A heated discussion quickly exploded across the internet.
Within less than half an hour, official photos were released showing Emperor Sanses meeting with the Fog Star envoy. The Fog Star envoy had pale blue hair and sharply defined features; every gesture exuded unparalleled elegance.
The ruler of Fog Star did not come this time, reportedly due to health reasons. Instead, a marshal—second only to the monarch in status—was sent to establish diplomatic relations. Unlike the Galan Empire, which had an Investigation Department, Fog Star people valued the bonds formed through bloodlines. As the highest-ranking commander, the marshal held vast powers with almost no checks.
The goals of both parties were clear. Every child born on Fog Star was meticulously registered. The sudden appearance of this child reminded them of a gene bank theft case from over a decade ago, when star pirates had infiltrated under the cover of chaos. Over the years, Fog Star had continuously engaged in cross-sex gene reproduction research, and their reproductive technology was nearly perfected, yet they still couldn’t create life artificially. Thus, they had not invested effort in pursuing the case—until now.
With old grievances renewed, Fog Star was prepared to deal a decisive blow to the arrogant star pirates. One aim of establishing diplomatic ties with Galan Star was to jointly combat the star pirates, but more importantly, to enlist help in searching for the missing child.
The Galan Empire, on the other hand, had its eyes on Fog Star’s cutting-edge technology. Contributing a bit of effort in exchange for favor was a very worthwhile deal.
Inside the royal palace—
All high-ranking officials dared not be absent today. Even Yise had left the command center. Nearly all the military personnel stood with him, while Xie Ruanjue led the opposing faction—lines were clearly drawn. Chiefs of staff, senators, and even the long-inactive Chief of Justice were present. Sanses trusted the Investigation Department more, leaving the Justice Department in an awkward position.
All guards on duty today possessed at least double-S level spiritual power. Facing equally powerful Fog Star guests, security could not afford to slack.
The Deputy Chief secretly observed the Fog Star envoy, becoming more certain of Shen Ningze’s identity.
Several influential figures who had received prior messages from him exchanged glances—they also thought the resemblance was uncanny.
The Fog Star Marshal, Land, said, “Our monarch deeply regrets being unable to attend this visit.”
Emperor Sanses gave a slight nod and offered a polite reply.
As the Deputy Chief was pondering how to bring up Shen Ningze, the Fog Star Marshal proactively mentioned one of the purposes of his visit.
“Your Majesty, do you recall a large-scale war with strange beasts over a decade ago?”
Of course Sanses did. Fog Star had even ordered a batch of weapons back then.
The Marshal continued with the gene bank theft: “We suspect the thief succeeded in using that opportunity to create a living being.”
Sanses’s gaze flickered at those words, immediately thinking of the living specimen case.
Star pirates didn’t have the ability to create life; they were likely hired. The timing coincided with Fog Star’s weapons order—someone must have seized the opportunity amid the chaos.
At this moment, the Justice Chief suddenly stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, one of the candidates recently selected for the energy chamber has displayed atavistic traits, bearing similarities to the Fog Star envoy.” He paused, then added, “Judging by age, Shen Ningze—the victim in the living specimen case—was likely born during that time.”
The Fog Star Marshal narrowed his eyes. “Living specimen case?”
“A year ago, General Yise led forces to destroy a living specimen lab and rescued many victims. Shen Ningze was one of the few survivors.”
The Justice Chief kept it vague. Xilin Group’s staff included talents from other empires. As long as the case was framed as collusion between foreign criminals and domestic extremists, the Galan Empire could wash its hands clean.
The Fog Star envoy showed intense interest, not even hiding his eagerness as he looked toward Sanses. “We wish to see this atavist.”
Sanses glanced at the Justice Chief. For some reason, this look sent a chill down the man’s spine.
The Marshal requested repeatedly, and Sanses found it difficult to refuse. He nodded to Xie Ruanjue.
Xie Ruanjue immediately began arrangements, stepping aside to summon a trusted subordinate: “Bring Shen Ningze here.”
Xie Ruanjue now understood why the Deputy Chief had been so close to the Justice Department lately. Their joint recommendation of Shen Ningze for the energy chamber must be tied to this.
When Fog Star ordered weapons, Xie Ruanjue had just joined the Investigation Department. If they were targeting that specific time… the face of Su Cha flashed in his mind. There might be more than one possibility. With his sharp insight, Xie Ruanjue immediately sensed that Shen Ningze’s sudden awakening was far too deliberate.
He closed his eyes briefly, concealing the chill in them.
He hadn’t expected these seasoned bureaucrats to be so foolish. If Shen Ningze turned out to be from Fog Star, it would be manageable—but if it were Su Cha, that would be the real trouble.
Though His Majesty said nothing openly, he had been watching Su Cha’s development. Healing powers were incredibly rare. From Su Cha’s current behavior, his character seemed good as well. In the future, he could be a counterweight against the plutocrats, or a major asset to the empire’s military or other departments.
With Sanses’s orders issued, no one dared delay. Shen Ningze was soon brought to the palace.
The chance to change his fate and completely escape Luan Zheng’s control was right before him. Shen Ningze suppressed his excitement the whole way—but the Fog Star envoy was even more tense, his muscles unnaturally rigid.
Finally, Shen Ningze entered the Fog Star envoy’s line of sight.
With just a glance, the envoy’s expression shifted rapidly—like turning a page. But they were accustomed to emotionless faces, and the fleeting change went mostly unnoticed.
Hoping to gain sympathy, Shen Ningze timidly looked up, as if he’d suffered a great injustice.
The Marshal remained indifferent, not even glancing at him. Instead, he looked at the Justice Chief and asked coldly, “Where is the resemblance?”
Shen Ningze froze. His matching hair and eye color seemed to mean nothing to them.
The Justice Chief quickly responded: “His awakened talent is also quite unique.”
Shen Ningze knew this wasn’t the time to daze out. He hurriedly manipulated his spiritual power to distort space.
But the Marshal’s eyes already held a trace of killing intent. His thin lips pressed into a straight line as he said, “For this diplomatic mission, your country really prepared quite the ‘gift.’”
The sarcasm was unmistakable, and the atmosphere turned tense.
Matching hair color, spatial ability, and that phrase “recent atavism”—it wasn’t hard for the Fog Star envoy to suspect a deliberate attempt to impersonate one of their lost children.
Without any warning, the Marshal moved a finger. A gust of wind swept through. The guards instinctively reached for their guns, but Sanses calmly raised a hand to stop them.
The sheer killing intent nearly suffocated Shen Ningze. The pressure from the Fog Star envoy’s terrifying power already made him feel internal bleeding before the blow even landed. But this was the royal palace—surely they wouldn’t allow a guest to kill someone here.
Yise intervened mid-attack, yet the shockwave from the clash still roared past, as if time itself had reversed. Just like that slap Ji Tianjin had once given him outside the arena, Shen Ningze was flung into the air, spinning and tumbling before finally closing his eyes in dizziness.
An unprecedented sense of humiliation surged in his heart. He forced his eyes open, seeking help from those around him—but everyone who met his gaze quickly looked away.
…
At the same time—
Su Cha was unaware of the Fog Star delegation. His communicator was locked in a wardrobe. He was currently in an important class—combat training.
The instructor was Li Huai. He clapped his hands. “Gather up.”
No one dared delay and quickly lined up.
Li Huai needed a student to spar with for demonstration. Unfortunately, Su Cha was the unlucky one.
“Attack me with everything you’ve got.”
Su Cha: “Can I use spiritual power?”
Li Huai: “How else would you get close?”
After being looked down upon, Su Cha took a deep breath and charged at Li Huai with demonic energy enhancing his speed. His fighting style was entirely unorthodox—no formal training at all.
“Focus. I left three openings and only used 40% of my strength.” Li Huai was merciless in training. “Use your brain.”
Su Cha tried a low sweep to trip him, but Li Huai reacted faster and flipped him over with a shoulder throw.
“Again.” Li Huai used him as a cautionary example. “Even a bit of care would’ve exposed the bent knee as a feint. Watch out for fake-outs during real combat.”
Su Cha got up and launched another full-force attack. Li Huai barked, “Did you not eat?”
This time, instead of throwing Su Cha again, Li Huai suddenly moved past him and unexpectedly lunged at Ji Tianjin’s throat. Su Cha’s pupils shrank and instinctively blocked—just half a beat too slow—and crashed into Li Huai’s side.
Li Huai raised an eyebrow. “So you do have good reflexes.”
When he tried to grab Su Cha’s wrist again for another throw, Su Cha—now riled up—dodged it. Li Huai was surprised. He hadn’t even seen how Su Cha did it.
This wasn’t the first time Su Cha had subconsciously used spatial powers. Compared to the time he tied up Ji Tianjin, this time he didn’t faint—his shallow awakening had further enhanced his physical condition.
…
Once wasn’t enough—Marshal Land seemed determined to kill.
Earlier, he had only used thirty percent of his strength. This time, he held nothing back. Yise frowned and glanced at Sanses on the high seat, hesitating whether it was still worth stepping in.
Or maybe… just let Shen Ningze die here.
Just then, the tense atmosphere within the royal palace took a sudden turn.
The marshal suddenly stood up sharply. Thinking he was about to finally drop all pretenses and strike, the surrounding soldiers immediately raised their guard.
But Land said something baffling: “He’s here.”
His deep blue eyes locked on Sanses: “That child is here. Take me to him.”
Sanses remained unmoved: “This is Galan Star. Do you mean to turn the entire empire upside down?”
The mood plummeted again, like a rollercoaster plunging down.
“Seems like your country has no real intention of establishing diplomatic relations.” Land’s expression was cold as his gaze swept over Shen Ningze. “You even brought out a fake to try and deceive us.”
The words were merciless. Shen Ningze fell from the air, coughing up blood. He swayed unsteadily, completely unable to figure out what had gone wrong.
His Majesty’s reaction was also strange. He might have guessed Su Cha’s origins, but had shown no intention of letting the other meet the people from Fog Star.
Land didn’t insist again. In the few quiet minutes that followed, all the warships surrounding the Galan Empire entered combat readiness. At the same time, soldiers fighting in the interstellar battlefield received orders and began rushing toward Galan.
As a similarly powerful star, the Galan Empire responded immediately—air defense systems were activated, and warships at the border faced off against Fog Star forces.
It was only then that Xie Rongjue stepped forward, speaking slowly: “Your Majesty, I might know where the person they’re looking for is.”
This was a tacit understanding among rulers. All of Su Cha’s friends were on Galan Star—it was impossible for him to feel nothing for this place. The looming threat of war showed how seriously the emperor took him. In the end, where Su Cha would choose to stay remained uncertain.
Giving a signal to the royal guards, Shen Ningze, who had just been politely invited, was suddenly detained. Xie Rongjue led the group toward the affiliated high school.
…
Su Cha’s spatial abilities were unreliable. In the end, he didn’t escape being pinned to the ground with one hand by Li Huai.
After him, Ji Tianjin took over the role of “punching bag.” Ji Tianjin could endure a lot and managed to last more rounds under Li Huai’s hands. Soon, it was time for free sparring. Being a “punching bag” had its benefits—Su Cha improved faster than most.
His opponent looked very strong, but Su Cha wasn’t afraid. The two clashed back and forth with no clear winner for the moment.
He was having fun, completely unaware that the Emperor of Galan, several senior officials, the Marshal of Fog Star, and his soldiers were already very close by.
When they reached the majestic eagle statue at the academy gate, the usually stoic marshal gave a perfect demonstration of what it meant to have a “pupil quake.”
“This is… a military academy?”
Sanses was confused by his reaction: “Your country doesn’t have one?”
“How could you let him attend a military academy?” The marshal’s gaze was intense. “The purer the bloodline, the more fragile the child is before adulthood. Putting him here—isn’t that sentencing him to death?”
There was no need to hide this. In Fog Star, a child with pure blood might not be born once in a century. Even if others knew, they couldn’t use it as a weakness.
Sanses, expressionless, thought: Not only did we put him in military school, we even took him to run around a desert on a desolate star.
Seeing His Majesty’s face up close, the guards forcibly suppressed their excitement. The group had arrived suddenly, the aircraft flying at top speed. The principal had only just been notified and came out personally to receive them.
Sanses: “Where is Su Cha?”
The principal showed no surprise and quietly led the way.
The marshal quickened his steps, unable to imagine what torment the poor child had endured without their knowledge. When they passed the dormitories and saw the labels for student apartments, his brows nearly twisted into a knot.
…Too small.
“Can you even fit a 100-square-meter bed in there?”
This remark left the people of Galan speechless. They thought he was picking a fight for no reason. Only the usually silent Yise remembered the first time he met Su Cha:
“The bed has to be 1.8 meters wide.”
“Okay then, 10 meters I can accept, forget about 100 meters.”
Thinking back, perhaps those words weren’t random. Maybe Su Cha retained some memories of his origin.
As he was lost in thought, they reached the training field.
A cheer erupted in the distance.
Taking advantage of his opponent’s unstable stance, Su Cha swept his leg and successfully knocked down someone much stronger than himself. His opponent didn’t look too pleased about losing to such a little guy.
Su Cha rolled up his sleeves and hooked a finger: “Not convinced? One more round. I’ll knock you flat.”
Looking up, sweat trickled from his forehead to his chin, some even rolling past his Adam’s apple. He had missed out on a spot in the energy chamber and was feeling a bit frustrated—this was a good way to blow off steam.
“What’s the matter? I’m asking if you dare or not.”
Under the blazing sun, his pale and delicate appearance stood in stark contrast to his cocky attitude.
As the class bell rang, and without classroom discipline to bind them, the onlookers began to cheer: “Knock him down! Knock him down!”
Fighting was the best way to vent emotions. Su Cha was getting into it, shouting: “Life and death mean nothing—if you’re not convinced, fight me!”
His opponent struck a nerve: “Weren’t you the one almost blown away by strong wind on the first day of school?”
Su Cha’s smile vanished. After three awakenings, he was no longer the fragile type he’d once been. It was time to break everyone’s bias. He grabbed a heavy obstacle in the middle of the field and declared with heroic flair: “Today, I’ll show everyone a family heirloom technique— Smashing a giant stone on my chest!”
A cloud passed over the sun. The emperor of Galan and the Fog Star delegation all stared at the loud, expressive Su Cha.
They couldn’t help but glance at the graceful, elegant Fog Star people who carried themselves with innate nobility, and thought: This has to be a mistake.
He definitely looks like one of Galan’s kids.
The training field was full of students, but in the eyes of the Fog Star delegation, all they could see was that small, fragile figure desperately trying to prove himself. When they looked at this “cruel” place, only one thought came to mind: Let it burn.
The crowd kept jeering. Li Huai had been smiling while watching the students mess around but suddenly sensed something. He looked up—and when he saw that His Majesty had arrived without notice, he immediately knew something serious had happened.
Perhaps the pressure from the other side was too intense. Even without anyone releasing psychic force, the students gradually quieted.
Su Cha followed Li Huai’s line of sight—and met the sorrowful eyes of the Fog Star delegation.
Though they had never met before, a strange sense of familiarity rose within him. A wild guess surfaced uncontrollably in his mind. Su Cha’s eyes widened.
With a smack, the giant stone in his hand crashed to the ground.
