For the following time, Yang Ying struggled with the Rubik's Cube in an arduous battle. He ceaselessly attempted to restore the cube with his psionic power, but met with failure after failure, until his psychic energy was completely drained and his head swam; only then did he sit down for a rest.

This, too, was a form of cultivation. Master Pang Qian had told him that training psychic power was like exercising the body—it improved with greater use.

First, deplete the psionic energy, then recover through rest, then deplete it again, and recover again. Through this cycle, the psychic power would gradually accumulate.

Master Pang Qian also mentioned that Grandmaster-level experts could cultivate psychic power through a method of deep meditation, which was far more effective than this exhausting method of training. However, this required a profound foundation in focus, meaning Yang Ying still had a long way to go.

In continuous practice, time slipped by minute by minute.

A soldier reported to Master Pang Qian that traces of the Ape-Men had been found, indicating that after the battle concluded a week prior, they had returned here once more before splitting into two groups, fleeing toward the due West and Northwest, respectively.

Master Pang Qian’s gaze flickered, and he stroked his chin: "Since that is the case, we shall divide our forces. Sean will follow me to track the group heading due West; the rest will proceed Northwest."

Sean was a psion in the team, only thirty years old and in his prime, sporting a full beard that made him appear older than Master Pang Qian.

The group packed up, divided into two teams, and set off again, quickly vanishing into the vast white expanse.

The team would stop for a short while every half hour of travel to confirm the Ape-Men's tracks. Yang Ying always found an opportune moment, using the breaks to manipulate the Rubik's Cube and drain his psychic energy, entering a state of recovery while continuing the journey.

Fortunately, driving the motorcycles required little attention from Yang Ying. Once set to follow mode, the bike's smart navigation system would lock onto the motorcycle ahead. Yang Ying could even doze off leaning against the front of the vehicle to pass the time.

Everyone around knew him as the hero who had single-handedly defeated an Ape-Man and an Ancient Behemoth, saving the Light of Titan. No one voiced any objection to his behavior.

Moving on and stopping intermittently, winding and weaving, by nearly four in the afternoon, the entire party had covered over five hundred kilometers. They stopped again because the tracks ahead indicated the Ape-Men had split their forces once more.

A scout came forward to report the situation. Master Pang Qian pondered for a moment and then stated, "We will camp here tonight. Once we are fully rested, we will resume the pursuit tomorrow!"

Wen Yang glanced at the time and ordered his subordinates to set up tents. He then turned back to the Master: "Master, it is still early. Why not pursue them further?"

"Look over there," Master Pang Qian pointed to the distant sky. "They say haste makes waste. A storm is coming soon."

The storms on Titan were many times more ferocious than those on Earth. Not only did the winds exceed level twelve, but the falling rain was not water—it was liquid nitrogen!

Liquid nitrogen is nearly two hundred degrees below zero Celsius. If one drove straight into a storm area, it would be extremely uncomfortable even while wearing protective gear.

Yang Ying jumped off his vehicle along with the special forces, opened the trailer, took out his tent, and, imitating the others, began setting it up. The military tents were spacious; though intended for single use, two people could fit, and sitting down, they could accommodate four.

After the tents were pitched, Master Pang Qian called Sean, Wen Yang, and another Captain over for a strategy meeting. Yang Ying stayed alone in his tent, calling out for Baal in his mind.

"Almighty Master, what commands do you have for your humble servant?" Baal’s voice immediately responded.

"Your Zerg race studies psionics, correct? Then…" Yang Ying repeated what Master Pang Qian had told him that morning and asked, "What are your thoughts on this?"

"Supreme Master, the Zerg’s psychic abilities are mostly innate and require no cultivation. I fear your humble servant Baal cannot offer the Master much advice. However, if the Master wishes to accumulate mental power, Baal does know a shortcut."

"Tell me!"

"That would be to produce Zerg units frequently!" Baal's voice was filled with anticipation.

"Be specific. What is the connection between mental power and Zerg units?" Yang Ying found this slightly incomprehensible.

"Heh heh…" Baal let out an eerie chuckle. "Great Master, you are the embodiment of the Zerg’s supreme authority, enjoying the unconditional adoration of every Zerg individual. Each unit’s obedience to you offers a portion of its psychic strength as tribute. Therefore, an increase in the Zerg population will bring about an elevation in your spiritual power!"

Yang Ying immediately asked, "How much can it increase?"

Baal calculated: "If the psychic power contributed by a single Drone is set to 1, the Master's current psychic strength is approximately 200."

"I never expected such a benefit. Why does this method sound so familiar? It seems strangely recognizable…" Yang Ying fell into deep thought. "Right, this is the path the Queen of Blades walked!"

In the background lore of StarCraft, the Queen of Blades was originally a Terran Ghost operative who was captured and converted by the Zerg. She was psychically controlled by the Zerg Overmind, later used the Protoss blade to slay the Overmind, and competed with a group of cerebrates to become the new Overmind. By mastering the Zerg, the Queen of Blades gained immense power.

Currently, the Zerg units on the floating continent consisted of only a dozen Drones and two Queens, with a third Queen under construction. At this moment, all the Drones contributed less than a tenth of their potential mental power to him, but what if the Zerg developed further?

After weighing the options, Yang Ying commanded, "Build the Spawning Pool first. We will discuss the rest later."

"As you command, wise Master," Baal replied with a tone of reverence.

The violent storm soon arrived at their camp. Raindrops pattered against the ground, and the wind made the tents flap loudly, but none of it could disturb the interior of the tents.

Yang Ying paid no heed to the weather outside. He spent the entire night practicing concentration, exhausting his psychic energy several times before finally falling into a deep sleep.

This nearly caused him to oversleep the next morning, were it not for his alarm clock. As he got up, the soldiers outside were already folding the camp back into the motorcycle trailers. Yang Ying hurried his actions and managed to finish packing just before departure, not even having time for breakfast.

After a night of wind and rain, the tracks left by the Ape-Men were erased, but everyone remembered the general direction. After a brief rest, they once again split into two groups to pursue in the two directions.

The mountains were frozen for a thousand li, the scenery captivating, but the calm on the road made Yang Ying uneasy. He approached Master Pang Qian to ask, "Master, I have a feeling that the Ape-Men are luring us into a trap. There might be ambushes waiting for us ahead."

Master Pang Qian nodded readily: "Of course, there are traps. This whole affair was the Ape-Men's plan to divide us from the start. They should have already assembled somewhere, waiting to pick us off one by one."

Yang Ying’s brow twitched: "Then we are still walking right into the trap?"

"No need to worry. I made arrangements yesterday. Since we know it’s a trap, it’s much easier to handle, hehe…"

Master Pang Qian laughed heartily, an air of convincing authority emanating from him.