The Fleet Regroups and Finally Reaches Mist Sea City

The silence in the training field lasted for a moment.

Then, cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Good!"

"Tough enough!"

"This trip was worthwhile!"

The sounds came from different directions.

These blood-armored warriors, who had fought desperately in the Black Mist Sea, felt honored to see the rescued people perform so well.

Even Li, who had been watching silently, curled up slightly, revealing a smile.

However, Li did not linger. After seeing what he wanted to see, he quietly turned around and his figure silently disappeared into the passage.

Seeing Li leave, the group of blood-armored warriors who had gathered to watch the spectacle dispersed one after another, whispering among themselves. Before leaving, they nodded to Lin Yi, who was still in the arena.

Soon, only the Fifth Squad remained on the training field.

Mantaji didn't rush to introduce the others; instead, he walked around Lin Yi breathing had calmed down somewhat.

"In less than an Epoch, he mastered the first seal of the Nine Seal Cosmos Art." Mantaji looked Lin Yi up and down before stopping to look at Lin Yi. "This speed should be considered among the top in the entire Imperial Army of the Silent Cosmos Domain."

He clicked his tongue twice and continued, "Some cultivators obtain the two-star mark because their potential is limited. But you..."

Mantaji shook his head. "With the talent you've shown, your true potential should be more than two stars... What a pity."

Lin Yi took a breath, then said half-jokingly, "Of course, some cultivators get two stars because that's all they can get. I got two stars because my Origin Universe Tower is only two stars."

In fact, this was exactly what he wanted. After all, given his subsequent talent, he would definitely surpass the level of a two-star mark. Fortunately, there seemed to be many examples of such subsequent talents far exceeding the star level of the Origin Universe Tower, so it wouldn't arouse suspicion.

Sure enough, upon hearing Lin Yi's words, Mantaji laughed and patted him on the shoulder, "You don't need to worry too much about this. The Origin Universe Tower's marking system is just a preliminary screening for those born from the Cosmic Clam. Now that you've joined the Imperial Army, you'll have plenty of opportunities to unleash your potential. You'll gradually understand the Empire's training system."

Lin Yi nodded to himself.

That's absolutely right. As the largest force in the Chaos Tribunal Sea after the Black Mist Era, the Imperial Army's foundation and training system are beyond doubt.

"Alright, let's get down to business." Mantaji stepped back, his gaze sweeping over all the team members present. "Our team's former Deputy Captain was transferred to the seventh team as captain after breaking through to the intermediate level. The Deputy Captain's position has been vacant. Now, Lin Yi."

He looked at Lin Yi: "You will be the Deputy Captain."

Lin Yi straightened up. "Yes, Captain."

Mantaji nodded. "You should have a general idea of Deputy Captain's responsibilities."

Lin Yi nodded again, indicating that he understood.

He certainly knew that.

Strictly speaking, this is not part of the Imperial Army's formal officer rank; appointments can be made verbally by the squad leaders.

The Deputy Captain's main role is to assist in managing the squad's affairs. After all, a ten-person squad often needs to be divided into two five-person teams to carry out different tasks, and the Deputy Captain usually leads one of those teams.

In addition, if the captain encounters an accident during battle, the Deputy Captain can immediately take over command.

Generally speaking, Deputy Captain is either the second strongest member of the squad after the captain, or someone who is trusted by everyone; of course, often both are necessary.

Furthermore, according to the unspoken rules of the Imperial Army, to be promoted to captain, it is not enough to just break through to the intermediate level; usually, one also needs to have experience as Deputy Captain.

Seeing that Lin Yi understood, Mantaji stopped arguing and turned to the other team members.

"Let's all get to know each other formally." He pointed to the burly man standing on the far left. "Xi En, specializing in attacking fortified positions."

Xi En grinned at Lin Yi, revealing a set of white teeth.

Next was a tall, slender man. "Dylan, explosive power, specializes in area-of-effect attacks."

Dylan chuckled but didn't say anything.

Mantaji then introduced several other team members.

Soon, it was Zhaoyue and Frost Rainbow's turn.

"I don't need to say much about these two," Mantaji said, pointing to Zhaoyue and Frost Rainbow.

Zhaoyue winked at Lin Yi, while Frost Rainbow nodded calmly.

The last two.

One of them was a man who remained silent from beginning to end.

The other was a soldier who looked kind and had a more casual demeanor.

"Sagahe," Mantaji introduced the silent man first, "Was originally ranked second in the team's fighting strength, but now that you're here, he's ranked third."

He added, "He doesn't talk much, but he's ruthless."

Sagahe raised his eyes, glanced at Lin Yi with a calm and indifferent look, and then lowered his eyes again.

"Ruida," Mantaji pointed to the last, benevolent warrior, "A native of Mist Sea City. He wasn't born from the Cosmic Clam; he was born in Mist Sea City."

Ruida's face immediately lit up with a smile. "Vice-captain, I'm Ruida. My family runs a small business in Mist Sea City. After this mission ends and we return to the city, I'll treat everyone to a good look around and let you get acquainted with the place."

Lin Yi smiled and nodded in response.

Zhaoyue had briefly explained the team members to him before, saying that Ruida was a warm-hearted person who came from a small family in Mist Sea City and was the seventh son of the patriarch.

According to the Blood Crystal, the descendants of powerful beings at the Eternal Source Realm and above are born as beings at the Cosmic Source Realm, and there is a small probability that the descendants of those at the True Source Realm will be the same.

This is the case with Ruida.

"If our team splits up in the future," Mantaji concluded, "Lin Yi, you'll lead Zhaoyue, Frost Rainbow, Sagahe, and Ruida as your team. You can train together more often to practice teamwork."

Lin Yi didn't have any objections.

This allocation takes into account the combination of new and old members and the balance of combat power, so it is quite reasonable.

"Alright, dismissed." Mantaji waved. "Everyone, go back to your own training. As is customary, there will be a group training session once per Epoch; the time and location will be announced by Zero Three."

"Yes."

The group responded and then left the training ground in twos and threes, chatting amongst themselves.

Lin Yi also returned to the cultivation room.

Without delay, he immediately began to burn his Spiritual Enlightenment Qi to continue comprehending the Chaos Rules.

Deep within the soul, the dark Gold Chaos Universe Seal floated silently. Although the phantom image collapsed and was damaged during the trial, the seal itself remained unharmed.

Time flew by as I focused on my practice.

One Epoch later.

Lin Yi awoke from his profound realization, and chaotic patterns began to appear in his eyes.

He carefully assessed his progress.

"Rule Comprehension is less than 1.3%."

This speed was even slower than he had anticipated. Over 30,000 standard years resulted in an increase of less than 0.3%, and even after burning his Spiritual Enlightenment Qi to fully comprehend a complete Epoch, he only achieved an increase of nearly 0.3 percentage points.

But he was not discouraged. Cultivation in the True Source Realm is like this; it cannot be rushed.

He got up and headed to the training ground.

Today is the scheduled practice day.

The other team members had already arrived at the training field.

Not long after Lin Yi entered, Mantaji arrived as well. Once everyone was present, he immediately announced the start of the activity.

The joint training mainly consists of tactical coordination drills and simulated combat exercises.

Lin Yi quickly became familiar with the fighting styles of the other team members.

When it was his group's turn to conduct the combat drill, he observed his team members more carefully.

Needless to say, Zhaoyue and Frost Rainbow were quiet, and Sagahe was indeed as Zhaoyue had said, a man of few words.

Once the drill began, he drew his sword, charged forward, and slashed—his movements were so simple they were almost rigid, without the slightest unnecessary flourish.

But his blade was extremely fast and precise, Chaos Power condensed on its edge carried a chilling and resolute meaning, as if every strike was aimed at ending the enemy.

Ruida's performance surprised Lin Yi.

This seemingly kind and warm-hearted native of Mist Sea City was anything but hesitant when it came to fighting.

His moves were powerful yet agile, and his use of Chaos Power was highly skilled. His transitions between offense and defense were smooth and natural, clearly showing that he had undergone a lot of real combat experience.

Moreover, in teamwork, he is often able to keenly detect subtle changes in the fighter jets and provide timely cover or support, making him a very reliable teammate.

After several joint training sessions, Lin Yi gained a deeper understanding of the members of his team.

Mantaji would occasionally stop the drills to point out problems in coordination or to propose contingency plans for discussion.

Time passed quietly in this cycle of cultivation and training.

Nine Epoch passed in the blink of an eye.

In the cultivation room, Lin Yi burned with Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, slowly gnawing at the tough nut of the Chaos Rules.

On the training field, his cooperation with his team members became more and more proficient, and his use of the Cosmic Universe Seal became more and more adept in actual combat.

On this day, Lin Yi was cultivating when the Light Sphere of Zero Three silently appeared.

"Lin Yi, assemble on the bridge in one standard hour. The warships will soon join the main fleet."

Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes, and the chaotic patterns flowing in his pupils gradually faded away.

"Meet up?"

"Yes. We will rendezvous with the main fleet guarding the 71st area for resupply and mission handover, and then return to Mist Sea City for rest and reorganization."

"Understood."

Lin Yi finished his cultivation and stood up.

After nine Epoch of arduous cultivation, his aura became more serene and restrained, and his Rule Comprehension steadily improved. Although he was still quite far from the 10% threshold required to condense the second Cosmic Universe Seal, his foundation was being strengthened little by little.

An hour later, Lin Yi, along with Mantaji and other members of the Fifth Squad, walked through a wide central passageway toward the bridge.

Through the huge curved observation window, Lin Yi noticed a massive warship silently hovering in the void.

It was a colossal warship resembling the skeleton of an ancient behemoth, its surface covered with layers of armor plates that resembled undulating mountains. It merely hovered there, yet the energy fluctuations it emitted caused the surrounding chaotic air currents to swirl around it.

Around it, various small warships were moving in and out, the light of energy shields reflecting between the ships like a flowing river of stars, solemn and magnificent.

Compared to this massive warship, the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship was as insignificant as a speck of dust.

It was slowly approaching the enormous warship.

Lin Yi stood in front of the observation window, looking at the breathtaking scene outside.

"Line up, prepare to disembark," Mantaji's voice rang out.

The crowd quickly lined up in the passageway.

Before long, Li's figure appeared at the front of the group.

Before long, a retractable walkway connecting to the external access point was successfully connected.

Li took the lead and walked out, Mantaji gestured for the others to follow.

The exterior of the jet bridge is a vast platform connecting to the harbor; its metal surface is as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the shimmering light of the ship shields overhead.

Many other blood-armored warriors disembarked from other warships and came and went on the platform, most of them in a hurry, and occasionally they would nod and greet each other if they knew each other.

Lin Yi and the others followed Li and Mantaji, walking along the designated route into the interior.

Just as they were passing through a large intersection connecting different areas, another group of people emerged from the opposite passage. The leader was also a black-armored warrior, slightly shorter than Li and rather slender. Although his face was covered by a full-coverage helmet, he exuded a cold and imposing aura as he walked.

She was followed by nearly a hundred armored warriors, the ranks were orderly, and they had obviously just returned from a mission.

The two teams passed each other at the hub.

The slender, black-armored warrior paused slightly, then turned in Li's direction, and a woman's voice, clearly mocking, rang out.

"Hey, isn't this Li? I didn't expect you to actually come back. So brave of you to volunteer to return to the depths of the Black Mist Sea and not get stuck there, you really got lucky."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi's expression turned slightly cold, and his eyes turned icy.

Lord Li returned to the Black Mist Sea to rescue them.

He glanced at the black-armored warrior and immediately added her to his blacklist, thinking that he would make her pay for her careless words when he had the chance.

However, just as he was about to ask Mantaji about the man's background later, he suddenly sensed that something was off about the atmosphere around him.

Mantaji and the other members of the Fifth Squad did not show the expected angry expressions of a commander being humiliated and of shared hatred.

On the contrary, Mantaji's lips seemed to twitch slightly, as if he was suppressing a laugh, while the others mostly wore subtle expressions of anticipation, showing no tension or hostility whatsoever.

Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat. Given Li's almost absolute prestige among these blood-armored warriors, their reaction at this moment was clearly extremely abnormal.

There are probably some inside stories he doesn't know about.

As expected, the mocked Lord Li showed no anger whatsoever. Instead, as if somewhat guilty, he turned to the female black-armored warrior and said with a forced smile, "Well, I just... came back safely. Next time, next time it definitely won't happen again..."

"Snort!"

Before Li could finish speaking, the female black-armored warrior snorted coldly, turned her head, and led her men away, as if even looking at her was too much of a bother.

As the nearly one hundred blood-armored warriors behind her passed by the group behind Li, many of them nodded, waved, and even exchanged a few words, appearing quite familiar with each other. Clearly, they had dealt with each other quite often and had a good relationship.

Lin Yi observed all of this and had already guessed seven or eight parts of the story.

This female black-armored warrior is probably not Li's "enemy." Judging from Li's slightly ingratiating smile and Mantaji and the others' reactions, she seems more like... "Yan Tou."

The incident quickly passed, and the two teams went their separate ways.

The group continued onward and finally arrived at the waiting area. Li instructed everyone to wait in the designated area while he entered the internal passage to report the rescue mission to Fleet Commander Lainiadun.

Other squads were also waiting in twos and threes in the waiting area, waiting for their respective commanders.

Lin Yi noticed that many of the Blood Armor Warriors occasionally glanced in their direction, especially at Zhaoyue, Frost Rainbow, and him. They were clearly curious about the new recruits rescued from the Black Mist Sea, but no one went up to speak to them.

About half a standard hour later, Lord Li returned, his expression as usual.

"Let's go to the quartermaster. Hand over the spoils of war, replenish supplies, and verify military merits." He said succinctly.

The group followed him, familiar with the area, and arrived at another busy zone.

Although rescuing them didn't earn any military merit, killing the Black Silence Beast still provided a basic military merit reward. Each squad handed over the energy cores, special materials, and other spoils obtained from hunting Black Silence Beast during the voyage, which were then quickly scanned and evaluated by the intelligent system.

These merits are converted into military achievements and recorded in the squad and individual badges.

At the same time, one can also apply for the basic supplies needed for the warship.

Lin Yi, Zhaoyue, Frost Rainbow Ni, as the rescued individuals, did not participate in any combat missions during this voyage, therefore they had no kill records or corresponding spoils of war, and naturally, no military merit was recorded for them.

Their main purpose was to go through the process once and familiarize themselves with the procedures for post-war resupply and military merit verification.

The process is efficient and fast.

After completing the task, the group returned the way they came and went back to the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship via the connecting corridor.

Back on the warship, life seemed to return to its previous rhythm.

Training, team practice, and occasional internal sparring.

The only slight change is that Lord Li, who used to often observe the team's training from the sidelines and occasionally offer a few words of advice, has appeared much less frequently.

Time continued to flow peacefully.

Inside the cultivation room, Lin Yi continued to burn his Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, like the most patient miner, digging and comprehending the mysteries of the Chaos Rules bit by bit.

Nine Epoch, nineteen Epoch, thirty-nine Epoch...

When the fifty-ninth Epoch passed, the Light Sphere of Zero Three silently appeared.

"Lin Yi, the fleet is about to arrive at the Mist Sea City naval port. Please prepare to disembark."

Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes, ending his cultivation session.

He carefully assessed his own progress.

"Rule Comprehension of chaos: approximately 6.2%."

This speed is still frustratingly slow.

Nearly sixty Epoch of arduous cultivation, coupled with the continuous burning of Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, finally raised his comprehension level from almost nothing to 6.2%.

He had originally calculated based on the previous rate of increase of nearly 0.3% in the first Epoch, thinking that even if it didn't reach 18% after sixty Epoch, reaching 15% would be good, or even 10% would be acceptable.

Real-time evidence proved he was overthinking things.

His understanding of the Chaos Rules constantly evolving. For every 1% increase in his comprehension, he would encounter a small hurdle. He spent a great deal of time on these hurdles before he could forcefully break through them using his Spiritual Enlightenment Qi.

Fortunately, he was able to force his way through, so Lin Yi wasn't too anxious.

It's just a bit slower, but cultivation is something you can't rush anyway.

Compared to his arduous cultivation, he is now more interested in the upcoming Mist Sea City.

Hearing that they were about to arrive at Mist Sea City, Lin Yi immediately ended his cultivation and went to the observation area.

Through the huge curved observation window, the view ahead gradually became clear.

At first, it was just darkness, but as the fleet continued to approach, the darkness began to reveal its outline.

That wasn't nothingness, but a "wall" whose breadth could not be described in words.

wall.

This was the first and only word that came to Lin Yi's mind when he saw it.

It stretches across the void, extending upwards, downwards, leftwards, and rightwards; its boundaries are everywhere in sight, as if it itself were the "boundary" of this region.

The walls were a deep, dark silver color, smooth as a mirror, yet seemingly with countless subtle energy patterns that were difficult to detect with the naked eye, like the breath of a living thing.

This is the outer wall of the Mist Sea Giant City.

"First time seeing this?" Ruida's voice rang out from the side, tinged with pride. "This is one of the hundred giant cities of our Silent Cosmos Domain, Lanming. How about it, isn't it big?"

Lin Yi nodded without saying anything.

His mind was completely captivated by this indescribably magnificent creation.

As the fleet continued forward and the distance closed, more details became apparent.

The seemingly smooth, dark silver wall was not empty.

Every so often, at intervals that are difficult to estimate, there is a huge energy array protruding, like a cannon emplacement on a city wall.

Dark red energy flowed across the surface of the array, and even sensing it from afar made him feel a sense of unease.

Further away, ripples occasionally appear on certain areas of the wall, then disappear silently back into the wall as if they had never existed.

However, their fleet did not sail directly towards that giant wall.

Guided by the signal, they continued to approach a specific area of the giant wall.

The closer you get, the more you can feel that invisible pressure.

The walls are no longer just visually massive; they exude an energy field that suppresses everything.

The surrounding chaotic airflow was completely repelled, forming an absolutely pure buffer zone.

The warship's shields adjusted automatically within this energy field, emitting a faint hum.

Finally, a crack silently appeared on the seemingly seamless dark silver wall in front of the warship.

This gap is insignificant to the wall, but to the warship, it is a magnificent gateway.

The interior of the portal was not a deep passage, but a soft, silvery-white light curtain.

The warship glided smoothly through the portal and disappeared into the light curtain.

The next moment, the view outside the window changed abruptly.

They entered a world that defied description as an interior space.

Above you is an infinitely high "sky," flowing with soft sunlight; below you is an endless expanse of land, stretching to the very edge of your vision.

There is no concept of walls here, only enormous pillars that rise into the sky above, distributed in a seemingly random yet profoundly mysterious pattern, forming the skeleton of this world.

Countless aircraft, transport platforms, and alien beasts of various shapes and sizes shuttled and flew in an orderly manner between the giant pillars according to invisible routes.

Further away, one can vaguely see rolling mountains, which are actually dense clusters of buildings, each with a different style, standing side by side, stretching all the way to the horizon.

The air is filled with pure and active chaotic energy; with each breath, one can feel the energy spontaneously nourishing the body and soul.

This is the interior of the Mist Sea Giant City.

A colossal city carved out of the Chaos Cosmic Sea, large enough to accommodate countless civilizations and living beings.

Soon, a clear Guidance Beam shot out from a specific height on a giant pillar in the distance, precisely enveloping the warship.

Guided by the beam of light, the warship steadily flew towards that area.

As he approached, Lin Yi saw that it was not a traditional dock, but a huge plane suspended in mid-air, made up of countless hexagonal energy platforms.

The platform was divided into standard berths, and some of the berths were already occupied by other Imperial Army warships.

The warship slowly descended onto the designated hexagonal platform, docking seamlessly with the platform's edge.

A slight vibration was felt, indicating that the situation had come to a complete stop.

"Naval base reached," Zero Three's voice rang out again. "All personnel, prepare to disembark."

Soon, Lin Yi followed Li, Mantaji, and the others out of the warship, where a dense energy filled the air.

He looked up and saw in the distance the colossal pillars supporting the heavens and the continuous cluster of buildings, and closer by the neatly moored Imperial Army warships and figures in various uniforms or armor shuttling back and forth.

This is Mist Sea City.

One of the hundred Cosmic Sea cities in the Left Silent Cosmos Domain.

This is also a new starting point for these survivors from the "Cosmic Clam" in the Chaos Cosmic Sea.

Heart