Four minutes later, Li Aozi was invited to the balcony tea table. While savoring the specialty of Kailan Star—iron-rich, sweet-tasting reddish beast milk—and munching on blueberry cookies, he didn't act like a stranger at all.

He acted this way not out of rudeness but because he shared the same status with the owner of the mansion, Disweil. Such casualness was in line with the Hunters' code of conduct.

"Welcome to Kailan Star, it's been a long time since we had fresh blood—you're here at just the right time, 'Machine Expulsion' Li Aozi,"

The speaker had a significant background: a Silver Hunter, Savior of Lure Star, Great Savior of Belrgjiangs City, and the survivor of the Red Moon Incident—Disweil Lutonzk.

From the outside, this elderly man looked no different from any aged person. His hair and beard were white, and his face was full of wrinkles, yet it remained sharp and angular. Although he was at home, he still wore a black combat coat, leaning on a cane. Anyone with a bit of insight could see that this was a cane sword, equipped with a switch that could be activated using spiritual power to reveal a lightsaber.

This was technology from the Adele Civilization, not of this layer but from a large civilization in the second layer—Border Abyss.

Disweil was a 700-year-old member of the Cosmic Human Race. Though his pathway strength was stuck at Zeta Rank (6) due to early injuries by the Society, no one dared to underestimate him.

On the contrary, major forces in the Layer Abyss held immense respect for this old man.

Why say this? Do you see that string of titles listed above? That's only a small part of his lifelong battle against the Society, perhaps less than one-tenth.

The Hunters Association implements a contribution-based ranking. Because of the Society's unique nature, no matter how advanced one's pathway rank, having never fought the Society puts one at a disadvantage.

New, Purple Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, Top.

These are the Hunter rankings, unrelated to combat power but based entirely on experience fighting against the Society.

Among the Layer Abyss, no one had more contact with the Society than Disweil. Why wasn't he a higher rank?

Because there were only a few major Societies in the Layer Abyss. Higher-ranking Golden Hunters would certainly have ventured down into the Starry Abyss for more challenges.

Disweil chose not to descend but instead dedicated himself to the hunting career in the Layer Abyss, making the ultimate contributions to clearing the monsters of this starry layer. He spared no effort in imparting his methods and experiences, even investing heavily in new hunters. It could be said he was the 'Hunter Mentor' of the entire Layer Abyss.

For Disweil, the recent situation had not been optimistic. On one hand, he was advanced in age and his pathway could no longer progress.

On the other hand, the increasingly frequent Society invasions placed a huge burden on the already scarce number of hunters. The Layer Abyss had the highest number of hunters in the Six-Layered Starry Abyss, nearing 100,000. They usually chose which Society to hunt freely, advising local civilizations on how to identify these viral hosts mingled in with their societies, and then preemptively killing them.

But this did not mean hunters could oppose the Society.

If forced to describe, Disweil thought of his group as closer to a 'Doctors Without Borders' humanitarian organization, only their surgeries relied on violence and quick decisive actions.

Just when the pressure was mounting, he saw a new peer hunter emerge.

"Nice to meet you, Disweil sir, but you should already be aware of me, right? The lower-level Hunters Association should have passed the word along; I've nothing to add."

Li Aozi's attitude was neither humble nor overbearing; in fact, it was almost brazen. His straightforwardness and unrestrained speech made Disweil all the more appreciative.

Unlike other hunters, Li Aozi's deeds were well known to him. His approach to fighting the Society was straightforward and brutal—all-out eradication.

"Five years ago, when you repelled Mashigang of the Mechanical World Society, there was already talk of promoting you to a Golden Hunter. But Ms. Xu Erya thought you were too young for such a responsibility. Recently, I heard you uprooted the Melodic Society parasitizing Ziluo Star—this time, I don't think anyone will doubt you."

Disweil did not hold back, even with strangers, speaking candidly and directly:

"To be honest, I believe you, Li Aozi, are better suited to lead the hunters than I am."

['Disweil' extended an invitation to you: replace the [Hunter Mentor] seat]

"Thank you for the offer, but I am currently a President; my position doesn't allow me to take on such a role."

Li Aozi politely declined with a smile.

He had anticipated Disweil would make this offer, which was why he organized a government team on Baizhu Star.

The Hunters Association required that mentors and managers within the organization could not hold political positions, especially those connected to narrative-level civilizations, to prevent hunters from becoming tools in civilizational conflicts.

But Li Aozi was already mingling with narrative-level civilizations. Being an Ascender along the Pathway of the Meteor Fall Master inherently meant being a leader of a civilization. He couldn't sacrifice significant interests for minor gains.

"It's a shame, but whenever you retire, you'll always be welcome to join."

Disweil shrugged, expressing regret.

Li Aozi was clearly a talent. From the first glance, Disweil's keen eye could discern his strength—definitely beyond Zeta (6).

The power of the Sovereign path was hard to conceal. Ascenders on this pathway commonly exhibited beauty—supernatural excellence that irresistibly attracted everything to them.

Li Aozi was such an individual; his charm was extremely rare even among the Sovereign path powerhouses Disweil had encountered.

"You are a genius, Lord Li Aozi. Among the Sovereign's ascenders in the Layer Abyss, there hasn't been a Kappa (10) for nearly 200 years. I believe you will break this two-century gap."

Disweil raised his tea in a gesture of respect.

"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Disweil, but before that, I have some matters to report to the organization."

Disweil knew that Li Aozi's fleet was engaged in colonizing activities. This was normal for civilizations within the Layer Abyss and was not considered a scandal. He was merely curious about what urgent matters a hunter of Li Aozi's stature would need to report to the association:

"Matters? Have you discovered something during your cosmic exploration?"

"It's not convenient to discuss it here. You'll understand when you see it."

Li Aozi nodded, not beating around the bush, and handed over previously organized intel on the Secret Society Gaia to Disweil.

Disweil picked up the soft disk from the table, directly inserting it into the port on the back of his hand to swiftly read the content. A series of data streams and images flashed before his eyes, his face gradually turning grave:

"Gaia… Earth… Secret… Three Speakers? This is unprecedented..."

He unplugged the disk, looking incredulously at Li Aozi:

"Are you sure you're not joking?"

"I'm very certain. The Secret Society has existed since the Beyond the Abyss era. The refugees from Beyond the Abyss once established a civilization on Baizhu Star, and their legends recorded the Secret Society's defeat of the God of the Present World Leo—on the other hand, 120 years ago, the Secret Society came to Baizhu Star to gather Senators and started their invasion there..."

As Li Aozi spoke, he realized something was off.

Disweil's eyes looked incredibly confused, as if completely unaware of what he was talking about.

"...Mr. Disweil?"

He stared into Disweil's eyes, suddenly understanding something, and asked:

"Have you… never heard of the Secret Society?"

"Baizhu Star is less than 45 light-years from Kailan Star; it might as well be next door."

Disweil murmured, shaking his head:

"I've never known about this Society. No one in the association knows about it either; it's as if it's a ghost—what you're saying is unheard of in the Layer Abyss, no, in the Six-Layered Starry Abyss. If it weren't for your evidence and copied memory cells to back it up… Damn, damn!"

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