Psionic Evacuation

A return gift...

What's there to be polite about?

All those "scraps" piled up in that subspace—just give him eight or ten crates, and wouldn't that settle this small favor?

Wang Jixuan lay in the Stone Coffin and couldn't help yawning. Number Five had already leaned over beside him to look.

"How do we do this?"

"You can rest directly," Number Five said. Her voice was crisp and pleasant, but her expression was utterly cold.

It made Wang Jixuan wonder whether she had two personalities—one lively and active, the other noble and aloof.

"Can I trust you?"

"Just as I trust you."

"Fine." Daoist Wang slowly closed his eyes, adopting an "if you're here, make the best of it" attitude as he pretended to fall asleep.

Of course, he couldn't actually fall asleep right away!

The most basic vigilance was still necessary.

Light and shadows shifted around him. Number Five activated the Stone Coffin, and streams of warmth gathered from every direction.

The spire trembled faintly.

The vast number of crystal cores buried beneath the spire's foundation, the reserve crystal cores hidden throughout the subspace, and some rare spiritual minerals that naturally emitted spiritual energy were all contributing a little spiritual energy at this moment.

Faint Light Spots converged toward the spire;

The floating Stone Slab in the workshop glowed like a breathing light, brightening and dimming rhythmically as more and more spiritual energy gathered toward it.

The warm currents flowing into Wang Jixuan's body grew from streams into a small river;

What a fortunate opportunity!

Wang Jixuan immediately perked up. He struggled up from lying flat, then sat cross-legged and entered meditation.

A black-gray skirt drifted past, and a fair, slender jade-like leg stepped into the Stone Coffin.

Number Five frowned at Wang Jixuan. "You're not lying down?"

"Hm?" Wang Jixuan opened his eyes. "What are you coming in for?"

Number Five calmly said, "Absorbing psionic energy. My injuries have improved considerably, and my body can now contain more psionic energy. I'll share some with you while I'm at it... If I'm not lying down, my absorption efficiency will drop significantly. Unless you teach me that method of making psionic energy flow along fixed routes."

"That comes after we completely trust each other."

Wang Jixuan looked over the inside of the Stone Coffin and tried to shrink himself into a corner.

"You could lie down if you made yourself smaller."

"Wouldn't it be enough for us to lie on our sides next to each other?"

"Better not. People might misunderstand," the Daoist said honestly. "We're partners. There's no need to make things so ambiguous."

"What kind of antiquated thinking is that... There's no one else here. Besides, I have no interest in your body, and I certainly wouldn't do something as vile as stealing someone else's spouse."

The Daoist said nothing, merely smiling at her.

Number Five was speechless. In the end, she transformed into the previous "low-power standby" form of the Blonde Loli, lay down in the Stone Coffin, and planted her little feet beside Wang Jixuan's legs.

Streams of spiritual energy passed through the spire and continuously gathered toward the two of them.

This spiritual energy had been purified. It was extremely pure and carried no particular attribute.

Wang Jixuan had initially intended to proceed steadily, but with an opportunity like this, he naturally couldn't let it slip away.

Mm, he would raise his realm first. He could take things steadily afterward!

The Daoist quickly entered a cultivation state. In only a short while, the sea of qi within him went from nearly depleted to full once more.

He had originally wanted to take the opportunity to study the Stone Coffin's specific functions and gain insight into the Psionic Energy Circuit.

Now, though, he had no time for insight. He needed to focus on his own proper immortal cultivation.

It seemed that he could directly enter the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm today?

According to the laws of cultivation, the higher one's realm, the slower breakthroughs became. The Dao body had to be tempered, the primordial soul had to be nourished, and at the Core Formation Realm, both also had to continuously merge with the sea of qi.

Wang Jixuan had already walked this road once. This time, he was not merely copying answers. It was more like placing the answer key beneath the test paper and tracing every stroke, then considering whether there was any room to fill in overlooked gaps.

Once the Daoist had fully recovered, he unceremoniously used this excellent Cultivation Environment to temper his Dao body, nourish his wronged soul, and promote the fusion of both with his sea of qi.

Faintly, Wang Jixuan also sensed a wondrous Dao resonance and caught the fresh scent of flowers.

The Core Circuit of a Spiritual Practitioner was Dao Principle Fragments, nearly perfect stones for comprehending the Dao;

As Wang Jixuan carefully sensed it, he unconsciously began to comprehend... Number Five Weier'aimina Tuk's Core Circuit. He gained something and achieved insight with remarkable ease.

This return gift was unexpectedly generous.

Peony sat somewhat bored beside the Stone Slab Wall.

Holding a philosophy book, she played the role of a cultured, high-quality maid. In reality, she was gathering information and processing intelligence, ensuring that her commander would not be placed in a passive position.

One piece of news caught her attention.

The war in the D3 Integrated War Zone had ended with the Psionicists suddenly withdrawing.

Before retreating, the other side had put on a posture as though they intended to fight them to the death, only to withdraw directly underground within half an hour.

By the time the Frontline Commanders reacted, those people had already vanished without a trace.

They ran?

Why?

Peony did not quite understand. Logically, this should have been the stage when the Psionic Capital launched a full-scale assault, taking advantage of the imminent awakening of the Pillar-Class Blade Beast to force D5 to bow its head...

Why are the Six Elders making such strange decisions?

Peony did not quite understand it, but she did not dwell on it too much.

She could not enter the Psionic Capital's network. It was physically isolated from the outside world.

No matter what, this news definitely had to be reported to her commander.

"Peony!"

Zheng Shiduo called out from outside the window.

Peony walked to the window and politely smiled at Zheng Shiduo on the neighboring rooftop. "Is something wrong, Squad Leader Zheng?"

"Will Teacher Wang be coming over tonight?"

"The commander still hasn't finished dealing with the Spiritual Practitioners' matter, so he probably won't make it over. Tell everyone to follow the schedule. When the commander has time later, he'll teach everyone."

"Alright!"

Zheng Shiduo stared at the Stone Slab Wall for quite a while, then asked in puzzlement, "Where's Big Sister Ling Tong?"

"She went to film an address video."

"Alright, then. There are a few of her male and female fans here—well, older male and female fans—who want to ask her for an autograph."

Peony smiled. "That shows Officer Ling Tong's publicity campaign is beginning to show results."

Zheng Shiduo chatted with Peony for a few more lines, checked the time, and ran off to gather the new trainees for a meal in the fortress's Lower City.

They were not going to collectively degenerate on the forty-sixth floor;

It was simply because that was where they could find a venue large enough for a group dinner, along with old but enduring entertainment like karaoke.

Peony returned to her designated place and continued organizing intelligence.

Ding.

[Mai Xiaomei: Big Peony, is your commander busy? I'm on my way back. There are some things I need to discuss with him. It's not urgent, but it's important.]

Dragonfly Aunt had already taken her teacher back?

She moved quickly.

Peony guessed that the urgent matter Dragonfly Aunt had mentioned was likely connected to the Psionic Capital's sudden large-scale retreat from D3.

[Big Peony: You can come directly to the workshop. The commander is still busy.]

[Mai Xiaomei: To be safe, you should raise your alertness to the highest level first. The Psionic Capital has shown many unusual signs. The three Spiritual Practitioners hiding underground just gathered several SS-Class Psionicists from the Naturalist Faction—my teachers.]

[Big Peony: Received. Can this information be shared with the Commander-in-Chief?]

[Mai Xiaomei: Don't bother. His intelligence network is much stronger than you imagine. He definitely already knows.]

[Big Peony: Alright. Have a safe trip.]

After closing the chat window, Peony intensified her information gathering. Relevant reports gradually converged one after another.

Less than half an hour after the Psionicists' large-scale withdrawal from the Xingrui Wilderness in D3;

Large numbers of transport aircraft appeared at three 13th Institute Branches in D2 and D3. The fleets flew north, while obvious flames appeared within those branches.

Over the following two hours, several Secret Bases established by the Psionic Capital shut down their "Doomsday Response System" and disappeared from the map.

The Response System was required to run automatically in every fortress;

If the Response System was shut down, it likely meant the building had completely lost power and humans had left it.

Satellite images showed large numbers of aircraft converging from all directions toward the Arctic Circle.

Dozens of bases existed around the Psionic Capital. These bases were scattered throughout high-latitude regions, and satellites had captured them brightly lit as they welcomed those aircraft.

The several Comprehensive War Zones related to this all remained silent.

Peony had already formed some guesses.

The Pillar-Class Blade Beast's awakening level was continuously rising;

The large-scale psionic evacuation;

Viewed together, these two events made it fairly clear that the Psionic Capital likely wanted to sit back and watch the tigers fight.

This was not the decisiveness of a brave man cutting off his wrist, or a gecko sacrificing its tail;

It was merely cowardice in the face of the Blade Beasts, along with the despicable desire to use the Blade Beasts to suppress another force within the Human Faction.

Those people really deserve to die.

Peony sulked in secret.

She glanced at the Stone Slab, which was still continuously absorbing the spiritual energy in the air, calculated how long her commander had been inside, and felt faintly worried as well.

Mm, if Officer Ling Tong comes looking, I'll try calling for the commander.

Peony made up her mind.

Yet she waited until the following morning, and Ling Tong still did not come on her own.

Ling Tong was not the clingy sort. She fully trusted her partner and respected his freedom, especially since Wang Jixuan already had many secrets.

Near noon, the Stone Slab finally stirred.

Peony saw two figures jump out from it and hurried forward to greet them, catching the battle puppet that Wang Jixuan was dragging with both hands.

"Commander... Huh?"

Peony blinked, staring unblinkingly at Daoist Wang.

The Daoist's state really was somewhat different now.

He had just broken through a minor Dao Realm. Immortal light shone through his skin, sharpness filled his eyes, and an uncontainable spiritual resonance radiated from his entire body. Those eyes were deep and dark, with faint glimmers of light flickering within that darkness.

"Hm?" Wang Jixuan asked strangely. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing. It just feels like the commander is a little different."

"My aura is still unstable after the breakthrough." Daoist Wang used two methods to conceal his aura.

Peony lowered her head and helped the battle puppet to the corner, then began reporting the series of events that had happened here.

"The Psionic Capital evacuated on a large scale?"

Wang Jixuan was slightly puzzled:

"They just gave up D2 and D3 like that? They painstakingly built those places up for decades and spent so much manpower and resources, only to throw it all away?"

"Yes," Peony said with a smile. "They probably want to avoid the edge of the blade, preserve their Living Strength, and then use the Blade Beasts to eliminate D5."

Wang Jixuan snorted. "They must be certain that the Pillar-Class Blade Beast will awaken."

"And they must also be certain that the Pillar-Class Blade Beast will attack the Comprehensive War Zone."

"Fine, then." Wang Jixuan shook his head. "A bunch of cowards. It's good that they gave it up."

Peony said, "The upper ranks of the D3 Integrated War Zone rushed over here overnight. Commander Fu Jian is receiving them, though they're being treated poorly. The Commander-in-Chief only gave them two Crane Origin Pills."

"Not bad. The distinction in treatment is clear, and it saves me some furnace fire."

The Daoist stretched, swept his spiritual sense across the area, made a round of the inside and outside of the fortress, and prepared to return to Ling Tong.

He had been busy healing Number Five's injuries here, then received Number Five's return gift and directly broke through a minor realm. He had even delayed what was originally his most important plan—true dual cultivation.

That was very bad;

He needed to make up for it quickly!

"I'll rest for half a day first," Wang Jixuan said. "Over at the classroom, have them study properly with the class monitor and study committee member."

"Alright!"

Peony grabbed Wang Jixuan just as he was about to jump out the window and quickly said:

"Dragonfly Aunt has something to discuss. She's on the way and will be here in two minutes."

"Alright, then. I'll wait for her."

"Hmph." A soft snort came from the Stone Slab. The Fifth Spiritual Practitioner maintained the appearance of short hair, blonde hair, and a height of one point four meters as she jumped out of the Stone Slab, casually storing it in her bracelet.

Stars circled around her;

That was spiritual energy dancing for her.

Number Five looked somewhat indignant. "You ran out without even saying goodbye. You're really so polite!"

"I saw that you were still cultivating, so I didn't want to disturb you." Wang Jixuan smiled and asked, "How much of your strength have you recovered?"

"Around twenty percent." Number Five lifted her little face. "Now, even if those three old geezers attack directly, I can protect you."

Daoist Wang gave her a thumbs-up. "Amazing!"

He then asked, "What if the Pillar-Class Blade Beast attacks?"

"I should be able to take you all and run for your lives," Number Five admitted defeat without hesitation. "My subspace and the subspace Old Sophie left behind can both take people away."

The Daoist nodded, then asked, "Can you reactivate the Sleeping Circuit now?"

"The conditions for activating the Sleeping Circuit are extremely harsh, and it has a cooldown period. Every use causes wear, and there's also a limit to how many can be activated at once. Otherwise, we would have made these things sleep forever long ago."

Since it concerned life and death, Number Five answered very seriously as well:

"If all six of us acted together, we could reinforce the circuits... Right now, I can sense that one Pillar-Class Blade Beast is indeed on the verge of awakening."

"Is there any other way to stop it from awakening?"

"Not on my side, but you can ask Little Hua Ting," Number Five said directly. "She might have a few surprises for you."

"Leave this to you, Peony!"

"Yes, I'll go ask later."

Number Five reminded her, "It'd be best if you went yourself."

"Then it'll have to wait until I'm done." Wang Jixuan slumped back on the sofa, crossed one leg over the other, and calculated how long it would take him to reach the Golden Core Realm and the Nascent Soul Realm.

Even at his fastest, he would need three months of preparation before attempting the Golden Core Realm.

That was already with no regard for an unstable foundation, forcing the breakthrough.

And the Nascent Soul... for a Golden Core to evolve into a Nascent Soul was itself a lengthy process...

The Daoist raised his eyes toward his battle puppet and began considering how to significantly increase its strength once more.

Just as he was pondering this, Mai Qingting flew straight into the Seventh Floor, the Thin Wings on her back vibrating at high speed as she rushed over in a panic.

Dragonfly Aunt had not even arrived yet...

"Wang Zheng!"

Dragonfly Aunt panted heavily as she clutched a communicator and burst through the window. "My teacher wants to contact you!"

"Then connect her. Don't get so worked up."

"She's underground in the Psionic Capital, inside those three Spiritual Practitioners' spaceship! The Spiritual Practitioners must want to meet you!"

Wang Jixuan turned to look at Number Five.

Number Five answered very seriously, "I didn't sell you out. I'd much rather keep your healing ability all to myself."

"Help me send a reply." Wang Jixuan shook his head. "I have a partner now. I don't want contact with other Spiritual Practitioners. If they have any issues, they can first negotiate with my spokesperson in the Spiritual Cultivation Civilization."

With that, Wang Jixuan put both hands into his pockets and lightly descended the stairs, walking away without another glance.

Dragonfly Aunt froze.

Number Five still had not caught on.

"Spokesperson? Who's that?"