Lin Yuan gazed at the gourd in his hand.
By now, the gourd was no longer the gray-purple color it had been before. Instead, it had become a translucent jade hue, pure and flawless.
Gently stroking its surface, Lin Yuan felt a tremendous amount of information surge from within the gourd into his mind.
“This Jade Gourd...”
Surprise flickered across Lin Yuan’s face. The information conveyed by the gourd after its transformation was not difficult to grasp.
Since Lin Yuan had awakened the gourd to this current state, he must have already absorbed the previous seven types of divine liquid, completing the most basic foundation.
Next, to fully refine and control the Jade Gourd, he would need, within a single cosmic epoch, to comprehend the three thousand three hundred and thirty-three runes contained in the gourd’s internal space. Only then would he truly take command of it and obtain its greatest benefits.
“Absorbing seven types of liquid and letting my internal world break through its limitations, expanding to twenty-three times its original size, is just the most basic foundation?”
A ripple of emotion rose within Lin Yuan. Even after staying in the Guming Chaotic Continent for a time, he had never heard of any technique capable of expanding one’s internal world so drastically, let alone directly amplifying it more than twentyfold.
“This gourd…”
Steadying himself, Lin Yuan recalled the many guesses and theories he had formed about the gourd ever since he first acquired it, though he had never expected such a result.
“Three thousand three hundred and thirty-three runes…”
After a brief pause, he focused a trace of his consciousness and attempted to seep into the gourd. In the next moment, he arrived in a vast world inside it, where the oppressive force of space was at an extreme.
A single strike that could annihilate an entire star domain in the outside universe would here only be enough to smash a boulder.
“The rules of time and space, the various pillar rules, and the fundamental structure of this world…” Lin Yuan’s expression grew serious. This dimension alone demanded his full attention.
“Where are the runes?”
He looked around. The information the Jade Gourd had relayed told him to enter the world within the gourd and comprehend these three thousand three hundred and thirty-three runes.
Just then, the power of this dimension gathered and formed a figure. It stood there quietly, with dozens or even hundreds of tiny time currents flowing around it. Perhaps they only seemed small because the figure itself was unimaginably massive, though it appeared of normal height in Lin Yuan’s perception.
Its hair was curled and twisting, seemingly containing infinite time and space; even though it was only an illusory projection, it felt capable of crushing everything.
“I can’t even remember how long I’ve lived,” the figure spoke calmly.
“It’s all been a carefree existence. One day, though, I suddenly realized that I should leave something behind for this dimensional realm—after all, it’s where I was born. To leave nothing at all wouldn’t seem right.”
“This dimensional realm…” Lin Yuan felt a jolt of shock.
A being who could label an entire dimensional realm that way must occupy an unimaginably high tier of existence. The Chaotic Void is vast beyond measure, yet it is only a portion of this dimensional realm—albeit perhaps the main portion.
The scope of a dimensional realm certainly exceeds that of the Chaotic Void. All the worlds Lin Yuan had visited before through transmigration belonged to other dimensional realms.
“After much thought, I refined thirty-three Jade Gourds and scattered them far and wide, so that anyone fated could obtain one.”
“Each Jade Gourd contains my Dao, my methods, my foundation and my essence.”
“And this particular Jade Gourd represents my essence.”
“I have always believed that a solid foundation is paramount. A sufficiently strong foundation allows one’s path or methods to be weaker, because the foundation can compensate for shortcomings. A robust groundwork makes everything easier.”
The figure smiled faintly.
“Foundation…” Lin Yuan’s expression suggested deep thought.
He did not know exactly what the figure meant by foundation, but given the seven types of liquid produced by the mysterious gourd earlier, it likely pertained to his internal world or, now, his internal universe. If so, then the figure was indeed correct.
Before Lin Yuan reached the twelfth rank, his internal world already exceeded that of other experts in the same tier by dozens of times, letting him dominate almost anyone.
Even if someone else’s rule comprehension outstripped his, his vast internal world and abundant world power could simply overwhelm them. Of course, Lin Yuan’s strongest aspect had always been rule comprehension—his Unrivaled Insight made understanding rules easier for him than for most.
“Don’t be impatient. You must fully refine the Jade Gourd if you want what I’ve left behind. To do that, you must, within one cosmic epoch, comprehend the three thousand three hundred and thirty-three runes I have placed here.
If you fail, or if you take longer than a cosmic epoch, it means you are unsuited for my path of foundational development. At that point, the Jade Gourd will vanish and appear randomly somewhere else in this dimensional realm, awaiting the next fated person.”
With those words, the figure smiled slightly, then dispersed into thousands of runes floating across the sky of this world.
“If I don’t comprehend all of them, the gourd disappears?” Lin Yuan felt a twinge of pressure. By now, he was certain the being who left this gourd was most likely a thirteenth-rank time-based lifeform, a figure of legend. Anything left by such an existence would be prized enough for even Chaos Great Saints to fight to the death over. If possible, of course he would not want the Jade Gourd to vanish.
“A cosmic epoch of time… The difficulty of comprehending these runes must be extremely high,” Lin Yuan thought to himself. Clearly, that thirteenth-rank lifeform believed only someone able to master them all within a cosmic epoch was qualified to fully take charge of the gourd.
“These runes…”
After a brief silence, Lin Yuan turned his gaze to the three thousand three hundred and thirty-three runes hovering in the air. Each was about the size of a fist, but in outline each seemed comparable to a universe.
“One rune is the equivalent of one universe?” Lin Yuan exhaled. If so, then three thousand three hundred and thirty-three runes would be three thousand three hundred and thirty-three universes.
“No, not exactly a universe…” Lin Yuan studied them closely, his gaze traveling across them one by one.
Each rune represented the special structure of some possible universe. Strictly speaking, these runes set forth three thousand three hundred and thirty-three ways a universe could be built.
Though all universes share the same fundamental essence, differing internal frameworks and microscopic arrangements produce entirely different results. At the simplest level, the element carbon can form either diamond or graphite, depending on its structural arrangement. In the same way, the universe can be shaped along countless lines.
“That many distinct structural designs for a universe?” Lin Yuan marveled at the array of three thousand plus runes. Regardless of which design was adopted, the resulting universe would far surpass his home universe.
“You haven’t even started comprehending the first rune. What are you hesitating for?” a childish voice rang out. A little girl dressed in red, her hair in two pigtails, appeared nearby, looking at Lin Yuan with evident boredom.
“And you are…?”
Lin Yuan glanced at her. Compared to the illusory figure that had just appeared, she was much more like a genuine living being. That earlier figure was clearly nothing more than a recorded image, devoid of consciousness.
“Who am I? If you pass this test, I’ll be your master’s servant, helping you cultivate the inheritance my old master left behind,” the girl in red said with a roll of her eyes.
“You don’t think you can train in his inheritance purely on your own, do you?”
“So that’s it,” Lin Yuan said in sudden realization.
She was like a “teacher,” prepared by the gourd’s owner to guide any future inheritor in learning what lay within.
“My old master was incomparably great,” the girl in red continued proudly.
“Even just his foundational inheritance is more difficult than reaching the sky. Without my help, you’d have no chance.”
Lin Yuan nodded. Indeed, any advanced legacy in human civilization also included extensive guidance. Relying on oneself alone to practice might lead to meager success.
“Good to see you understand my importance,” the girl said.
“These three thousand three hundred and thirty-three runes represent three thousand three hundred and thirty-three different ways a universe can be structured.”
“As for their use,” she went on, “they’re meant to be merged into your internal universe so it can incorporate all the advantages of those three thousand three hundred and thirty-three possible designs.”
“I see,” Lin Yuan replied. That was exactly his guess: with the same size and scale, the quality of an internal universe depends on its internal architecture. The more perfect that structure, the richer its potential becomes, forming the core of a twelfth-rank lifeform’s power.
Of course, every single method of universe construction is unfathomably complex, and mastering them all would be unimaginably difficult—hence giving a full cosmic epoch.
“If I manage to comprehend all three thousand three hundred and thirty-three ways to structure a universe, then integrate them into my internal universe, how strong will it become?” Lin Yuan felt a sudden surge of excitement and posed the question.
“You haven’t even started on the first rune, and already you’re wondering what you’ll do after finishing them all?” The girl blinked.
“But if you really could do that, your internal universe would probably approach the standard level of a normal Chaos cultivator’s internal universe.”
She thought for a moment before adding her explanation. She, too, hoped Lin Yuan could master all the runes within one cosmic epoch so she might also gain a bit of freedom, instead of staying trapped in the gourd for countless ages, epoch after epoch.
“Close to the level of a normal Chaos cultivator’s internal universe?” Lin Yuan took a deep breath. That would imply an enormous jump in his ability to withstand the universe’s Great Destruction. If that came to pass, he alone could carry most of humankind to survive it.
“For now, don’t think so far ahead. Focus on making sure you comprehend all the runes in one cosmic epoch,” the girl reminded him again.
“No problem,” Lin Yuan answered.
In the cosmic starry void, Lin Yuan revealed himself, a fist-sized palace floating before him. This was the defensive palace at the peak of Path-Clearing level, driven by those so-called Strongest Ones of the Universe Race, inside which dozens of twelfth-rank Strongest Ones of this universe were imprisoned.
“With the Great Destruction of the universe close at hand, there’s no point lingering over these twelfth-rank Strongest Ones anymore,” Lin Yuan said, eyeing the grand palace.
Originally, he had planned to keep them suppressed until he stepped into Chaos—reaching the realm of a Chaos Great Saint—before dealing with them together.
His home universe was still quite far from its normal cosmic destruction. At Lin Yuan’s cultivation rate, he was confident he would reach Chaos before it arrived, if not Chaos Great Saint. But now, with two Chaos Great Saints fighting and causing the Great Destruction to come early, he faced a choice.
One option was to keep ignoring them and, when the Great Destruction arrived, simply toss the palace into the depths of the cosmos, leaving its captives to perish with the universe. However, that would waste the palace itself—an item at the peak of Path-Clearing—as well as the Strongest Ones’ weapons, treasures, and so forth.
Hence the second option. Lin Yuan intended to release these dozens of twelfth-rank Strongest Ones in exchange for all their arms, valuables, rare resources, and, naturally, the palace itself.
From Lin Yuan’s perspective, these captives no longer posed any threat. Even one of his casually formed avatars now possessed true peak Path-Clearing power. Once freed, they would only be able to cower in some dark corner.
With a slight shift of Lin Yuan’s thoughts, the seals on the palace loosened a little.
“Milky Way Strongest one, we’re willing to hand over ninety percent of our weapons, treasures, everything—just let us go free.”
“Yes, Milky Way Strongest one, if you spare us, I’ll submit to human civilization.”
“We were wrong before, Milky Way Strongest one…”
Inside the palace came the anxious voices of dozens of twelfth-rank Strongest Ones. They were genuinely frightened that Lin Yuan might allow them to remain locked up until the universe’s end, hurling the palace into the cosmic depths so they would face destruction alongside everything else. After all, who could possibly withstand the waves of devastation in a Great Destruction?
“You want out? I can let you out.”
Lin Yuan regarded them. Right now, not one of these twelfth-rank Strongest Ones posed the slightest danger to him. Without the universe’s own constraints, even a top defensive palace at the Path-Clearing peak could not withstand his killing intent.
“You’ll let us go?”
Hearing that, the captured Strongest Ones were momentarily at a loss.
“But you must surrender every twelfth-rank weapon, treasure, and artifact in your possession,” Lin Yuan said.
“I’m willing,” one answered.
“I’m willing,” another echoed.
“So am I,” said yet another.
Within the palace, they agreed without the slightest hesitation.
...
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