Chapter Eighteen: The Abyss of Fiery Shadows (Part Two)

After that, there was nothing left for Kuang Chi to do. He did not wish to involve himself in the negotiations, preferring to leave everything to the two elders to handle with the Demon Valley and the Clear Smoke Pavilion. Maintaining a sense of detached superiority was, for Kuang Chi, the optimal choice.

Every day, he would lie in the pool of ant blood, practicing the Mad Dragon Arts, which had become increasingly difficult to advance. When in a good mood, he would practice the Starry Sky Arts, but most of his time was spent on the Tyrant Moon Body Refining Technique. The progress of this external martial art was currently moving at a blistering pace, a sensation that made Kuang Chi even more dedicated to his training.

On this day, Jing'er rarely skipped her time with Si Qing and walked directly into Kuang Chi’s training quarters. Seeing him soaking in the ant blood with his entire body glowing red, she asked with concern, "Fatty, what’s wrong with you? Are you alright?"

Kuang Chi smiled at her. The Tyrant Moon Body Refining Technique was essentially about exercising every muscle in the body to make them increasingly resilient. Furthermore, through muscle conditioning, it constantly compressed the skeletal structure, which was normally beyond human control, using the body’s innate evolutionary capacity to alter the texture of the bones.

This technique had nothing to do with the current theories of energy or human internal energy (Qi); it relied on the body's powerful self-regulation—or self-evolution—capabilities. This was why one had to be modified by the "horns" to have any hope of practicing it. Their modifications were essentially upgrades to the body’s self-regulation, making it easier for the body to be controlled and directed toward specific changes—what humans commonly referred to as evolution. Whether this was truly evolution or degeneration remained a matter of debate.

Kuang Chi smiled and said to Jing'er, "This is just a side effect of the Tyrant Moon Body Refining Technique. It’s nothing; I’ll return to normal shortly after stopping."

Jing'er nodded in relief and asked, "Fatty, I seem to remember you saying you planned to build a city. Is that true?"

Kuang Chi nodded quickly. "Yes, why do you ask?"

Jing'er pondered for a moment before saying, "Do you still intend to build it?"

Kuang Chi found it strange that Jing'er was asking this so suddenly, and with such apparent concern. He looked at her expression and nodded firmly. "Of course. Don't you think this Forgotten Star is the perfect location for a training base?"

Jing'er nodded, then suddenly wore a peculiar, playful smile. "Is that the only reason you're interested?" She gave him a knowing look.

Kuang Chi’s face flushed red, though it was hard to tell against the already crimson hue of his skin. He laughed sheepishly and replied, "Of course, that’s the main reason. Secondly, there are the local resources. The metal used for ship decks here, if forged into weapons, would certainly not be inferior to top-tier light-energy weaponry."

Jing'er snorted unhappily. "Don't lie to me. Do you think I don't know that this material is energy-immune? You think I don't understand what energy immunity means?"

Kuang Chi understood well. Energy immunity meant that a warship built from this metal would be virtually impervious to standard light-energy weapons. Naturally, there was a threshold, but it was significant.

Kuang Chi stopped talking and watched her for a moment before asking, "Tell me, what do you want?"

Jing'er smiled. "Do you know why I only allowed them to build two transport ships, but permitted you to build a warship?"

Kuang Chi shook his head.

Jing'er wore a bitter smile for a long time before finally saying, "Let’s not talk about that for now. But you must promise me one thing: if I ever need your help in the future, you must assist me."

Kuang Chi did not agree lightly. A request from an imperial princess was unlikely to be simple. He wouldn't agree without thinking. "Tell me what you need help with first. I need to see if it's something I can do. If I can't, I won't promise."

Jing'er’s expression shifted, and she finally said, "What kind of things do you think happen in the imperial palace?"

Kuang Chi was stunned. If there was one place in the universe where justice held no sway, it was the courts of human monarchies. There was no right or wrong, only the rise of the victor and the fall of the defeated.

Jing'er added, "I want you to save me if I am forced to marry someone I don't want, or if my life is threatened. You can do that, right?"

Kuang Chi blinked, then replied, "Is that all? Even if you hadn't asked, if you were in danger, I would definitely come to save you."

Jing'er nodded happily, took the necklace from her neck, and placed it around his. "Keep this safe. It is essential for the new power system. Without it, the new engines are just scrap metal." She pointed to the one large and two small crystals hanging from the necklace, which emitted a sky-blue light.

Kuang Chi stared at them for a long time. "You mean these three crystals are the core materials for the new power system?"

Jing'er nodded. "The large one is for your warship. You can build the power system larger. The core database contains designs for several new types of warships developed by our Piaofeng Empire. Build according to those. Once we leave the Abandoned Star Domain, we can add whatever else is needed."

Kuang Chi frowned. "Jing'er, aren't you being too optimistic? Even if we finish the ship, there are no wormholes leading out of this Abandoned Star Domain large enough for a ship to pass through. The wormhole your mother-ship used must have been unstable, and it might not even exist anymore."

Jing'er pouted adorably. "You only know how to train. You never ask what we are busy with outside." She paused, then continued, "It’s true that no empire has found a large wormhole leading out of this region, but that doesn't mean others haven't. Who would you say are the people most familiar with space and the universe?"

Kuang Chi answered without hesitation, "Space pirates. To them, the universe is home." He suddenly realized, "You mean a pirate found a large, traversable wormhole?"

Jing'er nodded. "Exactly. The Demon Valley captured a group of pirates on Forgotten Star, and this wormhole was their discovery." She sighed, looking a bit lonely. "In fact, many who are exiled or flee into this domain are rare, talented individuals."

"Fatty," she added, "it's said that the Tyrant Dragon Peak has captured the most exiles. When you have time, go check on them. If you find someone suitable, bring them back. Even the Clear Smoke Pavilion has a genius in spacecraft dynamics from the Universal Federation."

After Jing'er left, Kuang Chi immediately had the guard outside summon the Third Elder of Tyrant Dragon Peak.

Before the elder could even bow, Kuang Chi asked, "Third Elder, among the exiles on the peak, are there any with expertise in spacecraft?"

The elder nodded with a smile. "Over the years, we have captured a dozen or so fellows with some skill in ship construction. They are currently in our specialized research facility. As soon as the factory is built, I will have them sent over."

Kuang Chi asked, "How many exiles are on the peak in total?"

The Third Elder calculated. "Excluding their descendants, we currently have over 2,300 exiles."

"So many?" Kuang Chi exclaimed.

The elder just smiled. Kuang Chi asked, "Who are they? Are there any with special identities, high cultivation levels, or unique talents?"

The elder pondered. "Many are pirates from the Devil Star Domain. Unstable wormholes occasionally appear there, and passing pirate ships are sucked in. Others were exiled by various nations, or offended powerful factions and fled here to avoid assassination. There is quite a bit of talent among them. We keep records. Next time you return to the peak, you can take a look."

After asking more questions, Kuang Chi let the Third Elder leave. He realized it had been a while since he’d seen Anna, so he took his ten guards and headed to her home.

Kuang Chi was no longer the same person he had been. Before, a visit to Anna’s home would have been met by a head steward, but this time, her entire family came out to greet him, leaving him feeling rather helpless.

Once he and Old Tuo were seated in the hall, Kuang Chi noticed the absence of Anna and asked, "Old Tuo, where is Anna? I haven't seen her these past few days."

Kuang Chi was not shy. His relationship with Anna was no secret in Homesick City; not only had Old Tuo publicly announced it, but Kuang Chi himself considered her one of his own.

Old Tuo laughed heartily. "I saw her running around every day, neglecting her cultivation, so I sent her into seclusion. If it weren't for that, I don't think you would have stepped through my door, Young Master Kuang."

Kuang Chi laughed awkwardly. "Old Tuo, you know I’ve been busy training."

They chatted for a while, and Old Tuo suddenly said, "Young Master Kuang, I actually know a great place for body refinement."

Kuang Chi immediately pressed him, "Old Tuo, where? Tell me!"

Old Tuo dismissed the servants and said solemnly, "I can tell you, but you must not reveal it to anyone else."

Kuang Chi nodded. Old Tuo then signaled his son, the current head of their clan, to bring a box.

Old Tuo explained, "Our ancestors practiced external body arts, but later found that internal mental techniques were more practical on this star, so they switched. However, they did discover an excellent place for body refinement."

His son returned with an ancient metal box. Old Tuo opened it to reveal a map that looked incredibly old. As he spread it out, Kuang Chi saw it was filled with complex, multi-colored lines.

"This is a map of the underground tunnels drawn by one of my ancestors," Old Tuo said.

Kuang Chi knew the underground tunnels of Forgotten Star were a complex labyrinth of dried-up magma rivers. Old Tuo pointed to the lines: red for active magma, black for dry paths, green for signs of life, blue for minerals, and circles for caverns.

Old Tuo pointed to a circle. "This is Homesick City. And here is the Demon Flame Cave."

"What does 'Demon Flame' mean?" Kuang Chi asked.

Old Tuo smiled. "Did you only start learning body refinement after arriving at this star?"

Kuang Chi was surprised. "How did you know?"

Old Tuo laughed. "If someone had taught you before, they would have told you what a Demon Flame is." He finally explained, "Demon Flame is a strange fire-based energy, likely emerging from the planet's core along with magma. It is the best medium for body refinement. According to my ancestors, practicing in the Demon Flame is at least five to ten times more effective than normal conditions."

He suggested, "You should check the records at Tyrant Dragon Peak; they might have more information."

Kuang Chi copied the map and returned to the elders' residence. He immediately asked them, "Do you know what a Demon Flame is?"

The Third Elder pondered before answering, "It's said to be a medium for body refinement that practitioners can absorb. I recall seeing it mentioned in a manual written by an exiled master in the Nianzu Peak library decades ago."

Kuang Chi ordered, "Have someone bring that book to me immediately."

The Third Elder frowned. "Young Master, why the sudden interest?"

Kuang Chi didn't answer. The Third Elder, looking worried, added, "Young Master, we know you are training, but we must speak. Internal mental techniques are superior to external ones, and our Mad Dragon Arts are among the best. We truly do not understand why you are neglecting them for external techniques."

Kuang Chi smiled. "Have you ever heard of the Tyrant Moon Body Refining Technique?"

As two knowledgeable elders, they naturally knew of the only technique that had allowed a warrior to reach the level of a War God through external arts alone. They both looked shocked.

After a long silence, the Third Elder asked cautiously, "Young Master, are you telling us that the technique you are practicing is the legendary Tyrant Moon Body Refining Technique?"