Chapter 6: The Land of Qi and Blood
The air on Blue Star felt different — thicker, heavier, charged with unseen intent. Every breath carried the faint hum of power, as though the atmosphere itself was watching them.
Dr. Alex Grams led the small advance team through a valley that shimmered with light. Trees grew from translucent crystal, leaves rippling in gradients of jade and gold. The deeper they went, the more unstable their sensors became. Technology hated this place — circuits flickered, drones drifted off course, and communication with Earth had long gone silent.
Rylen adjusted his rifle's scope. "Energy readings spiking again. Are you sure we should keep going?"
Alex didn't look back. "If we retreat now, we lose our only window of observation. This is what we came for."
Behind them, the squad's bio-suits shimmered faintly as micro-quantum threads adapted to the environmental field. It wasn't perfect, but it kept their bodies from being crushed under the overwhelming density of spiritual energy.
After an hour of careful movement, the terrain opened up — and there it was.
A city carved into a mountain of light.
Floating pagodas circled an enormous spire that pierced the clouds, glowing veins of Qi running through its structure. At the city's base, cultivators sparred in open air, their every motion tearing small distortions into reality. Some sat in meditation, suspended midair, golden halos spinning behind their heads.
"Record everything," Alex whispered, voice trembling with awe. "This… this is their civilization."
Rylen zoomed his optics. "Looks like a military outpost. That symbol — same as the envoy who attacked us earlier."
"The Azure Dao Alliance," Alex murmured. "One of their great sects. Their architecture… it's like the ancient dynasties, but evolved. Everything runs on Qi flow instead of electricity."
Suddenly, the air rippled. A shockwave of power rolled through the valley — a cultivator breaking through a realm.
Alex fell to one knee, gasping. The pressure was suffocating, like standing beneath a collapsing mountain.
"Rank estimation?" Rylen asked, his visor flickering with distorted readings.
Alex glanced at the analyzer. "The resonance pattern matches what we recorded before— that's… Nascent Soul stage." He swallowed hard. "And that's just one person."
In their own world, a being like this could destroy a continent. Here, it was just another citizen.
The squad fell silent. For the first time, they truly understood what humanity was up against.
Alex looked toward the floating spire, eyes burning with determination."If power is built upon Qi control," he said quietly, "then we'll find a way to simulate it. Adapt to it. Maybe even surpass it."
Rylen smirked under his visor. "You really think science can outmatch that?"
"I don't think," Alex replied. "I know. We just have to change the definition of power."
As they turned to leave, a cold wind swept through the valley. From above, five cultivators descended, their robes fluttering like wings of flame. Each carried an insignia of command.
The leader's gaze locked on Alex's team. "Foreigners," he said, his tone edged with lethal calm. "You stand in sacred ground. By decree of the Azure Dao Alliance, your existence here is a crime punishable by death."
Weapons hummed. Qi flared.
And for the first time on Blue Star, humanity's technology prepared to fight back.