Do You Know Him? (Bonus Chapter)
Li subconsciously wanted to recall how long it took him to grind from level one to level three, but he quickly dismissed the thought.
Comparing yourself to others too much can easily lead to depression and is detrimental to spiritual practice.
He shook his head, suppressing these chaotic thoughts, and began to ponder another matter.
That was the request the military commander made when the commander took him to meet the military commander.
Maintain rapid progress to the middle stage of the True Source Realm and master the four Cosmic Universe Seal.
He originally thought this was a long time coming, since he was well aware of the difficulty of breaking through to the middle stage of the True Source Realm.
However, Lin Yi has already almost reached the third rank in less than three hundred Epoch. The distance to the middle rank, which is the Rule Comprehension from 20% to 30%, is still a hurdle, but judging from Lin Yi's current speed, it is estimated that this hurdle will not stop him for long.
As for the fourth Cosmic Universe Seal, given Lin Yi's efficiency in condensing the Time Seal, he estimated it shouldn't be too difficult.
In other words, Lin Yi has already met more than half of the standards set by the military commander.
Li raised his hand and unconsciously pinched the space between his eyebrows, his thoughts drifting in another direction.
He didn't really know much about Commander Wen Qianfei, since his rank wasn't high enough to deal directly with him.
His impression of the commander mostly came from snippets of conversation occasionally mentioned by Commander Lainiadun, and from the "rumors" passed around in the fleet.
It is said that the military leader is always fair and treats those from noble families and those from public schools equally. At least, there has never been any news of her showing special favoritism or suppressing anyone because of their background.
But such "rumors" are always half true and half false within the Imperial Army.
Li knew very well that being fair and impartial was far from enough to reach the position of military commander.
Wen Qianfei comes from the Wen Family family, a prominent family in the Left Silent Cosmos Domain.
Although the Wen Family is not considered an all-powerful clan in the Silent Cosmos Domain, it has a deep foundation and its own voice in the upper echelons of the military.
What a military leader from a prominent family really thinks when faced with a genius born into a communal Cosmic Clam with no He Family background is anyone's guess.
Even those at the grassroots level had vaguely heard about the entanglements between the public-funded faction and the family faction.
The so-called public-funded lineage can be traced back to the Imperial Era.
In order to maintain a stable source of talent in various regions of the empire, the Emperor planned a large number of public clam farms within the empire's territory, which were managed by the empire. The strong who emerged from the Cosmic Clam would be incorporated into the Imperial Army or various public service systems to serve for a certain number of years. After the term expired, some would stay in the army, some would leave public service to become free cultivators, and some would establish their own families.
After the Black Mist Sea era, the Imperial Army took over these public clam farms and maintained their operation through military taxes.
However, the environment of the Chaos Cosmic Sea is deteriorating, and the High-Energy Void Zone suitable for settling the Cosmic Clam are becoming increasingly scarce. Meanwhile, the high-quality void areas occupied by the public clam-raising farms have long been coveted by many families, and there has been much secret friction between the two sides over the ownership of these void resources.
However, due to the presence of external enemies and the pressure from the Black Mist Sea weighing on everyone, these conflicts have never truly surfaced.
Thinking of this, Li's brows furrowed even more deeply.
Lin Yi's background is undeniable; he comes from a purely government-affiliated family. If the military leader has any particular intentions, even a slight shift in his stance could make Lin Yi's situation precarious.
Should we give Lin Yi a heads-up beforehand?
He suppressed the thought as soon as it arose.
inappropriate.
The military commander's attitude is still unclear, so saying anything now will only increase anxiety and affect Lin Yi's cultivation.
wrong..
Li suddenly realized another crucial point.
The commander also came from the public sector.
Moreover, it was the commander who led him to report to the military leader.
Li was stunned.
He initially thought it was just a routine procedure, but upon closer reflection, the commander could have easily accomplished this with a written report, or even remained silent; there was no need for him to personally lead a squad leader to meet the military commander.
But he did it anyway.
Does this mean that the commander had already considered Lin Yi's background at the time?
Or perhaps the commander's purpose in doing this was to let the military leader see for himself how much he valued this publicly raised genius?
Although it is said that the public-funded faction is gradually declining in the upper echelons of the military, that is in comparison to the entire family system. Compared to a single family, it has an absolutely overwhelming advantage.
Perhaps, the commander's report on Lin Yi to the military leader was not only to garner attention for Lin Yi, but also to show the military leader that this person had come into the sights of the public sector.
The fact that the military leader accepted the report and gave the reply, "Bring him to see me when the conditions are met," indicates that, at least for the time being, the military leader did not exclude Lin Yi because of his background.
Li leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.
He suddenly realized that his previous worries were somewhat unnecessary.
Since the commander dared to do this, he must have had his reasons; it's not my place as a mere squad leader to worry about it.
He chuckled self-deprecatingly, clearing his mind of all those chaotic thoughts, then sat down cross-legged again and closed his eyes.
"You should worry about yourself... don't let yourself really get overtaken."
39
Lin Yi was unaware that his breakthrough had caused considerable pressure and trouble for his superior.
While Li was repeatedly pondering the military commander's attitude in his cultivation room, he was concentrating on expanding the Chaos Source Sea in his own cultivation room.
After breaking through to the third level of the True Source Realm, the most important step is not to continue comprehending the Chaos Rules, but to first complete the expansion of the Chaos Source Sea.
He sat cross-legged in the center of the cultivation room, surrounded by high-purity chaotic energy that had been pressurized and adjusted by Zero Three.
The pale gray streams of air swirled around his body like ribbons, and with each rotation, a wisp was drawn into his body.
The expansion of the Chaos Source Sea is an extremely delicate process.
He needs to compress and purify the chaotic energy he inhales, then inject it into the edge of the Source Sea, pushing it outward at an extremely slow rhythm.
This process cannot tolerate any impatience, because if it is injected into the Source Sea without sufficient compression, the purity of the Chaos Power will decrease, affecting the subsequent Rule Comprehension.
Conversely, excessive compression may trigger localized collapse within the Source Sea, resulting in minor injuries or, in severe cases, the complete destruction of the Source Sea.
However, this was not a problem for Lin Yi at all, as he was already very familiar with the process.
According to the Imperial Army's standard teaching materials, the expansion of the Chaos Source Sea in the True Source Realm is a "three-stage" process.
The first stage is "foundation building". Although this step is time-consuming, it is unlikely to fail as long as one has Rule Comprehension.
The second stage is "Source Integration," which requires adapting the original Chaos Power to the newly expanded space, allowing energy to flow and cover the entire Source Sea.
Minor errors are prone to occur during this stage. If the fusion of sources is not complete, the supply of Chaos Power may be slightly sluggish during high-intensity battles later on.
The third stage is "Solidifying the Sea," which is also the most easily overlooked step. It requires using the power of the rules to reinforce the entire Chaos Source Sea once again.
It took him nearly five thousand standard years to complete these three steps.
When the last trace of Chaos Power merged into the edge of the now-expanded Source Sea, Lin Yi felt a near-constant sense of fullness, like a clenched fist finally able to naturally open.
He raised his hand, his fingers slightly spread, and a Chaos Power surged from his palm, condensing into a tiny gray bead at his fingertips.
The surface of the bead has fine, regular patterns flowing around it, emitting Mengmeng gray sheen.
Lin Yi withdrew his hand with satisfaction.
The step of Rule Comprehension from 20% to 30% can be left for later. The most urgent task now is to condense the third Cosmic Universe Seal.
The Space Cosmic Universe Seal.
He had already carefully considered the route of the Space Seal when he was condensing the Time Primal Cosmos Seal.
Both the Space Origin Law and the Time Origin Law are superior Origin Law, and there are many aspects that can be learned from them in the process of condensing the Cosmic Universe Seal.
Lin Yi took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Spiritual Enlightenment Qi ignited deep within his soul.
The essence of the Space Origin Law unfolded in his consciousness.
Space is both the definer and the destroyer of boundaries.
It both defines the boundaries of all things and merges with them at the level of Chaos Rules.
This contradiction is precisely the biggest obstacle to the condensation of Space Seal.
The process of condensing and refining the Space Cosmic Universe Seal requires maintaining two opposing states—sealing and fusion—for each step forward. If either is out of balance, the entire seal will collapse.
Lin Yi tried to use the stability of the Gold Seal as a foundation and the rhythm of the Time Seal as a means of reconciliation, seeking an intermediate state between the two that could bear the power of space.
Time slips away silently in deep contemplation.
His progress in deducing the Space Cosmic Universe Seal had barely begun when his rest period ended.
Lin Yi opened his eyes, got up and walked out of the quiet room, his Fierce Blood Battle Armor automatically covering his entire body.
He had become accustomed to this rhythm of training, fighting, and then returning to training.
The nine Epoch passed by in a flash.
Just as Lin Yi condensed a small portion of the Space Seal and was about to set off again, in Mist Sea City, at the reserve training camp...
The door to the barracks was pushed open from the inside, and Heng Shi walked out. He had changed into the Fierce Blood Battle Armor of a formal member of the Imperial Army, the dark red armor plates reflecting a cold, hard luster under the dormitory corridor lights.
He took off his helmet and tucked it under his arm, his gaze sweeping over the group of people who were already waiting in the corridor. He paused for a moment, then laughed.
"They're all here?"
Chu Yu stood at the very front, with Bai Su, Xi Luo, An, and others beside him.
Everyone from the Origin Universe was present, except for Wu Qi.
He failed in his previous breakthrough attempt and perished.
"Mo Lin, we're from the same hometown, after all. It wouldn't be right not to see you off since you're going to the battlefield." Dark Annihilation his arms and snorted.
Because the Title Heng Shi was a bit too high-profile, he and Chu Yu chose to use their real names again.
As for Title like Zhaoyue and Frost Rainbow, they weren't very eye-catching and had been used for too long, so they weren't changed.
As for Lin Yi, he hadn't used the Title "Star Abyss" for long. The key reason was that he felt it was a bit ridiculous for a mere True Source Realm to still use the Title from his previous Cosmic Clam days in the Chaos Cosmic Sea, so he switched back to his real name.
Heng Shi, or rather, Mo Lin, stopped in front of them.
After Lin Yi obtained the Cosmic Clam and made a home for everyone, his cultivation progress accelerated significantly. Before long, he reached the peak of the Cosmic Source Realm. After some refinement, he directly attempted to break through, and as a result, he actually broke through the bottleneck, becoming the one who advanced the earliest among them.
"Mo Lin, be careful when you get to the Frontline." Chu Yu looked at him but didn't say much more.
While reminding Mo Jun to be extra careful, everyone also felt a bit of pressure.
Because each Training Camp for reserve personnel lasts for a maximum of 10,000 Epoch, those who haven't reached the True Source Realm by the end of their training camp will have their reserve status revoked.
The faster you graduate, the more initial military merits you will receive, with a maximum of 45,000 merits, which is only slightly less than the 50,000 merits earned by those who directly become sergeants.
After a brief farewell, Mo Lin put his helmet back on, waved to everyone, and then turned and walked towards the exit of the reserve Training Camp.
Stepping out of the main building of the training camp, Mo Lin saw a huge platform.
Hundreds of soldiers had already gathered on the platform, and a huge shuttle was parked nearby.
Like Mo Lin, these soldiers were newly promoted official members of the Imperial Army and would be sent to the Frontline along with supplies.
Mo Lin walked into the crowd and waited for a while. Under the direction of a training camp officer, everyone began to line up to board the plane.
He boarded the shuttle silently, found a window seat, and soon the shuttle took off. The view outside the window gradually transitioned from the dense urban buildings to the flat and orderly military port area.
After the shuttle came to a stop at the naval port, Mo Lin followed the group out and saw the giant transport ship docked on one side of the port area.
Unlike the imposing Imperial Army, its square bridge is a standard mid-response and replenishment model, with a row of dark gray supply modules embedded on each side of the hull.
The boarding process was highly efficient.
The black mold completed all the registration in less than fifteen minutes inside the ship's hull.
After the transport ship left Mist Sea City, these newly recruited Imperial Army soldiers were gathered in the training area.
The instructors in the training area were clearly not as patient as those in the reserve training camp.
The battlefield manuals that were distributed included a training schedule, covering everything from basic military regulations to specific tactics, with even rest time compressed to the limit.
The soldiers not only showed no dissatisfaction, but were also very cooperative.
Everyone knows that once they arrive at their destination, they will be assigned to various squads to prepare for intense battles. The more they train now, the greater their chances of survival on the battlefield.
The twentieth Epoch passed quickly amidst intense training.
On this day, the ship's intercom suddenly sounded, announcing that the ship was about to reach the designated resupply point and that sergeants numbered 1-209 must immediately assemble and line up to prepare to disembark.
Inside the training room, Mo Lin silently put on his battle armor, then stood up and joined the assembly.
His number was 191, and he had arrived at his destination.
As the hatch slowly rose in front of them, Mo Lin followed the flow of people off the transport ship and onto the huge supply platform on the hull of the mothership.
This group of over two hundred men continued to follow the guiding soldiers through the long corridor of the ship's hull, from the supply platform all the way to a plaza.
Soon, blood-armored warriors emerged from the various passages.
They exchanged a few words in hushed tones with the Training Camp officer in charge of the handover, and then began to select people in twos and threes at the front of the line.
Some teams took six or seven at a time, while others only took two or three.
Some of the recruits who were being led away looked calm, while others glanced deeper into the ranks, as if trying to remember the faces they had spent so much time with.
Soon, it was Mo Lin's turn.
It was a powerful, armored warrior. He glanced at the remaining recruits expressionlessly, then began reading out their numbers.
Mo Lin heard his number being read out.
He counted silently; nine other new recruits were being called along with him.
Mo Lin's heart skipped a beat.
The reason for sending so many men is clearly because the squad he's going to has suffered heavy losses, approaching 10% of its strength!
Keep in mind that a Bloodrage-class Assault Ship only has about a hundred crew members.
But he had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow along.
After checking the list, the armored warrior turned and led the way. Mo Lin followed the group through the long corridor on the west side of the square, turned the connecting staircase along the marked level, and finally stopped in front of a ship's berth. In front of them was a Bloodrage-class Assault Ship.
After boarding, the armored warriors who led the way guided them through the ship's corridors and opened the hatch of a small training area.
Mo Lin noticed that many blood-armored warriors were already standing against the bulkheads around the training ground, with a figure in black armor at the very front.
The captain in black armor glanced at them quickly, his face expressionless. He offered a few words of encouragement as usual, then waved for the squad leaders to lead their men.
Mo Lin and another recruit were assigned to the same squad. He knew this recruit, named Riley, and they had dealt with each other quite a bit during training on the transport ship.
The captain didn't say much. When he led them to one side of the training ground, there were already seven Blood Armor Warriors standing against the bulkhead.
The captain briefly introduced everyone to each other, then pointed to a tall, thin, armored warrior on the far right who seemed to be lost in thought.
"You two will follow him. Your main responsibility is to cover his flanks, assist him in defense, and obey his orders. Understand?"
Mo Jun's heart sank slightly, but her face remained expressionless as she simply nodded to indicate that she understood.
The combination of "covering the flanks" and "assisting in defense" was never a good arrangement in the Imperial Army squad tactics, and he knew very well what that meant.
Riley seemed to understand as well. He glanced quickly at Mo Lin, then silently looked away.
"To put it bluntly, they just think we're too weak and afraid we'll hold them back, so they're making us take hits for this strong member of the team so he can focus on attacking..." Mo Lin thought to himself.
After the captain finished speaking, he waved his hand, signaling everyone to disperse.
"Taking the fall as a shield is no easy task. No, I have to try and fight for it. I can't be used as cannon fodder so easily..."
Mo Lin, who had led the rise of Human Race alone, was certainly not inflexible. After a moment's thought, he quickly stepped forward before the captain left and asked, "Captain, I have a close friend from the same race who joined our Seventy-First Fleet. He was the Deputy Captain of the Fifth Squad in the Sixteenth Squad. He went into battle right from the start, and I haven't heard from him in a long time. I wonder if the Sixteenth Squad is still on the mothership?"
The captain was taken aback upon hearing this.
The armored warriors leaning against the bulkhead nearby also turned their gazes in unison.
The tall, thin, armored warrior who had been lost in thought turned to look at Mo Lin after hearing his words.
"Lin Yi?" The captain was clearly surprised. "You know him?"