Cultivation Online

’I wasn’t expecting anyone to find me so soon...’ Yuan sighed inwardly.

He had finally been given the freedom to roam outside the city alone and train to his heart’s content, and while he’d already gained a lot, he was nowhere near satisfied. Returning now would feel like wasting such a rare opportunity.

"Corporal Yuan? Why are you remaining silent?" The Ironwoman asked a moment later.

"Ahem." Yuan cleared his throat and responded, "I’m training right now."

"Excuse me?"

Ironwoman raised her eyebrows behind her mask, wearing a puzzled look on her face.

"You’re... training?" she muttered in a dumbfounded tone.

"What about the Scorpion Squad? Weren’t you kidnapped by them? At least, that’s what half the military believes right now!"

Yuan chuckled and said, "I wouldn’t call it kidnapping since I willingly agreed to come out here with them."

"So what you’re telling me is that the Scorpion Squad is innocent?"

"Well, that depends on what you’re charging them with. If it’s kidnapping, then yes, that would be inaccurate. But if you’re charging them with conspiracy to commit murder, then you’d have a case."

"If they were really trying to kill you, why did they leave without you? We encountered them on the way here and have arrested them, you know?" said the Ironwoman.

"Whether they are capable of killing me or not is an entirely different story," Yuan responded with a calm smile. "They tried to kill me, but they lack the capability, so they gave up."

The Ironwoman released a weak sigh before asking, "What about the Unknown Ores on the ground? Where did they come from?"

Yuan looked at the Unknown Ores scattered across the ground and replied with a poker face, "I don’t know."

He couldn’t come up with a convincing excuse, so he decided it would be better to simply feign ignorance.

"..."

The Ironwoman stared at Yuan in silence. Although she could tell that he was withholding information from her, she ultimately decided not to press him for answers. After all, the most important thing was that he was still alive. Moreover, it was not her mission to question him.

"Let’s return to the city now. You can explain everything to General Mei," she said a moment later.

However, just as she turned around and prepared to leave, Yuan spoke, "Sorry, but I don’t want to return to the city."

"What did you just say?"

The Ironwoman’s movements froze for a second before she turned to look at him with a puzzled expression.

Yuan sighed and explained, "If I wanted to return to the city, I would’ve done so already. But as I mentioned earlier, I am training. Do you have any idea how hard it is for a new soldier like me to come out alone? Now that I have the opportunity to do so, I don’t want to return until I am finished."

"Do you have any idea how many people are waiting for your return? Many of them probably already think you’re dead."

"That’s even better," Yuan chuckled. "If they already think that I am dead, I might as well stay out here for a little longer. As for General Mei, you can tell her that I am still alive and doing well—that I will return as soon as I finish my training. I’m sure she’ll understand."

After another moment of silence, the Ironwoman shrugged. "My mission was to find you, and since I’ve done exactly that, I’ve technically completed it. Whether you return with me or stay out here is none of my concern."

She paused briefly before continuing, "That being said, I want to at least make sure you can take care of yourself in the Black Zone before I head back and get an earful from General Mei for leaving you out here alone."

"Thanks," said Yuan.

Knowing the Ironwoman’s identity, Yuan already had a feeling that she wouldn’t force him to go back to the city, so he wasn’t too surprised by it.

Some time later, Yuan resumed his training, eliminating every Void Specter he encountered. However, now that he was no longer alone, he stopped gathering Unknown Ores.

He hadn’t minded letting the Scorpion Squad witness his unusual methods, since there was a good chance no one would believe anything they said anyway. The Ironwoman, however, was a different story. Even though Yuan trusted her, explaining everything would be far more trouble than it was worth.

’This guy... he’s defeating the Void Specters with ease!’ The Ironwoman quickly found herself stunned by Yuan’s unfathomable prowess.

The Void Specters within the Black Zone were on an entirely different level from those in the Purple Zone. Not only did they possess humanoid forms similar to Elite Void Specters, but their strength was comparable as well.

’I knew he was hiding his strength, but I could’ve never imagined it was to such a degree! A corporal dominating the Black Zone that even top officers are not able to do so? It’s no wonder that General Mei cares so much about him!’

The more the Ironwoman watched Yuan, the less she understood him—his very existence.

"Where’d you learn to fight like that?"

The Ironwoman could no longer hold her tongue and asked Yuan.

"Would you believe me if I said that I learned it from another world?" Yuan responded with a smile.

"Another world, huh? Is that a metaphor for another city, or are you telling me that you came from beyond this sky—from another star?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you’re pulling my leg," she said.

Then, she asked, "Anyway, I noticed that you’ve stopped digging up Unknown Ores. You don’t have to mind me and just keep doing what you’ve been doing, you know?"

"Are you going to question me about it?"

"Well, I am questioning you now precisely because you stopped. If you’re worried about revealing your secrets, I promise I won’t tell anyone."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Yuan started gathering Unknown Ores and absorbing their Eternal Essence again.

The Ironwoman quietly picked up a few of the Unknown Ores Yuan had left behind and examined them closely, but she couldn’t find anything unusual about them.

This only left her more puzzled. From her perspective, Yuan was simply pulling the ores out from underground before tossing them aside like worthless trash—an utterly pointless action.

’Is he looking for a specific Unknown Ore or something?’ she wondered inwardly.

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