The spiritual power transformation of Yang Ying ignited the power of the fifth Beacon Light in the second layer of the Tabernacle.

A slight tremor ran through the continent, comparable to a magnitude four earthquake, which was felt by all three races across the land.

In the Human main base, a crimson light flared in Murphy’s eyes. He declared, "Officer, another breakthrough!"

Within the Zerg territory, Baal floated in the air, broadcasting telepathically, "Long live the Master, long live, long, long live the Master!" Following behind him were hundreds of Lords, echoing his chant: "Long live the Master, long live, long, long live the Master!"

As for Oden? Oden was still Oden. He hadn't done anything at all.

At the edge of the floating continent, the moment the light ignited, the process of physical extension began.

From the void, massive blocks of stone were extruded as if from a tube of toothpaste, adhering seamlessly to the continental edge, leaving no gap whatsoever.

Sturdy, colossal trees sprang up from the newly added land; territories that would normally take a century to mature materialized in mere minutes along the continent’s perimeter.

In the vast, sunken hollows, clear springs erupted from the earth, gradually filling them into lakes. Fish, shrimp, crabs, aquatic grasses, and other water life seemed to have been there all along, appearing instantaneously.

Squirrels and rabbits, tigers and leopards, giant bears and wild boars also materialized in the nascent woodlands. They blinked open their eyes, surveyed their surroundings, and naturally settled into their respective roles.

Scattered across the newly formed land were clusters of growth crystals and vents for high-energy gas. Some were shrouded by the jungle, others clung to the mountainside, and still others sat near the lake shores.

After completing his spiritual metamorphosis, Yang Ying left the small pavilion and walked towards a nearby warehouse. This facility was specifically designated for storing antiques and collectibles.

The demise of Herman and the four major Syndicates during the Grey Harbor Battle had yielded vast wealth, and numerous precious antiques and collections were seized. Since Yang Ying was no longer concerned with finances, there was no need to liquidate these items; they were simply sent here for temporary safekeeping.

The warehouse spanned nearly ten thousand square meters, comprising two upper floors and a basement. Its exterior was blocky and clean-lined, with walls constructed of lightweight yet elegant alloys. The main gate faced the central spire. Two Machine Gunners stood guard at the entrance, ensuring that wild beasts from the adjacent forest did not wander in and cause trouble.

As Yang Ying approached the warehouse entrance, the two Machine Gunners snapped to attention and saluted: "Greetings, Officer!"

"Good work, everyone," Yang Ying replied with a wave, holding Katerina’s hand as he stepped through the main doors.

Inside was a vast main chamber. The lower-value collectibles, those requiring less stringent environmental controls, were stacked along the perimeter.

Staircases leading to the second floor flanked both sides. Yang Ying ascended, finding the space upstairs more confined.

The second floor was partitioned into numerous smaller rooms. Interconnected corridors linked these small chambers. Each room door was marked with its specific identification number. The temperature and humidity within these rooms were meticulously regulated to prevent corrosive agents in the air from degrading the higher-value artifacts.

The two walked down a hallway brightly illuminated by a row of small ceiling lights.

"Officer, what are we doing here?" Katerina inquired.

"We are here to see something specific. It was recovered from Herman's mansion vault and sent here. I didn't view it before because my strength was insufficient. Today is the perfect time," Yang Ying explained.

"Insufficient strength?" Katerina sounded puzzled. What item requires strength to look at?

They stopped before a room marked with the designation '09'.

"I believe this is the one," Yang Ying murmured to himself, opening the door.

Katerina peered inside, seeing only a solitary table. Upon it, a long, slender silver longsword lay horizontally across a mahogany sword stand.

The sword's design appeared ancient, with solemn and elegant patterns adorning the guard and pommel, instantly inspiring a sense of reverence. The blade shimmered with a cold light, clearly possessing lethal sharpness. The hilt was set with a dazzling, flawless diamond, estimated to be at least fifty carats.

"This sword is beautiful," Katerina exclaimed in admiration.

"I had it examined. Based on its style, it dates back to the European Middle Ages. It has survived over a thousand years and can still slice through fine hair," Yang Ying said with a smile.

"If that’s all, it’s merely a masterfully crafted piece. You wouldn't be this interested in just that, Officer," Katerina countered.

Yang Ying nodded: "The first time I saw this sword in Herman's vault, I sensed it possessed its own will, like a living entity. It seemed to wish for me to liberate it from that small vault. However, the Machine Gunners and Ghost Agents near me at the time felt nothing of the sort."

"Oh?" Katerina directed her curious gaze toward the silver longsword, asking, "Officer, do you still feel that way now?"

"No, it feels like an ordinary sword now," Yang Ying shook his head.

"Perhaps we should let the Consuls examine it," Katerina suggested. "They are all masters of spiritual power."

"You are absolutely right," Yang Ying smiled. "In fact, when the sword was first brought to the floating continent, the Prime Consul Borthana and the Dark Consul Grimald—the two Consuls—inspected it. They both noted a very pure spirit contained within, though its intensity had largely dissipated over the long course of time."

Saying this, Yang Ying took two steps forward, reaching the longsword. He extended his right hand, grasped the hilt, and gently lifted the sword.

"Be careful, Officer. I recall you mentioning that anything related to the spirit can carry a degree of danger," Katerina said, concerned. She finally understood why Yang Ying had brought up the topic of strength earlier.

"Rest assured. The two Consuls guaranteed me that once I had undergone one spiritual transformation, possessing the mental energy intensity and spiritual essence of a lower-tier Psion, the spirit within this sword could no longer harm me," Yang Ying said with a slight smile.

Compared to ordinary Awakened, Yang Ying held a significant advantage. His Protoss forces were built upon a spiritual civilization, granting them unparalleled insight into spiritual energy. Even the Psion Temples were far inferior to the Protoss in the spiritual domain. The Protoss Archives were like a bottomless pit, holding massive volumes of knowledge, though the current Protoss were still young and unable to fully harness the power of that knowledge.

Even so, studying a longsword originating from Terran civilization was not an insurmountable challenge.

Yang Ying placed his left hand at the end of the hilt, holding the sword with both hands. He swung it lightly twice; the blade whistled sharply as it cut through the air. He pointed the tip upward, holding the sword vertically before him, and smiled faintly: "This sword feels good in the hand. The balance point is perfect, allowing the wielder to fully manifest their strength."

Then, he turned to Katerina and said, "Come, let's test it outside?"

The two stepped out onto the open ground outside the warehouse.

"According to the two Consuls, the spirit within the longsword has almost vanished over time. The call I felt in the vault was merely the last flicker of its power. Now, it can only remain dormant within the blade unless external spiritual energy is used to awaken it," Yang Ying raised the sword and continued, "Now, I shall attempt to invoke that spirit."

Katerina stood quietly to the side, watching.

Yang Ying closed his eyes, calming his mind. He projected a pulse of psionic energy into the diamond set in the hilt.

This was the method taught to him by the two Consuls. However, because Protoss and Human spiritual energies differed significantly, the Consuls themselves could not use this method to awaken the spirit; the entity refused their attempts at contact. While the two Consuls could use brute spiritual force to pry it open, this would fundamentally damage the spirit and destroy the sword.

As Yang Ying’s psionic energy entered the diamond, it felt like gaining a new set of eyes, allowing him to see a crystalline, transparent world bathed in brilliant, reflective light everywhere.

"This must be the interior of the diamond," Yang Ying thought privately.

He began searching. The two Consuls had said the spirit within the sword resided at the center of the diamond's internal space. But the surroundings looked uniform; he couldn't discern up from down or left from right. How was he to locate the core?

Just as Yang Ying pondered this, a faint spiritual call reached him.

Yang Ying uttered a soft sound, immediately recognizing the nature of this call: "This must be the sword's spirit, located within this diamond space. It's too weak for me to feel its call otherwise."

Yang Ying followed the direction of the call. A white light blocked his path ahead, but he paid it no mind and passed directly through it.

At that moment, he felt a warmth enveloping him, as if being bathed in sunlight. The white light contained a vigorous vitality.

"This is not ordinary light," Yang Ying realized. "Judging by this reaction, it seems to be the Holy Light, a secret technique mentioned in the records of the Tai Chi Temple's Holy Light Paladins."

To confirm, Yang Ying passed through another beam of white light and felt the exact same warmth.

"It is indeed Holy Light." Yang Ying was certain this time.

But this brought a new layer of confusion. Was this longsword from the Holy Light Paladins? And how would a Paladin sword end up in the vault of a pirate like Herman?

As he moved forward, the sense of calling grew clearer. Yang Ying set aside his contemplation and focused entirely on finding the source of the summons.

After about two minutes, a silver-white point of light appeared before Yang Ying's eyes.

"That's it!" Yang Ying felt a surge of joy. The two Consuls had described the characteristics of the spirit within the sword, which perfectly matched the light point before him. Moreover, he could feel that this point was the origin of the call.

Yang Ying projected a gentle stream of psionic energy toward the light point and made soft contact.

Instantly, the silver-white light flared brightly!

Many readers have inquired about StarCraft II. I will state here that since StarCraft II has taken the stage, races from it will certainly appear in this book as well, so please continue to support this work.

It is the end of the month; monthly passes and recommendation votes are requested!