Psionic Energy Great Retreat

"I'll return the favor...

Why be so formal?

If they gave me ten or twenty boxes of those 'scraps' piled up in this Subspace, that would more than cover this small favor.

Wang Jixuan yawned in the Stone Coffin. Number Five was already peering over.

"How do we do this?"

"You can just rest," Number Five's voice was clear and pleasant, but their expression was very cold.

This made Wang Jixuan suspect if this guy had two personalities: one lively and active, the other noble and aloof.

"Can I trust you?"

"You can trust me as much as I trust you."

"Alright," Daoist Wang slowly closed his eyes, adopting a 'what will be, will be' attitude and pretending to fall asleep.

Of course, he wouldn't actually fall asleep!

He still needed to maintain the most basic level of caution.

The surrounding light and shadow shifted as Number Five activated the Stone Coffin. Warm currents converged from all directions.

The Spire Tower trembled slightly.

The numerous Crystal Cores buried beneath the Spire Tower's base, the stockpiled Crystal Cores hidden in various parts of the Subspace, and some rare spiritual ores that naturally emitted Spiritual Energy were all contributing a bit of energy at this moment.

Faint points of light converged towards the Spire Tower.

The Stone Slab floating in the Studio pulsed with light like a breathing lamp, rhythmically brightening and dimming as more and more Spiritual Energy flowed towards it.

The warm currents flowing into Wang Jixuan's body grew from a stream into a river.

What a fortunate opportunity!

Wang Jixuan quickly roused himself, struggling to sit up from his lying position and entering Meditation.

A black and grey skirt fluttered past, and a fair, slender jade leg stepped into the Stone Coffin.

Number Five frowned, looking at Wang Jixuan. "Aren't you lying down?"

"Hm?" Wang Jixuan opened his eyes and asked, "What are you doing coming in here?"

Number Five calmly replied, "Absorbing Psionic Energy. My injuries have improved a lot, and my body can now accommodate more Psionic Energy. I'll share some with you... If I'm not lying down, my absorption efficiency will decrease significantly. Unless you teach me that method of making Psionic Energy flow along a fixed route."

"That requires complete Mutual Trust between us."

Wang Jixuan surveyed the inside of the Stone Coffin, trying to shrink himself into a corner.

"If you shrink, you should be able to lie down."

"Why don't we just lie on our sides next to each other?"

"No, that's easily misunderstood," the Daoist said honestly. "We're partners; there's no need to be so ambiguous."

"What kind of pedantic notions are those... There's no one else here, and I'm not interested in your body, nor would I do something as despicable as stealing someone's partner."

The Daoist didn't reply, merely watching her with a smile.

Number Five was speechless and eventually transformed into the 'low-power standby' appearance of the Blonde Loli from before, lying down in the Stone Coffin, her little feet resting by Wang Jixuan's legs.

Streams of Spiritual Energy converged on both of them through the Spire Tower, ceaselessly.

This Spiritual Energy had been purified, making it extremely pure and devoid of any attributes.

Wang Jixuan had originally planned to proceed cautiously, but with such an opportunity, he naturally couldn't pass it up.

Yes, he'd break through to the next realm first, and then proceed cautiously!

The Daoist quickly entered his Cultivation state. In just a short while, his internal Qi Sea, which had been nearly depleted, was once again full.

He had originally wanted to take the opportunity to feel out the Stone Coffin's specific functions and comprehend the Psionic Energy Circuit.

Now, however, he didn't have time to comprehend and focused on his primary Cultivation pursuit.

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

According to the principles of Cultivation, the higher the realm, the slower the breakthrough. The Dao Body needed to be tempered, the Primordial Soul needed nourishment, and in the Core Formation Realm, both needed to continuously merge with the Qi Sea.

Wang Jixuan had already walked this path once. This time, he wasn't even copying answers; he was placing the answer key under his test paper and tracing it stroke by stroke. After tracing, he'd ponder if there was any room for improvement.

Once his condition was fully restored, the Daoist unceremoniously utilized the excellent cultivation environment here to temper his Dao Body, nourish his Primordial Soul, and promote their mutual integration with the Qi Sea.

Faintly, Wang Jixuan also sensed a wondrous Dao Charm and smelled a fresh floral fragrance.

The Core Circuit of a Spiritual Practitioner was a fragment of the Dao, an almost perfect stone for comprehending the Dao.

Wang Jixuan sensed it carefully and unconsciously began to comprehend... Number Five, Weier'aimina Tuk's, Core Circuit. He easily gained insights and understanding.

This return gift was unexpectedly generous.

Peony sat somewhat bored by the Stone Slab wall.

She held a philosophy book, playing the part of a cultured, high-quality maid. In reality, she was gathering information and processing intelligence to ensure her Commander wouldn't be put at a disadvantage.

A message caught her attention.

The war in the D3 Integrated War Zone concluded with the sudden retreat of the psionicists.

Before withdrawing, the enemy had put up a fierce front, as if they were about to clash head-on with our side, but then they retreated directly underground within half an hour.

By the time the frontline commanders reacted, those guys had vanished without a trace.

Fled?

Why?

Peony couldn't quite understand. Logically, at this stage, the Psionic Capital should have launched a large-scale offensive, taking advantage of the imminent awakening of the Pillar-Class Blade Beasts to force D5 into submission...

'Why are the Six Elders' decisions so strange.'

Peony didn't quite understand it, but she didn't dwell on it.

She couldn't access the Psionic Capital's network; it was physically isolated from the outside world.

Regardless, this news definitely had to be reported to the Commander.

"Peony!"

Zheng Shiduo's voice called out from outside the window.

Peony walked to the window, offered a polite smile, and asked Zheng Shiduo on the rooftop of the adjacent building, "Is something wrong, Class Monitor Zheng?"

"Is Teacher Wang coming over tonight?"

"The Commander hasn't finished dealing with the spiritual practitioner issues yet. He probably won't be able to make it. He's asked everyone to stick to their schedules. Later, when the Commander has time, he'll give everyone a lecture."

"Okay!"

Zheng Shiduo stared at the stone slab wall for a long time, then asked curiously, "Where's Leader Ling Tong?"

"She's gone to film a speech video."

"Alright, I have a few of her fanboys and fangirls here, well, fan-aunts and fan-uncles, who want to get her autograph."

Peony chuckled, "As you can see, Officer Ling Tong's publicity efforts are starting to show results."

Zheng Shiduo chatted with Peony for a couple more sentences, glanced at the time, and then ran off to gather the new students for a meal in the Lower City of the fortress.

They weren't going to the 46th floor for collective degeneracy;

It was purely because that was where there was enough space for a large gathering, and they could even have some karaoke, an ancient but enduring form of entertainment.

Peony returned to her designated spot and continued organizing intelligence.

Ding.

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

Dragonfly Aunt had already taken her teacher back?

She was quite swift.

Peony surmised that the important matter Dragonfly Aunt mentioned was likely related to the Psionic Capital's sudden large-scale retreat in D3.

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

[Mai Xiaomei: Just to be safe, you should raise your alert level to maximum. The Psionic Capital has shown many unusual signs. The three spiritual practitioners hiding underground have just gathered several SS-Class Psionicists from the Naturalist Faction, who are my teachers.]

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

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

[Big Peony: Okay, have a safe trip.]

Closing the chat window, Peony increased her information gathering efforts, and related pieces of information gradually converged.

Just half an hour after the psionicists' large-scale retreat from the D3 Xingrui Wilderness;

In D2 and D3, a large number of transport planes appeared at three of the 13th Institute branches. The aircraft formations headed north, and obvious fires broke out within these branches.

Within the next 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 something all fortresses were supposed to run automatically;

The shutdown of the response system most likely meant the buildings had completely lost power and humans had evacuated.

Satellite imagery showed: a large number of aircraft were converging from all directions towards the Arctic Circle.

The Psionic Capital had dozens of bases on its outskirts, scattered across high-latitude regions. Satellites captured these bases brightly lit, welcoming the arriving aircraft.

The major Comprehensive War Zones related to this event were all maintaining silence at this moment.

Peony had already formed some hypotheses.

The awakening level of the Pillar-Class Blade Beasts was continuously rising;

The large-scale psionicist retreat;

Looking at these two events together, it could likely be concluded that the Psionic Capital intended to sit back and watch the tigers fight.

This was not the decisiveness of a warrior severing their own limb;

It was merely the cowardice of not daring to face the Blade Beasts, and the despicable act of still wanting to use the Blade Beasts to suppress the other human factions.

"These guys really deserve to die."

Peony grumbled to herself, secretly annoyed.

She glanced at the stone slab, which was still continuously absorbing the Spiritual Energy in the air, calculating the time her Commander had been inside, and feeling a bit worried.

"Hmm, if Officer Ling Tong comes looking for me, I'll try to call for the Commander then."

Peony made up her mind.

However, she waited until the next morning, and Ling Tong hadn't come looking for her.

Ling Tong wasn't the clingy type. She fully trusted her partner and respected his freedom, especially since Wang Jixuan had many secrets.

As noon approached, the stone slab finally showed signs of activity.

Peony saw two figures jump out and quickly went forward to greet them, catching the War Puppet that Wang Jixuan was dragging.

"Commander... huh?"

Peony blinked, staring intently at Daoist Wang.

The Daoist's condition was indeed a bit different now.

He had just broken through to the Minor Dao Realm. His skin was glowing with immortal light, his eyes held a sharp glint, and he exuded an undeniable spiritual aura. His eyes were deep and dark, with a faint flicker of light within the darkness.

"Hmm?" Wang Jixuan asked curiously, "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing, I just feel like you're a bit different, Commander."

"My aura is still unstable after the breakthrough," Daoist Wang performed two techniques to conceal his aura.

Peony lowered her head, supporting the War Puppet as she went to a corner, and began to report the series of events that had occurred.

"The Psionic Capital's great retreat?"

Wang Jixuan was slightly confused:

"They just gave up D2 and D3 entirely? They spent decades painstakingly building them up, expending so much manpower and resources, and just abandoned it all?"

"Yes," Peony smiled, "They probably want to avoid the direct conflict and preserve their strength, then rely on the Blade Beasts to take care of D5."

Wang Jixuan scoffed: "They must be certain that the Pillar-Class Blade Beasts will awaken."

"And they're also certain that the Pillar-Class Blade Beasts will attack the Comprehensive War Zone."

"Well, that's fine then," Wang Jixuan shook his head, "A bunch of cowards. It's good that they've ceded the territory."

Peony said, "The high-ranking officials of the D3 Comprehensive War Zone rushed here overnight. Commander Fu Jian is currently receiving them, but their treatment is quite poor. The Commander-in-Chief only gave them two Crane Origin Pills."

"Not bad. The distinction in treatment is clear, which saves me some trouble."

Daoist Wang stretched, his Spiritual Sense sweeping across the area. After patrolling the fortress inside and out, he prepared to go find Ling Tong.

He had been busy healing Number Five here and had received a gift in return, directly breaking through a minor realm. This even delayed his most important plan – true dual cultivation.

This was not good;

He had to make up for it quickly!

"I'll rest for half a day," Wang Jixuan said, "Regarding the classroom, tell them to study diligently with the Class Monitor and the Study Committee Member."

"Hey!"

Peony grabbed Wang Jixuan, who was about to jump out the window, and said quickly, "Dragonfly Aunt has something to discuss and is on her way. She'll be here in two minutes."

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

"Hmph," a cold snort came from the stone slab. The Fifth Spiritual Practitioner, with her short hair, blonde appearance, and a height of 1.4 meters, jumped out of the slab, tucking it into her bracelet.

Stars revolved around her;

It was Spiritual Energy dancing for her.

Number Five was somewhat indignant, "You just ran out without even saying goodbye. You're so polite!"

"I didn't want to disturb you while you were still cultivating," Wang Jixuan asked with a smile, "How is your strength recovering?"

"About twenty percent," Number Five lifted her small chin, "Now, even if those three old geezers come at me directly, I can protect you."

Daoist Wang gave her a thumbs-up: "Great!"

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

"I should be able to lead you all to escape," Number Five admitted defeat decisively, "My Subspace, and the Subspace left by Old Sophie, can both take people away."

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

"The activation conditions for the Sleeping Circuit are very harsh, and there's a cooldown period. Each use wears it down, and there are quantity limits for simultaneous activation. Otherwise, we would have kept these guys asleep long ago."

Regarding matters of life and death, Number Five answered very seriously:

"If the six of us act together, we can reinforce the circuit... I can feel now that a Pillar-Class Blade Beast is indeed on the verge of awakening."

"Are there any other ways to prevent it from awakening?"

"I don't have anything on my end, but you can ask Little Hua Ting," Number Five hinted directly, "She might have some surprises."

"This is up to you, Peony!"

"Yes, I'll go ask later."

Number Five reminded, "It's best if you go yourself."

"I'll do that after I'm done with this," Wang Jixuan slumped onto the sofa, crossing his legs and calculating how long it would take him to reach the Golden Core Realm and Nascent Soul Realm.

It would take him at least three months of preparation to attempt the Golden Core;

This was already pushing it, disregarding the unstable foundation of his Dao Body.

As for Nascent Soul... the evolution of a Golden Core into a Nascent Soul itself required a long process...

Daoist Wang looked up at his War Puppet and began to ponder how to significantly enhance its strength.

As he was thinking, Mai Qingting flew directly into the seventh floor, her thin wings vibrating at high speed. She rushed over in a hurry.

The aunt hadn't even arrived yet...

"Wang Zheng!"

Dragonfly Aunt, panting heavily, burst through the window clutching a communicator and shouted directly, "My teacher wants to communicate with you!"

"Then go ahead and communicate. Don't get so worked up."

"She's underground in the Psionic Capital, inside one of those three Spiritual Practitioners' ships! They probably want to see you!"

Wang Jixuan turned to look at Number Five.

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

"Help me reply," Wang Jixuan shook his head. "I have partners now and don't want to interact with other Spiritual Practitioners. If there are any issues, you can negotiate with my spokesperson in the Spiritual Cultivation Civilization first."

With that, Wang Jixuan shoved his hands in his pockets and lightly descended the stairs, walking away with a spring in his step.

Dragonfly Aunt was stunned.

Number Five hadn't reacted yet.

"Spokesperson? Who is that?"