Chapter 258: The Socially Anxious Sword Cultivator

"Formation complete, all units please confirm."

"Confirmed."

"Command: with each company commander and officers at every level as the core, form a third-tier immortal gate military array."

Under Jin Jin Lingfeng's methodical command, one warplane after another fired scorching white beams, light prisms crisscrossing around a single core, array patterns emerging in the void, naturally drawing in the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth from more than ten kilometers around.

Within three seconds, the bulk of the array was completed, reaching the average standard of an immortal gate's elite troops.

It was only three years of training.

This was what happened when the top academies' Jin Dan seeds were gathered into an army — individually they fell far short of the Jiudaxian Sect's top cultivators of the same rank, but when combined, they could match them blow for blow.

Only five spots showed slight flaws, scrambling to connect the array patterns, drenched in sweat.

Still, they could not quickly form the complete military array.

No one urged them on, waiting in silence.

"Classmate Hua, don't rush, and the rest of you don't rush either — it's just the first time working together, a little unfamiliar, train a few more times and it'll be fine, we still have time."

Jin Jin Lingfeng said softly, making people relax without meaning to.

"Thank you."

Hua Bing said gratefully, taking several deep breaths, his divine sense and magic power spinning at high speed as he piloted his warplane through the quasi-third-tier array, completing the pattern connection four seconds later.

The others were similar.

Hum!

The warplanes' scorching white light prisms blazed dazzlingly, crossing and interweaving, the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth churning, three powerful auras emerging, stirring wind and clouds.

Several breaths later, the light prisms faded, and one hundred and eight aerial warplanes formed three battle groups, flying into the atmosphere in a pinwheel formation.

"From this moment on, we enter wartime status. The third-tier military array must be maintained at all times, until the war ends."

"All students are to strictly observe military regulations…"

Jin Jin Lingfeng's voice reached everyone's ears clearly, repeatedly emphasizing certain details.

Jiang Ding concealed his form, flying among the three aerial companies, his speed no whit inferior to their array-amplified speed, with plenty to spare.

Beside him, Lin Hai swept past at high speed — tree trunks as thick as entire buildings kept appearing before his eyes, stabbing straight into the sky, or stretching off into distances where the edges could not be seen.

Higher and higher they flew, higher and higher.

The air gradually thinned, leaving the troposphere, entering the stratosphere, and finally reaching the mesosphere more than fifty kilometers above the surface.

Here ozone was scarce, convection was violent, gales raged on all sides, and temperatures stayed at dozens of degrees below zero year-round — without aerial warplanes, Foundation Establishment cultivators would have to maintain shields at all times just to survive here.

Shenmu Shenmu Futianrong remained a vivid green, branches lush and leaves dense, palm-sized leaves rustling sharply in the gale.

The field of view suddenly opened wide.

A steel floating island several hundred kilometers across appeared before everyone's eyes, held aloft by layer upon layer of banyan trunks and branches, with tidal-wave-like spiritual Qi of heaven and earth pouring into it.

"So many people…"

A classmate looked out through the warplane's hatch and exclaimed in wonder.

Jiang Ding was also deeply shaken.

Here, aerial warplanes gathered in dense clouds, and from time to time steel warships hundreds of meters long and dozens wide came flying in, loaded with all manner of supplies, landing at one corner of the steel floating continent to unload mountains of cargo.

The aerial warplanes looked like little birds before these steel leviathans.

"These aerial warships and warplanes are also headed for the Master Canghai Minor World — some are reinforcing the extraterritorial battlefield to stand off against Brother Brother Xuanwu's Heavenly Palace cultivator legions, and a small portion are also joining the suppression campaign."

"The majority are logistics fleets transporting military supplies and bringing back primary materials like minerals and spiritual herbs from the Master Canghai Minor World to the immortal gate."

An Siyan explained to everyone over the regimental comms.

"I thought it was just us few, going to save the Master Canghai Minor World from its peril, earning hero-like deeds that would be recorded in the annals."

Someone sighed, their fantasy shattered.

"How could it be? Cross-world teleportation costs a fortune, and the Master Canghai Minor World is a world after all, vast beyond measure — we can influence a local area, but to the whole world we're very small."

"These matters depend on Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun, Soul Transformation Canghai Tianjun."

……

As everyone chatted, the voice of the steel floating continent's array spirit came through.

"Master Canghai Army Group Third, Ninth Army, Third Division, subordinate First Provisional Aerial Regiment, please proceed to landing zone B-574 and await teleportation."

"During cross-world teleportation, steady your minds. Do not use magic power, do not use spells, withdraw your divine sense, do not extend it outside the body."

A pale green guiding arrow appeared before everyone.

"Yes!"

Jin Jin Lingfeng replied at once.

The aerial regiment followed the arrow, flying to a corner airfield at the edge of the steel floating continent, lined up neatly, and powered down.

"Please wait. Teleportation begins in three days."

Three days was nothing to a Foundation Establishment cultivator — the span of a single cultivation session.

Jiang Ding found a spot to sit cross-legged, a little away from the others' warplanes, so that if one suddenly powered up he wouldn't get flattened by the wheels.

He had just closed his eyes when he opened them again, looking toward the horizon.

Squadrons of J-645s appeared on the horizon — also one hundred and eight, three aerial companies — and a few moments later four more waves of J-645s arrived, but with only a single aerial company each.

"The Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou University provisional aerial regiment has arrived, commanded by Liu Mei. The other four aerial companies are cobbled together from ten other universities — not with us, but executing similar missions in the nearby area."

"I plan to go over and exchange some pleasantries."

Jin Jin Lingfeng's voice came through, and she asked: "Jiang Ding, are you going?"

"Not going."

Jiang Ding answered instinctively, his magic power circulating as he further strengthened his concealment.

"Alright."

Jin Jin Lingfeng was a little disappointed, but she had already expected it. Together with An Siyan, she joined the other interested classmates to visit the students from the other schools who had just landed.

Her social skills were terrifyingly strong; in just a few minutes she had already mixed in with Liu Mei and the others from Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou University, chatting and laughing together.

She even pulled in students from the other ten universities, playing games, chatting, discussing the Dao and mysteries. The atmosphere gradually became harmonious, a lively scene.

"Where's your family's Great Sun Sword Child? Isn't he participating in this final exam?"

Liu Mei, clad in an elegant emerald Daoist robe with skin as smooth as jade, exuded a captivating charm; she swept her divine sense across the surroundings again and again, finding nothing at all, and could not help but exclaim in surprise.

"He's a social recluse."

Jin Jin Lingfeng snickered.

"Unless absolutely necessary, he won't meet any strangers."

"Social recluse?!!"

Liu Mei was stunned, unable to believe it: "I saw him during the college entrance exam, one sword strike per person, chopping us all into pieces. He didn't seem shy at all, and neither did the cultivators from Brother Brother Xuanwu's Heavenly Palace."

"You wouldn't be lying to me, would you?"

She looked at Jin Jin Lingfeng with a doubtful gaze.

"I asked him. He said it's different."

An Siyan could not help laughing.

"Pure combat doesn't trigger social anxiety—you only need to think about how to attack or run away, which is very simple. But socializing is far more complicated than that, very troublesome."

"This…"

Liu Mei was speechless.

(End of chapter)