923 – Stellar Probe
TL: BluVerse

Elder Yi’s unusually firm stance made General Yu Muchen calm down. After all, this was Shrek City, the domain of Shrek Academy. Even with his status and position, he dared not push too hard here. Moreover, it wasn’t just Shrek Academy making a statement; the Tang Sect was also present today, which implied many things.

“Alright, Elder Yi, please wait a moment. I will gather information and then allow the students to return to the academy.” With his composure regained, Yu Muchen’s face returned to a smile. At their level, they would never let emotions get out of control easily.

Additionally, the man from earlier had left a profound impression on him, and he was well aware of Elder Yi’s position in Shrek Academy—as the second most important person after the Sea God Pavilion Master. For such a figure to say that the man’s status was even higher implied a great deal. This information alone was of significant importance to the War God Temple.

As the light flickered, and Lan Xuanyu’s surroundings became clear again, Tang Le had already brought him back to Shrek Academy’s dormitory.

Everything was still familiar, but for some reason, Lan Xuanyu felt the dormitory was somewhat cold. He could still vividly recall Teacher Nana’s expressions and demeanor when she was here with him. But now, no matter how much he called for her, he feared he would be unable to find any trace of Teacher Nana.

“Uncle Le,” he said, looking at Tang Le, his eyes reddening.

Tang Le patted his shoulder, his face solemn, “Tell me the details first. I’ve also been researching information about stars these past few days. Don’t worry too much; there should still be a chance.”

Hearing this, Lan Xuanyu’s emotions stabilized considerably. The most urgent task was to figure out how to rescue Nana.

Tang Le pondered for a moment and then said, “According to the information I’ve found, if I were to fall into a star, I should be able to survive for a short period. However, the star’s gravity is extremely strong, and escaping it would be difficult. Over a long period, I can’t say how long I could last because it would be hard to replenish my energy in such an environment. In this regard, your Teacher Nana should have an advantage. She can control fire elements, and at her level, she can almost convert any external energy into her own power, even transform it into other elements. So, if both of us fell into a star, she would definitely last longer than I would. Therefore, if we can search the star within a certain timeframe, we should have a chance to find her.”

Lan Xuanyu nodded, “So, the main problem we face now is how to find her. If she’s on the star’s surface, I should be able to sense her presence, but I can’t survive on the star’s surface. And there’s the issue of escaping the star’s gravity. If you can’t do it, then there’s probably no way.”

Tang Le said, “Exactly. Moreover, just our power alone won’t suffice. I can search the star for her in the short term, but I need help to escape the gravity and pull me back. I’m not familiar with Federation technology. Do you know how advanced the Federation’s exploration of stars is?”

Lan Xuanyu frowned, “I’m not sure either. I’ll go ask the Tang Sect. In terms of soul tool technology, the Tang Sect is the best.”

Tang Le nodded slightly and looked at him seriously, saying, “Xuanyu, it’s crucial not to get impatient at times like this. You must stay calm. We’ll work together and try to save her no matter the cost.”

“Alright, thank you, Uncle Le,” Lan Xuanyu nodded vigorously. “I’ll go to the Tang Sect right away.”

“Go ahead.” Tang Le didn’t suggest that Lan Xuanyu rest first; he knew that Xuanyu wouldn’t be able to rest in this situation.

Lan Xuanyu dashed out of the dormitory and headed straight for the Tang Sect. He deeply resented his weakness at this moment. This feeling of powerlessness reminded him of when he and his mother faced the villains of the Sin Planet when he was young.

Thinking of his mother, Lan Xuanyu hesitated. Should he ask her about his situation? But he decided not to ask for now. His mind was too chaotic, and he didn’t want to upset his mother at that moment. After all, nothing had been confirmed yet. He would ask her after the rescue mission for Teacher Nana was over.

He rushed to Tang Sect as fast as possible, however, Tang Miao had not yet returned. Lan Xuanyu expressed his desire to consult with personnel involved in soul tool technology.

Being a member of the Tang Sect himself, he soon met a familiar face, Deng Bo.

“Xuanyu, you’re back? I heard you went for the graduation exam. How did it go?” Deng Bo clearly hadn’t received the crucial information that Lan Xuanyu had sent back. In fact, the Federation had already locked down the information, and only core senior personnel knew about it and had started implementing targeted measures.

“Brother Deng, I need your help. Can you introduce me to the people responsible for soul tool technology research at the Tang Sect? I have something important to consult about,” Lan Xuanyu asked urgently.

“Soul tool technology? If it’s not too complex, you can ask me. I also do research in this area,” Deng Bo replied.

Lan Xuanyu asked, “Do you know how advanced the Federation’s exploration of stars is? Can we get close to the surface of a star?”

Deng Bo was taken aback, “Exploring stars? Why are you asking this? How does it concern you?”

Lan Xuanyu said urgently, “Just tell me if it’s possible or not.”

Deng Bo said, “The scariest thing about stars isn’t actually their high temperatures, but their gravity. To explore stars, one needs to solve the problem of gravity first. The simplest way to address this problem is through reverse traction. As far as I know, the Federation had conducted star exploration in the past. However, the resources that can be utilized from stars are limited, so deep exploration hasn’t been pursued, and it’s difficult to achieve anyway. Among the known exploration methods, the closest one can get to the surface of a star is with the planetary probes of interplanetary mother ships. These probes are made of ultra-high-strength rare metals and are controlled by the mother ship via a gravitational chain. They can reach the star’s surface for exploration but can’t delve deeply.

“Stars vary greatly and are classified into many types, such as yellow giants, red giants, red dwarfs, and so on. There are many ways to classify stars, and it’s quite complex, so I won’t go into detail. So, when it comes to exploring stars, it also depends on what type of star it is. The surface temperature and the internal temperature of a star are vastly different. For an average yellow giant, the surface temperature is around six thousand degrees, but the internal temperature can reach billions of degrees. Different stars have different surface gravity levels, and it’s especially challenging to counteract gravity in ultra-high-temperature environments. Some stars have surface gravity only tens of times that of our own, while others have surface gravity hundreds or thousands of times greater. Therefore, even using the planetary probes of interplanetary mother ships for exploration depends on the type of star, the strength of its surface gravity, and its surface temperature. Below ten thousand degrees might still be manageable, but above ten thousand degrees is very difficult. Why are you asking this? Are you planning to go to a star to cultivate?”

At the end, Deng Bo laughed. While a star’s fire element is indeed the most abundant, going to a star to cultivate is clearly an unrealistic idea.

Lan Xuanyu frowned deeply; Deng Bo’s words meant a lot to him. In fact, he didn’t understand stars well enough; he could only sense the immense gravity and terrifying high temperatures from the star.

If one only looked at the numbers, the situation with stars didn’t seem completely insurmountable. Most importantly, he had learned from Deng Bo that the Federation had the capability to explore stars. Planetary probes, belonging to planetary-grade motherships.