A fitting destination, an anxious Ruida

A period of rest and recuperation in Epoch is but a blink of an eye in the Imperial Army's timeline.

For the Blood Armored Soldiers aboard the Black Rock Mothership, this Epoch was both a period of maintenance and repair for their armor and weapons, and a brief period of relaxation for their bodies and minds.

The soldiers spent this rare period of peace in their own ways: some buried themselves in training, some went out for drinks and boasting with old comrades, and some were keen to find someone to spar with on the training ground.

Lin Yi spent most of his time on the training field this time.

The newly acquired Black Mystic Armor and Black Mystic Spear need to be broken in. The performance ceiling of the 100-level equipment is far higher than that of the sergeant-level equipment, which also places higher demands on the user's precision in controlling the Chaos Power.

In the beginning, he was still a bit clumsy with the Black Mystic Spear, and the Cosmic Universe Seal runes on the spearhead were always just a little lacking.

But by the end of his rest period, the jet-black Long Spear had become like an extension of his arm; every thrust, sweep, and spin was now aimed precisely at him.

More importantly, the combination of his four seals had been initially perfected in this Epoch.

Fighting the Black Silence Beast doesn't require any fancy maneuvers. The Seal of Time accelerates the flow of time within oneself, the Space Seal amplifies the armor-piercing properties of weapons, the Seal of Gold strengthens the armor and the Sharpness of spearheads, and the Life Seal continuously circulates within the body, repairing any potential damage.

Simple and straightforward, yet energy-efficient.

The coordinated operation of the four seals allowed his actual combat strength to rise to a new level compared to when he broke through to the middle stage of the True Source Realm.

But Lin Yi was not satisfied.

The fire in his heart burned brighter than ever before.

When he received the notification to Ready to Depart, Lin Yi was almost the first to step onto the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship.

He stood in the ship's cabin, his tall and slender body clad in Black Mystic Armor, the long black badge on his chest gleaming with a deep, dark light under the cold cabin lighting.

When Li walked through the cabin door and saw him like this, he couldn't help but take another look, thinking to himself that this guy seemed a little different.

They are indeed quite different.

Lin Yi had only one thought in his mind.

Military merit! Military merit! And damn it, military merit!

Because the Cosmic Source Soul Crystal requires 100 million military merits.

He accumulated 130 million military merits from previous battles.

However, during his rest period, he spent nearly 50 million, and now he only has 81 million military merits left in his account.

We are still 19 million short of 100 million.

However, just to be on the safe side, he also planned to prepare an additional ten million military merits, which means there was still a shortfall of nearly thirty million military merits.

This number is not small, but Lin Yi had calculated it repeatedly in his mind.

Even with the Sixteenth Squad's relatively forward position on the front line, plus his increased military merit coefficient, it would probably take at least a hundred Epoch to complete.

The reason he prepared so many military merits was that he did not intend to directly exchange his military merits account for Cosmic Source Soul Crystal.

The reason is simple.

Given his current talent, it would seem very strange to others that after accumulating a large amount of military merits, he would not exchange them for things that could directly improve his combat power or assist his cultivation, but instead spend all his money to buy a Cosmic Source Soul Crystal.

Military merit redemption records are archived in the Imperial Army's logistics system. Although ordinary soldiers cannot see them, high-ranking officers at the commander level and above can access them at any time if they wish.

Even if we can find a reason to gloss over it for now, it is still a hidden danger.

Therefore, Lin Yi felt that he needed to take a roundabout approach.

The Cosmic Source Soul Crystal is priced at 100 million military merits on the Imperial Army's exchange list, and its market price is not much different.

Cosmic Source Soul Crystal are a rare item; those who want them can't afford them, and those who can afford them don't need them. Generally, only powerful individuals would buy them for their favored descendants with less talent. Therefore, the price is relatively high, around 11,000 Eternal Cosmos Crystal.

Therefore, his ultimate plan was to exchange his military merits for Eternal Cosmos Crystal.

This situation is quite common. As a poor man from a public family, and with a large family to support in the Cosmic Clam, it's perfectly normal for him to exchange military merits for Eternal Cosmos Crystal if there's something he wants to buy that isn't available in the military merit exchange system.

Such things were commonplace in the Imperial Army and would not arouse any suspicion from anyone.

His plan was very clear.

First, accumulate approximately 110 million military merits, exchange them for Eternal Cosmos Crystal, and then find a suitable opportunity to ask for leave and return to Mist Sea City to purchase Cosmic Source Soul Crystal from Myriad Crystal Hub under the guise of concealing your identity.

Once he obtains the Soul Crystal, his weakness in basic comprehension will be greatly compensated, and the efficiency of the Spiritual Enlightenment Qi bonus will also increase dramatically.

"Military merit..."

As a deep rumble reverberated from the bottom of the mothership, shaking the entire hull, the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship slowly slid out of its berth and formed an attack formation with a dozen other assault ships, advancing into the depths of the Black Mist Sea.

Lin Yi stood at the front of the bridge, gazing through the porthole at the ever-growing outline of the Black Mist Sea ahead.

The swirling, dark mist resembled the breath of some enormous creature, inhaling and exhaling across the entire void.

"Approaching designated combat position." Soon after, Zero Three's voice came through, "Prepare for engagement."

Lin Yi silently adjusted his battle armor.

And Li was right beside him.

Behind the two were rows of blood-armored warriors.

"Listen up, everyone." Li turned to look at the group of blood-armored warriors. "This time our overall score has improved, and the battle line has been pushed forward. We'll be facing more and denser Black Silence Beast than before. But that's the advantage too—more military merits. We'll also be encountering many late-stage Tier 1 beasts, which we used to only occasionally encounter."

A few Veteran Platform chuckled, their smiles revealing a hint of eagerness.

Those who have served in the Imperial Army for a long time all know one thing: danger and opportunity are always intertwined.

"Pushing the front line forward means greater pressure, but it also means more military achievements, more spoils of war, and more opportunities for breakthroughs," Li suddenly shouted.

Lin Yi turned his head to look at him.

"From this point on, you're free to act on your own." Li's lips curled slightly. "With your current strength, being tied to a team would only restrict you. After this long, you'll be able to judge for yourself how to fight."

Lin Yi nodded, indicating that he understood.

Then, Li's expression turned serious, and he shouted in a low voice, "Attack!"

Immediately, he took the lead and rushed out.

Lin Yi and a group of Blood Armor Warriors followed closely behind.

He stepped into the void, and with a gentle clap of his right hand, the Black Mystic Spear shot out.

The slender gun barrel unfolded in his palm, its all-black material seemingly blending into the surrounding black mist, with only a faint sliver of silver-white sharpness at the blade revealing its deadly edge.

At the same time, his clone stepped out from his body, also clad in black armor and wielding a black spear. The two black-armored figures spread out to the left and right, drawing two faint arcs in the black mist as they sped off in different directions.

Soon, a Black Silence Beast appeared in Lin Yi's field of vision.

Its entire body was covered in uneven, dark scales, and dozens of tentacle-like limbs extended from both sides of its torso. Each tentacle had a pale white eyeball at its tip, and hundreds of eyeballs moved simultaneously, locking onto Lin Yi's figure.

"An elite-level Many-Eyed Beast, mid-stage Tier 1, not bad, a good start."

Lin Yi muttered to himself, and then the Gold Chaos Universe Seal and the Space Cosmic Universe Seal lit up simultaneously within his body, with gold and silver runes spreading up the shaft of the Black Mystic Spear.

Hundreds of tentacles of the Black Silence Beast shot out simultaneously, each tentacle ending in a ring of mouthparts filled with sharp teeth, covering Lin Yi in a massive, overwhelming barrage.

Those pale white eyeballs spun wildly at the tips of the tentacles, releasing hundreds of black beams with corrosive properties, weaving into an impenetrable web of death.

But Lin Yi didn't care at all.

As the Time Primal Cosmos Seal surged within his body, the seemingly impenetrable black beams of light became slow and clear in his perception, each trajectory being broken down into predictable lines.

His body weaved through the beams of light with minimal sidesteps and deflections. Several beams grazed the edges of his Black Mystic Armor, causing dark energy ripples to spread across its surface. Not only was the armor Main Body, reinforced by the Golden Seal, impenetrable, but even the outermost layer of Black Mystic Armor, with its inherent energy protection, remained unbroken.

Then he drew his gun.

The Black Mystic Spear's tip, accelerated by the Seal of Time, became almost invisible, leaving only a dark afterimage that streaked across the void before crashing heavily into the largest, pale eyeball in the very center of the Black Silence Beast.

The spatial cutting of the Space Seal erupted the instant the spear tip touched the target, tearing apart the crystalline structure of the eyeball.

The Sharpness of the Golden Seal allowed the spear tip to pierce through the eyeball without any obstruction, penetrating deep into the Black Silence Beast's skull.

A painful scream erupted from the Black Silence Beast's body.

Lin Yi gave it no chance to struggle. He gripped the gun with both hands, spun his body in mid-air, and the gun barrel tore a huge wound in the skull.

The enormous creature twitched suddenly in mid-air, then remained motionless.

Lin Yi reached out and scooped up the spoils.

As the badge on his chest vibrated slightly, Lin Yi knew that his military merit had been awarded.

He didn't linger and turned to rush towards the next Black Silence Beast.

Meanwhile, his clone was clearing out the Black Silence Beast in another direction with the same efficiency.

The clones' fighting style is a complete replica of the Main Body's: simple, efficient, and direct.

The Seal of Time accelerated, the Space Seal stacked to cut space, and the Seal of Gold strengthened the spearhead. With the blessing of the three seals, the Black Mystic Spear in the clone's hand was equally unstoppable.

Li had also dealt with a mid-stage Tier 1 Black Silence Beast not far away. When he turned around and saw that Lin Yi was already killing the third one, he couldn't help but grin and curse.

Then he laughed too.

This is Lin Three Favors. The stronger his innate combat power, the more advantageous it is for him and the Sixteenth Squad, isn't it?

One... two... three...

Lin Yi counted silently in his mind as he killed.

Because of him, the second centurion-level expert, the Sixteenth Squad was positioned further forward on the battle line than before, and the density and strength of the Black Silence Beast had increased by a level.

Although Lin Yi was fully capable of taking down a late-stage Tier 1 Black Silence Beast on his own, he chose not to fight it alone.

He joined forces with Li to launch an attack.

Li should face the monster head-on and be responsible for attracting its attention.

Lin Yi, on the other hand, launched a fatal attack from the side and behind.

With the enhancement of the three seals, the Black Mystic Spear can inflict fatal damage even on a late-stage first-tier Black Silence Beast.

The combined attack of the three seals, along with the precise targeting of the energy nodes within the Black Silence Beast by the Life Seal, resulted in a seamless teamwork between the two, requiring no verbal communication.

One after another, late-stage Tier 1 Black Silence Beast fell to their feet.

After completing their clearing missions within their own areas, the clones often regroup with nearby friendly units.

Right wing, 17th squad.

The 17th detachment's battle line was separated from Lin Yi only by a band of medium-density black mist, and they were currently engaged in a fierce and arduous battle.

Their squad leader was a Veteran Platform at the high level of the True Source Realm, whose combat strength was above average among the squads. However, at this moment, they were attacked from the front by six late-stage first-tier Black Silence Beast, plus a large group of mid-stage first-tier beasts attacking them at the same time.

Fortunately, the squad leader was able to fight three opponents at once, and with the support of the Fierce Blood Assault Ship's firepower, although the battle was very difficult, at least there have been no casualties so far.

However, if they cannot eliminate the enemies in front of them as soon as possible, and another wave of Hell Beasts surges in from behind, the situation will be difficult to predict.

Just as the squad leader was anxiously hesitating about whether to activate the ship's AI overload mode, a figure in black armor broke through the black mist and arrived.

The members of the 17th squad didn't even get a clear look at the newcomer's face. They only saw a dark figure pierce through the black mist, leaving a series of almost invisible afterimages in the void. Then, a dark Long Spear, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, stabbed into one of the mid-stage first-tier Black Silence Beast.

Where the spear tip passed, it created an extremely fine spatial rift, which pierced precisely through the center of the Black Silence Beast's skull, killing it instantly and cleanly.

Without pausing, the black-armored figure drew his spear, spun around, and swept across.

In the blink of an eye, the third mid-stage Tier 1 Black Silence Beast pounced in front of them.

The black-armored figure slid half a step to the side, flicked the end of the Black Mystic Spear in his right hand, and precisely pressed it against the Black Silence Beast's jaw from below, forcibly closing its gaping maw. Then, with a forceful push, it pierced through the beast's skull.

In less than a few breaths, all of the dozen or so mid-stage first-tier Black Silence Beast that were attacking from this side were killed.

Although the faceplate obscured their features, the squad leader of the seventeenth squad knew who it was.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Lin, for your help!" he said gratefully.

"Hold the line." Lin Yi only said four words, then turned and rushed towards a late-stage first-tier Black Silence Beast.

Instead of fighting a late-stage Tier 1 enemy alone, he chose to flank from the side and team up with the squad leader of the 17th squad to fight the enemy.

With Lin Yi as a strong ally, and the fact that the 17th squad leader was no slouch either, the two quickly wiped out the late-stage first-tier Black Silence Beast.

After the battle ended, before the members of the 17th squad could even express their gratitude, Lin Yi, clad in black armor, had already disappeared into the black mist and was flying towards another friendly squad.

The members of the 17th squad were left looking at each other in bewilderment. After a long while, someone whispered, "Everyone says that Centurion Lin is exceptionally strong, but seeing him with my own eyes today, I know what true strength really means..."

The squad leader of the seventeenth squad stared at the figure that had disappeared into the black mist, remained silent for a moment, and then grinned.

"Lin Three Favors," he muttered, referring to the nickname that had spread throughout the mothership, "Damn, it truly lives up to its name."

Just as Lin Yi's clones were rapidly traversing between different areas, deep within the black mist, Lainiadun was dealing with Black Silence Beast at the early stage of the second tier.

Lainiadun's fighting style is typical of the military, adhering to the principle of simplicity.

The Eternal Source Realm weapon in his hand was a silver-white battle blade. Dozens of giant tentacles of the second-tier Many-Eyed Beast leader were severed one by one in front of him, and deep wounds were torn open on its huge body, revealing its core.

Finally, the Many-Eyed Beast leader let out a bloodcurdling howl that shook the entire black mist before being cleaved in two by Lainiadun.

Having defeated his opponent, Lainiadun sheathed his sword and stood still, simultaneously unleashing his Soul Power to cover the entire battlefield once more.

Previously, he had to focus on fighting the enemy and naturally couldn't take care of other areas. Now that his opponent was dead, he was free to see where he needed to personally intervene.

Then he paused slightly, his eyebrows raising slightly.

He noticed that a figure in black armor was moving at high speed in the black mist area surrounding the 16th detachment.

That was Lin Yi's clone, which had rushed out of the area where the seventeenth squad was located a moment ago and was flying at full speed towards another squad.

Lainiadun stood in the void, watching the black-armored figure gradually disappear into the black mist, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Once upon a time, Lin Yi was a greenhorn whom he needed to keep an eye on.

And now, in just a short while, this young man who once needed to be taken care of is now using his own strength to take care of others.

At that moment, Lainiadun suddenly remembered what the military lord had said.

"It's not just Constant Island that produces strong individuals."

He didn't think much of it at the time, after all, he knew of many similar clandestine training systems, not to mention those he didn't.

But at this moment, considering Lin Yi's character and the rumors circulating recently, he suddenly had a guess.

He didn't need to say the name of that place; just thinking about it made him feel a sense of disorientation.

"The place the military commander mentioned, could it be that place?"

Lainiadun shook his head slightly, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.

I can't tell whether it's envy or emotion.

However, he thought that if that were really the case, it would be quite suitable for Lin Yi.

Two Epoch.

On the scale of the Chaos Cosmic Sea, two Epoch are but a fleeting moment.

But for the Blood Armored Soldiers who fight day and night in the Black Mist Sea, each Epoch is a long period built up from countless battles.

Every slash, every thrust, and every impact endured in the void left indelible marks on the body and will.

Combat is always tedious.

This tedium and boredom is the true nature of war.

It's not those epic moments sung in history, nor those glorious instants celebrated in war songs.

The truest form of war is facing the same Black Silence Beast in the same black fog, thrusting with the same spear at the same angle, day after day, Epoch after Epoch, until the body memorizes the subtle tremors of every movement, until reaction outpaces thought.

Lin Yi had lost count of how many Black Silence Beast he had killed in those two Epoch.

The number of those below the first-order late stage is countless.

More than a hundred Black Silence Beast fell to the combined attack of him and Li.

Then comes the recovery.

Drawing reserves from the energy replenishment crystal, the Life Seal slowly repaired the damage to his body. Lying in the rest cabin of the Fierce Blood Assault Ship, staring at the ceiling, he felt the Chaos Power gradually filling his body again.

Then comes the debriefing and summary.

Lin Yi would pull up the data from each battle and study it repeatedly. He knew that his talent was actually average, but summarizing and improving his combat experience was the way to become stronger without relying on talent.

Then came another battle.

This cycle repeats itself endlessly, like a chain locked onto the gears of time, each tooth meshing perfectly, with no room for loosening.

Lin Yi's clones continued to support nearby friendly units after clearing out the current area.

The 17th Squadron, the 13th Squadron, the 22nd Squadron, the 35th Squadron, the 47th Squadron, the 52nd Squadron, the 61st Squadron, and the 89th Squadron.

In both Epoch, almost every squad witnessed that black-armored figure emerging from the black mist during their most critical moments.

The number of Black Silence Beast falling under his Black Mystic Spear continued to increase, and his military merits accumulated continuously through two Epoch of uninterrupted battles.

On this day, the Fierce Blood Assault Ship returned from the Black Mist Sea. As its hull passed through the thick energy membrane of the mothership's berth, the Blood Armored Soldiers of the Sixteenth Squad all breathed a sigh of relief.

Another rest period has arrived.

One person was particularly excited.

Then let 'Ruida.

Before the Fierce Blood Assault Ship had even come to a complete stop, he checked the fleet dispatch table through his badge update and confirmed one thing.

A thousand years from now, a batch of supply ships will arrive at the Black Rock Mothership.

His cousin served as a logistics coordinator in the Mist Sea City supply fleet, responsible for the inter-fleet transfer of supplies.

Ruida had been trying to send news about Lin Yi back to his family, but as a mere sergeant, he obviously couldn't use the mothership's emergency communication methods, so he had to endure it.

The supply ship is finally arriving, and his cousin is on one of them.

This is a godsend.

One thousand years.

For the Sixteenth Squad, which had been fighting in the Black Mist Sea for thousands of Epoch, a thousand years was nothing more than a blink of an eye.

But for Ruida, who had a lot to say to his family, this thousand years felt incredibly long.

He would think of this when he was sweating profusely on the training field.

He would think of this when he was drinking with his comrades in the public area.

Days passed one by one.

Finally, the day arrived for the supply fleet to arrive.

The mothership berth area was completely cleared by logistics personnel early in the morning, making room for dozens of large supply ships to Time Stop.

The energy frequency of the berth protective shield was adjusted to receiving mode, and the light blue energy film rippled slightly at the berth entrance, as if it were breathing.

Ruida arrived at the waiting area of the berth well in advance.

His blood-red armor gleamed, the Imperial Army insignia on his chest stood perfectly straight, and he stood ramrod straight as if he were about to be inspected.

In reality, there was no inspection today; there was only a supply fleet that had come all the way from Mist Sea City that needed to unload its cargo.

The logistics personnel in the berth area were busy preparing for the arrival. A few familiar Veteran Platform passed by Ruida and joked, "Hey, Ruida, you look so energetic. Got a girlfriend while resupplying the fleet?"

Ruida just smiled and didn't reply.

His gaze remained fixed on the light blue energy membrane at the berth entrance.

A deep, long rumble came from outside the mothership; it was the slowing-down signal of a large supply ship approaching its berth.

The color of the energy film changed from light blue to pale gold, indicating that it had entered a state of full reception.

With a dull, metallic clang, the massive bow of the first supply ship slowly emerged from the energy membrane, and the navigation shields on its surface gradually disappeared, revealing the supply ship's unique material delivery port.

Then came the second and the third.

Dozens of supply ships slid into their berths one after another. Once the ships were at a stop, the hatches opened one by one, and the crew members, dressed in logistics uniforms, filed out to begin the routine unloading of supplies.

Ruida's eyes quickly searched through the crowd.

Then he saw it.

A tall man stepped off the supply ship numbered seventh.

Ruiya.

His cousin was a senior logistics dispatcher for the seventh detachment of the Mist Sea City supply fleet.

Ruida took off almost instantly, striding towards the supply ship.

His steps were quick but not chaotic, his combat boots making crisp, powerful sounds on the alloy floor of the berth area, attracting the attention of several logistics soldiers who were carrying supplies.

Ruiya also noticed that someone was walking towards her.

He looked up and was immediately overjoyed.

"Ruida!" Ruiya greeted her with a smile.

Although he was the elder cousin and his cultivation had reached the middle stage of the True Source Realm, he was well aware that there was a gap between his status in the family and that of this younger cousin.

Although he held a high rank and position, he was merely a logistics staff member.

Unlike Ruida, who was a genuine Imperial Army Blood Armor Warrior, Ruida's status alone carried far more weight than his position within his family.

So Ruiya was very happy to see that Ruida had come to the berth to pick her up in person.

He also saw Ruida happily come to greet him.

When the two were a few steps apart, Ruiya was about to start a small talk, preparing to say something like "Long time no see" or "How have you been on the mothership?"

But Ruida spoke first.

Moreover, what came out of his mouth was something he had never expected at all.

"Ruiya, welcome to the Black Rock Mothership, bringing us crucial supplies."

Ruida's smile was radiant. After his opening remarks, without waiting for Ruiya to speak, he eagerly asked, "However, some unexpected things have happened recently, so I wanted to ask... when are you going back?"