Star Energy Crystals

The woman grew even more disgusted and scornful. The Starry Sky Tenth Academy wasn't a place outsiders could meddle in. So what if someone was strong enough to walk through the stars? There were plenty of people like that in the universe.

"Wait. How do I know you're not a native?" The woman stared at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin raised his hand and rapidly shook his right palm. The air seemed to crumple like a curtain, then slammed into the ground, blasting out a massive crater.

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

Lu Yin grinned. "Well? That proves it, doesn't it?"

The woman narrowed her eyes. Wave Palm wasn't something just anyone could master. Although it was a widely known battle skill, one needed to reach a certain level of physical strength to use it. She couldn't use it herself, yet this little Gaze Realm cultivator could. For a moment, she felt wary of Lu Yin.

"Being able to use Wave Palm proves you might be of some use. Help me take Jinling, and I'll add you to my record," the woman said, her tone easing slightly.

Lu Yin was surprised. "You're trying to take Jinling? I heard there's a powerful Saint of Punishment there, a Probe Realm expert."

"I know. Aoton lost to him, too. But I'm not that good-for-nothing Aoton. You and I can join forces and take down that native," the woman said coldly.

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

"Before the trial, students from the same academy agreed to join forces if they landed near each other. No one came looking for you? Figures—you're so weak." The woman spoke flatly.

Lu Yin secretly congratulated himself on not pretending to be Asta. This woman knew Aoton; she might know Asta as well. If she knew Aoton, then perhaps Aoton had headed north after losing to Zhou Shan to find her. But why had he gone east along the way?

Lu Yin didn't ask anything else. The more he asked, the easier it would be to expose himself. This woman was looking for an ally, which meant she'd fallen out with Aoton—or perhaps Aoton had found someone else. Either way, Jinling was in danger.

"Fine, I'll help you. But I need to get stronger first," Lu Yin said.

The woman frowned. "There's no need."

Lu Yin sighed. "Then at least let me recover from my injuries."

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

Asta's Body Sculpting Technique could only be used three times. He'd used it twice, first to break through from an ordinary person to the Gaze Realm, then again to reach the Probe Realm. Lu Yin had used the last application to break through to the Gaze Realm. To reach the Probe Realm, he needed a new copy of the Body Sculpting Technique. That was why he'd tried to get close to this woman. He had to obtain the technique if he wanted to advance.

The small county settlement had only a little over two hundred thousand survivors, but a sizeable military presence. Most of the soldiers wore the Punishment Battalion's uniforms. They were probably frontline troops whom this woman had brought under her control.

"The Saint of Punishment in Jinling is pretty capable. He has eighty thousand evolvers under his command. He sent twenty thousand to the front to open up communications with other regions. Six of them are Gaze Realm cultivators. I killed two, one died in a Mutant Beast's jaws, and there are three left." The woman brought Lu Yin to the top of a high-rise in the settlement and explained.

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

"Granny," the woman replied coolly.

At that moment, a figure came up to the roof and said respectfully, "Commander, we've spotted Punishment Battalion troops thirty kilometers away."

Lu Yin turned and immediately recognized the newcomer. His expression changed. The man saw Lu Yin, too, and looked confused. Lu Yin suddenly rushed at him and struck out with Wave Palm. Before Granny could react, his palm hit the man in the chest. Blood spurted from the man's mouth, and the force blasted him off the roof. He crashed to the ground, drawing cries of alarm from the crowd.

Granny glared at Lu Yin. "What are you doing?"

Furious, Lu Yin said, "It's him! When I first landed here, this bastard led people in an ambush against me. I wouldn't have been injured if it weren't for him."

Granny said coldly, "When did this happen?"

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

"Where?"

"About a hundred kilometers south." Lu Yin looked at Granny. "Do you suspect me? Or are you reluctant to deal with this native?"

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

Lu Yin didn't care. "He's just a native."

"He's still one of my people," Granny snapped.

Lu Yin sighed. "All right, all right. I understand. I won't do it again. By the way, those troops thirty kilometers away are mine. Should I bring them here?"

Granny turned toward Jinling, then glanced at her Personal terminal and ignored him.

Lu Yin looked down from the roof and let out a breath. The man was Li Hongliang. He'd been there when Asta was killed and had seen Lu Yin. He knew Lu Yin was from Earth—and that he'd killed Asta. If Lu Yin hadn't struck first, Li Hongliang recognizing him would have caused trouble.

This woman wasn't Asta. Lu Yin could tell she was stronger than him, and he wasn't sure he could successfully catch her off guard. Better to wait.

The front line was already gone. Granny's presence had caused the Punishment Battalion's defenses to collapse. The soldiers had either been absorbed into her forces or fled, risking death at every turn. Meanwhile, Jinling had been unreachable since this morning, which worried Lu Yin.

He brought Luo Yun, Xu San, and nearly ten thousand evolver soldiers to the settlement, then sternly warned the two remaining Commanders of Ten Thousand who had joined Granny. That night, he sought Granny out again.

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

Lu Yin nodded. "Don't worry. Whatever I borrow, I'll pay back tenfold once we return."

Granny looked him over. "You have Flame Crystals, but no Star Energy Crystals?"

"I used them up," Lu Yin said.

Granny hesitated. Star Energy Crystals were different from the Energy Crystals found inside Earth's Mutant Beasts. Every planet—or, more accurately, every ecosystem—had its own energy, and it wasn't exactly the same as star energy. That was why countless cultivation methods had emerged. In the end, though, cultivation always led toward the universe, and Star Energy Crystals contained star energy that could be absorbed.

These energy crystals could be absorbed by anyone for cultivation. Generally, they could only be produced by ecosystems integrated with the universe. Earth could currently produce unusual crystals such as Flame Crystals and Ice Crystals, but not Star Energy Crystals. These crystals were also what students like them needed most.

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

Granny gazed at Lu Yin. "Trade what?"

Lu Yin poured a pile of Flame Crystals out of his Void Ring. "These."

Granny's eyes lit up. She thought over the exchange rates for the various energy crystals in the universe, but realized there was no standard rate. The exchange depended on one's location in the universe, and now they were on Earth, facing Lu Yin, who was desperate for Star Energy Crystals. Naturally, the rate could be adjusted.

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

Lu Yin's eyes widened. "You're ripping me off. These Flame Crystals are worth at least twenty Star Energy Crystals, and you're only offering five? You've cut the price by four times!"

"Take it or leave it," Granny said haughtily.

Lu Yin sighed and gritted his teeth. "Fine, but I have one condition. Let me test the power of your battle skill."

Granny sneered. "Any time."

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

After Lu Yin left, Granny eagerly stowed away the Flame Crystals. These unusual crystals could be used to aid the cultivation of battle skills and to strengthen their power when used. They were treasures countless people dreamed of possessing. To her, they were even more precious than Star Energy Crystals, since her battle skill required them. She'd made a killing. "Tata Planet? Why haven't I heard of it? Could it be a planet that only produces unusual mineral deposits?" Granny wondered.

As he left Granny's residence, Lu Yin smiled. Although the exchange rate was terrible, he'd gotten them all for nothing. More importantly, no one on Earth except these students had Star Energy Crystals.

Asta didn't even have a Void Ring, so he couldn't have carried these crystals. Granny's family background was clearly better than Asta's. Perhaps Lu Yin could get something else out of her as well.

When he returned to his quarters, which were really just an abandoned villa, Lu Yin buried Flame Crystals around the perimeter to stop anyone from sneaking in.

Back in the living room, he waved away all the discarded furniture, then took out an Energy Crystal and crushed it. In an instant, surging star energy flooded the room.

Cultivating with the Body Sculpting Technique allowed one to absorb the star energy drifting through the void directly, but the speed depended on the cultivation method. To accelerate absorption, many powerful factions collected these Star Energy Crystals and let the star energy erupt in a confined space. This increased the absorption rate, and was one of the reasons the various factions fought over Star Energy Crystals.