Break Through into a New Realm

"Can Xing Sheng hold on for three hours?" Qin Xuan glared at the doctor as he asked.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, he can."

Soon, the surrounding military troops retreated entirely.

With no one around, Granny heaved a sigh of relief. Three hours was just a safe estimate; she actually only needed two hours to partially recover. Without any realm-breakers around, no one else could stop her.

Thinking this, Granny glanced at Tres, then at Odin. Wait, where was Odin? Her face changed as she tried to get up and look, but the movement brought searing pain all over her body. Helplessly, she sat back down. No need to hurry; she would deal with it in two hours. Even if Odin wasn't dead, his injuries were certainly worse than hers. Oh, and that Yata. He dared to attack her—he needed to be taught a lesson too.

Under the rubble a thousand meters away from Granny, Odin's body lay still. Lu Yin panted heavily; his injuries were severe, but the most important thing now was the Body Forming Technique, which could heal injuries to some extent.

After some observation, Lu Yin cut off five of Odin's fingers before he found the Body Forming Technique chip.

"This is it," Lu Yin thought excitedly as he integrated the Body Forming Technique into his body. Instantly, excruciating pain swept through him again. He felt the supreme power within him, as his cells reorganized and refined. The immense power seemed to transcend the earthly realm, making him feel like a small ant being lifted out of the confines of Earth.

Spitting out blood, Lu Yin felt both the agony and the bliss of cellular reconstruction. He could feel himself evolving, becoming more attuned to the vastness of space.

After an hour, Granny's complexion improved, and her injuries had healed somewhat. "Give me another hour, and I'll be able to move," she thought excitedly. She didn't plan to leave. Controlling Nanjing would give her leverage to negotiate with more powerful entities in the future.

Although the Blue Zone offered some protection, not everyone followed its rules. While ordinary planetary evolution trials were manageable, the upcoming appearance of the Tenth Institute of the Starry Sky would attract attention, making this Earth trial especially brutal.

What worried Granny the most was the second wave of trial participants arriving in over two months.

Their batch of participants had been pre-determined. When the news of the Tenth Institute first emerged, few had joined the trial. But the second batch would be different, filled with students specifically aiming for the Tenth Institute. Granny didn't know who would appear, but she had a premonition that there would be unimaginably talented individuals among them.

She didn't intend to monopolize Nanjing—it wasn't realistic. She aimed to use Nanjing as a bargaining chip to gain favor from certain individuals, thereby securing a better trial performance. This was her goal and likely Tres's as well.

Another half hour passed, and Granny felt a bit more recovered. Just as she was about to get up to search for Odin, a surge of star energy erupted nearby, startling her.

A thousand meters away, the pain within Lu Yin gradually subsided. Clenching his fists, he felt his newfound strength. He finally felt like he had truly entered the world of cultivation, gaining a foothold to gaze upon the stars.

Granny checked her personal terminal, testing her combat power. The beeping continued until it finally displayed 1,080. She was puzzled. 1,080? Just broke into the Exploration Realm? Who? Yata?

In the ruins a thousand meters away, Lu Yin pushed away the debris and walked out, looking at Granny.

Granny was surprised and her heart sank. Her eyes flickered. "You broke into the Exploration Realm?"

Lu Yin approached her step by step, smiling. "You detected it, didn't you?"

Granny frowned, her tone softening. "I'm sorry, Yata. I shouldn't have pushed you out to block the enemy's attack earlier. But you must understand, it was an instinctive reaction, not intentional."

Lu Yin stopped ten meters away from her, still smiling. "Of course, I believe you. As an academy elite who has faced life and death trials, such an instinctive reaction is completely normal."

Granny smiled faintly. "That's good to hear. Yata, Tres and Odin are dead, and this native is severely injured. From now on, Nanjing is ours. If we cooperate, no one can take Nanjing from us."

"Well said. But before that, can I borrow something from you?" Lu Yin asked with a faint smile.

Granny's expression changed, forcing a smile. "What is it?"

"Nothing much, just some energy crystals," Lu Yin replied.

Granny's gaze turned sharp. "What did you say?"

Lu Yin stared at her, his tone turning cold. "To be clear, hand over your Spatial Ring."

"You're robbing me?" Granny shouted.

Lu Yin shrugged. "Don't make it sound so dark. Just want to have a look."

Granny stood up, staring intently at Lu Yin. "Yata, don't think that just because you healed part of your injuries with the Body Forming Technique, you can suppress me. You haven't fully recovered, and besides, I've also healed somewhat. In a real fight, it's uncertain who would win. Don't forget, you've just reached the Exploration Realm, with a combat power of merely 1,080."

Lu Yin's smile widened. "Is that so? If you truly believed in combat power, would you be talking so much nonsense?"

Granny's eyes flickered, but she didn't respond.

Lu Yin continued, "Combat power only reflects the external impact of an individual's star energy. It's just the star energy's influence, not true strength. Isn't that the first lesson in the academy's textbook?"

"Wrong. The textbook only says that to avoid discouraging civilian students. Higher combat power means stronger individual star energy, which can suppress lower combat power individuals. Otherwise, why do you think Tres was stronger than me? Our combat power difference is nearly double. No technique can make up for that gap," Granny replied coldly.

Lu Yin stepped closer. "Make your move if you're confident."

Granny's eyes turned ruthless as she took out a flame crystal from her Spatial Ring and crushed it. Flames soared. "Flame Palm!" Forced into action, Granny knew that even if she could defeat Lu Yin, she would be severely injured again. But she had no choice.

As Granny's flaming palm struck, Lu Yin raised his hand. A moon rotated around his palm, and without hesitation, he unleashed his Heavenly Star Palm. At the moment of contact, the moon exploded, its terrifying power completely destroying the flames. The impact sent Granny flying a hundred meters away, her arm broken as she landed heavily, staring at Lu Yin in disbelief.

She couldn't fathom how Lu Yin could injure her so severely with one strike. What technique was that? It couldn't be the Wave Palm; the Wave Palm wasn't strong enough to counter the Flame Palm. Their combat power difference was nearly double—no ordinary technique could bridge that gap.

Lu Yin gazed intently at his right palm. This was the Heavenly Star Palm. Upon reaching the Exploration Realm, its power had increased. A single palm strike now manifested a star, capable of crushing everything. And this was just one star. What if there were two? Ten? Twenty? Lu Yin couldn't even imagine its power.

This technique must remain a secret.

The commotion caught the attention of Qin Xuan and others. When the army reappeared, they saw only Lu Yin standing on the ground.

"Brother Lu?" Feng Hong was surprised.

Qin Xuan and the others were equally shocked. They had kept their distance during the fight, not witnessing it.

Lu Yin said, "Capture that woman and treat Xing Sheng."

Soon, Granny was taken away by the soldiers, and Zhou Shan was urgently sent to the treatment room.

"Wait," Zhou Shan's weak voice called out.

Everyone gathered around.

Zhou Shan looked at Lu Yin. "While I'm being treated, Nanjing is under your protection. Please."

Lu Yin nodded. "Don't worry."

"Thank you," Zhou Shan said before passing out.

Today's battle had caused significant losses for Nanjing. Lu Yin ordered the army to rebuild the destroyed gathering area and comfort the survivors. He also instructed Luo Yun and others to return to Nanjing.

There were many things Lu Yin didn't need to worry about; the Xing Camp had its own procedures. He then went to the bottom level of the jail where Granny was held.

At this moment, Granny was bound, surrounded by hidden high-tech weapons ready to fire at any sign of movement.

Lu Yin dismissed the guards and approached Granny, removing her Spatial Ring. He cut her finger, using the blood's genetic code to unlock the ring and spill its contents.

Spatial Rings were very valuable, and few could afford them. Only Granny and Tres had them; Lu Yin had already taken Tres's ring and found many good things. Now it was Granny's turn.

"Who exactly are you?" Granny asked.

Lu Yin smiled. "What do you think?"

"You're definitely from the universe, not an Earthling," Granny concluded, glaring at him.

Lu Yin nodded, taking all the energy crystals and putting the rest back into the Spatial Ring, returning it to Granny.

Without the genetic code, the ring was useless. He didn't need to keep an unusable Spatial Ring.