"The taste of the stars," Sain exclaimed, extending his glass, but Fu Zongchen shook his head, "Such wine only has value at the first sip."
Sain chuckled and put down his glass, "Haha, right you are."
He then reflected aloud, "It has been five years since we parted ways under Prince Bai Jiang’s command."
"Five years, gone in the blink of an eye."
Fu Zongchen corrected, "Six years."
His expression became serious, and he spoke indifferently, "You’re still the same, always speaking in riddles. What are Prince Bai Jiang’s instructions? Spit it out."
Sain shook his head, "When we left, Prince Bai Jiang already said that we owed him nothing."
"If we owe nothing, then why would there be instructions?"
Fu Zongchen fell silent and then scoffed, "Speak up, or I’ll have to show you out."
"There is indeed a small favor," Sain said with a smile, "Of course, it is nothing that would betray your own civilization, rather, it will greatly benefit Blue Star."
As Sain narrated, Fu Zongchen’s originally calm expression gradually became filled with suspicion and uncertainty.
In the reception room of the laboratory, Roth’s facial wounds had yet to heal, and he was expressionless.
"Fuck, I knew those green-head algas were all bastards, goddamn it, can you believe they sent all the E and F level Life Forms back?"
Qi Xing’s face flushed red from rage, as he had been swearing for the last half hour with no sign of stopping.
"Sent back?" Li Ming was surprised, as Youke had mentioned on his last visit that there wouldn’t be any confrontations involving E and F levels.
He just hadn’t expected that the Sela Civilization would bring those people only to send them back again.
"Yeah, for sure they must have learned of your news halfway, knowing that you defeated Roth in a second, probably no one in the E level Life Forms could stand as your match, and they would lose regardless, so they chose not to fight." Qi Xing gritted his teeth, "I can’t believe I had some faith in their honor."
"In war, deception is the norm; any matter escalating to a clash of civilizations becomes far more complex," Roth said flatly.
Qi Xing sneered, "Easy for you to say, who can fight them among D level Life Forms?"
Zhao Jingang remained silent; he and Qi Xing were not D level Life Forms, and could only watch. This made them even more frustrated than if they had been beaten.
"They still dare to say we don’t work hard, as if nobody knows about their gene modulators from Yitelan, tweaking genes from the womb, ensuring they develop at least two levels more potential from the moment they are born," Qi Xing huffed coldly, revealing a secret.
Roth and the others were not surprised, but Li Ming asked about it.
Qi Xing calmed down and explained, "It’s a kind of cutting-edge equipment that only a few in the Sela Civilization can use; the consumption is extremely huge, at least six months at a minimum."
With the vastness of interstellar space, truly nothing is too strange, Li Ming thought to himself in wonder.
"StarNet has already started to pay attention to this issue, a classic comment—’Every year, our civilization invests so much resource, what kind of people are we really cultivating?’"
Qi Xing laughed self-deprecatingly, "Surely there are elements that betray our cause, stirring up public opinion from the shadows; before the actual competition has even begun, they start with defeatist talk."
"Some people are more sensible," Roth frowned, "others are making excuses."
"That’s their goal. Of course, there will be plenty of impassioned individuals to engage in debate and support their side, so when the competition results come in, it’ll be a heavy blow to these people."
"The ones who started the defeatist rhetoric will be gloating again, and this will be revived and beaten like a dead horse for at least a few years to come," Qi Xing gritted his teeth, "dammit bad luck, we’re going to be nailed to the pillar of shame."
"Those from five years ago are finally catching a break."
"If we’re inferior in skill, then what more is there to say," Zhao Jingang said in a subdued voice.
"If it were truly a matter of skill, I would accept that, but what about Li Ming? He could win among E level Life Forms!" Qi Xing exclaimed angrily.
Then, the group fell silent again.
"Sigh..." Qi Xing looked deflated, "It’s good that you didn’t show up; those people deliberately brought up the first place in the assessment and then repeatedly mentioned that you are not even a D level Life Form."
"If you don’t make an appearance at the school, even if it’s just to argue a bit, it would be better than being scolded later," Roth suggested.
Qi Xing shook his head, "Most people won’t think that much; they only see that you are first and yet you didn’t show up, too cowardly. At least if there was a debate, there would be something to say."
"If you argue with them, it’s likely to be the same few phrases, ’Who asked you not to try hard enough?’, ’You’re not a D level Life Form, still want to blame us?’" Qi Xing spat, his face showing contempt.
"No worries, only the progress in development matters," Li Ming shook his head, "to argue or not to argue, it won’t change anything, rather it just adds to the troubles."
Qi Xing and Roth exchanged glances; this kind of response was unexpected from Li Ming, considering their youth and likely hotheadedness.
Qi Xing couldn’t help but say, "You’re right, I run to the school every day, arguing with them, but it doesn’t do any good, just leaves me too angry to eat."
"Forget it, I’m going back to develop the gene seed. Until it reaches 100%, you’re not going to see me," he said solemnly.
"Me too," Zhao Jingang echoed.
Roth sighed, "Unfortunately, I have to attend the competition."