Those who face the wall, but are in the Nascent Soul stage.

Chapter 360 Qi Refining Level 1

The instant the Ice Cube effect ended, the 706 star-class warships immediately returned to [Forward IV] mode and flew forward into the distance at top speed.

At first, no one realized what had happened.

until……

"Why didn't the 'Paradox Engine' star-class warship, the 'Hanting' star-class warship, the 'Jehovah' star-class warship, and the 'Constantinople' star-class warship explode? Weren't the droplets about to catch up with them?"

At the very forefront of the surviving fleet, a crew member aboard the stellar-class warship "Arctic Magnetic Field" pointed at the four points of light on the radar that should have been extinguished and shouted.

Everyone gathered around to look, and they soon discovered that the four star-class warships that should have been destroyed by the corresponding four water droplets had actually survived.

"what happened?"

"Where are the Trisolarans' probes?"

"This area is now outside the coverage of the 'fog umbrella.' If the enemy doesn't emit light, we won't be able to detect the location of the Trisolaran probe at all..."

Just as confusion and panic filled the interior of the warship, the captain of the "Arctic" star-class warship walked out with a complicated expression.

He was clutching a jade plaque in his hand.

Jade talisman for transmitting messages.

"Captain!" The crew immediately surrounded the captain.

"All the water droplets have been subdued, we are safe..." Captain of the Arctic sighed.

"what happened?"

"See for yourselves." The captain of the Arctic ship tossed the jade talisman in his hand slightly into the air. The talisman spun in the vacuum for a moment, and Luo Qing's phantom immediately appeared in the warship. His phantom observed the situation inside the warship, and then bowed to the more than 3000 space soldiers.

Not knowing how to return the salute, everyone simply returned a military salute in unison.

Luo Qing's illusory figure surveyed the surroundings, a wisp of divine thought transforming into a voice: "Everyone, all the water droplets have been subdued, all the sophons have been controlled, and the solar system is now safe. It was my incompetence in the battle that caused irreparable damage to the solar system fleet by the 10 strong interaction probes. In this round of doomsday war, the Arctic and 719 other warships became the last surviving star-class warships of mankind. But I am not here to persuade you to return."

"Mr. Luo Qing... what do you mean by this?" asked the first mate of the Arctic.

Luo Qing's illusory figure bowed again: "Currently, although the Trisolaran world has abandoned its invasion of Earth with the intervention of a more advanced civilization, the universe is vast and the crisis of the solar system has not been resolved. On the contrary, it has fallen into some kind of unspeakable danger. As a former Wall-Bender, I must be responsible for the entire civilization."

"I must frankly admit that my current magical power is weak, and I may not be able to protect civilization in this dangerous universe. As for the more specific reasons, I cannot reveal them to you. My very existence may even bring disaster to the solar system. Under these circumstances, I secretly hope that humanity will actively explore beyond the solar system, rather than remaining confined to this remote corner of the universe."

“But… Earth is our home, how can we not go home?” someone murmured.

Luo Qing's illusory figure had already guessed what they wanted to say, so he cupped his hands and said, "Of course, this is just a suggestion, a feasible path. Currently, the entire human world, including the remaining Fleet International and Earth International, has abolished the Escape Act."

I know that sending a warship adrift in the unknown universe forever is an indescribable pain and despair. Therefore, I have absolutely no intention of forcing anything, nor is it part of the plan. The decision to return or to proceed to the eternal darkness of the universe rests with the entire crew of the Arctic. But one thing is certain: do not force anyone.”

Luo Qing's illusory figure gradually faded.

"This jade talisman, though called a communication talisman, is actually a spatial positioning device. If this ship decides to return, then I and the entire human world will warmly welcome you. The solar system and Earth will always be your home, and I will do my best to protect the solar system. But if this ship decides to embark on a long journey to find a new way out for humanity's future, then the jade talisman will also become a communication device between Earth and the warship, just like the Sophon."

"Perhaps one day I will learn the way of eleven-dimensional space and be able to learn hyperspace jump. At that time, I will definitely come to find you."

That concludes my message. Thank you for your contributions to human civilization; you will forever be heroes of human civilization.

"This is not part of the plan."

"Respectfully presented by Luo Qing, Nascent Soul cultivator from Qingyun Peak, Dao Sect, Kyushu."

...

A similar scene played out in various star-class warships.

Every captain of a star-class warship noticed that they had an extra jade talisman in their hand.

The vast majority of captains decided to make the contents of the jade talisman public, and then the entire ship began to vote on whether to return to port or escape.

Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of warships chose to return to port. In many people's eyes, with all the droplets defeated, all the sophons captured, and the Trisolaran civilization unexpectedly surrendering, there was no point in fleeing.

Anyway, this nightmare is finally coming to an end, and it's time to go home.

Onboard the "Paradox Engine," Qian Mengjian gradually recovered from his near-death experience. Gasping for breath, he slumped alone into the captain's chair.

The jade talisman in his hand was still glowing faintly, indicating that he had already received news of Luo Qing.

"Paradox Engine, begin turning, destination adjusted to Jupiter Spaceport, let's go home."

The ship's AI displayed a message on the screen: "Shouldn't we choose to flee?"

Commander Qian's expression was rather grim: "The other warships chose to flee because they had a large number of people on board, with a balanced male-to-female ratio, which could sustain the reproduction of civilization. But I'm the only one on the Paradox Engine. What can I do if I run away?"

Shipborne AI: [Can't you reproduce on your own?]

Qian Mengjian said expressionlessly, "I'll go back and apply to dismantle your AI and replace it with a smarter one. I've had enough of you."

...

The fleeing fleet.

Captain's room.

After Zhang Beihai finished reading the contents of the jade talisman on his own, he nodded almost imperceptibly, and then squeezed the talisman in his hand until it was completely crushed.

He did not intend to fully disclose the contents of the jade talisman.

However, the owner of the jade talisman seemed to have anticipated his actions. After the jade talisman was completely crushed, Luo Qing's phantom reappeared, then glanced at Zhang Beihai with a complicated expression and tapped him slightly with his fingertip.

A ray of spiritual light seeped into Zhang Beihai's internal organs, extending and clearing his meridians. The light then transformed into spiritual energy, completely filling his entire body and all his orifices.

The shackles of innate perfection were completely broken, and Zhang Beihai's aura rose slightly. Although the increase was not significant, it was already a difference between immortals and mortals.

Qi Refining, Level 1.

A cultivation technique based on internal circulation, compiled by Luo Qing himself, was completely imprinted into Zhang Beihai's newly formed spiritual platform.

"Fellow Daoist, persevere on your own path. The universe is vast and boundless, and the path through the starry sea is magnificent. There will always be someone who gets to know all of this beforehand. Your character is the best I have ever seen in my life. If the universe takes pity on us, we will meet again one day."

Zhang Beihai returned the greeting.

"See you soon."

"Goodbye."

Then, Luo Qing's illusory figure transformed into a streak of blue light and vanished completely.

Shortly after Zhang Beihai advanced to the first level of Qi Refining, the twelve star-class warships experienced some disturbance due to the communication jade talisman. Fortunately, the disturbance did not last long and was quickly quelled.

The twelve star-class warships approached one after another, forming twelve adjacent golden rays, like twelve arrows of hope shot from the solar system, sailing towards the infinitely brilliant sea of ​​stars with unwavering determination.

The twelve starships held a meeting, which confirmed the birth of Starship Earth and temporarily established Zhang Beihai as the supreme leader of Starship Earth.

Subsequently, Starship Earth emitted a wide-area electromagnetic wave toward the solar system, officially announcing the establishment of Starship Earth to the entire human society.

The day after Starship Earth was established, 496 of the 706 starships chose to return to the solar system.

This does not mean that 210 starships chose to continue their escape. It should be noted that 206 of these 210 ships were unmanned. The decision to escape was made by only four ships.

Ball Lightning, Earthfire, Sea and Mountain, Collapse
The four starships began to change their [Forward 4] course and head towards the starship Earth; none of them chose to return to Jupiter.

The newly formed Starship Earth will undergo its first major expansion, increasing from twelve starships to sixteen.

As for the 206 unmanned starships, they collectively ignored the orders coming from Earth and converged on the Little Moss interstellar spaceship, flying into space from a direction completely opposite to that of the starship Earth.

(End of this chapter)