These wings were mighty and powerful, each flap containing astonishing strength.

As a human, Lin Ye had never experienced flight before.

But now, with the enhancement of his [Silk Puppet] skill, a wondrous sensation washed over him.

Although he couldn’t read the corpse’s memories from its previous life, it was as if he had instantly inherited its instinct for controlling this body.

Flight was one of those instincts!

After a few clumsy flutters, the corpse of the Stone Ghost Race elite suddenly beat its wings, its massive body actually lifting off the ground and shakily ascending into the air!

It worked!

A wave of elation surged through Lin Ye.

Being able to fly meant he could survey this vast wasteland from above, which would drastically increase his efficiency in searching for Source Crystals!

He sent out a sliver of his Spirit, giving the other two corpses the simplest of commands—

Search for all Source Crystals within a ten-kilometer radius of your current position.

After the command was given, something happened that surprised Lin Ye.

The mycelia within the two puppets seemed to possess a rudimentary intelligence.

Upon receiving the directive, they immediately split up and began to carry out the order, heading in different directions with heavy steps.

Lin Ye’s eyes lit up.

The status of this support skill, which he had previously considered the most useless in a direct fight, underwent a world-shaking transformation in his mind.

’Who said it’s useless in a fight?’

’I can just imagine it. If this skill were enhanced to a higher level, I’d have a group of fearless, powerful, non-human puppet minions following me into battle. That scene...’

’The boost to my combat power would probably be no less than [Crystalization] and [Shadow Scale]!’

’It might even be greater!’

Lin Ye suppressed his excitement and refocused his main attention on the flying puppet.

He controlled the Stone Ghost Race elite to circle at a low altitude of about a hundred meters, carefully scanning every inch of the black earth below.

He didn’t dare fly too high.

First, he wanted to avoid attracting the attention of other students in the Nirvana Tower, or even prodigies like Dongfang Zhen. It would be a joke if they mistook him for a wild monster and killed him offhand.

Second, every action the puppet took continuously consumed the mycelia within its body. Once the mycelia were depleted, the connection would be severed.

He had to be frugal with it.

Soon, Lin Ye made a discovery.

About seven kilometers northeast of his hiding spot, in a straight line, there seemed to be a cave at the base of a hidden cliff.

Through the shared vision of the flying puppet, he could clearly see a faint blue light flickering deep within the pitch-black cave entrance.

That was the light that only Source Crystals could emit!

Lin Ye’s spirits lifted, and he immediately had the puppet lower its altitude and fly toward the cave.

Just as it flew into the cave entrance, Lin Ye’s heart skipped a beat.

Inside the cave, a long Source Crystal Vein was attached to the rock wall!

Translucent crystals were clustered together, the large ones the size of a fist and the small ones as thick as a thumb, all emitting a captivating halo in the darkness.

The reserves were at least seven or eight times greater than the small patch of Source Crystals he had found by the hot spring!

But before he could celebrate, Lin Ye’s heart sank again.

He heard a commotion from deeper within the cave.

A few short, wary, strange cries rang out.

Two burly figures charged out from the shadows deeper in the cave. They were clutching crude stone spears, their grayish-black eyes filled with vigilance.

Two more members of the Stone Ghost Race!

However, when they got a clear look at the intruder, the vigilance on their faces instantly turned to surprise, which then melted into terror.

THUD!

The two young Stone Ghosts fell to their knees almost simultaneously, burying their heads low, their bodies trembling slightly with fear.

’Forgive us, sir! We didn’t recognize you!’

From their perspective, although the one before them was covered in wounds and had a weak aura, those giant, bat-like wings were the mark of an elite within their race.

The Stone Ghost Race had an incredibly strict social hierarchy. Faced with an elite officer, two mere grunts like them couldn’t even fathom the thought of resisting.

A thin layer of cold sweat broke out on Lin Ye’s forehead.

’This puppet of mine can run and fly, and it looks intimidating, but it has absolutely no combat ability.’

’If a real fight had broken out just now, I would have had no choice but to sever the connection and scrap the puppet.’

Fortunately, the class suppression that came with his puppet’s identity had saved him from a fight he was certain to lose.

Lin Ye controlled the puppet to cast a cold, disdainful glance at the two Stone Ghosts prostrating on the ground.

Then, the puppet raised its right claw and made an impatient shooing gesture toward the cave entrance.

Although the two Stone Ghosts were reluctant to leave the Source Crystals in the cave, they didn’t dare to show the slightest defiance. Filled with unwillingness, they could only get up and retreat sullenly from the cave.

The crisis was averted.

Only then did Lin Ye maneuver the puppet over to the vein. He put on a show of breaking off a piece of Source Crystal, stuffing it into its mouth, and chewing it with loud CRUNCHING sounds.

He had a feeling they weren’t gone for good.

And sure enough, a moment later, two grayish-black heads poked furtively back into the cave entrance.

Lin Ye sneered. He had the puppet whirl around, open its maw, and let out an angry and majestic roar!

"ROAR—!"

This time, the two Stone Ghosts were scared out of their wits. They scrambled away and vanished from the entrance.

Only then did Lin Ye let out a long sigh of relief.

He didn’t have the elite puppet start hauling away the crystals immediately. Instead, he had it "rest" in the cave.