Chapter 77: The Beam That Illuminates the Cosmos

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Upon a small asteroid, less than ten kilometers in diameter, floating in the vastness of space.

A robot was operating a massive cannon, its barrel stretching more than fifty meters long. Around the barrel, energy supply lines glowed faintly, tracing out patterns that evoked a strong sense of futuristic technology. At the muzzle, which spanned ten meters in diameter, an intense, dazzling light flickered. This cannon, however, was nestled within a crater on the asteroid’s surface; the muzzle was entirely concealed, and only from a certain angle could one catch sight of that radiant glow.

Meanwhile, in the distance, aboard a silvery-gray spacecraft, a group of people remained blissfully unaware of what was unfolding. They chatted idly among themselves.

“Captain, do you think we’ll find anything valuable this time?”

“Exactly. We’ve been cooped up in this ship for over two years. Even with access to the virtual universe, it’s been mind-numbingly dull. If our haul after all this time isn’t worthwhile, we’ll have lost out big time.”

“I heard this ‘Lost Star Sector’ once belonged to a powerful figure. There might be treasures left behind. If the captain claims the lion’s share and we get a taste of the spoils, we could live carefree for the rest of our lives!”

The adventurers fantasized about their prospective fortunes. For explorers like them, venturing to primitive planets always carried great risk. Some worlds might lag behind technologically, but they could still harbor formidable beings. Throughout history, there had been many cases of exploration teams discovering aboriginal planets, only to be annihilated by the planet’s own powerful inhabitants. Yet countless adventurers set out nonetheless, for the discovery of even a single primitive world could bring untold riches. And if the planet held any valuable artifacts, their fortunes would be made for life.

“All right, we’re closing in on our objective,” the captain—strikingly handsome—suddenly cut off their chatter, his tone grave. “Listen up, everyone. We’re about to reap the fruits of our labor. But it’s precisely at times like this that we must not let our guard down! After all, this is a world once ruled by an invincible powerhouse. We know almost nothing about it!”

“Don’t worry, boss!”

“Understood, captain!”

“You can count on us, captain—we won’t get careless.”

The crew voiced their assent one after another. A scrawny crew member chimed in, “How could we possibly botch this? We’re—”

But before he could finish, a blinding beam shot from afar, hurtling straight toward the spacecraft at nearly the speed of light. The ship’s outer armor offered no resistance—it was instantly melted through. The next moment, the beam swept through the interior, and before any of the crew could react, they were obliterated in an instant by the intense heat.

The white beam, dazzling beyond compare, carved through the ship and continued in a straight line, piercing deep into the starry expanse before vanishing from sight.

The ship, now pierced from bow to stern and stripped of all power, drifted onward through inertia, its speed greatly diminished.

Whoosh—a figure shot out from the wreckage; it was the handsome captain. Nearly half his body had been grazed by the beam—his right chest, shoulder, and entire arm were gone, the wound charred black from the searing heat.

Even though he was a Stellar-tier warrior, such a wound would cost him most of his life. Without timely medical intervention, death was a very real possibility.

But now, this captain of the Noranshan family couldn’t even spare a thought for his injuries. His face contorted in terror and disbelief as he screamed, “A laser cannon? At least a Class C laser cannon?! How could there be something like this here?!”

To destroy his Class C5 vessel in a single shot, the weapon’s grade had to be extremely high. Even if this was merely a standard flagship with no special defensive enhancements, only a Class C or higher laser cannon could punch through. To pierce the entire ship in an instant and leave the crew no time to react meant the cannon had to be at least Class C5!

Such weaponry was prohibitively expensive, even by cosmic standards. How could it possibly turn up near a mere primitive planet?

The captain knew survival was now virtually impossible. His ship destroyed, grievously wounded, he had no hope of flying back to his family through the void. He instinctively tried to alert his kin, but realized as he attempted to lift his right hand that his neural interface had been annihilated along with that half of his body by the cannon’s blast.

Truthfully, had it not been for the instincts honed from years of life-or-death adventure—an intuition that prompted him to dodge just before the strike—he would not even have had the chance to be wounded, but would have perished instantly under the laser’s assault.

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That split-second evasion had not taken him out of the cannon’s range, but at least it had spared his life. Yet this was hardly a blessing.

As the captain debated whether to surrender or attempt escape, another vessel approached, halting in the void nearby. Twelve giant mechs, each over a hundred meters tall, strode forth from the ship’s hold. They raised their left arms, leveling fully charged laser cannons at the captain.

A B6-class laser cannon was harmless to a Class C ship, but more than sufficient to slay a Stellar-tier warrior—especially one already gravely wounded.

Terror flashed in the captain’s eyes. He shouted, “Don’t kill me—I surrender!”

The twelve “Goliath Titans” gave no reply. Under Jarvis’s remote command, they fired their cannons.

Twelve beams converged, annihilating the captain.

The mechs then swiftly flew to the downed ship, conducted a thorough search to ensure no survivors remained, and proceeded to obliterate the wreckage.

The Noranshan family’s exploration team was wiped out.

A third line of interception hadn’t even been necessary.

—

On Earth, Jiang Chen received Jarvis’s report and relayed the “good news” to Luo Feng.

“They didn’t get a message out, did they?” Luo Feng asked, not entirely at ease.

“They shouldn’t have, but I can’t be a hundred percent certain,” Jiang Chen replied, shaking his head. According to the Goliath Titans’ inspection, all other lifeforms aboard perished in the initial strike. The ship’s AI was destroyed in the same instant, leaving no chance for any message to be sent. Still, whether the mortally wounded captain’s communication device had survived—neither Jiang Chen nor Jarvis could know for sure.

Jiang Chen glanced at Luo Feng and said, “We have to prepare for the worst—assume he managed to send a message. Maybe in a few years, even stronger cosmic adventurers will come to Earth. Before that happens, we must have enough power to guarantee Earth’s safety.”

—

Though this crisis had been resolved smoothly, neither Jiang Chen nor Luo Feng could set their minds completely at ease. Luo Feng, in particular, paused his training and traveled to the South American base to discuss matters with Jiang Chen in person.

“I asked Babata—my teacher’s spatial secret technique is absolutely unbreakable for ordinary people. They must have found a natural wormhole near the solar system,” Luo Feng began, surprising Jiang Chen slightly.

In the original story, Luo Feng had captured these people alive, so it was no wonder he knew about the natural wormhole. But this time, the exploration team hadn’t even come close to Earth before being exterminated. To be safe, Jiang Chen had destroyed their ship entirely, leaving not a single clue behind. For Luo Feng to deduce how they’d arrived under such circumstances was impressive.

“This wormhole can’t be too far from the solar system. I’ll send Jarvis to look for it. But the universe is vast—there’s no guarantee we’ll find anything,” Jiang Chen said, not holding out much hope. Without large-scale detection equipment, finding a single object in the void was nearly impossible. And equipment capable of searching across light-years was far beyond anything Jiang Chen or Luo Feng could afford.

“The real issue is Earth. If another wave of adventurers comes, and they’re too powerful for us to handle, what then?” Luo Feng asked anxiously.

“We have no choice right now but to grow stronger,” Jiang Chen replied, shaking his head meaningfully. “As long as your Earthling avatar reaches the Stellar-tier, if not a permanent solution, it will at least guarantee Earth’s safety for a while.”

“Stellar-tier? Why must it be my Earthling avatar?” Luo Feng asked, and then quickly realized, “You mean my teacher’s legacy can resolve Earth’s crisis?”

According to Babata, once he reached the Stellar-tier, he would inherit Hu Yanbo’s first legacy. Of course, it would have to be his Earthling form that claimed it, not the Golden-Horned Beast.

“If there’s any solution, that’s it. If your teacher’s legacy is substantial enough—be it powerful slaves, devastating weapons, or making you Earth’s lord outright—you could ensure Earth’s safety. Even if we truly face an enemy we can’t defeat, you could buy another habitable planet and relocate humanity,” Jiang Chen reminded him. “Your top priority must be cultivation. No matter what, your own strength is what matters most.”

Luo Feng nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll go discuss it with Babata.”

After seeing Luo Feng off, Jiang Chen returned his consciousness to the third level of the system library, picked up a volume titled “The Element of Wind: Fundamentals of Wind Laws,” and resumed reading.

During this period, Jiang Chen had already consolidated most of his foundational “arcane technology” knowledge to meet the requirements for reading “law-based books.”

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The Laws of Wind were the first he chose to delve into.

There was no particular reason—Jiang Chen’s own force attribute leaned toward “wind.” Generally speaking, it was easier to study the laws corresponding to one’s own force attribute.

Of course, whether the “elemental laws” in the system library were the same as the laws of the Swallowed Star universe was something Jiang Chen could not determine. He suspected there was some connection between the two, but they weren’t identical.

The reason was simple: within the third floor of the system library, there were only six “elemental laws”: earth, fire, water, wind, light, and darkness—the six “basic elements” believed by most magical worlds to comprise reality. This was not the same as the Swallowed Star universe, where the eight lower laws—metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, and light—plus the two higher laws of time and space, made up the ten great laws.

Still, there were points of correspondence. Earth, fire, water, and wind were obvious; light and darkness seemed, at a glance, to have some connection with the law of light. But as for the exact differences, Jiang Chen knew he was not yet capable of probing further, nor did he care to do so for now.

His plan was simple: first research the “law of wind” and, once he achieved some results, compare it with the Swallowed Star universe’s wind law to see what distinctions there might be. Many doubts would naturally resolve themselves in the process.

—

“In ancient times, the beings who were born alongside the world and mastered its most fundamental powers were known as ‘gods.’

“Gods were innately powerful and possessed extraordinary wisdom. They instinctively understood all the world’s workings, and no secret could escape their eyes.

“But as the world’s structure became increasingly complex, shortcuts to studying its underlying laws gradually vanished. Later-born beings—some strong, some weak—without exception, could no longer control the world’s greatest powers: the laws.

“Some lifeforms, having encountered the gods and marveled at their might, began to worship and pray to them.

“Most gods paid little heed to this, but a few found it amusing and answered the prayers of these mortals.

“One such god simplified the complex laws—far beyond the comprehension of ordinary life—and created the concept of ‘magic.’

“Through ‘magic,’ people no longer needed to understand the essence of laws; they simply learned how to wield the elements’ power.

“Yet among these humble beings, there were wise ones. Through magic, they harnessed the elements, then analyzed them, and ultimately came to command them.

“Some even attained or surpassed the gods themselves by mastering the rules governing the elements’ operation!

“These sages became known as: Arcanists.”

—

The opening passage did not expound upon the elemental laws themselves but instead recounted a seemingly unrelated legend—perhaps from a parallel world, or perhaps a history shared by many worlds. The account was not long, but it transported Jiang Chen to a grand era—a time when feeble beings, blessed by the gods, gained power beyond the ordinary, traced power to its source, mastered its essence, and ultimately surpassed even the gods.

The subsequent content was not what Jiang Chen had imagined as the “essence of laws,” but rather a gradual introduction to a multitude of spellcasting methods—precisely the means described in the opening legend: using rituals, incantations, and other techniques to channel elemental power without any knowledge of the laws themselves.

Yet, perhaps due to the unique nature of the system library, his own expertise, or the book’s inherent qualities, as Jiang Chen read through these spells and rituals, he gradually developed a clear understanding of “wind.” Not the wind of the natural world, but the wind element—a fundamental building block of reality—and the law it represented.

While Jiang Chen was immersed in study within the library, in the real world—

Suddenly, boom!

Waves of azure light erupted from Jiang Chen’s body, spreading rapidly outward, enveloping the entire base.

(End of chapter)