Age of Evolution

After two consecutive successful spear strikes, Lin Zhen immediately got into the state, continuously attacking with his spear and starting a counteroffensive against the oncoming waves.

With each wave crashing down, his long spear rose to meet it, each strike was like a waterfall, endless – this was Long River!

The rumbling sound was unending. After thirty consecutive attacks, the river behind Lin Zhen was nearing depletion, revealing the riverbed and trees. The shore was covered in water, accumulated from the splashes of the waves.

“Shua!”

Lin Zhen stood with his spear pulled back, and the locked torrent was finally released, re-filling the riverbed. The water level slowly recovered.

Lin Zhen’s chest heaved, the excitement in his eyes gleaming.

“Finally, I’ve mastered the mystery of Long River! The only thing I lack now is proficiency. At present, I can only make the attacks last thirty times. I am not yet fully skilled in the use of my Dantian qi and the way my muscles exert force. To truly use it in actual combat, I need to be able to release at least a thousand consecutive attacks.”

“Fortunately, there is nothing pressing right now, I’ll stay here and familiarize myself with the Long River Spear Skill. It’s still not too late to leave after I have mastered this skill.”

“Each strike is like a waterfall. Even a regular War God would struggle to maintain this level of attack strength for a thousand times. The mystery of Long River is truly miraculous.”

After this round of practice, Lin Zhen’s Dantian qi neared depletion. He was still unskilled in exerting force, wasting too much Dantian qi. The real Long River was supposed to be endless and unstoppable. He had only grasped the main points, but the details were not yet perfected. He would need time to slowly practice.

Returning to his small nest to meditate and recover, after one session, Lin Zhen fell asleep, exhausted for the first time.

Downstream of the river, Su Mingyue squatted by the riverbank, gently combing her long hair through the water.

As a girl, especially one as beautiful as her, Su Mingyue was very concerned about her appearance.

She couldn’t stand being dirty all over. She hadn’t bathed since arriving at the Star Fruit Tree a few days ago and could hardly bear it any longer. Every puddle of water had Mutant Insects lurking in it, making it almost impossible to take a bath. When Su Mingyue sent her companions away from the Star Fruit Tree, she also thought about giving up and leaving.

But she persevered and eventually encountered Lin Zhen.

During the chase, Su Mingyue took many detours and eventually lost Lin Zhen’s trail. However, she didn’t give up and continued to search slowly to the north, as she saw Lin Zhen heading north when they first met.

After a while, she found this river.

This discovery thrilled Su Mingyue because the rapid river rarely contained Mutant Insects – the insects couldn’t stay in the fast-moving water. She followed the river and found a relatively secluded place to bathe under the cover of darkness.

But during her bath, something embarrassing happened. The rushing river suddenly stopped flowing, leaving Su Mingyue’s stunning body exposed to the air.

Her beautiful, trembling figure, waterfall-like hair, red lips, and sparkling eyes were incredibly eye-catching in the darkness. Su Mingyue cried out and tried to crouch down, but realized it wouldn’t help. She wanted to chase the water, but her clothes were on the shore.

Fortunately, the surroundings were silent, and no one was around. Su Mingyue hurried to the shore, put on her clothes, and blushed even though no one saw her.

It took a full three minutes for the water to start flowing again, and Su Mingyue was reassured that no one had seen her.

She had many things in her storage ring, both necessary for Martial Artists and daily necessities. After she washed up and the sky brightened, Su Mingyue sat by the river and gently combed her hair.

Looking at the Luo River Goddess-like reflection in the water, Su Mingyue was pondering why the water had suddenly stopped flowing. She was thankful it was nighttime – if it had been daytime, she would have been mortified.

A huge leaf spiraled down from the sky, landing and sticking several inches deep into the river, then washed away by the water current.

As the leaf fell, Su Mingyue noticed a small indentation in the water, caused by the leaf’s obstruction.

“A leaf… blocked the water.”

Su Mingyue muttered, then suddenly looked up, her eyes lighting up.

“Upstream! There’s something or someone upstream. Although I don’t know how they did it, they likely stopped the water flow.”

“Not many Martial Artists went north, and Lin Zhen was headed in that direction. That means if I follow this river, I’ll definitely find that annoying thief.”

Su Mingyue stood up, rare joy in her beautiful eyes, “Thief, if you’re responsible for this too, we’re definitely going to settle the score.”

She wore a long white skirt with a gold ribbon at her waist, outlining her fantastic figure. It resembled ancient clothing from before the Common Era. This choice had nothing to do with any retro-style, but was rather the standard attire of female followers of the Star Sky Divine Teaching.

As a Saintess, her demeanor was essential. Her skirt looked even more elegant and graceful.

Lifting her skirts to reveal a section of white and crystal-clear calf, Su Mingyue floated away, heading upstream.

Tang Yu and a girl walked through the forest, approaching the direction of Lake Heart Tree.

They were looking for Su Mingyue. The girl was named Yingying, and she was also from Capital Base City, a fellow member of God’s Grace Cathedral with Su Mingyue.

After meeting her companions at the platform, Su Mingyue didn’t return. They waited for a long time before deciding to come and look for her.

Before leaving, Su Mingyue had told Yingying that if she didn’t come back, they could look for her near Lake Heart Tree. She would leave the unique mark of God’s Grace Cathedral on her way.

As they were walking, they suddenly heard voices behind them.

“Hehe! Who do we have here? If it isn’t those rookie freshmen.’

Lin Zhen and Yingying turned around and saw two Advanced War Generals standing behind them.

They had seen these two before, the two Advanced War Generals of the 494th class. When they were snatching Star Crystals back then, the crystals were taken by someone else, and these two chased after them. They didn’t expect to meet them here again.

Lin Zhen coldly asked, “What do you want?”

The two Advanced War Generals had a cat-and-mouse smile on their faces. One of them said, “If you don’t have the skills of a hero, it’s best not to stick your head out. Where’s that beautiful girl in a white dress who’s with you?”

Yingying cut in, “What do you want with Ming Yue?”

“Hehe! Nothing much. We brothers have been holding back for three years in this lonely jungle. We want to find that beauty to help us release some steam, is that ok?”

“Shameless!”

Lin Zhen was furious when he heard them insult his dream lover. He flicked his sleeve, and his long sword stabbed out. At the same time, seven flying knives flew into the sky, attacking with full force!

One of the two Advanced War Generals had a knife and the other a spear, they fought with Lin Zhen.

Yingying also joined the fight, and the four people clashed for less than three minutes before Yingying was kicked away by one of them.

Facing these two together, Lin Zhen couldn’t hold on for long, which shocked him immensely.

Students who were three classes higher than them were simply too powerful.

He was a Level Eight War General and a Spiritual Mind Master of the Golden Middle Stage, and yet, he was no match for these two, something unimaginable outside.

Not being a match, and not lasting another minute, Lin Zhen was defeated in a sorry state.

Yingying’s injuries were not severe, and she got up. Lin Zhen ran over and grabbed her hand, “Let’s go!”

Stepping on a large sword, Lin Zhen flew away with Yingying.

From behind, one of the pursuers was also a Spiritual Mind Master in the Late Golden Stage, who stepped on a shield to chase after them.

Lin Zhen was almost desperate in his flight, deliberately choosing difficult places to pass through. This strategy worked, and after a minute, they finally shook off their pursuers.

But Lin Zhen did not dare to stop and headed straight for Lake Heart Tree with Yingying.

It was not until they saw the glittering lake that the two finally stopped.

“Phew! That was close. If we were a bit slower, they might have caught up with us.” Lin Zhen couldn’t help but pat his chest.

Yingying was even more moved, hugging Lin Zhen’s waist tightly, “Thank you,

Lin Zhen. You saved me. I want to be with you forever.”

Lin Zhen did not push Yingying away, allowing the young girl’s body to press tightly against him, even wrapping his arms around her waist.

After a while, the two separated, and Lin Zhen said, “Let’s go find Ming Yue now. Remember, you can’t do this in front of her.”

Looking at Lin Zhen’s charming face, Yingying nodded dazedly. She knew that she could not have a future with Lin Zhen, but she was willing to be his secret lover.

“Can you find the marks Ming Yue left behind?” Lin Zhen asked.

“Yes, let me search.”

As she said that, Yingying put on a pair of glasses and looked around.

“Found it, she went north. I can see the dust she sprinkled. If we follow this river north, we should be able to find her.”

“Then let’s go.” Lin Zhen hurried on. Although Yingying was also a beautiful young girl, she could not compare to Su Mingyue’s unparalleled beauty.

The two people left Lake Heart Tree and headed north. As soon as they left, the two people from the 494th class poked their heads out from behind the bushes.

“Big brother, why didn’t we finish them off?”

“Lao San, you don’t understand. They are just small fry. The real target is that beautiful girl in a white dress.”

“Hehe, you keep saying you’re not lecherous, but you’re always thinking about beauties.”

“You’re only half right. Sure, that girl is beautiful, but she has another identity. She is the Divine Woman of Capital Base City’s Gods Clan. As a Divine Woman, she must have a divine token on her, which is the real treasure.” “Oh! What treasure?” Lao San asked.

“Hmph! A treasure from an ancient divine ruins. Is it worth our effort?” “So it’s from ancient divine ruins. The things that come out of that place are unique and valuable!”

“That’s why I deliberately let those two rookies go. With them leading the way, we brothers will get both the woman and the treasure!”

“Well, let’s hurry then! Haha, a stunning beauty and a treasure from the ancient divine ruins, which one should I choose? How troublesome!” The two people from the 494th class quietly followed Lin Zhen, entering the

northern jungle..