The initial duration of the Stasis Space was three days. Trying to extend that time using Star Energy Crystals came at a steep cost—one fist-sized crystal only added five seconds. Even a whole cubic meter of Star Energy Crystals would increase time by merely eighty minutes, that is, one hour and twenty minutes.
Cultivation, combat skills, weapon energy supply, dice, time… Lu Yin realized that everything he needed required Star Energy Crystals. He had an increasingly strong feeling that he might have to do some unsavory things for these crystals in the future—like robbery? Maybe being a space pirate wouldn't be such a bad career path after all.
Lu Yin looked around. He had to stay here for three days, an awkward amount of time. It wasn't enough to fully cultivate the Celestial Palm, and besides, he had no Star Energy Crystals to absorb. As for other options? After some thought, Lu Yin realized he could only train in one battle technique—the Rift Palm.
Rift Palm was an advanced version of the Ripple Palm, also a common technique, but it demanded far more ** than Ripple Palm. Even among Meld Realm cultivators, few could execute Rift Palm—it required too much **. But this made it ideal for Lu Yin. With no energy to absorb, training in ** was his only option, and Lu Yin was confident in that regard.
Compared to Ripple Palm, Rift Palm was more powerful, and more importantly, it allowed for ranged attacks, compensating for one of Lu Yin's weaknesses.
Although Lu Yin hadn't been formally cultivating all along, he had never neglected physical training. Fortunately, Ripple Palm had low Star Energy requirements; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to kill Yasta with it back then.
Though Star Energy filled the universe, every planet had its own ecosystem, and the nature of their Star Energy differed. This made techniques like Ripple Palm, which relied on **, even rarer. Unfortunately, many people failed to realize this and blindly chased high-powered techniques, not knowing that such techniques often couldn't even be used in practice.
The number in the Stasis Space ticked down. Lu Yin raised his finger and began training, drenched in sweat. The three days passed quickly.
As the final second ticked away, the scene before Lu Yin shifted, and he reappeared in the training room. Everything around him was unchanged. He quickly checked the time—as expected, only one second had passed in the real world, though he had trained for three full days.
Lu Yin took a shower and rested well for a day. The next day, he met Grani again.
Grani's gaze toward Lu Yin now held wariness—and a trace of fear.
"Do you know your duty?" Lu Yin asked casually.
Grani answered in a low voice, "Your bodyguard."
Lu Yin smiled. "Let's go. The Sage of Judgment should be waking up soon."
Zhou Shan had been under intensive treatment. His injuries were far more serious than Grani's. If Lu Yin hadn't intervened back then, he would've been killed by Orton—and before that, he had already been attacked by Tris.
After half a month of treatment, Zhou Shan had visibly lost weight.
When Lu Yin brought Grani to the hospital room, Feng Hong quickly stood up. "Brother Lu—no, Sage of Concealment, the Sage of Judgment is awake."
Lu Yin sighed inwardly. He didn't like being called Sage of Concealment, especially with the second wave of trial students arriving soon. It made him an easy target. But now that Jinling had already made it public and he'd become a Heaven-class cultivator, there was no way to argue against it.
"I understand. You all stay out here. I'll go in," Lu Yin said flatly, stepping past Feng Hong and the others into the hospital room.
Feng Hong cast a wary glance at Grani—this woman was an alien.
Grani didn't care about Feng Hong. To be precise, she didn't care about anyone except Lu Yin. If Lu Yin weren't from the stars, it would've taken much longer to break her pride.
Inside the hospital room, Zhou Shan wasn't alone—Qin Xuan was there as well.
When Lu Yin entered, Qin Xuan looked at him warily, instinctively stepping between him and Zhou Shan.
Lu Yin found it amusing. "I just want to talk to the Sage of Judgment. You don't mind, do you?"
Qin Xuan hesitated.
"Qin Xuan, let him through," Zhou Shan said weakly.
Qin Xuan hesitated again but eventually stepped aside.
Lu Yin looked at her. "You, leave the room."
Qin Xuan's expression changed as she turned to Zhou Shan.
Zhou Shan nodded slightly, signaling her to go.
Qin Xuan left reluctantly.
"Sorry, she's just too worried about me," Zhou Shan said softly, motioning for Lu Yin to sit down.
Lu Yin sat beside the bed and smiled. "She's afraid I'll hurt you."
Zhou Shan chuckled. "If you wanted to hurt me, I wouldn't still be alive. I heard you rejected the northern front and want to focus on Jinling and the west?"
Lu Yin nodded, stood up, and walked to the window, looking out at the chaotic Jinling. He said calmly, "It's been six months since the apocalypse. There are lots of zombies, but they're not that dangerous—they lack strong offensive power and don't pose much threat to evolvers. Mutant beasts are different. The longer time passes, the stronger they become. If the Xing Battalion stretches its battlefront too thin, it could collapse entirely."
"That's exactly why I want to connect with others as soon as possible and work together to reclaim Huaxia. That's also why Zhao Yu risked coming to Jinling," Zhou Shan said.
Lu Yin turned to look at him. "How many casualties does the Xing Battalion suffer each day? How far can they actually push through? I had Luo Yun report to you—there was a Corpse King on that so-called 'safe route.' Corpse Kings are intelligent, they can evolve, and they can even gain special attack abilities by consuming strange materials. They're not something a centurion can handle. Can you go to the front lines yourself? How far can you go? Can you guarantee there won't be a heavenly-tier mutant beast?"
Zhou Shan fell silent, then said bitterly, "I know, but I have to reach the capital. I want to know what really happened back then. Maybe we can find the origin of the apocalypse."
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. "The origin of the apocalypse?"
Zhou Shan looked at him solemnly. "Back then, Huaxia brought back a corpse from Neptune. We obtained some information from it. It was based on that information that we got ahead of everyone else and became the Seven Saints after the apocalypse. But that corpse had issues. The Institute of Science and Technology detected unusual substances on it—materials that could cause cellular mutations. I suspect the apocalypse came from that corpse."
"And then?" Lu Yin asked.
Zhou Shan replied bitterly, "Those substances were beyond the Institute's control. So Number One ordered the corpse to be transported away and had the seven of us spread across Huaxia to guard different regions. Maybe even back then, Number One had already guessed something. But on the day the corpse was transported, the apocalypse began."
Lu Yin stared hard at Zhou Shan.
Zhou Shan looked up at the ceiling, confused. "We don't know what happened. Everything changed in an instant. The Institute's researchers, Number One, and many others died in a massive explosion. Later, we tried everything to contact people, but no one knew what had happened. Even Zhang Dingtian, who was in the capital, didn't know."
"What about the corpse?" Lu Yin asked urgently. That corpse was his biggest concern—it contained the Body Refinement Art, and it might be the fugitive from the Inner Universe the student trial was looking for.
Zhou Shan shook his head. "No idea. All that was left at the site was a massive crater filled with lava. All the information was lost in the explosion. What followed was the apocalypse."
Lu Yin turned away. He could tell Zhou Shan wasn't lying. He had gone from Hubei to Jinling searching for that corpse. Even the Seven Saints didn't know where it was. Looks like it's time for a trip to the capital.
"Rest well. I'll be going," Lu Yin said calmly.
Zhou Shan asked, "Are you leaving Jinling?"
Lu Yin looked at him. "Do you want me to leave?"
"Of course not. Jinling can only be defended if you stay. I can sense how powerful you are. You injured that strongest alien while only at the Earth level. Now that you've reached the Heaven tier, your strength definitely surpasses mine. I hope you stay. The Xing Battalion can follow your orders. I can even follow your orders," Zhou Shan said seriously.
Lu Yin was surprised. "Why? If I leave, Jinling is still yours. You'll still be the revered 'Saint of Punishment.'"
Zhou Shan gave a bitter laugh. "You think we want that title? I guard Jinling because Number One ordered me to. I'm a soldier. Whether or not glory exists, I carry out my orders. The lives of millions in Jinling are more important than anything. I hope you'll stay and protect them."
Lu Yin stared into Zhou Shan's eyes. Zhou Shan met his gaze without flinching.
After a long while, Lu Yin nodded. "I'll stay—for now," he said, then left the room.
Zhou Shan let out a breath of relief and looked out the window. The battle half a month ago left a deep scar in his memory. The so-called Saint of Punishment was just an ant. The weight of millions of lives was too heavy. He truly hoped Lu Yin would stay. Only by surviving could they have a future.
Everything he told Lu Yin was top secret—but also his sincere plea.
As Lu Yin left the room, Qin Xuan hurried inside.
Lu Yin nodded to Feng Hong and left with Glenny.
A soldier—such a heavy word—it represents responsibility. That responsibility was too great. Lu Yin had no desire to shoulder it. He respected Zhou Shan, but that didn't mean he would stay forever to help him.