Seven seals condensed, an audience with Wen Qianfei

Upon hearing Wen Qianfei's words, Li immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Commander, Lin Yi has just broken through and is still expanding his Chaos Source Sea, which may take some time."

Wen Qianfei nodded slightly upon hearing this. "It's alright, he can come after he finishes expanding his Source Sea. I can afford to wait that long."

"Yes."

Li and Lainiadun bowed in unison in response.

Wen Qianfei said nothing more, and with a flash of light, the illusory figure slowly faded away.

Silence returned to the command center.

Lainiadun pondered for a moment, then said, "Since the commander wants to see Lin Yi, we need to arrange for someone to escort him there. I need to stay here on the Black Rock Mothership and cannot leave lightly."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved it, and the defense zone map of the Seventy-First Fleet appeared before his eyes.

The densely packed dots of light represent the positions of each squad, with the Sixteenth Squad's coordinates flashing green, indicating they are undergoing repairs.

"Alright, you're currently in a rest period, so you'll be the one to escort him there aboard your Sixteenth Squad's Fierce Blood Assault Ship."

As he spoke, Lainiadun traced a virtual route on the star map, extending from the green dot to a specially marked coordinate. "From here to the coordinates of the Grand Marshal's flagship, the journey will take approximately five Epoch. I will adjust your squad's mission schedule; you will not participate in rotations for the time being."

"Understood." Li nodded.

"Go," Leniadon waved his hand. "Depart immediately after Lin Yiyuan finishes his expansion. The military lord summons us; we cannot delay any longer."

"Yes."

Li saluted again, then turned and left the command room.

Time flies.

Fierce Blood Assault Ship, training room.

Lin Yi sat cross-legged on the central cultivation platform, his body enveloped in dense chaotic energy.

The process of expanding the Source Sea has lasted for nearly 20,000 years.

These chaotic energies are continuously drawn from the ship's energy supply system, purified, and injected into the interior, forming an almost liquefied energy mist.

To progress from the sixth to the seventh level of the True Source Realm, the size of the Chaos Source Sea needs to be nearly doubled.

This process must be carried out steadily and surely. Any attempt to rush things may cause cracks in the Source Sea barrier, which may at best affect the speed of subsequent cultivation, and at worst damage the foundation.

At this moment, Lin Yi's entire focus was on the edge of the Source Sea.

The Chaos Power flowed out from the center of the Source Sea like a trickle, flowing towards the boundary along a predetermined trajectory.

Each erosion causes the barrier of the Source Sea to expand outwards slightly.

This process is extremely slow and requires absolute patience and ultimate control over energy.

He has maintained this state for 20,000 years, never daring to relax for a moment.

As the last Chaos Power merged into the barrier of the Source Sea, the entire Source Sea emitted a deep hum.

The expansion is complete.

A hint of joy flashed in Lin Yi's eyes.

True Source Realm, Rank 7.

The threshold to the higher level has finally been crossed.

He looked around and saw that the energy concentration in the room was slowly decreasing. The misty, chaotic energy was gradually thinning and being reabsorbed by the ship's energy recovery system. The fine lines left on the wall surface due to the long-term high-concentration energy infusion were slowly fading away.

Lin Yi stood up, intending to go out for a stroll and relax, when suddenly the Light Sphere of Zero Three appeared.

"Lin Yi, Li will be looking for you shortly. Please wait a moment."

"Captain?" Lin Yi stopped in his tracks, somewhat surprised.

In the past, whenever Li needed something, he would simply call him to the captain's training room.

This time, it turned out they came to find him.

Although somewhat surprised, Lin Yi waited patiently since it was Li who had come to see him.

A moment later, the door to the training room slid open silently.

Li walked in.

"Is the expansion of the Source Sea complete?" Li asked, his gaze sweeping over Lin Yi as if sensing the changes in his aura.

"Just finished." Lin Yi nodded. "Did the captain need something?"

"The commander wants to see you," Li said directly.

Lin Yi was taken aback. "Military Commander? Military Commander Wen Qianfei?"

"Yes. Commander Lainiadun and I reported that you broke through to the seventh level of the True Source Realm. The military lord wants to see you in person after learning about it."

He wasn't surprised that Li and Lainiadun knew about his breakthrough.

As a warship's AI, Zero Three must have detected it immediately, and Li and Lainiadun would report it to their superiors, which was within his expectations.

But the general wanted to see him in person...

"Is it because of the speed at which I broke through?" Lin Yi asked, while quickly analyzing various possibilities in his mind.

"More than that." Li paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, "We reported a conjecture to the military commander... a conjecture that you might be a slow-burning genius."

1

"A slow-burning genius?"

Lin Yi was slightly taken aback. What was that?

"This is a rare talent for cultivation," Li explained. "These kinds of geniuses perform only moderately in the early stages of cultivation, and may even lag behind other geniuses. But once they find a path that suits them, or trigger a certain opportunity, their cultivation speed will begin to accelerate, and it will get faster and faster as they go on."

"Your cultivation path aligns well with the characteristics of a slow-burning genius. The military lord takes this conjecture very seriously, hence his desire to meet you in person."

Lin Yi's heart stirred upon hearing this.

The Spiritual Enlightenment Qi and the Purple Mist Space —these are the real reasons why his cultivation speed is so fast.

But these things cannot be revealed to outsiders.

The label "slow-burning genius," while not entirely accurate, is certainly a reasonable explanation.

Moreover, this is indeed quite suitable for his disguise, because as long as his soul comprehension improves, he will soon usher in a period of rapid growth in cultivation.

Strictly speaking, he could indeed be considered a slow starter.

However, if what Li said is true, other slow-burning geniuses need to find a so-called path.

He, however, sought a treasure to enhance his spiritual understanding.

It's pretty much the same...

Therefore, Lin Yi did not deny it, but simply nodded and said, "I understand. When do we depart?"

"Now," Li turned and walked towards the hatch, "I've already had Zero Three inform the other team members that this rest period has been extended. You and I will travel to the flagship of the Military Lord aboard the Fierce Blood Assault Ship; the journey will take approximately five Epoch. Specific combat orders for the others will be communicated to me upon my return."

Meanwhile, throughout the Black Rock Mothership.

The members of the Sixteenth Squad successively received notifications from Zero Three.

"Attention all team members: This rest period has been extended. Captain Li and Commander Lin Yi have other missions and need to travel to the flagship of the Army Commander aboard this ship. Their return date is uncertain. All combat missions are suspended during this period. Please arrange your own training or rest on the mothership. Further arrangements will be notified after the captains return."

In the public rest area, several veteran team members were relaxing together.

"The flagship of the military commander?" An older soldier with a scarred face put down his drink. "I'm guessing it's most likely because of Centurion Lin."

"Of course." Another team member chuckled. "Otherwise, it couldn't possibly be Lord Li, could it? Lin Baichang's talent is among the top in the entire Silent Cosmos Domain. Maybe the Military Lord is planning to give him special attention."

"Our Sixteenth Squad has really made a name for itself now," the third member exclaimed. "The geniuses who came out of our squad will be a source of pride from now on."

The scarred team member shook his head, his expression turning serious. "We've gained face, but the pressure has also increased. If Commander Lin really catches the eye of the commander and is transferred to a more important position, our squad will lose a major fighting force."

These words silenced everyone for a moment.

On the Frontline, strength is everything.

Lin Yi's presence gave the Sixteenth Squad much more confidence when carrying out missions.

If he really gets transferred...

"That's a matter for the future." Finally, the veteran member who had spoken first broke the silence, "At least for now, let's drink to the fact that Centurion Lin has gained the Army Commander's attention!"

The group exchanged glances, nodded, and then raised their glasses together.

Elsewhere, inside the Fierce Blood Assault Ship.

Zhaoyue stepped out of her cultivation room, the hatch closing silently behind her.

She still retained faint traces of the rules she had cultivated.

After more than a thousand Epoch of cultivation, her aura is now somewhat more solid than before, but there is still a long way to go before she can break through to the second rank.

She had only taken a few steps when the door to the adjacent training room slid open.

Frost Rainbow came out, and the two met in the corridor. Her aura was even weaker than Zhaoyue's.

She saw Zhaoyue and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"You received the notification too?" Zhaoyue asked, her voice particularly clear in the quiet corridor.

Frost Rainbow nodded. "Mm."

The two walked out side by side, their boots making a rhythmic, soft sound as they stepped on the metal floor.

"With Lin Yi's talent, this is most likely a good thing," Zhaoyue said, looking ahead. "It's truly fortunate that our Cosmic Clam could produce a genius like Lin Yi."

She was telling the truth.

One's background often determines the starting point of a spiritual practitioner.

The children of those wealthy families have the best resources and the most comprehensive guidance from a young age.

Those like them who emerged from the clam-picking workshop had to rely on their own hard work for everything.

Lin Yi's emergence not only marked his personal rise, but also gave those of them who shared the same Cosmic Clam a greater sense of confidence and hope.

Frost Rainbow was silent for a moment, then said softly, "He's about to break through to the advanced stage of the True Source Realm."

Zhaoyue understood the implication in her words and gave a wry smile, "Yes, we haven't even gotten close to the second level of the True Source Realm."

She looked towards the porthole on the other side of the corridor.

Outside the window is the massive internal structure of the mothership, with crisscrossing passages and pipes resembling the veins of a giant beast. In the distance, logistics personnel are operating engineering machinery to repair a damaged armor plate.

"Back in the Cosmic Clam," Zhaoyue said softly, as if speaking to Frost Rainbow, yet also to herself, "Those ordinary geniuses probably looked at us like we look at Lin Yi now... The gap was too vast, making it impossible to even think about catching up..."

Frost Rainbow didn't reply, but instead looked out the window.

Neither of them spoke again, they simply walked on in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor, gradually fading away.

Inside the captain's command center.

Li and Lin Yi stood side by side.

Li said in a deep voice to the Light Sphere of Zero Three, "Conduct pre-departure checks."

"Self-checking in progress," Zero Three's voice rang out. "Everything is normal; all unauthorized personnel have disembarked."

Li nodded. "Let's go."

"Understood. Initiate departure procedures."

Following Zero Three's response, the Fierce Blood Assault Ship slowly slid out of the Black Rock Mothership's berth.

The warship began to accelerate.

The energy patterns on the ship's surface lit up one by one, gradually changing from dark red to bright orange-red, marking the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship's entry into cruise mode.

Lin Yi stood by the porthole, watching the Black Rock Mothership gradually disappear into the distance.

"The journey spans five Epoch." Li looked at Lin Yi, "You can continue your cultivation during this time. Although the summons from the military lord is most likely a good thing, we cannot let our guard down."

Lin Yi said, "I understand."

Actually, even without urging him to, he would have used this time for cultivation.

Then, after thinking for a moment, he asked, "Captain, what is the flagship of the Commander, the Yong Yao- class fortress ship...?"

Li smiled and said, "You'll understand when you get there. It's nothing like the Black Rock Mothership."

Time slipped away quietly during the voyage.

Lin Yi began to focus his energy on comprehending the next Cosmic Universe Seal, the Fire Cosmic Universe Seal.

With the aid of Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, his understanding of the Fire Seal began to progress steadily.

In the Second Epoch, deep within Lin Yi's soul, the nascent form of a pale red illusory seal began to take shape.

The characteristics of the Fire Origin Law were gradually tamed and integrated under the rule of the Chaos Rules.

In the Third Epoch, the pale red phantom became increasingly solid, and engravings resembling flame patterns began to appear on its surface.

As they traversed halfway through the Fourth Epoch, in the cultivation room, an invisible, intense heat suddenly surged around Lin Yi, causing the air to distort slightly.

Deep within his soul, the pale red illusory mark suddenly shone brightly, transforming into a complete, crimson mark.

The Fire Cosmic Universe Seal is complete!

The seven Cosmic Universe Seal, representing metal, time, space, life, death, earth, and fire, intertwine within the Soul Origin, forming a more complex and stable collaborative system.

The addition of the Fire Seal not only brings a berserk attack bonus, but also significantly improves the efficiency of energy flow and activation between other Cosmic Universe Seal.

Zero Three noticed it the moment the fire mark solidified.

It immediately informed Li.

Li showed no surprise; on the contrary, he took it for granted.

The initial shock had long since become a habit through witnessing it over the past hundreds of Epoch.

He even silently sighed in his heart, "A high-level True Source Realm, plus seven Cosmic Universe Seal... I am no longer his match. Or in other words, in the entire Mist Sea City Imperial Army, and even in the entire Mist Sea City True Source Realm, there should be no one who can rival him."

"Those who can rival him are perhaps only the geniuses of the same level who are qualified to enter Constant Island."

Li didn't disturb Lin Yi, but simply told Zero Three to keep an eye out, and then he himself returned to his cultivation.

Lin Yi has his own path to Lin Yi, and although he admits that his talent is not as good as Lin Yi's, he will not be discouraged and give up his own path of cultivation.

In the remaining time, Lin Yi not only consolidated his realm but also practiced the use of the Fire Cosmic Universe Seal.

Although it has been successfully formed, it will take time to refine it in order to fully master all the changes of the Fire Seal.

The Fire Cosmic Universe Seal is violent, but it has more than just this basic characteristic.

More advanced applications, such as dynamism and stimulation, require extensive practice and understanding.

Time slipped away quietly during the voyage.

As the Fifth Epoch was drawing to a close, Zero Three's voice rang in my ears.

"Approaching coordinates. High-intensity energy barrier detected ahead. Identification code sent."

Lin Yi walked out of the training room and came to the bridge.

Through the porthole, he saw the view ahead.

It was a void shrouded in a pale blue energy barrier.

Complex chaotic runes flowed across the surface of the barrier, each rune containing a chilling energy fluctuation.

Inside the barrier, one could vaguely see a fortress of indescribable size.

Yong Yao -class fortress ship.

Those are High Order of the Eternal Source Realm, and they come in two forms: fortress form and warship form.

In peacetime, the fortress ship is moored next to Mist Sea City and unfolds into a fortress form, serving as a garrison and military base to protect Mist Sea City.

In times of war, they would be deployed to the Frontline, serving as both the most formidable warships and forward fortresses.

The entire fortress ship was forged from an unknown dark gold metal, and its surface was engraved with intricate Chaos Law. These runes flowed slowly like living things, and each flow would cause Tide of chaotic energy in the surrounding area.

The Fierce Blood Assault Ship was as insignificant as a speck of dust in the face of this fortress.

"Identity verification successful." Zero Three's voice rang out again, "About to enter the barrier."

A pale blue energy barrier opened a portal.

The portal was enormous, large enough for dozens of Black Rock Mothership to pass through side by side.

The Fierce Blood Assault Ship slowly entered, like a small fish swimming into the mouth of a giant whale.

Once inside the barrier, Lin Yi truly felt the grandeur of the fortress ship.

Upon closer inspection, the surface of the fortress ship is not smooth metal, but rather composed of countless hexagonal armor plates pieced together.

Each plate was covered with runes, and liquid energy flowed through the gaps between the plates, like blood flowing through veins.

Further away, several other Black Rock Mothership can be seen moored in the fortress's auxiliary berth area, like a group of giant beasts surrounding a king.

The Fierce Blood Assault Ship slowly sailed towards the side of the fortress ship along a virtual guided course.

The closer you get, the more you can feel that suffocating sense of oppression.

Occasionally, energy streams flashed across the surface of the fortress ship, each flash causing a slight distortion in the surrounding void.

The docking point for the smaller ships is located in the middle of the side of the fortress.

It was a huge circular opening, with countless launchers lined up along its edge. At that moment, one of the launchers was projecting a pale blue beam of light, guiding the Fierce Blood Assault Ship slowly into it.

The warships entered the docking channel.

The passageway was brightly lit, with luminous crystals embedded in the walls on both sides, illuminating the entire passageway as if it were daytime.

Guided by the tractor beam, the Fierce Blood Assault Ship slowly came to a stop at its designated berth.

There are many similar berths around the berth, but most of them are empty, with only a few other types of ships docked there.

The ships had sharp, clean lines and were covered in heavy armor; they were clearly some type of frigate.

Compared to these ships, the Fierce Blood Assault Ship appeared much smaller.

Lin Yi followed Li and left the Fierce Blood Assault Ship.

As soon as they landed, they saw a silver-armored man approaching from a short distance away.

"Commander Li, Commander Lin, come with me. The military commander knows you've arrived and is waiting for you."

Li and Lin Yi exchanged a glance, quickly bowed, and said in unison, "Thank you, sir."

The one wearing silver armor was at least a commander-level officer; Lin Yi hadn't expected the military commander to send a commander-level officer to pick them up.

The silver-armored man nodded slightly, said nothing, and turned to lead the way.

Li and Lin Yi quickly followed behind, also remaining silent.

The passage was long, and after passing through several verification checkpoints, the silver-armored man stopped in front of a huge alloy door.

Two black-armored warriors stood in front of the door.

"The commander is inside," the silver-armored man said to Li and Lin Yi. "Please come in."

The door slid open silently.

Inside was a huge command center.

The dome is transparent, allowing a direct view of the churning Black Mist Sea outside.

In the center of the command room, a huge virtual star map floats in the air.

The star map extends outwards from the Yong Yao Radiance Fortress as its center.

The map was marked with numerous defensive line nodes, patrol routes, and constantly moving red dots of varying sizes—these were the locations of the Black Silence Beast.

A figure clad in dark blue armor stood before the star map.

Commander Wen Qianfei.

She was examining the changing battle situation on the star chart.

Hearing the door open, she turned her gaze to Lin Yi.

Lin Yi stepped forward, punched his chest with his right fist, and leaned forward slightly.

"Lin Yi, Sixteenth Squad of the Seventy-First Garrison Fleet, greets Your Excellency."

Wen Qianfei didn't speak, she just watched quietly.

Li stood half a step behind Lin Yi, maintaining the same bowing posture, without moving.

After a moment, Wen Qianfei finally spoke.

"Lin Yi... they say you might be a slow-burning genius."

What do you think?