Violent Shaking

Shortly after Mantaji left, Zero Three's Light Sphere reappeared before everyone.

"Your permissions have been activated. If you have any questions, please ask them now."

The group exchanged glances.

Heng Shi spoke first, "Zero Three, could you explain in detail the specific rights and obligations of the reserve force?"

The Light Sphere flickered slightly.

"Reserve members enjoy the following rights: First, a basic military merit ration of 1,000 points per Universal Epoch. Second, access to the military supply depot for reserve-level exchanges, allowing them to exchange for the True Source Realm and below cultivation techniques, scriptures, and basic cultivation resources. Third, freedom of movement within designated areas; additional applications are required for movement outside these areas. Fourth, protection under the Imperial Army."

"There is only one obligation: obey military regulations and complete tasks assigned by superiors."

The air fell silent for a few moments.

The requirement regarding obligations didn't surprise anyone; basically, any military unit would have similar requirements.

However, the issue of rights has sparked some debate.

Standing behind Bai Su, Xi Luo muttered to herself, "One thousand Universal Epoch. I don't know the value of that currency, but it probably won't be enough."

Chu Yu's expression didn't change much. She nodded slightly. "Reserve-level authorization, True Source Realm cultivation technique, that's enough. That's exactly what we need right now."

Zhaoyue chimed in, "Being able to obtain a one-star mark means the military still recognizes our potential for breakthrough. Let's improve our strength first, become official members, and everything else will be easier."

These words eased the tension in many people's expressions.

Indeed, the reserves are just a transitional measure.

According to the information in the Blood Crystal, the Origin Universe Tower is the traditional evaluation mechanism of the Eternal Cosmos Empire for life forms within the Cosmic Clam. Obtaining One-Star Origin Universe Mark inherently means being assessed as having a "high probability of breaking through to the True Source Realm."

The reason they are being treated poorly now is because they haven't yet realized their potential as real ability.

Lin Yi then spoke up, "Zero Three, what are the basic benefits for official members?"

The Light Sphere turned towards him.

"The basic benefits for official members of the Imperial Army are as follows: 10,000 basic military merit points per Universal Epoch; access to the military supply depot for sergeant-level exchanges, allowing them to exchange for cultivation techniques, scriptures, and cultivation resources at the Eternal Source Realm and below; issuance of standard weapons and armor; freedom of movement in uncontrolled areas; and the right to use an independent cultivation room."

Ten thousand points, a tenfold difference.

Independent training room, sergeant-level exchange privileges, and equipment allocation.

Although the supreme beings and rulers present maintained a composed demeanor on the surface, the words in their eyes betrayed them.

Dark Annihilation and touched his chin, but didn't say anything.

In the corner, Wu Qi still had that hunched posture, but his deep-set eyes were fixed on Lin Yi.

Xi Luo didn't have so many reservations. She tilted her head slightly, her pale golden eyes scanning Lin Yi up and down. The corners of her mouth seemed to curl up for a moment, but she quickly suppressed it again.

"Ten times the basic military merits." Bai Su's tone was flat, as if he were simply stating a number.

But as he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Lin Yi, never looking away.

Chu Yu sighed softly and smiled, "It's different, definitely different."

She didn't say she was envious, but everyone understood the meaning behind her sigh.

Lin Yi also understood that 10,000 basic military merits were indeed a lot for them now, but at the level of formal members, it was just a basic guarantee.

What truly differentiates us is the task itself.

The information in the Blood Crystal clearly states that the Imperial Army's military merit income consists of only a small portion of basic rations, with the majority coming from field missions.

Exploration, clearing, escorting, and rescue missions in the Black Mist Sea —every task comes with a reward for military merit.

The higher the difficulty of the task, the greater the reward.

Of course, the risks are proportional as well.

Lin Yi went over these thoughts in his mind without saying anything more.

Everyone already knows what they need to know from the Blood Crystal, so repeating it again would be redundant.

At that moment, the hatch slid open silently.

Mantaji is back.

He carried a small metal box, walked up to the crowd, and opened it.

Two styles of badges were neatly stacked inside.

One type is dark gray with only very simple patterns engraved on its surface; it is the most numerous and is piled on the left half of the box.

Another type is blood red with a very thin blue light stream around the edge. The pattern is more complex than the dark gray one by more than one level. There is only one of these.

"Reservists, each take one." Mantaji's tone remained flat.

The dark gray badges were distributed one by one.

Everyone examined it carefully before putting it away.

Mantaji picked up the blood-red one and glanced at Lin Yi.

"Don't lose your sergeant's badge."

He placed the badge in Lin Yi's palm.

The fine lines on the badge's surface lit up slightly the moment they touched Lin Yi's skin, then dimmed again.

"This thing has three uses," Mantaji explained. "First, it's an identification credential. Without it, you can't even get into the barracks, supply depot, or controlled areas. Second, it's a merit recorder. All your military achievements—missions, enemy battles, resource exchanges—are recorded in it. Third, it's an exchange terminal. Although we're still far from Mist Sea City and can't get physical items yet, you can directly exchange your military merits for cultivation manuals. Anyone around who knows how to do these manuals can teach you, and the data will automatically sync once you're within the barracks' area."

He glanced at the crowd.

"If it's damaged, you can replace it. Of course, even your reserve insignia are harder than the standard battle armor, so you usually don't need to worry about that. However, remember not to lose it. Exchanging old for new is simple, but replacing it if you lose it is very troublesome. You have to go through several procedures, and it will take at least one Universal Epoch."

These words made many people subconsciously touch the badges they had just received.

Chu Yu held the badge in his hand, examined it intently for a moment, and then looked up at Mantaji: "Lord Mantaji, can we exchange it for the cultivation technique now?"

"Can."

I would like to exchange for the <True Source Realm Beginner's Guide>.

Mantaji nodded. "You saw it too, eight hundred military merits, are you sure?"

"Sure."

After saying that, Chu Yu activated the badge.

A very thin beam of light shone from the surface of the badge, unfolding a palm-sized light screen in front of her.

She quickly manipulated the screen a few times, a confirmation prompt appeared on the screen, and then disappeared.

"Okay," Mantaji said, "Come here, I'll pass it to you."

Chu Yu walked up to him.

Mantaji raised two fingers and stopped about an inch in front of her brow.

A faint wisp of dark red light emanated from his fingertips and seeped into Chu Yu's forehead.

Chu Yu closed his eyes, then opened them a moment later, a look of understanding flashing in them.

Thank you.

Seeing this, Zhaoyue was the second to step forward.

Then there were Pei Yan, Bai Su, and the remaining few Supreme Beings.

All the Supreme Beings redeemed the True Source Realm Beginner's Guide, each receiving 800 military merit points, which immediately reduced their newly acquired basic military merits by more than half.

The other rulers and lords remained unmoved.

They are still some distance from achieving perfect fusion of the nine Origin Law, so replacing them wouldn't be useful.

After the last person finished redeeming their items, Chu Yu and Zhaoyue exchanged a glance.

Zhaoyue nodded slightly.

Chu Yu turned to Mantaji: "Lord Mantaji, we have another request."

Mantaji remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"We've noticed that using military merits to ask colleagues for private guidance is permitted under the Imperial Army regulations. Therefore, we'd like to each spend an additional two hundred basic military merits to ask you for guidance on areas we need to pay attention to when breaking through to the True Source Realm."

Mantaji was visibly taken aback.

The helmet covered his face, but the pause made it clear to everyone that he hadn't expected to hear that.

He remained silent for a few moments.

"Can."

Mantaji raised his hand and fastened the buckles on both sides of the helmet.

With a very soft "click," he took off his helmet.

Beneath the helmet was a face with rugged features.

His skin was light gray with a stone-like texture; he had high cheekbones, a broad jaw, deep-set eyes, and a very dark gray-blue eye color.

Overall, it looks somewhat like the Li Race, but not exactly the same.

No one reacted in any particular way.

The information in the Blood Crystal has already made it very clear: the intelligent races within the Cosmic Clam trace their origins back to the Chaos Cosmic Sea.

Different Cosmic Clam cultivate different species, but they are all essentially branches of the Chaos Cosmic Sea life system.

It's not surprising that Mantaji looks like a Li Race.

"Come with me."

Mantaji tucked his helmet under his arm, turned, and walked to a corner of the warehouse, a distance from the others, enough for them to talk privately.

Chu Yu, Zhaoyue, and other supreme beings followed.

The Supreme Beings stood in a circle, with Mantaji facing away from the others, and began to speak.

He said something that people in the distance couldn't hear, clearly because the sound was being blocked off in some way.

Approximately one standard hour has passed.

Mantaji put his helmet back on and strode toward the hatch.

As he passed Lin Yi, he paused for a moment.

"The training room is located near the bow area; you have direct access to it."

Without waiting for Lin Yi's response, he walked straight out of the cabin.

Several supreme beings walked back from the corner, each with a different expression on their face.

Chu Yu and Zhaoyue were talking in hushed tones. Zhaoyue nodded occasionally, while Bai Su's expression remained calm.

Dark Annihilation walked along for a while, then suddenly stopped and muttered something to himself.

"So that's how it is..."

Frost Rainbow walked at the back, her expression unreadable.

Wu Qi followed not far behind her, his back still hunched, but his deep-set eyes were much brighter than before.

"Everyone," Chu Yu stopped in front of everyone, "Lord Mantaji's guidance was very helpful. We plan to digest it first, and then begin our secluded cultivation to break through to the True Source Realm."

She looked at Lin Yi.

"Before we go into seclusion, we plan to give the items to you rulers."

The so-called "things" are treasures that help one comprehend the Origin Law.

The Supreme Beings are highly efficient.

Chu Yu directly filtered out auxiliary insight resources related to the six elemental Origin Law death, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

"Frost Rainbow should have some top-tier Death Origin Law, but the quantity shouldn't be large," Chu Yu said, taking things out of his Divine Kingdom. "I have a batch of Return to Stillness Crystals here, which have a direct effect on comprehending annihilation and the direction of ending."

With a flick of her wrist, a dozen dark gray crystals landed in front of Lin Yi, each containing a still black thread.

"Burning Spirit Marrow, Fire Element. Twenty-three drops in total, enough to last until it completely loses its effectiveness."

A translucent jade bottle was placed on the ground, its viscous, crimson liquid swaying slightly inside.

"The Origin Leaf of the Tree of Life, Wood Element. Seventeen leaves. After using ten leaves, the effect will decrease to zero. Use them as needed, and return the rest to me."

Dark Annihilation as decisive as ever.

He just dumped the stuff out.

"The Origin Law Death is also present in many of our Devouring Race."

Seven or eight blackish-gray crystal cores of varying sizes rolled to the ground, their surfaces shimmering with a viscous, dark aura.

Then came three more broken bone fragments, their inner surfaces engraved with intricate patterns of laws, each radiating an intense aura of decay.

"Is that enough?" He looked up at Lin Yi. "If not, there's more."

Chu Yu glanced at the bone fragments beside him, his eye twitching almost imperceptibly. "You dismantled the Devouring Bone True Stele?"

"Anyway, it's gone." Dark Annihilation's tone was indifferent. "Keep it as a souvenir?"

He continued taking things out.

Fire element.

Several reddish-black Spark were sealed inside a transparent crystal shell, the surface of which showed signs of melting.

Earth-based. A bag of dark brown gravel, each grain creating a tiny indentation in the ground as it landed.

Three irregularly shaped pieces of gold-based ore, their edges so sharp that even the surrounding light was slightly distorted.

Frost Rainbow did not adjust the list.

She simply handed her a Void Worm Shell.

"Death, metal, water, fire, and earth are all in there." She paused. "There's more death and water elements; you can take them all."

Her tone was as if she were handing in a routine report.

Lin Yi reached out and took it, scanned it with his divine sense, and then fell silent.

Inside, there was a small pile of auxiliary resources for comprehending the Origin Law Death alone, and more than thirty kinds of the four elements of metal, water, earth, and fire. The quantity of each kind clearly exceeded the limit required for normal cultivation.

"Too many," Lin Yi said.

"I'll pay you back if I have too much." Frost Rainbow said, and then fell silent.

Bai Su walked up to Lin Yi.

"Spark Seed Essence, eight parts, ineffective after five parts. Abyss Soil Crystal, ten parts, ineffective after seven parts."

He took them out one by one.

"Three portions of Ice Soul Liquid, from the water element. This is a specialty of my hometown. I'm not sure if it will be useful to you, but take it for now."

Finally, there is Wu Qi.

He slowly walked out from the corner, carrying a tattered cloth bag in his hand, and then handed the whole bag to Lin Yi.

"The bag contains everything related to the Five Origin Law, and seven items related to death. Give it back when you're done."

Chu Yu glanced at the cloth bag, then at Wu Qi, and said nothing, only his eyebrows twitched slightly.

After the Supreme Beings had provided the resources, it was the representatives of the other races without Supreme Beings who took over.

Wanling provided the storage chip, which contained the complete theoretical model of the Nine Origin Law.

Xi Luo stepped forward and placed a storage device in front of Lin Yi.

"Inside are various treasures related to comprehending the Origin Law that I exchanged on the 59th floor of the Origin Universe Tower. They're quite diverse, but they're all items that assist in understanding these principles."

Lin Yi glanced at the contents of the storage bag, his eyebrows twitching slightly.

He had fought with Xi Luo before and knew her financial situation very well.

The money currently available is clearly money saved up after that.

Xi Luo noticed Lin Yi's gaze, her pale golden eyes flickered for a moment, then she casually looked away, "These are all things I don't need, don't overthink it."

Lin Yi didn't expose him, but simply nodded slightly, "Thank you."

Next came the rulers of other races, even the ruler of the Kunmo Race received a share...

But no one came empty-handed.

Lin Yi carefully kept every single item, regardless of its value.

Chu Yu looked around to make sure everyone had finished making their deliveries before turning his gaze back to Lin Yi.

"Anything you don't need can be returned to everyone later."

Lin Yi nodded, "Anything you can't use, return it to you exactly as it was."

No one said anything more.

They all knew that Lin Yi wouldn't waste them; these treasures were simply being temporarily concentrated in his hands to maximize their effectiveness.

"Then," Chu Yu turned to the other Supreme Beings, "We shall begin our seclusion."

Each of the supreme beings selected a section deep within the warehouse.

Zhaoyue left a simple barrier in place and then closed her eyes to meditate.

Lin Yi, having packed away all his belongings, turned to look at Zero Three's Light Sphere.

"Zero Three, take me to the training room."

Please come with me.

The Light Sphere floated forward, and Lin Yi followed.

After passing through several corridors, a heavy metal door came into view. There were no handles or buttons on the door, only a very narrow blue energy pattern flowing slowly across its surface.

Lin Yi placed the badge near the side of the door.

The door slid open silently.

It's not very big inside; it's a closed, hexahedral space.

The walls, floors, and ceilings are all made of the same dark gray material; the surface is rough but very clean.

Several very faint energy lines were slowly flowing on the wall.

This is the training room?

Lin Yi glanced at it for a few seconds.

Then he stepped inside, and the door closed behind him.

He first sat down cross-legged, and then began to take things out.

The treasures that aided in enlightenment, various law manuals, and cultivation insights were neatly arranged to one side.

After doing all this, he closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and began to try to summon his clone.

But it's too difficult.

Under the suppression of the Chaos Cosmic Sea, the process that was once easy became unusually slow.

After about two standard days, beads of sweat began to appear on Lin Yi's forehead. He stopped, took out a recovery item, absorbed it completely, and then continued.

Three more standard days passed, and the space in front of them finally began to distort.

The distortion was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible unless you looked closely.

But for Lin Yi, who was struggling to summon a clone in the Chaos Cosmic Sea, this was already a huge step forward.

He continued to channel his divine power, twisting and expanding it little by little, until he finally managed to barely open a time rift as thin as a hair.

The rift existed for less than a breath before a clone barely squeezed out, and then the rift abruptly closed.

Lin Yi took a deep breath, adjusted himself for half a day, and then started again.

The second time went slightly better than the first.

But it's still slow.

By the time all three clones were summoned, nearly ten standard days had passed.

Lin Yi rested for a while and then began assigning tasks.

Clone Number One is in charge of the Law of Fire, Clone Number Two is in charge of the Law of Earth, and Clone Number Three is in charge of the Law of Metal.

As for the secrets of the Origin Law Death, he had already fully learned and understood them before coming to the Chaos Cosmic Sea; now he just needed to master them to the fullest.

After the distribution was completed, he sat cross-legged in the center of the cultivation room, swallowed the first treasure related to the Origin Law Death, and closed his eyes.

The Spiritual Enlightenment Qi burned silently.

Time becomes extremely indistinct in profound contemplation.

Lin Yi felt as if he had melted into some kind of vast darkness. The patterns of the death Origin Law that he usually had to ponder repeatedly to capture became exceptionally clear under the blessing of Spiritual Enlightenment Qi.

Once one treasure is used up, replace it with the next one.

He understood and mastered one after another the Origin Law death.

The progress bar begins to move slowly forward.

However, less than five thousand standard years had passed when the cultivation room suddenly trembled violently.

Lin Yi was abruptly pulled out of his deep contemplation.

Before he could react, he was jolted violently again, and then the entire training room began to shake violently.