Chapter 18: Training Mission (2/2)
Across the room, Luo Yi’s eyes flickered as she observed the two talk.
……
Zhao Yu had left a few days ago by herself, heading northeast. This girl’s courage was admirable, but Lu Yin felt the decision wasn’t very sensible. The stronghold had originally housed 80,000 cultivators, but 30,000 of them had originally been stationed at the frontlines. Now that they had returned with the rest of the captains, the district’s defenses had been strengthened drastically. Zhongshan was now a true fortress, but that meant the countryside was more fragile than ever before.
Beams of light flashed across the sky to the backdrop of the crimson sunset, destroying a number of flying mutants. Atop the city’s walls, Lu Yin called out, “Use ballistics if you notice a group of beasts or a zombie horde; no need to hold back.”
“Understood!” two captains responded.
A sudden cry rang out in the distance, many zombies being torn apart as a massive flying beast rushed towards the city. It swept close to the ground and grabbed talonfuls of zombies along the way, crushing them to pieces amidst its flight.
“ATTACK IT! QUICK!” someone screamed, and people started panicking. However, Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed and he leapt up with Orton’s sword in hand, one Sentinel-level strike knocking the beast straight to the ground. The scream turned into a wail as its head was twisted strangely by the impact, voice slowly dying out. Lu Yin jumped down onto its back and slid the sword into its head, causing two twitches after which all movements stopped. It took a moment for the stunned onlookers to burst into cheers.
“The Hidden Sage !” someone cried out amongst the crowd, which was soon picked up by everyone. Lu Yin’s mouth twitched— he didn’t want to be another Sage, but no matter how he tried to calm the crowd, the term quickly started to spread.
……
Few zombies or beasts remained around Nanjing as the cultivators at the stronghold had already exterminated most of them. Following Lu Yin’s orders, most of the people’s energy was focused on regaining the western lands; nearly half the captains moved out in support. Survivors continued to flock to Nanjing, and the number of cultivators grew as well.
Half a month sped by, and soon less than seventy days remained before the next batch of students arrived. During this time Lu Yin had used about half of his star crystals to cultivate, getting to combat level 1,500. Star crystals were not typically used to accelerate cultivation and upgrade an individual’s power, but were mostly used to train battle skills or to power high-tech equipment. The crystals could also be used to rapidly recover energy after exhaustion. A powerful battle technique could often multiply one’s strength, but a higher combat level alone could cause others to be cautious.
Obviously, a higher power level represented the body’s energy, which meant that the same attack would be more powerful, much like how Terence’s Shockwave Palm had been able to counter Jeraldine’s battle technique. Although Terence had saved some star crystals to train his battle techniques, it had been for nothing in the end; otherwise, his last battle would have ended differently. Lu Yin planned on using his remaining star crystals to improve his Cosmic Palm and try some other things.
Jeraldine had given up during these two weeks, requesting to meet with Lu Yin. Although he hadn’t allowed anyone to torture her physically, she had been placed in solitary confinement in a dark dungeon and forced to eat food made from rats. It wasn’t long before she cracked.
“I… I’ll help you if you let me go,” she pleaded weakly, face pale and gaze unfocused. Her very body seemed to radiate an unpleasant odor.
Lu Yin remained indifferent, “How can you help me?”
“I can help you protect Nanjing, and I’ll do whatever else you want me to. Just let me out, I’m losing my mind!”
Lu Yin stared at her, “So what’s the mission in this trial?”
“You’re really not a student? How did you manage to enter Earth when it’s been under the Great Yu Empire’s observation for so long?” Jeraldine’s gaze brightened, but when Lu Yin turned to leave she called out, “Wait, fine! I was just curious, I won’t say anything. Our mission was to hunt down an escaped criminal.”
“A criminal?” Lu Yin turned back with interest.
She nodded, “We were given the mission one day before the trial started. A criminal managed to escape parole and came to Earth; he was the one who triggered the planet’s evolution. The Empire didn’t plan to use this planet for a while, but now it was the best choice. This even delayed our training by several months, we were supposed to start much earlier.”