Chapter 133: Star Beasts, Star Insects!

Following Woody, Zhang Ze stepped across the space beneath the ripple.

The three of them did not notice that as they departed, the old man twisted his stiff body and gazed at the ripple, his eyes profound and fathomless.

...

An intense wave of dizziness struck.

Even with Zhang Ze’s third-grade cultivation, he felt his head spinning. It was only after swallowing a third-grade Qi-replenishing pill that he felt much better.

To Woody, however, this kid was being ridiculously wasteful. Couldn't he have just endured a little dizziness? Wasting 500,000 RMB just like that? He shook his head slightly, thinking the boy was far too extravagant.

...

A short while later, the trio finally arrived in this vast, boundless expanse.

Zhang Ze looked up to see an endless sky shimmering with faint stars. The surroundings were gloomy, resembling the atmosphere on Earth around six or seven in the evening.

But the first thing to catch Zhang Ze’s attention was the city not far ahead. Humans had actually built a city in this place!

Like a curious child, Zhang Ze asked Woody, who was beside him, "Teacher, that city ahead..."

Woody, looking quite proud, replied, "Anqing City."

"Twenty-five years ago, the seniors of our Anqing Martial Arts Bureau fought together to conquer this city in this star domain! It is also the most important barrier for our Anqing Martial Arts Bureau in guarding this Third Anqing Star Domain!"

Woody’s excited tone was somewhat infectious to both Zhang Ze and Zhang Yue. The latter, however, looked slightly sad, her voice low and raspy: "My father and grandfather both died in the vicinity of this city. Today, I have finally arrived here, seeing this city for the first time..."

Zhang Ze wanted to ask more, but upon hearing Zhang Yue’s words, he wisely held his tongue.

They were only about a thousand meters from Anqing City, and in the blink of an eye, the three arrived at the gates.

After entering, Zhang Ze noticed that while the city seemed quite large—perhaps the size of an entire district in Heryue City—it was incredibly desolate. Apart from soldiers in uniform, there were no other pedestrians to be seen.

Furthermore, one thing concerned him deeply: the scent of blood that permeated the entire city. It wasn't particularly pungent, but it lingered, never dissipating.

Clearly, this Anqing City had endured countless baptisms of blood and fire. Otherwise, it would never possess such an aura.

...

Woody led them forward at a leisurely pace, speaking softly. "In this place, all technological devices are useless. Moreover, there is no clear distinction between day and night, making it very easy to lose track of time."

As he spoke, he handed a thumb-sized crystal to each of them. "This is a local specialty. When its color shifts from black to white, a full day and night have passed. Of course, this 'day and night' isn't the 24 hours you are accustomed to, but rather the cycle of this land."

Woody shared many such common facts with them, such as the lack of a clear day-night cycle; the environment remained this gloomy, twilight-like state year-round. Additionally, cultivation here was much faster than on Earth. According to the research of powerhouses, it appeared that energy was infused directly into the air of this realm.

...

A moment later, a girl’s figure appeared before the three.

Woody introduced her: "Her name is Zhuang Ting. She is also my student; by now, she should be in her third year. She is currently a fourth-grade cultivator. For the next half-month that you spend in Anqing City, she will guide you in adapting to this place."

With that, Woody prepared to leave, but paused to add, "When the stone in your hand turns white, I will come to take you to the garrison camp."

With those words, Woody’s figure vanished.

...

Zhuang Ting approached Zhang Ze and the others. Instead of a serious expression, she smiled lightly. "Welcome to this place—the world of the strong!"

Seeing her demeanor, Zhang Ze was somewhat influenced and asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Haha," she chuckled. "Because those who survive are, by definition, the strong."

Zhuang Ting said it so lightly that Zhang Ze was momentarily speechless.

Zhang Yue, however, asked, "Could you tell us the rules of this place? We don't want to die out of sheer ignorance."

Zhuang Ting laughed softly. "It’s simple: try not to leave Anqing City. That is your greatest safety guarantee. As for whether you can survive once you step outside... that depends entirely on your strength."

As she spoke, Zhuang Ting led them toward the main building in the center of Anqing City. "This is the Administration Building. You can accept missions here; it’s similar in function to the mission hall in our Martial Arts Bureau. However, it has more purposes, and the powerhouses essentially stay on the upper floors of this building. I’ll let you in on a secret: our teacher’s uncle—the current director of the Anqing Martial Arts Bureau, Director Wu Shishen—is stationed here year-round!"

Zhang Ze was secretly astonished.

He then gossiped, "Is our teacher unmarried? What grade of strength is her husband?"

Zhang Ze hadn't really thought much of it, but upon hearing his words, Zhuang Ting’s expression suddenly turned ice-cold.

...

Inside the Administration Building, an old man smiled. "You’ve arrived?"

Woody ignored him at first, sitting down on a wooden chair before speaking. "Has this chair of yours become a bit stronger again?"

The old man, hearing her question, looked quite pleased. "You noticed? I went out to blow off some steam a couple of days ago and happened to run into a sixth-grade Star Plant, so I just patted it to death."

"Heh," Woody replied with a cold, surprised tone. "When will you provide me with some resources so I can take that next step?"

The old man frowned slightly and replied, "That will have to wait until you let go of the obsession in your heart..."

"Hmph."

...

Zhuang Ting did not answer Zhang Ze’s question. Zhang Ze simply shrugged, deciding not to press further.

Leading them into the Administration Building, Zhuang Ting continued, "If you want to gather special intelligence or accept missions later, you can come here. By the way, the alien species in our Third Anqing Star Domain mainly consist of the Pegasus branch of the Star Beasts."

Zhang Ze frowned slightly at this. "What kind of Star Beasts? And what is the Pegasus branch?"

Not at all surprised, Zhuang Ting explained, "The enemies we face outside Earth are mainly two alien races: Star Beasts and Star Bugs. These names were categorized by humanity based on their forms. In reality, whether it be Star Beasts or Star Bugs, they each contain many different ethnic groups."

Zhuang Ting explained with patience, and Zhang Ze and Zhang Yue listened with utmost gravity.

She continued, "Take the Star Beast race, for example. It includes three major branches: the Pegasus, the Lion-fish, and the Double-scales. As for the smaller branches, there are even more."

Zhang Yue frowned, asking, "Are these Star Beasts and Star Bugs all our enemies?"

"Yes."

Zhuang Ting’s expression was solemn, but her answer was firm.