New Year's Eve (Fourth Update)

Lin Zhen also raised her glass and clinked it with Su Mingyue's. "I'm very happy to have a friend like Saintess Su."

Lin Zhen downed the red wine in one gulp, while Su Mingyue took a small sip. Then, the two of them quickly started eating the fragrant roasted meat.

Lin Zhen ate almost like a whirlwind, while Su Mingyue ate in small bites. She had received unimaginable upbringing since childhood, and every move she made was graceful. Even when she was extremely hungry, she would not lose her composure.

By nightfall, the two had devoured over twenty pounds of roasted meat and drunk three bottles of red wine. Lin Zhen herself ate over eighteen pounds of meat and drank two bottles of wine.

Su Mingyue has a small appetite, but she still ate almost two pounds of meat.

After tidying up and retrieving the Liquid Metal, Lin Zhen tidied up his little nest, preparing it for Su Mingyue to live in. He then spread a layer of flower petals not far away, ready to rest.

However, Su Mingyue did not let Lin Zhen leave immediately. Slightly drunk, she insisted on chatting with Lin Zhen, saying that she wanted to stay up all night on New Year's Eve.

The two lay side by side in Lin Zhen's little nest, gazing at the sky and chatting casually.

"Lin Zhen, do you have any specific plans for your time here?" Su Mingyue asked.

She only calls Lin Zhen her idol when she's particularly happy; otherwise, she calls her by her name.

"I'm not asking you to capture that person today. He told me some information. There are three places in this thicket with the most Star Crystal, but they are all very dangerous. I plan to cultivate for a while to improve my strength, and then go to those places to find more Star Crystal."

"Then shall I go with you?" Su Mingyue asked Lin Zhen, tilting her head. Her fragrance, like orchids and musk, wafted over her.

"Of course it's good. Our class is currently fragmented, and I estimate that there will definitely be times when we have to compete with students from other classes. Every additional person we have will be a greater source of strength."

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Su Mingyue was still feeling vulnerable, and Lin Zhen had saved her, so she instinctively became somewhat dependent on Lin Zhen. These unintentional words from her mouth were incredibly powerful for a man.

Even Lin Zhen felt a surge of pride. It wasn't that he was naive, but rather it was a man's nature. Being able to be relied upon by such a stunning beauty was a kind of luck in itself.

Lin Zhen stretched vigorously, casting aside these emotions, and looked at the sky, saying, "I wish I could see the stars right now. I haven't seen any stars since I came here."

"I have a way."

Su Mingyue smiled and gently reached into her bosom, pulling out Star Gazing Mirror from inside her clothes. As her fingers moved, a breathtaking glimpse of snow-white skin on her chest quietly caught Lin Zhen's eye, making him slightly dazzled.

Slightly drunk, Su Mingyue was unaware of this and handed the Star Gazing Mirror to Lin Zhen: "This thing has a wonderful use. If you inject your Dantian Qi, you can see into the depths of the starry sky. The stronger a person's Dantian Qi, the farther they can see. My Master's Master is said to be able to see into the depths of the Milky Way Galaxy."

"So amazing?" Lin Zhen exclaimed in surprise, taking the Star Gazing Mirror and looking inside.

Dantian Qi, Xinghe full of stars soon appeared on the Star Gazing Mirror.

Unlike the Star Core we usually see, the planets on them have some vague outlines, instead of just small dots of light as we usually see them.

Lin Zhen became increasingly interested and increased the amount of Dantian Qi. Soon, he even saw the Ring Mountain on the moon, the sand dunes on Mars, and the dazzling Jupiter Ring of Jupiter. In even more distant places, he even saw Pluto silently wandering at the edge of the Solar System, but it was just a blurry shadow.

He had already poured all the Dantian Qi, but he still couldn't see any further.

"This is amazing! This treasure is so important!" Lin Zhen stared at it for almost half an hour before putting down the Star Gazing Mirror, her heart pounding with excitement.

As long as he has this thing, and as long as his realm improves further, he will be able to see beyond the Solar System. If he reaches the War God, he will be able to see even further. What if he enters the Stellar Realm? Could he also see beyond the Milky Way Galaxy by several light-years?

If that were truly possible, wouldn't it allow us to detect and prepare for Extraterrestrial Civilization?

For the first time since his rebirth, Lin Zhen saw hope in fighting against Extraterrestrial Civilization.

Just as he was about to say something to Su Mingyue, he felt a weight on his shoulder. He turned around and saw that Su Mingyue had fallen asleep at some point. Her long, beautiful hair was loose, and her jade-like face was resting on his shoulder, her breathing even.

Lin Zhen gently stroked Su Mingyue's long hair, feeling a pang of tenderness in his heart. If they hadn't met, it would have been fine, but now that they had, he couldn't let Su Mingyue follow the same path as in her previous life.

Lin Zhen took Su Mingyue's small hand and placed the Star Gazing Mirror in her palm before gently moving it away. Su Mingyue seemed to sense Lin Zhen's departure and twisted slightly, her little face showing an unhappy expression. Lin Zhen smiled and gently patted her shoulder. After a while, she calmed down.

Lin Zhen covered her with the flower petals, then left her little nest and came to the edge of the pond.

Today he didn't want to continue practicing Lightning Long River. He had already basically mastered this Spear Art and would gradually become more proficient in the future. Now he had something more important to do, which was to absorb the Star Core.

He already has Dark Star within his body, making it impossible for a second one to form. However, the cold energy contained within the Star Core is something he values, and this time the absorption should not be as difficult as the last time.

All around was quiet. Lin Zhen sat by the pool and took out the Star Core.

The Star Core contains an extremely strong metallic aura, which is not any other metal, yet surpasses any other metal.

Lin Zhen felt that he was in good condition and placed the Star Core in his Dantian.

He slowly circulated his Dantian Qi, and a Golden Light appeared on the Star Core, entering his Dantian.

"Oh!"

Lin Zhen tilted her head back and let out a groan; it was in so much pain!

Although the sharp metallic aura wouldn't harm his body, it did affect his Dantian, causing Lin Zhen considerable pain.

It felt like a sharp knife had stabbed Lin Zhen in the Dantian, and sweat immediately poured out of his body.

"Oh no! I was too complacent. The strength of this Gold Qi far exceeds my expectations. This is only one strand of metallic energy, and I conservatively estimate that there are nearly ten thousand strands of metallic energy within the Star Core. Absorbing them one by one will definitely not be something that can be done in a day or two."

"But no matter what, I must absorb this Gold Qi core. If I can't finish it in one day, I'll do it in two days. If I can't finish it in two days, I'll do it in a month. Sooner or later, I'll finish absorbing it."

After finally managing to absorb the first strand of Gold Qi into the Dark Star, Lin Zhen took a long time to recover before starting to absorb the second strand.

The second time, Lin Zhen was somewhat prepared and felt a little better, but not by much. She was still in so much pain that she was trembling all over, and it took her a long time to recover.

"Good heavens, why is absorbing Star Core always so self-torturing? Even with preparation, the pain is still unbearable."

This time, Lin Zhen took a long time to recover before mustering the courage to begin absorbing the third strand of Gold Qi.

After absorbing all three streams, he wanted to try out the effects of the Gold Qi.

With a flick of his finger, he aimed at a tree trunk ahead.

As Lin Zhen predicted, the Gold Qi would shoot out from his fingertips and easily pierce the tree trunk, but in the end, the Gold Qi did not successfully shoot out and remained quietly in the Dark Star.

"I understand. The amount of Gold Qi is still too small and it doesn't form a self-circulating cycle. We must absorb all of the Star Core before the Gold Qi can form a self-circulating cycle, endlessly regenerating, and then we can use it at will."

Having grasped the principle, Lin Zhen cultivated by the pool for an entire night.

Enduring immense pain, absorbing the energy one step at a time, then three steps at a time, and finally even five steps at a time, is something only someone with an exceptionally strong soul like Lin Zhen could accomplish.

In one night, Lin Zhen absorbed a full three hundred strands of Gold Qi!

He stopped absorbing nutrients in the early morning, but his muscles were still twitching uncontrollably, and they were all in pain.

After a night of absorption, about one-thirtieth of the Gold Qi core had been absorbed.

"Just as I estimated, there are about ten thousand strands of Gold Qi in the Star Core. Even if I proceed step by step and the progress speeds up later, it will still take about ten days or even half a month to complete."

"Once the core of Gold Qi is fully absorbed, my Gravity will probably improve even further, which is also an advantage."

Lin Zhen rubbed her body muscles, trying to stand up but finding it difficult.

Just then, he suddenly heard Su Mingyue's anxious voice calling out, "Lin Zhen, Lin Zhen, where are you?"

"I'm here."

Lin Zhen answered, trying hard to stand up.

A fragrant breeze wafted over, and Su Mingyue rushed over, helping Lin Zhen to her feet. "What's wrong?"

Seeing the Holy Maiden's somewhat anxious expression, Lin Zhen smiled and said, "It's nothing, I just overdid it during practice and my body is a little sore."

"You can't rush your training. I was drunk yesterday and fell asleep in a daze."

Su Mingyue felt a little embarrassed. She was also a Mind Power Master and didn't need much sleep. She had only slept for so long because she was drunk last night.

Lin Zhen gently tapped her fair forehead with her finger. "Go wash up, your hair is all messy."

Su Mingyue was taken aback. She wasn't used to other people's intimate gestures. Her position as the Holy Maiden always made her feel superior, and even women didn't dare to get too close to her. But now, as she helped Lin Zhen up and Lin Zhen gently touched her forehead, she didn't feel anything was unnatural about these actions. It was as if it was the right thing to do.

This is an extra chapter today, added to celebrate the 30 monthly votes for today. Thank you all for your support with your monthly votes!