Chapter 520: Arrival of the Three Races

On the other hand, the empire of stars' research on genetic lifeforms and their biology was so detailed that the Yeluo chieftain could hardly believe what he was reading.

The empire of stars was particularly advanced when it came to biological research both with regards to the sura and to genetic lifeforms at large, and it would certainly have synergy with the Yeluo's research into herbalism.

Much of the biological research had been performed by no less than the monarch of stars himself.

Zhang Lie said, "The empire of stars is far beyond us in terms of biological research. Do you think it's feasible that their grafting methods will be applicable to the hunters of Renhuang?"

The Yeluo chieftain perused the research materials for long moments. "The records are detailed, so learning how to perform the procedure won't be a problem. We don't have skilled specialists for such procedures, but our advances in herbalism should be able to make up for it. It's only a matter of time, and whether there are hunters brave enough to be willing to give it a try."

Zhang Lie thought it over for a moment. "It might be a risky endeavor, but I think some hunters will be willing to do it for augmented strength. Take any volunteers who are willing to give the procedure a try.

"I understand, Governor!"

"Will this research be useful?" Zhang Lie continued, handing the Yeluo chieftain the monarch of stars' work on souls and spiritual matter.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The Yeluo chieftain frowned as he scanned its contents. "Spiritual matter? Soulshards are formed from condensation of spiritual essence, another facet of spiritual matter... the researcher responsible for this had to be a once-in-a-lifetime genius," he murmured.

Lunacy and genius were two sides of the same coin, after all.

"Governor, do you know who authored this work?" If it were possible, the Yeluo chieftain wanted to meet this researcher for himself. It would be a waste of talent to kill him or to leave him among the sura; he should be brought back to Renhuang at any cost.

"It was the monarch of stars."

"The monarch of stars?!"

"That's right. Well? Will this research be useful?"

The Yeluo chieftain chuckled bitterly. "I can't say. These notes were written by a genius researcher, but I can hardly claim to be one such. It doesn't look too difficult to comprehend, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to make practical use of it. If you don't mind me being honest, I'm not sure anyone in Renhuang could."

"It's a shame, then."

Zhang Lie felt as though he had acquired the rights to a gold mine without being able to mine gold from it. Spiritual essence was truly a mysterious quantity; space, time, and the soul represented three of the deepest subjects of research in the entirety of the second realm.

The Yeluo chieftain continued, "If you want to pursue research on the soul, Governor, it's not entirely impossible. None among the Yeluo are capable of such a feat for the moment, but we can hand this task to our descendants. Now that Renhuang is flush with resources, I think we should build a facility to nurture our youth."

"A school, you mean?" Zhang Lie asked the chieftain. "How did you learn about schools?"

The Yeluo chieftain smiled. "I didn't know about these schools initially. It was only through a chance conversation with Miss Yun Bing that I learned about the existence of such facilities and the military. I think building a school in Renhuang should be of utmost importance, but Miss Yun rejected my suggestion out of hand given that we didn't have enough resources. Education is a long-term investment, after all."

Indeed, education was a long-term investment that would take immense effort and wouldn't produce any results in the short term.

To be frank, by the time an academy was established and running smoothly, Zhang Lie and the rest of Team Zenith might have advanced to the third realm already.

However, there were certainly many benefits to developing the next generation of Renhuang hunters; at the very least, Zhang Hanxiang would be able to benefit greatly from whatever investments into Renhuang's infrastructure that Zhang Lie made now.

"I'll consider this carefully. Right now, we don't have enough members of the younger generation in Renhuang to make this a priority, but I'll certainly discuss this with Yun Bing."

Just then, Yun Bing rushed toward Zhang Lie and the Yeluo chieftain. Zhang Lie turned toward her with a smile. "Ah, wonderful timing, Yun Bing! I was just mentioning you to the Yeluo chieftain."

"I apologize for interrupting, Zhang Lie, but there are representatives of three alien races here to see you!"

"Representatives from three alien races? Where are they from?"

"I don't know. They're respectively from the Lightborne, Goldherald, and Bluemoon clans, and their clan leaders are seeking an audience with you."

Zhang Lie frowned. "I've never heard of these races."

Just then, however, the Yeluo chieftain interrupted, "I've heard of them over the course of my travels.

These are races that the sura have been suppressing quite harshly lately, and the Lightborne were almost hunted to extinction because of the sura. They had no choice but to go into hiding, though I'm not sure what they could be doing here now..."

"Perhaps they're here to congratulate us for vanquishing the sura?" Yun Bing suggested.

"Well, there's one way to find out."

The world federation was shocked to learn that Zhang Lie's Renhuang had managed to vanquish no less than the empire of stars. This was impossible—it had never been done in history, and Zhang Lie had created a miracle!

Countless human hunters all over the galaxy puffed out their chests upon hearing of the news—no longer would the humans be like cattle to the sura. No, they would rise up and take control of the second realm!

Even more hunters were curious as to just how Renhuang and Zhang Lie had managed such a feat, and the hunters of Renhuang were happy to answer them.

"We all received a huge shock when the monarch of stars suddenly appeared before us."

"What? How could the monarch of stars appear right before all of you?"

Their assertions were met by stark disbelief.

"Right? I can barely believe it myself. He arrived even before his entire army did, but the champion of mankind, Zhang Lie, didn't seem to be startled at all, as though he had anticipated the monarch of stars' arrival."

Meanwhile, Zhang Lie agreed to the audience with the three clan leaders.

As expected, their biology was near-incomprehensible to humans.

The Lightborne, Goldheralds, and Bluemoon clans were from entirely different races. The Lightborne were wrapped in brilliant light, as though they were miniaturized suns. Apparently, their light was harmful to the sura, and they were targeted severely as a result.

The Goldheralds had bodies fashioned out of a golden alloy, and they too radiated golden light. Their heads were haloed, and golden wings sprouted from their backs. They were divided into four classes based on the composition of their bodies: the highest class, gold; the second, silver; the third, bronze; and the fourth, steel.

Zhang Lie was surprised to learn that such a small race nevertheless had four stark divisions.

The leader of the Goldheralds explained that the gold class currently consisted of him and his family; the silver class were their guards and some of their fighters; the bronze class were, by and large, ordinary citizens; and the steel class were the weakest of their lot.

Their composition didn't dictate their status in society, but it was a measure of their strength. In some sense, they were much like the rock spirits, who were able to grow stronger by consuming relevant ores. Furthermore, there was a class beyond gold, but none of the Goldheralds currently possessed that class.

With every generation, their composition would decay by one class.

After being expelled from contested territory by the sura, the Goldheralds were forced to leave their hometown. Once, they had consisted largely of golds and silvers, with bronzes and steels hardly anywhere to be seen, but their clash against the sura had prompted rapid deterioration among their ranks.