Inside the City

Lu Yin glanced at Zhou Shan. What he said was true: the so-called Seven Saints of Huaxia, Heaven Rank powerhouses, were merely ants in the vast universe. Any student could possess Heaven Rank strength.

Heaven Rank was called Probe Realm in the universe. It was merely the second step of cultivation. The first step was Gaze Realm, implying a fledgling bird that could only observe. He was currently in Gaze Realm. After that came Probe Realm, learning to explore the power of the human body. The third step was Integrating Realm, where one became preliminarily powerful, touching the limits of the human body. The fourth step was Extreme Realm, breaking through the limits of the human body, capable of traversing the void. Above that were Explorers who could roam the void. Such figures were too distant. If they appeared on Earth, they could overturn mountains and rivers with a wave of their hand, shattering continents.

Even Explorers were not yet at the level capable of creating the Body Sculpting Technique. The path of cultivation was long and vast. For rogue cultivators like Zhou Shan who used energy crystals to cultivate, reaching the Explorer level was almost impossible. The more powerful one became, the more one felt their own insignificance.

"Heh, why am I telling you all this? Come, let's go out and see. By this time, Zhao Yu should be clashing with the Commander of Ten Thousand under me," Zhou Shan said with a carefree smile, leading Lu Yin out of the conference room.

Lu Yin followed silently and soon arrived above the plaza they had been to before. Through the glass, they saw a Commander of Ten Thousand being defeated by Zhao Yu and lying on the ground in a sorry state.

Zhao Yu, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, attacked sharply and decisively. Lu Yin had witnessed this long ago. Currently, she was overwhelming Feng Hong.

Zhou Shan watched from above and shook his head. "Even among Earth Rank, there are strong and weak, and the gap is huge. Zhao Yu easily defeated my Commander of Ten Thousand without even using any combat techniques."

Lu Yin looked down and said in a deep voice, "Her combat technique is triggered by a plant."

Zhou Shan chuckled. "Of course. Whether it's the Snow Maiden or Luo Sheng, they need external aids to perform the Ice Palm that can freeze people. The human body itself cannot produce such an effect."

Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. It cannot produce it? Wrong. Powerful cultivation methods, combat techniques, and innate talents can all alter the natural phenomena. It's just that Earth hasn't encountered them. My Heavenly Star Art can even mimic the orbits of stars. No one would believe me if I said these things.

Below, Feng Hong was quickly defeated. Then, two more Commanders of Ten Thousand were defeated in succession. No one was willing to step forward.

Zhao Yu raised her head high and scanned the surroundings. "I heard the Commanders of Ten Thousand in Xing Camp are all iron-blooded warriors. What, is no one willing to spar with me?"

Feng Hong and the others had grim expressions.

Above, Zhou Shan chuckled. "She calls the three Snow Maidens under Luo Sheng 'Earth Rank invincible.' She does have some skill."

At that moment, Zhao Yu's gaze shifted upwards, fixing directly on Lu Yin. She raised her hand and beckoned him over, exuding a heroic and spirited aura.

Feng Hong and the others looked up in surprise.

Lu Yin raised an eyebrow. This was a provocation.

Zhou Shan smiled. "It seems she's unconvinced after you defeated her yesterday."

"We didn't determine a winner yesterday," Lu Yin replied.

Zhou Shan said, "Then go have a match. We can't let our Xing Camp lose too much face."

Lu Yin nodded and turned to leave.

Inside the plaza, hundreds of Evolvers around them were discussing animatedly. Many Evolvers looked at Zhao Yu with admiration. A woman who could make the Commanders of Ten Thousand in Xing Camp afraid to fight was definitely an idol.

Seeing Lu Yin descend, Zhao Yu took a deep breath, her gaze resolute. She was indeed unconvinced by yesterday's fight. She had the upper hand but was inexplicably defeated. She really wanted to witness that combat technique again.

From a distance, Feng Hong and the others watched Lu Yin slowly approach. Feng Hong couldn't help but say, "Brother Lu, be careful. This woman can use the combat technique Ice Palm. It's very powerful."

Lu Yin nodded and walked step by step towards Zhao Yu. "Please."

Zhao Yu's eyes were filled with fighting spirit. She leaped up, raised her hand, and drew a dagger from somewhere, just like she did at the sinkhole. She attacked immediately, the dagger tearing through the air, reflecting a cold glint.

Lu Yin dodged easily. The him of yesterday was completely different from the him today. Yesterday, he was just a strong ordinary person. Today, he was a cultivator, a cultivator who had reached Gaze Realm.

Lu Yin dodged with ease, but it made Feng Hong and the others sweat. Zhao Yu's attack speed grew faster and faster. Even the dagger exuded a cold aura, causing white mist to appear in the air and the temperature to drop sharply.

The ground of the plaza cracked. Zhao Yu swung her dagger like a whirlwind, sealing off all directions around Lu Yin. Strands of energy shot out, piercing the walls and making it difficult for many Evolvers to breathe.

Lu Yin stared intently at Zhao Yu. Suddenly, he raised his hand, and their figures crossed. He moved lightly and gracefully, and in his hand was a dagger emitting a cold aura.

Everyone held their breath, watching the scene in the arena. Zhao Yu was stunned. Her hand was empty. The dagger had been snatched away.

Feng Hong and the others were surprised, then exhilarated. "Well done, Brother Lu."

"Brother Lu is amazing."

Lu Yin turned to face Zhao Yu, his hand flipping the dagger. He casually tossed it back to her. "Do you want to continue?"

Zhao Yu stared at Lu Yin. "How did you do that?"

Lu Yin shrugged. "Eyesight and hand speed. Both are indispensable."

Bullshit, the word popped into everyone's minds.

Zhao Yu said with a complex expression, "You win. To snatch my dagger without a scratch, there should be no one among Earth Rank who can defeat you. You are very strong."

Lu Yin chuckled. These people had too low a standard. These fledglings in Gaze Realm, who didn't even have proper combat techniques, would be at the bottom of the barrel in any academy in the universe. How could they dare to speak like this? However, Zhao Yu was right. Lu Yin was confident that no one in Gaze Realm could defeat him.

Zhao Yu dejectedly put away her dagger. It was only then that she noticed Lu Yin was different from yesterday. "You, were you energy-depleted yesterday?"

Lu Yin didn't explain. He turned and walked outside. He wanted to explore. He hadn't found what he was looking for in the barren mountains. Perhaps it was hidden in another direction.

Zhao Yu watched Lu Yin leave. She wanted to ask about that combat technique from yesterday, but combat techniques were personal matters. She couldn't bring herself to ask.

Feng Hong and the others were quite surprised. They hadn't expected the newly joined Commander of Ten Thousand to be so formidable. Rumor had it that he was the one who killed the alien. It seemed to be true, considering that alien was a Heaven Rank powerhouse, albeit a heavily injured one.

Although Lu Yin became a Commander of Ten Thousand, he didn't have actual authority. However, Xing Camp still assigned him a squad of a hundred soldiers for him to command.

Leaving Zhong Mountain, Lu Yin beckoned. Behind him, a young soldier stepped forward. "Commander, please give your orders."

Lu Yin said indifferently, "Do you know where Jinling's former conventional weapons arsenal is?"

The soldier replied, "Northwest direction."

Lu Yin took out a map. "Mark it for me."

The soldier took out a pen and drew a circle on the map.

Lu Yin glanced around. "You can go back. I'll walk around myself."

The soldier looked troubled. "Commander, the armory was destroyed at the beginning of the apocalypse. The remaining few firearms have been transferred. If you need them, you can apply to the Saint of Punishment."

Lu Yin nodded. "Alright, I understand. You can go back." With that, Lu Yin walked alone towards the northwest.

These soldiers were sent by the Xing Camp to assist him, but also to monitor him to some extent. Lu Yin had no intention of hiding his tracks. What he was looking for was hidden very carefully, and searching blindly would be useless, only alerting the enemy. Now, by searching openly, his Earth Rank strength wouldn't cause too much alarm, and he might even find it.

Lu Yin's guess was correct. As soon as he left, someone reported to Zhou Shan.

Zhou Shan's gaze sharpened. "The armory? What is he looking for there?"

The woman with glasses walked over, pushing her glasses up. "The armory was destroyed. He's likely not looking for firearms, but I'm not sure what specifically he wants."

"Let him be. We don't have any secrets here," Zhou Shan chuckled, unconcerned.

Jinling radiated outwards from Zhong Mountain. The closer one was to Zhong Mountain, the better the location and the safer it was.

This city had long lost the planning of peaceful times. People lived on the streets, in flower beds, and even in riverbeds, blindly living in fear day after day.

Conversely, some people lived very happily, their moral bottom lines shattered, doing whatever they pleased. As Lu Yin walked, he saw many Evolvers bullying survivors, and even the Xing Camp soldiers couldn't intervene in time.

This was the state of this world. For Earth, everything happening now was bewildering, but Lu Yin knew this was evolution, a civilization evolving into another, and the cost would be immense.

The sky turned gloomy, and soon a heavy rain began, washing the ground. Red, bloody water spread with the rainwater, mixed with various garbage.

Lu Yin found a relatively clean-looking restaurant and sat down. Survivors were crowded at the restaurant entrance. Whenever the restaurant brought out leftover food, it would be snatched up.

"Get lost, get lost, get lost! Stay away! Remember to wash the buckets clean before returning them, or next time we'll get a different group to wash them," the restaurant server yelled angrily. He was clearly an Evolver.