Star Energy Crystal

The woman grew increasingly disgusted and disdainful. How could outsiders interfere with the Tenth Academy of the Starry Sky? Even a strong individual who could walk among the stars was nothing; there were countless such experts in the universe.

"Wait, how can I be sure you're not a native?" the woman stared at Lu Yin and said.

Lu Yin raised his hand, his right palm shaking rapidly. The air seemed like a curtain being grasped tightly and then slammed down onto the ground, instantly creating a massive crater.

"Wave Palm?" the woman looked at Lu Yin in surprise.

Lu Yin said proudly, "How about that? This proves it, right?"

The woman narrowed her eyes. Wave Palm wasn't something just anyone could master. Although it was a common Battle Skill, one couldn't use it without a certain level of physical strength. The woman admitted to herself that she couldn't use it, and she hadn't expected a mere Gaze Realm cultivator to be able to. For a moment, she felt a sense of caution towards Lu Yin.

"Being able to use Wave Palm proves you're somewhat useful. Help me take Jinling, and I'll add your score," the woman's tone softened slightly as she spoke indifferently.

Lu Yin was surprised. "You want to take Jinling? I heard there's a Saint of Punishment there who's very powerful, an expert in the Probe Realm."

"I know. Aoton also lost to him. But I'm not that useless Aoton. Together, we can suppress that native," the woman said coldly.

"How do you know a student lost to a native?" Lu Yin asked.

The woman said indifferently, "Before the trial, students from the same academy will make agreements. If they land in nearby areas, they can team up. No one approached you? That's right, you're too weak."

Lu Yin secretly felt fortunate that he hadn't impersonated Asta. This woman knew Aoton, so she might know Asta. Since this woman knew Aoton, did Aoton's defeat by Zhou Shan and his subsequent escape north mean he was looking for this woman? But why did he go east midway?

Lu Yin didn't ask further. The more he asked, the more likely he was to expose himself. The fact that this woman was seeking his alliance now indicated a conflict with Aoton. It was also possible Aoton had found someone else. Regardless, Jinling was in danger.

"Okay, I'll help you, but I need to improve my strength," Lu Yin said.

The woman frowned. "You don't need to."

Lu Yin said helplessly, "Then at least let me recover from my injuries."

The woman stared at Lu Yin, then grabbed him and flew towards the settlement.

Asta's Body Sculpting Technique could only be used three times. He had used it twice himself, breaking through from an ordinary person to the Gaze Realm and then to the Probe Realm. The last use was by Lu Yin to break through to the Gaze Realm. To break through to the Probe Realm, a new Body Sculpting Technique was needed, which was why he had tried to get close to this woman. He had to obtain the Body Sculpting Technique to break through.

There weren't many survivors in the small county town settlement, only over 200,000. However, there were many soldiers, most of whom wore Xing Camp uniforms. These were likely frontline soldiers, controlled by this woman.

"The Saint of Punishment in Jinling is quite capable. He has 80,000 Evolvers under him. 20,000 were sent to the front lines to try and establish contact with other regions. Six individuals at the Gaze Realm level also came. I killed two, one died to a Mutant Beast, leaving three," the woman said, bringing Lu Yin to the top of a tall building in the settlement and introducing him.

Lu Yin asked, "I still don't know your name."

"Granny," the woman said indifferently.

Just then, a figure arrived at the top of the building and respectfully said, "My lady, Xing Camp troops have been spotted thirty kilometers away."

Lu Yin turned his head and saw the person at a glance. His expression changed. The person also saw Lu Yin and looked confused. Lu Yin suddenly rushed towards the person, extending his Wave Palm. Before Granny could react, it struck the person's chest. The person spat out a mouthful of blood, and their body was blasted out of the building by the immense force, crashing heavily onto the ground, causing a wave of gasps.

Granny stared at Lu Yin and said sternly, "What are you doing?"

Lu Yin said angrily, "It's him! The moment I landed on this land, this scoundrel led people to ambush me. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been injured."

Granny said coldly, "When?"

"The day we descended," Lu Yin replied without hesitation.

"Where?"

"About a hundred kilometers south," Lu Yin said, then looked at Granny, "Do you suspect me? Or are you reluctant to part with this native?"

Granny snorted, "Watch your words. I don't care about a mere native, but you can't just kill my people."

Lu Yin said indifferently, "Isn't he just a native?"

"He's still my person," Granny said angrily.

Lu Yin said helplessly, "Alright, alright, I get it. It won't happen again. Oh, the troops thirty kilometers away are my people. Do you want me to bring them over?"

Granny turned around, looked in the direction of Jinling, then looked at her personal terminal, ignoring him.

Lu Yin looked down at the ground and exhaled. This person's name was Li Hongliang. He was present when Asta was killed and had seen Lu Yin. He knew Lu Yin was from Earth and had even killed Asta. If Lu Yin hadn't acted, it would have been troublesome if Li Hongliang had recognized him just now.

This woman was not Asta. Lu Yin could sense that her strength surpassed Asta's, and he might not have succeeded in a surprise attack. He should wait!

The front lines had collapsed. Granny's existence had caused the Xing Camp's front lines to crumble. Soldiers were either incorporated or fled, facing a near-certain death. As for Jinling, contact had been lost since that morning, which bothered Lu Yin.

He brought nearly ten thousand Evolver soldiers, including Luo Yun and Xu San, to the settlement. He sternly warned the remaining two Commanders of Ten Thousand who had sided with Granny. That evening, he approached Granny again.

"What? You want to borrow Star Energy Crystals from me?" Granny looked at Lu Yin in surprise, her expression odd.

Lu Yin nodded. "Don't worry, I'll repay ten times whatever you lend me when we return."

Granny sized Lu Yin up. "You have Flame Crystals, but no Star Energy Crystals?"

"Used them up," Lu Yin said.

Granny hesitated. Star Energy Crystals were not like the Energy Crystals found within Earth's Mutant Beasts. Every planet, or rather, ecosystem, had its own energy, which wasn't exactly the same as Star Energy. This led to countless cultivation methods, but ultimately, they all led to the universe. Star Energy Crystals contained absorbable Star Energy.

These energy crystals could be absorbed and cultivated by anyone. Generally, only ecosystems integrated with the universal ecosystem could produce them. Earth, at present, could produce Flame Crystals, Ice Crystals, and other peculiar crystals, but it couldn't produce Star Energy Crystals. These crystals were also what students like them needed most.

"You don't trust me? How about this, I can trade," Lu Yin said.

Granny looked at Lu Yin. "Trade with what?"

Lu Yin poured out a pile of Flame Crystals from his Void Ring. "I'll trade these."

Granny's eyes lit up. She recalled the exchange rates of various cosmic energy crystals in her mind but found there was no unified standard. Exchange rates naturally varied in different parts of the universe. Furthermore, being on Earth now, facing Lu Yin, a major client in dire need of Star Energy Crystals, the exchange rate naturally had to be adjusted.

"I can give you five Star Energy Crystals," Granny said indifferently.

Lu Yin's eyes widened, "You're too much of a cheat. These Flame Crystals can be exchanged for at least twenty Star Energy Crystals, and you're only giving me five? You've compressed the price by four times."

"Will you or won't you?" Granny asked haughtily.

Lu Yin was helpless. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Fine, but I have one condition: let me test the Battle Skill's power."

Granny scoffed, "Anytime."

Lu Yin took the five thumb-sized transparent Star Energy Crystals and turned to leave.

After Lu Yin left, Granny excitedly put away the Flame Crystals. These peculiar crystals could both aid in cultivating Battle Skills and enhance their power when used. They were treasures countless people dreamed of, especially for her, as they were more precious than Star Energy Crystals. Her Battle Skill required these Flame Crystals, so she had made a huge profit. "Tata Planet? I've never heard of it. Could it be a planet that exclusively produces such unique mineral deposits?" Granny wondered.

Leaving Granny's residence, Lu Yin's lips curved upwards. Although the exchange was a bad deal, he had gotten them for nothing. More importantly, on Earth, besides these students, no one else had Star Energy Crystals.

Asta didn't even have a Void Ring, so he couldn't carry these crystals at all. This Granny's family background was much better than Asta's. Perhaps he could get something else from her.

He returned to his own residence, which was actually an abandoned villa.

Lu Yin buried the Flame Crystals around the villa's perimeter to prevent anyone from sneaking in.

Back in the living room, he waved his hand, throwing away all the dilapidated furniture. Then, he took out an Energy Crystal and crushed it directly. Instantly, surging Star Energy surged and filled the living room.

Cultivating with the Body Sculpting Technique allowed one to directly absorb the Star Energy freely circulating in the void, but the absorption speed depended on the cultivation method. Many powerful factions collected these Star Energy Crystals to speed up absorption, causing the Star Energy to erupt in a confined space and increase absorption speed. This was also one of the reasons why major factions fought over Star Energy Crystals.