He wasn't really ahead of me, was he?

Before long, their Bloodrage-class Assault Ship slowly came to a stop in its berth in the mothership's dock.

As the bridge trembled slightly, the energy patterns on the bulkhead changed from dark red to a soft light blue.

This signifies that the warship has successfully integrated into the mothership's energy supply network.

Li stood at the front of the line and addressed the crowd. "The one- Epoch rest period is for self-arrangement. Dismissed."

A slight commotion arose within the group as the veteran members walked in twos and threes toward the passageway, clearly having mastered the maintenance procedures inside the mothership.

Lin Yi did not follow immediately.

His gaze swept across the berth to the spacious circular corridor inside the mothership. Although the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship was powerful, compared to the giant ship beneath his feet, or rather, the large mobile base, it was merely a fishing boat moored in the harbor.

Mantaji Time Stop she walked past Lin Yi, glancing at Lin Yi and Zhaoyue and Frost Rainbow, who hadn't left immediately either.

"We'll be heading to the supply area soon, right?" Before Lin Yi could answer, he continued, "Last time you guys couldn't move around freely inside the mothership. This time, you can get a map of the mothership's interior from Zero Three first, otherwise there are too many functional areas, and it'll be easy to get lost."

Lin Yi nodded. "Thanks, Captain."

Mantaji waved his hand and strode towards the passageway.

He took a few steps, then stopped, turned back, and added, "By the way, if anything happens, just come find me."

Without waiting for Lin Yi's response, he turned and went into the corner of the corridor.

Lin Yi watched Mantaji's disappearing figure, a smile playing on his lips.

His relationship with Mantaji, from their initial recruit reporting and induction assessments to their joint battles on the battlefield in this Epoch, has long since transcended the simple distinction between superior and subordinate.

Over the years, Mantaji has shielded him from flanking attacks, while he has used his clones to help Mantaji escape predicaments where he is attacked from both sides. The two have reached an extremely tacit understanding in their fighting rhythm.

Lin Yi shook his head, then said, "Zero Three, help us synchronize a regional map of the mothership into the badge."

The Zero Three Light Sphere appeared, "OK, synchronization complete."

Lin Yi nodded his thanks, then said to Zhaoyue and Frost Rainbow, who were leaning against the cabin wall, "Let's go."

The three of them walked at the back along the passage.

They walked through the naval port berth area and into the circular corridor inside the mother ship.

The corridor has a semi-transparent arched structure, with a pale blue sign light at intervals above the dome, casting distinct light and shadow on the ground.

Lin Yi walked along, examining the area map inside the badge.

"The supply area is in the ship's hull. We're currently in the naval port area, so we need to go through the main passageway in the hull, then take the connecting stairs down two levels from the public deck." He glanced at the markings on the map. "The merit exchange office is inside the supply area, and the repair area is opposite the supply area. Let's go to the merit exchange office in the supply area first, and then we can each act according to our own needs, okay?"

"Alright," Zhaoyue said.

"I have no objection," Frost Rainbow agreed.

After all, exchanging military merits for items that enhance strength is the most important thing to do during the return to rest and recuperation period, so doing this first is only natural.

After setting their goal, the three continued their journey following the directions on the zoning map.

The main passageway under the ship is much wider than the corridor, with numerous doorways and passageways on both sides. Logistics personnel in uniforms can be seen operating various machines as they move through the passageway from time to time.

Two connecting staircases were also opened in the center of the passageway, with people constantly coming out from the upper level and others hurrying down.

Looking at the sign above the connecting staircase, Zhaoyue remarked, "This thing really does resemble the layout of some areas in Mist Sea City."

"The basic framework should be about the same," Lin Yi said as they walked. "The design standards of the mothership are probably based on the civilian transportation system of the giant city, except that the public rails have been replaced with military-grade connecting staircases."

The three of them followed the flow of people and squeezed into a connecting elevator leading to the next floor.

As soon as I entered, the stairwell door closed and then immediately opened again; we had arrived at the target floor.

The three of them walked out of the connecting staircase, and the scene before them was even busier than the upper floor. The walls on both sides were painted dark blue, and soldiers waiting in line and logistics personnel transporting supplies could be seen everywhere.

The entrance to the quartermaster's quarters was a wide archway with the Imperial Army insignia hanging above it, and several soldiers standing on either side to maintain order.

The queue wasn't very long; most people waited quietly, with only a few occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones.

When it was Lin Yi's turn to approach the window, he was greeted by a female logistics staff member in a gray uniform.

The other person's gaze swept over the military badge on his chest, and then brought up a semi-transparent screen on the floating control panel.

"Exchange items," she said.

Lin Yi focused his consciousness on the military merit badge, his gaze falling on the total number at the bottom.

88,300 military merits.

Although the majority of the battles were fought by Zero Three's Bloodrage-class Assault Ship, who mainly focused on finishing off enemies and providing defense, he still earned nearly 90,000 military merits in just one Epoch of combat.

If converted to Eternal Cosmos Yuan, that's nearly 100,000 Eternal Cosmos Yuan, while his basic salary for one Epoch is only 10 Eternal Cosmos Yuan.

"Nearly ten thousand times the return... No wonder they all say military merit is the main thing, indeed... war is the fastest way to earn merit."

Lin Yi sighed inwardly.

However, he quickly thought of his comrades who had died in the mouths of the Black Silence Beast on the battlefield, and then suppressed his feelings.

The returns may be high, but they come at the cost of one's life.

As for the exchange target, he had already considered it repeatedly in his mind.

He first focused his attention on the categories of treasures that aided in comprehending the Chaos Rules.

The items on the screen automatically switched, and an auxiliary treasure called "Star Surge Marrow" came into view.

The required military merit for exchange is exactly 10,000, and the effect lasts for 10,000 standard years, during which the efficiency of comprehending Chaos Rules increases threefold.

Lin Yi quickly glanced at the small print at the very end of the instructions. "Maximum use of ten items; exceeding this number will greatly reduce the effect."

He thought for a moment and decided to exchange for three items, just as a token gesture.

In truth, he wanted to exchange all his military merits for Source Essence Crystal, but that would be too unusual, so even if it was just for show, he still had to exchange them for some treasures that would help him comprehend the Chaos Rules.

Next, he quickly switched to the category of items that provide quick responses.

Actually, this stuff is distributed to the military during wartime. Every Epoch, soldiers are given ten Quick Recovery Crystal Cores (Tier 1).

It didn't sound like a lot, but under prolonged, high-intensity combat, the rate of consumption was much faster than he had anticipated.

The problem is that the Imperial Army's distribution of recovery crystals is strictly calculated based on the duration of combat. Unrestrained use will weaken the overall resource turnover rate of the army. So either use them sparingly, or if you want more, you can only exchange them with military merits, 1000 military merits for one crystal.

With his current amount of Chaos Power, one pill can restore about 70% of his Chaos Power.

Lin Yi recalled the previous times when he was short of Chaos Power, gritted his teeth, and exchanged for an extra 10 in one go.

He didn't plan to touch the remaining Points.

In case you need to exchange for special privileges or emergency supplies during the rest period, you won't end up empty-handed.

Besides, you'll need to save up money to exchange for enlightenment treasures in the future.

After confirming the application was submitted, the female logistics staff member tapped twice on the control panel, and a moment later a semi-transparent crystal box popped out from the side teleportation slot, containing all the supplies he had exchanged.

Lin Yi took the box, put it into his Divine Kingdom, and then turned and left.

The three met in the hallway, and none of them asked the other what they had changed.

"Alright," Lin Yi said, looking at Zhaoyue and Frost Rainbow, "Want to go for a walk?"

Zhaoyue fiddled with the badge, thought for a moment, and then said, "The training area marked on the map seems to be on the next floor. I'll go check it out."

Frost Rainbow then said she wanted to go check out the repair area.

The three separated on the spot.

Lin Yi continued walking alone along the public deck of the ship's hull, immersing his consciousness in the badge as he went, and reviewing the detailed descriptions of each functional area one by one.

The naval port area is where various warships dock and replenish supplies, and it is also their first stop when returning to their mother ship.

The next floor is the ordnance repair and equipment customization area, which provides services such as weapon modification, armor repair, and artifact enhancement.

Further in, you'll find the public activity area.

There are various sizes of sergeant's lounges, simulated training grounds, small-scale fighting arenas, and even a few taverns and other restaurants.

Lin Yi glanced at an area marked "Viewing Platform" and stopped in his tracks.

He pulled up the coordinates of the observation deck and found that it was located at the end of the public activity level, so he adjusted his direction and walked towards the deck.

People on the public decks were noticeably more relaxed than those near the ship's underbelly replenishment area.

Many of the Blood Armored Soldiers either wandered around alone or sat in groups of three or five in the rest area chatting and drinking.

As Lin Yi walked through the area, he encountered several colleagues along the way. A few of the more enthusiastic Veteran Platform waved to him and called out, "Deputy Captain Lin, have a drink!"

He smiled and politely declined, then continued walking until he reached the viewing platform.

The viewing platform was much larger than he had imagined.

It was a semi-circular space protruding outward from the side of the mothership, with several rows of fixed seats above the platform, where a few soldiers were sitting scattered about.

Some of them were lost in thought, while others chatted quietly in groups. Occasionally, someone would point in a certain direction in the distance, and their companions would look in that direction.

As Lin Yi stepped onto the platform, several soldiers got up to leave. He didn't find a seat but instead leaned against the viewing window and looked out.

Streaks of light shot out from the mothership and disappeared into the churning black mist ahead.

Although he couldn't see the specific scene inside, Lin Yi knew that the battle was still going on in the distance.

"I still need to become stronger..."

Lin Yi sighed inwardly.

After standing silently for a while, he turned and left the observation deck, crossed the public floor again, returned to the naval port area along the connecting staircase, went back to the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship, and returned to his training room.

Then, he sat down cross-legged, took out a crystal box from his Divine Kingdom, opened it, and picked up a piece of Star Surge Marrow.

The crystal core was about the size of a thumb, and was translucent grayish-white. Countless extremely fine lines flowed across its surface. Just by holding it in his hand, Lin Yi felt a cool sensation spread along the veins of his arm to the depths of his soul. The Chaos Rules that he usually had to ponder repeatedly to catch were now much clearer.

He didn't delay any longer and applied the Star Surge Marrow to his forehead as instructed.

The crystal core silently merges into the skin, transforming into a wisp of cool energy that flows deep into the soul.

Immediately, he ignited his Spiritual Enlightenment Qi.

The Chaos Rules are like a boundless deep sea. He is like a stone, continuing to sink from the edge of the shallows he has already explored, falling into a darker direction.

Time slips away quietly amidst deep reflection.

On this day, the badge suddenly began to vibrate violently.

At the same time, a stern voice rang out from the badge. "Rest time complete, team assemble."

Lin Yi opened his eyes.

He silently assessed his Rule Comprehension.

10.99%.

Lin Yi sighed inwardly.

Each 1% improvement in understanding the Chaos Rules is a small bottleneck, which is really a headache.

"However, thankfully I can rely on my Spiritual Enlightenment Qi to fight back, and unlike others, I'm not easily in danger. Oh well, I'm content with what I have..."

Lin Yi comforted himself inwardly.

He then donned his armor, took up his weapons, and went out to assemble.

The days that followed seemed to fall into a cycle.

Fight, rest, train, then fight again.

Time seemed to slip away more slowly during the battle.

Each time he returned to the mothership, he would not rush to cultivate. Instead, he would lean against a corner of the observation deck and look at the void outside covered by black mist.

Whenever the mothership unleashed a salvo, pushing out layers of that enormous, silent light curtain, he would subconsciously count his remaining Spiritual Enlightenment Qi.

Then return to the training room and continue.

Ten Epoch, twentieth Epoch, fiftieth Epoch... three hundred and twenty-four Epoch have quietly passed.

As time went by, he also became acquainted with many of the Veteran Platform who frequented the observation deck.

He remembered the names of some of those faces, and had only seen some once or twice, but he would never see them again when he returned to the mothership for resupply.

In the meantime, three reinforcements were transferred from the rear. They were all greenhorns who had officially broken through to the True Source Realm and were distributed to various detachments. He made a special trip to find out that Chu Yu and Heng Shi were not among them.

The cumulative usage of the Star Surge Marrow finally stopped at ten. The auxiliary treasures that were subsequently exchanged were changed to the slightly more expensive but longer-lasting Chaos Echo Stone. He only exchanged one or two at a time as a token gesture.

His Rule Comprehension chaos is steadily increasing, and those minor bottlenecks that once held him back are being crushed one by one.

Similarly, it's another period of rest and recuperation.

Inside the cultivation room, Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes.

Rule Comprehension: 20%

He has reached the third level of the True Source Realm.

He took a deep breath, subconsciously glanced at his depleted Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, and a smile appeared on his lips.

His cultivation progress during this period was actually faster than he had initially anticipated.

He thought about it for a moment and then understood the reason.

It wasn't that his talent was improving, but rather that the use of the Chaos Rules had long been ingrained in his instincts due to prolonged, high-intensity combat.

Every small step forward in understanding is quickly transformed into physical memory by the ensuing life-or-death struggle, which then feeds back into the next insight.

Repeating this process will naturally lead to much faster progress than simply studying in isolation.

The saying that "strong people often emerge from the military" is indeed true.

However, if you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.

The fact that their squad hasn't suffered any casualties is largely due to someone subtly watching them.

Every subtle move by Lainiadun, and every seemingly casual act of support by Li, was actually traceable.

But the commander also has his own tough battles to fight. Once he has to devote all his attention to dealing with Second-Order Black Silence Beast of the same or even stronger level, the attention he can spare is compressed to the limit.

This is how crises have arisen on several occasions.

The captain of the Ninth Squad died in a surprise attack by a Level 2 Black Silence Beast.

He's a kind-hearted man who doesn't talk much. Last time, he even said that after the fight, he would treat me to some local delicacies when I got back.

Lin Yi suppressed this memory and then let out a long breath.

If he had a choice, he would rather stay in Mist Sea City and cultivate step by step.

As he broke through, the purified and gentle chaotic energy in the meditation room began to spontaneously accelerate and surge into his body.

That was the natural pull of the surrounding energy by the expanding Chaos Origin Universe within his body, like a dried-up riverbed being refilled with water. Every wisp of surging chaotic energy was quickly absorbed by him and then compressed into Chaos Power.

Because the extraction speed increased by almost double, the originally extremely stable energy field in the quiet room began to show slight ripples.

Zero Three sensed it almost at the same moment.

A very subtle energy dispatch command was silently generated and then assigned to the power supply node in the middle of the Fierce Blood Assault Ship, opening an additional energy channel for the quiet room where he was located.

A soft, pale blue light gradually emanated from the fine lines on the bulkhead, as if the pressurized chaotic energy had been gathered into a fine rain curtain by some invisible hand.

Lin Yi felt no discomfort, only a sense of satisfaction akin to being enveloped in warm water.

Meanwhile, in the captain's private training room.

Li Zheng closed his eyes and sat cross-legged, the Chaos Power within his body flowing backward in an extremely slow rhythm, cleansing his entire body.

This cultivation method was a secret technique he obtained by spending a lot of military merits. Although it was painful, it had an excellent effect on consolidating the foundation of the Chaos Rules.

At that moment, Zero Three's Light Sphere suddenly appeared.

"Li, Lin Yi, whom you asked me to keep an eye on, has broken through to the third level of the True Source Realm."

"True Source Realm, Third Stage?"

Li was taken aback.

He subconsciously began to calculate Lin Yi's cultivation timeline in his mind.

When he was first rescued, he was still at the Cosmic Source Realm.

My first breakthrough to the True Source Realm occurred in the latter half of the voyage.

The first Gold Chaos Universe Seal was formed in less than an Epoch.

During the team entry test, he used the Cosmic Universe Seal to withstand three moves from Mantaji.

He then broke through to the second tier and condensed the Time Primal Cosmos Seal.

Now, we've reached the third stage.

He roughly calculated the time spent fighting abroad and found that the entire process actually took less than three hundred Epoch.

He knew without a doubt that this speed was among the fastest in the entire Silent Cosmos Domain.

Li subconsciously sat up straight, staring at the dark blue energy patterns in the cultivation room, and fell silent.

A very vague idea slowly emerged in his mind.

"This guy... could he really reach the Eternal Source Realm before me?"