Cultivate

Lu Yin's eyes were cold as he struggled to break free from the ice that had formed due to his injuries from using the Wave Palm. The ice continued to spread, forcing him to use his legs to execute a swift movement, taking the woman with him.

The sudden shift in scenery disoriented the woman, causing her to vomit instinctively. Lu Yin tore off her sleeve, revealing several extremely cold leaves that quickly froze upon touching the ground.

"I wondered how you could use supernatural techniques. Turns out you relied on external items," Lu Yin mocked.

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

Lu Yin didn't answer, contemplating whether he should kill her to silence her.

At that moment, a strong gust swept across the sky, and Xing Sheng Zhou Shan arrived.

Lu Yin sighed inwardly. Even if he wanted to silence her, it was too late.

The woman's face darkened upon seeing Zhou Shan.

Lu Yin was puzzled. Could this woman not be part of the Xing Camp? As a ground-level expert, Zhou Shan shouldn't have let her go.

With a whoosh, the air churned as Zhou Shan landed, his authoritative gaze sweeping over Lu Yin and the woman before settling on the white spaceship with a look of curiosity and suspicion.

"Can anyone explain this to me?" Zhou Shan demanded.

Lu Yin thought for a moment before replying, "A spaceship landed, and someone inside tried to kill me. However, perhaps due to severe impact injuries, he wasn't my match, and I managed to kill him instead."

Zhou Shan's gaze shifted from Lu Yin to the woman. He didn't rush to inspect the spaceship but smiled slightly. "It's been a long time. Only one of the Three Snow Women came?"

The woman bowed, "Snow Woman Zhao Yu, greetings, Xing Sheng."

Lu Yin was surprised, glancing at the woman. Snow Woman? He had heard of her, a strong fighter under Luo Sheng of the northern Changbai Mountain Blue Camp. What was she doing in Jinling?

"We haven't met since the disaster, and things have changed a lot," Zhou Shan sighed.

Zhao Yu respectfully replied, "Luo Sheng asked me to convey his congratulations to you, Xing Sheng, for dominating Jiangsu Province."

Zhou Shan smiled wryly, "What's there to congratulate? No matter how strong I am, I can't compare to Luo Sheng. I know how strong the Upper Three Saints are. Not to mention, you alone are stronger than all my lieutenants."

Zhao Yu smiled, "Xing Sheng flatters me. I just lost to this lieutenant of yours. He's really strong."

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

Zhao Yu was shocked, "Isn't he one of your lieutenants?"

Zhou Shan understood, realizing that Zhao Yu had lost to Lu Yin. He was amazed that Lu Yin had defeated the Snow Woman.

Lu Yin kept his head down, deep in thought. From Zhou Shan's tone, it seemed they had known each other before the apocalypse and hadn't met since. This meant that the so-called Upper Three Saints had displayed their strength before the disaster. It confirmed the rumors he had heard that the exploration of Neptune had yielded a battle knife and a corpse, almost causing a world war. Eventually, China had to compromise, giving other countries some things to settle the matter.

Thus, the Seven Saints had begun cultivating long before the apocalypse, likely using what they had obtained from that corpse.

Lu Yin clenched his fists. He was on the right track with his search.

The Seven Saints couldn't know about the Body Shaping Technique. If the corpse was a top-tier expert, there might still be a usable Body Shaping Technique left on it. That was his goal.

Soon, the Xing Camp's troops arrived, led by a beautiful woman with glasses.

Zhou Shan ordered the troops to secure the area and watched as several researchers in white coats explored the spaceship. He then looked at Lu Yin, "Brother, do you know anything else about this alien?"

Snow Woman Zhao Yu also looked at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin thought for a moment before saying, "I heard him mention a few things: academy assessment, primitive planet evolution trial, mission."

Zhou Shan's eyes flashed, "Just that?"

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

"Savages?" Zhou Shan sneered, looking up at the sky, "It seems Earth will not be peaceful soon. Dozens of spaceships landed, which means dozens of aliens. I didn't expect the day of contact with aliens to come so soon."

Lu Yin watched Zhou Shan. He didn't seem surprised at all.

"Report, Xing Sheng. The spaceship is being transported back to Jinling for analysis. The alien died from a shattered heart. We detected he had weapons, but nothing was found around the site," the woman with glasses reported to Zhou Shan.

When examining Asta's body, Lu Yin had already destroyed the combat site, leaving no trace for them to analyze.

Zhou Shan looked at Lu Yin, "Brother, the items on the alien could be useful for research. Can you hand them over? Don't worry, they'll be returned to you after the research is complete."

Lu Yin hesitated before pulling out the short knife, "This was his weapon. I didn't take anything else," he said, tearing his shirt to show he had nothing else on him.

Everything was stored in his spatial ring, a concept beyond Zhou Shan and the others' understanding. They wouldn't even think to consider a storage ring, much less recognize one.

Zhou Shan took the short knife and swung it, the slash cutting through the ground, "So sharp. This material is definitely not from Earth."

He handed the knife to the woman with glasses, then looked at Lu Yin, his sharp eyes scanning him. Seeing nothing else, he patted Lu Yin's shoulder, "You've done well, killing an alien and defeating the Snow Woman. What's your name? Would you like to join the Xing Camp and become a lieutenant?"

Lu Yin didn't hesitate and immediately agreed. He had no choice. Zhou Shan's seemingly peaceful demeanor hid his suspicion. Everyone would suspect he was hiding something from the alien. In such a situation, they wouldn't let him leave. It was better to agree and avoid conflict.

A Heaven-level expert was not someone he could deal with at the moment. Asta had been killed only due to his carelessness. Lu Yin knew the same trick wouldn't work on Zhou Shan, especially with so many evolved people around, including the formidable Zhao Yu.

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

Zhou Shan nodded seriously, "The alien spaceship's landing destroyed all communication lines. I'll send people to repair them as soon as possible. Don't worry. Even if aliens appear in the northeast Blue Camp, Luo Sheng will be fine. He's very strong."

Zhao Yu nodded silently.

Researching the alien spaceship wasn't a quick task. Fortunately, the spaceship wasn't large, and the army smoothly transported it back to Jinling.

Meanwhile, Lu Yin was authorized to reside in Zhongshan, becoming the fourteenth lieutenant of the Xing Camp.

The Xing Camp had eighty thousand soldiers. As a lieutenant, Lu Yin had no subordinates, but he didn't mind. His current priority was body shaping and becoming a true cultivator.

At the peak of Zhongshan, Zhou Shan gazed southward. Behind him, the woman with glasses approached, "Xing Sheng, we thoroughly investigated the area around the crater. There's nothing hidden. That man didn't lie."

Zhou Shan sighed, "I see. You may go."

"There's one thing to report. We found traces of the battle around the crater being covered up. This Lu Yin might not be as simple as he appears. His strength might be considerable," the woman with glasses said seriously.

Zhou Shan smiled, "I know. His right hand and leg are injured, yet he could defeat the Snow Woman. His true strength surpasses ground level. Otherwise, he couldn't have killed the alien. Moreover, it seems he hasn't absorbed any energy crystals. He's an interesting person."

"Should we monitor him fully?" the woman with glasses asked.

Zhou Shan shook his head, "No need. Humanity should be united at this time. Besides, even if he's hiding his strength, what can he do? He's just a ground-level, nothing to worry about."

"Yes."

In the lieutenant's tent at the Xing Camp, Lu Yin sat cross-legged on the bed, slowing his breathing. Ten minutes later, he opened his eyes, clear and focused. He took out the Body Shaping Technique from his spatial ring, his gaze burning with anticipation. He bit his fingertip, allowing blood to flow, and pressed the Body Shaping Technique against his injured fingertip. Immediately, the technique began to merge into his finger, quickly disappearing.

Lu Yin waited expectantly. In no time, intense pain spread from his fingertip throughout his body.

His eyes sharpened as he clenched his teeth, enduring the pain.

The pain surged like waves, as if tearing his body apart. Every cell was being restructured and refined. His skin wriggled as blood vessels writhed. Lu Yin felt as if he was being roasted by fire and crushed by an invisible giant hand. This was the power of a top-tier expert. All Body Shaping Techniques came from such experts, and at this moment, Lu Yin truly felt the greatness of this power.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes growing even brighter. Countless impurities were expelled from his body, subsequently burned by energy, distorting