Yun had considered the potential reactions of the Andu Empire before his arrival, so naturally, he wasn't afraid of them turning hostile.

His greatest confidence stemmed from his own strength. In the "Trial Space," he faced countless perils daily, and under extreme duress, his potential was squeezed out to its absolute limit. Coupled with the inherently unique environment of the "Trial Space," his progress had been meteoric, surging forward at a terrifying pace.

When he left the Trial Space, he had already hit the ceiling of the sixth level, ninth tier—a mere breath away from breaking through to the seventh level and becoming a legendary Grandmaster.

Unfortunately, "Linglong" had sustained a leg injury, severely diminishing its combat effectiveness, and "Gu Yan" lacked its main core, preventing it from exerting maximum fighting power.

However, during a trip home, Yun had a sudden, wild idea: he applied to the Base Number One for an ability assessment. To his surprise, he succeeded, passing the Level Six test and achieving the glorious rank of top ten. His prize was another eight-star mech: the "Qing Ying."

Though both were eight-star mechs, the "Qing Ying" was a clear tier above the "Linglong." Both specialized in speed, but the "Qing Ying's" cloaking capabilities were far superior, and its other various specifications were also a notch higher.

With the "Qing Ying," as long as he remained vigilant, Yun was confident he could carve a path out, even if the Andu Empire harbored ill intentions.

Furthermore, knowing Qin Lianbai and Lan Yuling well, he understood that they wouldn't allow the Andu Empire to use brute force against him, given their awareness of his capabilities.

Both Qin and Lan were extremely pragmatic; otherwise, they wouldn't have cast aside past grievances to cooperate with Yun in the Trial Space, fighting for survival together.

In truth, Yun’s gamble paid off. As he boarded the transport ship, a wave of relief washed over him, though inwardly he thought, Qin Liuxing, Qin Liuxing, I've made such a great sacrifice for you; you mustn't disappoint me.

Yun and his group were traveling on an Andu Empire transport vessel, several tiers below the "Freedom" they had taken previously. It was equivalent to a "Planetary Class" ship.

After about ten days of flight, they switched to another vessel, the "Fairness," whose name suggested a clear connection to the "Freedom."

Even the internal structure was similar, divided into five decks. Yun's status was now vastly different; he occupied a deluxe cabin on the first level.

He remained confined to his room, never stepping out. He was preoccupied with contemplating how to achieve a breakthrough.

Strength was always better the greater it was. Since he was on the verge of reaching the seventh level, he naturally sought every possible means to push through.

Though he was only slightly short of Level Seven, that small gap felt like an insurmountable chasm—it wasn't something he could cross simply by wishing it. If he had stayed in the Trial Space for another year or so, he might have broken through smoothly.

At this moment, Yun regretted leaving the Trial Space so soon.

Unfortunately, he couldn't return now. When they were expelled, the Trial Space's central consciousness had been explicit: they had passed the trial, but without the key, they lacked access. And until they found the key, they couldn't re-enter.

What vexed him most was that the central consciousness had been maddeningly vague, failing to specify what the key was, leaving him with no lead whatsoever.

Shoving these distracting thoughts from his mind, he dedicated himself entirely to cultivation. It was worth noting that the techniques he practiced originated from the Kalan Kingdom, but their highest recorded level only reached the seventh. This meant that past the seventh level, he would have to rely solely on his own exploration.

Yun had always been intensely curious about how Xiao Ling possessed so much data regarding the Kalan Kingdom. Initially, he suspected Xiao Ling was an artifact of the Kalan Kingdom itself, but that assumption later proved incorrect.

The Kalan Kingdom was only in the first stage of advanced civilizations, whereas Xiao Ling's previous-previous master had been able to contend with the Lan Sen Empire, a nation in the fifth stage of advanced civilizations. The disparity didn't logically align.

Later, after Xiao Ling was restarted, Yun finally learned the secret. His predecessor, through a fortunate turn of events, had managed to couple with the Kalan Queen of that era, becoming a Prince Consort of Kalan. It was through this special status that he obtained vast amounts of Kalan civilization data, including the royal family's cultivation methods.

When that master left the Kalan civilization, the Queen’s power level had only reached Level Six. The Kalan King’s inheritance was peculiar: one could only acquire cultivation methods corresponding to one’s own strength level.

Therefore, despite the Kalan history boasting a master of the ninth level, Xiao Ling's database did not contain such cultivation methods.

If he wished to obtain higher-tier secrets, he would need to locate the Kalan King’s true inheritance. But that cursed inheritance had likely been destroyed along with the Kalan civilization during that catastrophe.

Originally, Yun had another option: the cultivation methods specifically provided for successors within Xiao Ling’s main database. However, that main database remained locked, causing Yun significant frustration.

With no other recourse, he could only rely on personal discovery for now.

Having the experience of predecessors allowed cultivators to avoid detours on their path, achieving efficiency. Yun, lacking any starting point, could only proceed through slow experimentation. That was the fundamental difference.

The Red Feather Federation was a nation in the second stage of advanced civilizations, located in the F Star Field, a clear tier stronger than the Andu Empire. Originally, the Red Feather Federation wouldn't have spared a glance for what it considered a vastly backward nation.

However, these were critical times; the Federation was locked in fierce contention with a neighboring nation of comparable strength and desperately needed the various resources being transported from the Andu Empire.

The Andu Empire enjoyed a unique geographical advantage—the sole advanced civilization nation in the entire A Star Field. Nations in other star fields were either preoccupied with their own affairs or too far to intervene. Without any power capable of threatening the Andu Empire, it commanded the resources of the entire star field, naturally attracting many eager partners.

Half a month later, after navigating more than a dozen spatial jump points, the "Fairness" finally entered Red Feather Federation territory. After docking at a port on an outer planet, Yun and his group boarded another Red Feather Federation vessel to reach the capital star.

As guests from a lower-tier nation, the Red Feather people maintained a veneer of politeness, but none of Qin Lianbai’s group were simpletons; they could instantly discern the inherent arrogance beneath the surface. While not outright contempt, it was certainly grating.

Yun remained impassive, watching the elites of the Andu Empire, including Qin Lianbai, forcibly suppress their indignation. Internally, he was roaring with laughter.

So much for "Cosmic Civilization"—it seemed it was just advanced civilizations looking down on lower ones, who in turn were looked down upon by even higher civilizations.

"Guests, we have arrived. Please disembark," a tall, slender Red Feather soldier said courteously to Yun.

Yun nodded, made no move to collect his things, and followed the soldier out. In the docking bay, Qin Lianbai and the others were already waiting.

Aside from Qin Lianbai and Gu Yuling, about ten other individuals had come, all possessing significant strength—the weakest among them was Level Four. From their conversations, Yun gathered they hailed from various influential families.

Yun didn't know the exact purpose of their visit. Qin Lianbai had only mentioned handling some matters, neither specifying the details nor being pressed by Yun.

Yun had no desire to involve himself in the Andu Empire's affairs. His plan was to locate Qin Liuxing, persuade him to leave, and take him away. Given Qin Liuxing's personality, he would likely bring his sister along too.

Qin Liuxing, or rather, the Law Power residing within him, was immeasurably valuable. Of course, his individual strength, unless he reached Yun’s current level, was limited. Whether he could ever reach that level in his lifetime was uncertain. The reason Yun valued him so highly lay in the Law Power’s secondary function.

"Are all personnel present?" asked the leader of the Red Feather delegation. He spoke in the Red Feather language, but Yun wore a universal translator, having preloaded the Red Feather Federation's language before departure, allowing him to understand perfectly.

"Yes," replied one of the soldiers.

"Exit the module." At the leader's command, everyone felt a slight tremor, indicating the docking module had detached from the ship.

The module soon touched down. The moment Yun stepped out, a breath of fresh air washed over him—blue skies, white clouds, green trees, and a clear stream. The vibrant, living essence of nature intoxicated him.

Neither Base One, Base Two, nor the continent within the Golden Relics possessed this truly natural atmosphere. Yun hadn't set foot on a natural planet since leaving Davo.

As he was absorbing the surroundings, a contemptuous whisper drifted from behind him: "Country bumpkin." He initially intended to ignore it, but then the leader's voice rang out, "After returning, send the ship to the sanitation station for a full disinfection. You lot also need medical checks. Dammit, to think we have to interact with these barbarians; who knows what diseases we might catch..."

Yun spun around abruptly, his icy gaze sweeping over the Red Feather soldiers inside the docking module. A chill shot through the soldiers under his stare. The leader physically flinched, his mind momentarily blank.

When he recovered, the source of his terror was already walking away. He felt furious at his own reaction—being intimidated by the look of a primitive, backward alien. It was a profound disgrace.

Upon his return, the incident gnawed at him persistently. Soon, due to mounting internal frustration and fever, he fell ill. He remained sick for two years, suffering relapses where the illness would worsen just as it seemed close to recovery.

When he finally recovered, his strength was severely diminished, and he had plummeted from the elite class to the very bottom rung of society. He would never know that this ruin stemmed entirely from a careless, muttered remark.

The Andu Empire contingent was led away to their designated lodgings, essentially the Andu Empire's embassy within the Red Feather Federation.

As Yun approached the building, he sensed something was off. There were too many guards at the main gate, and they were all blond, blue-eyed Caucasians, their demeanor vastly different from the Andu Empire soldiers.

Though harboring doubts, Yun betrayed nothing on his face. After being led inside, he saw a group already assembled to greet them, including Gu Yue, Lan Ling, and Hong Yuting.

Seeing Yun, a flicker of surprise crossed Hong Yuting's eyes.

First published.