The Spirit Shine Crystal shattered with a crack. A wisp of gray radiance, like a living mist serpent, spiraled up from the fragments and shot into Lin Yi's brow like an arrow!
"Ugh!"
Lin Yi let out a muffled groan. His body suddenly lurched backward as if out of control, and he crashed into the cold wall with a bang.
Of course, he was only acting. With the strength of his soul, absorbing a basic technique like this would not even create a ripple.
But Lin Yi still kept his eyes tightly shut, his brows knotted into a deep frown as fine beads of sweat quickly gathered across his forehead.
He was doing his best to simulate the sensation he had experienced when his soul first came into contact with the Source Energy Guidance Technique in his previous life.
Lin Yi clearly remembered that feeling. It was as if someone had viciously thrust a red-hot iron rod deep into his temple... and then twisted it hard.
Time seemed to freeze. It was not until three minutes later that Lin Yi finally struggled to lift his eyelids. His pupils deliberately remained hazy and unfocused, utterly devoid of spirit.
"Xiaoyi... how do you feel?"
His father, Lin Ruiming, spoke as if his voice had traveled through a heavy curtain, carrying a cautious hoarseness.
Lin Yi slowly blinked, as though organizing the explosive flood of information in his mind.
"It feels like... someone took the textbooks from elementary-school math... all the way to advanced mathematics... and stuffed them into my head all at once..."
Lin Yi deliberately spoke in broken fragments. "But... it seems like this is only memorization. To actually understand it, I'll have to spend time studying... Hmm... it's a completely unfamiliar system..."
The analogy left the several soon-to-be university students present utterly shocked.
Especially the class monitor, Zhou Yuxuan. He had already studied university material in advance and knew how difficult advanced mathematics was. At that moment, his face was full of astonishment.
"Shouldn't you have learned it all at once? You still have to study it yourself? Then... wouldn't it take at least three or four months just to get started?"
Zhou Yuxuan's Gaokao score had been even higher than Lin Yi's, and he had also been admitted to Qingteng University. Judging by his own standards, he felt that it would take at least three or four months to get started. He had no idea that many people... might spend their entire lives without ever mastering it.
"It's still manageable..." Lin Yi raised a hand and wiped away the sweat at his temple. "I feel... it doesn't seem too difficult. Wait... let me try to understand the basics first."
He said no more and began his long process of personal exploration.
His brows would furrow tightly, then relax. From time to time, he even gestured and traced things in the air, muttering endlessly under his breath.
The entire Banquet Hall was cowed by the aura he created. Everyone unconsciously softened their breathing, while the sounds of moving and dismantling chairs were reduced to the bare minimum. Even the faint scrape of metal carried a note of caution, as if they feared disturbing his progress.
Nearly three hours passed in the blink of an eye.
Sunlight seeped through a narrow slit between the heavy curtains and slowly shifted across the floor.
"About time."
That was what Lin Yi thought. Then he took a deep breath, like a diver finally breaking the surface, and slowly but firmly pushed himself upright against the wall.
Three hours. This was the time he had carefully calculated. Drawing on the rumors and anecdotes he had heard in his previous life about Star Core-level geniuses, he had set this standard for himself.
After all, merely rapidly reviewing the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique in his mind took around two hours. Any less would have seemed too fake.
The moment he stood, he drew everyone's attention. Almost all work stopped at once.
Ye Qingyu, who had been distractedly keeping an eye on his condition, almost instinctively picked up the water bottle Lin Yi had left half-finished beside his feet and hurried over.
Concern filled her face as she reached out to offer it to Lin Yi. "Do you want to drink some water first? Rest for a while before...?"
Before she could finish speaking, Ye Qingyu suddenly sensed something strange.
She abruptly raised her head, only to find everyone staring at her...
Lin Yi's mother, Zhou Jinghua, was also carrying a full bottle of mineral water. She had just walked over a few steps and was now standing halfway there, her face showing the same concern and a hint of helplessness.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Ye Qingyu's face immediately flushed slightly.
She shoved the bottle into Lin Yi's hands, then spun around and fled back to her copying station as fast as she could.
The group was currently shrouded in the threat of death and worry for their families. Otherwise, this would surely have drawn a wave of good-natured laughter.
As for Ye Qingyu, Lin Yi remembered that in his previous life, both of her parents had survived the first wave of the impact. Judging from how relaxed she seemed now, she had probably already contacted them.
Based on Lin Yi's observations during the time since they had returned to the Banquet Hall, those who still had the energy to participate in discussions most likely had family members who were still safe.
As for those with reddened eyes, ashen faces, and vacant expressions—such as Chen Yu's girlfriend, Su Xiao—it was highly likely that some of their relatives had already met with disaster.
"Xiaoyi..."
His uncle, Zhou Jianjun, interrupted Lin Yi's thoughts.
Zhou Jianjun had been silently watching Lin Yi's progress. Seeing Ye Qingyu's hurried retreat and recalling Zhou Yuxuan's earlier judgment of "three or four months," a trace of worry rose on his face.
When Lin Yi looked over at the sound of his voice, Zhou Jianjun set down the half-finished wooden handle of the short hammer in his hand. He patted away the dust clinging to it and spoke in a somewhat comforting tone.
"Xiaoyi, the worst thing when it comes to studying is becoming impatient. Now that you know the method, there's no need to rush it... Take it slowly. Don't damage your health."
Lin Yi did not answer immediately. He first picked up the bottle Ye Qingyu had given him, tipped back his head, and gulped down a large mouthful. Only after he seemed to have caught his breath did he reply in a still-hoarse voice.
"It's fine, Uncle. I feel... I might have barely learned it already! In a little while... I may be able to try... cultivating this so-called 'Source Energy'..."
L-Learned it already?!
Those words were like a stone dropped into a still pond.
"That's freaking awesome! As expected of Brother Yi!"
Chen Yu, a poor student, pumped his fist. He had not considered the difficulty at all. He simply instinctively believed that Lin Yi would definitely excel at anything related to studying.
Most of the others did not understand advanced mathematics very well either. Combined with Lin Yi's usual aura as a "top student," they mostly showed delighted and admiring expressions, feeling that it was only natural.
Only the few of Lin Yi's peers whose grades were fairly good felt somewhat doubtful.
Especially Zhou Yuxuan, another top student. He was stunned at first, then a trace of suspicion flashed through his mind.
"How is that possible... He learned it just like that?! Even a genius has a limit... Could it be that he... misunderstood what 'learned' means? Maybe he's only just touched the edge of it... Perhaps it's not actually that difficult to understand?"
He instinctively tried to find an explanation for this event, one that would allow him to accept the upheaval of his understanding.
"Wait!"
Zhou Jianjun's brows had never relaxed. He stepped forward in two strides and pressed down on Lin Yi's shoulder. "Your face is still pale. Take it slowly and catch your breath! You don't look fine at all to me!"
Lin Yi forced a crooked smile, revealing a weary, slightly irritated expression.
"Honestly... I'd love to lie down and rest for three days and three nights... But, Uncle..." His tone suddenly shifted as his gaze swept toward Chen Yu by the window. "I just... have a bad feeling... A Yu!"
Lin Yi raised his voice slightly. "How is it outside? Has anything happened?"
While everyone had been busy with their assigned tasks, Chen Yu had not only helped make short clubs and shields but had also taken on the important duty of constantly watching for movement outside the window.
When Lin Yi called his name, the relaxed look Chen Yu had worn after the previous topic immediately darkened.
He subconsciously licked his dry lips, then leaned toward the narrow slit in the curtains and cautiously scanned the outside for a while. Only then did he pull back and speak in a low, muffled voice.
"Something's wrong... Damn it, something's very wrong! Fuck, several of them have gathered nearby and aren't leaving. And when I looked just now, there was another one!"
"Just as I thought..." Lin Yi's gaze sharpened, the weariness on his face instantly replaced by solemnity. "It's just as I guessed... Most likely, that beast that ran away earlier brought this trouble here!"
His fingers unconsciously tightened around the water bottle.
"So I have to hurry. We can't wait any longer!"
His tone was decisive. "From the information contained in the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique, I know that successfully cultivating Source Energy can greatly strengthen the body. That will be... crucial to us from this point onward!"
Before you continue