Among the people organizing their gear in front of the mechas, a tall, slender woman stepped out. She wore close-fitting armor in red and black that covered her from head to toe.
She stopped in front of Yuan and lightly pressed her visor, revealing delicate, striking features. Pointing at the Action Mecha beside them, she asked indifferently, "Can you pilot a mecha?"
Yuan answered casually, "Yes. I've piloted a Training Mecha at the Martial Arts Hall."
"Good. I'll have someone teach you how to pilot this kind of Action Mecha. It's very simple." She turned and walked back toward the people organizing their gear, signaling for Yuan to follow.
"I'm the captain of this Scavenger Team, Jona Guila. Although No. 3 Main Mine isn't far from the Litu tribe, you still have to follow my orders the whole way. Understood?"
"Yes, Captain! No problem, Captain!" Yuan put on the excited air of someone leaving the city for the first time. He even acted like a smitten bootlicker around his beautiful captain, all while observing the people nearby.
Jona clearly thought Yuan's reaction to seeing her face was only natural. Men!
She called over a member who looked very simple and honest to explain how to operate the Action Mecha to Yuan, then turned back to continue organizing her own gear.
Purple Crystal's irritating voice rang in Yuan's mind again. "You're acting weird?!"
As Yuan familiarized himself with the Action Mecha's controls according to the member's instructions, he replied in his Consciousness Sea, "How am I acting weird? Of course I'd react when I saw a beauty! It's called pretending, understand?"
Purple Crystal scoffed. "You think the people who went to all that trouble to lure you out of the city would be stupid enough not to plant a few moles in this Scavenger Team?"
"You're batting your eyelashes at the blind. What a waste of effort! Hahaha!"
Yuan: "..." (Handsome guy left speechless.jpg)
"The member in front of you looks like he's Earth Rank, right?"
"Yeah. What's the problem?" Yuan asked, puzzled.
Purple Crystal's voice sounded downright smug. "He's actually an incredibly powerful warrior who's reached the threshold of the Origin Law at Sky Rank (Universe Rank). To kill a rookie like you, an Earth Rank First-Stage Spirit Reader, he'd only need to lift a finger!"
Hearing that, Yuan nearly fell out of the Action Mecha's seat. The honest-looking member even asked with concern, "What's wrong, little brother?"
Yuan forced an awkward smile. "Nothing, bro. Keep going. I'm a little nervous since this is my first time outside the city!"
"Don't worry, little brother. There are lots of Patrol Mechas along the way to the mine, and we'll be looking out for you. It's perfectly safe!" The honest-looking member thumped his chest in assurance, looking like an ordinary Earth Rank Ninth-Stage warrior.
Yuan thanked him repeatedly on the surface, while silently yelling, "I'm only Earth Rank First-Stage! I'll be done for as soon as we leave the city gates. How could I possibly get away before we reach the mine?"
"Don't worry. They're afraid of alerting me too soon, so they won't attack you before we get close to the mine!" Purple Crystal assured him.
"Think of something, quick! How are we supposed to leave the Scavenger Team?" Yuan demanded.
Purple Crystal replied without hesitation, "Figure it out yourself. Consider it a test! I can't use my power until the forces behind this show themselves!"
Yuan wasn't even angry anymore. "Are you kidding me? How could a mecha possibly outrun someone at Sky Rank who can fly freely?"
Yuan did his best to imitate Purple Crystal's shameless tone. "Maybe I should just surrender now and join them. I'll ask them to perform brain surgery on me!"
"Besides, I'm a genius who's grasped a Conception. They won't kill me!"
Purple Crystal scoffed. "Hahaha, dream on! To help you break through to Earth Rank without alerting me, so you could leave the city, they even used a drop of Mandala Liquid!"
"That's what let you grasp a Conception and step straight into Earth Rank as a Spirit Reader. But those idiots underestimated my presence!"
"I absorbed eighty percent of the Mandala Liquid. With that much commotion, how could I not notice?"
"A drop of Mandala Liquid costs three trillion Credit Points! Those idiots probably want to kill you a hundred times over to vent their anger!"
Yuan looked a little dazed. Three trillion? How many years would Dad have to work to earn that, making ten thousand Credit Points a month...
Yuan abruptly stood up, passed the honest-looking member, and called out to Captain Jona, "Captain! I have something to tell you. Actually..."
"Fine, fine, you win. As soon as we leave the city gates, I'll help you draw out your Genetic Origin Energy so you can break through to Earth Rank as a warrior too. Then I can borrow your Conception to use a little of my power and help us escape!"
"You're in luck, kid! Pay close attention to how I use your Conception later!"
So Yuan paused, then continued speaking to Jona. "Actually... actually, you're really beautiful. You're the prettiest young lady I've ever seen!"
Everyone present burst into laughter. They clearly weren't very afraid of the Flying Star Rank captain, who was ostensibly the strongest among them.
Jona's face darkened. He was weak and still had the nerve to run his mouth. So what if he was handsome?
She was about to stand up and teach Yuan a lesson, but remembering the mission, she had to hold back. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Then I suppose I should thank you!"
"You're welcome!"
Their conversation had sounded long on the page, but it had actually happened very quickly. Yuan had been with the team for only five minutes when everyone finished packing their gear, loaded it behind their mechas, lined up, and headed out through the city gates.
As they crossed the gates, the usually noisy Purple Crystal fell strangely quiet. Yuan, who had lived eighteen years without ever leaving the city, could finally take in the world beyond it with his whole being.
The area was close to the mine, where geological activity was severe. On top of that, Desolate Beasts that came too close to the city were regularly cleared out.
Even with abundant Universe Energy, the wasteland beyond the city had barely grown any plants. It looked bleak and desolate.
The contrast with the technologically advanced Isis Race city on the other side was stark. Now and then, they could see colorful Desolate Beast blood, scraps of fur, and broken bones scattered across the gravel, giving off a faint smell of blood...
They hadn't gone very far, and the enormous human city behind them still filled more than half the view.
Purple Crystal suddenly called out, "This should do! If we go much farther, those people might lose patience and attack!"
A strange ripple spread from Purple Crystal and instantly enveloped Yuan. His Genetic Origin Energy was like oil in a hot pan, suddenly boiling over. His face flushed red.
Yuan was piloting his mecha in the middle of the formation, looking just like a student who'd suddenly needed to use the bathroom in the middle of class.
He raised his hand and urgently called to Captain Jona at the front of the formation. "Captain Jona! Captain Jona! I can't control my Genetic Origin Energy! I—I'm about to break through to Earth Rank as a Genetic Warrior!"
As he spoke, he left the formation of his own accord, undid his harness, jumped out of his mecha, and landed on the ground. He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, entering a state of cultivation.
Those still in the sky could even see Yuan sitting on the ground let out a long sigh of relief!
Jona was furious. She ordered everyone to land their mechas and guard Yuan from all sides. Although they were still close to the city, a troublesome Desolate Beast might show up.
She'd thought it was just an ordinary mission. Who could have guessed that the person she had to escort would be so infuriating?
Thinking of the mission, Jona felt helpless again. You're pretty handsome, at least. I'll put up with it!
Yuan was an Earth Rank First-Stage Spirit Reader, but as a warrior, he was still only at the peak of Apprentice Ninth-Stage.
In his Consciousness Sea, Purple Crystal's voice continued, "Your awareness and spirit are both strong enough, and your body's already at the peak of Apprentice Ninth-Stage. This'll be easy. A few breaths and you'll be through!"
Just like the last time Yuan had tried to break through to Earth Rank as a Genetic Warrior, Purple Crystal drew out his Genetic Origin Energy, skipping the initial guiding process altogether.
Every cell in his body seemed to boil. The Genetic Origin Energy that had been lying dormant, unabsorbed inside his cells, surged toward the Dantian in Yuan's abdomen. Streams joined into a river, constantly swirling and gathering.
"Boom!"
Like Pangu opening the heavens and the earth, the Dantian that had never existed before suddenly burst open!
The swirling Genetic Origin Energy spun faster, repeatedly expanding and contracting. Each time it contracted, its volume grew smaller.
Yuan felt his consciousness shudder, and his body trembled! This time, he broke through with ease!
In his vast Dantian, a Micro-Planet appeared! Unlike the "Micro-Planet" in his Consciousness Sea, which had been transparent when it first formed, the one in his Dantian was actually silvery white!
The entire silvery-white Micro-Planet was, in fact, a unified whole formed from countless silvery-white hexagonal crystals!
The silvery-white Micro-Planet spun on its axis, sending out waves of strange energy!
Genetic Origin Energy! Yuan's thoughts stirred, and a thread of silvery-white Origin Energy instantly flew out of his Dantian and into his body.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
In an instant, every part of Yuan's body—his bones, marrow, skin, meridians, and internal organs—began to change rapidly.
This transformation was even more intense than when his Spiritual Force had entered Earth Rank! Yuan felt as though his flesh and bones were being shattered inch by inch, then reassembled!
"Let me see what your special ability is, and what kind of light it involves." Purple Crystal chuckled mischievously.
"Don't be nervous. Genetic Origin Energy is the best thing for reshaping the body. Its effects are far more drastic than those of Spiritual Force."
"Oh? Tsk, tsk! Light Distortion! You're pretty lucky, huh?" Purple Crystal praised him with mock sincerity.
Yuan's entire body continued to grow stronger by leaps and bounds, far more dramatically than an ordinary warrior's breakthrough to Earth Rank!
After all, not every warrior could first undergo the Spiritual Force enhancement process of an Earth Rank Spirit Reader.
"What do you mean by 'Light Distortion'?" Yuan asked at once.
"An Apprentice Rank Spirit Reader has a huge advantage over an ordinary warrior!" Purple Crystal said.
"But once someone reaches Earth Rank, warriors have their own abilities too! Those are special abilities.
Different Earth Rank warriors have different special abilities. Some have 'flames,' while others have 'body enhancement,' and so on."
"In the universe, all kinds of special abilities are generally classified into eight categories: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, and light."
"Yours is Light Distortion, a relatively rare ability in the light category," Purple Crystal explained.
Yuan was a little confused. The education he'd received hadn't covered any of this, and Tuowei had only explained it vaguely before.
"Simply put, it comes down to differences in your physique and soul."
"The Universe Energy your bodies absorb isn't actually the same. The Genetic Origin Energy formed by converting it is different too!"
"Genetic Origin Energy is mainly divided into eight attributes: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, lightning, wind, and light. Your special abilities are bestowed by your Genetic Origin Energy!"
"They can also be divided into eight major categories, but each category has many different kinds!"
"For example, the 'fire' category includes abilities like 'flame body' and 'fire refining.' Even with the same 'fire refining' ability and at the same Earth Rank First-Stage, some people can control fire at a higher temperature than others."
Yuan finally understood. There was no difference in rank between the eight major categories.
Every category had extremely powerful special abilities, and every category also had extremely weak ones!
And Yuan himself had Light Distortion, an ability under the light category.
The members of the Scavenger Team watched Yuan lying on the ground, silvery-white light flowing across his body, and didn't think much of it.
Everyone had to reach at least Earth Rank to survive. Anyone who didn't make it had died long ago...
In his Consciousness Sea, Yuan listened as Purple Crystal explained everything in unusual detail.
Yuan suddenly understood. "So, according to what Tuowei said earlier, the Light Conception I grasped needs the corresponding light-attribute Genetic Origin Energy in my body to support it, and even to drive it, right?"
"Correct! You're a clever kid. You've even learned to jump in with the answer!"
"Now get up and return to your mecha. Next, just watch me perform! Hahaha!" Purple Crystal's confident laughter echoed arrogantly through Yuan's Consciousness Sea.
Before you continue