"Master Yang Ying, you haven't been to a Class One supply star before, have you?" asked Xiao Yang Chu Nu with a look of curiosity.

"Oh?" Yang Ying inquired. "Why do you think that?"

"Because," the girl replied with an expression of certainty, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "a port city like this has nothing worth seeing. Only the first visit brings any novelty."

"Heh, you guessed it," Yang Ying admitted directly, making no attempt to hide it.

By this time, they were walking along the main street of the city. On the way, Yang Ying learned the singer girl's name was Feilin, and her rather inconspicuous boyfriend was named He Ke.

Both Feilin and He Ke were very familiar with this port city. In their own words, ever since they joined the Captain's ship, they spent at least a fifth of every standard year here.

"Well, because it's a port city, dedicated to serving passing crew members, there are tons of bars, casinos, and nightclubs," Feilin explained, a look of disdain crossing her face when talking about those establishments. "They exist solely to let crew members relax after weeks spent in the monotony of hyperspace. Tch, those damn men. They just love lingering in places like this." She then glared at He Ke, "You are absolutely forbidden to go, understand?"

"But this..." He Ke hesitated slightly. This action immediately infuriated the young woman, and a killing intent instantly surged in her beautiful eyes, sending a chilling electric glare toward He Ke. He Ke shivered, immediately realizing his mistake, and forced a smile, "My dearest Feilin, a bar is fine, right?"

"Hmph," Feilin let him off the hook. "I'll let you off this time. A bar is acceptable, but remember, don't drink too much."

He Ke hastily agreed. Yang Ying watched from the side, amused. This alien version of a 'tyrannical girlfriend' was far more captivating than the towering architecture surrounding them. He smiled, "I heard that among the Kexing people, the status of women is much higher than men. Seeing it today, it certainly lives up to the reputation."

"Oh dear," Feilin suddenly seemed to remember that she was supposed to be Yang Ying's guide. She thought to herself, How could I have become so oblivious just now? This is a disaster. I'm making a Peak Master look like a clown. While thinking this, she shot another gaze full of killing intent toward He Ke, thinking inwardly, It's all your fault!

He Ke felt a chill from her look and bit his tongue, daring not to speak. He knew how formidable his girlfriend was; saying anything more now would only be worse, so silence was best.

The group of four strolled down the street, with Yang Ying occasionally asking about the function of the surrounding buildings. Feilin and He Ke performed their guiding duties diligently, answering every question and never holding anything back.

"What is that?" Yang Ying pointed toward a low, flat building several hundred meters away and asked.

Feilin glanced over. "That? That's the Arena. With people constantly coming and going in the city, management is very inconvenient. Moreover, many races have ancestral feuds, often leading to immediate fights upon meeting, which sometimes complicates matters further. The Arena was established for this exact purpose—a dedicated place for duels."

Yang Yang nodded. In the galaxy, there were too many ancestral hatreds like those between the Kexing people and the Kustar people; providing a place for them to fight was an unavoidable measure.

"And that one?" Yang Ying pointed to another rhomboid building across the way.

"That is the Concert Hall, the place we Kexing people frequent the most," Feilin replied. "Master Yang Ying knows, we Kexing people love to sing. The Concert Hall is where we showcase our vocal talents to everyone. Of course, singing in the Concert Hall is formal; if we just want to sing casually, we can do it anytime, anywhere."

"I see," Yang Ying nodded.

"Oh, speaking of the Concert Hall, I just remembered something," Feilin said, pointing toward it. "There's a singing competition tonight exactly over there at that Concert Hall. Our shipmate, Hilna—the girl who often sings by the bow—she’s the Captain's daughter, you know. She signed up for the competition, and tonight is her chance to shine! It's the finals!"

Yang Ying asked, "Did she enter directly into the finals?"

"Of course not," Feilin shook her head. "Hilna registered online ten days ago. She also went through a preliminary round in the virtual music hall online and stood out. She was first place in the qualifiers."

"Sounds promising," Yang Ying smiled. He recalled hearing Hilna's singing back on Ba'ante; it was indeed very beautiful.

Feilin nodded, then suddenly sighed, her expression turning gloomy. "It's just a pity..."

"A pity about what?" Yang Ying asked.

"A pity that she always suffers from stage fright!" Feilin sighed heavily. "It's not the first time. Hilna performs at her normal level in the virtual music hall, but once she steps onto a real stage, with countless audience members staring at her, her mind instantly goes blank, her performance plummets, and she even sings off-key, let alone just talking."

"Ah!" Feilin suddenly covered her mouth. "Forgive me, Master Yang Ying. You probably have no interest in hearing about such trivial matters."

"It's fine, it's fine, quite interesting," Yang Ying said.

"That's a relief. I thought someone of your stature, Master Yang Ying, was constantly concerned with grand matters like the future of our race, the development of new resources, technological trajectories, war and peace, or at least matters of your own cultivation, and wouldn't bother with such a small singing competition in a small place." Feilin brightened up.

"Well," Yang Ying chuckled, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow, "Earth has people far more suited than me to care about those issues." He thought to himself, How embarrassing. Do the Peak Masters among the Kexing people really spend all their time thinking about such things?

"Master Tais, why aren't you saying anything?" He Ke, finding himself unable to interject, turned to Vorungas.

Vorungas, dragging his corpulent body, let out a large yawn. "Nothing much to say."

He was genuinely uninterested in this tiny city. Although the Kexing people were more powerful than the Burke people, Vorungas had visited the Galactic Metropolis; his perspective was much broader. This was just a port city, naturally not worth his notice.

Seeing that he didn't want to talk, He Ke left him alone.

The four of them circled the city once. As evening approached, under Feilin's guidance, Yang Ying sampled some Kexing cuisine. It seemed the Kexing people's sense of taste wasn't vastly different from humans. Yang Ying found their food quite enjoyable. Although, as a Peak Master, he could easily abstain from eating, drinking, or sleeping, Yang Ying didn't wish to deny himself simple pleasures.

By the time they left the restaurant, the sun was almost set.

Feilin checked the time and smiled, "The timing is perfect. Let's head to the Concert Hall."

So they proceeded to the Concert Hall. Just as they neared the entrance, they spotted the Captain and his party.

"Captain! It's us!" Feilin sent a telepathic message from a distance. The Captain, being a Quasi-Master, naturally heard it. He turned and waved toward them, and the group walked over.

"Master Yang Ying, Master Vors, you've come to watch the competition too?" the Captain asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Yes," Yang Ying nodded.

"That's wonderful. Have these two been any trouble?" the Captain asked, gesturing toward Feilin and He Ke.

"Not at all; they have been very warm and hospitable," Yang Ying praised them both. Feilin and He Ke looked quite pleased.

"Captain, has Hilna gone inside yet?" Feilin looked around, not seeing Hilna nearby, and asked.

"Yes, we should go in too," the Captain said, ushering them toward the door. "Please. Hilna will be ecstatic if she knows Master Yang Ying came to listen to her sing."

"She'll probably be nervous beyond belief, won't she," Feilin murmured softly, though her quiet voice couldn't escape the notice of the few people nearby who possessed mental strength.

The Captain sighed, perhaps lost in his own thoughts.

Suddenly, Yang Ying felt a gaze fixed upon him. He turned and saw a tiny bug clinging to the wall of a high-rise building several hundred meters away. It was no bigger than a pinky nail, covered in a biomimetic shell, looking exactly like a real insect. But Yang Ying knew this bug was a piece of spy equipment, currently observing him.

With a slight mental impulse, he sent out a thread of thought, striking the bug with the precision of an arrow. The bug was instantly crushed flat against the wall.

Yang Ying turned back around. "Alright, let's go inside."

"Master Yang Ying, what were you looking back at just now?" the Captain asked, slightly puzzled by Yang Ying's abrupt turn.

"Nothing, just something that caught my eye. It's fine now," Yang Ying said with a smile. He wasn't entirely clear on the matter and didn't know how to explain it, so he said no more.

"Very well, let's go in then." The Captain was seasoned enough to know something had just occurred, but since Yang Ying chose not to elaborate, he didn't press the issue.

Upon entering the Concert Hall, the first major hurdle facing the group was purchasing tickets.

Yang Ying was about to pay when the Captain hastily stopped him. "Master Yang Ying, Master Vors, your presence here is already an honor for Hilna; how could we let you spend your own money? Besides, Master Yang Ying saved Feilin and He Ke last time. While a couple of competition tickets certainly don't repay even one-thousandth of that favor, they are at least a token of our gratitude. Please, do not refuse."

Yang Ying considered this and accepted the gesture. "Since Captain Sir is so enthusiastic, I shall not be impolite."

They took seats in the front section of the audience hall. After everyone was seated, the competition soon began.

Dozens of young Kexing singers took turns performing on stage, both male and female. Colorful light effects shifted in tandem with their singing, creating dazzling visual and auditory spectacles for the audience.

Yang Ying chatted and laughed with the Kexing people beside him, seemingly focused on the competition, yet his mind could not entirely let go of the biomimetic bug. His Peak Master's sixth sense told him this matter was far from over!