"Hmm?" The martial artist keeping watch over their surroundings suddenly let out a strange sound, his gaze fixed on the star chart in shock. "Miss, that meteorite, that meteorite…"
Lu Huaishuang looked down and her expression changed instantly.
On the star chart, the bright point of light was still there, completely unscathed despite the simultaneous barrage of all ten star cannons.
"How is this possible?!" Elder Chen's face was equally filled with disbelief. He had personally witnessed the power of all ten star cannons firing at once — even the strongest cultivator in the star field wouldn't dare take that head-on. How could this meteorite possibly be that hard?
What chilled him even further was that the earlier volley hadn't altered the meteorite's trajectory in the slightest. It was still hurtling straight toward the warship.
"Get out of its way!" Elder Chen shouted.
A bitter smile crossed Lu Huaishuang's face. "There's no time!"
If they were in open space, the warship's superior performance might allow them to execute evasive maneuvers and avoid disaster. But where were they? This was the Meteorite Sea — a region littered with meteorites of every size, leaving absolutely no room to dodge. Where could they possibly go?
Indeed, there was no time. On the star chart, the bright light representing the uninvited guest was hurtling toward the warship at terrifying speed.
The only thing everyone could do now was pray that this meteorite wouldn't cause too much damage. But that thought was hardly realistic, because though the meteorite was small, the energy fluctuations radiating from it were absolutely terrifying. If it struck head-on, it was anyone's guess whether the warship could withstand it.
A point of light appeared beyond the crystal window at the bow, streaking past like a shooting star.
Immediately afterward, a thunderous roar erupted from somewhere along the hull, and the hundred-zhang-long warship lurched violently several times. Every person on board went pale as ash in an instant, a single thought wailing in the depths of their hearts: It's over. This time it's truly, completely over.
The noise faded from a roar to a murmur, gradually dying away, and the shuddering warship slowly steadied itself.
Inside the cabin, everyone remained silent. It was a long while before they gradually came back to their senses.
They were fine! They were actually fine!
The wild oscillation between life and death left everyone with a profoundly surreal feeling.
The imagined scene of the warship being destroyed had not come to pass. It seemed they had all overestimated the meteorite's destructive power. However, the warship's speed had noticeably dropped — it had clearly sustained some damage and would need to be repaired quickly, or disaster could strike in the vast expanse of starry space.
Lu Huaishuang was the first to recover. Her clear voice rang out: "Pass the order to inspect the warship for damage. Send repair crews to the affected areas, and get us out of this Meteorite Sea as fast as possible. Find us a place to stop."
Only then did the others snap into action, scrambling to carry out her commands.
Lu Huaishuang pressed her lips together, gazing through the crystal window ahead at the starfield. They say those who survive a great calamity are blessed with great fortune afterward. Whether that fortune would apply to her remained to be seen.
The martial artists aboard the warship quickly got to work.
Because the warship was damaged and moving slowly, what should have taken half a shi-chen ended up consuming a full two shi-chen before they finally cleared the Meteorite Sea, leaving the wandering and careening meteorites behind them. Only then did everyone breathe a secret sigh of relief.
Sailing a damaged warship through the Meteorite Sea was no pleasant experience. Fortunately, the martial artists aboard were well-trained and skilled at operating the vessel, so no major disasters occurred.
Now all that remained was to find a place to land and get the warship repaired.
Elder Chen identified a suitable target, and Lu Huaishuang immediately ordered a course set for it.
Half a day later, on a desolate and lifeless celestial body, a hundred-zhang-long warship pierced through clouds like mist and drifted slowly downward.
Such barren stars were countless in every star field. Though the cosmos held innumerable stars, those suitable for living beings to inhabit and cultivate were few. Only stars possessing a complete Star Source — ones capable of nurturing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth — qualified. These were known as Cultivation Stars, living stars with vitality.
Conversely, those without the slightest spiritual energy, where not even living beings could survive — just silent, lifeless husks — were collectively called Dead Stars.
Some Dead Stars had once been Cultivation Stars. When a Cultivation Star's Star Source gradually withered and ultimately perished, over the passage of long ages, it would eventually degenerate into this barren state.
Other Dead Stars might be gestating new vitality. Perhaps one day in the far future, they would develop their own Star Source and radiate a brilliance even more dazzling than other Cultivation Stars.
But that time would have to be measured in tens of thousands of years — vast and seemingly eternal.
The warship landed on one of the Dead Star's surfaces. The hatch opened and martial artists filed out continuously, rushing toward the damaged section. A basic repair had been performed during the voyage, but before they could set off again, the damage needed to be fully mended.
Lu Huaishuang had perhaps grown restless inside the warship and came out as well. Every martial artist she passed bowed respectfully to her, their eyes free of any lewdness or covetousness, filled instead with genuine admiration.
In the Infinite Star Field, when anyone spoke of the eldest miss of the Lu Family on Chaoyang Star, who didn't praise her? Who didn't say that she was every bit the equal of any man?
The Lu Family had no male heirs, and the patriarch was old and past his prime. The sprawling household rested entirely on the shoulders of the eldest miss. When Lu Huaishuang had first taken over the Lu Family's affairs, no one had believed she could handle it.