When he arrived at the Patrol building, he saw Mingyi, wearing a headscarf, waiting for him at the door.
Wu Hen remembered the first time he met Mingyi. She wore the same kind of hairpiece, exuding an elegant Eastern charm without losing modern fashion. Her curvaceous figure was made even more radiant and enchanting by a mix of a high-waisted satin skirt and a petite shawl.
"Did you see that Bicolor Butterfly Great Serpent?" Mingyi said to Wu Hen.
"Didn't really notice, my mind was all on tonight's dinner with you. You look beautiful today—did you dress up just for me?" Wu Hen replied.
"Not really, just a touch of lipstick. Born beautiful, no need to get all dolled up just for a casual dinner with a colleague," Mingyi said, her eyes turning into pretty silver moons as she laughed.
This newly accepted apprentice sure had a sweet tongue—worth all the care.
"Enough with the flirting, you two, when everyone else is rushing around," Captain Qin Sheng called out helplessly from the second floor.
Wu Hen and Mingyi walked up to the second floor.
Wu Hen noticed that there were quite a few Patrol members here, maybe a few hundred, like a small elite group. And a sizeable portion likely wasn't at the headquarters.
"We were among the first to issue virtual helmets and virtual irises, recruiting many Pioneers. They are your seniors." Mingyi said.
"Do we have strong members within our Patrol collective?" Wu Hen inquired.
"Of course we do, you'll meet them soon,"
Entering the conference hall, Wu Hen saw it was already packed with people, most wearing the same Patrol uniforms. Many had medals on their shoulders, indicating their rank and status.
"According to the intelligence sent back by our navigators, a dark matter magnetic field has appeared in the Barbaric Mountain Range of the Divine Python Earth Vein. This magnetic field causes our Divine Realm barriers to fail. You need to quickly gather information by descending into the Lost Ones nearby, taking on the identity of an Awakener." The Patrol officer, a mature woman whose actual age was indeterminate due to her cold and well-defined features, said.
The first half of the statement had everyone listening seriously, on high alert.
But as they heard the latter part, their faces showed shock and displeasure.
"Why execute the mission as Awakeners? That way we can't utilize our full strength, and our fighting clothes won't work. The mortality rate will skyrocket," a Patrol team finally voiced their doubt.
"This is the location of our Nuwa God End in Desert Dust, the Divine Desolation Earth's Dead Star Gorge, and Meteorite Valley. If you are confident enough to cross this area alive to reach the Barbaric Mountain Range, I won't stop you," the cold female officer said.
The entire conference room fell silent.
Wu Hen felt confused and couldn't help but ask Mingyi, "Why does everyone seem to know about Dead Star Gorge and Meteorite Valley?"
Mingyi leaned close to Wu Hen's ear and whispered, "Our former No. 1 Patrol team once explored the Divine Python Earth Vein, and everyone except the officer died in Dead Star Gorge and Meteorite Valley..."
Wu Hen was surprised to learn that humans had intelligence on the Divine Python Earth Vein.
Some Pioneers seemed to have ventured far beyond Desert Dust, proving their considerable strength.
"I finally achieved Desert Dust's robust physique. Now I have to operate as an Awakener for this mission—what a waste of training to Second Rank Physique," Wu Hen said.
He was no longer a complete novice, having learned some valuable information.
Even as an orthodox member of Nuwa's people, one could use a virtual iris to awaken in those Lost Ones' bodies, transitioning directly into a corner of Desert Dust...
But this had a fatal flaw: while one's Spiritual Sense could sync with the host, their physique, equipment, and most of their superpowers couldn't be inherited by the host.
Wu Hen's main goal was to elevate his physique to Third Rank, thus achieving a competent Thunder Bright Realm with bare strength.
By strengthening his foundation and integrating with Little Yi, his realm could see substantial improvement.
He might even manage to match a Cangxia Realm opponent for a few rounds, or possibly, using advantageous timing and location, defeat them.
Under the Heavenly Light level, human-defined strength realms didn't matter if one adeptly used different rules to employ unique abilities. Low realms could indeed kill higher-realm creatures.
"With your Taste Recognition, you could quickly reach Second Rank Physique as an Awakener just from munching on Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures," Mingyi explained.
Initially, many thought Taste Spiritual Awakening was useless. But as people fully understood Spirit Awakeners, they found Taste Spiritual Awakeners very beneficial, especially for tasks requiring an Awakener identity...
Moreover, those with Taste Sense often awakened in other Lost Ones' bodies, allowing them to explore much larger areas than others, even appearing in places most Spirit Awakeners couldn't reach, such as the foggy otherworldly regions rich in Yuan You Mine!
"And you don't have to worry about wasting the resources you painstakingly gathered on a host. If you obtain Yuan You, it can enhance your Spiritual Sense. As for Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, you can enjoy them directly. Any physique improvements made to the host will be inherited back to your Desert Dust body. For instance, if you ascend the host to Third Rank Physique and bring them back to Nuwa God End, your own body will also reach Third Rank," Mingyi, ever the qualified mentor, seriously explained to Wu Hen.
"Really?" Wu Hen was surprised.
"That's why those with Taste Sense are ideal for upgrading through Lost Ones. They're more confident about appearing in Desert Dust than the rest of us..." Mingyi said.
"True, you guys can't carry fighting clothes, have a slower physique progression, and only have Spiritual Sense," Wu Hen nodded.
"Yes, thankfully, this girl has some special skills. Even as an Awakener, you don't have to worry about my survival," Mingyi said confidently.
Wu Hen stroked his chin.
Suddenly, he realized Little Yi was indeed a miracle!
It could descend with him into the host's body and, upon consuming the fighting clothes, effectively bring the fighting clothes along.
Other people couldn't take any high-tech weapons, mecha, mechanical beasts, fighting clothes, or pharmaceuticals, while he only lost one rank in physique, retaining his other abilities.
And as Mingyi mentioned, Taste Spiritual Awakeners could upgrade through Lost Ones.
No matter where he ended up in Desert Dust, he could quickly bolster his combat power.
Upon exploring the area, he could guide the Lost Ones back to Nuwa God End. All improvements made to the host would transfer back to his Desert Dust body!
"Doesn't this mean I could level up countless small accounts to strengthen my main one?"
Each time a Lost One was guided back, his physique would be baptized in Cloud Wood Temple Pool, further enhancing his physique and piling on contributions to Nuwa God End, leading to "Blessing Enlightenment"!
If he could awaken a third sense, wouldn't that make him even more formidable?
And speaking of being an Awakener, it wasn't all that bad, especially for a sweet bonus like...
Who knew, maybe next time he awoke, he'd have a fair-skinned girlfriend waiting for him.
He'd grown up never having a girlfriend.
No matter how unwilling the Patrol members were to embark on a mission as Awakeners, they had to promptly execute the current task.
Following Mingyi, they arrived at a large otherworldly cabin. Wu Hen noticed Captain Qin, Fei Ying, and the others already at the cabin podium, preparing to enter the otherworldly realm.
"Want to take a cabin next to me? That way, our awakened Lost Ones might be closer together," Mingyi said, her eyebrows arching.
Wu Hen nodded eagerly, but a bold idea flashed through his mind. He said directly, "This cabin is pretty spacious. Why don't we share? Human body warmth is the best way to awaken a lost will."
"Sure," Mingyi agreed readily, her lively eyes twinkling with various hints. She added, "If you admit you're the one who wiped out the Locust Demon Nation, I'll make a small sacrifice of my beauty for humanity's fate."
"Uh..." Wu Hen scratched his head.
He felt deeply conflicted!
Little Yi had sacrificed and gotten injured to help him eliminate the Yin Pole Heavenly Court's menace, and there were certainly human competitors watching. The matter of the Black Divine Death Sword must remain secret.
She possessed tightly knit white porcelain skin, manga-level jade legs, a divine face hitting all his aesthetic points—pure, intellectual, and irresistibly charming... tsk-tsk!
He was actually hesitating between Little Yi and a woman!
"Heh heh, I admit it. Come on, beautiful, join me~" Wu Hen said, smiling broadly.
"Ugh, shameless. I don't believe you at all." Mingyi covered Wu Hen with a transparent cabin door without hesitation and then twisted her waist to open the adjacent cabin, lying down where Wu Hen could see her when he turned his head.
Wu Hen didn't immediately enter Desert Dust, observing that someone still looked perfectly reasonable even while lying down, his mouth curling into a mischievous smile.
To handle Mingyi, he had to advance by retreating.
He realized Mingyi had a tough mouth but was purely a maiden when it came to action.
Mingyi might have been somewhat displeased. After a bit of grumbling, she still said, "Little pervert, see you in Desert Dust."
"Beautiful, see you in Desert Dust." Wu Hen blew a kiss as if saying goodnight.
Mingyi had already closed her eyes, her consciousness beginning to sink into the otherworldly realm.
"Without the fighting clothes, Mingyi is just an ordinary Spirit Awakener. If possible, better meet her soon in Desert Dust," Wu Hen said to himself before closing his eyes.
The Divine Python Earth Vein!
Barbaric Mountain Range!
Exotic beasts, ancient sacred birds, demonic seeds... slurp, slurp~
Desert Dust on the tip of my tongue, here I come!
Another chapter at midnight~
Begging for monthly ticket offerings!!!