Chapter 312: Worthy of Being the Man I Set My Eyes On

The dazzling light gradually dissipated, and what appeared before everyone was a sphere emitting a faint blue glow, hovering quietly in midair like a miniature star.

The Xingling xue zhe pointed at it with trembling hands. "This is... the Star Core, the key that controls all interstellar energy!"

"Holy shit! We're rich!" Xingji Xiake couldn't help but swear, rubbing his hands together, eyes gleaming as if he could already see countless star coins waving at him.

"Control interstellar energy..." Zhang Cheng murmured to himself, an indescribable sense of responsibility welling up in his heart.

The power of this thing was too immense—enough to reshape the entire interstellar order.

Guangming Shizhe gently held Zhang Cheng's hand and said softly, "What do you want to do with it?"

Zhang Cheng took a deep breath, his gaze firm. "Restore peace to the interstellar realm, and let all planets share in the energy!"

"Heh, how naive!" the Lan Xing merchant scoffed. "With power this great, holding it in your own hands is what matters! Sell it to the Interstellar Alliance, or on the black market—either way, we'd be filthy rich overnight!"

"You're full of shit!" Xingji Xiake leapt to his feet the moment he heard this, pointing at the Lan Xing merchant's nose and cursing. "This concerns the entire interstellar realm—how could you trade it away!"

"Hmph, a bunch of fools!" The Lan Xing merchant rolled his eyes. "All you know is shouting slogans. Without star coins, what are you going to use to maintain peace?"

Just as everyone was deadlocked in argument, the starship captain's expression suddenly changed. He pointed at the screen and exclaimed, "Unknown starships are approaching! There are a lot of them!"

An invisible pressure weighed on everyone's hearts.

The Star Core's energy fluctuations had already drawn the attention of other factions, and a battle for it was about to erupt.

"What do we do now?" Guangming Shizhe looked at Zhang Cheng with worry.

Zhang Cheng's expression was grave. He surveyed everyone and said in a deep voice, "No matter what, the Star Core must not fall into the hands of evildoers!"

Suddenly, a bizarre energy fluctuation rippled from afar, and the starship's alarm blared piercingly.

"Oh no, it's the Black Shark Pirate Band!" the starship captain exclaimed.

"Black Shark..." Zhang Cheng narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.

And Xingyun Zhizhe, who had remained silent all along, now slowly began to speak...

Xingyun Zhizhe spoke slowly, his voice low yet carrying an unquestionable authority: "Friends, the power of the Star Core concerns the fate of the interstellar realm—how could it be reduced to a bargaining chip for trade? Young friend Zhang Cheng harbors the whole realm in his heart, wishing to use the Star Core's power to maintain interstellar peace. This is an act of great righteousness, and I, old as I am, am willing to lend my full support!" He paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone before finally settling on the Lan Xing merchant, his tone carrying a hint of warning: "Merchants pursue profit—that is understandable—but if greed blinds you and you disregard the safety of the interstellar realm, you will surely reap what you sow!"

Xingyun Zhizhe's prestige was extremely high. His words were like an anchor, and those who had been wavering all expressed their support for Zhang Cheng.

The Lan Xing merchant's face turned ashen, yet he dared not retort. He could only grit his teeth in secret, scheming how to profit from the situation.

Just then, the starship shook violently, and the alarm sounded through the heavens.

"Enemy attack! It's the Black Shark Pirate Band!" The starship captain's voice carried a trace of panic.

"Fuck! These rotten fish and shrimp sure have sharp noses!" Xingji Xiake cursed as he charged out, leading the starship warriors to meet the enemy.

The Black Shark Pirate Band was numerous, swarming toward the starship like locusts.

Xingji Xiake was bold and skilled, charging at the forefront. The energy sword in his hand was like the Death God's scythe, reaping the enemies' lives.

"That's it? Black Shark only sent these scrubs? I can take them down one-handed!" he shouted arrogantly, but failed to notice that the pirates were retreating in a planned manner, luring him toward a dark stellar region.

"Xiake, careful! It's a trap!" Guangming Shizhe cried out anxiously.

Xingji Xiake only realized it then, but it was already too late. The surrounding space suddenly distorted, forming a massive energy vortex that trapped him inside.

"Damn it! These bastards are playing dirty!" He cursed, and relying on his rich combat experience, barely managed to stabilize his footing. The energy sword in his hand flared brilliantly as he tried to slash a way out.

Just as Xingji Xiake was about to break free, the pirates revealed sinister smiles.

"Hehe, the real show is just beginning..." one gaunt man said with a cold, eerie tone.

Before the gaunt man's words had even faded, a figure flashed out from the pirate flagship like a phantom.

The figure was tall and burly, radiating a suffocating aura of oppression. In his hand, a massive battle axe flickered with an eerie green glow.

"You petty lackeys dare to set your sights on the Star Core?" His voice was deep, like a ferocious beast roaring.

"Damn! This BOSS shows up with his own aura!" Xingji Xiake couldn't help but quip.

He knew he'd run into a tough opponent—that presence was unmistakably an ace warrior!

The ace warrior didn't waste words at all. With a swing of his giant axe, a sharp energy blade cleaved through space, heading straight for Xingji Xiake.

Xingji Xiake hastily raised his sword to block, but felt a tremendous force transmit through, numbing his grip to the point of tingling.

"Shit! This strength is at least two levels above mine!" He was secretly alarmed and quickly activated defense mode, barely holding back the ace warrior's storm-like assault.

The starship warriors also joined the battle one after another, but the ace warrior was simply too powerful. They were no match at all and were instantly suppressed.

"Brothers, hold the line! I refuse to believe this guy is invincible!" Xingji Xiake gritted his teeth, swinging his sword faster and faster, yet still unable to break through the ace warrior's defense.

Just as everyone was about to hold on no longer, the Xingling xue zhe shouted excitedly, "It worked! I've cracked part of the device's functions—I can use the energy fluctuations to temporarily boost your combat power!" With that, he activated the device, and a powerful energy fluctuation instantly spread outward, enveloping Xingji Xiake and the starship warriors.

"Yo! Let's go!" Xingji Xiake felt his entire body brimming with power. The energy sword in his hand blazed brightly, forcing the ace warrior back with a single strike.

"Come on! Today I'll show you what performing beyond your limits looks like!" he shouted excitedly, as if pumped full of adrenaline, switching from defense to offense and driving the ace warrior into a steady retreat.

The pirates were alarmed at the sight.

"How... how is this possible!" The gaunt man stared in disbelief, eyes wide.

The ace warrior was their greatest trump card—and he was being suppressed?

Seeing the ace warrior about to lose, the Black Shark pirate leader's face darkened, and he slammed his fist hard against the console.

"Damn it! Activate the backup plan!" he said through gritted teeth... Guangming Shizhe watched the battle tensely from the side, her eyes always following Zhang Cheng.

He... Guangming Shizhe watched the battle tensely from the side, her eyes always following Zhang Cheng.

He calmly commanded the starship, as if everything were under his control.

Seeing this, Guangming Shizhe's eyes filled with trust and admiration, and she muttered under her breath, "He's worthy of being the man I set my eyes on—this play was smooth as hell!"

Xingji Xiake was like an unstoppable force, the energy sword in his hand flashing up and down, forcibly driving the ace warrior into a corner.

"Keep acting tough! Keep strutting! Now you know how awesome your daddy is!" He kept up his taunting even while dishing out attacks, his smug attitude so over the top that even Guangming Shizhe couldn't help but cover her face.

"Don't get cocky! Watch out for a last-minute upset!" Zhang Cheng's voice rang out at just the right moment, reminding everyone not to let their guard down.

Sure enough, just when everyone thought victory was in hand, the pirate flagship suddenly activated some kind of device, and a powerful energy fluctuation swept toward them.

"What the hell?!" Xingji Xiake, caught off guard, was sent flying by the energy fluctuation.

"Oh no! It's a space-jump device! They're going to escape!" Xingyun Zhizhe's expression changed drastically, and he hastily warned everyone.

"Want to run? No way!" Zhang Cheng snorted coldly, immediately ordering pursuit.

Although they had temporarily repulsed the pirates, everyone knew this was only the beginning.

How to truly use the star core device remained unclear.

At that moment, the starship's detector picked up a mysterious signal coming from deep space.

The signal's frequency was highly unusual, unlike any known civilization.

"What the heck is this?" Xingling xue zhe stared at the jumping waveform on the screen, brows furrowed.

"Friend or foe?" the Lan Xing merchant's eyes flashed with shrewdness; this sudden signal let him sniff out a hint of business opportunity, while also feeling a vague unease.

The starship captain decisively ordered: "Trace the signal source!" Zhang Cheng gazed into the depths of space, his eyes deep: "Set out." Suddenly, Xingling xue zhe exclaimed: "Wait! This… this signal…"