"Good."
The two men patted him on the shoulder, saying he did a much better job than that old bastard Grant, before disappearing into the wind, leaving their memories and experiences as a database hidden within his soul.
Colin's consciousness drifted within the empty shell of his body, as if he had completely fallen into that semi-conscious state of flow.
Surrounded by nothingness, Colin, unable to wake up and return to reality, could only move his body with all his might, like someone experiencing sleep paralysis.
He tried to unleash his Psionic Energy and subsequently discovered that this seemed to be his only channel of communication with the outside world.
Focusing his mind, Colin began to continuously project his Psionic Energy.
As for an outlet, for a skeletal being, the best and most natural window for projecting Psionic Energy is... the eyes.
At this moment in the tent, Colin's eyes had almost completely lost their color, and his Psionic Energy flames flickered like burning incense sticks, as if they would go out at any moment.
But at a certain moment, the Psionic Energy fire in his eyes suddenly ignited, burning as fiercely as continuously exploding gas, almost making a "bang" sound.
Even so, the Psionic Energy flames showed no signs of weakening; on the contrary, they grew even more intense, like two flamethrower muzzles about to erupt.
The confined space instantly filled with intense heat, even blinding the eyes of the [ Chosen of the Four Gods ] who was secretly watching.
Once the accumulated heat reached a certain threshold, the tents the players had prepared for Colin instantly burst into flames.
However, the intense heat only destroyed the tents and did not spread outwards at all.
Colin gathered all the heat around himself, transforming the area within several meters around him into a transparent furnace.
At the very center of the furnace, he continuously forged himself with that light and heat, purifying himself as if turning a piece of pig iron into a steel billet.
The air churned like waves due to the scorching heat, and through the constantly shaking screen, players could see that Colin's body, which was originally mostly skeleton, was rapidly becoming translucent.
His bone is visibly transforming into beautiful crystal clusters, undergoing a painful metamorphosis.
The crystal cluster sword stuck in the vertebrae of his neck had Shattered at some unknown time due to the high temperature.
They might transform into tiny specks of light or become crystals of varying sizes, gradually merging into his body under the intense heat, replacing the impurities belonging to his "bones," like a slow but irreversible sublimation ritual.
Gazing at the scene unfolding in the "furnace," [ Ginseng Rooster ] murmured to [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] beside him:
"I have trained a High Tier..."
[ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] felt like he'd heard those words before when he was a child... but he didn't dwell on it. Seemingly remembering something, he smiled and asked:
"I think if you changed the worldview, Colin would be more suited to be a sword cultivator. Anyone know anything about this?"
Which type of sword cultivator are you referring to?
[ Ginseng Rooster ] was puzzled, so [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] summarized it in the concise style unique to the internet:
"It's that kind of sword cultivator who never says they've won or lost, but at the crucial moment they just say 'I've understood,' and then their health and mana are fully restored, instantly reaching the realm of a terrestrial immortal and utterly defeating all the enemies."
"That really is..."
[ Ginseng Rooster ] stared at Colin in the furnace, then suddenly grabbed the shoulders of [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] and [ Gu Gugu ] beside him:
"Let's go, we need to go and negotiate."
With his body purified and his soul elevated, Colin felt a force pushing him upwards until he passed through a previously closed door.
That's... the dividing line between Middle Tier and High Tier.
He stopped thinking about it and focused on sensing the changes in his body and soul, trying to cultivate a certain understanding with that force while being propelled by it, so that he could improve himself further.
A wave of Psionic Energy swept across the Soul Returner camp a kilometer away. Duma put down his pen, looked up at the south, and rubbed his chin a few times with his other hand.
The next moment, a crackling sound of wood bursting came from the brazier inside the tent. Duma had disappeared from the Material Plane and entered the dark side of the world, flying into the air to try to observe Colin's advancement up close.
"This is truly a rare sight..."
Duma, suspended in mid-air, couldn't help but marvel.
He had never seen how a skeleton could reach High Tier before, and today he was truly treated to a feast for the eyes.
However, this kind of thing...
He immediately reported the matter to Ed of Valhalla, but received the response, "Don't worry about it."
It seems it will be very useful to keep it.
Having learned a bit about Ed, Duma thought to himself, and soon saw [ Ginseng Rooster ] leading the two Soul Returner back to the camp.
Looks like they've come to haggle...
Duma gave a soft snort, but then smiled as she looked at the [ Ginseng Rooster ]:
"Originally, I just wanted to increase internal pressure, but I didn't expect it to unleash a High Tier..."
I don't know how you're really feeling right now.
Colin opened his eyes, but his vision had not fully recovered; he could only see things a few centimeters in front of him.
He felt incredibly light, as if a part of his body had been forcibly removed, or perhaps his strength had increased so dramatically that he couldn't adapt immediately.
Colin looked at his hands, where the traces of the crystal cluster saber were no longer visible. His bones had completely lost their deathly pallor and transformed into shimmering crystal clusters.
"I, I really..."
Colin stared incredulously at his hands and arms, inexplicably calling out the name of that imposing horse-slaying sword in his mind.
The next moment, the crystal clusters in his palms began to multiply, forming two single-handed broken swords.
Colin, as if possessed, joined the two broken swords together, and the familiar broadsword reappeared in his hand.
With a thought, the crystal clusters that made up the weapon turned into light and dissipated, returning to his body.
This is Psionic Energy Manifestation... Psionic Energy Manifestation that only High Tier can master.
Colin thought of Osmond, who had crushed the lord, and of the several councilors who "followed the Dharma Heaven and Earth," and naturally felt his heart surge with emotion.
He's at High Tier.
With one step, Colin's vision improved significantly again, and he realized that he was actually dozens of meters in the air.
Looking up, the not-so-warm December sun hung directly overhead.
Is it already noon?
He maneuvered his body down little by little until his camp came into full view.
Military police, Fang Soldiers, bodyguards, miscellaneous soldiers...
Skeleton soldiers, fortress knights, Bastion Lord, Border Garrison Warlord...
Thousands of people surrounded the location of his camp, but dared not move forward an inch.
Everyone knew he was in the air, yet no one dared to look up and gaze at him.
Colin hovered a dozen meters above the ground, surveying the people around him.
A familiar human figure strode forward, and [ Ginseng Rooster ] shouted loudly in Colin's direction:
"Sir, the Soul Returner Legion Commander has reconsidered our deal. Now, all we need to do is gather everyone towards the center of the camp, send the signal, and the teleportation will begin!"
The somewhat aged Governor Philemon was the second to shout:
"Your Excellency, all twelve thousand one hundred men under Philemon's command have assembled and are awaiting your orders."
Another person stepped out of the line to report:
"Your Excellency, all 9,200 men under Chalco's command have assembled and are awaiting your orders."
One after another, the military governors stepped forward, loudly reporting their work achievements.
By the third time, Colin was already somewhat numb, with only the phrase "Your Excellency, Congressman" echoing in his ears.
He waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and his Psionic Energy manifested as a semi-transparent body that was nearly ten meters tall.
Although not large enough, it was enough to invigorate all the skeletons.
With truly High Tier, even if Colin were to ask them to turn their attention to the Soul Returner and Blood Corpse, most of the Skeletons would probably not refuse.
But he hadn't forgotten his promise. The crowd quieted down, and Colin looked at everyone earnestly and said:
"All military commanders shall immediately return to their respective camps and lead all their soldiers to gather in the center of the main camp."
"Take every living soldier with you, and take as many skeletons as you can from the dead. Report back to me immediately after you've finished."
"I'll take you back to the Alliance!"