Return

"Time's up..."

With a flash of understanding in his mind, Tao Yu knew that the fifteen-day trial for Awakening Day was coming to an end!

When everyone turned eighteen and awakened their Talents to become Pioneers, they were all forced to stay in the Abyss Rift for a full fifteen days before re-establishing their connection with the World Will and returning.

Aside from this initial period, subsequent travel between the Abyss and the Real World relied on personal meditation. Once proficient, a mere fifteen minutes of meditation would suffice for the transition.

However, regardless of the destination, the minimum cooldown period for travel was five days. Furthermore, extended stays in the Real World could lead to accumulating madness, making it advisable to visit the Abyss at least once a month.

The same applied to the Abyss; staying too long required periodic returns to the Real World. The duration varied from person to person, with no absolute rule. Some could endure longer, while others succumbed to madness in less than a month. These were currently conclusions drawn from accumulated experience.

It was only certain that the stronger one's power, the longer they could maintain their presence, whether in the Abyss or the Real World.

Rumors circulated among the populace about powerful individuals who disappeared for extended periods, presumed dead, but who had actually encountered fortuitous encounters in the Abyss.

It was said that some unique Abyss regions lay beyond the World Will's influence, preventing teleportation. Wealthy individuals could even extend their duration by using Wish Power.

However, these special circumstances had no bearing on Tao Yu's former status as a nobody from the Outer City.

Ordinary Outer City residents made a single round trip per month.

Swish~

Tao Yu felt his body gradually disappear as if dissolving into mosaics. The next moment, the scene before him shifted.

It was the same plaza he had arrived at from the Outer City, the same old, mottled statue.

The Floating City still hung suspended in the sky, casting a heavy sense of oppression, and the gray mist wall surrounding the perimeter continued to churn.

As he returned, human voices gradually reached his ears.

"They're back! They're back!"

"The first batch is back, why are there so few?"

"Are there even fifty people here?!"

"Abao! Abao, are you there?!"

"Why are there so few!"

"Where did this Space-Time Anomaly take them?"

"Even the Inner City is short on people?"

"Where's Yosef?"

"..."

The chaotic clamor sounded like a marketplace. Tao Yu scanned his surroundings, and perhaps due to the Space-Time Anomaly incident, the plaza perimeter was crowded with people, mostly plainly dressed or even dirty Outer City residents, with the Security Team present to maintain order.

A few well-dressed individuals stood apart, observing silently, likely important figures from the Inner City or even the Floating City.

In the sparse center of the plaza, about forty to fifty people were either lying down or standing. Almost everyone was covered in dirt and grime, many clearly injured and bleeding, groaning in pain.

Tao Yu himself wasn't much better. Fifteen days without a bath, rolling in the mud, and the stench of decaying blood made him reek. The surface of his leather armor was caked with grime.

His Dynamic Vision easily spotted his worried parents, who were still anxiously searching for him. Tao Yu then raised his hand and called out, "Dad, Mom, I'm here! I'm okay!"

Although Tao Yu had changed significantly – the enhancements from the Blood Orchid and Breathing Technique, coupled with the constant replenishment of food, had made him visibly stronger, his height increasing considerably. He had gone from his previous skinny frame of less than 1.7 meters to a more developed physique approaching 1.8 meters.

His parents still recognized him immediately. Seeing that he was unharmed and appeared to have gained considerable benefits, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

It was good that he had returned safely. The experiences of his Eldest and Second brothers had given them severe PTSD, so despite their modest income, they had gritted their teeth and managed to get Tao Yu a decent starter set and a thousand units of Wish Power.

Frankly speaking, without their support to get through the most difficult period, Tao Yu would have almost certainly not survived.

"How is this possible? Where's Yosef?"

"What happened to Winuo? He's so badly injured?"

Tao Yu jumped in surprise at the two exclamations from nearby.

Holy crap, is he back from the dead?

He turned to look. Yosef was definitely dead and gone, but he actually saw Winuo's burly figure!

A gaping wound marred his chest, ribs exposed, revealing the mangled internal organs. Yet, this guy had somehow survived!

This transition didn't come with any healing effects, so had he endured it head-on?

This made Tao Yu's eyes widen.

He had assumed the deranged Winuo would have died much earlier, but who would have thought he would be the one to survive?

Was he captured and used as an incubator? And somehow survived due to some special vitality?

This was a bit much...

Tao Yu saw a burly, red-skinned man with horns on his head and a devilish face push through the crowd and stride quickly towards Winuo. Without preamble, he jabbed a needle into Winuo's body, his eyes filled with rage.

"Where in the world did the World Will send him? How did an Outer City nobody survive, while Winuo is so severely injured?"

"Yosef is dead!"

Another figure, who looked like an ordinary person but was exceptionally handsome, almost unrealistically so, making it difficult to discern their gender, spoke with a grave expression.

How could Yosef possibly die in a place like this!

"He was likely infected by a creature called an alien. If there were enough of them, it's completely normal that they wouldn't be able to handle it when they first entered."

A clear, cool voice came from the side. Tao Yu saw a slender figure.

She didn't even have a speck of dust on her, still wearing that same black, form-fitting combat suit. It was the older sister from the Floating City siblings. Her appearance was as refined and elegant as her own, while her flat-chested younger brother also walked over and stood indifferently to the side.

The first batch consisted of only seven Inner City disciples. With one dead and one severely injured, it was hardly good news.

Seeing the two of them approach, the burly man with red skin and long horns, who was clearly furious, suppressed his emotions and forced a smile.

"Miss Sun, I am truly sorry. It seems my son will be unable to serve you for the time being."

"It's fine. Here's a miniature life potion; it should be somewhat helpful. Get him healed quickly."

Sun Shiyu's pretty face remained somewhat cold as she tossed a bottle of red potion. The burly red-skinned man repeatedly expressed his gratitude before pouring it directly onto Winuo's wound, causing a sizzling sound.

Tao Yu could clearly see that Winuo's previously purplish-blue complexion seemed to have improved considerably. The medicine was effective.

Winuo, whose condition was quickly stabilized, was placed on a stretcher and swiftly taken away.

Such an injury would have been fatal for someone from the Outer City, but for an Inner City resident, there might genuinely be a chance.

After dealing with the problem of one injured and one dead among the Inner City residents, the younger sibling of the Sun siblings, Sun Shiqing, cast a sideways glance at someone on the periphery.

It was a man with a square-shaped face, impeccably dressed, and sporting a small mustache.

Tao Yu knew this person; he was the captain of the Outer City Security Team and could be considered one of the most influential figures in the Outer City. His name was Zechuan. There were no signs of mechanical augmentation or mutation on him, yet he firmly held the position of Security Team Captain, indicating his considerable capabilities.

With just a glance, the square-faced Security Team Captain quickly walked to the platform where Uncle Hu had been earlier and announced loudly, "Alright, quiet down."

The scene, somewhat chaotic and filled with sobs, quickly fell silent at his words.

Although there were still a few uncontrollable sobs and some faint cries, the overall situation had stabilized.

"This Space-Time Anomaly is an accidental event, and the casualties are exceptionally heavy. Inner City disciples have even been lost on Awakening Day, which shows how difficult it was.

"However, the City Council has now urgently passed the draft for the construction of a new settlement, with Pioneers Sun Shiyu and Sun Shiqing at its core. Starlight Company has been commissioned to build our Starfall City's second settlement!

"Encountering a Space-Time Anomaly is unfortunate, but compared to others who have encountered such anomalies, this group is fortunate..."

The survival rate on Awakening Day, which was originally around sixty percent, had plummeted by more than half, clearly illustrating the risks involved.

But as Captain Zechuan said, Starlight Company would be involved in building the new settlement, with the two core disciples from the Floating City leading the charge.

Compared to the Pioneers who had to fend for themselves when encountering Space-Time Anomalies in the past, this was already quite good. At the very least, there was hope.

However, given that conclusions were being drawn so quickly and that the Sun siblings seemed to already be aware of this, it suggested that this pair from the Floating City possessed an item that allowed direct communication with the Real World.

Their background was indeed far beyond what the Pioneers of the Inner and Outer Cities could compare to