“Regarding the high-level civilizations, Lord, what exactly do you wish to know?” Warren’gas replied, his voice calm.

“First, how many masters of the Fourth Level exist in the galaxy? Do your Burks have any at the Fourth Level, and if so, how many?” This was one of the questions Yang Ying most desperately wanted answered. Hardek had left too deep an impression on him; defeating six million insectoids while only achieving the fringes of the Fourth Level suggested that true Fourth Level masters must be far stronger than Hardek.

“I am not certain of the exact number in the entire galaxy, but within the Orion Arm, there are twenty-six known and named Fourth Level masters. As for those who remain obscure, I have no idea; they might be hidden within certain lower-tier civilizations, unknown to us. Overall, however, the count probably does not exceed forty. We Burks have no masters at the Fourth Level—not a single one. Asking how many is moot.” Warren’gas shook his head.

“Not even the Burks, ranked ninth in the Orion Arm, possess a Fourth Level master?”

The Kustarians and the Cosinians ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, ahead of the Burks, and each possessed only one Fourth Level master. It seemed plausible that the Burks might have none. However, Yang Ying had previously assumed there would be more Fourth Level masters. Twenty-six named individuals felt unexpectedly low given the Orion Arm’s population numbered in the trillions. Those twenty-six visible masters, distributed across the entire Arm, were barely enough—not even one for each of the twenty-eight Fuxing Zones.

Warren’gas then held up three fingers on his right hand. “In the Orion Arm, only two races possess more than one Fourth Level master: the Garlan star-people and the Loyans. As for the Garlan star-people, Lord, you must already know them; they are the most powerful high-tier civilization in the Orion Arm, currently serving three Fourth Level masters. Two of them are native Garlan star-people, and the third was born into a lower-tier civilization under Garlan control, later joining them.”

“Bedak, yes, I know of him,” Sishiaxi interjected. “Fourth Level masters emerge regardless of origin—high-tier or low-tier civilizations can produce them. Bedak’s case is typical. He originated from a low-tier race, and upon reaching the Fourth Level, he brought his entire clan to align with the Garlans. They became a minority under Garlan rule, with all members enjoying Garlan citizenship rights, and the Garlans even provided them with high-tier technology, granting them a high-tier quality of life.”

“Do they retain their own cultural heritage, though?” Yang Ying asked, turning to Sishiaxi.

“They do; their customs and culture are preserved, but they lack sovereignty. Other high-tier civilizations do not recognize them as an independent high-tier race, viewing them only as a branch of the Garlan star-people,” Sishiaxi rasped.

“I see,” Yang Ying nodded. He had little direct interaction with the Garlan star-people, so he treated this information as an interesting anecdote, retaining nothing specific.

Continue

“Next are the Loyans, the third-ranked race in the Orion Arm. They also boast three Fourth Level masters, but all three are native Loyans—not a single outsider!” Warren’gas’s tone betrayed a sense of awe as he spoke. “The Loyans occupy limited territory and have a modest population, yet they possess an astonishing number of masters, even surpassing the Garlans. They are recognized throughout the Orion Arm as the most suitable race for cultivation. Their population and technology are no stronger than the fourth-ranked Kustar people, yet they have ten times the number of masters at Level Three and above. Furthermore, each of the three Loyan Fourth Level masters individually surpasses Karagunes, the Fourth Level master of the Kustarians! Despite the Kustarians’ warlike nature, they dare not provoke the Loyans.”

“Aside from the Garlan star-people and the Loyans, the other high-tier civilizations barely support a single Fourth Level master, and in some cases, one master even provides sanctuary for multiple races,” Warren’gas sighed. “It is truly too difficult to cultivate to the Fourth Level. The vast majority of brilliant peaks of Level Three fail on the path to the Fourth. Once they break through, they instantly achieve eternal life and immense divine powers, ignoring all attacks below the Fourth Level. Only another Fourth Level master can truly kill a Fourth Level master, as they can even resurrect if slain!”

He remained unaware that Yang Ying had already eliminated a Fourth Level master in Hardek, but Yang Ying was focused elsewhere—on what Hardek had told him about a Fourth Level master named Jesus who sheltered dozens of planets in the Kothuin Sector of the Orion Arm. Yang Ying pressed the question.

“Lord, the Jesus you mention… I have never heard that name. Is he also a Fourth Level master? I am familiar with the Kothuin Sector, though I have never visited. I hear it is very underdeveloped; the Xinbu people reside there. Though they rank outside the top one hundred in the Orion Arm, they are the strongest race in the Kothuin Sector. I have never heard of the Xinbu supporting any Fourth Level masters. Or perhaps the Jesus you speak of is one of those hidden, nameless Fourth Level masters I mentioned earlier,” Warren’gas speculated.

Seeing that he had no information, Yang Ying let the matter drop. Just then, the light outside the great hall dimmed. Yang Ying walked onto the balcony outside the hall and looked up to see a magnificent carrier slowly cruising overhead. A faint, shimmering milky-white radiance traced its hull, momentarily eclipsing the sunlight.

As the carrier patrolled the sky, it emitted a soft, humming sound that was not irritating noise but rather a deep, resonant music, inspiring confidence.

The three exploration captains followed Yang Ying onto the balcony. They visibly started upon seeing the carrier above them, but quickly composed themselves; they were veterans of major events, and a single carrier could not intimidate them. However, when their eyes swept over the perfectly ordered city beyond the balcony, their shock finally registered on their faces. The city’s appearance was utterly sudden, and every single warrior running through the streets was a psychic!

Yet, they uttered none of their astonishment. They remained silent about why such an impeccably organized city had materialized so abruptly on the very planet they had sought for so long. They had not been summoned to ask questions, but to answer them; their only task was to await Yang Ying’s inquiries.

Yang Ying watched the scenery from the balcony for a moment before turning back. “The Garlan star-people are first, the Loyans third. Then who is second? The second-ranked should be the Sairo people. What is unique about them?”

Warren’gas replied, “The Sairo people! They only serve one Fourth Level master, and that master isn't even a native Sairo. However, the Sairo’s greatest strength lies in technology. They possess the most advanced military technology in the Orion Arm and are the only high-tier civilization to develop ship-mounted Uranium Cannon technology to the Tenth Level—even the Garlan star-people haven't achieved that!” He emphasized the Level Ten Uranium Cannon, a weapon of annihilation capable of wiping out all surface life on a planet with a single full-power shot.

“Tenth Level…” Yang Ying mused for a moment. “Tell me about the military strength of each race, starting with the Burks.”

“Yes. The Burks possess thirty fleets, each composed of twelve thousand to eighteen thousand warships. The warships within a fleet are differentiated by size and the energy level of their radiation cannons. Small and medium warships are equipped with conventional radiation cannons of Levels Four to Six as main armaments. Large warships carry one to six Level Seven Uranium Cannons. Then there are the super-large warships, twice the length of the large variants, equipped with one to four Level Eight Drill Cannons.”

Warren’gas no longer seemed to regard himself as a mere Burk; he revealed all the military intelligence he possessed regarding the Burks to Yang Ying without reservation.

Yang Ying recalled the Burk warships he had previously encountered. Even the ones considered large were nearly a kilometer long when equipped with a single Level Seven cannon, and those with four Level Seven cannons stretched to 1.5 kilometers. By this estimation, the super-large warships equipped with Level Eight radiation cannons must be at least two kilometers long.

“The Burks don’t have Level Nine penetrating cannons?”

“No.” Warren’gas replied respectfully. “Only the Garlan star-people and the Sairo possess the manufacturing technology for Level Nine radiation cannons. Furthermore, Level Eight penetrating cannon technology has only been mastered by the top ten races in the Orion Arm. Races like the S-Star people and the Nym people have only managed to master Level Seven Uranium Cannon technology.”

Sishiaxi and Bori corroborated Warren’gas’s statements. The three exchanged information, roughly sketching out the military capabilities among the high-tier forces within the Orion Arm, one of the four major spiral arms of the galaxy. As for the Perseus Arm, its development level was comparable to the Orion Arm. Although the three exploration captains were less familiar with the Perseus Arm than the Orion Arm, they could still offer some intelligence.

The long discussion lasted half a day, during which Yang Ying acquired the crucial knowledge he needed, gaining a deeper understanding of the military power, technology, and diplomacy among the various factions within the Orion Arm.

The Orion Arm was not peaceful; that was Yang Ying’s primary impression. Among the high-tier civilizations, hostile races like the Cosinians and the Kustarians were numerous, and some regions remained in a perpetual state of war.

Most high-tier civilizations had existed for a period far longer than Earth’s entire civilized history. Conflicts between many races were ancient, and though they might not stretch back millennia like the hostility between the Cosinians and the Kustarians, ongoing feuds lasting hundreds or even decades were common.

Even among Earthlings, who shared a common humanity, the sentiment of ‘those who are not of our kind harbor different intentions’ was voiced. This was magnified tenfold among high-tier alien races. Many conflicts started small but erupted into racial strife where no quarter was given. The result was escalating casualties, deepening hatred, and entrenched enmity that became impossible to halt.

The law of the jungle—the strong preying on the weak, survival of the fittest—was a universal principle, even across the cosmos. After the meeting concluded, Yang Ying arranged accommodations for the three exploration captains and then stood on the balcony, gazing at the city below and the forces moving across the ground and through the sky, contemplating the path that lay ahead.