Chapter 15: The Battle Of Nanjing (1/2)

Lu Yin would never have expected to be able to use star crystals for training on Earth. With the Cosmic Art to double his training speed, his absorption rate far surpassed students like Jeraldine; he believed he would be amongst the best of the entire Great Yu Empire. It wasn’t long before one full crystal had been consumed, greatly increasing the amount of star energy in his body. He quickly moved onto the next one, crushing it and drawing out the energy from within.

An abundance of star crystals didn’t necessarily mean that one could simply get to the peak of their current realm. Even they contained some level of impurities, and one still needed a formcast model to cleanse themselves. Only Melders could absorb the energy from star crystals and dispel the impurities themselves, those below had low energy thresholds and their combat level was also unstable. They also had to rely on the star crystals for training, which weren’t easy to come across. This was the reason they were mostly just soldiers and war slaves.

After absorbing a total of five star crystals, Lu Yin could feel the energy within his body surging. He had arrived at the peak of the Realm of Earth, the limit of someone still a Seeker. It would only take a single step to become a Sentinel, but that needed a formcast model.

He laid atop the villa’s rooftop and slept through the night, heading to Jeraldine the moment he woke up the next morning, “Let’s duel.”

Jeraldine was dumbfounded by his candor, “Do you know what time it is? I might be a cultivator, but I’m also a girl, you know? Why is a guy looking to fight me so early in the morning?”

Lu Yin knew himself that he was being difficult, but he really wanted to know the difference between himself and an elite Sentinel. He sighed, “I’ll come over in the afternoon, then.”

“Never mind, let’s fight if you want,” Jeraldine held him back. She didn’t think he was worth too much attention; if not for his Shockwave Palm, she wouldn’t even have cooperated with him.

The two found an empty spot and opened up a ten-meter gap between themselves, bestial gurgles ringing out from each side as they prepared. A faint trace of blood drifted into the strong winds.

“Begin, I won’t hit back,” Jeraldine said proudly.

Lu Yin made a fist with his right hand and then released it, tearing the air apart like cloth as his taut legs snapped straight and launched him forward. The winds split the ground near him as he charged with an outstretched palm.

Lu Yin grinned at that response; he had indeed used the Shockwave Palm to slap Vesta dead. Though that attack wasn’t as strong as today’s, Vesta wasn’t combat level 2,000 either.

“I’m not done yet, let’s keep going,” he said as he launched another attack with equal power, pushing Jeraldine even deeper into the ground.

Feeling her hands going numb, she frowned, “Enough, your attacks won’t do anything to me. I already crossed the 2k threshold, you know that my power is different from anyone below.”

“Last one,” Lu Yin barked, and this time the surface of his right hand flashed with faint starlight. The moon spun around his palm; while the airflow around was similar to when he activated Shockwave Palm, this was the Cosmic Palm which was far more powerful. Jeraldine’s heart started thumping as it clapped down on her, body disappearing into a shadow as everything within a hundred meters was smashed apart. An explosive distorted the very air around.

Jeraldine’s figure reappeared a dozen meters away, her eyes wide open in shock, “What was that?!”

Lu Yin smiled, “It’s a move my grandfather taught me, the Extreme Shockwave Palm.”

Jeraldine’s eyes narrowed. She couldn’t recognize the Cosmic Palm, but the attack was far too powerful to be a regular Shockwave Palm as well. Even she felt threatened by it, prompting her to remark gravely, “I’ve heard the Shockwave Palm can be layered, would this be a doubled attack?”

Lu Yin shrugged, “Maybe, I guess the names are just a little different.”

Jeraldine didn’t return to her arrogant expression after this bout, instead saying calmly, “A doubled Shockwave Palm has very high physical requirements. Not even many Sentinels can achieve it, at least not in my school. You’re actually quite strong, you’ll be able to measure up to the elites once you become a Sentinel. Might even make it into Yu Academy.”

“The Empire’s highest academy? Me?” Lu Yin acted shocked.

“Possibly, that body strength is promising. Alright, I’m tired, I’ll go.”

Lu Yin watched Jeraldine’s departing figure before lifting his hand to take a look. A friendly duel was one thing, but he had checked to see if there was a chance for him to defeat her in a fight. The girl’s reactions were fast and she’d used her footwork technique to dodge at the critical moment, living up to her reputation as an elite. However, he wasn’t too shabby himself. He’d still held back the power of his attack the moment she dodged; if she thought this was his limit, she was in for a surprise.