Five years is, by no means, enough time to evolve a primitive civilization into a star civilization, even if all the members of that civilization were geniuses.
The overall advancement of a civilization is not the affair of a single individual. It requires every individual of the civilization to possess the relevant knowledge and foundation. Five years is not even enough for some of the gifted Yi Kong People to learn all that the Earth Star Humans know.
However, Muria did not need, nor did he plan to upgrade the Yi Kong People's civilization within a mere five years. He only needed his subordinates from the Yi Kong People to learn to use the energy weapons manufactured by Earth Star Civilization in five years.
They need not know how to make cars, only how to drive them. This was Muria's expectation for those Yi Kong People under his command, and this requirement was certainly achievable by his handpicked elite Yi Kong army.