Chapter 10: Surrender

Yu Xue couldn't even hear anything at all while he was still suffering from the extreme pain of absorbing the raw spiritual energy.

But he understood that he could not waste this opportunity that his master gave him; he also didn't have a good feeling about the training his master said he would be experiencing. 

Given Xu Han's strength, his training method was far from ordinary.

A couple of hours passed before the pain that Yu Xue had gone through subsidies. He was drenched in sweat, and thick blobs of dirt were sticking all over his body, emitting a foul odor that made Yu Xue want to throw up immediately.

He dashed towards the bathroom and took a long bath. 

After a while, he's already changed into a new set of clothes and cleaned up the spot where he released all the impurities from his body. 

Yu Xue's aura drastically changed after the entire process, directly reaching the Daoist Sage level. Unfortunately, he has only reached this level, which is only one step away from reaching the Universal Overlord level. 

It seems that some of the energy dissipated due to Yu Xue's inability to absorb it entirely, or rather, his body strength or willpower wasn't enough. 

Despite not reaching the target goal, Yu Xue's strength still increased drastically compared to before; he was an entire realm above the celestial disciple-level cultivator who instilled terror in humanity just yesterday. 

This sudden jump in strength from just being a Qi initiate-level person has only begun cultivating Qi, the fundamental life force capable of basic energy manipulation, and they are learning foundational techniques to harness Qi from their surroundings to a Daoist sage-level who has delved into the profound teachings of Dao, unlocking the universe's secrets. That possesses mastery over complex mana cultivation techniques, manipulating the very fabric of reality. Daoist Sages can transcend mortal boundaries, achieving profound insights into existence.

Yu Xue jumped three major realms in a span of a few hours. Yu Xue sat down again and meditated to adequately control his strength lest he cause damage to a level he couldn't even imagine.

In the Low Orbit zone of Mars, space fabrics rippled as if a wormhole had opened; Scouting and investigative starships appeared after exiting hyperdrive travel from deep space. 

A man who is 1.7 meters tall and muscular, as well as the commander of the leading flagship, is standing at the center of the starboard, gazing at the blue planet in front of him. 

"This little planet is the source of the signal we intercepted?" The commander of the fleet asked. 

"Yes, sir; analyzing the signal we intercepted, it was a mix of radio and light waves, and the message being transmitted with it translates that the colony from that blue planet who sent this message is attempting to make contact with other civilizations across the galaxy." The assistant answered as he read the reports from his tablet hologram.

"Oh? Given how far the empire controls the already limited resources, they must be naive if they think they will meet friends in this galaxy. Surprisingly enough, this system has a spiritual density that's probably thicker and richer than the empire's capital at the center of the Milky Way." The commander said with a wicked smile. 

He was already plotting how he'll maximize the benefits this time. There's a time limit before he has to submit the follow-up report before the main invading fleet mobilizes and arrives at this place. He's got a maximum of 3 days before he can take everything he can. Especially with this system's abnormally rich spiritual energy, his cultivation level could advance even further if he managed to absorb some of it for himself.

Also, this commander was quite confident with his strength at the Spiritual Adept Level; since this colony sent out such a signal trying to communicate, he was very confident that no strong beings existed on this planet. All creatures on the blue planet are at the mortal level or maximum at the awakened level. 

Given that the scanning devices did not return any strong signal of massive life force levels, this is also one of the sources of his confidence. 

"Finalize all the scanning and data gathering and then prepare for descent!" The Commander domineeringly ordered. 

"But, Sir, we're not authorized to make contact until the main fleet arrives or the admiral himself orders us to." The assistant nervously retorted him. 

"We will not wait for the main fleet to arrive since we still have three days before sending a report. We'll use the extra time to earn ourselves some benefits unless all of you are blind and stupid not to see that we've just discovered a gold mine in this barren galaxy."

"Don't be too nervous; we're just second to the lowest bottom rung in this galaxy; it's only normal that we aspire to ascend and improve our lives." The commander said righteously. 

All the other crew members and soldiers are convinced by the commander's tempting and encouraging speech. 

Seeing that everything is going according to his desires, the commander inwardly snickers, "A bunch of fools, you all are just cannon fodders; though I could just do everything myself, I won't be able to explain it to the empire if these idiots report me for what I'll do." 

He plans to orchestrate an accident to make them descend to this blue planet and make contact. It avoids the violation of not following the chain of command constructed by the empire; hence, he will not be punished, and he might even be rewarded. 

With everything set and all the preparations are done, the fleet began its approach toward Earth. 

Somewhere around central Asia, towering peaks and mountains can be seen everywhere; at this moment, a shepherd is out doing his usual task of caring for the sheep herd; he looks up at the sky to gaze at the clouds on this beautiful and sunny day when he was frozen on his position as he cannot believe what's currently bloating all over the sky right now. 

Starships of different sizes can be seen practically filling the entire sky, especially the singular starship that's bigger than the rest. 

The shepherd is not the only one who can see this; all countries also look at the current scene. 

All broadcasting devices are simultaneously hacked by the newcomers from the cosmos, "Greetings, creatures of this planet! We have received your communication signal from deep space." the same words are displayed on all screens and played on radios from all over the world.

"We do not want to cause destruction as much as we can because of the value your planet holds; surrender peasants willingly; it's best if you do not attempt futile resistance if you all know what's good for your civilization. "

The message was broadcast to everyone without any reserve or hint of empathy.

All the government leaders are already in a meeting as these messages are being broadcast; the entire meeting room is in chaos, with some having already given up and suggesting surrender immediately. Except for the top world powers with superior military might, all the others want to surrender already. 

"Are you all a bunch of idiots? What do you all think awaits our people if we surrender without resistance?" One country leader angrily said.

Hearing this, the entire meeting room quieted down, though another country leader renounced the one who spoke just now, "What do you think will happen if we tried to fight those aliens that have all of those massive starships? Or their advanced technologies? Millions or even billions of people could lose their lives! We practically have nowhere to run to if those invaders wanted to blast our planet to pieces."

Hearing the second argument convinced the other country leaders that surrendering immediately was the best choice.