his breathing tighten. Even with the combined national power of the entire Davor, mass production of these warships was impossible. Davor’s three great shipyards, on a good year, might manage to construct a single vessel, and that was after the government diverted the nation's vast majority of resources.

Here, however, as long as there was a continuous supply of ore, they could churn out countless 'Mist Mountain Class' warships. The time required to build one ship was merely seven days.

Seven days, and no human involvement needed—fully automated production. Such an achievement would drive medium-level civilizations mad with envy.

However...

The exhilaration Zhong Yun had just felt instantly soured into disappointment. He lacked the manpower. Without sufficient personnel, no matter how many warships were produced, they would just be heaps of scrap metal.

Xiao Ling could fabricate the small Light Brains needed to control mecha, but it couldn't create the necessary sophisticated Light Brains required to pilot warships, even the 'Mist Mountain Class.'

A Light Brain as advanced as the one on Mercury could not operate autonomously without a pilot.

To date, apart from Xiao Ling, only the Light Brain aboard Jupiter possessed the capacity for independent ship control.

Zhong Yun sighed. For the time being, Zone Two offered little practical benefit. For waging war, he still had to rely on the Three-Star Mecha and fighter jets from Zone One.

Ten days passed, and the hundred mining vessels that had gone out finally returned. Zhong Yun went personally to greet them.

On the docks, countless automated haulers began unloading the ore from the ships, concentrating it at the Ore Processing Center, where all materials would be sorted and then transported to their respective refining facilities.

"You’ve worked hard," the one hundred and twenty thousand personnel were gathered on the open ground of the dock, stretching almost out of sight. Yet, compared to the colossal mining vessels nearby, they were merely a small cluster.

"Not hard work!" Zeng Xiao Three roared, eliciting laughter from many.

Zhong Yun looked over. The warriors stood in perfect formation, impeccable discipline. The laughter came from the survivors of the Pearl—he nodded subtly. It seemed Chu Tiange’s training had been effective; at least their discipline was satisfactory.

"We are pressed for time, so I won't waste words. Over there are one hundred and fifty empty mining vessels. I will divide you into one hundred and fifty groups, and you will depart immediately to mine. If anyone needs rest, speak up now."

Zhong Yun's words carried through the loudspeakers to every ear, but not a single person spoke; everyone watched him in silence.

"Hurry up and form the groups! We can't wait any longer," Twenty-One shouted, and several leaders in the front ranks chimed in with urging cries.

"Good." Zhong Yun was highly satisfied with their response. Maintaining this fighting spirit meant that leaving this place was within sight.

One hundred and fifty groups boarded their respective collection ships. Having gained prior experience, even with fewer members per group, efficiency was not compromised.

Watching the one hundred and fifty collection vessels fly out of the port, Zhong Yun turned and departed as well. He could not afford to be idle. One hundred collection ships yielding ore translated to one hundred Contribution Points. To advance to Level Three access required one thousand Contribution Points.

This meant it would take at least six cycles—six trips, each taking ten days—to accumulate the necessary points for Level Three access, roughly two months.

Two months wasn't a long span, but advancing from Level Three to Level Four required ten thousand Contribution Points. If he relied solely on mining, it would take two years.

Zhong Yun could not wait that long, which meant he, too, could not be idle. There were two other methods to earn Contribution Points, the quickest being conquest. Destroying a small nation in the Star Sea (one possessing a single planet) yielded two hundred Contribution Points. This was the fastest route.

However, he still had to wait. With his current strength, conquering a nation would be arduous and somewhat dangerous.

Only once the Three-Star Mecha were mass-produced, giving him a large fleet, would he feel confident enough to challenge even a powerful state like the El Nation.

Until then, he needed to manufacture sufficient small Light Brains. The production line for these was aboard Mercury. Originally, creating these Light Brains required many rare metals, and Mercury's reserves could only produce about a hundred units.

But the mineral wealth of the Star Sea was astonishingly abundant. Near the base, all these rare metals were present, and Zone One even possessed refining equipment. This saved him considerable trouble; with ready-made processed metals, production could begin immediately.

Zhong Yun grew even more curious about Xiao Ling's previous master. Preparing such a production line clearly indicated the former owner harbored the same intentions.

Upon questioning Xiao Ling, he learned that its former master's favorite pastime was raiding mecha. The master had even turned pirate, extorting various nations and accumulating countless mecha, eventually becoming a universally wanted criminal across all civilizations.

Zhong Yun was utterly dumbfounded. How vast was the universe's collective civilization? The Omis Star System alone contained nearly two hundred nations, tens of thousands of administrative planets, and trillions of inhabitants. What about the entire Y Star Sector? The entire civilization of the universe?

To become a universally wanted criminal proved just how formidable that individual was. He felt his own conflict with the Gahn Empire was a minor affair by comparison.

The reason the previous master collected mecha was obvious, but he lacked Zhong Yun's luck in finding a base like this, coupled with resources as rich as those in the Star Sea. Without these two elements, mass-producing mecha was simply a pipe dream.

The strength of Zone One lay in its established, complete industrial infrastructure. From raw ore to the factory-finished mecha, every single component involved, down to the tiniest connector, had dedicated ore extraction facilities, metal processing plants, and so on. Not a single link in the chain was missing.

Mecha, regardless of the nation possessing them, represented immense military power. A Three-Star Mecha was considered mid-tier even among medium-level civilizations. It required substantial amounts of specialized metal, making unrestricted manufacturing impossible even for advanced civilizations rich in resources. They certainly couldn't be used as mere cannon fodder.

Only in an abnormal location like the Star Sea could such conditions exist.

A sea of Three-Star Mecha—the mere thought was intoxicating. It was like a boundless army of desert driver ants; even an elephant, surrounded by billions of them, would be reduced to a skeleton.

Once the ore was transported, the various factories began their operations. Though a mecha stood only a dozen meters tall and weighed just dozens of tons, the aspects involved in its construction were countless. Zone One housed over ten million factories, illustrating its structural complexity.

The integration level of modern machinery had reached an almost unbelievable degree; attempting to construct one from scratch without a complete industrial system was sheer folly.

The factories operated with high efficiency. Five days later, the first finished mecha rolled out. It was a common model called the 'War God.' Despite the grandiose name, it was the most widely utilized type.

Most nations used it as their standard military unit. Its functions were well-balanced, it was easy to pilot, and it possessed high stability. Most importantly, it was cost-effective, being the easiest model among all types to manufacture.

Concurrently, it had its drawbacks: balanced functionality meant no single aspect excelled. It would be at a disadvantage in one-on-one duels. However, it was perfectly suited for large-scale warfare.

It was, quite literally, manufactured to be cannon fodder. Zhong Yun gazed at this machine, unable to look away.

The small Light Brains were finished the day after the mecha production started. Zhong Yun placed one such Light Brain onto the 'War God' mecha and began testing.