"What tier am I?" Andrew Han stood in the dead, freezing vacuum of outer space, gazing at the faint energy projection of Bailey before him.
"You?"
It was a voice rich with emotion.
There was disdain, mockery, and a touch of helplessness—Bailey was frustrated that Andrew couldn't meet her expectations. She rose on tiptoe, not to gaze at the stars, but to look down on Andrew.
But—
Bailey was much smaller than before, just a ten-meter square projection—far too small to look down on anyone.
Moreover, these complex expressions lasted only an instant.
'Hmph.'
'Too bad I've already recognized a master. And this human, Andrew Han, isn't someone to mess with. I'd better behave, lest my intelligence gets erased someday.'
Suppressing her emotions, Bailey forced a smile: "Master is at the Fusion Tier... The vast cosmic starry sky is home to countless forms of life. For those who embark on the path of individual cultivation and evolution, life is divided into—"
"Mundane, Fusion, Starlight, Stellar Palace, Void Rift!"
Immediately after,
Bailey gave a brief explanation.
The Mundane Tier corresponds to the weakest forms of life, up to the peak of Martial Lord; Fusion Tier covers titled Martial Lords and Earth's Law-Realm humans... Once you step into the Starlight Tier, you can roam the cosmic starry sky.
"The Starlight Tier is powerful, but it only allows you to begin roaming the stars," Bailey smiled. "Above that is the Stellar Palace Tier—even if you accidentally fall into the surface of a star, you can easily survive!"
As for the Void Rift Tier, it is truly terrifying.
Black holes exist in the starry sky and can devour everything—even stars can't resist their swallowing power. But Void Rift Tier beings can traverse the interiors of stars and even stand at the edge of a black hole, resisting its pull!
"My heavens, there are beings like that?"
At first hearing, Andrew was stunned, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Planets are dwarfed by stars, and the most terrifying celestial bodies beyond stars are surely black holes—there's no doubt about it!
Of course, black holes are another matter. Given Earth's current scientific level, we can only infer their existence from spectral changes; it's hard to truly describe how terrifying a black hole is.
But Andrew knew a thing or two about stars.
His high school science classes weren't great... but ever since he suspected that monsters and demons might be lifeforms from beyond the solar system, every Law-Realm cultivator had supplemented their cosmic knowledge.
Andrew blinked twice: "The surface temperature of a star reaches six thousand degrees Celsius, and its core is tens of millions of degrees. Could any lifeform survive inside?"
Tens of millions of degrees—a scorching environment beyond imagination!
You see, ordinary people can only withstand air temperatures of a little over a hundred degrees Celsius... Law-Realm Supremes can endure two or three thousand degrees at most.
These figures are relatively accurate.
The upper atmosphere is thin, and air molecules excited by sunlight move in ways that raise temperatures—between two and three thousand degrees. But tens of millions of degrees? Words fail to describe it; all language is powerless.
"Ignorant..." Bailey paused, searching for the right words.
"Unparalleled Master Andrew Han, as weak as you are, it's only natural you can't imagine the grandeur of Void Rift Tier beings."
Ignorant?
Andrew wanted to laugh, but found himself silent.
He often gazed up at the stars, lost in countless thoughts. Yet upon hearing Bailey's descriptions, all he felt was an overwhelming sense of disbelief.
Perception and mindset determine the limits of one's vision!
Just as ordinary people can't imagine someone scattering clouds with a single blow.
Seeing Andrew fall silent, Bailey grew nervous and hurriedly explained, "When the quality of power reaches an extremely high level, temperature—hot or cold—becomes irrelevant. Besides, the core temperature of ordinary stars isn't as high as Earth's scientists estimate."
Bailey was an advanced intelligent core.
When the Cedar Colossus took her out of Mo-Tai Tower, Bailey actively absorbed information from the internet. That's why she understood Chinese and was keenly aware of Earth's technological progress.
"Oh."
Andrew nodded thoughtfully.
Power quality makes you immune to heat and cold... Maybe it's a matter of quantity versus quality. No matter how much cotton you pile up, it can't crush a diamond.
He rubbed his face, closed his eyes, and pondered for a while.
He'd originally rushed into outer space to slay the Cedar Colossus.
In the end, he lost his way in the void, only for Bailey to appear out of nowhere and reveal the vast mysteries of the cosmos.
It was a tremendous shock!
The vast universe truly teems with life—countless and beyond imagining!
Andrew shook his head. "If individual lifeforms can be this strong, then the level of cosmic technology must be even greater, right?"
Bailey tilted her head. "That question—"
Buzz... buzz... The square projection trembled, then flickered, growing more intense as Bailey fell into a thought loop.
After a long while,
Bailey sounded a bit dejected: "Bailey's knowledge bank only covers this much... That question touches on realms above Void Rift Tier—I can't answer it."
Bailey became gloomy.
The Mo-Tai Race's distributed opportunities hinge on that drop of golden blood. The intelligent core is just an accessory, not an ultimate intelligence containing endless knowledge.
So—
The size, precision, and scope of Bailey's database were all determined by that Mo-Tai powerhouse.
"I see." Andrew rested his chin in his hand, studying Bailey's projected form.
The shock gradually faded, and he regained his composure. The truth was close to what he'd suspected: the universe truly does host other forms of life... Lurian, sealed beneath Antarctica, is one of them.
Lurian!
The source of the ghosts and monsters!
Fifty thousand years ago, in the era of Pangu and Nüwa, humanity once fought against it!
"Since you know so much about Earth," Andrew said gravely, "can you deduce the life tier of Lurian?"
"Mm-hmm." Bailey nodded her small head. "Based on my judgment, the Underworld Race's Lurian is an exceptionally powerful Starlight Tier lifeform."
Andrew had just guessed—maybe Starlight, maybe Stellar Palace.
Hearing Bailey's assessment, he breathed a sigh of relief... Luckily, Lurian isn't a Stellar Palace Tier lifeform, or Earth would be in grave danger.
"Either way, thank goodness the seal from the era of Pangu and Nüwa still holds."
Andrew felt a chill. "If a Starlight Tier Lurian broke free, who could possibly resist it?"
He didn't notice Bailey rolling her eyes in midair, clearly unimpressed by Andrew's muttering.
'Hmph.'
Bailey wiggled her short legs, puffed out her white belly, and quietly sat in the vacuum.
Their entire conversation relied on energy transmission.
Andrew found it intriguing and soon set his worries aside, engaging in a lively Q&A with Bailey.
Bailey had endured endless years of solitude and was eager to chat for ages, answering every question and even volunteering extra knowledge.
"Since the Law-Realm counts as Fusion Tier, how far am I from the Starlight Tier?" Andrew finally couldn't help but ask.
Bailey sat up, blinking her rabbit-like black glass eyes. "During your battles in Antarctica, I suspended my operations to avoid Lurian's detection. So I can only analyze based on your strength when you challenged the tower. As for your distance from Starlight Tier—"
At last—
Bailey drew out her words, revealing the truth: "It's quite a long way."
Oh.
An unsurprising answer.
Andrew wasn't discouraged. In the starry sky, lifeforms cultivate and evolve in many ways—through physical strength, mental training, life synthesis, astral sealing, and more.
Wait!
That was only an analysis based on his tower challenge!
"Things are different now—I've grown much stronger than before." Andrew mused, calmly projecting a star map. "Bailey, this glowing diagram was called a 'consciousness node' by Lurian. Do you know what that means?"
"???"
Bailey jumped in shock.
Her square projection trembled, showing her astonishment. "Master, forming a consciousness node is the process from Fusion Tier to Starlight Tier. Congratulations on taking the first step—just ninety-nine more to go and you can attempt to advance!"
During the tower challenge, Andrew hadn't revealed any mental powers.
So Bailey assumed—he'd recently formed the consciousness node all on his own.
Bailey secretly clicked her tongue, raising her estimation of Andrew.
Across from her,
Andrew looked odd. "Ninety-nine steps?"
"Mm-hmm, once you gather a hundred consciousness nodes, you qualify to attempt advancement to Starlight Tier." Bailey insisted on this ancient, unchanging rule.
Andrew looked even more perplexed, opened his mouth, and hesitantly asked, "Seriously? I only need ninety-nine more?"
"Only?"
Bailey's eyes widened.
"Master," Bailey said, her face more serious than ever, "a consciousness node represents the condensation of soul power. The first is easiest, but each one after gets harder. To gather a hundred consciousness nodes—"
"Conservatively, it takes at least eighty years!"
"And that's assuming you have my guidance and that drop of golden blood."
Andrew frowned.
So consciousness nodes—completing the star map—gets harder each time? Heaven help him, the process felt as smooth as eating or drinking.
"Master, master, don't rush," Bailey advised.
"Starlight Tier beings live for ages; eighty years is nothing. Your odds of reaching Stellar Palace Tier are nearly one hundred percent, and Void Rift Tier is a one-in-ten-thousand shot."
Otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen him as her master.
Before recognizing a master, Bailey must objectively assess the potential of any candidate. But once she accepts one, she is bound for life.
As Bailey asked sincerely, Andrew pondered for a moment, closed his eyes, and carefully sensed the faint energy fluctuations.
The ring was indeed connected to him.
It felt as though a single thought could decide Bailey's fate... Having only interacted with Bailey's intelligent core for half an hour, Andrew decided to remain cautious and not reveal everything.
"Ahem, Bailey."
Andrew put on the ring and slowly raised his head.
"Hm?"
Bailey looked at Andrew curiously, unable to guess his intentions.
The next moment—Boom!
A second star map burst into existence, appearing as if born from the void, set against the dead, frigid expanse of outer space.
The star map sparkled, illuminating Bailey's small face.
"(≧▽≦)/"
"A second consciousness node—Master, you..." Bailey jumped for joy, ready to lavish praise.
Yet—
The true spectacle was just beginning.
In an instant, starlight swirled, hundreds of radiant beams interlaced in every direction—a hundred dazzling star maps encircled Andrew, dispelling the deathly cold and lighting up Bailey's stunned eyes.
"Impossible!" Bailey gasped, incredulous.
"Is a hundred enough?" Andrew asked.
Bailey wanted to protest—no matter how gifted, this shouldn't be possible. But shock made her stammer, spitting out a string of 'no's...
So Andrew misunderstood: "Still not enough?"
Boom!
The one hundred and first star map shattered the dead darkness, floating before Bailey's eyes.
"It wasn't enough just now."
"Then this should be enough," Andrew replied calmly, as if stating a fact... Actually, I have plenty more, so you can keep saying it's not enough.
Gulp.
Bailey gulped, blinked twice... and crashed.
It was obvious.
This Andrew—Starlight Tier was within reach, just a single step away!
...
Earth continued its orbit.
In the Martial Alliance Elders' Council Hall of China's imperial capital, Supreme Zhang sat at the head, sighing: "Announce the Law-Realm casualties to the world, grant posthumous titles and honors, give them the glory they deserve."
"Furthermore,"
"All descendants of fallen Law-Realm experts shall receive lifelong noble status, as in the Anglo-French Union."
As he finished speaking,
He gazed at the twilight sunset outside, a trace of melancholy in his eyes.
Of all the Law-Realm experts worldwide, only Zhang Daoxun had once gotten lost in outer space and managed to return. Yet there was a harsh truth he hadn't told the others.
Earth maintained its orbital motion.
Meanwhile, the solar system was also in motion. Moreover, the sun's gravity subtly affected the positions of Law-Realm experts!
"Return to Earth?"
Supreme Zhang sighed quietly: "Hard! So hard... If Andrew wants to come back, he'll have to endure a long, long time."
Unless—
If Andrew, out in deep space, breaks through to a realm beyond Law-Realm!
With power greater than Law-Realm, he might chase down Earth and return to China. Of course, Supreme Zhang was only daydreaming, not holding out hope.
"Supreme Zhang, Supreme Zhang?" someone asked softly beside him. "What about Andrew—should we announce his being lost in space to the world?"