By the time Elijah and his group returned to Azure Isle, it was already noon the next day!


    After leaving Neoville City University the previous day, it had gottente, and traveling at night was extremely dangerous. So, the group had found a safe ce to stay overnight and continued their journey the following morning.


    Compared to the urgency of their departure, the return trip was much more rxed. When they finally arrived on the ind, Fiona, who had heard the news, rushed back immediately.


    Fiona was leading a team to clear the road to Neoville City International Port.


    Of course, she didn''t need to handle it personally.


    In fact, the road clearing was being managed by Quentin and a few ordinary people from other smaller settlements,bined with one or two awakened individuals forming exploration teams.


    Meanwhile, the team from Azure Isle was a mobile squad primarily handling nearby issues, dealing with troublesome mutated zombies.


    This was all thanks to Vincent resolving themunication issues with the radios, allowing different teams tomunicate effectively nearby.


    Whenever a problem arose, they could immediately call for nearby support.


    This greatly increased the survival chances of those going out on exploration missions.


    In the two days Elijah''s team was out, several subordinate settlements of Azure Isle had equipped themselves with radios, making them even more grateful to Azure Isle!


    They felt that having such a powerful ally was advantageous and showed even greater enthusiasm for the tasks issued by Azure Isle.


    Before leaving, Fiona had specifically instructed Gabriel to notify her immediately if Elijah''s group returned, using the radio system distributed across the settlements along the way.


    Although not as convenient as phones, the messages were indeed transmitted very quickly.


    Thanks to the road clearing, Fiona managed to get back to the ind within just a few minutes after receiving the news.


    "How did it go? Any discoveries?" Fiona immediately approached Elijah and his group, who were resting.


    Daisy quickly began to describe everything that had happened over the past two days with vivid detail.


    Fiona listened with rapt attention, her eyes shining brightly, especially when she heard about the powerful performance of the female zombie''s third-tier ice abilities.


    "If Hannah hade back, she would have been thrilled to hear how strong the third-tier ice abilities are!"


    Hannah had reced Fiona and was leading Lily and others in dealing with mutated zombies.


    Soon, Daisy mentioned the Snow Lotus Spirit Fruit.


    Upon learning that Elijah might advance to the fourth tier after consuming it, Fiona became even more impatient.


    "Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and eat it!"


    Fiona began urging Elijah.


    "Of course, we should wait for the Crystal Grass to mature!"


    Elijah had just checked and saw that the Crystal Grass was close to reaching seven apertures and nearly mature. He wasn''t in a hurry and nned to wait for it to mature naturally.


    At this moment, being urged by Fiona, he decided not to wait and used Katherine''s abilities to elerate the maturation of the Crystal Grass.


    With the already matured Blood Spirit Grass and the two Zombie Grasses that were also hastened to maturity, Elijah was now fully prepared!


    Under the watchful eyes of the women, Elijah took out the Snow Lotus Spirit Fruit.


    As soon as the ice box was opened, a delightful fragrance immediately wafted out.


    "It smells so good!"


    "Is this the Snow Lotus Spirit Fruit?"


    Both Be and Fiona were seeing the Snow Lotus Spirit Fruit for the first time and were immediately captivated by its enchanting aroma.


    "Mm-hmm!"


    Elijah nodded and, under the envious gazes of Daisy, Abigail, and others, swallowed the spirit fruit in one bite.


    As soon as the Snow Lotus Spirit Fruit entered his mouth, Elijah experienced a refreshing, sweet sensation. Before he could even chew, the fruit turned into a liquid and filled his mouth, causing him to involuntarily swallow.


    Then, Elijah felt a cool sensation from top to bottom, prating deeply into his heart and spreading throughout his entire body.


    The liquefied Chi within him began to circte rapidly, absorbing the coolness. As the Chi flowed, it grew from a gentle stream to a more powerful force.


    At a certain moment, Elijah felt he had reached a bottleneck, just on the verge of breaking through. However, the cooling sensation had already diminished to a level where it no longer provided any support.


    Elijah opened his eyes and immediately consumed the Crystal Grass, which had been prepared nearby.


    "Boom!"


    As he chewed and swallowed the crystalline leaves of the Crystal Grass, Elijah felt a surge of energy erupting within him, like a mighty river smashing through the barrier before him!


    In an instant, Elijah felt a transformative change, as if he had been reborn. His perception of the surroundings and understanding of the world took on apletely new dimension.


    It was as if he had truly escaped a cage and descended upon the world. He also discovered that, without using Charlotte''s abilities or performing the Hun Yuan Technique, he could "see" Chi merely through his own consciousness!


    Elijah knew he had sessfully advanced to the fourth tier!


    This was an achievement that no one had reached in his previous life for an entire year!


    And now, he had achieved it in just over two months!


    "How did it go? Did you seed?" The women watched Elijah anxiously, with Charlotte being the calmest. Her mental presence had been extended, and she could clearly feel that Elijah had changed at the moment he advanced. However, she couldn''t pinpoint how exactly he had changed, only that he seemed more imposing and dangerous.


    "Yes! I''ve sessfully advanced!" Elijah said with a faint smile.


    "Really?"


    "That''s great!"


    "How many contract slots do you have now?"


    Fiona was the first to ask her most concerned question.


    "I''ll check!"


    Elijah closed his eyes and carefully sensed the rhythm of his body and abilities.


    At that moment, Elijah felt his body was more powerful than ever, as if it possessed infinite potential!


    In his mind, a glowing web appeared. Each line on this web connected to a person. Elijah understood that these were the individuals he had imnted with the Seed of Consciousness.


    Some were far away, with dim colors, mostly located in the western suburbs of Neoville City, and were YLK group members. Others were close, glowing like stars, within Azure Isle and its vicinity.


    Simultaneously, he could "see" the appearance of these glowing individuals, imitate their abilities, and forcibly control them, even to the point of causing their deaths.


    His suggestion abilities had been further enhanced to be true control abilities.


    And the number of people he could contract and control had increased from 50 to 100!


    Before the apocalypse, there weren''t even 100 second-tier ability users in Neoville City!


    But now, with just a bit of time, Elijah could achieve this.


    Elijah shared this news with Fiona.


    Fiona''s eyebrows visibly curved up, and her face was filled with undisguised joy.


    An additional 50 slots meant 50 more controble, loyal, at least second-tier ability users. This was crucial for the development of Azure Isle!


    While Fiona was thrilled about the increased contract slots, Elijah was more concerned with another new ability.


    At the fourth tier, he could solidify the imitation of one more ability.