“After assuming the new position, will I still be able to oversee the evolution progress of Earth No. 1818?” Li Xiaofei asked calmly.
Li Sheng shook his head and replied, “Your patrol jurisdiction will cover base planets numbered from 90,000 to 100,000. Obviously, No. 1818 does not fall within that range. So you’ll need to step down from your current post before taking up the new one.”
As soon as Li Xiaofei heard that, he understood instantly.
Damn it. This isn’t a promotion. This is clearly a move to snatch the fruits of my labor.
“I’ll think it over,” Li Xiaofei replied, neither agreeing nor refusing, choosing instead to stall for time.
Li Sheng patted his shoulder, speaking with a tone of earnest sincerity, “Don’t miss this opportunity. The City Lord holds you in high regard. Your future has no limits.”
“I understand,” Li Xiaofei said before turning to walk away.
Li Sheng watched his back recede with a grave expression. After a long moment, he let out a soft sigh.
After leaving the Military Guard Bureau, Li Xiaofei immediately called Song Shiyan and instructed him to mobilize all of his influence and resources.
He had made his decision, he wanted it all. He would take the Inspector position. He would accept the promotion to Mid-Tier Reliant. And he would keep control over Earth No. 1818.
“Don’t worry, big bro. I’ll sort everything out for you, clean and smooth,” came Song Shiyan’s thunderous voice over the phone, brimming with confidence.
After hanging up, Li Xiaofei returned straight to the Si Family estate. As for the Exploding Star Gang, he now only held an honorary guest elder position. Since he had already stepped down as Hall Master long ago, he no longer had any administrative responsibilities and didn’t need to concern himself with their affairs.
However, later that evening, the Gang Leader of the Exploding Star Gang, Wei Xiaotian, learned of Li Xiaofei’s return and arranged a banquet in his honor. Li Xiaofei couldn’t bring himself to refuse, so he went to attend.
The banquet was a lively gathering of old colleagues. There were mid-to-high-ranking members of the gang who were quite familiar with Li Xiaofei. The theme was simple, just a night of celebration and camaraderie.
During the feast, the topic shifted to Brother Dinggou. Wei Xiaotian said, “Old Gou wrote a letter home. He’s been assigned to the third war zone of Orion, under the Shadow Edge scout unit. Little Black Dog’s doing great too; it’s fully adjusted to the battlefield.”
As he spoke, he handed the letter to Li Xiaofei. Due to the vast distances involved and strict confidentiality protocols on the Star Battlefield, frontline soldiers communicated with their homeworlds via the most primitive means, handwritten letters. These were collected and delivered in batches at regular intervals.
After reading the letter, Li Xiaofei felt a genuine sense of relief. When Brother Gou had left, Little Black Dog had insisted on going with him. Hearing that they had both adapted quickly to the war zone brought Li Xiaofei some peace of mind.
After eating and drinking their fill, Wei Xiaotian personally escorted Li Xiaofei out. On the way, he paused for a moment before asking, “I heard about your new appointment. What’s your real take on all this?”
Li Xiaofei glanced at him and replied, “What, has Chongque City gotten to the point where no secrets can be kept anymore? There’s barely a whiff of something, and the whole city’s already buzzing?”
“You don’t get it,” Wei Xiaotian said seriously. “Right now, half the city’s eyes are glued to Earth No. 1818. No. 1818 has shown the highest rate of development among all the backup base planets activated in this cycle. According to assessments by the Military Guard Bureau, it’s expected to become the most promising troop source in the last five hundred years. Right now, that place is a golden goose.”
He had provided more than just a casual comment; this was a warning wrapped in information.
Li Xiaofei was genuinely surprised by what he heard. He had deliberately suppressed Earth No. 1818’s evolution speed and focused on developing the Great Xia people’s superpowers. The other nations and regions were still essentially blank slates. Yet, despite that, No. 1818 was still being called the most promising?
Wei Xiaotian added, “The overall situation isn’t looking good. The other base planets’ evolution projects have already failed ahead of schedule and are on the verge of entering the data-wipe and lock stage.”
That made Li Xiaofei even more curious.
Lowering his voice, Wei Xiaotian said, “There are rumors that the failures were caused by Eden’s sabotage. The fallback base planet development has been pushed to the edge of collapse. And some people even say...”
He abruptly fell silent, realizing he’d gone too far.
Li Xiaofei chuckled and said, “You’ve built it up this far. Go on, just say it. I’m setting you up for the punchline here. Don’t leave me hanging.”
Wei Xiaotian glanced around, then leaned in to whisper, “Some say that the City Lord’s Office and the Council are using Eden as a cover to embezzle the resources meant for the other base planets.”
Li Xiaofei responded with a simple, “Oh,” and said no more.
But waves stirred inside him. Back at the Fengyu Merchant Guild, Li Xiaofei finally let his guard down a little. He transformed into something like a big, playful husky, goofing around with his two daughters and enjoying the warmth of family life.
The next day, Song Shiyan called to report that they had encountered resistance during their political maneuvering. A powerful force was deliberately sabotaging their efforts.
“I don’t care what method you use or what tactics you need, just get it done, and do it fast.” Li Xiaofei’s tone was firm and uncompromising.
“Don’t worry, big bro,” Song Shiyan quickly promised, “I’ll get it done. You can count on me.”
Four days later, Song Shiyan called again, finally bringing good news. He had managed to persuade his own father, and the City Lord had agreed to speak to the Council. They would allow Li Xiaofei to retain his role as Chief Evolution Officer of Earth No. 1818 concurrently with his new titles.
Only then did Li Xiaofei breathe a sigh of relief. He then remained in Chongque City for a few more days. After collecting a batch of cultivation resources and Energy Spores from the Military Guard Bureau, he returned to Earth No. 1818.
The first thing Li Xiaofei did upon returning was to check on the cultivation progress of Daoist Sanjue and the others. However, they had exceeded even his expectations.
Daoist Sanjue, Qi Honglei, Li Baoguo, and several others had successfully taken the first step in fusing the power of martial arts with superpowers. They achieved a rare state of unity between body and spirit known as the Immortal State.
The cultivation of martial arts followed the pathways of qi meridians, the eight extraordinary meridians and the dantian. In contrast, superpowers operated through the circulatory system, delivering energy to countless cells throughout the body, focusing primarily on brain domain development.
The ultimate fusion of these two energy systems lay in the concept of the Black Hole level, a cycle of death and rebirth, destruction and transformation. Inspired by what he had discovered in the body of Ishihara Masami, Li Xiaofei grasped a profound truth, and through it, unlocked a method to initiate this fusion.
After an initial round of experimentation, Li Xiaofei carefully re-examined and confirmed the method’s safety and effectiveness before beginning to promote it across the Great Xia realm.
At the same time, he began trying it for himself. Li Xiaofei was filled with both curiosity and hope for this new path of cultivation. He believed that through this method, not only could he break through to the Black Hole level of cosmic lifeforms, but he might also unlock other extraordinary gains.
Time passed and Li Xiaofei entered seclusion once again. He first absorbed the law-infused energy within the Energy Spores, allowing him to master the foundations of superpowers and quickly awaken his abilities. He soon reached the peak of the superpower level.
Then, he activated the Immortal Secret Method, initiating the fusion of the two energy systems. This time, the results were monumental. In a matter of two years, he completely shattered the bottleneck of the Pulsar level and successfully broke through to become a Black Hole level cosmic lifeform.
The embryonic form of a Black Hole had already taken shape within the small world of his body and reached a relatively stable state. But unlike ordinary Black Hole level beings, thin threads of Immortal Force coiled within his Black Hole.
It was a force said to devour time and space, yet it was unable to completely consume the Immortal Force lingering within it. Li Xiaofei was more than satisfied.
He ended his seclusion. Right at that moment, a global event occurred on Earth No. 1818. It was an unprecedented incident that sent shockwaves through the entire planet and overturned the worldviews of countless people.