ABRIWMTHM Chapter 112

Fu Qing finished discussing the defense and naturally inquired about Shi Xing’s situation.

After understanding the current status, Fu Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With Shi Xing’s poor health, everyone was anxious.

Thinking of something, Fu Qing said, “Since those six A-grade star beasts are useful, the S-grade star beast should have effects as well. Should we absorb it together?”

The two star beasts were kept separately, and the other one was on another warship.

As soon as this star beast was mentioned, before anyone could speak, Er Ya was the first to say, “No rush.”

“Star Xing just absorbed an SS-grade star beast, so let’s observe for a night to be safe. If there are no adverse effects, we can use it as teaching material.”

Fei Chu was stunned, “Huh? Teaching material again?!”

Fei Chu: “Sister, this isn’t our garrison star, it’s the main star of the Third Army!”

Knowing what Fei Chu was thinking, Er Ya explained, “Don’t worry, it’s not to train for cooperation; it’s just for training Shi Xing.”

Looking at Shi Xing, Er Ya tilted her chin slightly, “Hey, your ability isn’t flexible enough yet, right?”

Shi Xing admitted.

Er Ya said, “So that’s good. It’s just right to use that star beast for practice. The more you practice, the more you’ll master it.”

Chi Yao glanced at the time, “Is Star Xing still feeling unwell?”

Shi Xing clenched his fist and then relaxed, honestly stating, “I have a bit more energy now.”

Chi Yao replied, “Alright, let’s head back to the mother ship. Fu Qing, have someone clean up this mess of star beast juice.”

Fu Qing made an “OK” gesture.

In the Third Army, Lu Li’s residence received orders from His Majesty to hunt star beasts, along with his younger brother, Lu Lu, who had been knocked down.

Lu Li crossed his arms, observing the bruised face of Lu Lu and shook his head.

A subordinate immediately asked, “Do you need us to inform the First Army about the young master’s identity?”

Lu Li scoffed, “Inform for what?”

Before the subordinate could reply, Lu Li declared, “No need; this is fine. The officers following His Majesty are either exceptionally capable or from noble military families in the Imperial Capital. If it were officers from other armies, they probably wouldn’t dare hit a soldier without clarifying their origins!”

Lu Lu’s beating was purely because he had bumped into someone.

In the midst of the subordinate’s astonished expressions, Lu Li felt relieved, “Getting beaten is fine; someone needs to teach him a lesson.”

Stopping Wen Xi from treating Lu Lu, Lu Li ordered his subordinate to take him away and wake him when he came to.

Later, Lu Lu woke up, and every part of him ached when he moved.

He sat up with a gasp, shaking his hand; it felt weak and sore. He realized that his wrist had likely been dislocated but seemed to have been set by someone.

“You’re awake.”

A cold voice suddenly rang beside him, startling Lu Lu.

Once Lu Li turned on the light, Lu Lu realized his brother was sitting by his bedside.

Lu Lu patted his chest, “Bro, you didn’t say a word.”

Lu Li replied, “I wanted to see if you’d feel pain and could still be startled. Looks like the officers of the First Army have been merciful in their actions.”

Recalling how he had sneaked away for training that afternoon, Lu Lu was speechless.

Indeed, Lu Li followed up with, “You’ve gotten bold. You want to stay back in the Imperial Capital while the beast tide is piling up outside and not train properly. Tell me, what do you plan to do?”

The tone immediately turned serious as he added, “Approaching the royal mother ship without authorization, do you know what the military regulations say about that?”

Lu Lu fell silent.

Lu Li continued, “You should have been confined for a few days, then they would have sent someone from there to investigate your motives. A lighter punishment would involve submitting a situation report, while a heavier one would be a self-reflection.”

“The people who brought you back said their officers already taught you a lesson. The remaining punishment is for me to determine. How many days do you think you should be confined?”

Lu Lu nervously called out, “Bro.”

Lu Li thought he would say something but after that single call, his lips closed tightly.

It seemed he wouldn’t actively mention his feelings for Shi Xing.

The two brothers faced each other in silence.

Someone knocked on the door from outside to report on the hunting arrangements for the next day. After listening, Lu Li replied and stood up.

He wanted to check the arrangements.

Lu Li added, “Your mental sea has been healed, and Mom has submitted your resume to the First Military Academy; they’ve accepted it.”

Lu Lu’s face finally showed panic, wanting to say something, but Lu Li raised his hand to stop him, firmly continuing, “There’s still some time before school starts. If you behave well in the meantime, I’ll let you stay until the star beasts are cleared out.”

After a period, the Third Army would rotate with the Fifth Army along the boundary line garrison. Not just Lu Lu, but Lu Li and Wen Xi wouldn’t stay long here either.

“If you keep messing around and someone brings you back again, I’ll knock you out like Mom did and send you back to the Imperial Capital.”

“If anyone has any objections, sending you off today will be the same.”

That last statement silenced all of Lu Lu’s reasons.

Lu Li wouldn’t listen at all.

Before leaving, he thought of something and said, “You can consider today’s beating a lesson. Next time you think of clashing with royalty, think wisely about your identity and abilities, and see if you have the capability.”

“Tomorrow, the main star will release a batch of low-grade star beasts; you will still act with the team. Since they said it’s fine, I won’t confine you.”

“But what I just said is still serious.”

Lu Li left, leaving Lu Lu alone in the room.

Lu Li was always firm in his decisions, and Lu Lu understood that if he acted out again, his brother would indeed ignore his protests and send him back to the Empire.

Lowering his head, the light cast a narrow shadow on Lu Lu’s face.

Wen Xi outside the room heard everything and after Lu Li left, said with concern, “Are you really going to let little Lu participate in tomorrow’s hunting defense?”

Lu Li nodded, “Blocking won’t work; given Shi Xing’s situation, he shouldn’t show himself.”

After exhaling, Lu Li added, “Besides, if he doesn’t see the gap between the two sides, how can he let go of it?”

“You might not know, but I heard from the First Army that the little prince…”

An energy ripple waved through space, and soon, two white star beasts emerged from the ripple in turn.

The small star beast had already depleted much of its energy.

Following that, the tall star beast, too, was exhausted from its mental power consumption.

“Ow, ow.” The small star beast called out a few times.

It wanted to rest for a bit.

But its plea was ignored; the tall star beast swatted it into the atmosphere.

“Ow, ow, ow.”

It wanted it to get to work.

Reluctantly, the small star beast entered the atmosphere, running a short distance after landing and calling out twice more.

The energy fluctuations on this planet had already dissipated.

There had been too many star beasts arriving early; the air was filled with the stench of its kind, and no other scent could be detected.

The tall star beast had space-related abilities and was less sensitive than the small star beast, but it pushed the small star beast as it ran around the planet, receiving the same response before the two finally landed.

Upon landing, some oblivious kin didn’t move out of the way, and the small star beast used its mental power to crush those low-grade star beasts directly.

After a few of them died, the low-grade star beasts in the vicinity became alarmed and fled without a trace.

The small star beast began to eat its kin. It was very hungry after traveling for so long, accepting anything that came.

The tall star beast didn’t rush to eat; it circled the area twice to confirm there were only star beast footprints and no signs of human or other animal activity. It then howled again, and ripples appeared before it; it dove in, emerging from a distance on the planet.

The tall white star beast began to howl.

After running a lap around the planet, it howled again, using its talent to return to its original position. The small star beast had already devoured two of its kin, leaving one for the tall one.

Only then did the tall star beast begin to eat.

After both star beasts filled their stomachs and sought water from a nearby stream, what the tall star beast had been looking for finally arrived from all directions of the planet.

Feeling the surge of energy, the tall star beast stood straight.

Before long, several black dots appeared on the horizon.

As time passed, the black dots multiplied, flying closer, and it could be seen that they were all star beasts.

Among them, a large majority were mutated star beasts.

“Roar!” The tall star beast howled again.

Following the landing of the first star beast, the rest began to land in an orderly fashion behind the first.

“Ow, ow, ow.”

The small star beast began to inquire from the first arriving star beast.

When all the star beasts had left, after resting a day, the tall star beast began to howl on the planet.

The calls pierced through the clouds, carrying into space where the sound disappeared, but the energy carried from the planet continued to travel through space…

Shi Xing’s body condition changed rapidly.

Fortunately, this time it was heading toward the positive direction.

By night, Shi Xing’s high fever began to subside, and upon waking from sleep, his temperature had dropped into the low fever range.

His perception of the outside world became clearer as well. After checking, Shi Xing sensed the kind of fluctuation Er Ya and Chi Yao described. He could feel that the outer layer of his mental sea, like the inner layer, was undergoing an energy iteration.

But it wasn’t as frequent as the inner layer; even though an iteration frequency had appeared, the outer layer still felt lazy.

Er Ya checked once more, confirming that the kind of wave emitted by the outer layer’s iteration frequency had stabilized significantly.

The inner layer had remained fine the whole time.

“Your mental sea’s outer layer energy has also started to become active again,” Er Ya said.

Shi Xing knew.

The energy flow within the hollow structure at the bottom had begun to flow again, but compared to the time when absorbing the mutated mental power of the star beasts, it obviously wasn’t as excited. It felt more like an irregular energy surge, akin to… the mental threads undulating in the bottom of the mental sea.

Telling Er Ya this feeling, she paused for a moment before eventually acknowledging, “It’s very likely that they exist similarly to mental threads.”

The low fever hadn’t completely subsided, indicating Shi Xing was still in the transitional stage, but his physical condition had improved significantly, which was a good thing.

During breakfast, Chi Yao suddenly spoke, “Star Xing, has your control over mental power returned?”

Chi Yao continued, “This morning, your mental power didn’t spread out of control again.”

Shi Xing, realizing this now, looked at his hands and confirmed, “Indeed.”

Fei Chu asked, “So, is the lack of high-level energy that severe?”

Er Ya replied, “There should also be reasons related to the transitional phases; once the maturity period is over, things will stabilize.”

Hearing this, Shi Xing’s expression flickered, and after a moment, he responded affirmatively.

Shi Xing felt the same unease as Er Ya; it was worrying. It was already challenging, and he couldn’t be sure whether he would encounter other difficulties before the maturity period was over.

Looking back at his hands, he pondered something else—his surrounding dissipating mental power state hadn’t changed.

Before reaching the maturity period, the dissipating mental power would be even more uncontrollable, and he had yet to reach that stage.

In other words, he would have to wait until the dissipating mental power changed in his body before he could confirm he was close to crossing the maturity period.

For now, he could only say he was at the tail end, but how many more challenges would he have to face…

No one knew.

A glass of milk was placed in front of him. Chi Yao instructed, “Have your breakfast.”

Shi Xing acknowledged, shaking off his worries and focusing on eating.

Just take it step by step.

After breakfast, he underwent a medical checkup. The data supported Er Ya’s feelings; the energy in the mental sea was measured, and the fluctuation frequency had changed but stabilized a lot.

“Has the Third Army started gathering?”

Chi Yao asked Fei Chu before departure.

Fu Qing replied, “We started arranging last night. The isolation barrier instruments and the formation of the warships have been tested several times.”

“Today we relocated personnel, still sticking to the old approach: fixing the battleground in one place so the star beasts won’t interfere elsewhere.”

Chi Yao nodded.

The battle suit was too tight and uncomfortable, so Shi Xing didn’t wear it. His mental state had improved a lot, but it hadn’t reached the point where he could withstand the combat exhaustion.

Moreover, given his current capabilities, combat would mostly just be standing still; the outfit wouldn’t make much of a difference.

Xu Jin took out a special cloak made for logistics in the past two days, saying, “It can block wind and sand and partially cover mental fluctuations.”

It seemed Er Ya had informed him and was making preparations for Shi Xing’s dissipating mental power fluctuations.

Chi Yao inspected it, confirming the material was fine, and after asking Shi Xing, he personally helped him put it on.

In the morning, Chi Yao would take the officers to the Third Army for a meeting.

Shi Xing would practice his new ability control with Er Ya.

As they finished putting on the cloak, Chi Yao instructed, “The training area has had an isolation barrier set up; star beasts can’t escape, and wind and sand can’t come in, so don’t rush.”

Shi Xing nodded.

After a moment’s pause, their eyes met, and Chi Yao focused on Shi Xing’s face, gently rubbing his fingers against his cheek.

It was affectionate while carrying a hint of unspoken intimacy.

His voice lowered, “If you can’t do it, take it slow. Don’t train too intensely, alright?”

Shi Xing blinked, thinking that Chi Yao was worried about his health, and declared, “I’m much better today. The low fever situation is due to the transitional phase. You know I can handle it.”

Chi Yao replied, “I can’t.”

Shi Xing was taken aback, realizing at last that Chi Yao was genuinely concerned about him.

Seeing no one else around, he leaned a bit closer to Chi Yao silently, this time obediently nodding.

“Alright, don’t overdo it in training. If you’re tired, call it off.”

Chi Yao added, “You have to promise me.”

Shi Xing replied, “I swear.”

His answer earned him a gentle smile from Chi Yao. In the mother ship’s lounge, it was inappropriate to be too excessive, and ultimately, Chi Yao only kissed Shi Xing’s forehead before letting him go.

Once released, unexpectedly, Shi Xing leaned in to hug him again.

In a very low voice, barely audible to the two of them, he murmured, “Your Highness, don’t work too hard either.”

Chi Yao felt warmth spread inside him.

He responded with a soft “Okay.”

What Shi Xing didn’t expect was that there wasn’t just one teaching material in the form of a star beast, but also a pile of crystals, along with his subordinate, Ying Geng.

【Guardian ship ready】

【Confirmed】

【Barrier activated】

【Barrier constructed】

As the isolation barrier activated, the wind and sand in their training area ceased.

Shi Xing glanced at Ying Geng and then towards Er Ya, puzzled.

Er Ya stated plainly, “Extracting mental power can certainly be used not only against star beasts but is also effective against people from various planets.”

Er Ya continued, “Ying Geng’s mental power is at 3S, which is sufficient. He also battles using mecha. Today, I’ll demonstrate it once for you.”

Shi Xing responded, “Oh.”

Chi Yao sensed correctly; Shi Xing’s control over mental power had indeed improved significantly. With his physical condition recovering, he could even sense where his mental power was directed within the mental sea.

Shi Xing noticed something different.

Not only mutated mental power could be absorbed by the outer layer of the mental sea, but normal energy could also be.

“What does it feel like after absorption?”

After feeling it a few times, Shi Xing answered honestly, “I don’t feel anything.”

Er Ya raised an eyebrow.

Shi Xing clarified, “It’s like your perception of mental power; it just disappears.”

“Just disappears?”

“Yeah, it’s as if it never existed.”

Thinking of something, Er Ya murmured, “So, if a large amount of energy is absorbed using the outer layer without entering the inner layer, theoretically, your mental sea wouldn’t experience overload and collapse…”

The energy entering the inner layer needs to be absorbed and transformed into one’s own.

The energy entering the outer layer would directly disappear without the latter step.

If Shi Xing truly didn’t feel anything when absorbing energy with the outer layer, then theoretically, Er Ya’s description made sense.

An idea crossed Er Ya’s mind; she said, “You made me think of a legend…”

Shi Xing asked, “Huh?”

“Did you know some Blue Star humans actually have self-preservation abilities?”

Shi Xing wanted to say no but suddenly recalled Chi Yao mentioning certain mysteries about the Blue Star, and paused, unsure, “Are you talking about when the great beast tide appeared three hundred years ago, and some Blue Star humans had mysterious anomalies?”

Er Ya responded, “Oh, you mean the phenomenon where if a team of people ends up with only one Blue Star human left, that Blue Star human would survive?”

This was indeed something Chi Yao had told Shi Xing, although he didn’t know the underlying principles.

Neither did Er Ya.

Er Ya said, “This matter is likely the same as what I wanted to discuss. I know about this situation, the alliance knows, and the imperial royal family must have inherited it; it’s just that no one knows the principles.”

“I learned about it from a remote planet, from an old man who had interacted with a Blue Star human and was nearing death.”

Remembering the words of the old man, Er Ya distilled it into something Shi Xing could understand.

“It’s said that some Blue Star humans possess not only healing abilities but also the inverse.”

“I couldn’t find out what it was; by the time I arrived, the old man was already not very clear-headed, but he did say…”

Pausing, Er Ya looked up at Shi Xing, her brown eyes filled with mystery, “In the cognitive framework of Blue Star humans, death and rebirth are two sides of the same coin.”

“It felt like a riddle; just that one line.”

“What I initially related it to was my ability to absorb mental power, but this ability does not lead to death—until I saw you.”

Er Ya continued, “If the energy absorption is thorough, the physical body will disintegrate.”

But with the disappearance of the Blue Star, all of this could no longer be verified.

Er Ya merely mentioned it casually; after speaking, she had Shi Xing continue his training.

By the end of the morning, Shi Xing had grasped it quite well. Within a controllable range, his manipulation of mental power was very precise. Er Ya had fully mastered her skills, firstly enclosing the star beasts with barriers before absorbing energy.

The only downside was that the training was too standard, resulting in a relatively small amount of energy absorption.

In training, there weren’t any unexpected discoveries. Shi Xing’s level and mental power endurance had significantly improved to varying degrees.

In a natural state, the energy he absorbed flowing into the mental sea was chosen by the mental sea itself, with the inner and outer layers absorbing energy approximately equally.

However, since Er Ya proposed the idea of absorbing mental power using the outer layer, it naturally needed to be tested.

They had lunch nearby instead of returning to the main ship.

After eating, they took a half-hour break, and Shi Xing got up to complete Er Ya’s final training, only using the outer layer of the mental sea to absorb energy.

He tried from crystals to star beasts, and then to Ying Geng.

The training proved that Shi Xing could control the absorption of energy using the outer layer of the mental sea, while the inner layer indeed did not absorb. Having tried all three subjects, Shi Xing still felt nothing; the feedback was the same as before—he simply said the energy had disappeared, and he didn’t know where it had gone.

Er Ya glanced at the clock and received communication from Fei Chu saying everything was ready. He instructed them to remove the barrier and prepare accordingly, which Er Ya acknowledged.

At the same time, Shi Xing received a brief message from Chi Yao, 【I’m coming over】.

Er Ya had the barrier removed, and as soon as it was lifted, the energy within the barrier again connected with the outside. Sensing something, Shi Xing instinctively raised his head.

In the next moment, Shi Xing’s mental power uncontrollably spread out, and the levels involved and the extent of the spread were something Er Ya had never seen before.

On the ship, Chi Yao also sensed it and furrowed his brows, “Why has Shi Xing’s mental power suddenly spread out?”

As he spoke, all the officers began to feel it as well.

Due to the increase in abilities, they even felt the oppressive sensation brought by level differences.

This was very rare among Blue Star humans.

Such gentle mental power could even generate a sense of pressure, which showed how the gap in level had broadened to an unreachable extent for everyone.

Shi Xing’s mental power quickly seeped into two garrison points before heading up into the air.

Before Shi Xing even had time to react, that feeling of being observed surfaced, and his mental power instantly withdrew.

Shi Xing took two steps back.

Everything happened in a matter of moments.

Just as Shi Xing steadied himself, Er Ya was about to ask, but Shi Xing suddenly grabbed her wrist, “Contact the prince; something’s coming.”

“Star beasts, their level isn’t low, heading this way…”

Changing his tone, Shi Xing added, “Not just one, but several mutated star beasts are coming from that planet.”

Er Ya was stunned, and Shi Xing decisively switched personnel, “Ying Geng.”

Receiving a “Yes” response.

Shi Xing’s report and Lu Li’s report arrived almost simultaneously.

In less than ten minutes, the previously arranged hunting deployment was in place, while Shi Xing felt the mutated star beasts were also approaching the barrier.

Lu Li said, “There should be space-mutated star beasts inside; they haven’t used their talent abilities previously, which is why the communications officer misjudged their arrival time.”

“This morning we didn’t detect that group of star beasts.”

“Now…”

Shi Xing corrected him, “They’re not a group; they’re mutated star beasts coming from that planet.”

It’s a coordinated group.

Chi Yao raised a hand to interrupt Lu Li’s next comment, saying, “The reason can be explained later; the key is what to do now.”

The level of the star beasts has changed; what about the hunting plan?

Fei Chu immediately proposed, “Continue with the hunt; first send unmanned warships to consume and intercept them. The First Army will bring more people, while the Third Army’s arrangements remain unchanged, still providing rear defensive support.”

That was a stable arrangement and posed no problems.

As Chi Yao was about to give the order, Shi Xing denied, “No, just let them in.”

“Just right, I’ll test my abilities.”

Everyone in the Third Army widened their eyes at Shi Xing.

Shi Xing looked at Chi Yao.

After a long pause, Chi Yao finally nodded.

All arrangements for the Third Army would remain as they were.

The First Army would increase the forces, and fortunately, they had already discussed backup plans in advance, which would arrive in just a few minutes.

Shi Xing commanded, “Open all the defensive barriers. The main force of the mutated star beasts hasn’t arrived yet; we can’t have any damages right now.”

“Qin Jue, change the deployment of the guardian ship, using the guardian ship to establish a barrier. There are a total of three mutated star beasts; we will disrupt their coordination, and I’ll resolve them one by one.”

Qin Jue acknowledged. Lu Li was taken aback.

All the defensive barriers would be opened?

Noticing Lu Li’s gaze on him, Chi Yao stated, “Didn’t you hear Shi Xing’s words?”

This was an order to follow Shi Xing’s instructions.

Lu Li had to respond, “Understood.”

As they approached the main star, the mutated star beasts accelerated, and Shi Xing’s perception fully released; as the star beasts reached the edge of the atmosphere, he stated, “Three star beasts: one space mutation, one lightning mutation, and one I can’t identify; we won’t know until it comes in.”

That sense of dissatisfaction surged again from the mental sea; Shi Xing felt something stirring within.

He could keenly sense the energy contained in the star beasts’ bodies.

“The lightning mutation might interfere with signals; it shouldn’t be a matter of poor detection. It could be blocking satellite observation through some means,” Shi Xing further clarified, clearing everyone’s confusion.

Lu Lu was situated in this state and then saw Shi Xing’s figure from afar.

Though his face wasn’t visible and his entire being was wrapped in the cloak, upon seeing Fu Qing, Lu Lu instinctively felt that was Shi Xing.

Under this psychological effect, the resemblance from the first day had increased to seven-tenths today.

With the defensive barriers fully opened, the three star beasts rushed into the atmosphere one after the other.

They weren’t a single group, hence there wouldn’t be any tacit coordination; while in the air, they could easily be blocked from moving forward by the guardian ship’s barrier.

As the first star beast appeared before them, it was preceded by a high-frequency beast roar.

Lu Lu covered his ears.

But the person at the center of the scene didn’t act for a long time, watching as the star beast flew lower and lower, and Lu Lu saw Shi Xing raise his hand.

Lu Lu exclaimed, “Huh?”

Lu Lu was puzzled. “Huh?!”

And then an astonishing scene unfolded before the gazes of all members of the Third Army.

The star beast was frozen in mid-air and began to struggle violently.

Yet, the attacks not only failed to break Shi Xing’s barrier but were dissipated by Shi Xing’s barrier, transformed into absorbed energy, and before the star beast could self-detonate, its mental power was drained by Shi Xing, resulting in the shattering of its beast core and the disintegration of its flesh.

From high up, it fell as a puddle of blood and bones.

Shi Xing urged, “Release the second one.”

For the second star beast, it was the same process as the first.

Lu Lu was left speechless.

The third star beast had the highest level. As Shi Xing faced two mutated star beasts, he became somewhat exhausted. Just as the star beast broke free from his barrier, Lu Li, under immense shock, acted.

His strike was fast; the oppressive sensation of high-level mental power was uncomfortable, and a huge impact of energy erupted as he struck the star beast from the sky into the clouds.

As Chi Yao’s mental power encompassed it, the others opened their barriers, while the still motionless Lu Lu felt an overwhelming dread.

It was a crushing pressure that obliterated any resistance.

With Chi Yao stepping in, Shi Xing’s abilities began to act once more in his panic.

His mental sea couldn’t absorb another mutated star beast, but his outer mental sea…

Shi Xing sensed an overactive energy surge.

So, when that star beast charged once more, Shi Xing instinctively acted before everyone else.

It felt like an instinctive pull as he seized the star beast in the clouds and pulled it down.

An unfamiliar rush of energy erupted from Shi Xing, dragging the star beast from the clouds down to the ground, where it made a huge noise upon impact.

Extending his hand, Shi Xing took two steps closer to the star beast.

In that moment, the energy between heaven and earth began to sway under his mental power.

The disintegration of the high-level star beast was completed in an incredibly short time. Its howls were even less loud than at the beginning.

Before it could make a sound, Shi Xing drained its beast core’s energy first, leading it to disintegration.

“Shi Xing!”

Feeling the burgeoning energy within him, as the star beast completely disintegrated, Chi Yao didn’t hesitate to grab Shi Xing’s hand, pulling him back.

The transfer of energy was swift; Chi Yao’s mental power withdrew at a terrifying speed.

“You need to stop; otherwise, the energy in the air will fluctuate.”

“Shi Xing!!”

Chi Yao’s shout brought Shi Xing back to consciousness.

As Shi Xing noticed their clasped hands, his first instinct was to retract his hold, but Chi Yao wouldn’t let go.

“Control.”

Chi Yao insisted.

“Stop; you need to control your mental power!”

Sensing Chi Yao’s determination, Shi Xing gritted his teeth and began to self-regulate.

When the turbulent energy in the atmosphere finally calmed, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Lu Lu looked up again, left speechless.

In his line of sight, Shi Xing swayed slightly as he took two steps towards Chi Yao.

Chi Yao held onto Shi Xing’s shoulders, providing support for him, who had expended too much energy.

Shi Xing pressed his head lightly against Chi Yao’s shoulder, taking a restrained posture.

But in the next moment, Lu Lu’s perspective was vaguely able to see that with Shi Xing leading, discreetly, their fingers were entwined.