"With my current physical body, soul, and inner world," Lin Yuan thought while sitting cross-legged on the main star of the galaxy.
"I can barely accommodate my mental will."
At rank ten, his mental will index exceeded 33,33M points.
Such terrifying mental will, placed in a tenth-rank being, was akin to pouring the water of a hundred or a thousand cups into a single cup.
The cup couldn’t hold that much water, so it naturally overflowed.
This was why the strongest being, Xia Qin, could immediately discern that Lin Yuan’s mental will far exceeded normal levels.
Ordinarily, the higher one’s mental will, the harder it would be for others to detect. After all, such power specializes in concealment.
However, after stepping into rank eleven, Lin Yuan’s life level underwent a transformative leap, with significant improvements to his physical body, soul, and inner world.
Although he still couldn’t fully match the more than 33 million points of his mental will index, his current state was much better than at rank ten. At least now, by deliberately restraining it, he could avoid detection by twelfth-rank strongest beings.
Twelfth-rank strongest beings generally knew each other and had no need to conceal their mental will. But Lin Yuan was not yet at the twelfth rank. It didn’t matter if the strongest beings of his human civilization discovered his secrets, but letting those from other races perceive his immense mental will would be unwise.
After all, trump cards are best kept hidden.
Lin Yuan’s willingness to reveal that he had advanced to rank eleven was primarily to prepare for the supermassive battlefield.
Moreover, merely revealing his advancement to rank eleven was hardly exposing his true cards. Lin Yuan’s actual strength far surpassed that of a perfected eleventh-rank being.
"The supermassive battlefield will be opened within half a year," Lin Yuan mused. Few evolvers in human civilization knew the specific timing, but Lin Yuan had obtained clear information directly from the strongest beings.
"Two primordial souls," Lin Yuan pondered. With his powerful mental will, even a single avatar could ensure his safety on the large battlefield.
Currently, only one of his avatars was gathering origin energy on the large battlefield, leaving his other primordial soul available for other tasks.
"Unfortunately, a primordial soul is ultimately just a primordial soul. The chaotic void origin entirely resides in my true body’s inner world," Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.
Although the true body and primordial souls shared mental will, the infusion of chaotic void origin was not equivalent. The chaotic void origin infused into the primordial souls was far less than that absorbed by his true body.
"But perhaps that’s for the best," Lin Yuan reconsidered, his gaze relaxing.
If his primordial souls held as much chaotic void origin as his true body, he wouldn’t dare deploy them so easily. The loss of a primordial soul would also mean the loss of its vast reserves of chaotic void origin.
Now, the cost of regenerating a primordial soul was manageable. While it required some effort, it was entirely bearable.
"At my current level, I can begin drafting the eleventh-rank chapter of martial arts," Lin Yuan thought deeply.
Compared to his own cultivation path, the martial arts eleventh-rank chapter would be designed to be more accessible. After all, many of Lin Yuan’s conditions couldn’t be replicated—traveling to other dimensions to comprehend rules or having unparalleled insight capable of drawing profound connections.
"Hmm? Vice Tower Master Nalan is seeking me?" Lin Yuan’s thoughts shifted as he entered the virtual world.
"Congratulations, Milky Way Star Lord," Vice Tower Master Nalan appeared, his gaze at Lin Yuan filled with complex emotions.
Unlike other evolvers who merely heard stories of the Milky Way Star Lord, Nalan had personally witnessed Lin Yuan’s growth.
Nalan vividly remembered their first meeting on the Red Kun main star, where he delivered a treasure for soul protection under the orders of Xia Qin, the strongest one. At that time, Lin Yuan had been inexperienced. While he showed promise in the Red Kun Star Domain, he was hardly noteworthy within the broader human civilization.
Later, as Nalan observed Lin Yuan again, the latter had reached rank nine. Under the strongest being’s orders, the two had a sparring match in the domain of time rules.
In that match, Nalan suffered a crushing defeat.
It was a complete and unequivocal loss.
Yet, that loss broke Nalan’s bottleneck, allowing him to advance to rank eleven.
But now?
How much time had passed?
Lin Yuan had also stepped into rank eleven?
Nalan’s thoughts were numerous. Yet, he felt no jealousy—there was no room for it. While other evolvers relied on reports to understand the Milky Way Star Lord’s meteoric rise, Nalan had witnessed it firsthand. The impact was incomparable.
"It was merely luck," Lin Yuan waved modestly.
"The Milky Way Star Lord is too humble," Nalan sighed.
"I’ve come to invite you to a gathering," Nalan finally stated his purpose.
The gathering, organized by numerous eleventh-rank evolvers of human civilization, was to celebrate Lin Yuan’s advancement to rank eleven.
Even for a pinnacle race like human civilization, eleventh-rank evolvers were extraordinarily rare, with fewer than a thousand publicly known. Every new eleventh-rank evolver warranted recognition from their peers, especially someone like Lin Yuan, who advanced as the strongest tenth-rank and the greatest genius in the history of human civilization.
"No problem," Lin Yuan nodded. The gathering would undoubtedly be held in the virtual world, requiring only a sliver of mental will to attend.
"Good, then I’ll send you the invitation." Nalan’s figure disappeared.
Soon after, an invitation appeared before Lin Yuan, and he accepted it, entering a virtual manor.
Numerous eleventh-rank evolvers greeted Lin Yuan with smiles.
Among them were many whom Lin Yuan had met several times, such as the president of the Biluo Association, the patriarch of the Xuanyuan family, and the head of the Xia family.
Most of the attendees had previously celebrated Nalan’s advancement to rank eleven, but many were renowned figures Lin Yuan had only heard about.
"The Milky Way Star Lord is here!" The Xuanyuan family patriarch stood with a smile.
The other eleventh-rank evolvers followed suit, greeting Lin Yuan before resuming their discussions in smaller groups.
Most of these evolvers hailed from different eras, with many originating from humanity’s long years of hibernation before this era. While they respected the Milky Way Star Lord, they wouldn’t fawn over him.
Lin Yuan quietly sat with Nalan, engaging in casual conversation.
"Everyone’s discussing the supermassive battlefield," Lin Yuan noted, observing the topics around him.
"Indeed," Nalan confirmed.
"Only eleventh-rank beings can enter the supermassive battlefield. Its vastness far surpasses all previously established battlefields, so many eleventh-rank evolvers are strategizing how to cooperate effectively."
The supermassive battlefield’s significance had been made clear to Lin Yuan by the strongest beings of human civilization.
"Milky Way Star Lord," a towering woman approached Lin Yuan with curiosity.
"Xuanyuan Duo," Nalan called out.
"Xuanyuan Duo," Lin Yuan addressed the woman.
Lin Yuan recognized her as a leader among humanity’s eleventh-rank beings during their foray into a two-dimensional white paper world, where he had interacted with her under his alias "Blood Rain."
"The ancestor often speaks of you," Xuanyuan Duo remarked.
The "ancestor" she referred to was the progenitor of the Xuanyuan bloodline and humanity’s first strongest being.
Such figures rarely interfered with family matters but took great interest in guiding their eleventh-rank successors. Occasionally, they would even descend with a sliver of mental will to offer guidance.
"I am honored by the strongest being’s recognition," Lin Yuan replied.
"The ancestor is humanity’s strongest among the nine strongest beings. If he sees value in you, it’s for good reason," Xuanyuan Duo observed Lin Yuan keenly.
Lin Yuan recalled the silent yet imposing figure of the Xuanyuan strongest being, a man of few words but unparalleled strength.
Among humanity’s nine strongest beings, Xia Qin and Gu Li excelled in destructive power, Void God was unmatched in spatial mastery, and Yu Die had no equal in illusions. Yet, Xuanyuan stood as the most balanced, with no discernible weaknesses.
During humanity’s darkest days, it was Xuanyuan who bore the weight of survival.
"It is said that the Xuanyuan strongest being approaches the peak of the Path-Clearing Stage," Nalan interjected.
"The Path-Clearing Stage?" Lin Yuan’s thoughts wandered.
Rank nine divides into ten space layers, ten thousand space layers, hundred thousand space layers, and beyond. Rank ten similarly has its tiers, with A-rank ten at the peak.
Rank eleven also has six levels, with the sixth being a perfected eleventh-rank capable of challenging the ultimate.
At rank twelve, the realm of the strongest beings divides into three stages: Path-Clearing, Dominance, and Chaos.
Before the Path-Clearing Stage is a transitional phase for newly advanced twelfth-rank beings. This phase is brief, as the being soon clears their path to establish their own Dao, entering the Path-Clearing Stage.
Beyond that lies Dominance and Chaos.
Figures like the master of the Devil Jade Tower and the Mysterious Emperor reside at the pinnacle of Chaos, roaming the chaotic void and establishing unparalleled domains.
"Reaching the peak of the Path-Clearing Stage is no small feat," Xuanyuan Duo remarked, shaking her head. By the eleventh rank, one could access extensive knowledge of the twelfth-rank domains, including the catastrophes of universal epochs.
To endure the universe’s endgame and its collapse, even twelfth-rank beings face a high mortality rate. Survival often demands luck unless one reaches the peak of the Path-Clearing Stage.
Beyond the Path-Clearing Stage, twelfth-rank Dominance signifies supremacy even within the chaotic void, commanding respect and authority.
"Even across a complete universal epoch, few reach the peak of the Path-Clearing Stage," Xuanyuan Duo added.
Should the Xuanyuan patriarch achieve this level, it would transform humanity’s future. Beyond the significant increase in combat strength, it would ensure humanity’s elite survive the universal collapse and transition into the chaotic void.
Lin Yuan already knew much about the twelfth rank’s divisions, thanks to records in the Devil Jade Tower and the Mysterious Emperor’s secret realm.
"For now, the universe I inhabit is still young, having completed only a tenth of an epoch. Unless unforeseen events occur, the endgame is far off," Lin Yuan mused.
A single universal epoch spans countless billions of years. Figures like the master of the Devil Jade Tower no longer measure time in years but in epochs.
Lin Yuan and Xuanyuan Duo soon shifted their conversation to the supermassive battlefield.
"Milky Way Star Lord, will you participate in this battlefield’s opening?" Xuanyuan Duo asked casually.
"I should be there," Lin Yuan nodded. This had already been agreed upon with the strongest beings. Lin Yuan would serve as humanity’s anchor, securing their dominance in the first phase of the battlefield.
Of course, this was classified information. If other races discovered it, they might devise countermeasures.
"Understood," Xuanyuan Duo nodded. Then, after a quick glance around, she activated a barrier to shield their conversation.
"Rest assured, humanity has prepared a crucial trump card for this battle."
...
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