Chaos Star System, Viridian Star—one of the side gates of the entirely emerald-green core city.
Buzz.
The tiny sapling radiating black light swayed gently.
The delicate, straw-hatted youth lowered his head, his eyes burning with fervent hatred as he stared at the strange sapling. His yellowed teeth seemed to bite down on unyielding, murderous intent.
"That's right—I must be the chosen one."
"Otherwise, how could I have come to this so-called Human base, this bizarre place, or obtained such a rare treasure? This is a great stroke of fortune!"
"Just wait. No rush."
The sapling seemed ordinary, but in truth, it was anything but.
Through constant experimentation, he discovered the sapling could accelerate his cultivation speed and even stir up mysterious world-power.
"An utterly terrifying supreme treasure."
Freckles dotted his face as the youth cradled the sapling in his palm, scanning his surroundings with wary indifference. His cold gaze swept over each person, pride swelling ever higher within him.
Do you know...
You have no idea...
The short, thin youth squinted in secret satisfaction: "No one knows how strong I really am. I'm unique. I have to stay hidden. To kill a third-layer Starlight Tier with just first-layer Starlight strength—how many in the world could do that? Someday, I'll rise to the lofty Void Rift Tier!"
Thinking this,
His gaze toward those around him grew faintly condescending.
"Hmph. Human envoys, huh."
"Can't trust them—not completely, at least... All this talk of stellar systems and planetary systems. My hometown is just an ordinary native life planet. So boring. Do they really think I'm clueless? Stellar systems are huge. I must still be in the Risun Stellar System—just on a different planet."
The youth bent at the waist, lifting his head to gaze at the daylight starry sky.
The sky was dotted with stars, but he couldn't make them out clearly or figure out his exact location.
"What a pity." Shawn Rilon habitually rubbed his nose. "I don't know much about star-positioning arts—otherwise, I could use the stars to figure out exactly where I am."
As he rubbed his nose,
the sapling immediately gave a faint shake.
Air currents surged through the world, and out of nowhere a wild wind whipped up at the side gate, swirling emerald-green soil and releasing a distinctive earthy scent. It spread around those waiting to enter the city, sparking murmured conversations.
"Cough, cough, another dust wind."
"They say getting caught in the dust wind can make you stupid. We'd better hurry inside."
"No use rushing. The main gate can handle crowds, but the entrance fee is sky-high. People like us without enough Chaos points can only use the side gate—the fee is less than half as much."
Everyone waiting at the side gate to enter the city shook their heads in resignation.
No points.
Really can't take a single step.
Some faces showed unwillingness, others were silent and grave, some wore anxious expressions. But Shawn Rilon just smiled coldly, lips curling upward as he shrugged and discreetly put away the sapling.
"Truly..."
"A miraculous treasure..."
Shawn understood that the wild wind was an anomaly triggered by the sapling.
......
The planet continued its usual rotation, sunlight still pouring down, but today it welcomed a Primeval.
"Just stopping here to rest my feet."
Andrew Han set out from the Archaic Hall's Spark-Heritage Zone, wandered through the Chaos Star System, and arrived at Viridian Star.
He witnessed many wonders and stellar catastrophes, never wasting a moment. His cultivation advanced, his perspective and state of mind growing ever more calm and detached.
"I've gained a lot more Consciousness Nodes, but it's still far from enough. A hundred thousand Consciousness Nodes is the Primeval extreme, and the gap only widens from there. The span within the Primeval tier is truly vast."
Having seen the vastness of the starry sky, Andrew Han was keenly aware of his own smallness.
Yet in truth, among all the elites of the Chaos Star System, none could hope to rival a Primeval-tier Genius.
The average quality of Chaos Star System lies somewhere between the Human Ancient Kingdoms and Human Empires—neither top-tier nor bottom, but middling. After all, Humanity hasn't truly needed to activate the fallback system; it's just a precaution.
Ssshhhk.
A cyan figure dove straight down, piercing through the clouds.
Shedding his battle armor and long blade, Andrew wore a white short-sleeved shirt, calf-length pants, and cloth shoes. His black hair floated in the wind—this was Andrew Han.
"Viridian Star's core city."
Andrew gazed from afar at the bustling city. "My speed rivals Void Rift-tier, and I've flown for three years before seeing a life planet—this is in the relatively dense Chaos Star System. If it were the Galaxis Stellar System..."
Relying solely on his own flight.
Without a hundred years, don't expect to see a life planet.
Ahead.
Andrew focused his gaze.
Looking inside the city, at the bustling crowd, a ripple stirred within him: "So many people. It's lively."
After three years of lonely flight, he finally saw fellow humans. People are social creatures; Andrew naturally wanted to go in and look around.
"Bailey, connect to the local network."
Andrew stretched and gave the command.
Gold-red light faded, cyan radiance flowed, and Bailey leaped out onto Andrew's shoulder. Its short legs swung back and forth as it searched for Viridian Star's native network.
The Chaos Star System's network was universal and fully managed by the Archaic Hall.
Thus, Andrew's Star-Gate Permissions proved extremely useful.
After numerous verification procedures, Bailey acquired the highest-level account for Viridian Star's network, turned to Andrew, raised its white little paw, and shook it a few times—Bailey was pitifully seeking praise.
"Master, isn't Bailey amazing?"
"Just average," Andrew said, patting Bailey's creamy-white furry head.
The three-dimensional hologram formed by faint energy had a rather ordinary texture.
"Oh (??ˇ_ˇ??:)"
Bailey pretended to be aggrieved, drooping its little head.
Swish.
Andrew drifted through the emerald clouds and landed with hands behind his back at the main gate of the core city.
"My goodness, Stellar Palace Tier!"
"No need to make a fuss. Viridian Star isn't short of Stellar Palace-tier experts." The crowd waiting at the main gate chatted via voice transmission. Occasionally, some young women glanced at Andrew, their eyes shining.
The colossal main gate.
The endless green city walls towered ten thousand meters high.
Even separated by the imposing walls, the city's bustling scenes could not escape Andrew's Soul-Will perception.
While observing, Andrew browsed the network for information. All the famous buildings, sculptures, and even specialty food districts appeared before his eyes.
"The renowned delicacy—Crowned Hare Brain."
"Tsk tsk, what's a hare anyway? Is it as cute as a bunny?"
Andrew propped his chin and searched the network, instantly finding a flood of ultra-high-definition images—astonishingly, the creature looked almost exactly like Bailey.
"Master?"
"Master?"
Facing Andrew's gaze, Bailey called out twice, a little nervous, as if fearing it might become a steaming dish waiting to be tasted.
......
Viridian Star’s core city housed a population of several hundred million. Many descendants of Human elites were also permitted to live here. Over time, the population only grew.
Inside the city, on the third floor by the window of a rustic restaurant.
The reason Andrew chose this spot was because the restaurant resembled ancient Sinoveran taverns, exuding a classic, old-world charm. The price, however, was relatively high.
Andrew sat down and ordered five servings of Crowned Hare Brain, plus a chilled drink.
"I haven't really eaten in three years." He took a sip of the icy drink, picked up a serving of Crowned Hare Brain, and gazed out the window at the passing crowd—some hurried, some tourists. "The Hall is so distant; this kind of life is truly refreshing."
Andrew watched the scene outside.
After tasting the dish, he ordered two more and some side dishes.
Suddenly.
Andrew's expression shifted. His gaze swept the dense crowd, easily locating a bizarre fluctuation—originating from a freckled, straw-hatted boy: "What... is that? A Cosmic Wonder?"