Staring at the pile of smoldering flames before him, Yun Yi felt like crying but no tears would come. Who could have imagined that this not-so-large flame was once a brand-new mecha?

Just a few days ago, when he had first received this mecha, the joy, excitement, and pride he felt had made him treat it like a brother. But reality was cruel. After just one mission, the mecha had turned to ashes.

His stomach growled again. Reluctantly, Yun Yi glanced at the mecha's remains and turned away.

Even in pieces, the monster's body was enormous. While the mecha was still functional, Yun Yi had transported the monster back to the ship and roughly dissected it. Now, he needed to search its body for edible organic matter and feed it into the food synthesizer.

Based on Yun Yi's understanding, a creature that could spit strange flames, had antennae, and a mouthpart must be some kind of bizarre insect. The edible parts of such creatures were usually found in their limbs.

Wielding a single soldier's vibrating alloy dagger, Yun Yi struggled to cut open one of the monster's legs. Sure enough, inside was a large chunk of white muscle. Yun Yi cheered, quickly cutting off a sizable piece and placing it into the already prepared food synthesizer.

As expected, after a series of tests, the food synthesizer indicated that the meat was not only non-toxic but also rich in organic substances beneficial to the human body. Regular consumption could bring significant health benefits.

After a hearty meal, Yun Yi took a short rest before resuming his work.

He didn't know how long the monster's body would remain fresh, but if he didn't want to eat rotting meat in the future, it was best to process the rest of the body now.

Three days later, Yun Yi finally finished processing the monster's eight legs. All the meat he had cut was turned into semi-processed products that could be stored for a long time. Now, Yun Yi turned his attention to the remaining parts of the monster.

He had little interest in the monster's massive torso. From the severed sections, he could see that the creature's body was mostly filled with a pale green liquid. Yun Yi had tested it—this liquid was the fuel for the long-burning flames.

This was definitely not something to eat.

The only part that caught Yun Yi's eye was the enormous head.

Not only was there potentially edible meat in the head, but the massive alloy longsword embedded in the monster's skull also needed to be retrieved. That sword was the only remaining piece of his beloved Red Mane III, which he had treated like a brother.

Without hesitation, Yun Yi climbed onto the head, enduring the foul stench, and with a steel cable in hand, made his way to the monster's eye. Ignoring the disgust, he reached into the eye socket where the longsword had pierced, trying to locate the blade.

But the longsword was buried too deep. Reluctantly, Yun Yi used the dagger to widen the eye socket, making enough space for him to crawl inside. Fortunately, the bones around the eye socket weren't as hard as the monster's skull, allowing Yun Yi to carve out a small hole after an hour of effort.

Just as Yun Yi was climbing into the eye socket with the steel cable, his foot slipped. He desperately grabbed at his surroundings, but everything was slick with slime. Even as a level six warrior, Yun Yi couldn't maintain his balance.

"Plop..."

Yun Yi slid into the deepest part of the eye socket. In the darkness, he felt around. Besides the slippery sensation, there were also cold, hard metal objects—undoubtedly the alloy longsword. The smell was unbearable. Yun Yi held his breath, quickly tied the steel cable to the longsword, and hurriedly climbed out.

As soon as he emerged, Yun Yi noticed that his body was covered in white and green substances—likely the monster's brain matter. Overcome with nausea, he rushed back to his room to wash up.

As he removed his clothes, Yun Yi noticed something strange.

A multicolored light?

The ancestral necklace he wore, which usually emitted a faint blue glow, now shone with a kaleidoscope of colors after being soaked in the monster's brain matter and green liquid. Strangely, the multicolored light seemed to be absorbed by his body, with no light escaping outward.

Weird, really weird.

Yun Yi glanced at the necklace but didn't dwell on it. He quickly washed away the filth and changed into a clean set of clothes. With no one else on the ship, there were plenty of clothes to spare.

Returning to the massive head, Yun Yi controlled the winch attached to the other end of the steel cable. After activating it with an energy cell, the cable gradually tightened, and the huge alloy longsword was slowly pulled out.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

He was still here, and the sword was still here, but the mecha was gone...

After cleaning the sword, Yun Yi sighed and checked the still-silent communicator before returning to his room.

Over the past few days, besides observing the monsters, Yun Yi had spent most of his time practicing his "Wave Breaker" technique. For him, every second was precious and couldn't be wasted. Only by growing stronger quickly could he avenge his parents and loved ones.

Yun Yi also held deep respect for the Restoration Army base, which had given him a chance to survive. Helping the Zhao Song Empire restore its former glory had become his second goal, just behind avenging his family.

From what he knew, the Zhao Song Empire, though perceived as weak, had been quite effective before the coup. The emperor at the time had been very kind to his people, implementing a series of policies beneficial to ordinary citizens. However, this had led to significant investments in the populace, leaving the military underfunded and outdated for years, which gave the rebels an opportunity.

The government forces, waving the banner of freedom, assassinated the emperor during an inspection tour. With the help of several democratic neighboring nations, they swiftly captured the empire's capital, New Kaifeng Star. Before the empire's noble families could react, the government forces destroyed the main fleet in a lightning strike, and the entire empire fell. Now, the Restoration Army, with only a medium-sized base on the outskirts and fewer than a thousand ships, consisted mostly of people who had benefited from the emperor's kindness and soldiers whose families had been slaughtered by the government forces.

The leader of the government forces, Zagu, the first president of the Iserlohn Democratic Republic, quickly established a dictatorship after the coup. Using brutal methods, he suppressed resistance and, after quelling the war, turned his blade against his former allies, becoming a dictator.

The people and soldiers who had initially supported Zagu, realizing his promises were empty, protested. But after several horrific massacres, everyone fell silent. When those who had been deceived into opposing the empire finally saw through Zagu's facade, they deeply regretted their actions, but it was too late. The Restoration Army, lacking supplies and ammunition, could no longer face the colossal force Zagu had become.

Now, the Restoration Army continued to fight, supported only by a few covert allies.

Shaking his head, Yun Yi pushed these thoughts aside. While important, they weren't something he needed to focus on right now. What he faced now was figuring out how to leave this planet and return to the Restoration Army base to continue the fight!

Calming his mind, Yun Yi began practicing the "Wave Breaker" technique, following the usual energy pathways.

Martial arts couldn't make a person block beam guns with their body, but they offered many benefits, especially for mecha pilots. A good mecha wasn't something just anyone could operate. The mecha's movements placed a heavy load on the pilot's body. Without the proper physical conditioning, even a simple action could injure the pilot. A trained warrior, however, had a strong body, with significantly improved agility, speed, endurance, and strength.

Three thousand years ago, the greatest martial artists of the time, along with several masters, divided martial arts into two stages: pre-celestial and post-celestial, each with ten levels. Even today, those who reached the pre-celestial stage were exceedingly rare. Even the leader of the Gaia Empire's Royal Knights, hailed as the universe's strongest warrior, Mithra, was only at the fifth level of the pre-celestial stage.

There was another, even more enticing benefit to practicing martial arts, one that had driven the entire universe into an era of universal martial arts training: longevity. A person who reached the fifth level of the post-celestial stage, with the help of some advanced technology, could easily live to two hundred years old. Those who reached the pre-celestial stage could live over three hundred years. As for those beyond the fifth level of the pre-celestial stage, legends spoke of individuals who had lived over eight hundred years. While no one had seen such a person, many believed it was possible.

This was the greatest benefit of practicing martial arts.

Yun Yi, having reached the sixth level of the post-celestial stage at sixteen, wasn't the fastest, but he was above average. In the entire base, there were fewer than a thousand warriors at or above the sixth level, out of a population of nearly a million.

Yun Yi's talent wasn't exceptional; his progress was due to his diligence. While others might practice for two or three hours a day, Yun Yi spent almost all his time practicing, aside from eating, attending classes, and sleeping. Every morning, while others were still asleep, he was already up practicing. Through such effort, he had reached the sixth level of the post-celestial stage at sixteen. Even among families with high-level martial arts manuals, such progress was rare.

Thus, Yun Yi cherished every second.

Exhaling...

A warm current stirred in his dantian, slowly moving along the usual energy pathways.

Something felt off?

Yun Yi opened his eyes, a look of confusion on his face. For some reason, today the flow of his internal energy felt slightly faster than usual. Why was that?

Yun Yi carefully reviewed his technique. No, the way he was practicing and the steps he took were all correct.

So why was the energy flowing faster?

Was he about to break through to the seventh level of the post-celestial stage?

That was impossible. He had only just reached the sixth level less than a month ago. According to his teacher's estimation, at his current pace, it would take at least two years to reach the seventh level.

Unable to find any issues, Yun Yi cautiously guided his internal energy along the usual pathways. While faster energy flow wasn't necessarily a bad thing—it could make the energy in his body more robust—Yun Yi was always cautious and rarely took risks.

With extreme care, Yun Yi completed the first cycle of energy circulation. Checking the time, it had only taken twenty-five minutes, more than ten minutes faster than usual.

After carefully inspecting his body, Yun Yi found nothing unusual. There seemed to be no side effects, so he relaxed.

Could it be because he had eaten the alien monster's meat? His teacher at the base had once told him that many noble families in the universe used certain special plants or animal parts to create drugs that greatly benefited martial arts training, sometimes even boosting one's level.

Could the creatures on this strange planet have such benefits?

If so, could he advance to the seventh level sooner?

Delighted, Yun Yi once again guided his internal energy, beginning another cycle of circulation.

At that moment, he didn't notice that the multicolored necklace around his chest seemed to have dimmed slightly...