Starting Cultivation in Wasteland

Seeing the starship launch into the sky, someone was dissatisfied and raised an objection, "Can’t we wait a little longer? My friend is about to arrive."

The beautiful waitress responded with a sweet smile, "If we don’t leave now, we’ll be trapped; even our Supreme Guard advisor couldn’t make it in time."

Sure enough, less than two minutes after launching, an announcement came through the public channel.

"Urgent notice, abnormal celestial phenomena have appeared, all flights are halted!"

Upon hearing the term "abnormal celestial phenomena," the expressions of the people in the luxurious starship all turned somewhat peculiar.

Some were expressionless, some had a slight smile, and others looked helpless, but most just snorted coldly.

Everyone present belonged to the Imperial high society and mostly understood that "abnormal celestial phenomena" often had nothing to do with the celestial.

When they indeed encountered abnormal celestial phenomena, people of their class could generally find out the specifics of the anomaly.

The dissatisfied person earlier was stunned upon hearing this, then smiled, lifting the wine glass in hand.

"I was too impulsive, nearly affecting everyone’s journey. I sincerely apologize and will penalize myself with a drink!"

This person didn’t care much about the captain’s attitude; instead, he apologized to the others, clearly knowing it’s hard to withstand public anger.

However, even while apologizing, he remained seated leisurely and didn’t stand up, thus appearing somewhat nonchalant.

These people often behave this way, polite yet very casual.

While showcasing high quality, they also impart a strong sense of aloofness.

Qu Jianlei and the other two didn’t pay attention to them, sitting in a corner of the hall, conversing quietly.

Mu Yu had strong Spiritual Power, Celestial Sound was adept at the Harmonize with Light and Dust Skill, plus Qu Jianlei’s Illusion Technique, making no one notice them at all.

Even when someone directly scanned over them, they would automatically ignore them, feeling it was perfectly normal for the three to be there.

Celestial Sound murmured softly, "This near-earth thing... really handy, we’d have missed our chance if we were any later."

"Don’t mention it," Mu Yu gave a wry smile; the taste of interstellar wandering, she didn’t want to experience for the second time.

If it weren’t for the boss repeatedly testing this array on Purple Star, she’d be reluctant to go through it twice.

She experienced space damage from abnormal rays back then, fearing space more than others.

In fact, even on Purple Star, it was only after Senior Chao Yun personally tested many times that she dared try again.

Despite that, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy seeing the array — the psychological shadow is just too heavy.

But being in such a hurry this time, after killing, they had to swiftly leave Sharp Claw Star; otherwise, it’d be tough to arrive in time on Forward Star.

Indeed, they hurried all the way and almost ended up being locked on the planet.

They were lucky the boss brought the array; otherwise, even if they could escape inspection, wasting a month would be normal.

Celestial Sound was slightly excited; she came from a prestigious school and knew too well the significance of near-earth teleportation.

So she looked at Qu Jianlei with interest and asked, "Boss, that teleportation device, it won’t be detected, right?"

She didn’t yet know that the disk-like thing was more akin to an array rather than a device.

"I set it with a self-destruct mechanism," Qu Jianlei answered casually, "but it’s not triggered instantaneously."

In the past, when he destroyed teleportation arrays, the movements were generally quite big. This time there’s a chemical plant nearby.

He positioned the teleportation array there.

If nobody discovers it, in over a month, strong acid will seep in and corrode the array plate.

If suspicion arises and inspection is triggered, the self-destruct mechanism activates, allowing strong acid to flood in instantly.

In any case, he tries to vary the self-destruct settings to avoid linkage imagination.

The three chatted softly, and before long, the starship entered a stable flight mode.

People in the hall then gradually dispersed into their private rooms, where countless excitements awaited them.

Qu Jianlei and the other two had nowhere to go and could only stay in the hall — after all, they snuck onboard.

However, seven or eight guests also remained in the hall, whispering and laughing.

This was not only an extravagant space journey but also a rare social opportunity, as people from this circle were exceptionally rare.

After a while, a waitress pushed in a dining cart, offering exquisite food.

The waitress didn’t ignore Qu Jianlei and the other two, only thinking they should be treated well, while automatically overlooking their origin.

Qu Jianlei, without reservation, casually grabbed some fruit and began eating.

His Illusion Technique level was high, but there were many advanced devices on this starship, so it was inadvisable to exert full power.

Thus, going along with the customs was best, avoiding raising suspicion among others.

Seeing his calm demeanor, Mu Yu and Celestial Sound followed suit, picking up other food and eating.

The cart also offered wine for guests to choose from.

Qu Jianlei and the other two didn’t opt for wine, but the other guests were unreserved; without wine and slight intoxication, how could they fully enjoy?

Unknowingly, seven or eight hours passed, and someone noticeably tipsy raised their voice while speaking.

Of course, this was a deliberate indulgence; otherwise, 99% here were Awakened — could they not withstand this little alcohol strength?

Even the waitresses were Awakened, not to mention the bigwigs in the elite circles.

No matter how noble your background, if you’re not an Awakened, you simply can’t blend into this circle.

Meanwhile, some people who had entered the private rooms came back out, selecting food and indulging themselves.

After all, it has been seven or eight hours already, Awakened are human too, lasting this long is quite impressive, isn’t it?

Another four or five hours passed, and a guy who drank himself into a stupor plopped down next to Qu Jianlei and the two others.

Only then did he notice the trio, burping and speaking, "You three seem quite unfamiliar."

Qu Jianlei felt a bit helpless; his Illusion Technique was indeed decent, but facing such a drunk, it was quite ineffective.

The man could drink himself into hallucinations, seeing real live people and speaking a few words — what’s the big deal?

If only the power of the Illusion Technique could be enhanced, that would be better, but... it’s really not appropriate.

More frustratingly, facing this man’s greeting, the two women both shut their mouths, clearly waiting for him to respond.

The status of Imperial women... how should I put it? It’s still a matter of power.

The Empire does have a slight hint of male superiority, but it isn’t very noticeable, considering it’s a society with Extraordinary beings.

If an Extraordinary woman forms a family with an ordinary man... who gets the final say?

However, Mu Yu has never been accustomed to interacting with outsiders, and Celestial Sound is even more reclusive, so the big boss had to step in.

Qu Jianlei also felt a bit helpless: I’m not good at socializing, alright?

If Claire were here, it would be great. If not, Flower Scorpion would suffice.

But now, only he could do it.

Thinking about those people from before, he spoke without expression, "Indeed unfamiliar, how about you have some more drinks?"

"With whom?" The man chuckled dismissively, "I feel like there’s no one worthy of drinking with me."

"Hmm," Qu Jianlei nodded at this, casually stating, "You’re right, I feel the same way."

I too feel there’s no one worthy of drinking with me, including you.

This person didn’t seem to mind, as if he hadn’t caught the undertone, "So it’s just us two, sounds good!"

"You know? Earlier, when you didn’t enter the room, I thought you were just here to cozy up to a bigwig."

"But after seeing you stay in the same spot for a dozen or so hours, I realized I was wrong."

In his eyes, those who hadn’t entered the rooms earlier must be doing poorly.

But this isn’t surprising; the "celebration" is obviously about enjoyment.

People giving up enjoyment for socializing clearly lower their status.

This person clearly went into the room to enjoy, came out afterwards, and got himself quite drunk.

But he noticed that while Qu Jianlei and the others didn’t go into the room, they stayed in their corner without moving.

Apparently, these three weren’t here to cozy up to anyone, they didn’t even deign to mingle with others.

Qu Jianlei found his logic a bit strange, but since they were already noticed, not saying anything would also seem odd.

"I thought you’d go enter the room to rest."

"Not yet," the man replied with a slurred tongue, "It’s better to rest well once the teleportation starts."

Qu Jianlei glanced up and down at his counterpart, a common A-level with Fire Attribute.

However, this person’s aura was a bit weak, clearly built up using resources, his true combat power might not be very strong.

Yet, this is typical for families with power and privilege, to reach A-level using resources at least shows they have a decent foundation.

"Will you enter the Life Support Pod during teleportation?"

"Of course," the man answered casually, "The feeling during teleportation isn’t good, why endure that discomfort?"

Qu Jianlei shook his head speechlessly, life and life, there’s ultimately a difference.

At this moment, another slightly chubby man approached, with no noticeable aura fluctuations.

This person had a cheerful appearance, yet currently wore a serious face, "Young master, you’re..."

The Fire Attribute A-level was already a middle-aged man, yet addressed as Young Master, clearly from a large family.

The young master glanced at him and waved his hand, "Go have fun on your own, I’m chatting with these friends."

The slightly chubby man looked at Qu Jianlei and the others, then made a gesture before stepping aside.

"Is hiding one’s aura strange?" The young master mumbled indifferently, "Aren’t you doing the same?"

He then turned to Qu Jianlei, speaking with a smile, "He’s my childhood friend, usually takes care of me, likes to fret over things."

Qu Jianlei didn’t even glance at the slightly chubby guy, casually replying, "Your family really cares about you."

Seeing the other’s nonchalant attitude, the young master knew they didn’t take his bodyguard seriously.

This made him even more curious, rarely admitting his shortcomings, "I’m just waiting for a carefree life, living as a freeloader."

Qu Jianlei could also guess that the travelers on this starship, while all having status, aren’t the core members of their families.

The real core, likely wouldn’t participate in such a chaotic "celebration."

He responded with subtlety, "Then we’re not on the same path, we have to keep striving."