The Supreme Council Hall of the Blue Star Federation was shrouded in a shadow of despair, cast by the SSSS-rank behemoth codenamed "Leviathan." The five chiefs' hearts had turned to ash, and they had even braced for the worst-case scenario: the annihilation of their civilization.
Just then, a sudden, crisp electronic notification sound shattered the dead silence.
"BEEP—!"
On the central mainframe in the middle of the hall, a conspicuous red warning box suddenly lit up.
"Warning! A high-intensity encrypted information stream from an unknown source has been detected. Requesting access to the Federation's main databank server!"
"What?!"
The five chiefs snapped to attention, their gazes locking onto the central mainframe in unison.
'An unknown source? One that can bypass all our defense systems and directly request access to the databank?'
The expression of Chief "Tianji" changed. He knew exactly what this meant. The other party's technological level was far beyond Blue Star's scope of comprehension.
"Intercept it! Intercept it now!"
he commanded instinctively.
"Unable to intercept!"
The mainframe's synthetic voice responded coldly. "The opposing party's information stream is using an encryption protocol we cannot parse... Warning! The party has forcibly bypassed the verification protocol... Accessing... Access successful."
The entire process was effortlessly smooth and utterly domineering. The firewall that the Blue Star Federation had been so proud of was as fragile as paper before them.
The next moment, a calm and steady male baritone voice echoed clearly from the hall's amplification system, reaching everyone's ears.
"Greetings, nascent Blue Star Civilization. We are from the Cosmic Human Empire."
The opening line was a bolt from the blue, instantly causing the five chiefs' minds to go completely blank.
'The Cosmos?'
'A Human Empire?!'
Before they could recover from the immense shock of this information, the voice continued in its unhurried tone:
"Our objective is to spread the Martial Dao to the nascent Blue Star Civilization, help you clean up the 'Creatures of Ten Thousand Races' that have emerged from that Subspace Rift, and ultimately, help you complete your civilizational integration with the greater Human Empire."
"What you call the 'Earth Caves' are, in truth, a Subspace Rift. And what you call 'ferocious beasts' are various beings from the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races."
"As a sign of our sincerity, we should mention that our exploration vessel has been stationed in Blue Star's synchronous orbit for about a month now.
Of course, with your current level of technology, you are incapable of detecting our presence."
"Relevant files, including *A Comprehensive History of the Empire*, *Introduction to Spiritual Technology and Its Applications*, *A Detailed Guide to Elementary Martial Dao*, and *The Empire's Standard Body Refining Technique*, have been sent to your databank.
The file formats have undergone automatic adaptive conversion. Please accept them."
With that, the message came to an abrupt end.
A long, deathly silence descended upon the entire council hall.
The five chiefs looked at one another, their faces a mixture of shock, confusion, and deep suspicion.
'Interstellar colonization?'
'An elaborate hoax orchestrated by a hostile power?'
'Or just an exceptionally cruel prank?'
Countless thoughts flashed through their minds.
But in the next instant, they simultaneously cast all these chaotic thoughts aside.
Because they no longer had a choice.
Behind them was the SSSS-rank behemoth capable of destroying their civilization.
Before them was this message from the "Cosmic Human Empire," which could be either their salvation or their abyss.
'It's a desperate gamble, but it's all we have!'
"So what if it's interstellar colonization?!"
Chief "Thunder God" gritted his teeth and roared, "As long as we can preserve the embers of our Blue Star Civilization, being colonized is still better than being devoured completely by those monsters!"
His words voiced what everyone was thinking.
"Tianji, access the files they sent over, now!"
Chief "Panshi" ordered decisively.
"Yes, sir!"
Tianji quickly got to work. Soon, a series of files with unheard-of titles appeared on the holographic screen in the center of the hall.
His gaze was immediately drawn to the file titled *The Empire's Standard Body Refining Technique*.
After just a quick glance, his breathing suddenly became ragged.
"This... How is this possible?!"
"What is it?"
The other four chiefs immediately gathered around.
"Look at this!"
Tianji pointed at the screen, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "This Body Refining Technique... it's perfectly tailor-made for humans! It explains in detail how to train every part of the body through a scientific, step-by-step method. Its sophistication is simply unimaginable!"
"Most importantly, the balance it strikes between developing the body's potential and the strain it incurs corresponds perfectly to our existing C-rank, B-rank, and A-rank Martial Artist levels! As long as one follows the methods here, with sufficient nutrition and rest, there would be almost no damage to the body!"
At these words, everyone's eyes widened.
This was the fundamental problem that had plagued the Blue Star Martial Arts Realm for a century, the very issue that had left even S-rank experts like them riddled with hidden injuries!
And now, the answer was laid out before them, just like that.
Just then, the voice from the Cosmos sounded once more.
"This Body Refining Technique, and all the knowledge provided, are shared free of charge. Therefore, please trust in our sincerity. Now, for the most efficient resolution of the current crisis, please temporarily transfer supreme command of the Blue Star Civilization to us."
The statement was delivered in a tone that left no room for argument.
The five chiefs exchanged a glance. In each other's eyes, they all saw the same resolution.