Translator: AnubisTL
Viola had previously mentioned being selected as an elite combat unit to support this bizarre otherworld, which made perfect sense.
Finding a familiar person to test would undoubtedly be easier than searching for a stranger to discern truth from falsehood and gather effective information.
"It's decided. The next goal is to confirm Senior Viola's true status."
With his next course of action clear, the lingering sense of bewilderment in Jieming's heart dissipated slightly.
He lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and once again sank his mind into his dantian.
The mobilization of spiritual power, under the relentless "self-adaptation" of the Body Tempering Method, seemed to have improved slightly in efficiency.
The estimated time to successfully connect with his internal space had been shortened again.
The first light of dawn seeped through the gaps in the window curtains, casting long, slender patches of light across the floor.
Jieming slowly opened his eyes. The whites were shot through with bloodshot veins from his all-nighter, and dark circles of exhaustion framed his sockets.
Yet, in stark contrast to his haggard appearance, an irrepressible glow of excitement shone in his eyes, and a faint, relieved smile touched his lips.
I did it!
After an entire sleepless night of grueling, single-minded focus, that wisp of spiritual power—as thin as a spider's silk yet as heavy as lead—had finally, at the break of dawn, managed to touch the invisible barrier of the internal space's entrance!
Jieming could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Truth be told, he had simply been lucky.
If the "meditative state" in the cultivation system had been a "level-based" ability purely dependent on mental power, rather than a "realm" tied to one's state of mind and comprehension, he would never have been able to perform such a delicate operation as introspecting his dantian. His current mental strength, suppressed to the level of an ordinary person, would have made it impossible.
His own spiritual power was, after all, the product of the fusion of essence, qi, and spirit, naturally bearing the imprint of his will.
The very instant that slender thread of spiritual power established a connection with the entrance to his internal space...
Vrumm!
A strange sense of resonance washed over him. Jieming felt his spirit suddenly lighten, as if he had broken through some thick, heavy membrane. A familiar and welcoming aura enveloped the tiny wisp of willpower he had sent probing inward.
I'm in!
Though he could only project an incredibly faint wisp of his spirit, the moment it entered his internal space, it became markedly more active and agile. It no longer felt like dancing in heavy shackles, as it did in the outside world.
As I suspected... my internal space has already taken the form of a nascent plane, possessing its own independent foundation of rules. This allows it to partially offset the suppression from the outside plane! Jieming realized.
Unfortunately, the total amount of mental power he could project was too small. This "liberation" only made controlling this wisp of willpower more flexible; it was far from enough to shatter the shackles imposed by the outside world.
Without a moment's delay, he drove his will through the wisp of spirit, heading straight for the automated factory in the core region of the space.
Inside the factory, various precision instruments continued to hum and operate in an orderly fashion.
Jieming's "gaze" immediately locked onto the timer on the main control console, its numbers constantly ticking forward.
The clear numbers met his "eyes."
Six years, four months, seventeen days, eight hours, and thirty-two minutes...
Jieming's heart sank violently, then he let out a long sigh of relief.
Over six years!
From the moment he fell into this plane until now, over six years had already passed in the outside world!
More than half of the ten-year deadline set by the Second Expeditionary Force command had already elapsed!
A sense of urgency surged over him like a cold tide, only to be immediately suppressed by a wave of relief.
Thank goodness, time hasn't run out yet!
There were still nearly four years left.
Though not generous, it at least gave him a chance to struggle and break the deadlock, preventing him from immediately facing the worst-case scenario.
His willpower swept over the Black Giant Legion, which stood silently in the distance like black mountains, and the vigilance units patrolling the edge of the spatial barrier like ghosts.
They were stable and fully charged, silently awaiting their master's call.
Jieming tried to mobilize a thread of his mental power, attempting to send a small, reconnaissance-type rune-imbued magical artifact out of his body.
However, the moment his will moved, it felt like a stone sinking into the ocean.
The spell artifact was blocked at the spatial entrance by an invisible, powerful force, completely unable to penetrate.
"As expected, it's impossible..." Jieming wasn't too disappointed.
The outside world's suppression of transcendent power was all-encompassing, and it clearly included a spatial lockdown.
Furthermore, his main body's mental power was severely limited. He was like a weakened man; no matter how many weapons were in the warehouse, he couldn't drag them out through the locked-tight doors.
The hope of breaking the deadlock by relying on the reserves in his internal space seemed slim at this point.
"Still, confirming the time is the biggest gain!"
His willpower turned back to the information terminal set up within the space.
The terminal successfully booted up, and the light screen lit up, but it displayed a glaring red warning—No Signal Connection.
"Even the information stream is completely intercepted... This plane's isolation is more thorough than I imagined," Jieming thought grimly.
This meant that trying to transmit information to the outside world through his internal space was also nearly impossible.
Calming his mind, Jieming slowly withdrew the wisp of spirit he had sent in.
As his consciousness returned to his main body, a wave of intense fatigue washed over him.
After a rest, Jieming made a firm decision: his plan had to be accelerated!
Over the next few days, Jieming's state at school underwent a subtle change.
He was no longer passively absorbing classroom knowledge. Instead, he began actively and purposefully seizing every available moment, voraciously devouring the various knowledge systems of this world. From basic sciences to social humanities, he sought a deeper understanding of the rules governing this "stage."
At the same time, he started subtly probing Amy for more information about her aunt, Viola—her work habits, her frequent haunts, her recent schedule, and so on.
This unusual level of interest put Amy on high alert. She watched Jieming with a worried expression and pleaded earnestly, "Jieming... you don't actually have feelings for my aunt, do you?"
"Take my advice: don't even think about it! With her personality, getting close to her is a recipe for disaster! You're the school's top dog, Jieming—you have a bright future ahead of you. Don't let her beauty blind you!"
Jieming could only offer a helpless smile and a vague response. Fortunately, despite her concern, Amy still let slip a crucial piece of information under his subtle guidance:
Viola seemed to be attending the "Clean Beach" environmental volunteer event in the South District in a little over ten days.
"Clean Beach" volunteer event... Jieming silently recalled. This could be a perfect opportunity.
He wasn't unfamiliar with this volunteer activity; after all, the news had been broadcasting reports about it for the past few days.
(End of the Chapter)
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