Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique

"I ran into two monsters in the hallway and was lucky enough to kill them..."

Only after seeing that everyone's attention had gathered on him did Lin Yi continue. "But... after they died, their bodies actually turned to ash!"

"What?!"

"Turned to ash?! Are you kidding?"

"Y-you saw it clearly? It wasn't blood... it was ash?"

Everyone exchanged bewildered looks. Bodies turning to ash? That was completely beyond their understanding.

"That's right! It was ash!"

Lin Yi nodded emphatically, pointing to the dark green stains and gray-black powder clinging to his armor.

"Look, this is what they left behind. There was very little blood. Most of them turned to ash, like... like the ashes of burned paper. The wind blew, and they scattered."

"But!"

Lin Yi abruptly changed tack, raising his voice.

"That's not important! With things like the Sky Vortex and monster attacks happening, monsters turning to ash isn't all that surprising..."

As he spoke, Lin Yi untied the silk pouch he'd set on the round table after returning. Two gray crystals glimmered faintly under the lights.

"Look. The important thing is that after they turned to ash, they left these behind!"

Strange patterns of light flowed across the crystals' surfaces. A few of the younger people couldn't help leaning closer for a better look.

"This thing..." Chen Yu stared at the crystals, his Adam's apple bobbing. "It doesn't look like anything from Blue Star. Could some Higher Civilization or some kind of higher-dimensional creature be behind this...?"

"Something left behind by the monsters..." Zhou Jianjun pushed through the crowd. He looked up at Lin Yi. "What are you planning to do with it?"

Lin Yi didn't hide his intentions. He stated them plainly.

"I'm going to study them first. Maybe I'll discover something... How about I touch one and see what happens?"

As he spoke, Lin Yi reached toward the crystal's surface with his fingertip.

"Hey... wait..."

Zhou Jianjun quickly stepped forward and stopped him.

"What if it's poisonous? Let me do it. I've got a thick skin."

Before Lin Yi could answer, Zhou Jianjun reached out and felt along the crystal's edge with his calloused hand.

Everyone watched as the moment his fingertip touched the crystal, he froze as if he'd been electrocuted.

"Jianjun?" His wife nervously grabbed his sleeve.

Zhou Jianjun jerked his hand back. Fine beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead.

"This thing..."

He looked utterly disbelieving, and even his voice trembled slightly.

"The instant I touched it, a piece of information suddenly appeared in my mind."

"It said it's called the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique..."

Zhou Jianjun wiped his forehead with his sleeve, then turned to Lin Yi.

"If you crush the crystal, the contents go straight into your mind. Xiaoyi, try it, then feel the other one and see what's inside."

"That's amazing?"

Lin Yi feigned surprise, then touched the Spirit Shine Crystal with his finger.

Three seconds later, he looked up in astonishment. "Uncle was right. It records a text on how to cultivate by using an energy called 'Source Energy'—or, you could say, a cultivation technique."

"As for the other one..."

Lin Yi touched the other Spirit Shine Crystal and thought for a moment before explaining to everyone:

"It contains an energy crystal called a Tier 1 Source Energy Crystal. It can serve as an energy source or help with Source Energy cultivation."

"Things really worked out well... That saved me a lot of trouble."

Lin Yi was secretly pleased.

Although the Source Energy Guidance Technique and Source Energy Crystals had a high drop rate in the early stages of the trial, it was also possible to get two Guidance Techniques or two crystals at once, which would be more troublesome.

This combination was basically the best possible one for the early stages. For him, it was even better than those rare Source Energy weapons and equipment.

With everything going smoothly, Lin Yi even had the leisure to joke around. He patted Chen Yu on the shoulder. "A Yu, don't you think..."

He paused. "Doesn't all this feel a bit like... getting loot drops from monsters in a game?"

"Now that you mention it, it really does..." Chen Yu's eyes lit up, and his earlier gloom lifted.

Li Jie muttered something under his breath, and class monitor Zhou Yuxuan nudged him with her elbow.

Zhou Jianjun glanced at Li Jie, then looked around at everyone and cleared his throat before suggesting, "This might be the key to fighting those monsters. Xiaoyi, you learn fast, and you risked your life to bring these back. Go ahead and learn the technique."

In the crowd, Zhou Jinghua twisted the hem of her clothes tightly, while Lin Ruiming silently patted his wife on the shoulder.

The couple were both honest, down-to-earth people, and they instinctively distrusted things of unknown origin. In the end, though, they didn't voice any objections.

"Okay."

Seeing that no one objected, Lin Yi didn't hesitate. Of course, he hadn't planned to. He simply put away the Spirit Shine Crystals.

"But... there's something I haven't had a chance to mention. I've been thinking about it, and I wonder if we should make more preparations."

Lin Yi pointed toward the window. "One of the monsters ran off earlier. I don't know why it hasn't come back, but I have a bad feeling about this."

"A Yu, Uncle, has anyone managed to get through to the emergency services?"

He asked even though he already knew the answer. After seeing everyone shake their heads in disappointment, he continued:

"Then... we'll have to rely on ourselves for now."

Lin Yi looked around, his gaze passing over the confused and frightened faces. After a moment's thought, he spoke.

"Since we can't get through to the emergency services... Well, you may have already contacted your families, but I'll say it anyway: quickly warn your relatives and friends to find somewhere to hide. Let each other know where you're hiding, too..."

"Next..."

Lin Yi turned to Zhou Jianjun. "We need weapons... Uncle, could you get some people to take apart whatever they can from the chairs and things in this hall? Try to make clubs, shields, that sort of thing. Dad, you can help, too."

"No problem!" Zhou Jianjun looked at Lin Yi and praised him. "You've seen blood and risked your life. Xiaoyi, you've grown into a responsible man!"

Lin Yi nodded solemnly. This time, he didn't bother with any modest pleasantries. Instead, he turned to Lin Ruiheng.

"Uncle, sorry for the trouble. Could you organize the women to gather the food and water in the hall and sort them by expiration date?"

Lin Ruiheng looked at his nephew, who seemed like a different person, then at the bloodstains and claw marks on his armor. His lips moved, but in the end, all he managed was, "All right."

"Is this really going to help?" His cousin Lin Ran huddled behind his father. Seeing Lin Yi ordering his father around, he couldn't help muttering, "Are we really going to fight those monsters with this stuff?"

"It's better than doing nothing and fighting them barehanded."

Zhou Jianjun frowned at that. He'd already started figuring out how to take apart a nearby chair. "I've used even more rudimentary weapons in the army. Everyone, hurry up and get moving!"

His words seemed to strike a chord. The crowd slowly began to move.

Several middle-aged men silently went to the other tables and chairs and began dismantling them. The sound of bending metal echoed through the hall.

Ye Qingyu quietly came over to Lin Yi and handed him an unopened bottle of mineral water.

"Your lips are cracked."

Lin Yi shook his head, but took the bottle and drank a big gulp.

He noticed Ye Qingyu's fingers trembling slightly, though her gaze was still fairly composed.

Her temperament is pretty good, at least. Too bad she's a bit slow... In my previous life, she never managed to get started with Source Energy...

Lin Yi silently judged her.

Seeing Lin Yi refuse, Ye Qingyu wasn't surprised. She nodded, then turned and went to find Zhao Xiaowen, helping her sort the drinks and food.

In the corner, Zhao Xiaowen was gathering the leftover pastries from the banquet onto a tray.

Li Jie crouched beside her, a chair upside down in front of him as he struggled to break off one of its legs. Every so often, he sneaked a glance at her.

"Is this really going to help?"

Li Jie asked quietly. He'd been at it for a while without managing to break off the chair leg, and he was starting to feel discouraged.

"It's still better than doing nothing."

Zhao Xiaowen rolled her eyes at him and gently set the last plate of pastries on the tray.