63: The curtain

The extraordinary creatures in the sea of stars possess sentience.

The higher the level of the extraordinary creature, the more intelligent it is.

Now, accompanied by a fearful whimper, the Saber-toothed tiger reluctantly opened its eyes, its gaze timid, not daring to move.

Its appearance was originally ferocious, but now, combined with its timid gaze and cautious behavior, it seemed rather pitiful.

Qin Jin's mental power sensed the emotions it was emitting and understood what this big fellow meant.

"You want to submit to me?"

He conveyed his meaning through mental power.

Then,

Qin Jin saw its timid eyes light up slightly, and its whimpering grew more intense.

"Did I beat it into submission?"

Qin Jin mused, thinking, "It looks more like it was caused by a spiritual attack."

"The Three-Headed Strange Python, on the verge of transforming into a Flood Dragon, contains Dragon's Might."

"This is a true suppression of status."

"Extraordinary creatures with sentience are different from the fierce beasts in the Great Wilderness; they will actively avoid battle, retreat, surrender, and even submit."

"I just don't know if these extraordinary creatures are also affected by the repulsive force of the restricted zone?"

As the thought flashed through his mind, Qin Jin's heart stirred.

He raised his finger, and life energy transformed, spreading from his fingertip, threads of lightning, under Qin Jin's precise control, formed various shapes in mid-air.

These were the energy constructs Qin Jin had encountered in different forms as he ventured deeper into the restricted zone.

He communicated simply with this sentient Saber-toothed tiger through mental power, asking if it had seen these in the deeper parts of the restricted zone.

Qin Jin received an affirmative answer.

"In that case, get up and take me directly to them."

The message was conveyed mentally.

The situation within the restricted zone was unknown, and having an extraordinary creature lead the way would undoubtedly increase the efficiency of hunting constructs.

His teammates had returned to the Base, but now he had subdued a "subordinate."

Feeling the forgiveness conveyed by Qin Jin's mental presence, the Saber-toothed tiger seemed to let out a sigh of relief, its gaze still filled with fear as it struggled to get up.

It had only gotten halfway up.

Its legs gave way, and it collapsed back onto the ground.

Although Qin Jin's previous strike hadn't directly killed it, it had clearly caused it considerable injury.

After finally managing to straighten itself up with great difficulty, it immediately crouched down and looked at Qin Jin.

Its meaning was self-evident.

Qin Jin turned around, retrieved his backpack, and leaped onto the Saber-toothed tiger's back.

He gripped the thick fur on its back and mentally signaled the Saber-toothed tiger to set off.

At his signal,

The Saber-toothed tiger bent its body, leaped, its claws gripping the cliff face, using the leverage to push upwards, and in a few movements, it had already carried Qin Jin to the peak.

"Stop."

A mental command was given, and Qin Jin stood on the tiger's back, turning to look behind him.

He looked at the three-person squad.

Qin Jin's eyesight was excellent; he could see the ripples of emotion on their faces.

"Thank you for your kindness."

Qin Jin's voice rang out, carrying far behind him.

His expression was calm as he slowly said, "Since you've reached here, you should be aware of the repulsive force and must make a choice."

"Either give up on this Heavenly Selection selection."

"Or help one of you to participate in the final competition."

"If all three of you continue together, it'll be fine if you end up with nothing in the end, but if you lose your lives due to being too suppressed, that would be a pity."

After leaving a few words, the tiger turned and disappeared on the cliff face.

Before making his move, Qin Jin had noticed the actions of the three-person squad behind him.

They clearly wanted to help him.

He didn't mind giving them a few pointers.

In the distance,

Su Su and the two others looked at each other, falling silent for a moment.

After nearly a minute of silence, Zhang Cheng's voice was the first to break it: "So, it's not that he lost his teammates, but rather he made a choice and had his teammates voluntarily return, leaving only himself to participate."

"He really is... confident."

"He has the strength to be confident."

Diaz looked at the spot on the cliff where Qin Jin had disappeared, his tone unreadable: "Are the opponents we have to face really such monsters?"

"He not only defeated that big fellow but even subdued it."

"How did he do that?"

With that said, the three fell silent again.

The scene of the battle just now was imprinted in their minds and likely wouldn't fade for a long time.

"Regardless, we really should make a choice."

Su Su said after a long silence, "He's right."

"Because of the goodwill we showed, this person didn't attack us, but if it truly comes down to the final competition, I don't believe such a master would let any opponent go."

"I suggest we withdraw from this Heavenly Selection selection."

"Although reaching this point isn't our limit, continuing further will cause the danger level to rise sharply."

"We've done our best."

"Seconded."

Zhang Cheng quickly followed.

Then,

Both their gazes turned towards Diaz.

He was staring intently at the place where Qin Jin had disappeared.

"Diaz, what about you?"

Su Su's voice rang out.

Diaz retracted his gaze.

He lowered his head slightly and suddenly said, "I want to go see."

"What?"

"I want to go deeper into the restricted zone and see."

He let out a long breath, raised his head, and his tone became resolute: "How rare is the opportunity to face a God directly?"

"How rare is the opportunity to witness top-tier geniuses, or even monsters, clash?"

"I want to go and see how big the gap between me and them truly is."

At this point, he paused slightly, and whispered, "Besides, someone has to go."

"Su Su, Zhang Cheng."

"The forces that nurtured us sent us to participate in the Heavenly Selection selection; although they didn't set rigid targets, if the three of us just return like this, then what about the future...?"

"You two go back."

"The rules of this restricted zone are special; it's not suitable for three people to travel together. You two go back, and I'll stay here and try to hold out until the end. That way, we'll have an explanation for them."

"Not only will they not make things difficult for us, but they might also continue to provide us with support in the future."

Having said that,

He said no more and turned to walk towards the cliff face.

He heard conversation behind him.

Just as he was about to climb.

Footsteps came from behind.

Diaz looked back and saw Su Su and Zhang Cheng following him.

Meeting his gaze, Su Su said earnestly, "Diaz, we don't have as much courage as you, but we are teammates, and we will help you for the final stretch."

"Next, you conserve your strength; Zhang Cheng and I will help you hunt constructs."

"Once we're close to our limit, we'll return."

A few words were spoken.

Diaz was silent for a few seconds, then finally nodded forcefully and said, "Good!"

...

Frontline Base.

The Heavenly Selection selection continued.

As time passed, competitors participating in the Heavenly Selection selection began to return to the Base from the restricted zone.

Some were severely injured, some fled back in a panic, and others, upon sensing the repulsive force, made a choice among the three, similar to Qin Jin's squad.

The Federation maintained respect for a newly born Star God, as they would need to cooperate closely in the future. Aside from the overhead view, the situation within the restricted zone was completely unknown.

Now...

As the Heavenly Selection selection competitors returned, the situation within the restricted zone was gradually revealed.

At the same time, some information spread within the Base, attracting the attention of interested parties and being reported to the Federation's person in charge stationed there.

The Corona Sect's participating squad was suspected of setting up a special ritual within the restricted zone!

Yu Sheng and Jiang Panxia safely returned to the Base.

The starship was docked to one side, and Chu Tianyi sat in the courtyard of the resting area, listening intently to their report.

After hearing their report, Chu Tianyi said calmly, "It seems this Heavenly Selection selection will ultimately become a solo duel."

"How about it, do you have confidence in your Captain?"

"Of course."

"We have confidence."

Different words, but the same meaning of reply came from their mouths.

Chu Tianyi smiled slightly and asked, "Have you encountered teams from the Corona Sect or the Twilight Society within the restricted zone?"

"No."

Yu Sheng replied, "We saw the Corona Squad when we set off, but Jing Ge didn't plan to attack them directly, so we left."

"As for the Twilight Society, we never saw them from beginning to end, even when we returned."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianyi mused.

He rose from his seat, his gaze sweeping towards one direction of the Frontline Base.

"Twilight Society, Corona Sect."

"What are you planning to do?"

The direction he was looking towards.

It was precisely the headquarters of the Starfire Federation established there within the Frontline Base.

...

Outside the Mining Star.

The number of military starships had increased compared to the initial period, patrolling different routes in the nearby starfield with the Mining Star as the center.

Inside the flagship.

Commander Duan Junyou, the Legion Commander of the Judgment Corps, sat expansively in the conference room, his body slightly tilted, his right arm resting on the armrest, looking at the light screen in front of him.

The image on the light screen, centered on the Mining Star, encompassed the entire surrounding starfield.

"Still no movement?"

Commander Duan Junyou's question rang out.

"No."

Beside him, a subordinate's reply came: "Currently, no abnormalities have been detected within the starfield."

"Mm."

Commander Duan Junyou acknowledged with a sound and waved his hand, saying, "You may leave."

"Yes!"

The subordinate saluted and turned to leave.

Only he remained in the conference room.

This Legion Commander of the Judgment Corps, an undisputed prominent figure within the Federation, gazed at the star map on the light screen, his eyes profound.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the frost-white at his temples began to gradually recede, turning black, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out, as if he were returning to youth, gradually regaining his heroic demeanor from his prime.