Whoosh! In an instant.
Lin Yuan and Xi Lan arrived at the second transit planet.
"This spatial channel..."
Lin Yuan looked back and said in surprise, "Establishing such a stable spatial channel must require a considerable cost."
Creating spatial channels is easy.
An ordinary eighth-rank peak can open one.
When Lin Yuan broke through to the sixth rank, his senior brother appeared, intending to take him back to the Red Kun main star, and shattered a crystal cube to immediately open a spatial channel to the Red Kun main star.
The real difficulty with spatial channels lies in their stability and maintenance.
Especially the latter. The crystal cube created by the Red Kun Star Lord consumed considerable effort, yet the resulting spatial channel only lasted two minutes?
The main universe itself has a restorative ability. Unless it's a permanent spatial rift caused by the strongest ones, other spatial fluctuations will slowly restore to their original state.
Therefore—
Maintaining a stable spatial channel for an extended period requires constant energy support.
This is why spatial channels are only prevalent in the Central Star Domain. To maintain them across the entire human civilization's territory would be too costly.
Of course, in emergencies, such as a battlefield situation where alien races have invaded human territory, human civilization has the means to instantly establish stable spatial channels throughout its domain.
"Yes, since no fees are charged, the cost of maintaining the spatial channels is borne by human civilization."
Xi Lan said.
Apart from the Central Star Domain, other star domains or star alliances might have private spatial channels. If one doesn't want to travel, they can pay a high civilization coin fee to use these spatial channels.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! After passing through dozens of transit planets.
Lin Yuan and Xi Lan finally arrived at the home planet.
"Is this the home planet?"
Lin Yuan carefully observed his surroundings.
The home planet was very small, not even comparable to an ordinary medium life planet, but it held special status as the origin of human civilization and was now, in a certain sense, the political center.
Many special treasures, such as the twelve-star universe wonder 'Eternal Spring,' were placed on the home planet.
Due to the small size of the home planet, strict checks were required for entry.
On the home planet, anyone you randomly brush past could be a ninth or tenth-rank evolver.
Of course, regardless of the rank, when on the home planet, all evolvers must refrain from releasing any aura. Even an eleventh-rank evolver must walk properly when required.
"The location of the Eternal Spring is on the second continent, 'Green Mountain Summit.' I don't have the authority to go further; you'll have to proceed alone, Milky Way Star Lord."
Xi Lan escorted Lin Yuan for a while and then stopped.
"Alright."
Lin Yuan nodded.
On the way, Xi Lan had already provided a detailed map of the home planet and informed him of some taboos. As a ninth-rank evolver, understanding and absorbing this information was instantaneous.
Now, Lin Yuan was as familiar with the home planet as with the Milky Way main star.
Before parting.
Xi Lan suddenly remembered something and asked, "Milky Way Star Lord, the 'Mysterious Yellow' secret realm is about to open. Are you interested in exploring it?"
"The Mysterious Yellow secret realm?"
Lin Yuan had heard of the 'Mysterious Yellow' secret realm before. His teacher, the Red Kun Star Lord, had mentioned it.
Moreover, the 'Mysterious Yellow' evolution path that Lin Yuan practiced was closely linked to the Mysterious Yellow secret realm.
"When will it open approximately?"
Lin Yuan asked.
"In about half a year." Xi Lan replied.
"At that time, many of our human evolvers will go in to explore, and so will other alien races."
Xi Lan said.
The 'Mysterious Yellow' secret realm was not a cosmic secret realm controlled by humans.
Other alien powerhouses could also enter.
This meant... the greatest danger inside was not the secret realm itself but other alien races.
Humans and those alien races had been fighting for countless years, with deep-seated enmity. Meeting in the secret realm, unless faced with a greater threat, would most likely lead to conflict.
"Understood."
"I'll decide then."
Lin Yuan nodded.
He was indeed interested in the 'Mysterious Yellow' secret realm since the 'Mysterious Yellow' evolution path he practiced originated from there.
Though the 'Mysterious Yellow' evolution path was only half complete, stopping at the eighth rank, by comprehending the first half, Lin Yuan determined its immense potential.
It was almost as good as the immortal cultivation system from the Spirit Realm, which, according to the main world's terminology, was a supreme evolution path with ultimate potential.
Soon.
Lin Yuan followed the fixed path and reached 'Green Mountain' on the home planet.
"The top of Green Mountain."
Lin Yuan climbed the mountain path.
"This Green Mountain is also a treasure?"
Lin Yuan pondered.
At the top of Green Mountain.
After passing numerous identity verifications, Lin Yuan finally arrived at the 'Eternal Spring.'
This twelve-star universe wonder appeared as a white pool about ten meters in size.
Milky white spring water continuously gushed from the center of the pool.
Even just looking at it, Lin Yuan felt a pure, gentle force approaching.
"The Eternal Spring contains an eternal aura. Any life that bathes in it can extend their lifespan by at least five hundred thousand years."
Information about the 'Eternal Spring' flashed through Lin Yuan's mind.
Extending life by five hundred thousand years! Under the strongest ones, all evolvers have limited lifespans, even those who master time rules, altering surface time flow—thousands of years outside would be like a day for them.
But lifespan inevitably depletes.
Five hundred thousand years—while it might not mean much for an eleventh-rank evolver, it could make a significant difference for ninth and tenth-rank evolvers, potentially allowing them to advance further.
Additionally, besides extending life, the Eternal Spring had numerous miraculous effects on the physical body, enhancing its foundation and potential.
This was a unique foundation of human civilization. Human evolvers above the ninth rank had lifespans extended by five hundred thousand years compared to other races.
The difference might not show in the short term, but over a long timeline, the effect was significant.
However, activating the Eternal Spring was costly. Human civilization had two ways for their own to bathe in it.
One was reaching the ninth rank.
The other was spending five million merit points.
There were no exceptions.
A long time ago, a supreme one (Strongest One) from another race sought to use the Eternal Spring to enhance the foundation of a valued junior.
For this, the supreme one was willing to offer an eleven-star supreme universe wonder.
An eleven-star supreme wonder! Equivalent to the world tree, each one invaluable, capable of being a race's foundation for generations.
But it was rejected by human civilization.
Not because they didn't value the eleven-star wonder, but because they wouldn't 'assist the enemy.'
The junior favored by that supreme one had immense potential, with the hope of becoming a supreme one. With an additional five hundred thousand years of lifespan, the likelihood of taking that step increased.
For an eleven-star supreme universe wonder, allowing another race to potentially gain a supreme one, human civilization wasn't foolish.
Even if that race hadn't clashed with human civilization, they wouldn't allow it.
Human civilization was wary of even the aliens who had submitted to them or joined their alliance, let alone others?
Non-my-kind, their hearts are different.
"Begin, begin."
Lin Yuan removed his eighth-rank armor and stepped into the pool naked.
As soon as he soaked in the milky white spring water, he felt a cool force merging into his body through his skin, quickly spreading throughout his limbs and bones.
"This feeling?"
Lin Yuan carefully observed his changes, noticing that every cell was frantically absorbing the spring water. In just a moment, his body's potential began to increase.
What is body potential?
Whether an eighth-rank or ninth-rank evolver, the body has a limit and won't endlessly strengthen. As it nears the limit, the rate of improvement slows and eventually stops.
This is body potential.
Increasing potential means the body's strength can continue to grow, effectively breaking through the limits and further enhancing power.
Lin Yuan's body strength was already far beyond normal humans, enhanced by the mysterious gourd's liquid, up to ten times the original.
Such a high limit made improvement more difficult, yet soaking in the Eternal Spring, he began to slowly enhance again.
"And lifespan."
Lin Yuan squinted slightly, sensing his lifespan extending.
Ten years.
Hundred years.
Thousand years.
Ten thousand years.
Every evolver's lifespan extension from the Eternal Spring varied, depending on their absorption and adaptation, but the minimum was an additional five hundred thousand years.
"No wonder it's a twelve-star universe wonder."
Lin Yuan smiled. This wonder, capable of extending every evolver's foundation and lifespan, was why human civilization had thrived in just over two million years.
The world tree had many uses; its fruits could help evolvers pre-open their inner worlds.
But in value, it was far inferior to the Eternal Spring.
The world tree benefited only one evolver, and its fruits merely aided sixth and seventh-rank evolvers in opening their inner worlds.
But the Eternal Spring greatly aided ninth and tenth-rank evolvers.
"I wonder, between the Eternal Spring and my gourd, which is more valuable?"
Lin Yuan pondered while soaking in the Eternal Spring.
Since obtaining the mysterious gourd, he hadn't figured out its details, unable to find similar information even in the vast human civilization archives.
"It's far beyond."
Lin Yuan's expression turned serious.
Here, the 'far beyond' referred to the Eternal Spring being far inferior to the mysterious gourd.
The Eternal Spring could enhance body potential and extend life by five hundred thousand years.
But these were nothing compared to the gourd's effects.
The Eternal Spring could only enhance body potential, but the mysterious gourd could directly increase the body's limit. Theoretically, after absorbing all seven liquids, the body's enhancement could reach twenty-three times.
And this enhancement was a fundamental increase, not just a fixed strength addition.
While lifespan extension was valuable, compared to a twenty-threefold increase in inner world size, it was insignificant.
The size of the inner world was crucial for eighth-rank powerhouses, increasing by just a hundred miles could boost strength significantly, let alone a twenty-threefold increase?
As for ninth and tenth ranks.
While they began expanding the depth of their inner worlds—opening multiple spatial layers.
The original size of the inner world remained a foundation.
A hundred million miles inner world, even with just ten spatial layers, could crush a ninth-rank with thousands of layers.
"I must protect my gourd."
Lin Yuan felt tense.
If the Eternal Spring was a twelve-star universe wonder, what level was the gourd that surpassed it? Thirteen stars?
Time passed.
In a blink, half a year had gone by.
The bathing time in the Eternal Spring for any new ninth-rank evolver was limited to half a year.
Beyond that, the spring's effect would rapidly diminish, making it meaningless.
"Almost done."
Lin Yuan stood up and stepped out of the white pool.
"My body potential has increased by about eighty percent. As for lifespan? seven hundred thousand years?"
Lin Yuan was in a good mood.
Although lifespan didn't matter much to him, given his Unrivaled Insight, he wouldn't need to break through at the last moment.
But no one would complain about having more lifespan.
After leaving the Eternal Spring, Lin Yuan was taken to a room.
New ninth-rank evolvers could not only soak in the Eternal Spring but also stay one night near it on Green Mountain.
In the room.
Lin Yuan rarely didn't practice or comprehend.
Instead, he sat quietly, feeling the mysterious aura flowing through the home planet.
This mysterious aura was vast and profound. Even Lin Yuan, who could now treat stars as toys, felt like returning to his mother's embrace.
"I've heard that the human civilization's race-protecting weapon is on the home planet. That's why, over the years, neither the home planet nor the entire Central Star Domain has been invaded by aliens."
Lin Yuan thought to himself.
With that race-protecting weapon, even if the supreme ones joined forces, they wouldn't gain much within the Central Star Domain.
They would only suffer defeat.
This race-protecting weapon was the absolute foundation of human civilization.
Every peak race's stronghold had the means to restrict supreme ones.
Otherwise, if supreme ones could come and go at will, could it still be called a peak race?
"It feels so good."
Lin Yuan closed his eyes, casually feeling the bits and pieces of the home planet.
Suddenly.
At a certain moment.
From the depths of the distant starry sky, a faint call crossed countless light-years, connecting with Lin Yuan in a mysterious way.
Only Lin Yuan could sense this call, not even the home planet of human civilization detected it.
The race-protecting weapon that monitored all changes on the home planet also didn't sense it.
Numerous powerful evolvers on the home planet, from ninth to eleventh ranks, noticed nothing unusual.
Even the supreme ones' constant perception over the home planet failed to detect it.
Everything remained unchanged.
Only Lin Yuan.
Only Lin Yuan felt the faint yet unwavering call.
"Who is it?"
Lin Yuan quietly opened his eyes, looking toward the source of the call in the depths of the starry sky.
"Who is calling me?"
...
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