Returning to the Aier Mechanical Ruins

When Lu Yuan stepped out of the Land of Origin, the sky outside was still dark.

He lay on his bed, turning his next plans over in his mind.

First: now that he'd broken through to Third-rank, his current Mechanical Dominance ability should be more than enough to sweep through the Aier Mechanical Ruins.

He'd head to the Central Floating City first and secure the resources from its central zone — there would certainly be Third-rank cultivation materials at minimum.

Spirit Power cultivation had Spirit Power Gene Fluid covered, but charging the Evolution Cube still required Spirit Crystals.

He'd need to take some items from the Aier Mechanical Ruins to auction off and convert into Spirit Crystals.

At minimum, resources from Third-rank to Fourth-rank should be plentiful; with a bit of squeezing, Fourth-rank to Fifth-rank materials might be manageable too.

If cultivation proceeded without issue, the next priority would be the Evolution Cube's metamorphosis.

After the last metamorphosis, Lu Yuan had come to understand that Aberration phenomena likely contained some unknown quality beneficial to the Evolution Cube.

For it to undergo another metamorphosis, he'd need to seek out Aberration Feral Beasts or Aberration Entities.

On that subject, the first thing that came to mind was the Night Watchmen.

After all, all Aberration phenomena were tied to the Night Watchmen in some way.

And Li Qinghe happened to be an honorary elder of the organization — he could ask her about it.

For now, though, the Evolution Cube's current functions were more than sufficient.

Aberration phenomena were inherently dangerous, and that could wait.

There was also another important matter: Transcendent Genes.

He still had Wind Thunder Fury in reserve, but he'd need additional Transcendent Genes as well.

The school had plenty of valuable Transcendent Genes available, but they all required Credits.

Earning Credits was something he'd need to put on his agenda.

On that front, he already had Fourth-rank genes in reserve, so he could earn Credits just before approaching Fifth-rank Battle King.

That too could wait.

In the short term, Lu Yuan had no reason to worry about resources.

The only thing he truly needed to do was absorb everything the Aier Mechanical Ruins had to offer and push his cultivation to the absolute limits of what he could currently achieve.

Everything else could come after.

With his plans settled, Lu Yuan closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning.

Lu Yuan left his dormitory and headed to Si Tingyu's.

Si Tingyu's dormitory — the underground training room.

Si Tingyu sat cross-legged at the center of the room, dressed in white training clothes. Dense Spirit Power swirled around her.

Just then, she opened her eyes. A streak of light flashed through her golden-red irises.

On the staircase, Lu Yuan was making his way down.

"Instructor, I'm here."

Si Tingyu paused when she saw him, surprise flickering briefly across her eyes before a small smile formed.

"You broke through?"

Lu Yuan blinked, then nodded with a grin. "Yeah."

Si Tingyu's smile widened with satisfaction. "Not bad at all. Your talent is exceptional — your cultivation speed is far faster than I imagined. Very good."

"You flatter me, Instructor."

She shook her head, studying him for a moment before continuing with a smile.

"Whether for your own sake or the Empire's, the stronger your talent, the better. There's also something else I should mention — it may involve you at some point."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Instructor?"

Si Tingyu's expression turned serious. "Lu Yuan, do you know about spatial rifts?"

He nodded. "I've heard of them. They appear randomly throughout the universe, connecting two completely unrelated locations."

Now that he possessed Space Teleportation himself, Lu Yuan naturally understood that spatial rifts represented some kind of anomaly in the fabric of space.

But in theory, space within the universe should be incredibly stable. How could so many rifts be forming?

He knew at least that the rifts had existed for an extraordinarily long time — millions, possibly tens of millions of years back.

No records seemed to go that far.

If space were truly stable, there shouldn't be this many rifts appearing at random.

*Unless...*

His eyes narrowed, cold sweat prickling down his spine.

*Unless the universe's space wasn't as stable as everyone assumed?*

*What if the whole damn universe was going to tear itself apart because space itself was too unstable?*

The thought made his scalp crawl.

Apparently noticing his reaction, Si Tingyu looked at him with puzzlement. "What's wrong?"

Lu Yuan snapped out of it and forced a smile. "Nothing. Just thought of something."

If the universe really wasn't as stable as believed, there was nothing he could do about it anyway.

And he wasn't the only one with spatial-type genes.

Surely there were far more powerful figures out there who had mastered space.

If the sky started falling, there would be taller men to hold it up — it wasn't his problem to solve.

He was just a pitiful, weak, helpless Battle General, after all.

Si Tingyu didn't press him on what he'd been thinking. She simply continued.

"There are several spatial rifts within our Red Maple Empire's territory. One of them leads to a place called Ice Vein Star, which contains vast deposits of Ice Vein Crystal ore. Ice Vein Crystal has extremely broad applications — it can be used in Gene Armaments, technological fabrication, and much else. However, Ice Vein Star has other spatial rifts as well. One of them leads to a Gnoll homeworld."

Lu Yuan understood immediately.

Gnolls and humans had never gotten along — they competed over resources whether in the Land of Origin or the real world.

And now both races had found their way to Ice Vein Star. Another clash seemed inevitable.

He looked at Si Tingyu with a wry smile. "Instructor, what could someone like me — a fresh Battle General who just broke through — possibly accomplish in a conflict between two entire races?"

Si Tingyu smiled slightly. "Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be your concern at all. But right now, both the Gnolls and the Red Maple Empire have other enemies demanding their attention. Setting aside the Gnoll side — you just came back from the Endless Mountain Range defense line yourself. You know how stretched thin our forces are there."

Lu Yuan nodded. "Yeah."

"The Endless Mountain Range isn't our only active front. All told, the Empire's military forces are considerably strained. If it truly came to an all-out battle with the Gnolls on Ice Vein Star, we could manage it — but unless absolutely necessary, the Empire's leadership would rather preserve strength to handle other threats, more dangerous situations. Do you follow?"

Lu Yuan nodded, the picture coming clear. "I understand. The resources on Ice Vein Star are valuable and would accelerate the Empire's development, but some regions might directly threaten the Empire's security — so security takes priority over development?"

Si Tingyu smiled and nodded. "Exactly. And it's the same on the Gnoll side. Right now, both forces have over two million troops locked in a standoff on Ice Vein Star — but neither has actually engaged, because both sides are holding back. If this war truly broke out, regardless of who won, both sides would take considerable damage and potentially leave openings for others to exploit. So the Empire's leadership and the Gnoll leadership are currently working through diplomatic channels to find a resolution. If negotiations collapse, war becomes likely. But if they succeed, ownership of the Ice Vein Crystal deposits may be settled by other means."

Something clicked. Lu Yuan's gaze sharpened. "Are you saying these 'other means' might involve me, Instructor?"

Si Tingyu's eyes flickered. "You're quick, Lu Yuan. Indeed — if alternative means are used, they would most likely take the form of a martial competition. Talented warriors would compete in various formats, and the results would determine who controls the Ice Vein Crystal deposits."

Lu Yuan fell silent.

*So something like this exists.*

The weight of it was settling over him. This was tied to his nation's future, after all.

Seeing him go quiet, Si Tingyu spoke up. "Of course, this is only one possibility. There may be other ways to settle the matter entirely. And even if you're called upon to participate, the Empire won't have you work for nothing — whether it's Transcendent Genes, Gene Armaments, or Rare Natural Materials, there will be rewards. I give you my word as the Empire's First Princess."

Lu Yuan blinked, then smiled. "Instructor, it's not that I'm unwilling. If they truly need me, I'll go. I just feel a bit of pressure, that's all."

Truthfully, after the original owner's family had met their misfortune, he'd likely have starved long ago if the Empire hadn't provided for him.

If the Empire needed him, he naturally wouldn't refuse.

Especially when his instructor happened to be the Empire's First Princess.

Si Tingyu heard this and smiled. "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Nothing's certain yet — this is all just my speculation. Just focus on your cultivation for now. Come, let's continue with Steel Body training."

Lu Yuan nodded. "Sure."

After Lu Yuan's breakthrough to Third-rank, the Light Gate took longer to repair itself.

Three days passed before he could enter the Land of Origin again.

He materialized in his rented room.

Today he didn't head to the Training Hall. Instead, he closed his eyes and reached out to the invisible threads woven through his mind.

An instant later, white light blazed around him. When it faded, he stood in a vast, boundless city of steel.

Mechanical Guardians patrolled the steel-paved streets in large numbers, while mechanical aircraft drifted through the sky above like schools of fish.

The Aier Mechanical Ruins.

The corners of Lu Yuan's mouth curved up.

Coming back here felt like coming home.

He didn't summon Black Bear No. 1.

Spirit Power surged through him, and the next instant he was standing on the roof of a skyscraper more than twenty kilometers away.

Space Teleportation.

Crossing twenty-plus kilometers in the blink of an eye — incomparably faster than Black Bear No. 1.

He teleported again and again, each jump carrying him over twenty kilometers. In short order, the Central Floating City came into view ahead.

His purpose in coming to the Aier Mechanical Ruins this time was to enter the Central Floating City and access its Third-rank central zone — on one hand to acquire cultivation resources, and on the other to obtain Third-rank Gene Armaments.

His current Gene Armament was Second-rank Lord Grade, something most Gene Warriors could only dream of owning.

But as far as Lu Yuan was concerned, now that he was Third-rank, upgrading to a Third-rank Gene Armament was simply common sense.

Ideally, a Third-rank King Grade Gene Armament — one he could then evolve to Emperor Grade.

He glanced up at the enormous Central Floating City hanging overhead, then flashed through several consecutive teleportations. Before the fleet of aircraft stationed outside could even react, he was already inside.

Leagues faster than Black Bear No. 1.

The only drawback was that the farther the teleportation, the greater the Spirit Power cost. A jump within a hundred meters drained almost nothing. But a single twenty-kilometer leap nearly emptied his reserves entirely.

Fortunately, he had plenty of Spirit Crystals stored in his Battle-mark Space. Replenishing between jumps was no trouble at all.

Besides, he was the only one here. There was nothing to hide, no one to perform for. He could let himself run free.

Inside the Floating City, Lu Yuan scanned the dense forest of towering structures. He had no intention of wandering the outer ring aimlessly. After a moment's thought, he decided to first check one of the ten-kilometer towers in the outer zone.

He was genuinely curious. The Aier Mechanical Ruins had opened many times before, and plenty of people had entered the Central Floating City. Even if none of them had ever reached the core zone, the outer areas should have been swept clean time after time.

So why had there still been valuable items scattered throughout when he and his group arrived?

Were they automatically regenerated by the Land of Origin?

Or had someone been restocking them?

He wanted to see whether the treasures in the ten-kilometer towers had been replenished.

A few teleportations brought him to the plaza of one of the massive towers. When he found the plaza completely empty — no Mechanical Guardians, no bodies — he raised an eyebrow.

He stepped through space and appeared at the tower's entrance, pushed the door open, and walked inside. He searched every room, floor by floor, top to bottom.

Nothing.

A flicker of disappointment passed through him. He'd been hoping the treasures would have come back.

Apparently not.

Of course, it was possible they'd be restocked given enough time — he couldn't explain otherwise why the towers had always been fully stocked on every previous opening.

There was one other possibility he didn't want to entertain: that once the Aier Mechanical Ruins recognized a master, the Land of Origin simply stopped replenishing them.

If that was the case, he might genuinely cry.

Lu Yuan shook his head and pushed the thought aside.

His body vanished from the spot as he teleported toward the central core zone.

Down a steel-paved street, a patrol of Third-rank Mechanical Guardians was making its rounds.

Space rippled. Lu Yuan materialized.

The Mechanical Guardians spotted him and their mechanical eyes turned instantly crimson.

"Alert! Intruder detected. Initiating elimination protocol!"

They came stomping toward him in a chorus of heavy footfalls.

Lu Yuan glanced at them.

The Mechanical Guardians froze mid-stride, then dropped to one knee before him.

"Master!"

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

*Mechanical Dominance really does come in handy.*