novelTele Chapter 73 Hong's Summoning
Chapter 73 Hong's Summoning
After leaving Wudao Island, Lin Yun and He Lingruo traveled along the coastline of the Australian continent, training as they went, towards the rendezvous point.
With more than two weeks left until the end of January, the two had plenty of time and didn't need to rush as they had when they arrived. They traveled at their leisure, hunting monsters when they encountered them and resting when they found scenic spots. In late winter on the Australian continent, the weather was gradually warming up, with daytime temperatures already rising to the teens, and the sun shining warmly through the clouds.
He Lingruo's injuries were completely healed during this time. The Black God Set protected her vital organs, and although she didn't consume the three thousand-year-old willow heart roots, just carrying them on her body provided a constant nourishing warmth and life force. Her complexion improved day by day, and she became more talkative than before.
Lin Yun's Thunder Domain has improved rapidly in the past half month. He no longer needs to consciously maintain it; the domain operates naturally, just like his heartbeat. With the domain's enhancement, his swordsmanship has become even more ferocious. High-level lord monsters that appear extremely powerful to outsiders can no longer withstand more than three moves from him. He is only one step away from reaching the planetary level—the accumulation of physical strength and mental power.
The two walked along the coastline for three days and set up camp on a beach in a bay.
As dusk fell, the setting sun painted the sea a golden-red hue. Lin Yun sat on the beach, gazing at the distant ocean, his heart unusually calm. He Lingruo sat beside him, her spear resting across her lap, her gaze also fixed on the sea.
"Senior Sister," Lin Yun suddenly spoke.
"Um?"
"Have you ever thought about where the path of a martial artist will end?"
He Lingruo was silent for a moment, then said, "There is no end."
Lin Yun turned and glanced at her.
"Above the God of War level are the Planetary level, above the Planetary level are the Eternal level, and above the Eternal level are the Cosmic level." He Lingruo's voice was soft. "This road has no end. All we can do is keep walking."
Lin Yun nodded. He knew He Lingruo was right. In the world of Swallowed Star, the universe was vast and boundless, and powerful beings were as numerous as clouds. Earth was merely a drop in the ocean, and the planetary level was just the beginning. But when He Lingruo said these words, he realized that her understanding of this world far surpassed that of ordinary martial artists—how did she know that above the planetary level there were constant-level and cosmic-level beings?
"Senior sister, how do you know all this?" Lin Yun asked.
He Lingruo glanced at him, a slight smile playing on her lips: "The training camp's database has a lot of information, but most trainees don't have the necessary permissions to see it. You're currently ranked eighth, so your permissions are the same as mine. You can check it yourself when you get back."
Lin Yun nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
A night breeze blew, and waves lapped against the beach. The two sat by the campfire, neither speaking.
For the next ten days or so, the two traveled north along the coastline, traversing wastelands and jungles, occasionally hunting monsters.
He Lingruo's marksmanship also made breakthroughs during this period. Although she hadn't reached the half-step realm, her marksmanship became more fluid and smooth, just one step away from that threshold. She said it was Lin Yun's domain that influenced her—in the process of fighting alongside Lin Yun, she vaguely touched upon something indescribable.
"That's the rudimentary form of a domain," Lin Yun explained. "Your understanding of power isn't deep enough yet. Once your marksmanship breaks through to the half-step realm of intent, you'll understand."
He Lingruo nodded thoughtfully.
Their relationship had undergone a subtle change over the past two weeks. From their initial senior-junior relationship, to their later partnership as comrades-in-arms, and now—though neither of them had explicitly stated it, Lin Yun could sense that He Lingruo's gaze towards him had changed. It was no longer scrutiny, no longer approval, but something softer and gentler.
Once, they were resting by a river, and He Lingruo was squatting down to wash her face. Lin Yun stood behind her, watching her back, a feeling he couldn't quite explain welling up inside him. He Lingruo seemed to sense his gaze, turned around, and the two looked at each other for a moment before simultaneously looking away.
At that moment, the air seemed to freeze.
No one spoke, but some things don't need to be said.
The one-month deadline has finally arrived.
On the morning of August 31, Lin Yun and He Lingruo arrived at the meeting point on the Australian continent.
The meeting point was a vast wilderness with several large transport planes parked there. Hundreds of trainees had already arrived, gathering in twos and threes. Some were talking in hushed tones, some were quietly organizing their equipment, and some were leaning against their backpacks with their eyes closed, resting.
Lin Yun glanced at the crowd and noticed that many people wore expressions of exhaustion and weariness. Surviving a month in this monster-infested wilderness was no easy feat for anyone.
Shi Jiang and Chu Qiang were also in the crowd. When they saw Lin Yun and He Lingruo walking over, Shi Jiang's eyes lit up, and he strode forward to greet them.
"Lin Yun! Senior Sister! You're finally back!" Shi Jiang looked the two of them up and down, his eyes full of concern. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"It's nothing," Lin Yun said. "What about you guys?"
"We're alright," Shi Jiang said. "We encountered a few lord-level monsters, but we ran away when we couldn't beat them, so we weren't seriously injured."
"This training trip has resulted in significant losses." Shi Jiang's voice was low, and his expression turned grave. "Of the 180 people who went out, only a little over 160 have returned. A dozen or so trainees have been lost forever on this continent."
Lin Yun remained silent for a moment. A dozen lives, a dozen comrades who had trained, eaten, and laughed together in the training camp, vanished silently into the wilderness. Some were killed by monsters, some died in accidents, and some… perhaps for other reasons. But no matter what, they would never return.
"Has the list been released yet?" He Lingruo asked.
"It's out." Shi Jiang pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to He Lingruo. "This is a tally by the team leader. Thirteen people are confirmed dead, and four are missing. The missing ones... most likely won't be coming back."
Lin Yun took the list and scanned the names on it. He recognized some names, and he didn't recognize others. But at this moment, each name represented a person who had once been alive.
"The path of a martial artist is never smooth sailing." He Lingruo's voice was very soft, as if she were speaking to Lin Yun, or perhaps to herself. "All we can do is get back alive."
Lin Yun nodded and returned the list to Shi Jiang.
At 10:00 a.m., the teacher in charge began to count the number of people. After confirming that all the living people had arrived, he ordered the boarding to begin.
The transport plane took off and left the Australian continent. The barren landscape outside the window gradually receded, replaced by the azure sea. Lin Yun leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and replayed the events of the past month in his mind.
From the initial nervousness upon arriving in Australia, to the life-or-death struggle with the HR Alliance masters, to the epiphany of comprehending the Thunder Domain, to the fierce battle with the Willow King on Fog Island, and now—the journey home.
In just one month, his strength underwent a qualitative leap. He comprehended a domain, and was only one step away from stepping into the threshold of the laws. His spatial ring contained more than seventy spirit plants and two sets of Black God armor.
But his greatest gain was not these.
He opened his eyes and glanced at He Lingruo sitting beside him. She was also resting with her eyes closed, her profile soft yet aloof. Lin Yun looked at her for a moment, then looked away.
Some things are more precious than strength, wealth, or treasures.
The transport plane landed at the airport in Hong Nyong base city.
The trainees filed out and stepped onto the familiar ground. The white stone walls of the training camp gleamed warmly in the sunlight, and the nine-story building in the distance stood majestically, as if welcoming their return.
Lin Yun took a deep breath, feeling the familiar scent. A month had passed, and he was finally back.
He Lingruo walked beside him, her steps light and quick. A faint smile graced her face, the kind of relaxed smile that comes from surviving a disaster and finally returning home.
"Senior sister, go back and get some rest," Lin Yun said.
"You too." He Lingruo glanced at him, a glint of something in her eyes. "See you tomorrow."
The two parted ways at the crossroads of the training camp and headed towards their respective dormitories.
Lin Yun pushed open the courtyard gate of Jiangnan Pavilion and entered his own room. He took off his combat uniform, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and then lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.
My body is exhausted, but my mind is energized. The experiences of the past month keep replaying in my mind. Every battle, every breakthrough, every moment is as clear and profound as if etched deep in my memory.
On the morning of the second day after returning to the training camp, Lin Yun was practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard when He Lingruo came out of her pavilion.
"Lin Yun," she called out to him.
"Senior Sister?" Lin Yun sheathed her sword and turned around.
"Inspector Liu just contacted me." He Lingruo's expression was somewhat complicated. "The curator wants to see us."
Lin Yun was slightly taken aback. The master of the hall—the world's strongest expert, "Hong".
"When?"
"Now."
The two exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and walked out of Jiangnan Pavilion together.
Inspector Liu was already waiting in the training camp square. Seeing them approach, he nodded, said nothing, and turned to walk out of the training camp.
Lin Yun and He Lingruo followed behind him. The three of them remained silent the entire way. Inspector Liu's expression was calm, but Lin Yun could sense that his mood wasn't as relaxed as it appeared.
Outside the training camp, a couple of extended cars were already waiting. Inspector Liu got into the car first, followed closely by Lin Yun and He Lingruo.
Soon, the car arrived at the headquarters of the Extreme Martial Arts Academy, a gigantic spaceship-like building tens of thousands of meters long and about a hundred meters high. This giant spaceship building had a huge hatch tens of meters wide, large enough for people to enter. At this moment, outside this giant spaceship building... a large number of troops were stationed, making it appear very heavily guarded.
"This is the headquarters of the Limitless Martial Arts Academy," Inspector Liu's voice came from the front. "Besides the Inspector and the Master's personal guards, very few people can enter."
"The curator is waiting for you inside." Inspector Liu pushed open the door. "Go in."
Lin Yun took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The room was large, but simply furnished. One wall was a floor-to-ceiling window, outside which stretched a lush green bamboo grove. In the center of the room stood a large desk, behind which sat a man.
He was about 1.9 meters tall, wearing black trousers and a black jacket, with a neat buzz cut... At first glance, he gave the impression of a long spear about to pierce the sky. His face didn't reveal his age, he seemed to be in his twenties, but his aura was clearly not something an ordinary young man could possess.
Hong. The world's strongest person.
Lin Yun bowed slightly: "Master."
He Lingruo also bowed in greeting.
Hong's gaze fell upon the two of them, calm and profound. Lin Yun felt utterly exposed under that gaze, as if all his secrets had been laid bare.
"Sit down." Hong's voice was calm, but every word struck his heart like a heavy hammer.
Lin Yun and He Lingruo sat down in the chairs opposite each other at the desk.
"Lin Yun." Hong looked at Lin Yun first. "Your mental power is very strong. You should be only one step away from reaching the planetary level, right?"
Lin Yun was not surprised at all. Hong's soul realm was too strong. Of the three realms of mind cultivation on Earth, he was the only one who had reached the third realm. That level of perception far exceeded his imagination.
"Yes," Lin Yun said.
Hong turned his gaze to He Lingruo, "He Lingruo, your marksmanship is about to break through, not bad."
He Lingruo bowed slightly: "You flatter me, Master."
Hong nodded, took two documents from the drawer of his desk, and pushed them in front of the two men.
"This is your reward," Hong said. "The martial arts school has already sent people to explore the Fog Island you discovered. According to the internal distribution rules, whoever discovers a treasure trove and reports back will receive 10% of the martial arts school's findings. You two will each receive 5%. The exact amount is here."
Lin Yun opened the document, which detailed the types and quantities of plant spirits that the martial arts school had collected on Fog Island, as well as his share, and the figures were astonishing.
"Furthermore," Hong continued, "I have already subdued the Cloud Vine on Fog Island." Hong's voice was calm. "You have done a great service in this matter, so in addition to material rewards, I will also give you a chance to exchange for treasure."