“The avatar is finally settled.”
In his home universe, within the Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm, Lin Yuan opened his eyes with a smile.
Thanks to the estate of the peak Dominance-level expert, Cang Weiyang, Lin Yuan had gained a massive harvest and was in urgent need of a place to digest it. Guming Chaotic Continent clearly fit the bill.
“Let my avatar get used to it there. Once I reach Rank Twelve, I’ll bring over all the resources and treasures that I don’t need and trade them.”
That was Lin Yuan’s plan.
Rather than killing and stealing, Lin Yuan far preferred fair exchange. It was much safer that way.
He wasn’t like some Path-Clearing Rank Twelve with a murky future. With his unrivaled insight, what he needed most was a secure environment to grow stronger.
“Now, about my inner world…”
Lin Yuan split a wisp of consciousness to descend into his internal world. Compared to a century ago, it had expanded several times over, now reaching an astonishing eleven light-years in diameter.
An eleven-light-year scope dwarfed the typical tens-of-thousands or even millions of miles for most Rank Eleven Perfection beings. By comparison, his inner world exceeded theirs by countless millions.
“My inner world, body, soul, and everything else have all reached their limit. The transformations from the chaos rule are more or less assimilated,” Lin Yuan thought.
Comprehending the chaos rule was no substitute for a true life-level leap. The nourishment from submerging himself in the void’s primordial chaos energy was finite.
“Even in the boundless chaotic void, I’d say I’m the strongest Rank Eleven,” he mused, sensing the vast, unfathomable power in his body.
He wasn’t certain which era the current chaotic void belonged to, but even back in His Majesty’s and the Devil Jade Tower Master’s chaotic epoch, there were no rumors of any Rank Eleven surpassing him.
Indeed, the chaotic void held countless opportunities, and there had been times when Rank Eleven beings challenged Rank Twelve, but always with the help of many external factors. Having this kind of power purely by himself—enough to match or even overpower an ordinary Path-Clearing being—was arguably unheard of in all the chaotic void.
“In these hundred years, the Martial Arts Evolutionary Path’s Rank Twelve ‘Path-Clearing Chapter’ is more or less complete,” Lin Yuan thought.
To assault the Ultimate Rank and step into Rank Twelve Path-Clearing, he naturally needed a fully developed Path-Clearing chapter. He had basically finished that a century ago; had he wanted to break through immediately, it wouldn’t have been an issue. But since he was waiting for his own transformations, he used the time to perfect the entire Path-Clearing chapter.
“Before impacting the Ultimate Rank, I’ll see if I can clear the eighth floor of the Devil Jade Tower,” he decided.
A century ago, he had breezed through the seventh floor and stopped near the very end of the eighth, realizing that his life level was insufficient. After all, he was still only Rank Eleven then.
But now?
His inner world had grown several times larger, and his life level had risen accordingly. Even if it still fell short of a true Dominance-level being, he had also grasped the chaos rule, putting him beyond most peak Dominance figures.
With that in mind, Lin Yuan descended again into the Devil Jade Space.
The Devil Jade Tower Master’s rule was that one’s rewards for clearing each floor depended partly on performance. Thus, if Lin Yuan could conquer the eighth floor as Rank Eleven, he would earn far more than if he first reached Rank Twelve and then cleared it. Even for a Rank Twelve Path-Clearing evolver, finishing the eighth floor was already an astonishing feat.
Devil Jade Space, Nine-Level Black Tower.
Lin Yuan arrived.
“You’re here,” said Shen Ji, the humanoid statue, emerging with a complex look in his eyes. He’d never expected to meet such an extraordinary monster. Even the Devil Jade Tower Master, a Chaos Grand Saint, seemed almost… mediocre compared to Lin Yuan.
“I’ll try the eighth floor,” Lin Yuan said gently.
“All right,” Shen Ji nodded, stepping aside to open the path.
Whoosh.
Lin Yuan entered the eighth floor. Shen Ji promptly began observing.
This time, Lin Yuan didn’t hesitate, immediately drawing upon chaos energy to bolster himself, advancing all the way to the floor’s final stage.
“Break!”
With a low shout, Lin Yuan broke through. His substantially increased life foundation finally allowed him to set foot in the “endpoint” of the eighth floor.
“Done,” Lin Yuan murmured with a hint of relief. He was already at his limit. If he still couldn’t clear the eighth floor, he would have had to wait until after becoming Path-Clearing.
“Congratulations. You are the one hundred forty-second member of the Devil Jade Tower to pass the eighth floor,” Shen Ji said, appearing.
“One hundred forty-second?” Lin Yuan was slightly surprised.
“That’s already a lot.” Shen Ji sighed.
Those who could pass the eighth floor were generally peak Dominance figures. At its height, the Devil Jade Tower had one hundred forty-one such experts, plus a handful of Chaos-level cultivators, and the Chaos Grand Saint Tower Master. That was already a formidable force. But rarely did any Chaos-level being serve a Chaos Grand Saint—since they themselves could establish a chaotic continent and freely live as they pleased.
Powerful as a Chaos Grand Saint might be, it was exceptionally difficult to kill a Chaos-level being, and such a being would gain little by attaching themselves to a Grand Saint.
That was why even Guming’s “chaotic dragon-beast”—which hovered near Chaos strength—was still not a bona fide Chaos-level.
“That’s indeed a respectable figure,” Lin Yuan acknowledged, thinking that perhaps he had underestimated himself. In any case, regarding rule comprehension, he already surpassed most peak Dominance cultivators, so among the once-glorious ranks of the Devil Jade Tower, he would have been near the top two hundred.
“Here’s your list of rewards for conquering the eighth floor,” Shen Ji said, waving his hand to conjure a screen of light before Lin Yuan.
The list contained a variety of top-grade Chaos-level treasures. Normally, the prize for passing the eighth floor would be top-quality Dominance treasures, with perhaps one or two Chaos-level items. Yet because Lin Yuan passed as an Eleven-level being, Shen Ji had shown him the loftiest rewards in the entire Nine-Level Tower—items an ordinary member wouldn’t see even after clearing the ninth floor.
Only someone extremely gifted, clearing the ninth floor with the potential to become a Chaos Grand Saint, would have the same treatment that Lin Yuan now enjoyed by merely clearing the eighth.
“So many treasures,” Lin Yuan thought, amazed. The Chaos-level artifact left by Cang Weiyang—a peak Dominance cultivator—was nothing compared to even the weakest on this prize list.
From a Chaos-level expert’s perspective, many Chaos-level artifacts were casually crafted, explaining how Cang Weiyang had ended up with three. Of course, for a Path-Clearing or Dominance cultivator, a Chaos-level treasure was still incredibly precious.
“Which one should I pick?”
Lin Yuan hesitated. First, he excluded any weapons or artifacts. All were top-tier Chaos items. Even if he reached Rank Twelve, it would take him a long time to refine or wield them. That made them too extravagant to be of immediate use.
“Might as well wait until I’m Rank Twelve to choose,” he decided.
“Right now I’m only Rank Eleven. If I pick something and then it’s not useful after my breakthrough, I’ll have wasted the opportunity. Anyway, I’m not lacking anything at the moment. No need to rush.”
“I’ll pick my reward later,” he told Shen Ji.
“No problem.” Shen Ji nodded.
“Now, I’d like to see the ninth floor,” Lin Yuan said, glancing up at the tower’s final level. Passing it typically meant one’s power was at or near Chaos’s peak—just a step away from becoming a Chaos Grand Saint.
“Go right ahead.”
Shen Ji’s face betrayed a trace of oddity but he nodded all the same.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Yuan arrived at the ninth floor. Contrary to his expectations, there was no pressure or rule-based trial. The entire ninth floor was empty, prompting Lin Yuan’s confusion.
“What’s the criterion for passing the ninth floor?” he wondered. There was no obvious “finish line.”
Suddenly, the entire space dimmed. A towering figure formed, clad in a black robe with an indifferent gaze that seemed to embody the cosmic Dao.
“What—?”
Locking eyes with that giant, Lin Yuan felt his consciousness plunge into oblivion. When he came to, he was already outside the Nine-Level Tower.
“The ninth floor is…?”
Lin Yuan’s face looked grave.
“Exactly. To beat the ninth floor, you have to overcome a mark left by our Tower Master in his prime,” Shen Ji explained.
“A mark from the Devil Jade Tower Master?” Lin Yuan was at a loss for words. He’d expected the ninth floor to be difficult, but not that difficult. The Tower Master was a Chaos Grand Saint, so a remnant of his might was something most standard Chaos-level experts couldn’t handle—especially since challengers entering the space were only sending in a wisp of consciousness.
Back in the Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm, Lin Yuan reopened his eyes.
“This shows that the Devil Jade Tower Master isn’t weaker than His Majesty,” Lin Yuan reflected.
Previously, when he saw His Majesty open thirty-three thousand three hundred thirty-three secret realms, he assumed His Majesty surpassed the Tower Master.
“Anyway, none of that matters now.” Lin Yuan calmed his thoughts and gazed into the cosmic starry sky.
Over the last hundred years, his two Primordial Souls and various avatars had wandered every corner of the universe, often sensing cause-and-effect probes from alien Rank Twelves. Yet it was futile—those aliens’ understanding of cause-and-effect rules wasn’t superior to Lin Yuan’s, so they couldn’t lock onto him.
Even with his souls and avatars roaming around openly, they still couldn’t pinpoint his whereabouts, let alone mount an attack.
“I gave them a chance, but they couldn’t use it,” Lin Yuan sighed. At this moment, all his attributes had reached their limit, and he was ready at any time to take the leap toward the Ultimate Rank.
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