Chapter 80: Healing the Sea of Consciousness and the War Zone's Strategic Planning
The light in the therapy room was soft, completely isolating the outside noise and the smoke of the battlefield.
Lin Yan leaned halfway back in a specially designed Sea of Consciousness therapy pod. The pod slowly released a gentle psychic stillness field, soothing the fine cracks within his Sea of Consciousness. The medical staff repeatedly warned him that the damage from this forced overload of his Sea of Consciousness was no small matter. For at least two months, he could not activate his psychic power at high intensity; otherwise, his foundation would be damaged, making future cultivation impossible.
The wounds on his ribs and body had been re-treated and bandaged, but that feeling of emptiness and stinging deep within his Sea of Consciousness lingered.
He closed his eyes, slowly circulating the inner qi of his ancient martial arts to nourish his internal organs while attempting to use his mind-guarding techniques to soothe his restless spirit. In the past, when cultivating his Sea of Consciousness, he was accustomed to extending his psychic threads outward to probe, interfere, and attack. It was only after that deadly battle at Rift 73 that he realized the primary focus of Sea of Consciousness cultivation was defense.
The psychic illusions of the Ancient Progenitor and the sudden psychic stingers were, in essence, disturbances to the mind. If the mind remained as immovable as a rock, the power of external psychic attacks would be greatly diminished.
He merged the principles of meditative mind-guarding from his ancient martial arts with the spirit-solidifying techniques of the Sea of Consciousness cultivation in this world. No longer blindly expanding his psychic power outward, he turned his focus inward, gathering and tempering the core of his Sea of Consciousness. The previously scattered psychic threads were slowly retracted and condensed, and the tiny cracks inside his Sea of Consciousness began to heal gradually under this quiet recuperation.
"You've managed to get a huge bargain, but you've also stepped into a massive pit."
Jiang Tao pushed open the door and walked into the therapy room. His arm was wrapped in bandages, and his face was still pale. His Sea of Consciousness had also suffered severe damage, though he hadn't forcibly overdrafted it like Lin Yan had.
"After this ambush, the academy and the high command of the war zone re-evaluated rift missions. From now on, wilderness reconnaissance squads will be equipped with Sea of Consciousness monitoring equipment to prevent falling into psychic node traps pre-set by the alien race," Jiang Tao said slowly as he sat in a chair beside him. "The high command judges that the Ancient Progenitor will no longer easily send secondary priests for frontal combat. It will shift to covert infiltration."
Lin Yan slowly opened his eyes, his voice calm. "Psychic toxins, illusion harassment, quietly burying lurking beast swarms around the bastions. It excels at patient planning."
"Exactly," Jiang Tao nodded. "The war zone has synchronized intelligence with the other five war zones and has begun mass-producing detection instruments capable of detecting underground psychic nodes. At the same time, we are expanding the recruitment and training scale of Sea of Consciousness cultivators. Previously, Sea of Consciousness cultivation was only for a few elites; now, it is considered the core combat strength against the scaled race."
After chatting for a while, Jiang Tao, who still had follow-up examinations, left first.
Not long after, Old Chen came to visit. The wound on his back was very deep, and he still had some difficulty moving.
"The severely injured student survived, but the nerves in his lower limbs were damaged by the scaled beast's venom. He will never be able to fight on the front lines again," Old Chen said in a low voice. "The cost of this mission was too high. The high command has ordered that the risk assessment level for all wilderness practical training missions be raised."
Lin Yan remained silent. Every clash was accompanied by sacrifice. The Lizardmen race underground, having lurked for a thousand years, was meticulous in its schemes. If humanity wanted to hold the bastions, the road ahead would still be difficult.
The days of recuperation passed one by one.
Lin Yan strictly followed the doctor's advice and did not forcibly activate his Sea of Consciousness. Every day, he spent a fixed two hours in the Sea of Consciousness stillness pod for repairs. For the rest of the time, he tempered his ancient martial arts inner qi, studied the records of previous battles, and repeatedly reviewed the operating rules of the Ancient Progenitor's psychic fields and the triangular node networking.
He slowly explored a brand-new method of application: Psychic power did not need to be spread out over a large area. Instead, he could pre-construct an invisible psychic web around his own mind. When faced with psychic impacts or illusion invasions, this web could buffer and divert the attacks, significantly reducing the damage of psychic assaults. This defensive method consumed very little energy and perfectly matched the foundation of his ancient martial arts mind-guarding.
By the fourth week of his recuperation, the Grand Marshal personally came to the recuperation area to visit the wounded.
The old man wore a simple combat uniform. The heavy aura of his eighth-tier Sea of Consciousness was restrained, not deliberately released, yet it naturally carried a mountain-like sense of oppression. He walked to the outside of Lin Yan's therapy pod, his gaze falling on the Sea of Consciousness waveform on the monitoring screen.
"Your Sea of Consciousness recovery speed exceeds expectations," the Grand Marshal said slowly. "Ordinary people with this degree of psychic damage would not be able to use their psychic power for at least half a year. Your ancient martial arts foundation played a huge role."
"I was just lucky," Lin Yan said, bowing slightly.
"It's not luck." The Grand Marshal shook his head. "The vast majority of Sea of Consciousness cultivators only know how to cultivate psychic power, ignoring that the mind is the foundation. The path you walk is a new one. The war zone plans to form a special squad dedicated to dealing with targets like the scaled race's psychic nodes and secondary priests. Once your injuries heal, I hope you will join."
"I am willing," Lin Yan replied without hesitation.
"Heal well." The Grand Marshal nodded slightly. "The Ancient Progenitor will not give us much time to rest. Intelligence departments have detected abnormal rock stratum fluctuations in multiple deep rifts; they are breeding high-tier scaled beasts on a massive scale."
At the same time, deep underground in the resonance rock cave, the broken fluorescent links on the rock walls had been mostly repaired. The Ancient Progenitor sat quietly in the pool, its dark gold vertical pupils staring at the countless signals transmitted from the entire psychic network.
The surviving secondary priest lay below, transmitting its thoughts: "My Lord, the high-tier scaled beasts in multiple breeding pools have matured. The diffuse psychic toxins have seeped through the rock stratum fissures into the soil on the outskirts of Panshi City. Many low-tier Sea of Consciousness cultivators within the bastion have already shown symptoms of mental disorder."
"Very good." The Ancient Progenitor's thoughts flowed slowly. "Do not launch a concentrated attack. Erode them subtly and slowly. Continuously consume the number of humanity's Sea of Consciousness cultivators."
It paused for a moment and continued to issue its thoughts: "Continue to monitor Lin Yan. His Sea of Consciousness is injured, and he is recuperating. Once he leaves the recuperation area and goes out on a mission again, we will look for opportunities anew. Do not rush."
"Obey the Lord's command."
Countless psychic commands traveled through the underground rock strata to the hidden rifts on the outskirts of the six major bastion cities. High-tier scaled beasts quietly lurked in the dark caves, silently waiting for the horn of the general offensive. The diffuse psychic toxins seeped in silently, like a chronic poison, eroding the cultivators within the bastion cities bit by bit.
On the wasteland, the wind was bleak. Within the bastions, preparations for war were in full swing.
The two-month recuperation period quickly came to an end.
Lin Yan completed his final comprehensive Sea of Consciousness examination. The monitoring instruments showed that the cracks inside his Sea of Consciousness had completely healed. Moreover, after this severe injury, quiet recuperation, and reconstruction, the core of his third-tier Sea of Consciousness was even more condensed and stable than before the battle.
He walked out of the recuperation area and returned to the senior research class of the Combat Readiness Academy.
Most of the other wounded squad members had already returned to the team. When they met again, no extra words were spoken; in each other's eyes, there was a new calmness born from experiencing life and death.
The instructor gathered all the members of the research class and announced the news of the newly formed special reconnaissance squad of the war zone. The squad was specifically responsible for penetrating high-risk rifts, exploring the psychic nodes set up by the scaled race, and eliminating hidden dangers.
"Lin Yan, Jiang Tao, Old Chen, you are all on the list." The instructor's gaze swept over the crowd. "Next, we will begin specialized training. We need to practice jointly breaking triangular psychic nodes and countering the psychic illusions of secondary priests."
Lin Yan stood in the formation, his gaze directed toward the vast, dark underground world beneath the distant wasteland.
The Ancient Progenitor was still laying out its plans in the shadows. A new wave of undercurrents was continuously gathering underground.
His tempering was far from over.
End of Chapter.
Lin Yan leaned halfway back in a specially designed Sea of Consciousness therapy pod. The pod slowly released a gentle psychic stillness field, soothing the fine cracks within his Sea of Consciousness. The medical staff repeatedly warned him that the damage from this forced overload of his Sea of Consciousness was no small matter. For at least two months, he could not activate his psychic power at high intensity; otherwise, his foundation would be damaged, making future cultivation impossible.
The wounds on his ribs and body had been re-treated and bandaged, but that feeling of emptiness and stinging deep within his Sea of Consciousness lingered.
He closed his eyes, slowly circulating the inner qi of his ancient martial arts to nourish his internal organs while attempting to use his mind-guarding techniques to soothe his restless spirit. In the past, when cultivating his Sea of Consciousness, he was accustomed to extending his psychic threads outward to probe, interfere, and attack. It was only after that deadly battle at Rift 73 that he realized the primary focus of Sea of Consciousness cultivation was defense.
The psychic illusions of the Ancient Progenitor and the sudden psychic stingers were, in essence, disturbances to the mind. If the mind remained as immovable as a rock, the power of external psychic attacks would be greatly diminished.
He merged the principles of meditative mind-guarding from his ancient martial arts with the spirit-solidifying techniques of the Sea of Consciousness cultivation in this world. No longer blindly expanding his psychic power outward, he turned his focus inward, gathering and tempering the core of his Sea of Consciousness. The previously scattered psychic threads were slowly retracted and condensed, and the tiny cracks inside his Sea of Consciousness began to heal gradually under this quiet recuperation.
"You've managed to get a huge bargain, but you've also stepped into a massive pit."
Jiang Tao pushed open the door and walked into the therapy room. His arm was wrapped in bandages, and his face was still pale. His Sea of Consciousness had also suffered severe damage, though he hadn't forcibly overdrafted it like Lin Yan had.
"After this ambush, the academy and the high command of the war zone re-evaluated rift missions. From now on, wilderness reconnaissance squads will be equipped with Sea of Consciousness monitoring equipment to prevent falling into psychic node traps pre-set by the alien race," Jiang Tao said slowly as he sat in a chair beside him. "The high command judges that the Ancient Progenitor will no longer easily send secondary priests for frontal combat. It will shift to covert infiltration."
Lin Yan slowly opened his eyes, his voice calm. "Psychic toxins, illusion harassment, quietly burying lurking beast swarms around the bastions. It excels at patient planning."
"Exactly," Jiang Tao nodded. "The war zone has synchronized intelligence with the other five war zones and has begun mass-producing detection instruments capable of detecting underground psychic nodes. At the same time, we are expanding the recruitment and training scale of Sea of Consciousness cultivators. Previously, Sea of Consciousness cultivation was only for a few elites; now, it is considered the core combat strength against the scaled race."
After chatting for a while, Jiang Tao, who still had follow-up examinations, left first.
Not long after, Old Chen came to visit. The wound on his back was very deep, and he still had some difficulty moving.
"The severely injured student survived, but the nerves in his lower limbs were damaged by the scaled beast's venom. He will never be able to fight on the front lines again," Old Chen said in a low voice. "The cost of this mission was too high. The high command has ordered that the risk assessment level for all wilderness practical training missions be raised."
Lin Yan remained silent. Every clash was accompanied by sacrifice. The Lizardmen race underground, having lurked for a thousand years, was meticulous in its schemes. If humanity wanted to hold the bastions, the road ahead would still be difficult.
The days of recuperation passed one by one.
Lin Yan strictly followed the doctor's advice and did not forcibly activate his Sea of Consciousness. Every day, he spent a fixed two hours in the Sea of Consciousness stillness pod for repairs. For the rest of the time, he tempered his ancient martial arts inner qi, studied the records of previous battles, and repeatedly reviewed the operating rules of the Ancient Progenitor's psychic fields and the triangular node networking.
He slowly explored a brand-new method of application: Psychic power did not need to be spread out over a large area. Instead, he could pre-construct an invisible psychic web around his own mind. When faced with psychic impacts or illusion invasions, this web could buffer and divert the attacks, significantly reducing the damage of psychic assaults. This defensive method consumed very little energy and perfectly matched the foundation of his ancient martial arts mind-guarding.
By the fourth week of his recuperation, the Grand Marshal personally came to the recuperation area to visit the wounded.
The old man wore a simple combat uniform. The heavy aura of his eighth-tier Sea of Consciousness was restrained, not deliberately released, yet it naturally carried a mountain-like sense of oppression. He walked to the outside of Lin Yan's therapy pod, his gaze falling on the Sea of Consciousness waveform on the monitoring screen.
"Your Sea of Consciousness recovery speed exceeds expectations," the Grand Marshal said slowly. "Ordinary people with this degree of psychic damage would not be able to use their psychic power for at least half a year. Your ancient martial arts foundation played a huge role."
"I was just lucky," Lin Yan said, bowing slightly.
"It's not luck." The Grand Marshal shook his head. "The vast majority of Sea of Consciousness cultivators only know how to cultivate psychic power, ignoring that the mind is the foundation. The path you walk is a new one. The war zone plans to form a special squad dedicated to dealing with targets like the scaled race's psychic nodes and secondary priests. Once your injuries heal, I hope you will join."
"I am willing," Lin Yan replied without hesitation.
"Heal well." The Grand Marshal nodded slightly. "The Ancient Progenitor will not give us much time to rest. Intelligence departments have detected abnormal rock stratum fluctuations in multiple deep rifts; they are breeding high-tier scaled beasts on a massive scale."
At the same time, deep underground in the resonance rock cave, the broken fluorescent links on the rock walls had been mostly repaired. The Ancient Progenitor sat quietly in the pool, its dark gold vertical pupils staring at the countless signals transmitted from the entire psychic network.
The surviving secondary priest lay below, transmitting its thoughts: "My Lord, the high-tier scaled beasts in multiple breeding pools have matured. The diffuse psychic toxins have seeped through the rock stratum fissures into the soil on the outskirts of Panshi City. Many low-tier Sea of Consciousness cultivators within the bastion have already shown symptoms of mental disorder."
"Very good." The Ancient Progenitor's thoughts flowed slowly. "Do not launch a concentrated attack. Erode them subtly and slowly. Continuously consume the number of humanity's Sea of Consciousness cultivators."
It paused for a moment and continued to issue its thoughts: "Continue to monitor Lin Yan. His Sea of Consciousness is injured, and he is recuperating. Once he leaves the recuperation area and goes out on a mission again, we will look for opportunities anew. Do not rush."
"Obey the Lord's command."
Countless psychic commands traveled through the underground rock strata to the hidden rifts on the outskirts of the six major bastion cities. High-tier scaled beasts quietly lurked in the dark caves, silently waiting for the horn of the general offensive. The diffuse psychic toxins seeped in silently, like a chronic poison, eroding the cultivators within the bastion cities bit by bit.
On the wasteland, the wind was bleak. Within the bastions, preparations for war were in full swing.
The two-month recuperation period quickly came to an end.
Lin Yan completed his final comprehensive Sea of Consciousness examination. The monitoring instruments showed that the cracks inside his Sea of Consciousness had completely healed. Moreover, after this severe injury, quiet recuperation, and reconstruction, the core of his third-tier Sea of Consciousness was even more condensed and stable than before the battle.
He walked out of the recuperation area and returned to the senior research class of the Combat Readiness Academy.
Most of the other wounded squad members had already returned to the team. When they met again, no extra words were spoken; in each other's eyes, there was a new calmness born from experiencing life and death.
The instructor gathered all the members of the research class and announced the news of the newly formed special reconnaissance squad of the war zone. The squad was specifically responsible for penetrating high-risk rifts, exploring the psychic nodes set up by the scaled race, and eliminating hidden dangers.
"Lin Yan, Jiang Tao, Old Chen, you are all on the list." The instructor's gaze swept over the crowd. "Next, we will begin specialized training. We need to practice jointly breaking triangular psychic nodes and countering the psychic illusions of secondary priests."
Lin Yan stood in the formation, his gaze directed toward the vast, dark underground world beneath the distant wasteland.
The Ancient Progenitor was still laying out its plans in the shadows. A new wave of undercurrents was continuously gathering underground.
His tempering was far from over.
End of Chapter.