[You possess Unrivaled Insight, able to perceive different dimensions and time-space facets. Your comprehension of time and space has greatly increased.]
Lin Yuan immersed himself in the surrounding fluctuations of time and space. In his eyes, every wisp of these fluctuations was so perfect. They were completely different from those of the Chaotic Void, yet both existed on an equal level.
In just half a day, Lin Yuan’s comprehension of the seventh-level realm of time-space advanced from the early phase to the middle phase.
“This is too exaggerated.”
Lin Yuan composed himself, feeling an immense sense of joy.
Ordinary Dominance-level experts would need at least several or even dozens of cosmic epochs to move from early to middle phase in the seventh-level realm of time-space. Even Lin Yuan, possessing Unrivaled Insight, assumed that after stepping into the twelfth rank, while his rule comprehension speed soared, he would still need a few thousand years to reach this level.
That was already considered extremely fast because a thousand years in the universe would be only a few years in the Chaotic Void.
But now, it took just half a day?
“No wonder those time-based lifeforms at the thirteenth rank are all eager to explore other dimensional worlds,” Lin Yuan thought.
Rules may manifest differently in different dimensional worlds, and comprehending new facets of those rules is critical for attaining perfection in one’s own understanding.
The greatest difference between a time-based lifeform and a perfect time-based lifeform lies in the word “perfect.”
A perfect time-based lifeform is perfect in every aspect. Every rule they comprehend, their physical body and soul, all achieve unparalleled perfection and encompass everything.
In Lin Yuan’s past dozen or so transmigrations to other dimensional worlds, each one’s level was lower than that of the dimension containing the main universe. Even the Immortal Realm barely shared the same level as the main universe; it was still far inferior to the Chaotic Void.
When a dimension’s level is lower than that of the main universe and the Chaotic Void, most of its rules are naturally subsumed by the Chaotic Void’s rules.
But this source world? Judging by its flow of time alone, it’s not at all weaker than the Chaotic Void. Its operational rules unfold in a direction different from those of the Chaotic Void.
For someone like Lin Yuan, who possesses Unrivaled Insight, the impact of witnessing such rule operation is unprecedented.
“This is so wonderful.”
“So this is what the rule of metal truly looks like? It’s not just about sharpness?”
“And water? It also has an extreme, destructive side?”
Lin Yuan was enraptured. The rules of this source world represented a completely different grand path of cultivation from that of the main universe’s Chaotic Void. Not just a different approach, but an entirely distinct grand path of cultivation.
It’s like facing the same problem but examining different ways of solving it. It brings unimaginable progress in understanding the problem’s essence.
Dividing most of his attention to perceiving the operation of the source world’s fundamental rules, Lin Yuan began to examine himself.
[Name: Yu Yan (Lin Yuan)
Identity: Master of the Gate of Myriad Realms
Bound Talent: Unrivaled Insight
Divine Ability: Blood Rebirth, Move Mountains, Enhancement, Elemental Body, World, Tear the Sky
Current Status: Consciousness Descent
Remaining Stay Time: None]
“‘None’ for the remaining stay time?”
“That means there’s no limit to how long I can remain in this world, until I die or voluntarily choose to return?”
Lin Yuan pondered to himself.
“This time, my true body in the main universe has split off about half a portion of my true-soul consciousness. Strictly speaking, this body is no longer just an avatar but rather a clone?”
He made a guess in his mind.
With so much true-soul consciousness invested, even if his true body were to fall in the Chaotic Void, he wouldn’t actually die. In essence, he’s now not much different from the original.
“My ability to preserve my life just rose another notch.”
Lin Yuan nodded slightly. Only after reaching the twelfth rank did the Gate of Myriad Realms truly reveal its terrifying side.
“What I need most right now is to keep refining my martial path based on the rule operations in this source world,” Lin Yuan thought.
Different dimensional worlds operate under different rules, presenting different facets. Naturally, martial paths need varying degrees of adaptation in each world.
Eventually, if his martial path can reach a point where it functions at full power in any dimension without further adjustment, that is when Lin Yuan will have stepped into the domain of a perfect time-based lifeform.
The path of a perfect time-based lifeform is universal across myriad worlds and endless dimensional realms. There is no need for adaptation or refinement because they themselves are the epitome of perfection.
“I wonder what kind of divine ability this body will awaken?” Lin Yuan looked forward to it.
Gathering the power of one’s bloodline to give birth to a divine ability of the flesh is a unique advantage of the martial path cultivation system. From the several awakenings he has already experienced, Lin Yuan concluded that the strength of these awakened abilities depends on two factors: first, the inherent information within the bloodline, and second, the level of the world in which one resides.
Everything in the Liyang Ancient Kingdom originates from the Liyang Ancestor. Even now, the Ancestor’s radiance still shines upon the entire kingdom. In a sense, the various clans like the Yu family or the Dongyang family each carry a tiny trace of the Liyang Ancestor’s bloodline, though it’s so weak it may as well be nonexistent.
But the martial path cultivation system can excavate every bloodline within the body and select the strongest one, gathering it into a corresponding divine ability. No matter how meager the Ancestor’s bloodline is, as long as it exists, it can eventually be tapped. It’s simply a question of time.
And now that his stay in this source world is unlimited, Lin Yuan can afford to spend as much time as he needs.
The Dongyang family.
Dongyang Meng, beautiful beyond compare, stood there quietly.
“That young man from the Yu family really does have a lucky life. He actually survived the power of our clan’s black pendant,” the Dongyang family head said, frowning from the throne above.
After Dongyang Meng lured Yu Yan out, the main force of the Dongyang family did not appear so as not to alert the Yu family. Instead, they used the black pendant’s power crafted by the family’s old ancestor against Yu Yan in a single blow.
The power of the black pendant was the ultimate destructive force. Even with many of the Yu family’s protective trump cards, Yu Yan could not hold out for long, but he still endured until reaching his clan’s territory and survived in the end.
“But even if he pulled through, he’ll need at least a few decades to recover. That means the next chance to become a disciple of the Qingfen Marquis will belong solely to our Dongyang family.”
A smile appeared on the Dongyang family head’s face.
As long as Dongyang Meng could enter the service of the Qingfen Marquis, the Dongyang family would ascend in one bound, becoming a top family. By then, their longtime rival, the Yu family, would no longer stand a chance against them.
“Meng, you need not feel guilty about that Yu family boy. You and him are destined to never be on the same level,” the Dongyang family head said, looking at Dongyang Meng with a comforting expression.
“So long as I become a disciple of the Qingfen Marquis, any sacrifice is worth it,” Dongyang Meng answered in a gentle tone.
The Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm.
Lin Yuan summoned the six-armed figure.
“Master,” the figure said with utmost respect.
Ever since Lin Yuan reached the twelfth rank and displayed a host of formidable hidden means, the six-armed figure had begun to regard him as the next Mysterious Sovereign.
“How many living beings can the Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm carry if this universe undergoes its great destruction?” Lin Yuan asked.
Faced with the universe’s great destruction, one must prepare in many ways. The strongest ones of human civilization would take part of their population, while the Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm could also accommodate some.
“How many can it hold?”
The six-armed figure hesitated.
“If they are below the twelfth rank, it can hold at most ten billion.”
He spoke in a low voice.
When the universe undergoes the great destruction and returns to its initial chaotic state, the Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm will also shrink rapidly. Ten billion beings is the limit.
“What if they are at the twelfth rank?”
Lin Yuan continued his questioning.
“At the twelfth rank, no more than ten,” the six-armed figure answered truthfully.
Every twelfth-rank lifeform is singled out by the universal source consciousness. Losing one or two might go unnoticed, but going beyond ten would risk the Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm drawing the direct attention of the universal source consciousness.
Although His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign can accomplish many unfathomable feats and create thirty-three thousand three hundred and thirty-three Mysterious Emperor Secret Realms in a single breath, these realms are merely integrated, not truly part of the universe itself.
“I see.”
Lin Yuan nodded. The Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm can indeed serve as a final refuge for human civilization. Worst case, it becomes a second Calamity Race, surviving to the next cosmic epoch. As long as the civilization’s lineage endures, that may be enough.
Of course, even if the universe is destroyed, Lin Yuan will leave a spiritual will avatar inside the Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm, both to oversee it and to serve as an additional lifeline for himself.
The Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm stands outside the flow of causality and time, and existing within the universe, its safety is second only to that of the source world.
“One more thing.”
Lin Yuan spoke again.
“Yes, Master?” the six-armed figure responded at once.
“Have you seen a golden box like this?” Lin Yuan projected an image of the golden box he bought at the Thousand Treasures Festival. It bore the distinct imprint of the Mysterious Emperor lineage.
“This is...”
The six-armed figure carefully examined it, his expression shifting continuously.
“It’s a treasure of the Mysterious Emperor lineage. Each one is personally forged by His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign, and every item placed inside pertains to the inheritance of the Mysterious Emperor lineage.”
“Personally forged by the Mysterious Sovereign?”
Lin Yuan’s expression grew serious. This golden box had a more significant origin than he’d first imagined. He had assumed it was merely a major treasure of the Mysterious Emperor lineage, but if it was personally crafted by the Mysterious Sovereign, that implies it is anything but simple.
Even the Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm was something the Mysterious Sovereign created in passing, producing more than thirty thousand of them in one go.
“How do I open it?” Lin Yuan asked.
“I do not know,” the six-armed figure said with a shake of his head.
“All you need do is infuse the aura of your Mysterious Emperor mark. If you meet the conditions to open it, the box will open on its own.”
By taking charge of a Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm, Lin Yuan had effectively become an heir of the Mysterious Sovereign, which can be verified via the Mysterious Emperor mark within him.
Having obtained the answers he needed from the six-armed figure, Lin Yuan was just about to continue cultivating and comprehending the rules of this source world. The insights brought about by its different rule facets were overwhelming, welling up every moment.
“Huh?”
Lin Yuan’s face shifted slightly.
“The gourd?”
He extended his right hand, and a palm-sized gourd appeared. Ever since Lin Yuan advanced to the twelfth rank and his inner world transformed into an internal universe, this mysterious gourd had started undergoing some sort of evolution, which was now more or less complete.
“What is this?”
Lin Yuan held the gourd in his hand. A massive influx of information poured into his mind from within it.
...
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