Worldwide Class Change: Minimal Effort, Maximum Reward!

The path to the Fragmented Peak Range was anything but stable.

From the moment they left the previous island cluster, the structure of the Allheaven Expanse began to shift around them. Floating landmasses grew denser, their spacing irregular, their trajectories unpredictable. Some drifted in slow, deliberate arcs, while others rotated in place, their surfaces jagged and fractured as though torn apart by some ancient force. Between them, the sky currents intensified, streams of invisible force that tugged at movement and altered direction without warning.

Lin Yi remained standing atop the qilin, his posture steady despite the shifting environment. The creature moved with quiet certainty, each step landing on unseen footholds formed by the currents themselves. It did not hesitate, nor did it falter, weaving through the unstable terrain with a natural ease that made the surrounding chaos seem almost irrelevant. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Behind him, Luo Cheng and Luo Mei followed.

Not on the qilin.

They moved across the islands the conventional way—jumping, timing their steps, using bursts of spiritual energy to cross gaps where the currents were too unstable to rely on. It was slower, more dangerous, and required constant attention.

"Senior, the currents ahead are getting denser," Luo Mei called out, her voice carrying over the shifting wind. "If we keep this direction, we’ll enter the outer zone of the Fragmented Peak Range soon."

Luo Cheng landed beside her, exhaling lightly as he stabilized himself on a narrow ledge. "I can feel it too. The pressure’s different here... heavier."

Lin Yi’s gaze moved forward.

Ahead, the islands began to converge—not loosely, but forcefully. Massive fragments of land had collided and fused together, forming towering structures that resembled mountains more than floating terrain. Their surfaces were uneven, layered with broken stone, jagged cliffs, and remnants of ancient architecture embedded into the rock like fossils of a forgotten era.

And within those mountains—

Energy.

Dense.

Concentrated.

Even from a distance, it was noticeable.

"...We’re close," Luo Cheng said, his voice lowering slightly.

The qilin stepped forward, carrying Lin Yi onto one of the outer platforms of the range.

The moment they entered—

The atmosphere changed.

The air grew heavier, the ambient energy no longer flowing freely but pressing inward, as though the entire region was compressing its own power. The ground beneath them—if it could still be called ground—was layered with crystalline formations, faint veins of light running through the stone.

Luo Mei’s eyes sharpened. "This is it."

Luo Cheng nodded, his earlier lightness replaced by focus. "The density... it’s definitely here."

They moved deeper.

The terrain grew more complex, narrow paths winding between elevated ridges, steep inclines leading to higher platforms, and occasional open spaces where the sky above was partially obscured by overlapping landmasses.

And then—

They saw it.

A cavern.

Half-exposed along the side of a fractured mountain, its entrance wide, its interior glowing faintly with a soft, golden light.

Luo Cheng inhaled sharply. "That’s..."

Luo Mei didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t need to.

They both knew.

Celestial jades.

A large quantity.

Lin Yi stepped forward without hesitation, the qilin following silently behind him.

The moment they entered the cavern—

The glow intensified.

The walls, the ground, even parts of the ceiling were embedded with crystalline formations—clusters of celestial jades, some small, some large, all radiating that distinct, refined energy.

Luo Cheng’s eyes widened. "This... this is way more than what we heard..."

Luo Mei’s breathing slowed slightly, her gaze scanning the cavern with practiced caution. "Stay alert. A place like this won’t be unguarded."

Lin Yi said nothing.

His gaze swept once across the interior.

No immediate movement.

No visible threats.

The energy was stable.

That was enough.

He stepped forward.

Luo Cheng and Luo Mei followed, though their attention remained divided between the surroundings and the jade deposits.

"Senior," Luo Cheng said, his voice carrying a hint of excitement now, "if we extract this properly, this might be enough to—"

He stopped.

Because Lin Yi had already moved. Not toward the smaller clusters or the edges, but directly to the center where the largest concentration lay.

His hand lifted, and in that moment, a token appeared. It was simple in form and unassuming.

Yet the instant it materialized, the surrounding energy shifted.

The celestial jades embedded in the cavern walls began to tremble.

Luo Mei’s expression changed.

"...Senior?"

Lin Yi did not respond.

The token activated.

Absorption.

The jades closest to him disappeared first, dissolving into streams of light that flowed directly into the token. Then the ones further away. Then the clusters embedded deeper within the stone.

It spread rapidly.

Systematically.

Everything within range—

Taken.

Luo Cheng’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait—!"

He took a step forward instinctively, but it was already too late.

Within seconds—

The cavern was empty.

The glow vanished.

The light faded.

What remained were hollow indentations in the stone where the celestial jades had once been.

Silence.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

Luo Cheng stood frozen, his mind struggling to catch up.

Luo Mei’s gaze slowly shifted from the empty walls... to Lin Yi.

"...Senior," she said, her voice no longer carrying the earlier calm. "What does this mean?"

Lin Yi lowered the token.

"I collected them," he said simply.

The words landed. And something broke.

Luo Cheng’s face tightened, disbelief turning into anger. "Collected them? That’s—what do you mean ’collected them’?!"

He gestured sharply toward the cavern walls. "We said we’d split it! Three parts! That was the agreement!"

Luo Mei did not raise her voice.

But her hand moved.

Her weapon appeared—a slender blade, its edge faintly shimmering.

Her gaze remained fixed on Lin Yi.

"Senior," she said, slower this time, each word deliberate. "We brought you here. We shared the information. Are you saying... that means nothing?"

Lin Yi looked at her.

Then at Luo Cheng.

Then back at the empty cavern.

"You found the location," he said. "I secured the resource."

Luo Cheng let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Secured? You took everything!"

"Yes."

The answer came without hesitation.

Without justification.

Without apology.

The air shifted.

Tension rose, thick and immediate.

Luo Cheng’s hand moved to his weapon, gripping it tightly now. "So that’s it? You just take it all and walk away?"

Luo Mei’s blade angled slightly, her stance adjusting.

Not attacking.

But ready.

Her voice dropped, colder now. "Senior... give us a reason not to think you planned this from the start."

Lin Yi met her gaze.

Calm.

Unmoved.

"...You can think what you want."

A beat.

Then—

Luo Cheng drew his weapon fully, anger no longer restrained. "Then give it back."

Luo Mei stepped forward beside him, her blade steady, her expression set.

"Or explain yourself," she said quietly.

The cavern, now empty of its treasure, filled instead with something else entirely.

Conflict.

And this time—

It was directed at Lin Yi.