Xu San saw Lu Yin stand up and thought he was going to attack him. In these apocalyptic times, human life was insignificant, and he had no doubt he would be killed out of anger. Hastily, he said, "Sir, I can help you. I can do many things for you. Please don't kill me."
Lu Yin walked out of the restaurant without acknowledging him.
As Lu Yin passed by Xu San, the evolved human reached the peak of his fear, genuinely believing he was about to be killed. He had seen many powerful individuals kill without hesitation. Desperately, he said, "Sir, I have a special ability. I can help you."
Lu Yin suddenly stopped and looked at him in surprise. "What did you say? A special ability?"
Xu San, pale-faced, whispered, "I, I can see very far, much farther than ordinary people. That's how I managed to steal quite a few valuable things."
Lu Yin was intrigued. He crouched down and stared into Xu San's eyes, noticing the faintly scattered pupils. "Double pupils?" Lu Yin was genuinely surprised. This was a natural talent, something exceedingly rare even among countless practitioners in the universe.
"Does anyone else know about your special ability?" Lu Yin asked, frowning.
Xu San shook his head and whispered, "I didn't want anyone to think I was a freak, so I told no one. You're the first."
Lu Yin smiled. "Your name?"
"Xu San."
"Good. Xu San, from now on, you will follow me. I'll take you into the Penal Battalion," Lu Yin said calmly.
Xu San looked up in fear. "Are you going to dissect me?"
Lu Yin laughed. "I won't, but others might. So your special ability must remain a secret, understood?"
Xu San nodded in confusion.
Without stepping into the starry sky, one could never understand the importance of natural talent. The Youth Council of the Universe was willing to allow talented practitioners to join directly, something countless people dreamed of but could never achieve. This showed its difficulty. To Lu Yin, Xu San was a treasure that would undoubtedly be useful in the future, even worth a lot if sold.
Xu San was a local thug. With his guidance, Lu Yin scoured Jinling in a few days, including the once-destroyed armory, but found no clues about what he was looking for.
"Boss, this is the second highest peak in Jinling after Mount Zhong," Xu San said to Lu Yin.
Lu Yin nodded. "Look around and see where the military is most concentrated, aside from Mount Zhong."
Xu San nodded, his eyes scanning the distance, his pupils dilating and becoming increasingly bright.
After a while, Xu San smiled bitterly. "Boss, my eyes can see farther than ordinary people, but not far enough to see all of Jinling clearly."
Lu Yin said indifferently, "Keep practicing. You'll improve."
Xu San was speechless and continued to look with wide eyes.
"Boss, is there someone flying over from the horizon?" Xu San suddenly shouted, pointing to the eastern sky.
Lu Yin looked up, surprised. Someone was indeed flying towards them, and it was definitely not a human from Earth, but someone from the stars, like Astar.
The person was flying fast and soon arrived above Jinling. Taking a deep breath, they let out a roar, and a violent force pressed down, sweeping through Jinling like a storm.
At the same time, alarms blared in the Jinling settlement, and countless people looked up, stunned, at the figure in the sky.
From Mount Zhong, Feng Hong and other battalion commanders rushed out, pale-faced, looking up, "A heavenly-level powerhouse?"
Countless people stared blankly at the sky. The ability to fly was a hallmark of a heavenly-level powerhouse. When had China gained such a strong individual?
In the sky, Auden looked down at the Jinling settlement with disdain. Like Astar, or rather like all people from the universe, he regarded Earthlings as savages.
"Respected heavenly-level powerhouse, why are you attacking Jinling settlement? This area is protected by the Punishment Saint," a voice came from within Mount Zhong, respectful despite the question.
Auden sneered. "Punishment Saint? Is that a title you natives gave yourselves? Such audacity. Do you think you can bear the title of Saint? Bring out your so-called Punishment Saint."
The millions in the Jinling settlement were terrified. This unfamiliar heavenly-level powerhouse exuded intense hostility, marking him as an enemy.
Feng Hong and the others looked grim. While the masses were unaware, they knew that this person was definitely an alien, like the one killed a few days ago, both possessing heavenly-level strength. Jinling was in trouble.
With a loud shout, Zhou Shan, carrying a three-meter giant axe, soared into the sky to face Auden, his expression solemn. "I am the Punishment Saint Zhou Shan."
Countless people cheered. The Punishment Saint Zhou Shan was the protector of Jinling.
Auden looked down. "You can probably guess where I come from. I'll give you a chance to serve me. In the future, I might take you beyond Earth, into the starry sky."
Zhou Shan narrowed his eyes. "I don't know where you come from."
Auden sneered. "A mere native dares to play tricks on me? Astar landed in this area. Don't tell me you haven't seen him. Let me tell you, my academy ranking is much higher than his. Following me offers a better future than following him."
Zhou Shan gripped his giant axe. "We are Earthlings, not natives."
Auden smirked. "It seems you're still not convinced. I'll show you the difference between natives and us higher beings." With that, a sword suddenly appeared and thrust towards Zhou Shan.
No one expected Auden to strike so quickly, not even Zhou Shan. However, Zhou Shan reacted swiftly. With rich battle experience, he raised the axe handle to block the sword, then spun 360 degrees to slash upwards. Auden was startled by his quick response, gaining a bit more respect for Zhou Shan. The sword clashed with the axe, but Auden was sent flying a hundred meters, his hands numb.
The shockwave from the sword and axe collision sliced through the ground, creating a hundred-meter-long fissure and causing many people to flee in terror.
"Such strength!" Auden was surprised.
Zhou Shan swung his giant axe at Auden again. Auden sneered, his energy surging around him, and blocked the attack with his sword, standing firm against the mighty blow.
Zhou Shan's gaze sharpened, and he attacked once more.
"You're trying to push me out of this settlement? Fine, I'll make you submit." Auden said, his sword clashing with the giant axe again. The immense force pushed him back, flying out of the Jinling settlement's airspace.
The brief exchange, though short, left countless people in awe. Humans could fight in the air, each move powerful enough to split the ground. This was the power of gods!
Feng Hong and the others were worried. The aliens must have come prepared. They feared for Zhou Shan.
On another peak, Xu San trembled. It was his first time witnessing a battle between heavenly-level powerhouses, and it was eye-opening.
Lu Yin looked towards the city outskirts, listening to the faint sounds of battle, his brows furrowed.
Every student descending to Earth had a ring armor that could defend against heavenly-level attacks, putting Auden in an invincible position. He assumed victory was certain, but Zhou Shan was one of China's Seven Saints, who had inherited power from a Neptune corpse. No matter how little the inheritance, it was not something Auden could underestimate. The fact that they could stand on Neptune showed that the corpse had star-walking power, with unfathomable depth.
Lu Yin could underestimate all other evolved humans on Earth, but not China's Seven Saints. These seven had trained even before the apocalypse.
When he saw Astar's corpse and the spaceship a few days ago, Zhou Shan was not too surprised. Lu Yin had observed this carefully. Auden might not win.
Soon, the sounds of thunderous explosions came from outside Jinling, with countless energy blasts tearing through the sky, ripping apart the clouds, and then everything fell silent.
Before long, Zhou Shan flew into the sky, looking slightly pale but uninjured, raising his giant axe high. The survivors of Jinling cheered.
"You stay here," Lu Yin instructed, then headed outside the city.
Zhou Shan and Auden had fought just twenty kilometers outside the city.
When Lu Yin arrived, he saw the ruins and burning buildings, with deep slash marks on the ground stretching far into the distance.
The zombies and mutant beasts that once roamed the area had either fled or been pulverized.
Lu Yin crouched and touched the slash marks, feeling the lingering sharp energy. This was the true power of Zhou Shan's battle skills. His fight against the mutant vine was not his full strength; this was.
Not far away, white fragments reflected light.
Lu Yin picked them up and his gaze hardened. These were pieces of a ring armor. Auden had lost badly, even shattering his ring armor. Whether he was dead or not, Lu Yin didn't know. If he were dead, Zhou Shan would have brought his corpse back to Jinling.
Lu Yin reassessed the power of China's Seven Saints. He didn't know the strength of the top three Saints, but Zhou Shan might possess peak exploration level power. The ability to shatter ring armor was proof.
Noises from afar signaled the arrival of other battalion commanders. Lu Yin didn't want to meet them and left immediately.