Chapter 1 Mysterious Land, Fourth Planet

In a mysterious place, on the Fourth Planet.

Xu Jingming wore soft inner armor and a cloth outer garment. With a gun case on his back, he looked at the bamboo forest ahead.

"Even if I am a Crimson Badge recipient, the Black Moon Civilization won't fear me." Xu Jingming had rejected the olive branch offered by the Black Moon Civilization, but he didn't feel relieved. He still felt a heavy pressure.

"Their cooperation with the Blue Star Civilization, as long as it reaches the minimum fairness, or even superficial fairness! Then, the Crimson Group will not interfere." Xu Jingming understood this point.

The Crimson Group would present a Crimson Badge to employees who made contributions, as well as to thank customers.

Badge recipients would only receive help from the Crimson Group if they encountered extreme unfairness! The Crimson Group generally wouldn't interfere in commercial disputes.

The so-called extreme unfairness... such as the deprivation of one's life or the lives of one's relatives, wrongful imprisonment, or being forcibly deprived of almost all property. Only such cases would have a chance of getting the Crimson Group to help.

"Maintaining superficial fairness," Xu Jingming thought to himself. "This is also what the Blue Star Civilization is pursuing."

Otherwise, if even superficial fairness was absent, it would be truly miserable.

"As a new civilization, even if most of it is exploited, it's good enough to leave some behind and maintain basic decency," Xu Jingming thought.

This was already very good.

If there were no regulations from the Cosmic Human Alliance restricting them, when a powerful civilization discovered a new civilization,

they could just send a small team to sweep through it. Where would there be negotiations? Where would there be contract signings?

With the constraints of regulations! With the deterrent force of the Crimson Group... the Blue Star Civilization could obtain basic decency when it first integrated into the universe.

"This is reality." Xu Jingming walked into the bamboo forest ahead, and the surrounding scene changed.

The Eighth Land of Depravity!

This was also a place that had trapped Xu Jingming many times.

"The Eighth Land of Depravity, here I come again." He had transformed into a man in animal skins.

The many people wearing animal skins were now looking ahead in terror.

Warriors in mechanical armor with laser guns were in front of them, staring at them menacingly.

"This tribe has 127 people."

"They are all humans; do we really have to kill them?"

"Killing one or two is fine, but mass slaughter of humans is a serious crime!"

Some warriors couldn't bring themselves to do it.

"The captain has ordered that all natives on this newly discovered life planet must be killed! If we were to properly settle them, the settlement costs would be a large sum of money. How could the captain be willing to spend the money?"

"We are only planetary lifeforms, and we don't even have the qualifications to enter the virtual world network. It's impossible to report them! If we anger the captain, we will be executed directly."

"Alas, we are only planetary lifeforms. Let's just obediently follow orders."

The warriors in this squad argued for a while, but ultimately, they opened fire.

Beams of laser light shot out.

"Father."

Xu Jingming heard the voices of children behind him. Warm memories of himself and his family kept flooding in, enveloping him.

"My name is Fenglei Qianmo; I am the tribe's chief." A complete set of memories flooded Xu Jingming's mind, constantly integrating.

Fenglei Qianmo!

Xu Jingming had checked his information. Fenglei Qianmo was a tenth-order expert who had emerged in the history of the Cosmic Human Alliance. Fenglei Qianmo was originally a human from a native planet. His home planet was discovered by a cosmic adventure team, and that team was preparing to plunder the life planet,

before selling off the life planet.

During the plundering and slaughter, a cosmic citizen passing by on a trip discovered this place! That cosmic citizen saved the planet.

Fenglei Qianmo and the remaining natives were also relocated and settled. After that came Fenglei Qianmo's meteoric rise.

"Before being saved, Fenglei Qianmo encountered extremely tragic events." Xu Jingming faced the fully armed cosmic warrior squad and had no ability to resist.

"Find the Black Demon material; leave a few people behind."

This team slaughtered most of the natives and left behind five people, including Fenglei Qianmo's wife and one of his children. His other children were already dead.

One of the warriors grabbed the pendant around Xu Jingming's neck. "Where did this come from?"

Xu Jingming stared at them.

"If you don't speak, all of you will die," the cosmic warrior said coldly.

"It's called Qianmo," Xu Jingming finally said.

There was no choice.

He had to stall for time to find the keepsake.

In the Eighth Land of Depravity, Xu Jingming temporarily survived, but he also experienced more misery.

He was escorted to find the Qianmo material, and the surrounding tribes were also slaughtered! Many people were staring at Xu Jingming when those tribesmen died.

They recognized this neighboring tribe's chief, Fenglei Qianmo.

Fenglei Qianmo, a hero figure within hundreds of miles, was now following these demons?

"Where exactly is the material? Are you lying to us?" These cosmic warriors were extremely angry. Every once in a while, they would kill one of Fenglei Qianmo's family members! Soon, Fenglei Qianmo's wife and children were dead.

Only he remained.

"Found it." While trying hard to find the Qianmo material, Xu Jingming finally found the keepsake.

The scene dissipated.

He was standing in front of the bamboo forest again.

"This time, I will control myself," Xu Jingming said silently.

Everything he had experienced before was like a nightmare.

But Xu Jingming was very clear that once his anger couldn't be suppressed, the constantly flooding memories would engulf him. He would lose himself, feel like he had really become Fenglei Qianmo, and naturally fail.

"Pure anger is useless; I must face reality." Xu Jingming suddenly understood as he watched the Black Moon Civilization's delegation arrive.

No matter what, one had to face reality.

Face the enemy?

Losing one's mind in anger was a foolish act. One had to control oneself. No matter how angry, one had to remain calm.

Even in extreme anger... one still had to be calm!

Only by being calm could one formulate the most effective response!

"No matter how tragic or desperate, one has to face reality," Xu Jingming said silently. "Pure anger and madness don't make a warrior! Facing the cruel reality calmly

is what makes a true warrior."

Face reality, accept reality, and then unleash all your light and heat!

Do your best!

******

The trial on the Fourth Planet consisted of ten Lands of Depravity in total. The Ninth Land of Depravity was love, and the Tenth Land of Depravity was the 'desire to survive'. Love was a very important emotion for humans.

The desire to survive was a desire that almost every human possessed! The closer one was to death, the more one wanted to live.

The Tenth Land of Depravity dissipated.

Xu Jingming stood on the mountaintop, looking at the rolling sea of clouds before him.

"No matter what kind of emotions or desires, one can enjoy them, but one cannot be沉沦 (chénlún,沉沦 means to sink into/indulge in), be controlled by them," Xu Jingming said silently. Through his experiences in reality and the repeated attempts in the ten Lands of Depravity, Xu Jingming understood how the mind should control itself.

"A true expert is one who can control their emotions and desires!"

"This Fourth Planet tests precisely this."

"If one cannot even control emotions and desires! Then one is not qualified to become an eighth-order Star Cluster lifeform." Xu Jingming obtained ten keepsakes, and a miniature wormhole appeared ahead of him.

Xu Jingming stepped inside, heading to the Fifth Planet!

In the observation space, the 352 organizations in the Hunter Cosmos Domain, almost every observer was looking at Xu Jingming.

"He passed the emotional and desire trial on the Fourth Planet and arrived at the Fifth Planet."

The permanent observer of the Wu Hook Star Alliance revealed a look of joy. "My Wu Hook Star Alliance finally has someone who has reached the Fifth Planet again."

The permanent observer looked at the short, fat man next door. "Observer Grew, your judgment is indeed sharp! This young man carrying a gun case has true talent."

"He really got to the Fifth Planet?"

The short, fat man's eyes widened.

Although he had said beautiful things before, even saying that this person had extremely high talent and might even reach the Seventh Planet, those were all to mock the permanent observer.

"Logically speaking, many civilizations have some understanding of the trials on the seven planets of the mysterious Blood Rain World and will have targeted preparations," the short, fat man thought. "Generally, they succeed in one go in the early stages! But this newbie stumbled and spent a few extra days to succeed.

Could it be that he didn't undergo similar training beforehand?"

How would he know that the Blue Star Civilization's foundation was too weak? They knew nothing about the mysterious Blood Rain World, let alone the trials within.

Detailed training?

Xu Jingming was the first seventh-order Star Cluster lifeform on Blue Star. How would he know some of the training methods for the mind! The evolvers of Blue Star were all self-taught using evolution books.

"Observer Grew, why aren't you saying anything?" the permanent observer said smugly.

"Look at your smug look." The short, fat man scoffed, "Even if he reaches the Fifth Planet, even if he's from your Wu Hook Star Alliance, he might not join your organization."

"It's okay; whether he joins or not isn't important. What's important is… he's a fellow villager of my Wu Hook Star Alliance," the permanent observer said with a smile. "The better he performs, the more face I have! Oh my,

your Nine Feathers Star Alliance's genius is still stuck on the Sixth Planet."

"Of course the Sixth Planet is difficult," the short, fat man harrumphed. "Do you really think this genius from your Wu Hook Star Alliance can reach the Seventh Planet?"

"That's hard to say."

Although the permanent observer didn't have confidence in Xu Jingming in his heart, he wouldn't admit defeat verbally.

"I was just teasing you; did you really take it seriously?" The short, fat man curled his lip.

The days of being an observer were also leisurely. The two of them would also bicker occasionally. The permanent observer was still in a pretty good mood at the moment. After all, he finally had someone from the Wu Hook Star Alliance among the three batches of explorers who could reach the Fifth Planet.

"Being able to reach the Fifth Planet is already very good," the permanent observer said as he watched.

Xu Jingming walked out of the miniature wormhole and was stunned by the scenery of the planet before him.

The surrounding hundred-meter radius was covered by a protective shield, making it naturally safe.

But outside the protective shield! "This…" Xu Jingming was somewhat astonished, "Such a small planet?"

Xu Jingming could see the edge of the planet before him at a glance.

"It's much smaller than the Black Moon Civilization's cosmic mothership." Xu Jingming was somewhat puzzled. "Judging by the eye, the diameter is only about 12 kilometers. It feels like a black metal ball!"

A black metal planet with a diameter of 12 kilometers.

The black metal surface also had a scorching golden light! Countless scorching golden lights suggested that this big iron ball was very hot.

"What's the trial?"

Xu Jingming opened his personal panel to check.

The Fifth Planet was a neutron star!

Only the area within the protective shield maintained the normal environment of the Blood Rain World. Outside the protective shield was a neutron star environment.

"Explorer, your physical body will gradually improve and will continue to improve until it reaches the most perfect physical body at the limit of the eighth order. Please control your ultimate physical body and walk to the other end of the neutron star." Xu Jingming was shocked when he saw the introduction.

This time, the distance was very short, just under 20 kilometers.

At the destination on the other end of the neutron star, there was a miniature wormhole that could lead to the Sixth Planet.

But this distance of less than 20 kilometers was a path on a neutron star!

"My body…" Xu Jingming felt it. His physical body was rapidly becoming stronger.

From the ordinary body in the Blood Rain World, it instantly increased to the level of a seventh-order Star Cluster lifeform, and then it continued to increase.