Lu Yin would never have expected to be able to use star crystals for training on Earth. With the Cosmic Art to double his training speed, his absorption rate far surpassed students like Jeraldine; he believed he would be amongst the best of the entire Great Yu Empire. It wasn't long before one full crystal had been consumed, greatly increasing the amount of star energy in his body. He quickly moved onto the next one, crushing it and drawing out the energy from within.
An abundance of star crystals didn't necessarily mean that one could simply get to the peak of their current realm. Even they contained some level of impurities, and one still needed a formcast model to cleanse themselves. Only Melders could absorb the energy from star crystals and dispel the impurities themselves. Those below had low energy thresholds, and their combat level was also unstable. They also had to rely on the star crystals for training, which weren't easy to come across. This was the reason they were mostly just soldiers and war slaves.
After absorbing a total of five star crystals, Lu Yin could feel the energy within his body surging. He had arrived at the peak of the Realm of Earth, the limit of someone still a Seeker. It would only take a single step to become a Sentinel, but that needed a formcast model.
He laid atop the villa's rooftop and slept through the night, heading to Jeraldine the moment he woke up the next morning, "Let's duel."
Jeraldine was dumbfounded by his candor, "Do you know what time it is? I might be a cultivator, but I'm also a girl, you know? Why is a guy looking to fight me so early in the morning?"
Lu Yin knew himself that he was being difficult, but he really wanted to know the difference between himself and an elite Sentinel. He sighed, "I'll come over in the afternoon, then."
"Never mind, let's fight if you want," Jeraldine held him back. She didn't think he was worth too much attention; if not for his Shockwave Palm, she wouldn't even have cooperated with him.
The two found an empty spot and opened up a ten-meter gap between themselves, bestial gurgles ringing out from each side as they prepared. A faint trace of blood drifted into the strong winds.
"Begin, I won't hit back," Jeraldine said proudly.
Lu Yin made a fist with his right hand and then released it, tearing the air apart like cloth as his taut legs snapped straight and launched him forward. The winds split the ground near him as he charged with an outstretched palm.
The sheer power of the Shockwave Palm surprised Jeraldine. She had initially planned to defend with a single hand but had to raise both to guard herself. Even then, an explosion rang out as the air currents swept past, the earth buzzing as it split apart into a crater that was a few meters wide. She exclaimed in shock, "Quite powerful, even some of the Sentinels in my school don't have such strong attacks. A sneak attack with that could probably kill a Sentinel below 2k combat level."
Lu Yin grinned at that response; he had indeed used the Shockwave Palm to slap Vesta dead. Though that attack wasn't as strong as today's, Vesta wasn't combat level 2,000 either.
"I'm not done yet, let's keep going," he said as he launched another attack with equal power, pushing Jeraldine even deeper into the ground.
Feeling her hands going numb, she frowned, "Enough, your attacks won't do anything to me. I already crossed the 2k threshold, and you know that my power is different from anyone below."
"Last one," Lu Yin barked, and this time, the surface of his right hand flashed with faint starlight. The moon spun around his palm; while the airflow around was similar to when he activated Shockwave Palm, this was the Cosmic Palm, which was far more powerful. Jeraldine's heart started thumping as it clapped down on her, body disappearing into a shadow as everything within a hundred meters was smashed apart. An explosive distorted the very air around.
Jeraldine's figure reappeared a dozen meters away, her eyes wide open in shock, "What was that?!"
Lu Yin smiled, "It's a move my grandfather taught me, the Extreme Shockwave Palm."
Jeraldine's eyes narrowed. She couldn't recognize the Cosmic Palm, but the attack was far too powerful to be a regular Shockwave Palm as well. Even she felt threatened by it, prompting her to remark gravely, "I've heard the Shockwave Palm can be layered. Would this be a doubled attack?"
Lu Yin shrugged, "Maybe, I guess the names are just a little different."
Jeraldine didn't return to her arrogant expression after this bout, instead saying calmly, "A doubled Shockwave Palm has very high physical requirements. Not even many Sentinels can achieve it, at least not in my school. You're actually quite strong. You'll be able to measure up to the elites once you become a Sentinel. Might even make it into Yu Academy."
"The Empire's highest academy? Me?" Lu Yin acted shocked.
"Possibly, that body strength is promising. Alright, I'm tired, I'll go."
Lu Yin watched Jeraldine's departing figure before lifting his hand to take a look. A friendly duel was one thing, but he had checked to see if there was a chance for him to defeat her in a fight. The girl's reactions were fast, and she'd used her footwork technique to dodge at the critical moment, living up to her reputation as an elite. However, he wasn't too shabby himself. He'd still held back the power of his attack the moment she dodged; if she thought this was his limit, she was in for a surprise.
Unable to contact Nanjing, Lu Yin had Luo Yi and the rest join the rest of Jeraldine's subordinates at the assembly grounds. The girl didn't care about the new arrivals or his explanations, but after two days, Luo Yi came over to look for him.
"Brother Lu, how long will we be waiting here?" she asked and stared at Lu Yin. She had heard from two frontline captains that this was a supply point, but she still felt like something was wrong. The people here kept mentioning a Realm of Sky powerhouse; where had that come from?
"Stop questioning so much," Lu Yin replied, "You'll know in a few days."
Luo Yi wanted to continue her questions, but her face suddenly changed as she stared at the skies. Lu Yin similarly looked up as Jeraldine descended with an anxious expression. "Let's go, Orton's team has gone to Nanjing."
Shocked, Lu Yin immediately grabbed her arm and allowed her to fly him towards Nanjing. Left behind, a shocked Luo Yi noticed that the girl was wearing armor identical to the alien who had tried to launch an attack on Nanjing not long ago. Nearby, Xu San walked over with a similarly astonished expression.
Jeraldine flew as fast as she could towards Nanjing, the air screaming as they shot through the skies. Having to carry Lu Yin along, she couldn't possibly reach her top speed.
"How do you know Orton's heading for Jilin?" Lu Yin shouted into the wind.
"None of your business. Remember, our goal is to snatch Nanjing away, so act accordingly. Orton definitely hasn't gone there alone, and his helper won't be weak. Be careful."
Lu Yin's gaze was heavy. If Orton had decided to abandon Jeraldine, it implied that his new selection was much stronger than her. By his estimation, Vesta's combat level was around 1,500. Orton was close to 2,000, while Jeraldine was a little beyond. Orton's new helper would likely be far beyond 2,000, and it wasn't guaranteed that there would only be one. Looking south, he could only hope that Zhou Shan could hold them back until they got there.
Half an hour later, Jeraldine and Lu Yin were quickly nearing Nanjing. Two figures were already floating above the city; one was Orton with a large chunk of his armor shattered, and beside him was a young man with his hands behind his back. The survivors in Nanjing looked up in dismay. Two powerhouses in the Realm of Sky?
A fierce alarm rang in Zhongshan as Zhou Shan rose into the sky, stopping when he was 200 meters away from Orton and asking calmly, "You again?"
Orton sneered, "Isn't it a pity that you didn't kill me before?"
Zhou Shan squinted, "Truly unfortunate."
"Hmph, sadly you'll never get another chance. Let me introduce you to my senior, Terence."
Feeling the energy waves coming off Terence's body, Zhou Shan felt his heart sinking; this person was much stronger.
Terence stared down at the Executioner, "To think there would be someone so powerful among the natives. Follow me, and I can take you to the heavens."
"There's no point in reasoning with him, Senior. These natives are too stubborn to agree."
"Don't interrupt me when I'm speaking," Terence snapped at him. Orton immediately went meek, murmuring his agreement before glaring at Zhou Shan with gritted teeth. Resentment filled his eyes.
"It's impossible for me to follow you. If you want to take Nanjing, defeat me first." Zhou Shan gripped his giant axe, starting to fly north to avoid a fight over the city, but unfortunately, that wasn't his decision to make. He was barely a kilometer away before Orton sent a sword blast towards Zhongshan, causing a torrent of screams as a corner of the mountain was crushed.
"YOU'RE COURTING DEATH!" The Executioner bellowed, sweeping towards Orton.
A few minutes later, Jeraldine and Lu Yin finally reached Nanjing. The assembly grounds were inundated by a symphony of howls, countless people escaping the ruins of Zhongshan. Many large gashes had split apart the earth, swallowing everything in their vicinity even as the air still buzzed with residual energy. Even the clouds had been blown away.
Within Nanjing, Zhou Shan spat out a mouthful of blood and leaned against his giant axe with difficulty, staring at the skies. Terence and Orton were sneering at him from above, the former taking a moment to say, "Not bad, you might even be top 15 within my school. Unfortunately, you've met me."