These were his own people now—and this Li Zhilin was clearly a talent. A person like that, if not one of his own, could be left alone. But once someone became one of his own, Yi Tianxing had no intention of shortchanging them. After all, the man had signed a lifelong contract, completely offering up his life and loyalty. That made him trustworthy. With resources at hand, why not share?
If he grew stronger, their overall strength would grow too.
Simply relying on an awakened ability from a life aperture wouldn't be enough to stir up waves in this era. He would eventually be surpassed. Only by truly becoming a cultivator, continuously growing and evolving, and reaching a new level of existence could one truly become powerful.
"The Sutra of Sitting Oblivion ("坐忘经")."
Li Zhilin looked at the book in his hands. The title leapt into his eyes, and a wave of joy instantly surged in his heart. He knew at once that this was no ordinary scripture but a legendary cultivation technique—a supreme ladder leading to the path of true cultivation. Even with his calm mind, his hands couldn't help but tremble slightly. He forcibly suppressed the urge to open the book immediately.
Li Zhilin didn't even thank Yi Tianxing.
In this situation, words of gratitude meant little. With the relationship they now had, such external gestures were no longer necessary.
"President Li, you really sold yourself," Liu Qingqing giggled as she walked over and sat by the fire after their conversation ended. "But following Master Yi really is the safer bet. If I had your contract scroll, I might've sold myself too."
She knew why Li Zhilin had come. Back at the school, they'd had a good relationship—both were student council members with long-standing camaraderie. She had personally seen Li Zhilin pick up that contract scroll.
She hadn't tried to stop him from pledging himself to Yi Tianxing—even if it meant exchanging a lifetime of loyalty for a gamble—because she understood his circumstances well. The cataclysm gave him a hope he'd never had before.
"Sisters, I'm Liu Qingqing—you can just call me Qingqing. And thank you, Brother Yi, for saving us earlier. If not for you, we students would've all died under the claws of those rats, left with nothing but bones. You really saved our lives."
Liu Qingqing was lively and unreserved, immediately calling them "Brother" and "Sister." Her voice was sweet and charming.
"What a little enchantress," Yi Tianxing thought as he looked at her—petite frame, yet shockingly full curves that any woman would envy. Her figure was every man's dream. With each breath, her chest subtly trembled, outlining irresistible arcs. Combined with her angelic face, the allure was simply too much to resist.
Even Yi Tianxing, seeing her for the first time, couldn't help a ripple of excitement in his heart.
Truly a temptress.
Her seductive power surpassed even Tang Zitong or Chen Xuerou—not because of a disparity in beauty, but due to the sheer impact of the contrast: an angel's face and a devil's body. That contradiction created a charm few could resist.
"It was just a passing gesture. No need to dwell on it," Yi Tianxing said calmly, casting her a deep glance before turning his attention back to the fire and his food.
In the underground garage, everyone still had a decent amount of food. After all, the disaster had only just begun. People had grabbed plenty of supplies from home, and many were eating sparingly. The students, while fleeing, had also scrounged up food, and even some monster meat was edible.
Food shortages hadn't hit yet—people just couldn't eat their fill.
Everyone understood: in the apocalypse, food was the most precious resource.
Liu Qingqing was cheerful and talkative. Being of similar age to Zhao Ziyan and the others, they quickly warmed up to each other, laughing and calling each other "sister" in no time.
Before long, Li Zhilin took the Sutra of Sitting Oblivion and retreated to a corner. As he began to read, his entire mind sank into its contents. He immediately started trying to visualize the diagram of Innate Primordial Qi . His mind immersed itself deeply, oblivious to the outside world.
Yi Tianxing paid it no mind.
After all, the earlier meteor strike had interrupted his cultivation. But during that moment of disaster, the energy flow along the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian had surged ahead, breaking through layer after layer. Now, only seven acupoint barriers remained before the entire meridian would be fully opened—allowing the energy to flow freely like a river.
This time, he was determined to break through completely in one go.
Having gone through it once before, he was already familiar with the process. With the True Dragon Qi fully restored, he resumed his assault—now with momentum. One wave of True Dragon Qi surged after another, smashing through obstructions. Although the earlier failure had left behind some residual impurities and toxins, they were swiftly swept away.
Even the metaphorical boulders blocking the meridian were bitten down, crushed bit by bit.
His speed in opening the meridians was several times—dozens of times—faster than that of ordinary cultivators.
Before long, barrier after barrier shattered.
Boom!!
When the final barrier crumbled and the last boulder was devoured, the entire Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian was fully opened. It gleamed with a white jade-like brilliance, covered in dragon patterns, exuding a majestic aura. At the moment of completion, a mighty dragon's roar echoed within the meridian, like a slumbering dragon awakening.
Gurgle gurgle gurgle!!
In that instant, streams of Heaven and Earth energy began pouring into his meridians naturally. These multicolored currents had not yet been refined—they needed to be tempered into True Dragon Qi.
And because his meridian river was so vast, the amount of energy it could draw in at once was dozens of times greater than that of ordinary cultivators. The width of one's meridians determined the intake of Heaven and Earth energy: fragile meridians drew mere trickles; river-wide ones absorbed torrents.
Amid this surge, True Dragon Qi danced like spirits in the river, lively and vibrant.
Meridians were the riverbeds.
Heaven and Earth energy was the water.
True Dragon Qi was the spirit of the current.
"Finally—it's open. Divine Sea Realm, Second Level. Now, True Qi can surge through my arms in an instant and be infused into my weapons, unleashing their full power. Even an ordinary weapon, once infused with True Qi, can rival a divine artifact."
Yi Tianxing was ecstatic. Now that his meridians were open, his strength could be fully unleashed—a true power boost.
Opening a single meridian marked his formal entry into the Second Level of the Divine Sea Realm.
Streams of energy flooded through the opened meridian into his Divine Sea, forming multicolored clouds that hovered above it. His visualized Ancestral Dragon hovered nearby and began to swallow the clouds, refining them into True Dragon Qi, which then poured into the Divine Sea.
The entire process was smooth and natural.
Even the depths of the Divine Sea surged with previously stored energy. Now, with one meridian open, the incoming energy was several times greater than before—accelerating his cultivation.
He had entered a positive feedback loop—the stronger he got, the faster he could grow.
"What is that?"
As Yi Tianxing cultivated, a vortex of energy silently formed around him, drawing in the surrounding Heaven and Earth energy. Liu Qingqing, who hadn't fallen asleep, noticed this strange phenomenon. Her eyes widened in silent amazement—but she didn't say a word. Instead, the sparkle in her eyes deepened. Her interest in Yi Tianxing had grown even more intense.
Time passed quietly.
The meteor disaster had caused unimaginable destruction, wiping out vast portions of civilization. Some meteorites had slammed directly into cities, reducing them to rubble. Others landed in oceans, triggering massive tsunamis. The damage was apocalyptic.
The devastation was absolute.
And just like that, another day slipped by. It was now Day Five of the Great Cataclysm.
In the early hours of that morning, someone suddenly cried out in fear.
Panic. Terror. Screams echoed all around.