The perfect, profound purple liquid captivated Lin Yuan, making him feel slightly entranced. He attempted to carefully observe it, using his Unrivaled Insight to comprehend its essence.
But after a long time, he realized it had no effect.
There were two possibilities for something that could render Unrivaled Insight useless.
One was that the purple liquid held no secrets worth comprehending.
The second was that the essence contained within the purple liquid was too profound, beyond what Lin Yuan's current Ninth Rank Unrivaled Insight could decipher.
The first possibility was clearly unreasonable. How could something that allowed Lin Yuan's inner world to break its shackles and surpass its limits not contain something worth comprehending?
"I'm already at the Ninth Rank and still can't comprehend it. This mysterious gourd's origin is far more significant than I imagined," Lin Yuan thought to himself.
It wasn't that he couldn't comprehend it—it was that he couldn't grasp even a single bit of it.
If it were merely difficult to comprehend, he could still try and understand it, even if he couldn't fully grasp it. But being unable to comprehend even a fraction of it meant he couldn't even get a foothold.
"Forget it."
"The gourd is in my hands, so it's mine."
"One day, I'll understand it."
If he couldn't comprehend it at the Ninth Rank, Lin Yuan didn't believe he'd be unable to do so at the Tenth or Eleventh Rank.
Even if, by then, he still couldn't comprehend it, Lin Yuan thought he should be pleased, as it would mean the mysterious gourd's origins were even more extraordinary.
"Let's continue."
"If I wait any longer, I feel like this drop of liquid might dissipate."
Lin Yuan focused on the purple liquid.
Ever since this drop of liquid condensed from the gourd's mouth, Lin Yuan had felt a pressure from the universe, as if it wanted to erase the existence of the purple liquid.
"Is it because my inner world will break through two billion square miles due to this purple liquid?"
Lin Yuan had a guess.
An inner world of one billion miles was the limit for all life forms in the universe, including those with unique abilities. The fact that Lin Yuan had easily surpassed it already meant he had broken a certain rule.
But two billion miles? That was the limit of limits.
The seven types of liquid in the mysterious gourd—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—seemed similar, but the latter drops were undoubtedly more precious and rarer than the earlier ones.
The blue liquid had increased Lin Yuan's inner world from 1.665 billion miles to 1.998 billion miles.
The purple liquid could increase it from 1.998 billion miles to 2.331 billion miles.
Both increased the size by 1.333 times.
But in reality, the purple liquid's enhancement was based on the extreme limit reached by the blue liquid.
Going further from perfection is not something that can be easily compared to the blue liquid.
It's like how athletes from lower civilizations, who haven't even ventured into space, can run a hundred meters in nine seconds.
Running a hundred meters in nine seconds, compared to running it in eight seconds or seven seconds, the difficulty doesn't increase proportionally but exponentially.
The growth of the inner world is similar.
"Absorb."
Lin Yuan swallowed the purple liquid in one gulp.
Boom!
A terrifying purple flame instantly ignited within Lin Yuan's body.
This flame wasn't a rule-based attack, so the Elemental Body was useless, and the Blood Rebirth ability was immediately shattered. Lin Yuan's body quickly turned to ashes.
Buzz.
A moment later.
Lin Yuan's physical body reformed, a trace of shock on his face.
"The absorption of this purple liquid is much more difficult than the previous six drops." Lin Yuan steadied himself, thinking.
Usually, when absorbing the latest liquid, it starts relatively smoothly, but with the purple liquid, Lin Yuan felt an unprecedented level of difficulty from the beginning.
"Let's try again."
Lin Yuan took out the mysterious gourd once more. At this point, the gourd's surface had turned a grayish-purple, both mottled and radiant.
Alien Battlefield.
Beneath a massive permanent spatial rift.
Lin Yuan's Yin Spirit sat cross-legged, occasionally sensing other strong beings passing by, yet they couldn't detect his presence.
Absorbing the boundary-breaking origin power from a permanent spatial rift didn't require being in the main space; it could be absorbed from within the multiple spatial layers.
This permanent spatial rift resulted from an attack at the Strongest One level, tearing through numerous spatial layers. No matter which spatial layer Lin Yuan was in, he could absorb the boundary-breaking origin power.
"I've accumulated 148 strands of boundary-breaking origin power," Lin Yuan smiled.
Before his ninth transmigration, Lin Yuan had accumulated 120 strands of boundary-breaking origin power, with ten strands consumed during the ninth transmigration, leaving him with 110 strands.
Since the end of the ninth transmigration to the present day, more than a decade had passed, allowing him to gather an additional 38 strands of boundary-breaking origin power.
"Boundary-breaking origin power comes from permanently torn space. This suggests that the power source of the Gate of Myriad Realms must continuously tear space at its root. This doesn't seem like a good thing."
Lin Yuan stroked his chin.
Constantly tearing space at its root to a certain extent could potentially lead to the destruction of the main universe.
Of course, the main universe possesses a will that wouldn't allow a Strongest One to do such a thing. Causing permanent spatial rifts within a certain range wouldn't provoke a reaction from the universe's will.
But if a Strongest One dared to do this on a large scale, the universe's will would certainly intervene.
"However, once I reach the Tenth Rank, I can choose to head to a large alien battlefield and absorb the permanent spatial rifts there."
Lin Yuan thought to himself.
In medium and small alien battlefields, these spatial rifts were often created by evolvers wielding Strongest One-level weapons over long periods.
But in large alien battlefields, the spatial rifts were caused by the direct actions of Strongest Ones.
Large alien battlefields were primarily arenas where peak races engaged in strategic games, with Strongest Ones confronting each other and occasionally clashing.
These were the places where the strongest beings of the universe and countless star races gathered, where Ninth and Tenth Rank beings, who were usually extremely rare, would converge.
Even Eleventh Rank beings occasionally appeared there.
However, unless absolutely necessary, Eleventh Rank beings wouldn't engage in combat, and clashes between Strongest Ones were rare, occurring perhaps once every tens of thousands of years.
The most recent battle between Strongest Ones, as far as anyone knew, was decades ago, involving a corpse from a Strongest One from outside the universe.
"After I step into the Tenth Rank, I'll have enough self-protection power even in a large battlefield," Lin Yuan thought.
If he were still at the Ninth Rank, it would be less secure. Certain special Eleventh Rank beings could completely perform curse-killing techniques.
Once he reached the Tenth Rank, he'd be much safer. According to the principle that it takes at least two great realms of difference to curse-kill someone, it would require a Strongest One to curse-kill a Tenth Rank being.
If an alien Strongest One were to make a move, a human Strongest One would surely respond.
Under such balance, Lin Yuan might lose a Spirit, but his true self would remain unaffected.
"I wonder how much the permanent spatial rifts in large alien battlefields will enhance my efficiency in gathering boundary-breaking origin power?"
Lin Yuan was somewhat eager.
Virtual World.
Lin Yuan met with Doko and other special Ninth Rank beings.
"Milky Way Lord, some Ninth Rank aliens, who have been driven into the inner regions, are willing to offer all their gains from this secret realm in exchange for allowing their avatars to leave the secret realm," Doko said.
The Ninth Rank aliens surrounded by the evolvers of human civilization mainly belonged to peak races like the Insect Race and the Tianyu Clan, but there were also powerful races and strong beings from special life forms.
These Ninth Rank aliens had fallen into the human civilization's encirclement list, entirely because of their association with peak races.
But now that the situation in the Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm had completely clarified, with the Milky Way Lord suppressing them, those Ninth Rank aliens had no chance.
Under such circumstances, a few of the Ninth Rank aliens naturally wanted to bow to human civilization, at least to ensure their avatars could leave alive.
For many races, a Ninth Rank expert is a pillar of strength. Losing an avatar would have a significant impact on the race.
"If they chose to ally with the Insect Race and the Tianyu Clan, they should have known the consequences," Lin Yuan said calmly.
Offer all their gains from this secret realm?
Even if they didn't offer them, once the secret realm closed, it would all belong to Lin Yuan anyway.
He could even obtain their physical essence and blood, which were already comparable to many cosmic treasures.
"Understood."
Doko was visibly excited.
This was the Milky Way Lord, the strongest genius in human civilization's history.
He wouldn't compromise in the face of aliens and would rather forgo any gains than let those aliens feel comfortable.
Milky Way Main Star.
Lin Yuan stopped absorbing the purple liquid from the mysterious gourd.
Firstly, having his body continuously turn to ashes was a form of self-harm.
Secondly, the liquid in the mysterious gourd wasn't infinite, and it took time for new liquid to condense.
"I'll shift my focus to comprehending the Mysterious Emperor's evolutionary path."
Lin Yuan turned to the Mysterious Emperor's evolutionary path.
In the Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm, his Yang Essence was cultivating the 'Mysterious Emperor's Strike' and the 'Mysterious Emperor's Body.'
On the alien battlefield, his Yin Essence was comprehending the time rule and cultivating the 'Step of Time and Space.'
And his true self on the Milky Way Main Star was focused on comprehending various evolutionary paths, comparing them with the Chaos Crystal and the Miniature Universe for mutual validation.
Each of Lin Yuan's three bodies had a specific focus.
"The Mysterious Emperor's evolution is indeed marvelous. The chapters on the Tenth and Eleventh Ranks are entirely different from the nine great Strongest One evolutionary paths in current human civilization."
Lin Yuan was deeply immersed in his comprehension of the Mysterious Emperor's evolutionary path. The deeper his understanding, the more it promoted his cultivation of the 'Mysterious Emperor's Strike' and the 'Mysterious Emperor's Body.'
Meanwhile, his comprehension of the 'Step of Time and Space' was enhancing his understanding of the time and space rules.
Various flashes of insight intertwined and merged, and under the influence of Unrivaled Insight, Lin Yuan was progressing at an unimaginable speed.
"The transition from the Ninth to the Tenth Rank is a gradual process of transformation, and it cannot be accomplished in a short time." While comprehending, Lin Yuan also monitored his transformation.
Ninth Rank experts have opened up at least tens of millions of layers of space. Transforming all these layers together is not something that can be done quickly.
"In my current situation, once the transformation begins, it will take about a hundred years to complete." Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Other Ninth Rank experts, when breaking through to the Tenth Rank, would be extremely cautious during the transformation period, monitoring the changes in their inner world and the countless layers of space.
They would need to make adjustments from time to time.
But Lin Yuan didn't need to pay attention to these things. With his vast inner world and deep spatial layers, once his foundation reached a certain level, the transformation would happen naturally.
"A hundred years…" Lin Yuan sighed slightly.
He had spent just over a hundred years in the main universe, and now this one breakthrough would take a hundred years.
"In this hundred years, I won't be doing any transmigration." Lin Yuan made up his mind.
At his current level, blind transmigration wouldn't be very useful. It was better to step into the Tenth Rank first before considering how to proceed with transmigration.
This hundred-year period would be ideal for accumulating a large amount of boundary-breaking origin power. Lin Yuan was curious about the 'customized' transmigration option offered by the Gate of Myriad Realms.
With sufficient boundary-breaking origin power, Lin Yuan wouldn't mind trying a 'customized' transmigration.
Of course, the precondition would be that it provided significant benefits, at least something unattainable in the main world.
After all, a 'customized' transmigration would require at least a hundred strands of boundary-breaking origin power. Without the prospect of great rewards, Lin Yuan wouldn't even consider it.
"The Tenth Rank chapter of the Mysterious Emperor's evolutionary path mainly discusses the essence of the time rule."
"And the Tenth Rank chapter of the Xiayou evolutionary path also focuses on the essence of the time rule."
"Both discuss the essence of the time rule, but in completely different ways."
Lin Yuan was amazed.
The Xiayou evolutionary path was one of the nine great Strongest One evolutionary paths in human civilization, with its ultimate existence being the Strongest One, Xia Qin.
With Lin Yuan's current wealth, even without counting the gains from the Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm, he had enough to buy all nine great Strongest One evolutionary paths of human civilization.
For Lin Yuan, the primary use of these Strongest One evolutionary paths was for comprehension and reference.
He would understand their interpretation of the rules and then integrate that understanding into his martial evolutionary path.
"Time…"
Lin Yuan's gaze was calm as he simultaneously took out the Miniature Universe, feeling the complete time rule operating within it.
"I've already comprehended 1,823 time rule models, but the more I understand, the more confused I become."
Lin Yuan sighed with emotion.
If he hadn't yet begun to understand the time rule, he would still think of it as just that.
But as he delved deeper into the time rule, he became increasingly aware of his own insignificance.
In the vast, eternal river of time, what was he? Even an Eleventh Rank being, no matter how strong, was just a bigger fish.
Only a Strongest One could completely transcend the river of time, existing eternally.
"The 1,823rd time model… I'm still far from fully understanding the complete time rule." Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Currently, human civilization's evolutionary scholars had summarized a total of 2,173 time rule models.
But that didn't mean comprehending these 2,173 models would lead to an understanding of the complete time rule.
Unlike the space rule, human civilization's numerous evolutionary scholars had developed a relatively mature understanding of the space rule.
Comprehending all the core space models would lead to an understanding of the complete space rule.
But as for the time rule? Even if one comprehended all the currently known time rule models, it wouldn't be enough to grasp the complete time rule.
Understanding the complete time rule could only be achieved by oneself.
No matter how many time rule models there were, they were only aids. The final step could only be taken by oneself.
"I've finally hit a bottleneck in my comprehension of the time rule…" Lin Yuan stopped his efforts.
Even with Unrivaled Insight and the complete time rule operating within the Miniature Universe, Lin Yuan had reached a standstill in his comprehension of the next time rule model.
This was perfectly normal; hitting a bottleneck while comprehending the time rule was almost inevitable.
As for the Miniature Universe? It merely made it easier for its owner to comprehend the time rule; it didn't grant direct mastery of the rule.
If the Miniature Universe could do that, it wouldn't have just appeared as a reward in the third or fourth layer of the Nine-Tier Black Tower.
"Maybe I should consult a Strongest One?" Lin Yuan suddenly thought.
This feeling of hitting a bottleneck was temporary, and it shouldn't hold Lin Yuan back for long.
But if there was a shortcut, why waste time?
During his last meeting with Xia Qin, the Strongest One had explicitly said that Lin Yuan could reach out to him anytime if he had questions about cultivation.
"Let's ask."
Lin Yuan immediately began contacting Xia Qin, the Strongest One.
He also had some doubts about the Xiayou evolutionary path, which he planned to ask about during this meeting.
On top of the Majestic Evolutionary Tower.
Xia Qin, the Strongest One, suddenly opened his eyes.
"Hm?"
"That little guy is reaching out to me?"
Xia Qin received Lin Yuan's message and smiled.
He almost thought Lin Yuan had forgotten about him, a Strongest One.
"Is it a cultivation question?" Xia Qin was in a good mood.
A genius like Lin Yuan was unprecedented in human history.
Although it was still uncertain whether he would become a Strongest One, guiding such a unique genius gave Xia Qin a sense of accomplishment.
"Come over."
Xia Qin agreed to meet with Lin Yuan.
Instantly, Lin Yuan appeared below.
"Greetings, Strongest One Xia Qin." Lin Yuan bowed slightly.
This was still the virtual world, but it was the personal world of a Strongest One. Without their permission, outsiders couldn't enter.
Even a peerless genius like Lin Yuan had to notify the Strongest One before entering.
"Rise."
"Tell me your question."
Xia Qin, the Strongest One, looked at Lin Yuan with interest.
He was curious about what kind of cultivation question Lin Yuan had.
Was it a question about cultivation at the Ninth Rank?
Or a question about the breakthrough from the Ninth to the Tenth Rank?
Or perhaps a misunderstanding about some aspect of space?
Xia Qin's thoughts drifted, wondering what kind of question Lin Yuan would ask.
He guessed that Lin Yuan's confusion was likely related to space. After all, he was only at the Ninth Rank, and no matter how many layers of space he had opened, he was still at the Ninth Rank, and the issues he faced were at that level.
"Strongest One Xia Qin," Lin Yuan thought for a moment before solemnly asking, "I'm having some trouble understanding the Tri-Yu Time Index in the Xiayou evolutionary path… Is it three different states of time? Or a time vortex entangled with the Tri-Yu form?"
The Tri-Yu Time Index in the Xiayou evolutionary path involved different states of time regions. Lin Yuan had been comparing it with time rule models and found some details puzzling.
"The Xiayou evolutionary path?"
Xia Qin's eyebrows lifted slightly. This was his foundational evolutionary path.
But then Xia Qin froze.
The Tri-Yu Time Index wasn't that part of the Xiayou evolutionary path only discussed in the Eleventh Rank chapter?
...
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