Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
Lin Yi sat cross-legged in the center of the cultivation room, a faint silver glow circling his body. It was a subtle sign of the Space Law circulating within him.
He held a Void Crystal, his consciousness extending like a tendril as he cautiously probed the strange crystal, which contained folds of space, and sensed the rhythm of its underlying structure.
"Master."
A palace-robed phantom appeared without a sound. Xuanji's voice carried a hint of hesitation.
Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes, the silver light fading from them. "Hmm?"
"Your clone has completed its first mission with the Star Silence Squad and is on its way back," Xuanji reported.
"Oh? How did it go?" Lin Yi asked casually.
"." Xuanji fell silent for a rare two seconds, then said hesitantly, "Master, perhaps you should take a look at the battle records yourself?"
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow and glanced at Xuanji in surprise.
Intelligent Life rarely put things so "delicately."
"What happened? Did the mission fail? Were there any casualties?"
"No, the mission was successful. The Space-Devouring Jellyfish was killed, and the entire squad returned," Xuanji quickly explained, though she still sounded somewhat reluctant. "It's just... you might get a clearer picture by watching the battle yourself."
Her reaction gave Lin Yi a slight jolt.
Since advancing to World-Deriving Rank, Xuanji had developed more emotions, but she was still, at her core, an efficient information-processing hub. Her behavior could only mean that the clone's performance on the battlefield... hadn't been very good.
"All right." Lin Yi stood up. "Bring up the recording in immersive mode."
"Yes."
Xuanji swept her slender hand, and the cultivation room rippled like water.
The next moment, Lin Yi was standing in the cold, silent void.
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