Lu Yin glanced at Zhou Shan. What he said was true—compared to the vast universe, even the so-called Seven Sages of Huaxia, who were Heavenly-level powerhouses, were like ants. Any random student here possessed strength equivalent to the Heavenly level.
In the universe, the Heavenly level was known as the Exploration Realm, which was merely the second step of cultivation. The first step was the Observation Realm, symbolizing a fledgling that could only watch from the sidelines. Lu Yin himself was currently in the Observation Realm. After that came the Exploration Realm, where one began to explore the potential of the human body. The third step was the Fusion Realm, where one began to truly grow stronger and touch the limits of the human body. The fourth step was the Extreme Realm, breaking through the human body's limits and gaining the ability to leap through space. Beyond that were the true Explorers, who could walk through the void itself. That level was unimaginably distant—if such beings ever appeared on Earth, a mere wave of their hand could cause mountains and rivers to reverse, continents to shatter.
Even Explorers had not yet reached the level where they could create Body Shaping Techniques. The path of cultivation was long and boundless. For mercenaries like Zhou Shan, who relied on energy crystals to cultivate, reaching the Explorer level was nearly impossible. The stronger one became, the more one realized their own insignificance.
"Heh, why am I telling you all this? Let's go, let's have a look outside. By now, Zhao Yu should've clashed with one of my Centurions," Zhou Shan laughed freely and led Lu Yin out of the conference room.
Lu Yin followed silently. Soon, they arrived at the area above the plaza where they'd been before. Through the glass, they saw a Centurion being defeated by Zhao Yu, falling to the ground in a sorry state.
Zhao Yu was dressed in combat gear, her attacks swift and decisive. Lu Yin had already witnessed this before. At the moment, she was suppressing Feng Hong in battle.
Zhou Shan looked down from above and shook his head. "Even among Earth-level fighters, there are huge differences in strength. Zhao Yu didn't even use any battle techniques and still defeated my Centurion easily."
Lu Yin looked down and said in a low voice, "Her battle technique is triggered using a certain type of plant."
Zhou Shan chuckled, "Of course. Whether it's the Snow Maidens or Luo Sheng, their freezing palm techniques also require external aids. The human body alone can't produce such effects."
Lu Yin narrowed his eyes. Can't produce them? That's wrong. Powerful cultivation techniques, battle skills, and innate talents could all change the very weather and skies—Earth simply hadn't encountered them yet. His Heavenly Star Technique even mimicked the motion of celestial bodies. No one would believe it if he said it aloud.
Below, Feng Hong was quickly defeated. Two more Centurions followed and were also defeated in succession. No one else was willing to step up.
Zhao Yu raised her head proudly and swept her gaze across the crowd. "I heard that the Centurions of the Disciplinary Battalion are all iron-blooded warriors. What, none of you are willing to spar with me?"
Feng Hong and the others looked embarrassed.
Above, Zhou Shan chuckled. "Luo Sheng claims his three Snow Maidens are invincible among Earth-levels—she does have some skill."
At that moment, Zhao Yu's gaze turned upward and locked onto Lu Yin. She raised her hand and beckoned with a finger, exuding a heroic and spirited aura.
Feng Hong and the others looked up in surprise.
Lu Yin raised an eyebrow. A challenge.
Zhou Shan smiled. "Looks like she's not satisfied with losing to you yesterday."
"There was no clear winner yesterday," Lu Yin replied.
"Well then, go and have a proper match. We can't let the Disciplinary Battalion lose face," Zhou Shan said.
Lu Yin nodded and turned to leave.
In the plaza, hundreds of Evolvers discussed excitedly. Many of them looked at Zhao Yu with admiration. A woman who could make the Centurions of the Disciplinary Battalion too afraid to fight—she was a true idol.
When Zhao Yu saw Lu Yin descending, she took a deep breath, her gaze sharp. She was indeed unsatisfied with yesterday's match. She had the upper hand, yet had been defeated mysteriously. She was eager to witness that strange technique again.
From a distance, Feng Hong and the others watched Lu Yin slowly approach and couldn't help but call out, "Brother Lu, be careful. That woman can use a battle technique called Ice Palm—it's very powerful."
Lu Yin nodded and walked step by step toward Zhao Yu. "Please."
Zhao Yu's eyes gleamed with fighting spirit. She leapt into the air, raising her hand and somehow pulling out a dagger. Just like by the sinkhole yesterday, she launched a direct and aggressive attack. The dagger tore through the air, flashing with cold light.
Lu Yin dodged easily. The him of yesterday was completely different from the him of today. Yesterday, he had merely been a strong-bodied ordinary person. Today, he was a cultivator—someone who had reached the Observation Realm.
Lu Yin dodged with ease, but Feng Hong and the others still broke into a cold sweat. Zhao Yu's attacks grew faster and faster. The dagger even began to emit cold air, turning the surrounding air white and dropping the temperature sharply.
The ground of the plaza cracked. Zhao Yu swung the dagger like a whirlwind, sealing off all of Lu Yin's escape routes. Blades of energy shot in all directions, piercing walls and making it hard for many Evolvers nearby to even breathe.
Lu Yin stared intently at Zhao Yu. Suddenly, he raised his hand, and their figures crossed paths. It was as smooth and effortless as a gentle breeze. In his hand was a dagger radiating cold energy.
Everyone held their breath, silently watching. Zhao Yu was frozen in place. Her hands were empty—the dagger had been taken.
Feng Hong and the others were shocked at first, then cheered excitedly. "Well done, Brother Lu!"
"Brother Lu, amazing!"
Lu Yin turned to face Zhao Yu. He twirled the dagger in his hand before casually tossing it back to her. "Want to keep going?"
Zhao Yu stared at him. "How did you do that?"
Lu Yin shrugged. "Eyesight. Speed. Can't be lacking in either."
Nonsense, everyone thought in unison.
Zhao Yu said in a complicated tone, "You win. To take my dagger without a scratch—among Earth-level cultivators, there's probably no one who can match you. You're very strong."
Lu Yin chuckled. These people had such narrow horizons. As fledgling "Gazers" without even proper battle techniques, they'd be at the bottom of any academy in the universe. They weren't qualified to make such claims. But Zhao Yu wasn't entirely wrong—within the Gazer stage, Lu Yin was confident that he had no equal.
Zhao Yu somewhat dejectedly put away her dagger. Only then did she realize something about Lu Yin seemed different from the day before. "You… yesterday, were you drained of energy?"
Lu Yin didn't explain. He simply turned and walked outside. He wanted to look around. That desolate mountain hadn't held what he was searching for—perhaps it was hidden somewhere else.
Zhao Yu watched him leave. She wanted to ask about the technique he had used yesterday, but battle techniques were personal secrets. She couldn't bring herself to ask.
Feng Hong and the others were quite surprised. They hadn't expected the newly appointed "Squad Commander" to be this formidable. Rumors said he'd killed the alien himself—seemed they were true. After all, that alien had been a Heaven-level powerhouse, even if severely injured.
Lu Yin had become a Squad Commander. Though he had no real authority, the Execution Camp still assigned him a unit of one hundred soldiers under his command.
Leaving Zhongshan, Lu Yin beckoned. Behind him, a young evolved soldier stepped forward. "Commander, awaiting your orders."
Lu Yin said calmly, "Do you know where Jinling's former thermal weapons depot was located?"
"Yes sir," the soldier replied. "Northwest direction."
Lu Yin pulled out a map. "Show me."
The soldier took a pen and drew a circle on the map.
Lu Yin glanced at it. "You can return now. I'll head there on my own."
The soldier hesitated. "Commander, that weapons depot was destroyed at the onset of the apocalypse. The remaining thermal weapons have already been relocated. If you need any, you can apply through Commander Xing."
Lu Yin nodded. "Understood. That'll be all. You may return." With that, he headed northwest alone.
Those soldiers had been assigned to him by the Execution Camp—to be at his disposal, but also to keep an eye on him. Lu Yin didn't intend to hide his movements. The thing he was searching for was deeply concealed; aimlessly looking wouldn't help and might even alarm those guarding it. By searching openly, and with his Earth-level strength, he wouldn't arouse too much suspicion. He might actually find something.
Lu Yin's guess was correct. As soon as he left, someone reported it to Zhou Shan.
Zhou Shan's eyes narrowed. "The weapons depot? Why's he going there?"
The bespectacled woman walked over and pushed her glasses up. "The depot's long been destroyed. He's probably not looking for weapons, but I'm not sure what exactly he is searching for."
"Let him be. We don't have any real secrets here," Zhou Shan chuckled, unconcerned.
Jinling radiated outward from Zhongshan like a hub. The closer to Zhongshan, the better the geography and the safer the area.
The city had long lost its peacetime infrastructure. On the streets, in flower beds, even in drainage canals, people now lived—blindly fearing the future and surviving day by day.
On the flip side, some people were living quite happily. Their moral bottom lines had collapsed, and they did whatever they pleased. Along the way, Lu Yin saw many evolved beings bullying survivors. Even if Execution Camp soldiers wanted to intervene, they simply couldn't keep up.
This was the current state of the world. For Earth, everything now was chaotic and unknown. But Lu Yin understood—this was evolution. One civilization evolving toward another. The cost would be enormous.
The sky darkened, and heavy rain soon followed, washing the streets. Red-tinged water, mixed with garbage, flowed along the gutters.
Lu Yin found a restaurant that looked somewhat clean and sat down. Outside its entrance, survivors squatted in a crowd. Whenever the restaurant brought out food waste, it was snatched up madly.
"Get out! Get lost! And remember—wash the bucket clean and bring it back, or we'll have a different group cleaning it next time!" the restaurant worker shouted. He was clearly an evolved being.