Chapter 302 – Supernova Ranking, War Machines, Nano Armor

“This newly discovered Elephant Deity Sect secret realm is not to be taken lightly. The danger assessment has reached SSS sub-legendary level twice, so be extremely cautious when you enter…”

Xiao Rui spoke to him with a slightly serious expression.

“Additionally, this exploration of the Elephant Deity Sect secret realm will be led by a member of the ‘Supernova’ organization, and there will be several Flying Bear Generals of the four-wings level participating…”

“Supernova organization members…”

Lu Yuan blinked and asked, “Is there any information available?”

“No, the information of every member in the Supernova organization is absolutely confidential. Except for the top levels, no one has the access level to check it. However…”

Xiao Rui said as she lightly tapped the rim of the coffee cup in her hand.

“Ding-dong-“

Lu Yuan received a new message from Xiao Rui.

“However, considering that you are expected to become a member of the Supernova organization in the future, Lord Tong has granted you temporary access.”

Lu Yuan was slightly taken aback, a hint of subtle helplessness flashing in his eyes.

He couldn’t imagine how Yuwen Tong would react if she found out he had no chance of mastering the Starry Sky martial arts.

Given Yuwen Tong’s character, it was unlikely she would demand the resources he had consumed be returned.

But the privileges he currently enjoyed would certainly be revoked, and Yuwen Tong would be extremely disappointed in him.

If it were a game, it would mean Yuwen Tong’s affection level towards him would plummet dramatically…

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Lu Yuan casually opened the information sent by Xiao Rui.

[Name: Yin Muqing

Age: ???

Natal Star Diagram Stage: ???

Comprehensive Strength Assessment: Third-stage

Battle Record: ???

Supernova Ranking: Xia State Branch Ranking-Historical Highest 12th, Current 16th

Overall Ranking-Historical Highest 77th, Current 85th]

This information was clearly processed, with many critical details not displayed. Only some less significant information was made available to Lu Yuan.

“Yin Muqing, comprehensive strength assessment, third-stage.”

Lu Yuan felt a twinge of unfamiliarity with this strength classification standard, but after a brief moment of thought, he quickly grasped it.

This third-stage is most likely based on the level of refinement of the mental light.

Level SS is the standard for first-stage mental light, level SSS is for second-stage, so third-stage would be the assessment standard above level SSS.

Apart from this, what interested Lu Yuan was a section below titled “supernova ranking.”

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and then asked Xiao Rui who was standing in front of him.

“Have you seen this information?”

Xiao Rui shook her head but then blinked meaningfully at him and said, “But if there’s anything you don’t understand, and I happen to know a bit about it, I can explain it to you.”

Catching her drift, Lu Yuan pointed out the part about the supernova ranking on the document.

Xiao Rui replied, “I forgot to tell you before, Supernova is actually a global top-tier extraordinary organization that includes all the special talents cultivating the Starry Sky martial arts worldwide.

This ranking is a comprehensive assessment based on potential and strength, with several sub-rankings and an overall ranking.

Currently, the official count of all Supernova organization members is 243. Excluding those who haven’t formed significant combat power yet, there are roughly about 120 or so…”

Based on these numbers, Lu Yuan did a quick mental calculation.

He realized that Yin Muqing, in the current global ranks of those practicing Extraterrestrial Martial Arts, is only in the mid-to-lower tier, close to the lower end.

“Even third-stage mental light ranks only 85th in the world; the strength of this Supernova organization is even more astonishing than I imagined…”

Lu Yuan was inwardly surprised, considering that his own intelligence had undergone a second limit break, corresponding to a second-stage level of mental light refinement.

Although the level of mental light and actual combat power don’t entirely equate, it does indicate quite a lot.

“Do you know where the strongest person from Xia State ranks on the global overall ranking?”

Lu Yuan asked Xiao Rui.

Originally, it was just a casual question, and he didn’t expect Xiao Rui to actually know.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Rui answered straightforwardly, “First.”

“That high?!”

Lu Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then immediately blurted out, “Lord Tong!”

“Yes.”

Xiao Rui’s eyes sparkled as she spoke with a tone full of admiration, “Lord Tong is the most incredible and most powerful genius since the establishment of the Supernova organization! She is the supernova among supernovas!”

“So, Lord Tong is the strongest in the world?”

Lu Yuan asked.

Xiao Rui shook her head, “No, although Lord Tong is outstanding, she ranks only fourth in combat power globally.”

“She can’t even make it into the top three?”

Lu Yuan was astonished, finding it hard to believe.

Yuwen Tong, being the number one in combat power within the Supernova organization, could only rank fourth overall.

When did modifications and new martial arts become this powerful?

[Origin Heart Sutra] mentioned that by activating several star acupoints, martial arts would far exceed the new martial arts and modification systems.

Xiao Rui’s expression turned complex as she slowly explained, “What surpasses Lord Tong is not a person, but war machines.”

“What do you mean?”

“The world’s ultimate combat power rankings are topped by three super divine level combat mechas. Each one has the capability to easily crush an entire nation. All three of these super divine level mechas are in the Distant Star Federation.”

Super divine level… mechas…

Lu Yuan’s expression turned dazed, with those words echoing in his mind.

When he first started in martial arts, he had envisioned the heroic feat of “tearing mechas apart with his bare hands.”

Step by step until now, that goal had essentially been realized.

With Lu Yuan’s current strength, a full-force punch delivering over a thousand tons of massive force would shatter even small combat mechas made of Rainbow Steel into pieces.

Now he realized that the mechas he had known were nothing.

The truly powerful mechas are war machines that can easily decide the fate of a nation or even an entire planet.

Quietly, certain ambitions in Lu Yuan’s heart began to grow once again.

“…It is precisely because of the existence of these three super divine level mechas that the Distant Star Federation secured its position as the world’s leading superpower.

However, although Lord Tong’s strength can’t match that of a super divine level mecha, if she takes action, at least one super divine level mecha would have to be deployed to keep her in check.

In a certain sense, Lord Tong’s status is equivalent to that of a super divine level mecha; she is a force comparable to a war machine.”

Xiao Rui added, her tone filled with admiration and pride, clearly showcasing her as a devoted fan of Yuwen Tong.

Lu Yuan nodded.

He always knew Yuwen Tong was formidable, but he didn’t expect her to be this powerful.

He could only hope to stay close to Lord Tong in the future and that she would always look out for him…

“Oh, by the way, Lord Tong also asked me to give you this.”

Xiao Rui said, suddenly remembering something. She retrieved a silver palm-sized box from a hidden compartment under her seat and handed it to Lu Yuan.

“What is this?”

Lu Yuan asked curiously.

Xiao Rui smiled mysteriously and said, “Open it and you’ll see.”

Lu Yuan opened the silver box and found it filled with black “ink.”

As he was still puzzled, the “ink” suddenly came to life.

Quickly, it flowed out of the box, crawled along his fingers, and started “climbing” up his body.

“What is this…?”

Lu Yuan’s expression showed slight surprise. He raised his hand, considering whether to use his Grandmaster Exertion technique to shake off this cold, unknown black substance from his body.

At that moment, Xiao Rui explained in time, “This is a new type of nano armor. It can transform into protective suits and weapons, and has auxiliary exertion functions…”

Upon hearing Xiao Rui’s explanation, Lu Yuan stopped moving. He watched in awe as the black fluid covered his entire body, eventually forming a simple black combat suit.

The moment the nano armor touched his body, it connected and synchronized with his auxiliary light brain.

With a slight movement of his consciousness, the black combat suit transformed into a set of casual clothes.

Then, a part of it flowed into his palm and turned into a small-sized fruit knife.

“Very nice, please thank Lord Tong for me… or rather, I’ll thank her myself.”

Lu Yuan examined the nano armor covering him, a look of pleasant surprise on his face.

The nano armor could transform at will and had excellent flexibility. These two features alone were enough to satisfy him.

“Mainly, it’s because Lord Tong is worried something could happen to you in the secret realm. She really cares about you…”

Xiao Rui looked at Lu Yuan with a hint of envy and sighed, “This nano armor isn’t cheap, you know.”

Lu Yuan nodded, feeling a mix of emotions roll through him.

…

In the desolate, dark gray gobi desert, a blood-red, setting sun hung in the sky.

A massive, black vortex, five meters wide and over ten meters tall, stood in the middle of the desert. From it wafted a sense of ancient desolation and decay.

In front of the vortex, a large number of shuttles hovered.

They were parked on either side, like two opposing camps.

Under shuttles bearing the emblems of the Xia State and the Yellow Bear, the Flying Bear teams, who were about to embark on the exploration, gathered in small groups, chatting casually.

Yin Muqing, dressed in a silver combat suit, stood alone at the front of the team, closest to the secret realm entrance marked by the black vortex.

At her feet were several jamming devices. She stood there, simultaneously checking data and engaging in a conversation through her communicator.

“How are things on your end?” she asked.

Yin Muqing wasn’t particularly beautiful, but she had a perfect figure and fair skin. Coupled with her silver protective suit, she exuded a refined, cool elegance.

Her fingers glided continuously over the virtual blue light screen in front of her, while her eyes rapidly scanned the information displayed.

“We’re about to break through the outermost area. We estimate that by tomorrow or the day after, we’ll reach the next exploration zone…”

A hint of surprise crossed Yin Muqing’s face. “So soon? If I remember correctly, last time it took about two months to get this far.”

“You don’t know? This time they’ve introduced a contribution ranking for the exploration, displayed right at the top of the base where everyone can see it as soon as they look up. The final rewards will be distributed based on that ranking. With both face and fortune at stake, every team is pushing forward with all their might…”

The voice on the communicator finished speaking and then asked, “How are things on your side?”

Yin Muqing stopped her movements on the virtual light screen, shook her head, and said with a slightly serious expression, “Not optimistic.”