It had been over a month since Liu Hui obtained irrefutable proof of Guo Jia's treachery, a period culminating in Guo Jia's quiet demise.

During this span, Hu Qingyang had met with Liu Hui’s parents, and together they finalized the arrangements for the wedding ceremony between Liu Hui and Hu Xian'er. According to their agreement, the formal nuptials would take place two months hence.

Unexpectedly, Liu Hui's father and Hu Qingyang found a remarkable affinity, quickly becoming fast friends who enjoyed meeting up for long, meandering conversations. Furthermore, Hu Qingyang had already selected his successor for the Red Star Society; an auspicious date was chosen, and with a few highly respected seniors from the Jianghu invited as witnesses, Hu Qingyang could officially retire, washing his hands of the martial world.

After navigating the initial awkward phase, Hu Xian'er began frequently visiting Liu Hui’s home again, resuming her duties of washing clothes and cooking. With their official status settled, Liu Hui’s mother adored Hu Xian'er even more, treating her completely as her own daughter. The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law blossomed like honey in oil, showing none of the notorious friction rumored to plague such pairings.

During this time, Starry Sky Group had also been extremely busy.

Following several months of preparation and construction, Starry Sky Group finally established a highly comprehensive system capable of recording and assessing the progress and efficacy of every employee’s work. Seeing the time was ripe, Liu Hui announced during an employee representative congress that Starry Sky Group would implement management reform by introducing the "Employee Experience Point Program" internally, proceeding to explain the plan's specifics in detail.

Since the middle and senior management had been consulted beforehand regarding this forward-thinking management plan, it was ultimately implemented with firm resolve. Setting aside the middle and upper management’s rosy expectations for future compensation and benefits, even the ordinary employees were ecstatic. As long as they worked diligently and contributed to the company, their future treatment and benefits would be secured, potentially not far behind that of the leadership echelon, regardless of their position. More crucially, these general employees saw in Starry Sky Group’s "Employee Experience Point Program" a pathway for self-realization and the possibility of achieving their dreams.

In the same period, the submarine manufacturing plant, which had been relocated entirely to Bude'ao, Hong Kong, was officially established there. After witnessing the generous benefits offered by Starry Sky Group, coupled with the company solving their accommodation issues in Hong Kong, almost all the senior technicians chose to move to the new factory in Hong Kong, save for a few who refused to relocate. Since the technical backbone of the submarine plant remained intact, the facility was quickly completed and put into production, retaining its original technical capabilities entirely.

Once the submarine plant was operational, Chen Changsheng brought a contingent from the Academy of Sciences to be stationed there. They communicated with the technicians and incorporated specific equipment provisions, ensuring that production could commence immediately once relevant technological breakthroughs in submarine manufacturing emerged.

Although the rogue cultivator Xiaoyaozi from the Cultivation World was cunning, his execution speed was impressive. Ever since negotiating the price for the true essence capacity with Liu Hui, he swiftly manufactured the ten energy storage spheres capable of holding a century's worth of true essence each. Moreover, by whatever means he employed, he successfully duped other cultivators into infusing the storage spheres with their hard-cultivated true essence, allowing Xiaoyaozi to amass a total of ten thousand years' worth of it. He then used these ten full spheres to trade with Liu Hui for five thousand Tier Four Magical Beast Cores—a transaction that left Xiaoyaozi beaming with delight.

Upon receiving the storage spheres, Liu Hui performed the blood-binding ritual on all of them and handed them over to Chen Changsheng for management. At this juncture, Chen Changsheng provided Liu Hui with a list of thirty names. After rigorous vetting by the Eye of Starry Sky confirmed all were clear, Liu Hui began administering the Body Evolution Fluid and Spirit Root Creation Fluid to them, enabling them, in a very short time, to gain the ability to mobilize the true essence within the storage spheres. With the addition of these researchers, coupled with an ample supply of true essence and array formation crystal cores, they could conduct experiments without restraint. Consequently, the research speed on array formations within the Academy of Sciences accelerated dramatically, yielding several technologically significant achievements with practical applications in a short span.

Zhang Wenqi, who had led the legal team to the United States, had returned. Representing Starry Sky Group, they filed lawsuits in US courts against everyone involved in slandering and framing Starry Sky Group and Liu Hui. The courts accepted their filings, serving summonses to the relevant parties, and arrests were made in all related criminal cases. However, the arrest results were lackluster; aside from some insignificant pawns, no major figures were apprehended. The Federal Justice Kaste committed suicide out of guilt at his residence, and the several liaison personnel who acted as intermediaries vanished. Later, their bodies were discovered in a ruin; forensic results indicated death by poison ingestion. Thus, Liu Hui's trail to the mastermind went cold at this point.

Nevertheless, Liu Hui was unconcerned that the mastermind remained at large. He knew this individual was immensely powerful and could not be eliminated in one swift blow; their conflict would be a long-term affair. Liu Hui's objective in suing those parties was merely to issue a warning shot, signaling them to tread carefully. Having achieved this goal, the fate of the culprits—whether through suicide or sentencing—made no difference to him.

After recruiting numerous researchers from various fields, Chen Changsheng secretly divided the "City of Starry Sky" project, assigning different segments for his researchers to study. Their findings were then aggregated. After months of constant calculation and deduction, the entire "City of Starry Sky" plan was finally perfected. However, due to numerous intractable problems embedded within the design, significant technical breakthroughs were still required. Fortunately, with the support of the miraculous array formations, some headway had been made on these development tasks, suggesting resolution in the near future.

Chen Changsheng met with Liu Hui to report on the Academy of Sciences' recent research successes, informing him that his "City of Starry Sky" plan could finally move into the execution phase. Nevertheless, construction could only begin on a small scale initially, and for the sake of secrecy, components would have to be ordered from shipyards and steel mills worldwide and transported to the waters outside Bude'ao for assembly. While constructing the framework, the scientific researchers would integrate key materials reinforced by solid-state array formations to stabilize the main structure, simultaneously preventing outsiders from discovering the City of Starry Sky's secret too soon. Once the rudimentary form of the City of Starry Sky reached a certain scale, various manufacturing plants would be erected upon this miniature version, marking the period of accelerated construction.

Liu Hui was overjoyed that the construction of the City of Starry Sky could finally commence and readily approved the commencement order. However, initiating the City of Starry Sky project necessitated massive capital mobilization. At present, since the construction was in its nascent stage, the overall project scale was small, and crucially, he held shares in the shipyards and steel mills from which components were being ordered, making the current financial strain manageable. Should the project enter its peak construction phase, the required capital would be astronomical.

Liu Hui thus began diligently seeking avenues for profit, his first thought turning to his original expertise: genetic pharmaceuticals. He selected several human ailments and tasked the Zerg with developing corresponding medicines. He focused only on diseases currently incurable or only partially treatable by humanity, allowing him to secure monopoly profits without facing immediate competitive pressure. The largest potential market belonged to the drug targeting diabetes, applicable to billions worldwide. However, he deliberately bypassed highly lethal conditions like late-stage cancer or leukemia; those would become crucial profit centers when he eventually established the Starry Sky Hospital.

The genetic technology of the Bug race proved extraordinary. Upon receiving the disease samples, they quickly cracked the genetic codes of those illnesses and synthesized targeted medicines. Zerg reported the manufacturing costs for these drugs to Liu Hui as quite low, with the highest priced ones costing no more than "Starry Sky Myopia Relief." Zerg, being an honest member of the Bug race, did not inflate prices despite Liu Hui's massive demand, trading strictly on the principle of equivalent exchange. Zerg was highly optimistic about the future of trades with Liu Hui; although the volume of each new drug shipment might not be large, their sheer diversity meant that across several transactions, the quantity of obtained narcotics would be comparable to that of his major products. After acquiring these new drugs, Liu Hui immediately initiated secret clinical trials, aiming for swift market approval to generate immense returns for the company.

With the previously released "Starry Sky Myopia Relief" and "Starry Sky Hepatitis B Cure," along with a suite of other ophthalmological treatments now on the market, Starry Sky Group was already stably generating over fifty billion USD in monthly revenue. If all the new drugs Liu Hui selected came onto the market, pharmaceutical sales alone would bring in at least one hundred billion USD monthly. This figure excluded the income generated by the other companies Liu Hui controlled, such as Starry Sky Construction, Starry Sky Logistics, Starry Sky Gastronomy, and Starry Sky Agriculture, which collectively contributed close to ten billion USD monthly.

Even at this scale of monthly revenue, it was merely a drop in the bucket compared to the colossal total investment required for the City of Starry Sky. Liu Hui needed to find ways to earn money from other sources to sustain its construction.

One day, Alexander, who had not contacted him in a long while from the Magic Plane, put through a call. Upon answering, Liu Hui saw Alexander looking somewhat disheveled, with an unhealed wound still visible on his forehead.

Startled, Liu Hui urgently asked, "My dear Alexander, what happened to you?"

Alexander seemed agitated but managed to compose himself before replying respectfully, "Respected Teacher, our Grand Canyon territory has been attacked by Elven bandits."

"Bandits? Are you alright?" Liu Hui was greatly alarmed. Alexander was a crucial piece he had placed in the Magic Plane; that plane was rich in resources, and any trouble for Alexander would derail his grand ambitions entirely.

Alexander shook his head, "Respected Teacher, I am unharmed, only sustaining minor injuries. A few days ago, our patrol units outside the canyon encountered a group of Elven thieves. A verbal dispute quickly escalated into a skirmish. In that fight, because our patrol had superior numbers and were mostly Level Four Warriors, they routed the enemy, unfortunately killing two of their subordinates. Upon learning of this, I feared the Elven thieves would seek revenge, so I set up an ambush outside the Grand Canyon. Unexpectedly, the thieves' main force did indeed arrive seeking retribution the following night."

Liu Hui listened with mounting tension. Even seeing Alexander standing before him unharmed, he pressed anxiously, "And then?"

Alexander continued, "Fortunately, we were well-prepared, and I had learned military formations from you, Teacher. The bandits were caught completely off guard by our ambush; in their carelessness, we slaughtered the majority, capturing the rest. After interrogating the captured thieves, we learned their hidden base and their strength composition. So, that very night, we moved stealthily, located their stronghold, and used the captured Elven thieves to trick them into opening their gates before storming in. Taking advantage of the darkness and their lack of vigilance, we annihilated all the bandits there. However, because our warriors were inexperienced in large-scale combat and some felt reluctant in their first mass killings, we lost over a hundred Level Four Warriors on the spot."

Only then did Liu Hui breathe a sigh of relief. Seeing Alexander’s mood dip, he quickly offered comfort, "My dear Alexander, you did exceptionally well. You anticipated the enemy, laid a trap, eliminated the foe with minimal losses, and then proactively besieged their lair, ensuring no prolonged cycle of retaliation would follow. It seems your command capability has met my expectations. As for those who fell, they sacrificed themselves for the freedom of the human race; the God of Light will bless them."

Alexander nodded in agreement, "The God of Light will bless them. It was fortunate we brought the prisoners along; otherwise, we truly wouldn't have found their lair. Teacher, do you know how miraculous that thieves' stronghold was?"

Liu Hui asked curiously, "What was so miraculous about it? Tell me."

Alexander brightened, his expression finally that of a young man, as he said, "Their lair was situated atop a circular peak, but the summit was encircled by two extraordinarily bizarre tracts of land. The area to the left was intensely frigid, while the area to the right was scorching hot. These two lands intertwined, encircling the slope where the bandits resided in the absolute center. Our men accidentally stepped onto those two patches of land and were nearly frozen or burned to death. Yet, the temperature on the slope itself, nestled within the innermost ring of these strange lands, was perfectly normal, as if the temperatures from the two miraculous terrains had no effect on it. Even more astonishingly, despite their opposing attributes, the narrow path where the two lands met maintained a normal temperature, traversable by ordinary people. The left side of that path was bitterly cold, and the right side scorching hot; a slight misstep off the path caused intense discomfort."

Liu Hui blinked. Land alternating between extreme cold and heat truly existed; the Magic Plane was indeed wondrous. However, the situation Alexander described sounded familiar. He suddenly smiled—didn't those two tracts of land resemble the Taiji diagram from his own world? Two fish, one Yin and one Yang, harmoniously encircling each other to form the Taiji, using two diametrically opposed forces to maintain absolute equilibrium.

Liu Hui immediately became interested and inquired, "Are the areas of those two lands large?"

Alexander replied, "The areas are vast. I calculated using the mathematics you taught me; the two lands are equal in size, each roughly twenty square kilometers. Together, that’s forty square kilometers."

Liu Hui marveled, "That large? Truly miraculous! I never imagined such a place existed where you are."

Alexander chuckled, "Teacher, that’s not the most miraculous part. The most amazing thing is that the exact same type of large tree grows on both those tracts of land."

Liu Hui paused, asking, "Trees can grow there? Didn't you say those areas were extremely cold and hot? What kind of tree can thrive in such extreme conditions?"

Alexander laughed, "I had never seen this type of tree before, but they definitely grew on both lands, and they had grown into towering giants."

Liu Hui immediately understood the implication of Alexander's words and asked in surprise, "Are you saying the same species of tree can grow simultaneously in environments of extreme cold and extreme heat?"

"Yes, we were also curious. So, we endured the discomfort and chopped down one tree from each land to study them. We discovered that any tree growing on the frigid land had wood with extremely cold properties, while those grown on the hot land had wood with extremely hot properties. Furthermore, the temperature of those trees remained unchanged after being cut," Alexander explained.

"Such a miraculous tree? Give me some of those trees; I need to study them," Liu Hui said, immediately intrigued by the mysterious wood.

Thank you for the monthly ticket support from the reader: Love's Noble Young Master.