Chapter 26: Return to the Bastion City
The military transport truck jolted along the potholed dirt road. Inside the cabin, the air was thick with the smell of disinfectant, blood, and the lingering putrid stench of the scaled beasts.
Severely wounded soldiers were laid out on stretchers in the middle of the cabin, covered with thick cloths, occasionally letting out suppressed groans of pain. Instructor Zhou leaned against the cabin wall with his eyes closed, regulating his breath. The contusion in his Sea of Consciousness continued to torment him; every breath required deliberate mental control to avoid aggravating the damaged consciousness barrier. Su Qing sat beside Lin Yan, her face still pale. She remained silent the entire way, occasionally raising a hand to press against her throbbing temples.
Lin Yan sat in the corner of the cabin, his back resting against the cold metal panel. With his eyes slightly closed, he turned his awareness inward to inspect his Sea of Consciousness.
The pale white barrier of his Sea of Consciousness was still covered in dense, hairline cracks, resembling thin ice that had weathered a violent storm. The damage inflicted on the battlefield had not faded, but since he was no longer continuously subjected to the psychic onslaught of the scaled beasts, the deterioration had stopped. He tried to slowly extend and retract his mental tentacles, repeatedly practicing the technique of concealing his Sea of Consciousness.
Unlike the rushed emergency responses in the trench, the environment was now stable, allowing him to carefully experience the precise balance. For every fraction he expanded his perception outward, his mental consumption increased; for every fraction he drew inward, his awareness of the outside world weakened. In this continuous cycle of expanding and contracting, his control over his Sea of Consciousness had become much more refined than before the battle.
This was the precipitation left by the bloody battle. There was no earth-shattering leap, only the meticulous polishing, bit by bit.
The convoy continued westward, passing through layers of heavily guarded checkpoints. Eventually, the thick concrete bastion city appeared at the end of their vision. The towering walls stretched endlessly, resembling a black mountain range spanning the earth, topped with heavy energy cannons and Sea of Consciousness early-warning arrays. This was the bastion city upon which humanity relied to survive in this fallen territory.
Upon entering the city gates, the atmosphere was completely different from the Black Mountain frontline. Patrolling soldiers walked the streets endlessly, and combat supply warehouses, Sea of Consciousness training halls, and field hospitals were随处可见 (everywhere) along the streets. Pedestrians walked with hurried steps, their expressions mostly tense; the shadow of war had permeated every corner of the city.
The vehicle finally stopped at the entrance of the war zone's affiliated field hospital. The wounded were quickly carried into the treatment area, while Instructor Zhou and Su Qing also had to be admitted for specialized Sea of Consciousness examinations.
"During the rest period, the war zone will offer post-battle retraining courses," Instructor Zhou said to Lin Yan before getting off the truck, his voice still hoarse. "Your Sea of Consciousness suffered surface contusions without core damage, so you can participate. Thoroughly review this Black Mountain battle and solidify what you experienced on the battlefield. Don't rush for quick success; Sea of Consciousness cultivation cannot be hurried."
"Understood," Lin Yan nodded.
The group parted ways. Lin Yan went to the war zone's registration point on his own to check in and receive his temporary housing quarters. The room was small and spartan, containing only an iron bed, a simple desk and chair, and a basic Sea of Consciousness training device in the corner. This was the standard accommodation for returning frontline personnel.
The next few days were spent in a routine of rest and training.
During the day, Lin Yan attended classes at the war zone's Sea of Consciousness retraining hall. The instructor was a veteran who had experienced numerous rift campaigns. There were no empty theoretical lectures; instead, he directly pulled up the psychic wave data recorded during the Black Mountain battle and projected it onto a holographic screen.
On the screen, violently undulating waves represented the domain suppression of the third-tier scaled beast, while the fine, dense spike-like waves were the psychic attacks of the low-level scaled beasts.
"Many of you on the battlefield only knew you felt uncomfortable or dizzy, but couldn't distinguish the characteristics of different types of psychic impacts," the instructor said, standing before the screen as his finger traced the waves. "Large-scale continuous suppression drains mental power; directed single-point impacts specifically shatter the consciousness of the weak; close-range stings are often launched simultaneously with the beasts' pounces."
The screen replayed footage of the trench skirmishes, completely restoring the psychic pressure everyone had endured at that time.
Standing in the formation, Lin Yan watched the screen intently. Back in the trench, with life and death hanging by a thread, he could only instinctively contract his Sea of Consciousness to survive, with no time to carefully distinguish the differences in the impacts. Now, calmly reviewing the battle, many of the previously blurry details suddenly became clear.
He finally understood that every time the third-tier scaled beast launched a directed impact, the psychic waves would surge sharply half a second in advance. That brief precursor was the warning window. Yet, amidst the chaotic battlefield and continuous mental drain, very few people could actually catch it.
After class came the practical simulation training.
The basic Sea of Consciousness training device could simulate psychic impacts of varying intensities, allowing cultivators to practice fortifying and contracting their Seas of Consciousness. Lin Yan took his turn on the machine, repeatedly practicing the experience he had learned on the Black Mountain battlefield in a simulated environment.
He first attempted large-scale perception, then quickly contracted his Sea of Consciousness inward, constantly switching states to find the balance point between consumption and perception. The bottleneck of the second-tier peak still stood before him; no matter how he trained, there were no signs of the core loosening.
The instructor passed by, glanced at the readings on his machine, and offered a reminder: "Your current foundation is solid enough, but the time for a breakthrough hasn't arrived yet. The goal of current training is not to forcefully break through, but to stabilize the foundation of your Sea of Consciousness and reduce unnecessary consumption in actual combat. Only when the foundation is completely solidified will the opportunity for a breakthrough arrive. Remember: before the third tier, continuous accumulation works; after the third tier, only the tempering of life and death can lead to advancement."
Lin Yan silently committed these words to memory.
In the evenings, when he returned to his dormitory, he would set aside time to practice his ancient martial arts breathing techniques. The flow of internal energy soothed his physical exhaustion and indirectly calmed his mind. This martial art from his previous life could not directly elevate his Sea of Consciousness tier, but it allowed him to maintain his true heart and remain unflustered when enduring psychic impacts. This was his unique advantage.
Occasionally, he would run into Su Qing at the training hall. Her Sea of Consciousness had been severely overdrawn, and her training intensity was much lower than Lin Yan's; most of the time, she just sat in meditation to recuperate. They would exchange a few simple words, and whenever they mentioned the brutal tug-of-war in the Black Mountain trench, lingering fear would still fill their eyes.
"Right now, whenever I close my eyes, I can picture the third-tier scaled beast walking down from the pile of rubble," Su Qing said in a low voice. "If the backup had been even a little later..."
She didn't finish the sentence, but they both knew the outcome.
The days passed steadily. There was no gunpowder smoke, no foul-smelling beast roars, and no psychic tidal waves that could fall at any moment. Yet, Lin Yan did not relax. He knew that the peace within the bastion was only temporary. Scaled beasts continuously poured out from the underground rifts, and the crisis at the Black Mountain defense line had not been completely resolved.
He still remained at the second-tier peak. Every training session was spent polishing the details, increasing the toughness of his Sea of Consciousness barrier, and improving the speed of its expansion and contraction. The accumulation continued.
But this peaceful period of rest would not last forever. The war zone's daily briefings were updated constantly, and the monitoring data for the Black Mountain rift continued to fluctuate. The activity frequency of the subterranean scaled beasts was slowly rising again.
The summons for a new round of missions was already being quietly prepared.
End of Chapter
Severely wounded soldiers were laid out on stretchers in the middle of the cabin, covered with thick cloths, occasionally letting out suppressed groans of pain. Instructor Zhou leaned against the cabin wall with his eyes closed, regulating his breath. The contusion in his Sea of Consciousness continued to torment him; every breath required deliberate mental control to avoid aggravating the damaged consciousness barrier. Su Qing sat beside Lin Yan, her face still pale. She remained silent the entire way, occasionally raising a hand to press against her throbbing temples.
Lin Yan sat in the corner of the cabin, his back resting against the cold metal panel. With his eyes slightly closed, he turned his awareness inward to inspect his Sea of Consciousness.
The pale white barrier of his Sea of Consciousness was still covered in dense, hairline cracks, resembling thin ice that had weathered a violent storm. The damage inflicted on the battlefield had not faded, but since he was no longer continuously subjected to the psychic onslaught of the scaled beasts, the deterioration had stopped. He tried to slowly extend and retract his mental tentacles, repeatedly practicing the technique of concealing his Sea of Consciousness.
Unlike the rushed emergency responses in the trench, the environment was now stable, allowing him to carefully experience the precise balance. For every fraction he expanded his perception outward, his mental consumption increased; for every fraction he drew inward, his awareness of the outside world weakened. In this continuous cycle of expanding and contracting, his control over his Sea of Consciousness had become much more refined than before the battle.
This was the precipitation left by the bloody battle. There was no earth-shattering leap, only the meticulous polishing, bit by bit.
The convoy continued westward, passing through layers of heavily guarded checkpoints. Eventually, the thick concrete bastion city appeared at the end of their vision. The towering walls stretched endlessly, resembling a black mountain range spanning the earth, topped with heavy energy cannons and Sea of Consciousness early-warning arrays. This was the bastion city upon which humanity relied to survive in this fallen territory.
Upon entering the city gates, the atmosphere was completely different from the Black Mountain frontline. Patrolling soldiers walked the streets endlessly, and combat supply warehouses, Sea of Consciousness training halls, and field hospitals were随处可见 (everywhere) along the streets. Pedestrians walked with hurried steps, their expressions mostly tense; the shadow of war had permeated every corner of the city.
The vehicle finally stopped at the entrance of the war zone's affiliated field hospital. The wounded were quickly carried into the treatment area, while Instructor Zhou and Su Qing also had to be admitted for specialized Sea of Consciousness examinations.
"During the rest period, the war zone will offer post-battle retraining courses," Instructor Zhou said to Lin Yan before getting off the truck, his voice still hoarse. "Your Sea of Consciousness suffered surface contusions without core damage, so you can participate. Thoroughly review this Black Mountain battle and solidify what you experienced on the battlefield. Don't rush for quick success; Sea of Consciousness cultivation cannot be hurried."
"Understood," Lin Yan nodded.
The group parted ways. Lin Yan went to the war zone's registration point on his own to check in and receive his temporary housing quarters. The room was small and spartan, containing only an iron bed, a simple desk and chair, and a basic Sea of Consciousness training device in the corner. This was the standard accommodation for returning frontline personnel.
The next few days were spent in a routine of rest and training.
During the day, Lin Yan attended classes at the war zone's Sea of Consciousness retraining hall. The instructor was a veteran who had experienced numerous rift campaigns. There were no empty theoretical lectures; instead, he directly pulled up the psychic wave data recorded during the Black Mountain battle and projected it onto a holographic screen.
On the screen, violently undulating waves represented the domain suppression of the third-tier scaled beast, while the fine, dense spike-like waves were the psychic attacks of the low-level scaled beasts.
"Many of you on the battlefield only knew you felt uncomfortable or dizzy, but couldn't distinguish the characteristics of different types of psychic impacts," the instructor said, standing before the screen as his finger traced the waves. "Large-scale continuous suppression drains mental power; directed single-point impacts specifically shatter the consciousness of the weak; close-range stings are often launched simultaneously with the beasts' pounces."
The screen replayed footage of the trench skirmishes, completely restoring the psychic pressure everyone had endured at that time.
Standing in the formation, Lin Yan watched the screen intently. Back in the trench, with life and death hanging by a thread, he could only instinctively contract his Sea of Consciousness to survive, with no time to carefully distinguish the differences in the impacts. Now, calmly reviewing the battle, many of the previously blurry details suddenly became clear.
He finally understood that every time the third-tier scaled beast launched a directed impact, the psychic waves would surge sharply half a second in advance. That brief precursor was the warning window. Yet, amidst the chaotic battlefield and continuous mental drain, very few people could actually catch it.
After class came the practical simulation training.
The basic Sea of Consciousness training device could simulate psychic impacts of varying intensities, allowing cultivators to practice fortifying and contracting their Seas of Consciousness. Lin Yan took his turn on the machine, repeatedly practicing the experience he had learned on the Black Mountain battlefield in a simulated environment.
He first attempted large-scale perception, then quickly contracted his Sea of Consciousness inward, constantly switching states to find the balance point between consumption and perception. The bottleneck of the second-tier peak still stood before him; no matter how he trained, there were no signs of the core loosening.
The instructor passed by, glanced at the readings on his machine, and offered a reminder: "Your current foundation is solid enough, but the time for a breakthrough hasn't arrived yet. The goal of current training is not to forcefully break through, but to stabilize the foundation of your Sea of Consciousness and reduce unnecessary consumption in actual combat. Only when the foundation is completely solidified will the opportunity for a breakthrough arrive. Remember: before the third tier, continuous accumulation works; after the third tier, only the tempering of life and death can lead to advancement."
Lin Yan silently committed these words to memory.
In the evenings, when he returned to his dormitory, he would set aside time to practice his ancient martial arts breathing techniques. The flow of internal energy soothed his physical exhaustion and indirectly calmed his mind. This martial art from his previous life could not directly elevate his Sea of Consciousness tier, but it allowed him to maintain his true heart and remain unflustered when enduring psychic impacts. This was his unique advantage.
Occasionally, he would run into Su Qing at the training hall. Her Sea of Consciousness had been severely overdrawn, and her training intensity was much lower than Lin Yan's; most of the time, she just sat in meditation to recuperate. They would exchange a few simple words, and whenever they mentioned the brutal tug-of-war in the Black Mountain trench, lingering fear would still fill their eyes.
"Right now, whenever I close my eyes, I can picture the third-tier scaled beast walking down from the pile of rubble," Su Qing said in a low voice. "If the backup had been even a little later..."
She didn't finish the sentence, but they both knew the outcome.
The days passed steadily. There was no gunpowder smoke, no foul-smelling beast roars, and no psychic tidal waves that could fall at any moment. Yet, Lin Yan did not relax. He knew that the peace within the bastion was only temporary. Scaled beasts continuously poured out from the underground rifts, and the crisis at the Black Mountain defense line had not been completely resolved.
He still remained at the second-tier peak. Every training session was spent polishing the details, increasing the toughness of his Sea of Consciousness barrier, and improving the speed of its expansion and contraction. The accumulation continued.
But this peaceful period of rest would not last forever. The war zone's daily briefings were updated constantly, and the monitoring data for the Black Mountain rift continued to fluctuate. The activity frequency of the subterranean scaled beasts was slowly rising again.
The summons for a new round of missions was already being quietly prepared.
End of Chapter