His psychic strength was already approaching five thousand units, almost reaching the next realm of a Psychic Adept.

According to the records in the Book of Psychic Power, at that point, there would be a minor shift in his spiritual power, transitioning from quantitative accumulation to a qualitative change, elevating the very essence of his mental energy.

Upon reaching the realm of a Psychic Adept, the sixth sense would multiply several times over, achieving a level of premonition. Moreover, his memory would undergo a fundamental transformation, enabling him to read at a glance and possess perfect recall.

To welcome this impending state, Yang Ying had journeyed to the Floating Continent, intending to adjust his mind and body while awaiting the precise moment of transformation.

Beneath the towering structure, a delicate pavilion had already been established. Against the side of the tower was lush, emerald grassland, while the other side featured a crystal-clear pond.

This meadow had existed naturally, but the pond was created by digging an artificial channel that diverted water from a small lake in the distance.

Yang Ying sat quietly within the pavilion, legs crossed, eyes lightly closed. Beside him stood a mirror as tall as a person, its edges inlaid with gold trim. The patterns formed by the gold were mysterious, intricate, and layered beyond count.

On the mirror's surface, besides reflecting Yang Ying’s figure, a patterned motif shimmered faintly. Upon close inspection, one could discern that this pattern formed a number.

Four Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine!

From afar, Katerina approached with light, unhurried steps, clad in white. Behind her trailed a magnetic levitation serving cart, gliding smoothly toward the pavilion, utterly unconcerned by the uneven terrain of the grass.

Katerina entered the pavilion, sat beside Yang Ying, and reached onto the serving cart to retrieve a tea set, commencing the ritual of brewing.

Yang Ying opened his eyes, watching Katerina’s movements with interest.

Katerina offered a slight smile but remained silent, her actions measured and perfectly timed.

Neither spoke, and the small pavilion was intensely quiet, the only sound being the gentle pour of water.

After a while, the tea was steeped, and a fragrant steam rose, gradually filling the entire small pavilion.

Katerina handed a teacup to Yang Ying and said, "Sir, the tea you requested."

Yang Ying took the cup and blew lightly across the surface. "How many times must I tell you? Drop the honorific 'Sir' and just call me 'you'."

He drank the tea in the cup in one gulp.

Katerina quickly interjected, "Sir—you! Slow down, be careful, the tea might be hot."

"That's better," Yang Ying set down the empty cup, smiling. "Heat is not an issue."

If one feared the burn of water below one hundred degrees Celsius, they hardly deserved to be considered an Awakened one.

Katerina refilled his cup, saying, "Tea is meant to be savored slowly, Commander. Don't rush this cup."

"Mhm."

Yang Ying assented and slowly sipped from his refilled cup.

Seeing this, Katerina recalled something. "Murphy and the others mentioned they plan to plant some tea leaves on that slope over there, in case the Commander needs them anytime."

She extended a finger, slender and green as an onion shoot, pointing toward a distant rise of land.

"That sounds fine. The Floating Continent is vast; the land is idle anyway. Planting something could offer some variety for everyone back at the base. Still, the soil here might not be suitable for tea. We won't know what the harvest yields," Yang Ying remarked.

Katerina shook her head with a small laugh. "Commander, you only focus on military technology. You don't realize how advanced solar system agricultural science has become. The environmental demands are minimal now. There are thousands of space cities dedicated to agriculture in Earth and Mars orbits, and the technology for controlling soil composition with fertilizers and adjusting climate in greenhouses is incredibly mature."

"Oh?" Yang Ying realized he genuinely hadn't paid attention to intelligence in that area.

Katerina paused in thought. "I recall the tea we have in the base comes from Longjing City in Earth orbit. They are famous for producing Longjing tea, and there are also Biluochun City, Tieguanyin City, and many others specialized in tea."

"In that case, it’s certainly worth a try," Yang Ying chuckled. "But since we aren't farmers, we can just grow enough to satisfy a craving."

"Of course," Katerina agreed, nodding.

Yang Ying took a deep breath of the fresh air, surveyed his surroundings, and said, "The natural environment here is superb—mountains and water, forest and grassland, even wild beasts. The only thing missing is outsiders. It truly is a blessed place. Sitting quietly here for two days has calmed my spirit immensely."

Katerina nodded, whispering softly, "It's just a shame the Commander's true body cannot enter this space and remains at the base."

"It is quite a pity. Even using the Stargate doesn't allow my physical body to pass onto the Floating Continent," Yang Ying held his hands before him, clenching his fists. "Good thing this ethereal body is functionally identical to my real one in every aspect."

Just then, the pattern on the gold-rimmed mirror flashed, changing to Four Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine!

Katerina noticed and exclaimed, "Oh? Another Zerg has matured."

As she spoke, the pattern flashed again, to Four Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine!

"That's two," Yang Ying stated calmly. "Excellent. Getting closer. I can feel my spirit is about to reach a certain critical threshold."

Katerina examined the gold-rimmed mirror up and down, remarking with surprise, "Protoss technology is truly extraordinary. They can quantify and measure even something as intangible and non-physical as psychic power."

"Protoss technology is founded upon psychic power; it’s not surprising they can achieve this. It's no more astounding than humans inventing a voltmeter to measure voltage," Yang Ying countered.

This mirror was invaluable to Yang Ying’s cultivation. Most Awakened individuals could only estimate their progress roughly while training.

Sometimes they would cultivate for ten or fifteen days without any noticeable improvement. This lack of visible reward eroded their interest, causing many to eventually lose their drive. Only those with exceptionally firm wills and clear objectives could accumulate psychic power day after day for decades.

But with this gold-edged mirror, Yang Ying could clearly witness every increment of progress in his training, knowing his efforts were not in vain, as every tiny gain was displayed on the mirror. This provided immense support for his perseverance.

Of course, most fluctuations in the mirror’s number were caused by the generation of new Zerg units, but for Yang Ying, it made no difference—it was all part of his growing strength.

Katerina stared at the Four Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine reading on the mirror, a strange feeling rising in her chest, prompting her to ask, "Commander, the critical point you mentioned—is it exactly 5000? This number seems too coincidental."

Yang Ying looked at her. "Indeed, I have that same thought. The coincidence of that specific number is quite remarkable. According to the Knowledge of Psychic Power, there might be slight variations in psychic intensity when one becomes a Lower Psychic Adept, depending on individual talent."

"Commander, you don't need to explain it so thoroughly to me," Katerina shook her head. "I don't understand psychic power lore; I was just curious."

"It doesn't hurt to listen," Yang Ying replied. "The book is vague on individual talent. My rough estimation placed it somewhere hovering between 4900 and 5000 units."

"So, 4999 is normal then. But it still doesn't explain why you landed exactly on 4999. While the probability exists, it's incredibly small," Katerina pointed out.

Yang Ying nodded. "I have a theory about this number."

He glanced toward the towering structure beside them. The lights on the tower were still lit only up to the fourth lamp on the second level.

Could it be...? Katerina seemed to grasp something.

"Like water," Yang Ying explained. "Under standard conditions, pure water freezes precisely at zero degrees Celsius and boils precisely at one hundred degrees Celsius—not a bit more, not a bit less. The freezing and boiling points are exact integers, not because water coincidentally hit those points, but because the Celsius scale was defined by the boiling and freezing points of water."

"Commander, are you suggesting that the unit of psychic intensity here was determined by your own aptitude?" Katerina asked, astonished.

"That would make sense," Yang Ying gestured broadly at the scenery around them. "The existence of this world is already an inexplicable miracle; what else is impossible?"

"But isn't psychic intensity measured using Zerg units? Did the Zerg also come into being according to your aptitude, Commander?" Katerina murmured.

Yang Ying shook his head. "I don't know." He then looked at Katerina. "You used 'Sir' again."

"Oh! I apologize," Katerina lowered her head.

"There is absolutely no need to apologize. Every time you do it, I will remind you. You will correct it; we have plenty of time," Yang Ying said with a smile.

At that moment, the pattern in the mirror flashed again: Four Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine!

"Closer! Closer!" Yang Ying felt his spiritual power was nearly at the brink of metamorphosis, like a chrysalis about to hatch.

"Commander, I should leave you now to maintain silence," Katerina stood up, moving to exit the pavilion.

"No, stay," Yang Ying grasped her hand. "This transformation is benign, like water reaching its natural end point. There is no danger. Stay."

"Alright." Katerina gazed into Yang Ying's face and happily agreed, sitting down beside him.

Yang Ying closed his eyes again, though one hand still held Katerina's.

Katerina watched the gold-rimmed mirror anxiously. Soon, the mirror surface flashed once more, arriving at Five Thousand!

Simultaneously, Yang Ying felt his spiritual power break through a constraint, like a hole being pierced in an enclosing eggshell, revealing an infinite vista before his eyes.

The metamorphosis was complete!

In Katerina’s sight, a crystalline sheen began to form on the surface of Yang Ying’s skin, radiant and iridescent, as if he were draped in a rainbow.

After a few breaths, this radiance gradually dimmed.

Yang Ying took a deep breath and opened his eyes, smiling. "See? Nothing dangerous."

My old classmate is getting married today, so I'm attending the wedding. I might not be able to update tonight; please forgive me. I will definitely make up for it tomorrow!