Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique

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

Seeing that everyone's attention was now focused on him, Lin Yi continued, "But... after they died, their bodies actually turned into ash!"

"What?!"

"Turned into ash?! You're not joking, are you?"

"You... are you sure? It wasn't blood... but ash?"

Everyone looked at each other in dismay. Bodies turning into ash? This completely exceeded their understanding.

"That's right! It was ash!"

Lin Yi nodded firmly, pointing to the dark green stains and grayish-black powder on his armor.

"Look, this is what they left behind. There was very little blood; most of it turned into cinders, just like... just like burnt paper ash that scatters with a gust of wind."

"But!"

Lin Yi changed his tone, raising his voice.

"That's not important! After all, with the Sky Vortex appearing and monster attacks happening, it's not that strange for monsters to turn into ash..."

As he spoke, Lin Yi untied the small silk scarf bundle he had placed on the round table after returning, and two gray crystals shimmered faintly under the light.

"Look, the key is that after they turned into ash, they left this behind!"

Strange light patterns flowed across the surface of the crystals, and several of the young people couldn't help but lean in to take a closer look.

"This thing..." Chen Yu stared at the crystals, his Adam's apple bobbing, "It doesn't look like something from Blue Star. Could it be that a Higher Civilization or some high-dimensional life form is behind this..."

"Things left behind by monsters..." Zhou Jianjun squeezed through the crowd and looked up at Lin Yi, "How do you plan to handle them?"

Lin Yi didn't hide anything and stated his thoughts quite directly.

"I plan to study them first; maybe I'll discover something... How about I touch one to see if there's any reaction?"

As Lin Yi spoke, he reached out to touch the surface of the crystal with his fingertip.

"Hey... wait..."

Zhou Jianjun quickly stepped forward to stop Lin Yi.

"What if it's poisonous? Let me do it; my skin is thick."

Without waiting for Lin Yi to answer, Zhou Jianjun touched the edge of the crystal with his calloused hand.

Everyone saw his fingertip touch the surface, and he froze as if he had been electrocuted.

"Jianjun?" Aunt grabbed her husband's sleeve nervously.

Zhou Jianjun pulled his hand back abruptly, fine beads of sweat seeping onto his forehead.

"This thing..."

He looked incredulous, his voice even trembling slightly.

"The moment I touched it, a piece of information suddenly popped into my head."

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

Zhou Jianjun wiped his forehead with his sleeve and said to Lin Yi:

"As long as you crush the crystal, the contents will be transmitted directly into your mind. Xiao Yi, you try it, then touch the other one yourself to see what's inside."

"It's that magical?"

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

Three seconds later, he looked up in astonishment, "It's exactly as Uncle said. It records a classic, or rather, a cultivation method, on how to use the energy called 'source energy'."

"As for the other one..."

Lin Yi touched the second Spirit Shine Crystal, pondered for a moment, and explained to everyone:

"Inside is an energy crystal known as a Tier 1 Source Energy Crystal, which can serve as an energy source or assist in source energy cultivation."

"My luck is really good... saved a lot of trouble."

Lin Yi was secretly delighted.

Although the source energy guidance technique and source energy crystals had a high drop rate early in the assessment, it was possible to get two guidance techniques or two crystals at once, which would be relatively troublesome.

This current configuration was basically the best combination for the early stage; for him right now, it was even better than those rare weapons and equipment.

Everything having gone smoothly, Lin Yi was even in the mood to crack a joke. He patted Chen Yu, "A Yu, you say..."

Lin Yi paused, "Why do these things feel a bit like... loot dropped from monsters in a game?"

"Now that you mention it, it really is a bit like that..." Chen Yu's eyes lit up, sweeping away his previous dejection.

Li Jie muttered something under his breath and was poked in the ribs by Squad Leader Zhou Yuxuan.

Zhou Jianjun looked at Li Jie, then scanned the crowd, cleared his throat, and suggested:

"This might just be the key to fighting those monsters. Xiao Yi, you have a strong ability to learn, and since you risked your life to bring these back, you should learn it quickly."

In the crowd, Zhou Jinghua's fingers twisted the hem of her clothes, while Lin Ruiming patted his wife's shoulder in silence.

The couple were both honest and steady by nature, naturally harboring a sense of resistance toward things of unknown origin, but in the end, they did not voice any opposition.

"Good."

Seeing that no one raised any objections, Lin Yi did not stand on ceremony—and, of course, he had no intention of doing so—so he simply put away the Spirit Shine Crystal.

"However... there is something I haven't had the chance to say yet. I've been mulling it over, and I think we need to make more preparations."

Lin Yi pointed toward the window. "One of the monsters escaped earlier. Although I don't know why it hasn't returned, I have a bad feeling about it."

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

He asked a question he already knew the answer to, and only after seeing everyone shake their heads in disappointment did he continue.

"I see... then we can only rely on ourselves for now."

Lin Yi scanned his surroundings, his gaze sweeping over faces filled with confusion or fear, and after a moment of contemplation, he spoke.

"Since the emergency lines are down, well... perhaps you have already contacted your families, but I still need to say this: urge your friends and relatives to hide immediately and keep each other informed about where you are staying..."

"And then..."

Lin Yi turned to look at Zhou Jianjun. "We need weapons. Uncle, why don't you lead some people to dismantle the chairs and anything else in this hall that can be taken apart? Try to make clubs, shields, and the like. Dad, you help out too."

"No problem!" Zhou Jianjun stared at Lin Yi and exclaimed with admiration, "You've truly seen blood and fought for your life. Lin Yi, you've become a man who can shoulder responsibility!"

Lin Yi nodded with a serious expression. He did not offer any humble pleasantries this time, but instead turned his gaze to Lin Ruiheng.

"Uncle, please organize the women to be responsible for collecting the food and water in the hall, and sort them by expiration date."

Lin Ruiheng looked at his nephew, who seemed like a completely different person, then glanced at the bloodstains and claw marks on his armor. He hesitated for a moment, but eventually managed to say, "Fine."

"Is this really going to be useful?" His cousin Lin Ran, cowering behind his father, couldn't help but mutter under his breath as he watched Lin Yi ordering his father around. "Can we really deal with those monsters with these?"

"It's better than doing nothing and facing them empty-handed."

Zhou Jianjun frowned upon hearing this, already beginning to figure out how to dismantle the nearby chairs. "I used even cruder weapons when I was in the military. Everyone, hurry up and get moving!"

His words seemed to resonate, and the crowd began to move slowly.

Several middle-aged men walked silently toward the other tables and chairs to begin dismantling them, the sound of twisting metal echoing through the hall.

Ye Qingyu quietly walked to Lin Yi's side and handed him an unopened bottle of Mineral Water.

"Your lips are cracked."

Lin Yi shook his head, simply taking the water and gulping down a large mouthful.

He noticed that Ye Qingyu's fingers were trembling slightly, but her eyes remained relatively calm.

Her temperament is actually quite good, it's just a pity she's a bit slow... In my past life, she never managed to master Source Energy...

Lin Yi evaluated her silently in his mind.

Seeing Lin Yi refuse, Ye Qingyu was not surprised. She nodded, then turned to find Zhao Xiaowen to help organize the drinks and food.

In the corner, Zhao Xiaowen was collecting the leftover banquet snacks onto a tray.

Li Jie was squatting nearby, straddling a chair and trying hard to pry off a leg, stealing a glance at her from time to time.

"Is this really going to be useful?"

Li Jie asked in a low voice. He had been struggling for a while without managing to break the chair leg, and he couldn't help but feel discouraged.

"It's at least better than doing nothing."

Zhao Xiaowen rolled her eyes at him and gently placed the last plate of snacks onto the tray.