After an unknown amount of time passed, Lu Yin once again spat out a mouthful of blood. Energy waves erupted from his body, overturning the tent and spreading for hundreds of meters. The monitors outside the tent shattered, and trees were uprooted in layers.
This commotion drew the attention of the prison camp, and immediately, two Wanchangs rushed towards Lu Yin.
One of them was Feng Hong, and the other was a woman with a charming appearance, curiosity filling her eyes.
The two Wanchangs arrived outside the ruins of Lu Yin's tent and looked inside. "Is this the newly appointed Wanchang, Lu Yin?" Feng Hong asked loudly, while the Evolutionist army behind him remained cautious.
Soon, Lu Yin walked out of the ruins of the tent, pale and unsteady on his feet. "Apologies for the disturbance. I am indeed Lu Yin."
Feng Hong and the woman stared at Lu Yin in surprise. "Why are you so weak?" Feng Hong asked.
Lu Yin smiled bitterly. "I saw the Xingsheng display his combat technique earlier. I was a bit eager to try it myself but failed. I ended up injuring myself."
Feng Hong nodded in understanding and laughed, "Lu brother, you're too impatient. Combat techniques are not something everyone can master, and it's not something you can figure out in a short time. Wanchangs like us have the opportunity to receive personal instruction from the Xingsheng himself. You don't need to rush."
Lu Yin nodded appreciatively. "Understood. Thank you for the guidance, Brother Feng."
Feng Hong waved his hand, displaying no airs as a daytime instructor. "No need to be polite. We're all brothers in the prison camp, facing the apocalypse together. We rely on each other as comrades. Alright, I'll have someone rearrange your accommodation. Take some time to recover. By the way, do you need a doctor?"
Lu Yin replied, "No need. It's just some superficial injuries from overexertion. No need to bother the doctor."
Feng Hong nodded, "Alright. We'll leave you to rest then. If you need anything, just call for me."
Lu Yin thanked him, and Feng Hong, along with the charming woman, left. The woman cast one more glance at Lu Yin before departing.
Lu Yin followed a soldier to the nearest tent. "I'll take my leave. If there's anything Commander Lu needs, just call for me," the soldier saluted before leaving.
Lu Yin nodded and entered the tent. His gaze became incredibly excited as he looked around. The successful Body Refinement had not only given him strength but also brought him a pleasant surprise. Thinking about it, Lu Yin raised his hand, and a die the size of a palm slowly materialized, emitting a faint starlight. It had six sides, just like a regular die, with each side representing a different number, totaling six points.
This was a talent, a rare talent that only emerged after a practitioner successfully refined their body.
Talents were mysterious, and no one knew where they came from. Many scholars in the universe believed that talents represented the deepest secrets of humanity, indicating an ancient origin. However, this was just speculation, as no one could truly study talents.
Lu Yin didn't care about the origin of talents; he was more interested in the talent itself.
Before arriving on Earth, he had heard countless tales of the extraordinary power of talents. Every practitioner with a talent was considered a genius and recruited by major powers. The most famous event was that any talent-holding practitioner could directly join the Cosmic Youth Council.
Lu Yin stared at the die with fervent eyes. Although his talent was a bit strange, its utility was the most important.
Looking at the die floating in the void, Lu Yin gently tapped it. The die rapidly spun and then slowly stopped. The numbers on five of its sides disappeared, leaving only one side with the number - one.
Lu Yin fixed his gaze on the single dot. In his mind, an inexplicable purpose emerged—the ability to randomly acquire any item from someone's spatial ring.
Before Lu Yin could react, a beam of light shot out from the die, disappearing in an instant. It seemed to open a passage, and then, a chip fell to the ground. The die lost its radiance and vanished immediately.
Lu Yin stared blankly at the fallen chip. This was what it had helped him retrieve. A sense of incredulity overwhelmed him—was this the thing it had stolen for him? No, taken back?
Lu Yin picked up the chip and examined it. He then retrieved Aosta's personal terminal from Nullspace and inserted the chip. A holographic screen appeared, displaying three big characters—Celestial Star Technique.
Lu Yin stared at the flashing screen for half an hour. Images of figures, the universe, nebulae, palm prints, and feet filled his mind. Eventually, the chip he had inserted self-destructed, bringing Lu Yin back to reality.
Lu Yin was shocked. He realized he had gained something incredible.
The Celestial Star Technique was a cultivation technique that absorbed star energy. It imitated the rotation of stars, theoretically accelerating energy absorption for each simulated star. Although this initial version only contained the methods for imitating the rotation of eight stars, it meant that once Lu Yin successfully cultivated it, his energy absorption speed would increase eightfold.
Eight times—that was a terrifying efficiency. Within the Celestial Star Technique, there was also a set of combat techniques called Celestial Star Palm, which was extremely powerful.
Lu Yin put away his personal terminal, his eyes filled with excitement. He had never heard of the Celestial Star Technique before, but it was undoubtedly terrifying. Possessing such a powerful cultivation technique could only mean that it came from the inner universe.
Suppressing his excitement, Lu Yin put aside his wild thoughts. Although he had rolled a one on the die, the chances of randomly obtaining a combat technique or cultivation method were incredibly low. Even if it were just a piece of underwear, Lu Yin wouldn't have been surprised. However, to obtain the Celestial Star Technique, an incredible cultivation method, on his first try was beyond his expectations. This method was enough to shape his future.
Unfortunately, it was only an initial version.
Lu Yin shook his head and laughed at himself. He had thought too much. This kind of cultivation technique was undoubtedly the treasure of a powerful force and wouldn't be completely recorded on a chip. The method of preservation was extremely strict, and the destroyed chip had obviously been freshly recorded. It should have been stolen from an unlucky guy who had hoped to obtain the complete technique but had failed.
Lu Yin stopped dwelling on it and left the tent, finding a tree to lie under. He looked up at the sky, recalling the Celestial Star Technique's cultivation method. Imitating the rotation of stars? It seemed like he would have to sleep under the stars forever in the future.
Meanwhile, deep within the vast universe, a towering peak slowly floated. Surrounded by dozens of stars, flames burned at the top, resembling a smoking chimney from a distance. Every few seconds, it would extinguish, and then reignite, sending white ribbons of smoke into the vast expanse of the starry sky.
Inside the giant peak, a loud roar echoed through the universe. "What did you say? You brat, the cultivation technique is missing? Did you give it to that stinking woman again? Get your ass over here!"
In the dark void of space, a young man fled in distress, clutching his buttocks. "Dad, please don't misunderstand. I really don't have it. Truly gone, gone like a ghost!"
"You little brat, do you think your old man is an idiot? Who could steal something from under my nose? Get your ass over here!"
"Please, Dad, I'm telling the truth. It's really gone!"
...
After a night of contemplation, Lu Yin gained no insights. He entered the interior of Zhongshan.
At the topmost layer of Zhongshan's interior, a vast meeting room housed numerous people, and the topmost seat was vacant.
Lu Yin stepped into the meeting room, and all eyes turned towards him, filled with curiosity, friendliness, and skepticism.
"Lu brother, sit here," Feng Hong spoke up as soon as he saw Lu Yin.
Lu Yin naturally took a seat beside him, with the woman he had seen last night on the other side.
On the opposite side, there was the woman with glasses he had met before.
Most of the individuals present were Wanchangs, along with some researchers.
Soon, Zhou Mountain entered the meeting room, scanning the room. When his gaze paused on Lu Yin, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes. However, he then took the highest seat and smiled. "Let me introduce you all. Lu Yin, the newly appointed Wanchang."
Lu Yin stood up and nodded to those around him before sitting back down.
The introduction was just a formality, and the meeting then continued with various discussions. Lu Yin had no interest in listening and only waited for the meeting to end, which finally happened after half an hour.
As everyone left, Zhou Mountain singled out Lu Yin to stay behind.
"Lu Yin, I thought you hadn't absorbed any energy crystals for cultivation. I wanted to discuss it with you yesterday. It seems you depleted your energy reserves." Zhou Mountain looked at Lu Yin, probing.
Lu Yin nodded solemnly. "The extraterrestrial being was powerful, even though it was severely injured. It wasn't easy to deal with, and I had to exhaust all my energy to kill it."
"I can see that it was a Celestial-level powerhouse. Impressive that you managed to kill it." Zhou Mountain chuckled.
Lu Yin smiled without responding.
"I heard you visited the prison camp yesterday but declined to stay. Why?" Zhou Mountain asked, looking at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin replied, "I value my freedom. I can't stand the atmosphere of the military camp."
Zhou Mountain nodded and sighed, "Many people share the same sentiment. In fact, in the face of the apocalypse, humanity should unite. We have to give up what we can afford to give up."
"I understand, Xingsheng," Lu Yin responded.
Zhou Mountain sighed again. "How's your injury?"
"No problem. I'll recover quickly," Lu Yin assured.
"Evolutionists have strong regenerative abilities. Compared to ordinary people, they're more dangerous. Once you've experienced the taste of strength, you won't want to be weak. Many have fallen on this path, and even I don't know when I'll die." Zhou Mountain lamented.
Lu Yin felt the weight of his words, but he only replied with a nod.
"I heard you obtained the Celestial Star Technique. That's a good cultivation technique. With your talent, your future prospects are promising." Zhou Mountain smiled.
Lu Yin's excitement was palpable. "Yes, it's a powerful technique. I never thought my luck would be so good."
"However, it's only an initial version," Zhou Mountain reminded.
Lu Yin shook his head, laughing at himself. "I was overthinking. Such cultivation techniques are usually the treasure of a powerful force, and it wouldn't be completely recorded on a chip. The method of preservation would be extremely strict, and the destroyed chip had obviously just been freshly recorded. It was probably stolen from an unlucky guy who hoped to obtain the complete technique but failed."
Zhou Mountain didn't delve further into the topic, and Lu Yin left the room.