The salty and slightly cool sea breeze, carrying the unique moisture and faint fishy smell of the open ocean, continuously swept across this sparsely populated coastline.
The jagged black reefs, like the spine of a giant beast, stubbornly resist the relentless crashing of the waves, splashing up countless white foams.
Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes. In the depths of his deep eyes, it seemed as if countless imperceptible golden runes flashed by like a galaxy, eventually receding and returning to a calmness deeper than the ocean.
He maintained his cross-legged posture, focusing his mind on his body and carefully sensing his own condition.
Nearly three years have passed since my last moment of enlightenment.
For the past three years, he has spent most of his time sitting quietly on this weathered rock, like an old monk in deep meditation, wholeheartedly digesting the profound aftertaste of that sudden enlightenment.
Using my own abilities, I gradually peeled away, analyzed, and absorbed it, ultimately integrating it into my own understanding of the "metal" principle in the universe, making it more harmonious and transparent.
This is also what Lin Yi feels most involved in.
After all, the difficult parts were left to Duanwu, so at least I could do my part.
Based on the cycle of experience over the years, when the afterglow of enlightenment is fully digested and absorbed, that is when he will emerge from seclusion.
The following period was used to deal with the backlog of non-urgent matters and to further verify my ideas and consolidate my gains through practical experience.
This has almost become a fixed rhythm.
However, this time, the situation is somewhat different.
His last epiphany propelled his understanding of the Gold Element Rule to an astonishing 98%, bringing him just one step away from the legendary Star Domain level.
After three years of focused digestion and enlightenment, this number has not stagnated, but has instead progressed steadily, reaching 98.7%.
At this moment, Lin Yi could clearly feel that the seemingly indestructible membrane that blocked the path to perfection had now become as thin as a cicada's wing, and the scenery behind it was faintly visible.
It's as if a single moment of sudden enlightenment can bring clarity.
"Judging from the progress in understanding the rules over the years, the Spiritual Enlightenment Qi accumulated in the last three years is more than enough to make up for the last 1.3 percent deficiency. However, there's no need to rush to the last moment. Let's deal with things first," Lin Yi thought to himself.
Then, he whispered, " Xuanji."
" Principal, I'm here." Xuanji's voice immediately rang in his ears, like the most loyal servant, always ready to serve.
"At the Blue Star Community level, what important strategic matters are worthy of my attention during this period?" Lin Yi asked.
Although he devoted himself to spiritual practice, he was not oblivious to the world around him; he needed to understand the macro trends of external civilizations.
However, this is limited to strategic Dynamic at the highest level that may affect the survival or future development of civilization.
Those tedious daily administrative affairs were not within his scope of concern.
The information is summarized below and sorted by priority and strategic impact:
I. Military and Deep Space Exploration: The main structure of the first flagship under the " Explorer " program, " Hope Star," has reached 71% completion, and the key power core, " Source Energy Heart," is being hoisted. The " Thousand-Mile Eye " deep space early warning and detection array project has completed its initial experimental demonstration.
II. Cutting-edge scientific research and application fields: The design of the second-generation high-density energy source reactor prototype " Torch Dragon " by the team led by Dong Wang has been completed. The theoretical energy output is 5.7 times that of the first generation, and the volume is reduced by 40%.
III. Social Structure and Powerful Individuals: The global population has now reached 65% of the pre-disaster baseline. The permanent defense perimeters surrounding the six main hives are operating stably. The number of Star Core level powerful individuals has increased by seven in the past three years, bringing the current registered total to 294.
Xuanji's report was concise and precise, eliminating all redundant details and process descriptions, retaining only the final results and key nodes and data related to the overall direction of civilization.
Lin Yi listened quietly, as if reviewing a highly condensed strategic briefing.
Excellent, everything is progressing smoothly and according to plan, without any major unexpected events or urgent crises requiring immediate personal intervention.
Lin Yi was satisfied.
This stability is the foundation upon which he can confidently pursue higher goals.
"Notify Liu Qiying and Zhou Yuxuan to come to me." He gave his second instruction.
About ten minutes later, two powerful auras approached from afar, breaking through the clouds and landing precisely near the reef where Lin Yi was. Their figures were steady and undisturbed.
These are Liu Qiying, who is now in charge of the daily operations of the East Peak Military Academy and the highest administrative coordination of the Blue Star Community, and Zhou Yuxuan, who leads global scientific and technological research and development and the construction of cutting-edge equipment systems.
As for Nie Chang, since he was still at the Stardust level, he was generally only responsible for overseeing the military academy.
Upon seeing Lin Yi sitting quietly on the reef, his aura growing increasingly unfathomable, both men became solemn.
" Principal!" they both said at the same time.
Lin Yi's gaze swept calmly over the two men, whose cultivation had both improved in recent years. "To make a long story short, are there any important matters recently that require my personal decision, or that are beyond your authority?"
Liu Qiying spoke first, giving a clear and organized report on several important long-term issues, mainly the huge budget request for the next phase of upgrading and expanding the nodes of the global energy defense network, which involves strategic security investment over the next ten years.
Zhou Yuxuan's report focused more on the technical aspects. He highlighted several large-scale scientific research projects related to future energy and materials science. He mentioned that they had encountered supply bottlenecks in several key catalytic materials that can only be synthesized under specific high-energy environments, and that it was necessary to coordinate global production capacity or find alternative solutions.
These issues are undoubtedly top-level strategic priorities for the Blue Star Community, and any decision could affect its development for decades to come.
However, from Lin Yi's perspective at this moment, most of these issues still fall within the scope of internal affairs of the civilization, and have not touched the fundamental aspects of the civilization's survival, nor have they presented a predicament that requires him to use absolute power to resolve.
After a moment's thought, he offered principled guidance on various matters, or directly granted Zhou Yuxuan and Liu Qiying greater authority, allowing them to make decisions within the established strategic framework.
Having efficiently handled the backlog of official business, Liu Qiying and Zhou Yuxuan, with clear instructions and authorization, bowed once more and departed, returning to their respective busy posts.
Silence returned to the reef, with only the eternal sound of waves and wind remaining.
Lin Yi remained seated cross-legged in the same spot.
"Now that all the trivial matters are settled, it's time to get things done."
With this thought in mind, Lin Yi no longer hesitated. He unhesitatingly drew in and absorbed the Spiritual Enlightenment Qi he had accumulated in the Purple Mist Space over the past three years.
In an instant, the world underwent a dramatic transformation in his perception.
The surrounding scenery did not disappear, but all appearances were stripped away.
The surging waves transformed into countless flowing and colliding lines of Water Rule.
The hard reefs exhibit a dense and stable composite structure of earth and metal.
Even he himself seemed to have transformed into a complex ball of light woven from countless Life Rule and soul.
Among these myriad lines of rules, the dazzling golden thread representing the rule of "gold" occupied the center of his perception with unprecedented clarity and approachability.
Sharp, resilient, immortal, destructive, chilling, violent, expansive, resonant. The various meanings contained in the Gold Element Rule are like a vast and harmonious cosmic symphony, with each note clearly playing and echoing in his heart.
Those seemingly contradictory yet essential rules that had troubled him for so long, those subtle points that could only be understood intuitively but not explained in words, now melted away like ice crystals under the sun, revealing the crystal-clear waters of truth beneath.
Lin Yi felt as if his consciousness had transcended the constraints of his physical body, extending freely and infinitely along these omnipresent golden lines of rules.
In this mystical state, time loses its linear meaning, and space seems to become something that can be folded and penetrated at will.
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes.
Before me still lay that vast, blue sea, and beneath my feet still lay that rough, solid reef.
Sunlight streamed down, seagulls soared, and everything seemed exactly the same as before.
But in his perception at this moment, the entire world, from the reef beneath his feet to the distant waves, and even the more distant continents and skies, seemed to be shrouded in a clear and intimate radiance of rules unique to "gold".
A wondrous feeling of perfect perfection, as if he himself were part of the rules, arose spontaneously from the depths of his soul.
Gold Element Rule, comprehension level, 100%.
He achieved a complete Rule Comprehension at the Star Domain level in less than forty-four years after his rebirth, at an unimaginable speed.
Lin Yi quietly savored this unprecedented state.
The total amount of source energy within his body did not instantly surge, but a grand artistic conception—"All things in heaven and earth, possessing the nature of metal, can be made into swords; wherever my thoughts move, the rules are manifested"—had already enveloped his body, making the space around him seem more "solid" and " Sharpness."
But what's the next step?
Lin Yi felt a little confused for a moment.
The cultivation techniques and valuable insights given to him by his former Commander, Relina, which were enough to sustain him until the peak of the Star Vortex level, have been completely exhausted.
Regarding the path beyond the Star Domain level, aside from a fleeting glimpse in the Pan-Spirit Alliance's Virtual Network covering countless star systems and the vast power he felt when witnessing Relina's actions on a very rare occasion, he truly lacked systematic knowledge and guidance.
"However, there's no need to panic. A path is always forged step by step. Besides, after the assessment concludes in a while, there will naturally be ways to access Star Domain level cultivation techniques. I wonder what kind of evaluation I'll receive and what kind of reward I'll get after this assessment."
"I'm actually kind of looking forward to it."
After contemplating the future in his mind for a while, Lin Yi turned his gaze to the west, as if piercing through the barriers of space, and saw the majestic mountain range standing atop the world, and on that mountain range, the most powerful "tumor" in this world, constantly throbbing.
"Now it seems the main task ahead is to target their main nests. We'll test our skills at the Mount Everest main nest later to see just how powerful the domain really is. Even if I haven't eaten pork, I've seen pigs run. I don't yet know those intricate and Rule Domain application techniques, but I can always try the most basic, brute-force domain application, like throwing bricks with great force."
Having mastered the Rule Domain, Lin Yi naturally wanted to personally verify just how much qualitative change in power this understanding of Star Domain level Rule Comprehension could bring.
The best test subject, of course, is one of the most stubborn "nails" on this planet—the main nest of Mount Everest.
Having made up his mind, Lin Yi stirred his thoughts slightly, Xuanji the space around him naturally generated a strange "exclusivity," gently pushing him away from the reef.
The next moment, his figure transformed into a faint golden streak of light, easily tearing through the thick clouds ahead and disappearing instantly into the horizon.
Its speed far surpassed that of Flowing Light Flight, while its energy consumption was extremely low, as if space itself was making way for it, undergoing a certain degree of folding.
--
In the Mount Everest region, snow and ice that never melt year-round intertwine with exposed black rock formations.
On the side of this summit of the earth, an enormous, dark purple vortex, like a hideous sore parasitizing the mountain range, is slowly rotating.
The Source Martial Army's Third Legion is responsible for the 24-hour continuous defense and strategic vigilance of this area.
Inside its advanced high-precision energy monitoring base station, located on a relatively gentle mountain ridge dozens of kilometers away, the highest-level alert suddenly sounded.
"Report! Emergency! An extremely high-intensity energy reaction has been detected suddenly in the core vortex region of the main nest!" A young monitor stared intently at the data that had instantly spiked on the screen, shouting excitedly, "The initial energy level is estimated to exceed one million Source Energy Unit, and the energy fluctuation is automatically matched. Yes... it's Commander Lin Yi!"
Inside the command post, Chen Yu, who had just finished a meeting about optimizing border patrol routes, was about to pick up his teacup for a sip of water when he heard this urgent message sent to him and suddenly jumped up from his seat.
He is now the Commander of the Third Legion. His years of military service and rigorous training have given his already imposing aura an even stronger sense of battlefield toughness.
" Brother Yi?"
Chen Yu's gaze quickly swept over the golden dot marked as the highest priority on the main screen. He was taken aback at first, then a look of understanding appeared on his face, followed by intense excitement. "Is he going to clean up those restless Star Core level leaders again? Or is there something even bigger going on this time?"
As he spoke, Chen Yu slapped his thigh, "No way, this kind of opportunity is once in a lifetime. I have to hurry over and take a look. If I'm late, with Brother Yi's methods, those Star Core level leaders will probably be gone before I even get a chance to fight them. What will I learn then?"
He didn't even have time to give any further instructions. He quickly told the chief of staff beside him, "You are temporarily in charge of command," and then, like a drawn Sharp Blade, he dashed out of the command post.
The next moment, a silver light shot into the sky, tearing through the cold wind, and sped towards the main nest of Mount Everest at the maximum speed that Chen Yu could reach.