Chapter 15

Lu Yin never expected that he could cultivate on Earth using this method. With the Tianxing Gong doubling his cultivation speed, the rate at which he absorbed energy far exceeded that of Granie and the other students. In the vast Da Yu Empire, he should be among the top.

Before long, an entire star energy crystal was consumed, and the star energy absorbed by Lu Yin increased significantly.

Subsequently, he crushed another crystal and began to absorb.

Having enough star energy crystals did not mean he could cultivate to the peak of his current realm. They contained energy impurities that needed to be condensed, something only those who cultivated through the Shuti Jue could achieve.

Those who directly absorbed star energy crystals could only remove impurities upon reaching the Fusion Realm. Therefore, their energy strength was low, and their combat power unstable. Moreover, their cultivation relied on star energy crystals, which were hard to obtain, creating a vicious cycle. This was the origin of the terms "wandering soldiers" and "battle slaves."

Lu Yin absorbed all five star energy crystals, feeling the surging energy within him. He had reached the peak of the Gazing Realm, the pinnacle of the Earth-grade realm. Just one step away from the Exploration Realm, and this step required the Shuti Jue.

Lu Yin lay on the roof of the villa, resting for the night. The next day, he directly approached Granie, "Let's spar."

Granie was speechless, "You want to spar early in the morning? I may be a cultivator, but I'm also a woman. Which man would fight a woman so early in the morning?"

Lu Yin also felt it was a bit off, but he desperately wanted to know the gap between himself and the elite Exploration Realm cultivators at the academy. "Then I'll come back in the afternoon."

"No need, let's fight if you want to," Granie said. She didn't take Lu Yin seriously at all. If not for his decent Waved Palm, she wouldn't have even considered working with him.

The two found an open space, standing ten meters apart. The distant sounds of beast roars and a faint bloody smell were carried by the wind.

"Go ahead, I won't counterattack," Granie said coolly, her gaze proud.

Lu Yin clenched his right palm, then relaxed it. The air seemed to part like a curtain as he pushed off with his legs, a wave of energy splitting the ground. He rushed to Granie and struck with a palm, a pure Waved Palm, his all-out attack.

The Waved Palm surprised Granie. She had intended to block with one hand but ended up raising both.

Bang.

A wave of energy swept past, the immense pressure crushing the ground. Lu Yin's palm pressed Granie's legs into the earth, creating a pit several meters wide.

Granie was astonished, "Not bad. Even our academy's Exploration Realm students might not have such a powerful palm. If used in an ambush, it could kill an Exploration Realm cultivator with a combat power of less than two thousand."

Lu Yin grinned. He had indeed killed Astar with the Waved Palm, though it wasn't as powerful then, and Astar's combat power was below two thousand. "Not done yet, let's continue." He struck again with the Waved Palm, the power similar to the last, pushing Granie deeper into the ground.

Granie frowned, her hands numb. "Enough, your attacks are ineffective against me. My combat power exceeds two thousand. You should know that every thousand points of combat power increase means a different level of energy strength and capability."

Lu Yin shouted, "Final palm!" As he said this, a faint starlight appeared on his right hand, with the moon orbiting his palm, and the outer layer was the same air flow as the Waved Palm. This was the Tianxing Palm.

The moment Lu Yin's final palm struck, Granie's heart raced, and her body vanished in a blur. The ground where she stood was shattered by Lu Yin's palm, the earth within a hundred meters fragmented, energy waves radiating out, creating a loud noise that distorted the air.

Granie reappeared several meters away, shocked. "What was that?"

Lu Yin was smug. "This is the Ultimate Waved Palm, taught by my grandfather."

Granie narrowed her eyes. With her knowledge, she couldn't identify the Tianxing Palm, but the Waved Palm was too powerful, making her feel a sense of danger. "I've heard that the Waved Palm can be stacked. That last palm was probably a double Waved Palm," Granie said seriously.

Lu Yin shrugged. "Maybe, just a different name."

Granie looked at Lu Yin, her gaze no longer arrogant but serious and calm. "The double Waved Palm requires extremely high physical strength. Even among Exploration Realm cultivators, few can achieve it. Our academy has none. You are very strong. Once you reach the Exploration Realm, you can compete with any elite, and you might even enter the highest academy in the empire—the Yutang."

Lu Yin was surprised. "Yutang? Me?"

Granie said, "Maybe. With your physical strength, it's not impossible. I'm tired, let's go." She then left.

Lu Yin watched Granie's departing back, raising his hand. Sparring was one thing, but more importantly, he wanted to see if he could—defeat her. This woman's reaction was quick, and she used her footwork and combat skills to dodge at the critical moment, living up to her reputation as an academy elite.

However, he wasn't bad either. When she dodged, the power of the Tianxing Palm was compressed. If she thought that was his full strength, she would be disappointed.

Jinling couldn't be contacted, so Lu Yin had Luo Yun and the others stay at the gathering place. Granie didn't care about Luo Yun and the others, saving Lu Yin the trouble of explaining.

However, after two days, Luo Yun approached Lu Yin.

"Brother Lu, how long do we have to stay here?" Luo Yun asked, her gaze fixed on Lu Yin. She had learned from the two front-line centurions that this was a front-line supply station, but something felt off. People here often mentioned Earth-grade experts, but where were they?

Lu Yin replied, "Don't ask too many questions. I'll give you an answer in a few days."

Luo Yun wanted to ask more but suddenly changed her expression, looking up. Lu Yin turned to see Granie landing with a worried look. "Go, Aiden and the others have gone to Jinling."

Lu Yin was startled, grabbing Granie's arm and being carried toward Jinling.

Luo Yun was surprised. If she wasn't mistaken, the woman was wearing the same battle armor as the aliens who attacked Jinling recently.

Not far away, Xu San also approached, equally surprised.

In the sky, the air currents swirled as Granie flew toward Jinling at top speed. However, with Lu Yin, her speed wasn't much faster.

"How did you know Aiden went to Jinling?" Lu Yin asked.

Granie coldly replied, "It's none of your business. Remember, once we reach Jinling, act according to the situation. Our goal is to seize Jinling. Aiden didn't go alone; his allies are strong. Be careful."

Lu Yin's gaze was serious. Since Aiden dared to leave Granie behind, the person he chose must be stronger than her. Based on calculations, Astar's combat power was around 1,500, and Aiden might have reached close to 2,000. Granie exceeded 2,000, so the person working with Aiden must be far stronger than 2,000, and there might be more than one.

I hope Zhou Shan can hold out, Lu Yin thought, looking south.

Half an hour later, Granie and Lu Yin quickly approached Jinling. In the sky above Jinling, two figures were suspended, one of them Aiden. His battle armor and ring were shattered, and beside him stood a young man with his hands behind his back, his gaze proud.

All the survivors in Jinling looked up, fear in their eyes. Two Earth-grade experts?

Zhongshan issued a strong alarm, and Zhou Shan rose into the air, standing a hundred meters from Aiden and the other, his expression solemn. "It's you again?"

Aiden sneered, "Didn't you regret not killing me last time?"

Zhou Shan narrowed his eyes. "Very much."

"Hmph, you'll never have that chance again. This is my senior, Tres," Aiden said smugly.

Zhou Shan looked at Tres, sensing the energy waves emanating from him, his heart sinking. This person was far stronger than Aiden.

Tres looked at Zhou Shan, coldly saying, "I didn't expect to find such a strong native. I can help you step into the stars, follow me."

"Senior Tres, there's no need to talk to him. These natives are stubborn and won't agree," Aiden said.

Tres glanced at Aiden coldly. "It's not your place to speak when I'm talking."

Aiden quickly agreed, glaring at Zhou Shan with hatred.

Zhou Shan gripped his giant axe, coldly saying, "I won't follow you. You aliens want to seize Jinling, right? Defeat me first." He flew toward the north of Jinling, not wanting to fight above the city.

Unfortunately, the decision wasn't his. Just as Zhou Shan flew less than a kilometer away, Aiden slashed at Zhongshan with a sword-like energy wave, cutting off a corner and causing countless screams.

Zhou Shan roared, "You're asking for death!" He swung his axe at Aiden.

Aiden sneered, raising his sword to attack.

On the other side, a few minutes later, Granie and Lu Yin arrived at Jinling. They saw the damaged Zhongshan and the devastated Jinling gathering place, with countless people fleeing the city. The ground was split by several cracks, swallowing everything, and the void energy waves destroyed numerous buildings.

The clouds in the sky were blown away.

Inside Jinling, Zhou Shan spat out a mouthful of blood, struggling to hold his giant axe and staring at the sky.

Tres and Aiden looked down coldly. "Not bad, you're among the top fifteen at the military academy. Unfortunately, you met me," Tres said coldly.