Yang Ying had become utterly consumed by the Knowledge of Psionics, spending his days immersed in it—reading while sitting, lying down, and even walking—leaving the petty tasks at the base to Kalia and the others. He entered a state of seclusion, foregoing food, drink, and sleep, his hands constantly turning the pages of the book.

Although he had memorized the entire text after just one reading, down to every character and punctuation mark, he could state precisely on which page, line, and position each detail lay, without the slightest error.

Even so, Yang Ying reread it again and again, because each reading brought forth new insights.

The book comprised about a million characters, divided into two volumes. The first volume dealt with the most fundamental aspects. It explained, with clarity and simplicity, every hurdle, bottleneck, countermeasure, and point of caution an Awakened individual might encounter on their journey from an uncultivated state up to the Quasi-Master realm. Its level of detail surpassed even the Psionics Manual, and its breadth of knowledge vastly exceeded that text, which only covered cultivation up to the Lower Psi-Operative level.

The Master Kong Li’s profound understanding of the essence of psionics and his deep hopes for future Psi-Operatives permeated every line of the book.

Any Awakened individual possessing sufficient aptitude and normal intelligence could self-study through this book and reach the Quasi-Master realm.

Sufficient aptitude was the great prerequisite, as the Quasi-Master realm could not be achieved merely through the accumulation of time; everyone's innate talent differed, as did the speed at which they accumulated psychic power.

Constrained by mediocre aptitude, most Awakened individuals would stop at the Mid-to-Lower Psi-Operative level for their entire lives. To ascend further, besides putting in ten times the effort, they could only rely on fate to grant them enough longevity to survive until the day of advancement.

Yang Ying’s aptitude was much better than mediocre, but still far short of that of top geniuses. According to the descriptions in the Knowledge of Psionics, with his aptitude, if he cultivated diligently within his natural lifespan, he might enter the Quasi-Master realm sometime after the age of seventy.

As for how a Quasi-Master becomes a true Master, the book offered no definitive method. It only stated that the advancement for every Master was unique, requiring one to use their life experience as fuel to incinerate the spirit, sublimating it to another plane of existence—a state that could only be intuitively understood, not conveyed through words, as text could not describe it.

The number of Quasi-Masters in the Psionic Temple was ten times that of the true Masters. If the Master realm could be described in language, then the Quasi-Masters were all truly Masters.

Yang Ying knew his own life experience was insufficient, and his current level was still far too low.

So, he retrieved those few memoirs written by Psi-Master level cultivators that Master Pang Qian had given him earlier, reading them carefully. They chronicled their entire lives and accumulated wisdom.

After rereading them, Yang Ying realized that although these Masters conducted themselves differently and viewed the world from countless angles, they all shared one trait: Conviction!

One Master wrote clearly: “Conviction is irrelevant to the choice; its value lies in unwavering steadfastness.” Yet, another Master wrote: “Prudent choice is the shortcut to victory.”

The focal points of the two statements differed, yet both held great merit. The more Yang Ying read, the more profound mysteries he uncovered, making him unable to put the books down. "However, others' experiences are ultimately just that—others'. That’s why they say that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. When I have free time, I should go out and see more," he resolved inwardly.

The second volume of the Knowledge of Psionics covered advanced applications of psionics: common spells such as elemental control, lightning manipulation, mesmerism, and teleportation. These were all included, but since Yang Ying had not yet mastered his current repertoire of spells, he did not plan to study the contents of the second volume for the time being.

His non-stop reading continued until the morning of April 1st, when Kalia entered the command room to inform him of the results of the Three-City Summit.

"Sir, Bos has been officially designated a neutral city. The Bos Guard Corps held a press conference, broadcast live, currently airing on the Asteroid Belt First News Channel."

"Let's watch together." Yang Ying put down the book and picked up the remote control, turning on the television.

On the screen, the background was a large hall with a small podium in the center, laden with microphones. Colonel Kant, a key figure in the Bos Guard Corps, stood behind the podium delivering a speech.

The gist was that the Bos Guard Corps had recently suffered a severe blow, losing nearly all its warships, and its accounts now showed an irrecoverable deficit, forcing it to declare bankruptcy and dissolution.

The Bos Guard Corps was henceforth history.

Then, Colonel Kant walked stiffly off the stage, two tear tracks visible on his face. The Mayor of Bos stepped up next and announced that due to the dissolution of the Guard Corps, the City of Bos was dangerously unprotected. To weather this difficult period, Bos City would become a neutral city, seeking mutual protection from both mercenaries and pirates.

The announcement caused an uproar!

It was widely known that conflicts often erupted in the Asteroid Belt, and many mercenary and pirate groups were decommissioned annually. Although the Bos Guard Corps was a major mercenary group, unforeseen events—like an iron disc falling from the sky onto Bos this year—were entirely possible.

But for a mercenary city to suddenly declare neutrality was a sight rarely seen in a decade. How could the Mercenary Alliance possibly intervene to stop this?

A reporter immediately asked if the Mayor was joking, given that today was April Fool’s Day. The Mayor of Bos, after confirming his seriousness, merely smiled slightly and stepped off the stage.

Next up walked a scruffy, burly man covered in stubble, exuding a rugged aura. He introduced himself as a representative of the Pirate Federation and loudly declared that Bos, as a neutral city, would join the existing twelve-city allocation system of the pirates, becoming the thirteenth city!

The reporters in the hall froze. The initial uproar ceased, only to escalate into sheer horror, screams, and a flurry of other hysterical reactions.

"Calm down! This is a neutral city. I’m a businessman today; I’m not kidnapping any of you." The scruffy man tried his best to put on a friendly expression, repeatedly urging the reporters to settle down, but they lacked the self-awareness.

Bang!

Unable to bear the shrieking in his ears any longer, the scruffy man drew a Gauss pistol and fired a shot into the ceiling, finally quieting everyone. It was worth noting that this man was also using a Gauss pistol.

"Sit down quietly, all of you! You’re here to report the news, not watch a horror flick."

The scruffy man’s face turned savage. He tucked the pistol into his belt and swept his gaze across the crowd. "Damn pests, you won't behave unless I curse you! Now, ask whatever foolish questions you have. But I don't guarantee I'll answer them."

"Th-this," a seasoned reporter in his forties finally gathered some courage and asked, "why did Bos suddenly go neutral?"

"Good question!" The scruffy man gave the reporter a thumbs-up, rallying his spirits. "This was commanded by our great mentor, the Pirate King, who embodies the world's wicked wisdom, is infallible, invincible, and sweeps across all six directions! His Majesty believes that the third-ranked pirate fleet, the Blood Skull Pirates, should be given more opportunities. Someone like Old Barrow of the Blood Skulls commands a force scale that doesn't match his tactical ability; he should be commanding more troops."

"Hasn't the third-ranked pirate fleet always been contested between the Blood Skulls and the Slaughter Wolf? Why only mention the Blood Skulls?" a young reporter called out loudly.

"Insolent!" The scruffy man roared. "His Majesty said Blood Skulls; do you dare object? Don't think this is a neutral city; killing you would be as easy as swatting a mosquito. But today, I am a businessman, feeling generous. Guards! Give him fifty slaps first, then throw him out."

Immediately, several large men rushed into the crowd of reporters, seized the young man, and carried him out amidst his pleas for mercy.

Silence descended upon the hall.

Beep.

Yang Ying switched off the television and said, "The fighting between the Saturn front and the Ancient Legion is intensifying. The military, to conserve manpower, has outsourced the security of the supply lines entirely to mercenary groups. Consequently, the pillars of the Mercenary Alliance—the three Super Mercenary Corps—have all taken on the mission of protecting the supply lines. With their main forces absent, the Mercenary Alliance is stretched too thin, allowing Naboo to exploit the loophole."

"Do we need to make a move?" Kalia asked.

"Send a congratulatory telegram to Kussen, and let Roland know that the operation to assassinate Mayor Kussen can begin at any time. Also, the bald man from Le Hai should return to Le Hai. Protect him, and eliminate those terrorists," Yang Ying instructed one by one.

"I understand the rest. But what do those terrorists have to do with us? Why kill them?" Kalia asked, puzzled.

"They have nothing to do with us," Yang Ying shook his head, then abruptly shifted tone. "It’s just that when they kill, they show utter disregard for innocent lives. Leaving them alive is a menace. Since we know them inside and out now, killing them will be effortless. Sending them on their way will be doing a good deed."

Yang Ying himself could kill without batting an eye, but he always had a reason for his actions; he never took the lives of the innocent.

In these past few days, after reading the memoirs of the Psi-Masters, their ways of handling affairs and navigating life had deeply captivated him.

The rule of the Psionic Temple was that with power came responsibility. He had read the secret texts of the Temple without fulfilling the responsibilities of a Psi-Operative—that was truly the act of a thief.

Even if it was just to repay the Knowledge of Psionics, doing some good deeds would be better.

"I understand." Kalia bowed deeply and left the command room.

Yang Ying had initially assumed that once Bos switched allegiance, the matter would conclude. He never expected this to be just the beginning.

That afternoon, the situation dramatically shifted. The Somali Pirate Fleet and the Slaughter Wolf Pirate Fleet formed a joint armada. Citing an attack on their auxiliary vessel by the Blood Skull Pirates, they launched an unannounced war. They located the main force of the Blood Skull Pirates and engaged them in a coordinated encirclement using superior numbers. In just three hours, the Blood Skull Pirates were crippled!

Old Barrow escaped in a lifeboat. When he got away, fewer than twenty people were with him.

The Blood Skull Pirates had always been staunch supporters of the Caribbean Pirates. Naboo’s pursuit of a thirteenth city was specifically to support the Blood Skulls. But just as Bos was secured, their intended support system was left crippled. Those with inside information sensed an atmosphere of brewing storm.

With war declared, where would the conflagration spread?

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