105 Setting Forth for the Sand Tower Empire

Page (1/3)

The first chapter is finally finished; the next chapter will be released at nine o’clock. (Dizzy—because I was so tired, I accidentally typed all the chapters as 107, quickly corrected it.)

“I just received notice from higher-ups,” Yang Siqing’s voice echoed in everyone’s ears. “In three days, the military command will send the top one hundred martial artists under twenty years old to the Shata Empire to participate in the Youth Martial Arts Tournament.”

Yang Siqing paused to let them digest what he had just said, then continued, “Our base has been allocated one spot.”

Most eyes instinctively glanced toward Zhong Yun, who stood at the front of the crowd.

Zhong Yun felt a prickling on his scalp; he had no desire to go to some distant Shata Empire. Who knew how far that forsaken Shata Empire was? How long would a round trip take? Even the nearest intermediate civilization to Dawo was over a thousand light-years away. Even with a spaceship capable of spatial jumps sponsored by an advanced civilization, traveling a thousand light-years could easily take one or two years.

Speaking of which, that spaceship Xiao Ling brought was suspicious. It took only a few days to reach a location thirty light-years away. Such speed was somewhat eerie because without a spatial jump point, a spaceship couldn’t perform spatial jumps—at least from Dawo’s understanding. Without spatial jumps, a spaceship’s maximum speed was light speed, so thirty light-years should take at least thirty years.

Unless...

A thought flashed through Zhong Yun’s mind: unless there was an unknown spatial jump point within Dawo’s territory.

In the Great Universe Era, transportation mainly depended on spatial jumps. Otherwise, relying solely on the spaceship’s speed, reaching other nations hundreds or thousands of light-years away within a lifetime was just a dream.

The status of a country also depended on how many spatial jump points were nearby.

Dawo’s only jump point was established with the help of the leader of the Omi star system when it advanced to an intermediate civilization. Otherwise, with Dawo’s strength, not even selling everything they owned could build one.

This spatial jump point was Dawo’s treasure. The nation’s most elite military corps was stationed there. Xiao Ling’s spaceship could never pass through the jump point unnoticed.

Just as Zhong Yun was lost in these wild thoughts, he suddenly heard Yang Siqing loudly call his name. He responded reflexively.

“Zhong Yun,” Yang Siqing said before the hundred or so people present. “You have been chosen to represent our base.”

This was expected by most. On his very first day, Zhong Yun had made a stunning impression by severely injuring the powerful bald instructor. Though he himself had been bedridden for over ten days from injuries, his strength was recognized by all. The bald instructor’s level was well known to the seasoned trainees.

More importantly, Zhong Yun was so young, with limitless potential. Everyone knew his future was boundless.

Page (2/3)

So, although reluctant, no one voiced any objection.

Zhong Yun grimaced, “Can I not go?”

Yang Siqing’s face hardened, “You can.”

Zhong Yun hadn’t yet rejoiced when he heard the next sentence, “As long as you can beat me.”

Zhong Yun deflated like a punctured balloon. No matter how much he dreamed, he would never believe he could defeat Yang Siqing now. They were simply on different levels.

Xiao Ling had once said there was a second-level human in the base. In other words, Yang Siqing was a martial artist above level ten—a formidable expert.

Zhong Yun truly regretted it now. Had he known he would be sent here for some ridiculous training, he wouldn’t have scored so high on the entrance exams at Mingzhu School.

Training? Did he even need training? With Zero around, such inefficient training was a waste of time.

The proverb “The bird that sticks out gets shot” rings true—one must remain low-key. The ancients did not deceive me.

But the situation was as it was; regrets were useless. Unless he risked exposing his ace and fled, he could only obediently comply.

Three days later, under Yang Siqing’s personal “escort,” Zhong Yun was secretly brought to a heavily guarded military base, then boarded the enormous spaceship.

Zhong Yun truly hated Yang Siqing—an ungrateful return for kindness.

Because no electronic devices were allowed on the ship, Zhong Yun, fearing Zero would be exposed, didn’t bring it aboard. On the way to the military base, while Yang Siqing was not paying attention, he had “Worm Bee No. 2” take Zero to his own ship.

Fortunately, this trip shouldn’t be dangerous, which eased his mind somewhat.

The spaceship resembled Zhong Yun’s own in shape—a spindle, narrow at both ends and wider in the middle—but much larger. Once aboard the main cabin, he saw a group of peers, both male and female. Zhong Yun had little interest in them and quietly withdrew to a corner.

What bad luck! Could it be because he had been too fortunate lately? Reflecting on recent days, he indeed had been a bit arrogant. His strength was still insufficient. A Yang Siqing, already expelled from the Yang family, could manipulate him so easily. If someone like Yang Yunrong wanted to mess with him, he had no choice but to use his trump card.

Low-key, low-key—easier said than done.

Page (3/3)

Once everyone had arrived, a man in his forties who claimed to be the team leader gave a pre-mission speech. Zhong Yun was distracted and barely paid attention.

However, the others were clearly stirred, each appearing full of fighting spirit.

Then the leader instructed the crew to escort everyone to their respective rooms to familiarize themselves with the situation. They would depart early the next morning.

Among the one hundred youths, those from other planets arrived by spaceship, but none were as large or as well-equipped as this one.

The entire ship was like a labyrinth; without a guide, one would surely get lost quickly.

After entering his room, a crew member explained the precautions in detail. Traveling by spaceship was far more complicated than flying an airplane.

The next day, the spaceship departed on time. Meanwhile, major media outlets launched massive coverage of the expedition. In thirty-seven years, this was only the second time Dawo had been invited to the tournament, proving Dawo’s growing influence.

Due to federal law, intermediate empires were prohibited from direct contact without permission. Only on Free Star could they freely trade and communicate. Interstellar activities were rare. Opportunities to visit other nations were extremely precious.

Yang Siqing’s nomination of Zhong Yun was genuinely for his own good. Dawo had only one hundred spots. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He didn’t want Zhong Yun to be stuck in Dawo forever.

Exposure to other countries’ cultures was the only way to broaden horizons.

Intermediate civilizations were also ranked. Dawo had only recently entered the intermediate stage thirty years ago and could not compare to those civilizations that had existed for thousands of years.

The spaceship broke through the atmosphere and soared into the vast cosmos.

P.S.: I checked the weekly rankings and found myself at seventeenth place—too surprising! Please recommend it. Consider that I typed this at an internet café while on a business trip.