Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 35 Preparations before leaving
Chen Yu watched as Lin Yi closed his eyes again, focusing on guiding the energy within the gray crystal in his palm. He said softly, "Okay, Yi-ge, you recover first. I'll go tell Uncle and Aunt."

After saying that, he turned around and walked quickly toward the busy crowd, his steps slightly heavy.

As Lin Yi listened to the footsteps fade into the distance, he focused his mind on his body, guiding his energy while inwardly complaining.

"What an energy wasteland."

The energy-poor zone where Blue Star is located has an alarmingly low concentration of energy, and the free energy particles in the air are so thin that they can be almost ignored.

The efficiency of drawing energy from the environment through guided techniques is probably less than that of taking a deep breath; it's not even a drop in the ocean.

"Once the assessment is over, if I become successful, I'll have to relocate Blue Star. I heard a planetary migration engine only costs a little over 700 million purple gold points. This crappy place worked so hard to get three source energy crystals, and just to replenish them, we've already used one up."

Thirty minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and the energy contained in the source energy crystal was exhausted.

Lin Yi sensed the source energy that had been replenished in his body, and without any hesitation, he immediately took out the second source energy crystal and absorbed it again.

This time it's for cultivation.

For a novice who has just entered the world of source energy cultivation, absorbing one source energy crystal a day is already the limit.

It's not that there isn't enough energy, but rather that the body needs time to adapt to the onslaught and transformation of this violent energy. Forcibly absorbing a second one could, at best, damage the meridians, and at worst, cause the energy to go out of control, with unimaginable consequences.

But this does not include Lin Yi.

Given his current control over source energy, he could easily absorb another half.

He can forcibly restrain and channel the energy flow that should have surged forth from the crystals like a wild horse into a relatively gentle stream, greatly reducing the impact and damage to the body's meridians.

Of course, this was something he deliberately restrained, intentionally showing the level of control he had just entered the Stardust level.

After all, even a "genius" needs a gradual process to develop.

As time goes on, gradually showcasing one's talent in stages is a relatively safe choice.

Of course, the most important reason is that the control power at the initial Stardust level is sufficient, because no matter how strong the control power is, the body cannot absorb more source energy.

As his body cells felt full and a faint throbbing pain rose, Lin Yi realized that this body's current capacity and strengthening speed had reached their limit.

You can only absorb a maximum of one and a half doses per day.

Just like no matter how delicious the food is, your stomach capacity is only so big; forcing yourself to eat will only make you sick.

"The remaining half will be used to replenish the increased source energy limit due to the improvement in physical fitness."

After more than half an hour, the second crystal was completely absorbed. Lin Yi felt that his physical condition had returned to its peak, his source energy reserves were full again, and his combat power was even better than before.

Upon seeing that Lin Yi had finished his cultivation, his parents, uncle Zhou Jianjun, eldest uncle Lin Ruiheng, Chen Yu, Zhou Yuxuan, and other core members gathered around, their faces filled with worry.

The mother, Zhou Jinghua, had very red eyes, clearly indicating that she had just been crying.

Before they could speak, Lin Yi stood up first. He stretched his limbs slightly, then glanced at everyone, his tone calm yet firm.

“Dad, Mom, Uncle, Eldest Uncle, I’ve recovered. The plan remains the same. We’ll rescue the survivors nearby first, and then tomorrow morning, I’ll head to the gathering point near the old department store to contact the authorities.” Zhou Jinghua’s lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but her husband, Lin Ruiming, gently pulled her arm.

Lin Ruiming looked at his son with a complicated expression, and finally just sighed heavily: "Xiao Yi, Dad knows you're very capable and have good ideas, but be careful out there! If things get really bad, come back, and we'll figure something out. Safety first!"

"Don't worry, Dad. I know what's going on."

Lin Yi nodded. "I'm just going to investigate and make contact. I have a detector, and I'm skilled enough to handle things on my own, so it's actually more convenient for me to act alone."

Zhou Jianjun stepped forward and patted Lin Yi's shoulder forcefully, demonstrating the decisiveness of a soldier.

"Good lad, your uncle knows you're a tough guy. I won't waste any more words. Don't worry about this place; with me here, I'll definitely keep a close watch on things!"

"Yes, Uncle, that's the first thing I want to tell you."

Lin Yi looked at Zhou Jianjun and several other young men with good physical strength, including Chen Yu and Zhang Haotian.

"The defensive fortifications must be completed as soon as possible. The spiral staircase entrance must be blocked, leaving only the rope ladder passage. All windows on the second floor must be inspected and reinforced. The duty patrols must not stop, especially at night. At least two people must monitor the movements of the Abyss Wolves outside."

"Understood!" Zhou Jianjun nodded emphatically. "Leave this to me, I guarantee there won't be any mistakes!"

Zhou Jianjun was reliable, so Lin Yi didn't say anything more and turned his attention to Zhou Yuxuan.

"Squad leader, I need to ask you for a second favor."

"You have the strongest learning ability. The official text and instructional video of the guiding technique have now been released. Combine this with the knowledge you have inherited in your mind and master it as soon as possible."

"Once we have new understandings and make progress, we should teach them to A-Yu, my uncle, and everyone who is willing and has the potential. We need to get more of our own people who can use source energy in a basic way as soon as possible. This is not only for fighting, but also because physical enhancement is crucial for survival in the apocalypse. Also, assist my uncle well."

Zhou Yuxuan pushed up his glasses, his face showing unprecedented seriousness. "Lin Yi, don't worry! This is the part I can help with the most right now, and I will do my best."

After the initial setback, Zhou Yuxuan seems to have recovered and looks determined to prove himself.

Finally, Lin Yi looked at his uncle Lin Ruiheng and said, "Uncle, the third thing is that I need your help with coordinating the other survivors in the hotel."

Lin Ruiheng nodded quickly, his face even showing a respect he had never shown before.

"Nephew, don't worry, I'll definitely handle this! I've already made initial contact with a few groups of people. They know you led the clearing of the monsters downstairs, and they've seen that even the authorities used your video, so they're much more stable and have expressed their willingness to follow instructions. It's just that... there are a few families whose relatives couldn't escape or can't be contacted, so they're still quite upset and need some time to recover."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi sighed silently in his heart.

He had seen far too many situations like this in his past life, so many that he had long since become numb to them.

In the apocalypse, sadness is a luxury; survival is the only theme.

“Yes, I understand, but we still need to try our best to comfort them, but we also need to make them understand that the most important thing now is to survive. After all, the world is changing drastically, and soon the pressure of survival will leave them with little time to wallow in their grief.” Lin Yi sighed. “There was a saying in biology class that made a lot of sense: humans are a very adaptable species.”

Upon hearing this, everyone had different expressions, but they all nodded silently.

"Alright, everyone go ahead and get busy. I'll train for a little longer and then we'll get moving." Lin Yi waved his hand.

(End of this chapter)