Chapter 5: Cultivation

Lu Yin's gaze was sharp as ice. Due to the injuries sustained from using the Wave Palm, he couldn't break free from the icy confinement. As the frost continued to spread, Lu Yin, feeling helpless, exerted force through his legs and initiated the Floating Steps technique with the woman.

The woman's vision blurred, and the scenery changed suddenly. Caught off guard, she felt dizzy and vomited instinctively. Lu Yin tore off her sleeve, and a few extremely cold leaves fell to the ground, freezing quickly.

"I knew it! How could you possibly use supernatural combat techniques? Turns out, it relies on external objects," Lu Yin sneered.

The woman glared at Lu Yin, "What did you just do? A combat technique?"

Lu Yin did not answer; he was contemplating whether to silence her.

At this moment, a gust of wind swept across the sky, and Xingsheng Zhou Mountain approached.

Lu Yin sighed; he was too late to silence her now.

Seeing Zhou Mountain, the woman's expression turned somewhat uneasy.

Lu Yin was puzzled. Wasn't this woman from the prison camp? As an Earthrealm powerhouse, Zhou Mountain should not spare her.

With a swoosh, the airflow descended, and Zhou Mountain landed. His imposing eyes swept over Lu Yin and the woman, finally resting on the white spaceship. His gaze was filled with suspicion.

"Someone explain this to me," Zhou Mountain said in a deep voice.

Lu Yin thought for a moment and calmly said, "A spaceship landed. There was a person inside who wanted to kill me. However, he might have suffered too much damage from a collision and was not my match. I ended up killing him."

Zhou Mountain's gaze focused on Lu Yin, then shifted to the woman. He revealed a faint smile, "Long time no see. Only one of the Three Snow Women has come this time?"

The woman bowed, "Snow Woman Zhaoyu, greetings to the Xingsheng."

Lu Yin looked at the woman in surprise. Snow Woman? He had heard of them—powerful beings under the command of Luo Sheng of Mount Changbai in the Northern Region. Why would a Snow Woman appear in Jinling?

"Since the catastrophe, we haven't met. I didn't expect to see you again, though things have changed a lot," Zhou Mountain sighed.

Zhaoyu respectfully conveyed, "Luo Sheng asked me to congratulate you. Xingsheng, for dominating the Su Province. Congratulations, Xingsheng."

Zhou Mountain smiled bitterly, "What's there to congratulate? I can't compare to Luo Sheng. I'm well aware of the strength of the Top Three Saints. Not to mention others, you alone are stronger than all my Wanchangs."

Zhaoyu laughed, "Xingsheng, you're too modest. I was just defeated by the Wanchang under your command. He's truly formidable."

Zhou Mountain was surprised, pointing at Lu Yin, "Him? I don't know him."

Zhaoyu was astonished, "Isn't he one of your Wanchangs?"

Zhou Mountain understood. Zhaoyu was defeated by Lu Yin, and he stared at Lu Yin in amazement. This person had actually defeated a Snow Woman; it was not evident at all.

Lu Yin lowered his head, deep in thought. Judging by Zhou Mountain's words, they had known each other before the apocalypse, and they hadn't met since. So, the strength of the Top Three Saints was witnessed by Lu Yin before the apocalypse. As he had heard in rumors, they had explored Neptune and obtained a sword and a corpse. This discovery had almost triggered a world war, and eventually, China had compromised and given some things to other countries.

Therefore, the reason the Top Three Saints could cultivate was because of the items obtained from that corpse.

Lu Yin clenched his fists. He hadn't guessed wrong; the direction he had been searching in all along was correct.

The Top Three Saints couldn't have known about the Body Refinement Decision. If the corpse was that of an unparalleled powerhouse, there might still be remnants of the Body Refinement Decision within, making it his target.

Soon, the prison camp army arrived, led by a beautiful woman wearing glasses.

Zhou Mountain ordered the army to seal the surroundings and watched as several researchers, also in white coats, explored the spaceship. Then, he turned to Lu Yin, "Young man, do you know anything about this extraterrestrial being?"

Zhaoyu also looked at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin thought for a moment and said, "I heard him say a few things: academy assessment, primitive planet evolution trial, mission."

Zhou Mountain's eyes flashed, "Just these?"

Lu Yin nodded, "He didn't tell me much. He just wanted me to be his slave, calling us 'wild people'."

"Wild people?" Zhou Mountain sneered, looking up at the sky. "It seems Earth is about to become unsettled. Dozens of spaceships have just landed, which means dozens of extraterrestrial beings. I didn't expect the day of contact with extraterrestrial beings to arrive so soon."

Lu Yin looked at Zhou Mountain; he didn't seem surprised.

"Report, Xingsheng, the spaceship will be transported back to Jinling for analysis. The extraterrestrial being died from a broken heart after being attacked. According to the detection, he should have had a weapon, but we found nothing in the surroundings," the glasses-wearing woman reported to Zhou Mountain.

When Lu Yin searched for Aosta's body, he had already destroyed the battlefield, making it impossible for them to restore the scene.

Zhou Mountain took a look at Lu Yin, "Young man, the things on the extraterrestrial being would be helpful for research. Can you hand them over? Don't worry; you'll get them back after the research is done."

Lu Yin pondered for a moment, took out a short knife, and said, "This is his weapon. I haven't taken anything else." Lu Yin deliberately tore his upper garment, exposing himself for Zhou Mountain and the others to see.

All his belongings were stored in the Nullspace Ring, something that Zhou Mountain and the others couldn't recognize. They couldn't imagine a ring capable of storing space, so they wouldn't pay attention to it.

Zhou Mountain took the short knife and swung it, cutting through the ground. "Sharp. This material is definitely not from Earth."

After speaking, he threw the short knife to the woman with glasses. With a sharp gaze, he looked at Lu Yin and patted him on the shoulder after confirming that he had nothing else. "Not only can you kill extraterrestrials, but you can also defeat a Snow Woman. Young man, you're excellent. What's your name? Interested in joining the prison camp and becoming a Wanchang?"

Lu Yin did not hesitate and immediately agreed. He had no choice but to agree; Zhou Mountain seemed calm, but he definitely hadn't put down his suspicion of Lu Yin. It wasn't just him; everyone would suspect whether he was hiding something from the extraterrestrial being. In this situation, it was better to agree and avoid conflicts.

A Heavenly Realm powerhouse was not someone he could deal with right now. If Aosta hadn't been careless, he wouldn't have been killed. Lu Yin was sure that the same methods wouldn't work on Zhou Mountain, especially with so many Evolutionists around, not to mention Zhao Yu was formidable alone.

On the other side, Zhao Yu frowned and said to Zhou Mountain, "I can't contact Luo Sheng. All communication lines were cut off the moment the extraterrestrial being landed."

Zhou Mountain nodded, "The extraterrestrial spaceship destroyed all communication lines. I'll send someone to repair them as soon as possible. Don't worry. Even if extraterrestrials appear in the Northeast Blue Camp, it's not a problem. Luo Sheng is powerful."

Zhao Yu nodded silently.

Research on the extraterrestrial spaceship was not something that could be completed overnight. Fortunately, the spaceship was not large, and the army successfully transported it back to Jinling secretly.

As for Lu Yin, he was authorized to reside in Zhongshan and became the fourteenth Wanchang of the prison camp.

With a total of eighty thousand in the prison camp's army, his title as Wanchang was just a nominal one, as he didn't have his own troops. However, Lu Yin didn't mind. What he wanted to do most now was cultivate and become a true cultivator.

On the peak of Zhongshan, Zhou Mountain looked towards the south. Behind him, the woman with glasses arrived. "Xingsheng, we've investigated around the Tiankeng, and there's nothing hidden. That person didn't lie."

Zhou Mountain sighed, "I know. He has injuries on his right palm and legs. Despite that, he could defeat a Snow Woman. His true strength is probably unparalleled in the Earth realm. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to kill an extraterrestrial. Besides, he seems not to have absorbed any energy crystals. This person is interesting."

"Do we need to monitor him comprehensively?" the woman with glasses asked.

Zhou Mountain shook his head, "There's no need. Humans should unite at this time. Moreover, even if he's hiding his strength, what can he do at the Earth realm? It won't change the overall situation."

"Yes."

In the prison camp of Zhongshan, in the tent of the Wanchang, Lu Yin sat cross-legged on the bed, slowing his breath. After ten minutes, he opened his eyes, his gaze clear. He took out the Body Refinement Decision from Nullspace and stared at it with fervor. Biting his finger, blood surged out, and he pressed the Body Refinement Decision against his injured finger. Suddenly, the Body Refinement Decision slowly merged into his fingertip and quickly disappeared.

Lu Yin eagerly waited, but in just a moment, intense pain spread from his fingertip and then to his entire body.

Lu Yin's gaze was sharp, and he gritted his teeth to endure the pain.

The pain surged like tidal waves, seemingly tearing his body apart. Every cell in his body was reorganizing and refining. The surface of his body, blood vessels pulsating, Lu Yin felt as if his entire person were being roasted by fire, crushed by an invisible giant hand. This was the power of an unparalleled powerhouse. All Body Refinement Decisions came from such power, and at this moment, Lu Yin truly felt the greatness of this power.

Puff!

Lu Yin spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes, gazing into the void, became a bit brighter. Countless impurities on his body were cleared and expelled, then burned by energy, causing the air around him to distort.