Chapter 94: A New Journey

Finn hurriedly sat cross-legged and began cultivating, circulating his Profound Energy at full force to expel the excess power from his body.

Violent torrents of energy erupted from him, incinerating the entire building. Crimson flames shot a thousand meters into the sky.

Finn closed his eyes and focused. The energy left inside him coalesced and began to circulate slowly. He refined it into Profound Energy and guided it into the sea of energy within his dantian, from which it flowed throughout his body.

The most dangerous moment of the entire wasteland expedition had actually come while he was enjoying the spoils. He had nearly overloaded himself and exploded.

Fortunately, Finn’s cultivation art was specifically designed to temper his sinews and bones while reinforcing his foundation. Otherwise, he would have burst apart and become the laughingstock of the Celestial Sojourners.

Olivia had been helping the others build houses when she suddenly noticed flames surging into the sky from Finn’s direction. She stopped what she was doing and rushed over.

“Master! What happened?”

Olivia charged into the burning ruins despite the intense heat. When she saw that Finn was unharmed, she let out a breath of relief and was about to rush into his arms.

“Don’t come any closer!” Finn said sternly, raising a hand to stop her.

Although he looked no different from usual, his skin had reached a temperature of over a thousand degrees Celsius (1832°F). Even the air around him was scorching hot.

“It’s so big... and so long...” Olivia covered her mouth and gasped softly.

Finn looked down and finally realized that he was stark naked, his powerful, muscular physique on full display.

When he had expelled that vast amount of energy, it had gushed from every pore in his body. The energy had converted into extreme heat, burning away every scrap of clothing he wore.

Olivia stared openly at Finn’s body without a hint of embarrassment, as though trying to memorize every pore.

Finn circulated the Fire Profound Divine Art again, refining the heat within his body into Profound Energy until his temperature returned to normal. He then took a fresh set of clothes from his storage space and put them on.

“That’s enough staring.” Finn adjusted his collar with a helpless sigh. “Go get Jimmy. Su-Jin should be here soon.”

...

Strange ripples suddenly spread across the sky.

A sound like tearing silk split the air, and a small starship blinked into existence.

The locals watched in horror as the starship slammed into the ground with a clang and sank half a meter into the mud.

Mechanical claws extended from its underside and laboriously hoisted the ship back up until it was level again.

The hatch slid open, and a boarding ramp extended. Su-Jin appeared in the doorway.

Her face was flushed, and she reeked of alcohol. She missed the first step, tumbled all the way down the ramp, and ended up sprawled in front of Finn, Olivia, and Jimmy.

“Hey?” Finn waved a hand in front of her face. “Never drink and fly. You came here wasted, and you still call yourself a hotshot pilot?”

“Master, can she really get us out of here?” Olivia edged closer to Finn, looking nervous.

Su-Jin rubbed her eyes and let out a long belch. “Buuurp... This Emperor red wine has been aged for five hundred and eighty-eight years. It’s even more intoxicating than the spacetime turbulence of the Void Realm.”

Finn lightly patted her cheek. “You’re this drunk, and you still expect to fly? We have two ordinary people with us this time. Sober up, or they’ll die.”

“Ordinary people? What a pain!”

Su-Jin furrowed her brows and tensed every muscle in her body, her face scrunching up like someone trying to take a dump while constipated.

Soon, beads of pure alcohol began seeping from her skin like sweat, soaking her clothes. Once the alcohol evaporated, her eyes cleared.

Su-Jin rolled her neck and looked at the three people in front of her. The moment she spotted Jimmy, her eyes lit up.

“Oh, you’re actually still alive?”

“Of course I am! Do I look that fragile to you?” Jimmy protested.

“You do,” Su-Jin replied sincerely.

“I made a major contribution to this mission, and my abilities have improved a lot too.” Jimmy puffed out his chest, trying to look ambitious in front of his senior.

“You coasted from start to finish,” Finn said mercilessly. “Your greatest contribution was earning me an extra thirty Contribution Points.”

Jimmy gave an awkward laugh, then shamelessly declared, “Exactly. My greatest contribution was earning my bro an extra thirty Contribution Points.”

“So what if you coasted? So what if you slacked off? There’s nothing to feel guilty about!” Su-Jin clapped her hands and declared with righteous conviction, 

“Finn, you’re this strong—it’s only right that you carry slackers like us! That’s the solemn duty of every member of the Spacetime Destruction Bureau.”

“I’ve never heard of any such obligation.” Finn covered his face. “All right, enough nonsense. Take us to Sis Avasarala.”

Now that the mission to guide the newcomer was complete, Finn needed to bring Jimmy to Sis Avasarala and collect his Contribution Points.

“Hmm... Who’s this gorgeous blonde?” Su-Jin asked, pointing at Olivia.

“A new subordinate I recruited,” Finn replied calmly.

“Subordinate?” Su-Jin scoffed. “I don’t buy it! Five hundred Contribution Points says you’ll end up fooling around with her!”

Olivia’s face reddened. Growing even more bashful, she ducked behind Finn.

Everyone she had met so far was more eccentric than the last. They were far beyond anything she had ever known, leaving her uneasy and overwhelmed.

“All right, all right. Come on, hotshot—give us a lift. Let’s get aboard already.” Finn pushed Su-Jin toward the hatch.

“Very well!” Su-Jin puffed out her chest. “Since you’ve called me a hotshot pilot, I’d better live up to the title! Strap in—we’re taking off!”

She and Finn took their seats on the bridge. Six safety straps slithered over the two of them like snakes and locked them firmly in place.

Su-Jin pointed at Jimmy and Olivia. “Uh, you two should get into the spacetime stasis chambers so you don’t die.”

As soon as she spoke, light and shadow rippled across the otherwise empty bridge, coalescing into two solid forms: spacetime stasis chambers that resembled coffins with sliding lids.

Jimmy had already traveled in one on the journey here. Without wasting a second, he slid the “coffin lid” aside, climbed inside, and lay down. The lid automatically slid back into place and sealed him in.

Olivia anxiously approached the other chamber. She rubbed her hands together, hesitating as she wondered whether she should really climb inside.

“It’s okay. It’ll be just like going to sleep. You won’t feel a thing,” Finn assured her, looking calmly into her eyes.

“Okay.” 

Reassured by Finn’s promise, Olivia finally gathered her courage. She slid the lid open, closed her eyes, and lay inside.

The two coffin-like chambers glowed with dim blue light. Within them, time and space came to a standstill, protecting their occupants from the harmful effects of a cross-world jump.

“That girl really trusts you. Don’t let her down,” Su-Jin said thoughtfully. “Otherwise, I won’t give you a discount the next time you ride my starship.”

“Don’t worry. Since she’s chosen to follow me, I’ll never abandon her.” Finn closed his eyes. “You have my word as a man.”

“Good!”

Su-Jin clapped once and shouted, “Siri, pull up the coordinates for World Alpha-NINE-A-876523. Activate cross-world jump!”

“What happened to Alexa?”

“She was using my data to overcharge me because I was a regular, so I uninstalled her!”

A gentle synthetic female voice sounded through the bridge.

“All personnel, brace for impact. Countdown commencing. Five... four... three... two... one! Jump!”