Primordial-tier Genius Mason vanished deep within the star.
Indeed, the second assessment task comes with only this one simple clue, leaving Andrew Han at a loss. He gazes at the towering star, confused and deeply unsettled.
"Vanished?"
"How did he vanish? Why did he vanish? What danger could exist deep within a star that would make a Primordial-tier Genius disappear without a trace?" Andrew Han rubbed his brow, pondering quietly.
He had to admit it.
At this moment, Andrew Han's thoughts were a bit chaotic, and his mood had soured.
'Your Highness…'
Standing beside him, Victor Wu hesitated, his lips moving as if to speak, but ultimately said nothing, his hands quietly hanging at his sides.
Victor Wu remained silent.
As the Primordial Gate Steward, he could not offer Andrew Han any hints.
He understood that Andrew Han's sour mood was not only because Primordial-tier Genius Mason was a close friend, but also due to his wariness of the unknown and the obscure difficulty suggested by the second assessment task.
The surroundings were silent.
Not a single sound could be heard.
Buzz… buzz… Only faint, almost imperceptible vibrations could be felt as the Subspace Flyer began to decelerate.
In fact, the Subspace Flyer had already exited subspace travel mode and was gliding through a region of starspace flooded with stellar light and heat. It was steady, but slowing more and more, as if it were some strange device frozen in place.
The vessel gradually slowed.
Bit by bit, it approached the edge of the star, about a million kilometers away.
The vessel needed to decelerate—and absolutely had to decelerate. The power of light and heat inside the star was enough to instantly incinerate this Subspace Flyer.
In terms of overall structural strength, the Subspace Flyer was at best equivalent to an ordinary Stellar Palace-tier vessel. And unlike a cultivator, the Flyer was full of fragile, easily damaged components. These parts couldn't withstand high temperatures; once the Flyer got too close to the star, critical systems like its power core would inevitably melt and collapse.
When that happened, the Flyer would be destroyed, and could no longer be restarted.
Subspace Flyers are extremely expensive and rare, but in the end, they are mass-produced technological products—their defensive performance simply cannot compare to a true Stellar Palace-tier vessel.
Buzz… buzz… The vibrations continued.
Whoosh… whoosh… The vessel inched closer to the star.
Andrew Han knew all this well. Unfazed, he waited for the vessel to finish decelerating, about to come to a stop near the star's outer region.
"Sigh."
Yet he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, his gaze fixed on the dazzling star.
Blazing white light poured through the crystal-diamond viewport, flooding the entire interior of the vessel.
That brilliant star radiated light and heat.
Sunlight spilled across Andrew Han’s shifting, crystalline features.
"As far as I know…" Andrew Han pressed his palm to the inner surface of the vessel’s viewport—a cool, cloth-soft texture, perfectly clear to the eye. The sensation eased his anxious mood, like sipping an iced drink on a sweltering summer day.
"A few days ago, Mason advanced to the Stellar Palace tier."
At the time, I was deep in training, preparing for the Primordial Contest and striving to earn a slot to comprehend the Nether-Fame Stele... Because of that, I didn’t have the chance to congratulate Mason in person—he rushed off to carry out his third-layer assessment, and now his fate is unknown. Spark-Heritage then issued this task, specifically assigning me the second assessment.
He hadn’t thought much about it before—overthinking was pointless.
First, he had to complete the first assessment before he could undertake the second. While it’s true that lack of foresight brings near-term worry, excessive anxiety can plant seeds of disaster.
Now, at this point…
Andrew Han gazed at the star.
A strange look flickered in his eyes.
'Find Mason; life and death irrelevant.'
'Find Mason; life and death irrelevant.'
The terse label of the second assessment echoed endlessly in Andrew Han’s mind, almost interfering with his calm judgment—in truth, it was a lingering effect from the first assessment.
By normal reasoning,
Every mountain has a higher peak; each stage is harder than the last.
It’s like playing a game—purely in terms of difficulty, the second level should be harder than the first. Since the first assessment was so thorough and intricate, full of unexpected twists that could easily leave one confused and unable to make proper judgments—
then, naturally, the second assessment should be even more difficult than the first.
That was Andrew Han’s instinctive logic.
But reality often defies expectations.
In the Spark-Heritage Zone’s four great star gates, each has three assessment layers, all designed to test the comprehensive qualities of Human Geniuses. There’s no strict sequence, nor is there any rule that each layer must be harder than the last.
"That’s right."
A flash of insight—Andrew Han realized this.
He couldn’t help but tap his forehead. Sometimes he really overthinks things for no reason.
Regarding the assessments, Serena Huang explained it clearly: the three layers do not test raw strength.
"It’s not about strength—it’s about quality." At that, Andrew Han’s mind cleared, and he took a deep breath. He glanced at Victor Wu, the Primordial Gate Steward beside him, and thought to himself, "Worst case, my task rating will be a bit lower. But since I can’t even see the ratings, what’s there to worry about?"
He didn’t need to worry.
Nor did he need to be anxious.
No matter what happened, no matter what unexpected events arose, as long as he remembered Master Miles Ning’s teachings, he’d be fine—absolutely worry-free!
First: If you can win, eradicate the enemy without mercy.
Second: If you can’t win, leave immediately. Any hesitation is just foolishness.
With that in mind—
What secrets could be hidden inside this star? Andrew Han was genuinely curious now.
Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh… The vessel stopped gliding through the starspace, now holding steady relative to the local stellar system.
"Victor Wu."
Andrew Han spoke softly.
Victor Wu, wearing his ten-meter-tall hat, quickly turned to Andrew Han. "Your Highness, what are your orders?"
"Let’s go. Let’s see what’s really inside this star." A sharp glint flashed in Andrew Han’s eyes. He reached with his empty left hand, grabbed his blue robe, draped it over his shoulders, and strode boldly out of the vessel’s hatch.
Click.
The hatch opened.
Andrew Han stepped outside in a single stride, golden-red power surging like ten thousand waves, stirring cosmic dust and tearing through the vacuum, heading straight for the dazzling star nearby.
......
"Primordial-tier Genius Andrew Han, congratulations on completing the first assessment."
This chapter isn’t finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting story!
"Primordial-tier Genius Andrew Han, please begin the second assessment."
"The content of this task is as follows:"
"After investigation, Mason, the Primordial Gate’s Stellar Palace-tier cultivator, has completely lost contact. His whereabouts are unknown, and his fate uncertain. The only confirmed detail is that Mason’s last signal came from within this star at the given coordinates. Based on multiple factors, Spark-Heritage Zone has assigned you this task: find out what happened, determine the reasons, and establish Mason’s fate. No matter what, do your utmost to bring Mason back to Spark-Heritage Zone."
The situation can be summed up in eight characters: Find Mason; life and death irrelevant.
Andrew Han carefully studied the display on the Star Gate communicator.
It was his fifth time reading it. After confirming nothing was missed, he put away the communicator, took a deep breath, and looked up at the towering star just ahead.
Set out!
Begin the second assessment!
Without any more hesitation, Andrew Han stepped forward and dashed into the star’s edge!
......
Strictly speaking, this is one of the star zones governed by the Southern Sage Ancient Kingdom—a regular star within the Moqian Stellar System.
Utterly ordinary.
At first glance, there’s nothing unusual about it.
There are no inhabited planets near this star—just empty, desolate silence. Only the star’s terrifying light and heat sweep through the cold vacuum, driving away the darkness.
Boom!
At the star’s edge, golden-red power erupted!
Andrew Han, clad in his blue robe, pressed forward fearlessly. His face was illuminated by intense light, while terrible stellar energy surged around him. He moved through endless fiery currents, with Victor Wu following close behind.
In comparison, Victor Wu seemed much more at ease.
No matter how talented Andrew Han was, the vast gap in cultivation realms couldn’t be crossed—and there was no denying it. Victor Wu, the Primordial Gate Steward, was at the peak of Void Cave-tier, while Andrew Han had only just advanced to Stellar Palace-tier. That was objective reality.
"In terms of strength—"
"I’m just a bit stronger than a newly advanced Void Cave-tier cultivator."
Andrew Han was always clear-eyed about himself, able to assess his own abilities: "Compared to Victor Wu, I’m still far behind. But at least I’m at Void Cave-tier combat strength—traveling through a star is no big deal."
Thinking this, he traced a brilliant, twisting golden-red path along the star’s edge.
Stellar Palace-tier soul intent surged around him, swirling like overlapping circles, shielding his body, isolating him from the star’s power. The aura spread in all directions, parting countless fiery currents and flames, forcibly carving a winding, determined path forward.
"Scout the surroundings."
Andrew Han pressed onward, Victor Wu following close by. Their figures gradually faded into the star’s edge.
Advance.
Survey the area.
The two ventured deeper into the star.
"This temperature..."
Andrew Han opened his eyes and smiled. "It’s a bit warm."
Once, in the Celestial Palace simulation zone of the Celestial River Empire, Andrew Han briefly experienced the terrifying conditions at a star’s edge—simulated light and heat, sweating all over, barely able to endure the scorching environment. And that was only sixty percent accurate.
Back then, it was sheer torment.
But now, it was almost leisurely.
Andrew Han walked calmly through waves of fire, his expression unchanged. Extreme heat filled the area, scorching everything, explosions bursting like tangible storms—nearly a rolling tide of searing winds.
If a Starshine-tier lifeform were here, it would be reduced to ashes in less than half a second.
Yet—
Andrew Han now possessed Void Cave-tier strength.
"Find Mason."
A flash of gold and red swept by.
As Andrew Han ventured deeper into the star, the temperature, flames, and explosive force grew ever more violent—as if intent on destroying the world and annihilating all life, leaving not a trace, not even sound.
Time passed slowly.
Gold-red light flickered, a bit impatient, hacking through obstacles: "Mason, where are you?"
At every moment, inside the star, explosions occurred without end.
Ahead, behind, to both sides—nearly insane roaring flames spread everywhere.
It’s well known: Starshine-tier lifeforms can barely approach a star. Stellar Palace-tier can hardly traverse it. Only Void Cave-tier are qualified to roam a star, but even they can’t act recklessly—the core can burn and kill even Void Cave-tier.
Ssssh!
Gold-red light gathered, concentrated into a sharp edge, piercing through ten million meters in an instant!
"Hmm."
"Nothing unusual."
Andrew Han scanned all around, his soul perception sharp and precise—there was no way he’d miss even the slightest detail. This confidence came from his strength.
A Stellar Palace-tier soul was extraordinary indeed.
Plus, with 10,137 consciousness nodes, Andrew Han’s soul was even more formidable.
Even if there were a tiny pebble that hadn’t melted in the star, he’d detect it with ease.
"Forget it, keep moving." Andrew Han took nine consecutive steps, as if soaring ninety thousand miles into the sky, piercing through millions of meters in an instant. Yet he still shook his head, a bit disappointed: "Still normal, nothing unusual."
The star he was in seemed to be just an ordinary star.
At least, both its outward appearance and internal conditions showed no abnormalities.
"Do I have to go even deeper?"
Standing amid endless light and heat, Andrew Han could barely open his eyes. The heat seemed to seep into his very soul, making it hard to go on.
Just then—
Andrew Han froze, his expression changed dramatically!
Wild waves of fire erupted like countless rivers, wrapping around Andrew Han. The star’s gravity surged, as if the light and heat had become tangible and intangible threads, trying to drag him deeper into the star!
"What is this?!"
Shocked, eyes wide, Andrew Han stared intently ahead.
The surrounding light and heat dimmed slightly, as if a cold mountain had risen from the ground. The heat temporarily faded, the temperature dropped wildly, and a vast black shadow appeared—just barely visible.
The shadow was approaching!
Closer and closer, coming right at him!
All around, waves of flame, light, and heat boiled chaotically—everything was in turmoil!
"A lifeform!"
"No! Not right! A stellar creature that hasn’t developed intelligence yet!" Andrew Han took a deep breath, face grave, nerves taut to the limit, soul power ready to burst forth—he was on highest alert.
If anything goes wrong, act accordingly...
Either unleash his full power, or immediately leave the star’s interior—lest he be dragged into the depths!
"I’m looking for Mason."
"How did I run into this? Could this unknown lifeform be connected to Mason?"
In a flash, Andrew Han regained his composure, staring coldly ahead. Gold-red soul power rumbled, brewing unparalleled strength.
If an enemy comes, he’ll meet it head-on; if disaster strikes, he’ll adapt. He was determined to see what this shadow truly was.
The next moment—
From deep within the star—
A massive head emerged—no nose or mouth, but six eyes burning with fire!
"Th-this..."
Andrew Han raised his face, as if plunged into an ice cave, staring into one flaming eye. "Mason!!!"