Chapter 81

He had consumed about 700 points, leaving 1800 points.

That meant he could perform 18 simulations.

That was enough.

Since he had enough wealth points, there was nothing more to say.

He would go in and try to see what was different about the Second-Rank!

After entering.

It was the same all-white world.

But this time there were more types of components, and many more advanced ones—the kind only used on frigates!

Furthermore, the most important thing was…

It unlocked training for higher qualities!

Above red excellent quality, there was pink perfect!

Of course.

There was actually more above pink perfect quality.

It was just that it wasn't something Xu Zi'an could understand yet.

However, unlocking the frigate evolution training and the pink perfect quality training…

Also signaled that.

The Cuican.

Had officially entered the era of perfect quality!

Without further ado.

Excited, Xu Zi'an immediately began his simulation learning.

……

One hour later in reality.

Xu Zi'an exited the simulation world with a blank gaze.

His numb expression showed not a trace of the excitement he had before entering.

In the simulation world, the training time was still one year.

But!!!

The difficulty of evolving a frigate exceeded his imagination!

The difficulty of pink perfect quality was even hellish!

A full year of time.

Would you believe he crazily simulated and learned for a full year?

On the last day…

He actually failed when evolving the Cuican’s quality?

The reason he chose to use the Cuican to evolve quality.

Was not that he didn't want to use a frigate.

But if he used a frigate, that would be even harder!

Even using the Cuican he was most familiar with to evolve quality ended in failure, with the Cuican’s quality decreasing instead of increasing, dropping from red excellent to green fine…

Some components even developed cracks and were scrapped because the evolution plan wasn't perfect or rigorous enough.

Perhaps the only thing to be thankful for was that on the last day of that year, the Cuican only dropped in quality and didn't turn into a pile of scrap metal or explode entirely.

After all, before this, it was either scrap metal or an explosion every time.

So… this could be considered a kind of progress, right?

Xu Zi'an comforted himself with a bitter smile.

It seems.

He was truly being whimsical.

Thinking that with the system, becoming a Second-Rank, Third-Rank, or even higher-rank evolutionist would be easy and effortless?

Now it seems.

He had overestimated himself.

And underestimated the evolutionists of the entire universe!

They all had such immense difficulties.

Those old evolutionists who were thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years old…

Why did he think he could easily catch up to them?

It seems.

First-Rank is truly just the entry level for an evolutionist.

Red excellent is also just the entry level for quality… right?

Xu Zi'an was left feeling unconfident by this incident.

He shook his head and sighed softly.

He had thought over 1800 wealth points was a lot.

Now it seems…

It might not even be enough to fully master the knowledge of the Second-Rank evolutionist level.

He still had to earn money fiercely.

He stopped thinking about it.

He closed his eyes.

And began to sleep.

The day after tomorrow.

He would set off for the Shenzhou Academy.

This would likely be the last time he returned to the Solar System for a very long time.

For these two days, he would do nothing and think of nothing.

He would just take a good stroll around this planet that had nurtured him in his past and present lives.

And the star system that had nurtured him.

Beside Neptune in the Solar System.

A silvery-white, desolate satellite was leisurely orbiting Neptune.

This was Triton.

One of the Solar System’s garbage planets.

Every thousand years, a comprehensive decomposition and degradation of the garbage would take place.

So there was no need to worry about the situation where garbage piled up like mountains and the planet wasn't enough.

Garbage piled up like mountains, and among it were many materials from space shuttles, spacecraft, and starships.

If one could scavenge some, they could sell them for a lot of money.

Thus.

Garbage planet scavengers emerged as the times required.

The Batian Gang, don't look at the name as being so domineering and chuunibyou.

It was just a… garbage-collecting gang on Triton made up of scavengers.

However, where there are people, there is a jianghu; the garbage-collecting gang would control an area, and all the garbage in this area belonged to them.

Others could come to scavenge, but they had to pay a share.

For example, the Seventh-Generation Shensuanzi Star Crystal Optical Computer from the Federal Optical Computer Technology Company that Xu Zi'an had scavenged back then was supposed to be handed over to the Batian Gang.

But… he had swallowed it himself.

I scavenged it myself, why should I give it to you!

At this time.

Triton, the garbage area controlled by the Batian Gang.

Above the garbage piles, one dilapidated spacecraft after another was rummaging through the garbage.

There was too, too much garbage in here.

Every day, garbage ships from all directions would dump garbage all over Triton.

At this moment, inside the spacecraft of the Batian Gang leader, Skinny Dog.

“Gang leader, that Xu Zi'an, was he really a scavenger like us before?”

Inside Skinny Dog’s spacecraft, a young man’s voice asked, filled with curiosity and disbelief.

Skinny Dog snorted.

He had repeated this many times over the past few days.

He even boasted about it to his friends, relatives, and family.

“Of course!”

Skinny Dog said triumphantly: “Back then, Xu Zi'an and I were good brothers! Good brothers, you know?”

“Not only did he scavenge here, he was also a member of our Batian Gang!”

“You just joined us recently, so you don’t know. If you don’t believe me, ask the old members of the gang; who doesn’t know about this?”

Skinny Dog’s words made the other person gasp.

His tone was filled with incredulity and envy: “I didn’t expect you to actually know Xu Zi'an, Gang Leader!”

“My god! He is the recognized pride of our Solar System!”

“This time he got the unprecedented national top score, and I even heard he’s a member of the Evolutionist Association!”

“An eighteen-year-old national top scorer and a registered evolutionist of the Evolutionist Association… this is too awesome…”

“I’m so envious that you’ve actually spoken to Xu Zi'an!”

The other person’s words greatly satisfied Skinny Dog’s vanity.

But at this moment, a discordant voice rang out from the communicator.

“Skinny Dog, are you bragging about your relationship with Xu Zi'an again?”

“Why do you brag every day? Did Xu Zi'an have anything to do with you before?”

“It’s true he was a scavenger before, and he did come to our Triton.”

“But when was he ever sworn brothers with you, Skinny Dog?”

“Hey you, Skinny Dog is good for nothing but bragging, come to our Zhantian Gang!”

Hearing this voice and his words, Skinny Dog was immediately furious.

However, before he could retort…

Suddenly, a series of curses erupted from the communicator.

“Hiss… holy crap!”

“Is that a starship?”

“How could this starship come to Triton?”

“Holy crap, I recognize it, I recognize it! I’ve seen the video! This is the Cuican! Xu Zi'an’s Cuican!”

“Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, Xu Zi'an is here???”

These scavengers were all uncultured.

A single ‘holy crap’ spanned the universe.

But it was enough to express their inner shock.

Skinny Dog’s lean face froze abruptly.

He was just bragging…

How did he actually come here!

He looked up.

The Cuican’s exterior was elegant and beautiful, but beneath its hidden beautiful appearance, it seemed to hide a prehistoric beast.

It made people unable to stop feeling awe.

“Skinny Dog, long time no see.”

Xu Zi'an’s voice suddenly rang out in everyone’s communicators.

Skinny Dog’s face was as stiff as if it had been frozen. Hearing this, he forced a stiff smile and replied: “Good… good… I’ve been doing well lately…”

“Hehe, I’m leaving the Solar System tomorrow. I just came to see the place where I once worked hard and struggled. You don’t need to worry about me, continue with your work.”

Xu Zi'an said with a smile, and then they saw the four engine nozzles at the back of the Cuican, where light blue flames pushed the Cuican forward, and then it left directly.

In an instant, it disappeared without a trace.

Long after the Cuican left, Skinny Dog wiped the sweat from his forehead.

But then he suddenly laughed, look…

The capital for bragging has arrived again!

Today, I spoke to the Cuican prodigy Xu Zi'an again!

The Cuican prodigy Xu Zi'an even said my name, Skinny Dog!

Accompanied by the new gang member’s desperate shout of ‘The Gang Leader is awesome!!!’, Skinny Dog’s vanity was satisfied as never before.

……

On this day.

Xu Zi'an went to many places.

All places he had been to before.

And he said goodbye to several familiar people.

Xiong An, the two vice-presidents, etc.

Finally, Xu Zi'an came to his parents’ graves, lit three sticks of incense, paid his respects, then turned resolutely and strode away.

With this departure.

It is unknown what year it will be when he returns.

The Solar System…

Was ultimately too small.

He might return in the future, but at least within ten years…

He probably won’t return to the Solar System again.

Because in this interstellar era, humans have an average lifespan of eight hundred years.

University is no longer four years.

But ten years.

Two years per semester, five semesters in total.

Actually, this is still considered very short.

Especially for biological starship captains.

Not to mention others, just take Xu Zi'an himself.

Now at the Fifth-Rank Warrior realm, he feels he can definitely live for one thousand to one thousand two hundred years.

Ten years… is nothing.

Besides, what should be taught and learned during university can be learned within ten years.

If you still can’t learn it within ten years…

Then that can only be said to be your own reason.

Ten years later, graduation.

Actually, don’t look at it as a full ten years.

But in reality, sometimes after accepting a school mission and going out to execute it, it takes several months.

Ten years is really not long.

At night.

Xu Zi'an slept comfortably in his own home, in his own bed.

He showered and changed clothes.

No more hesitation.

He got up and left.

He had no luggage to pack.

— Author's Notes —

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