Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 80 Ancient Civilization Relics

Time flows like water, passing by silently.

More than a month passed in the blink of an eye. Lin Yun's life became regular and fulfilling—during the day, he practiced the Sky-Piercing Shuttle and the "Basic Techniques of Spiritual Mind Master" in the training room, and at night he switched his consciousness to the Panlong World to practice the secret manuals he had obtained from Hong in the back mountain of Ernst Academy. The cultivation in the two worlds reinforced each other, and his progress was astonishingly fast.

On September 28, 2054, Lin Yun received an email.

The email was from the headquarters of the Ultimate Martial Arts Academy. The content was simple: please go to the headquarters on September 29th to assemble and go to the "Ancient Civilization Ruins No. 9" with the other War Gods.

Lin Yun's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the text on the screen.

Ancient Civilization Ruins No. 9. In the original story, this is where Luo Feng received the inheritance from Meteorite Star. Within the ruins lies an elite passage, accessible only to those with sufficient mental capacity. Those who enter can obtain the complete inheritance of Meteorite Star—including the cultivation methods of a mentalist and secret techniques for breaking through to the planetary level.

"I wonder if I'll be able to get into the elite channel," Lin Yun muttered to himself, leaning back in his chair.

His mental aptitude and brain capacity are likely far inferior to Luo Feng's in the original story. After all, Luo Feng was a born mental master with a brain capacity far exceeding that of ordinary people. His mental strength, on the other hand, was built up through acquired cultivation and the use of plant spirits; his innate aptitude might not have been that great.

But no matter what, he was going to give it a try.

"My primary task right now is to break through to the Planetary level," Lin Yun thought to himself. Reaching the Planetary level would greatly enhance his soul's willpower, and with his current understanding of the laws, he should be able to easily comprehend a domain. Then, his domain would gradually improve, eventually allowing him to truly step into the threshold of the laws.

That was his true path.

On the afternoon of September 29, 2054, Lin Yun arrived at the headquarters of the Extreme Martial Arts Academy aboard the Panlong.

The deep blue triangular fighter jet slowly landed on the tarmac. The hatch opened, and Lin Yun stepped out. Sunlight shone on him, casting a long shadow. He wore a black combat suit, with throwing knives tucked into his waistband and the Sky Shuttle slung across his back—although the Sky Shuttle could be stored in his spatial ring, he chose to carry it on his back to avoid revealing the ring's existence.

As soon as I stepped off the fighter jet, a staff member wearing the uniform of the Extreme Martial Arts Academy came up to me.

"Inspector Lin, please follow me." The staff member bowed slightly, his attitude respectful.

Lin Yun nodded and followed behind him.

The two walked through the headquarters building's long corridor and took the elevator to the basement. A heavy metal door slowly opened, revealing a spacious lounge. There were already more than a dozen people in the lounge, gathered in twos and threes, some talking in hushed tones, others resting with their eyes closed.

Lin Yun glanced at them and recognized several faces—all of them were War God-level experts. He had seen some of them in the War God Palace, while others were meeting them for the first time.

A dozen minutes later, a tall, alluring woman entered the lounge. She wore a red, tight-fitting combat suit, her long hair cascading down her shoulders, and her almond-shaped eyes swept over the crowd with an indescribable charm.

"The alluring beauty, one of Hong's three personal guards." Lin Yun recognized her. Each of Hong's three personal guards was a powerhouse surpassing the level of a war god.

"Is everyone here?" A seductive voice carried a hint of languor. "Then let's go."

Everyone stood up and followed Yao Rao out of the lounge. A large transport plane was already waiting on the tarmac. The group filed in, and the transport plane took off, flying towards South America.

Along the way, Yao Rao introduced the basic information about the No. 9 ancient civilization site to everyone.

"Relic No. 9 is located deep in the Amazon rainforest of South America and is the first ancient civilization relic discovered on Earth." A seductive voice emanated from the loudspeaker. "Inside the relic is a training ground where those who enter must complete a test. The test content varies from person to person, but without exception, it is extremely dangerous. Every year, war gods die inside, so..."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone: "If you want to back out now, it's not too late."

No one speaks.

Yao Rao nodded: "Very good. Then I wish you good luck."

The transport plane flew over the Amazon rainforest for nearly two hours before finally landing slowly deep in a dense forest.

Lin Yun stepped out of the cabin and was greeted by a clearing surrounded by towering trees. In the center of the clearing stood a huge circular building, entirely black with a smooth, mirror-like surface, without any seams. In front of the building was a circular passageway, the interior of which was pitch black, and its depths were impossible to discern.

"This is the entrance to Ancient Civilization Ruins No. 9." Yao Rao pointed to the circular passage. "Walk along the passage and enter that glowing mirror. It's not actually a mirror, but the true entrance to the ruins. Once you're inside, there's no going back."

She turned around and looked at the crowd: "My esteemed warriors, I wish you all a safe journey out alive."

Lin Yun took a deep breath, no longer hesitated, and took the lead into the passage.

The others followed behind.

The passage was long, its walls constructed of a strange, dark brown material that resembled intertwined tree roots, twisted and eerie. A damp, musty smell permeated the air, mixed with an indescribable metallic aura. Lin Yun's mental energy extended forward, but was blocked by some invisible force, allowing him to perceive only a few dozen meters ahead.

"Click click click—"

The sound of metal closing came from behind him. Lin Yun turned around and saw that the alloy wall at the entrance of the passage had closed, completely blocking his escape route.

There's no turning back.

Lin Yun turned around and continued forward.

At the end of the passage was a luminous "mirror." It was a huge screen of light, its surface shimmering with iridescent light, rippling gently like the surface of water. The moment Lin Yun reached out and his fingertips touched the screen, a gentle force pulled him inside.

Everything went black for a moment, then suddenly bright again.

Lin Yun found himself standing in a dark hall.

The hall was hemispherical with a high ceiling, from which beams of dreamlike light shone down, illuminating the entire hall in a fantastical way. The hall was vast, spanning several hundred square meters, but at this moment, he was the only one there.

"Where are the others?" Lin Yun looked around, his brows furrowing slightly.

It seems that each person enters through a separate passage.

Just as he was pondering, a mesmerizing beam of colorful light suddenly shot down from the roof and enveloped his body.

"XXXXXX..." A series of complex sounds rang out in the hall. It was an ancient language that Lin Yun had never heard before, with strange syllables and peculiar intonation.

Lin Yun looked down at the communication watch on his wrist. The watch's built-in translation software was rapidly analyzing the language. In just two seconds, the translated text appeared on the screen—"Please enter the B-type channel."

Immediately afterwards, ancient characters matching the pronunciation appeared on the screen.

The black hall began to tremble slowly, the ground cracked open, and a passage rose from underground. At the entrance to the passage were inscribed complex ancient characters. Lin Yun glanced at the translation on his communication watch—"Type B Passage."

Type B channel?

"As expected, they still don't think much of my qualifications!" Lin Yun smiled helplessly as he looked at the black passage. Countless blades flew out from his combat suit and instantly combined to form a Sky Shuttle. Lin Yun leaped onto it and steered the Sky Shuttle to fly swiftly into the passage.

Lin Yun stepped onto the Sky-Piercing Shuttle, transforming into a silver streak of light as he flew deeper into the passage.

The passage was long, winding its way forward. Lin Yun was incredibly fast, covering nearly a kilometer in the blink of an eye. The passage abruptly ended, blocked by a large alloy gate.

Lin Yun jumped off the Sky Shuttle and gently pushed the door open.

Behind the gate lay a vast plaza, several kilometers in diameter. The plaza's surface was made of some kind of silvery-white metal, smooth as a mirror, reflecting people's images. The rooftops were very high, their tops invisible, bathed only in a hazy, dreamlike light.

Lin Yun walked into the square and looked around.

Suddenly, the mysterious voice from before rang out again.

"XXXXXXXXXXXXXX..."

Lin Yun glanced at his communication watch. The translation software worked quickly, and text appeared on the screen: "Apprentice Lin Yun, your assessment mission is about to begin. Defeat your opponent and you will receive a generous reward. The maximum time to complete the mission is three months."

Before the words were finished, a blurry figure appeared in the center of the square.

The figure slowly coalesced from nothingness, seemingly composed of mercury, its entire body silvery-white, shimmering with a metallic luster. It gradually solidified, finally transforming into a human form—a black-robed figure wearing a silver-gray mask.

The man in the black robe was tall and slender, his face hidden behind a mask, revealing only a pair of emotionless eyes. His hands hung at his sides, motionless, like a statue.

Lin Yun probed the black-robed figure with his mental energy, but could not sense any life force. It was neither human nor monster, but a pure energy entity.

"A mentalist?" Lin Yun noticed the six throwing knives that suddenly appeared in front of the black-robed man. The knives were entirely silver-white, hovering in front of the black-robed man, trembling slightly, like six silver bees ready to devour their prey.

Then, the throwing knife moved.

Six throwing knives flew out simultaneously, incredibly fast and with treacherous trajectories. They didn't fly in a straight line, but rather drew strange arcs in the air, attacking Lin Yun from six different angles.

Lin Yun reacted extremely quickly. The Sky Shuttle beneath his feet instantly disintegrated, and six blades flew out from it, heading towards the six flying knives.

"Ding ding ding—"

The sounds of metal clashing were as dense as rain, and sparks flew everywhere.

Lin Yun's expression changed slightly. The black-robed man's throwing knives seemed to have a life of their own, incredibly agile, able to change direction with each collision, attacking again from unexpected angles. His six blades could only barely parry, finding no opportunity to counterattack.

"Two more." Lin Yun gritted his teeth and took out two more blades from the Sky Shuttle to join the battle.

Eight blades against six throwing knives finally stabilized the situation. But Lin Yun could sense that the man in black robes wasn't using his full strength at all. Although his throwing knife attacks were dense, each one left room for maneuver, as if he was testing, or perhaps... guiding?

Lin Yun focused his attention on the six flying knives, carefully observing their trajectories.

He discovered a startling fact—the black-robed man's throwing knife attacks, every single move, contained a certain pattern. It wasn't random attack, but a complete and systematic set of techniques. The trajectory of the throwing knife, the changes in angle, the control of force… every detail was exquisitely refined.

"He's teaching me." A look of realization flashed in Lin Yun's eyes.

The man in black wasn't fighting him; he was teaching him techniques for manipulating mental energy. Every attack was a demonstration; every clash was a pointer.

After realizing what had happened, Lin Yun stopped rushing to defeat the man in black robes and instead calmed down to learn while defending himself.

He memorized every movement of the man in black robes, studying and practicing them repeatedly. His blade work gradually improved from clumsy and awkward to nimble and fluid. Although he still couldn't match the man in black robes' throwing knives, his progress was clearly visible.

In just a few days, Lin Yun felt that his understanding of mental power had improved to a new level. He was able to predict the trajectory of the black-robed man's throwing knives, change direction at the moment of collision, and simultaneously control multiple blades to perform complex coordinated attacks.

What used to require eight blades to barely hold out, now only six are needed.

The man in black robes seemed to sense his progress, and the intensity of his attacks increased accordingly. The throwing knives were faster, their trajectories more unpredictable, and the coordination more exquisite. But Lin Yun was no longer flustered; he calmly responded, applying the techniques he had learned one by one.

A month later, two more throwing knives flew out in front of the man in black robes.

Eight throwing knives.

Lin Yun remained calm and also deployed eight blades to meet the challenge. His mental control ability had improved by leaps and bounds in the past month, increasing from ten blades to twelve, and his control precision was far superior to before.

Another half month passed, and the number of throwing knives the black-robed man had increased to ten.

Lin Yun accepted the challenge.

In another half month, there will be twelve handles.

Lin Yun still accepted the challenge.

With each additional two throwing knives, the complexity of the attack doubled. Twelve throwing knives attacked from all directions, their trajectories intersecting and their coordination exquisite, like an invisible net enveloping Lin Yun.

Lin Yun pushed his mental power to its limit. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his breathing became rapid, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

He saw it.

The trajectories of those throwing knives, seemingly chaotic, actually contain hidden patterns. They follow a certain mathematical model; every angle, every speed, and every collision exists within the framework of this model. Mastering this model allows one to predict the trajectory of the throwing knives and gain the upper hand in combat.

Lin Yun concentrated his mental energy to the extreme and began to try to take the initiative.

Under his control, the twelve blades suddenly changed their strategy. No longer passively defending, they actively attacked the black-robed man. The black-robed man was forced to divert some of his throwing knives to defend, disrupting his attack rhythm.

"Now!"

Lin Yun seized the opportunity, and six blades simultaneously broke through the defenses, heading straight for the black-robed man's face. The black-robed man's body swayed, transforming into a streak of silver light and vanishing.

The twelve throwing knives went out of control and fell to the ground with a clattering sound.

The square returned to calm.

"XXXXXXXXXXXXX..." The mysterious voice sounded again.

Lin Yun looked at his communication watch: "Apprentice Lin Yun, congratulations on passing the assessment. Please follow the passage ahead to see me and receive your assessment success reward."

At the end of the square, a new passageway appeared.

Lin Yun let out a long breath, stepped onto the Sky-Piercing Shuttle, and flew towards the depths of the passage.

At the end of the passageway was a palace shrouded in a dreamlike, colorful light.

It was a beautiful palace, seemingly inhabited by immortals. Colorful light flowed and lingered, weaving into various strange patterns in the air. The hall was vast, tens of meters long and wide, resembling the size of a stadium. The floor was transparent, allowing one to see the flowing light below. The roof was a soaring dome, inlaid with countless luminous gems, like stars in the sky.

Lin Yun jumped off the Sky Shuttle and looked around.

Suddenly, a large amount of colorful light converged, quickly forming a blurry, tall human figure. The figure became more and more solid, eventually transforming into a bald, crystal-like person.

Its body was transparent, with light flowing inside, and its face was extremely delicate—if it were human, it would be very beautiful. It wore a magnificent robe, its hands folded in front of it, and it floated silently in the air.

"XXXXXX..." the bald crystal man said with a smile.

The communication watch on Lin Yun's wrist immediately translated: "Hello, Lin Yun."

The bald crystal man glanced at the communication watch, and instantly, a beam of light shot into it from the palace. The watch screen rapidly displayed the manipulation process—it was deleting a large amount of translated information from the communication watch.

"You don't need to be nervous." A slightly metallic voice came from the bald man with crystal hair.

Lin Yun was naturally not nervous. He knew the identity of the bald crystal man in front of him—a rudimentary intelligent quantum computer split off from Babata. This No. 9 ancient civilization relic was originally the place where Babata selected the successor of Meteorite Star.

"No need for doubt." The bald crystal man seemed to see Lin Yun's confusion. "The development of humanity on this planet is all under my monitoring. Your changes in writing, culture, and history are all being monitored. Of course, I understand your writing and language."

Lin Yun nodded without interrupting.

"Actually, based on your mental strength and brain capacity, you shouldn't be within my assessment scope," the bald crystal man continued. "However, seeing the Sky-Piercing Shuttle on your body, I've decided to give you a chance. If your comprehension meets my requirements, I will make an exception and accept you into Meteorite Star."

Lin Yun's heart skipped a beat. It really was because of the Sky-Piercing Shuttle. It was a treasure Hong had obtained from ancient ruins, originating from the Meteorite Star. Babata recognized it, which was why he had given him a chance.

"But I didn't expect your comprehension to be so strong." The bald crystal man's tone carried a hint of regret. "It's a pity that your brain capacity is not up to par. Otherwise, you would be the perfect successor to Meteorite Star."

Lin Yun was silent for a moment. His brain capacity was indeed not as large as Luo Feng's; this was determined by his constitution and could not be forced.

"However, even if you join Meteorite Star, it won't be of much use," the bald crystal man said. "Your aptitude as a mentalist is too poor; you can only be an ordinary member. The resources left by the master are meant for the inheritors. Therefore, I can only have that black-robed man teach you the Meteorite Star Mentalist Control Manual—'Basic 312 Styles'."

Lin Yun bowed slightly: "Thank you, senior."

He had no complaints. He was already very satisfied to have learned the "Basic 312 Techniques." It was the core cultivation method for mentalists on Meteorite Star, more complete and profound than the "Basic Mentalist Techniques" that Hong had given him. The three months of battles with the black-robed man had already benefited him greatly, and if he added the complete Control Technique, his mental power manipulation ability would experience a qualitative leap.

"Furthermore, I have a secret method here for breaking through to the planetary level," the bald crystal man continued. "I will pass it on to you, hoping you will break through to the planetary level soon."

Suddenly, a projection appeared in the air, revealing a secret technique called "Nine-Nine Forging God." Golden characters flowed slowly in the colorful light, each character radiating a faint glow.

Lin Yun's heart began to pound violently.

Nine-Nine Refining God. A secret technique to break through to the planetary level. This was one of his biggest goals for this trip.

He held his breath, etching every word into his mind. The secret method consisted of eighty-one steps, each taking an hour and a half. During this ninety-nine-step tempering of the spirit, any pause would mean starting all over again; it had to be completed in one go. Once all eighty-one steps were completed, he could break through to the planetary level.

Lin Yun recited it silently several times, word for word, until he had memorized it all before he stopped.

"There's one more item," the bald crystal man pointed to the table beside him, "which is the Black God Set you mentioned."

Lin Yun turned his head and saw a set of black combat suits on the table, exactly the same as the one he had obtained from Kirishima. The Black God Suit, once it recognizes its owner, can transform into a layer of close-fitting black film, with extremely strong defensive capabilities.

"Lin Yun," the bald crystal man's tone became solemn, "I hope that when the true successor of Meteorite Star appears in the future, you can help him carry forward the legacy of Meteorite Star. At the same time, you must not reveal the matter of Meteorite Star's legacy to anyone."

"Don't worry, senior," Lin Yun said solemnly, "I definitely will."

The bald crystal figure nodded, its form gradually blurring. The colorful light faded, and the hall returned to its tranquility.

Lin Yun stood there, looking at the empty hall, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

He didn't receive the complete inheritance of Meteorite Star, but he did obtain the "Basic 312 Styles" and the "Nine-Nine Divine Forging Techniques." These two items are enough to allow him to go further on the path of a spiritualist.

More importantly, he received a promise—a promise to the future "successor of Meteorite Star".

That person was Luo Feng.

Lin Yun's lips curled into a slight smile. The future chosen one of the world, the guardian of Earth, the pinnacle powerhouse of the universe—no matter what, he would stand by him!

"It's time to go out." Lin Yun turned around and walked towards the exit.

At the end of the passage was a door radiating light. Lin Yun stepped inside, his vision went dark for a moment, then brightened again.

He was already standing outside the ruins.

The sun shines warmly on my skin. The air in the Amazon rainforest is filled with the fresh scent of earth and plants, and birdsong echoes overhead.

Lin Yun took a deep breath and smiled slightly.

After nine rounds of refining, the spirit breaks through to the planetary level.