"Tower Master, how about we choose someone else?" Deputy Tower Master Nalan glanced at Lin Yuan, who was standing aside, hesitated for a moment, and spoke in a low voice.
He still couldn't bring himself to act.
Moreover, Deputy Tower Master Nalan felt that there was no need for Strongest One Xia Qin to specifically give the Milky Way Star Lord an additional setback.
As the strongest genius in the history of human civilization, it was only natural to be unstoppable.
"It will be you."
"None of the others are suitable."
Strongest One Xia Qin shook his head.
"Alright."
Deputy Tower Master Nalan nodded.
The will of the Strongest One cannot be disobeyed, even if he believed that the Strongest One's decision was flawed.
But when it needs to be followed, it must be followed.
"Milky Way Star Lord, if you can't hold on later, remember to surrender," Deputy Tower Master Nalan kindly reminded.
Although Strongest One Xia Qin limited the two to only spar within the rules of time, Deputy Tower Master Nalan believed that he was only one step away from comprehending all time models.
The Milky Way Star Lord, merely at the ninth rank, even found it difficult to perceive the fluctuations of time. What could he achieve in the rules of time?
Under the crushing weight of the rules, if the Milky Way Star Lord surrendered in time, he could at least suffer less torment.
"I understand." Lin Yuan's expression grew slightly serious.
Deputy Tower Master Nalan's words put some pressure on Lin Yuan.
After all, it was the first time Lin Yuan had seen Deputy Tower Master Nalan take action, back when he was still at the seventh rank.
At that time, Deputy Tower Master Nalan stood outside the Black Abyss Secret Realm and, with his own power, suppressed the entire Black Abyss Clan so that they dared not resist.
If it weren't for the arrival of the strong members of the Insect Race in the end, the entire Black Abyss Clan would have been wiped out by Deputy Tower Master Nalan.
"Let's begin."
Strongest One Xia Qin waved his right hand.
Lin Yuan and Deputy Tower Master Nalan immediately felt the world shift around them.
The next moment, they found themselves beneath a desolate starry sky.
For Strongest One Xia Qin, relocating the two to a virtual 'arena' world was merely a thought.
"Milky Way Star Lord, you make the first move," Deputy Tower Master Nalan offered graciously.
If it were a battle against an alien race, he would naturally strike first, taking no chances.
But with Lin Yuan?
First, this was just a sparring match, far from a life-and-death struggle, so it was only proper for him, as a senior, to give way a bit.
Second, Deputy Tower Master Nalan was confident of his victory.
How could a tenth-rank lose to a ninth-rank? Especially when he was an A-grade tenth-rank, and a strong one at that.
With such a significant gap in strength, it would feel almost shameful for Deputy Tower Master Nalan to strike first.
If he was going to 'bully the weak,' at least let the other side have a chance to fight back.
"Remember, use all your strength."
"This may be your only chance to strike," Deputy Tower Master Nalan reminded calmly.
A battle within the realm of time rules often lasted only a moment, as the collision of different time rules often left the weaker side with no chance to resist.
Of course, real combat has many variables, such as using other means.
Being weaker in time rules didn't mean being weaker in other areas.
But Strongest One Xia Qin had set the rule that only time rules could be used in this sparring match.
This meant the fight would not last long; a simple clash of time domains rarely resulted in a stalemate.
This was why Deputy Tower Master Nalan felt that Strongest One Xia Qin intentionally wanted to give the Milky Way Star Lord a setback.
The rules were so strict that it seemed almost as if they were tailor-made for him.
"Alright," Lin Yuan nodded, "I will go all out."
"Hmm," Deputy Tower Master Nalan nodded in satisfaction.
Only when the Milky Way Star Lord went all out and realized he was no match, as if playing with toys in the realm of time rules, would the intended lesson be learned.
"Milky Way Star Lord, I may not be as good as you in spatial domain creation, but in time?" Deputy Tower Master Nalan thought leisurely.
Suddenly, he noticed that Lin Yuan, who had been standing in the distance, had disappeared.
"Hmm?"
Deputy Tower Master Nalan immediately sensed something was wrong.
"Has the flow of time... changed?" His expression turned serious.
With a swift motion, Deputy Tower Master Nalan released a surge of time fluctuations, attempting to disrupt the surrounding time waves.
"Break it!"
Deputy Tower Master Nalan, realizing something, fully activated his understanding of time rules to break free from the various time traps that had enveloped him.
Outside.
Lin Yuan stood quietly, a half-meter-sized crystal ball made entirely of time fluctuations floating before him.
Inside the crystal ball, Deputy Tower Master Nalan struggled continuously, but ultimately, like being trapped in a swamp, he was enveloped by layers of time traps and couldn't break free.
After comprehending all the time models, Lin Yuan had developed several secret techniques in the realm of time rules through continuous combination of various time models.
One of these was the Time Prison, one of Lin Yuan's proudest creations. It involved the fusion of 1,337 time models, creating an endless time corridor.
These time corridors then formed a Time Prison.
Any life trapped in the Time Prison, if their comprehension of time rules was not superior to Lin Yuan's, would be unable to perceive their own flow of time, becoming completely at his mercy.
After all, the amount of time experienced by a life trapped in the Time Prison was entirely controlled by Lin Yuan.
With a single thought, he could make the other party experience a day while the outside world experienced a year, or a year while the outside world experienced a day.
If that's not being played with, what is?
Of course, there were ways to break it by force.
Even if Deputy Tower Master Nalan's understanding of time was inferior to Lin Yuan's, if he used other means besides time rules, he could still break free.
Time rules are not invincible; it ultimately depends on the overall foundation of both sides.
But there is no doubt that the higher one's comprehension of time rules, the more control they have. For example, if Lin Yuan were to engage in a full battle with Deputy Tower Master Nalan, not limited to the realm of time rules, even if he couldn't win, he could at least retreat safely with the help of time rules.
"Time Prison?"
High above the virtual 'arena' world, Strongest One Xia Qin was also observing the time crystal ball floating before Lin Yuan.
Inside the crystal ball, Deputy Tower Master Nalan was struggling desperately to break free, but from start to finish, the crystal ball remained as stable as a mountain, without a single shake.
"This kind of time technique, combining over a thousand time models, has a solid effect of trapping and stabilizing the opponent. It's quite profound, even at the tenth rank."
Strongest One Xia Qin thought to himself, at the same time roughly gauging Lin Yuan's understanding of time rules.
Without Deputy Tower Master Nalan, merely using this time technique wouldn't have allowed the full display of the Time Prison's capabilities against an opponent.
But with Deputy Tower Master Nalan continuously testing within the Time Prison, Strongest One Xia Qin could see much more of the essence.
"Alright."
"That's enough, stop now."
Strongest One Xia Qin observed for a while longer before speaking.
Immediately.
The world changed again, and Lin Yuan returned to Strongest One Xia Qin's personal world.
In front of him, the time crystal ball was still floating, and inside, Deputy Tower Master Nalan had stopped struggling, likely realizing that with just his understanding of time rules, he couldn't break free.
With a thought.
The time crystal ball in front of Lin Yuan collapsed.
Deputy Tower Master Nalan's figure grew larger and finally reappeared in the outside world.
"Am I out?"
Deputy Tower Master Nalan felt as if a lifetime had passed, though the battle had lasted only a few dozen breaths.
But within the Time Prison, he had spent over ten minutes.
And in those ten minutes, Deputy Tower Master Nalan finally understood that falling into the large Time Prison was most likely the work of the Milky Way Star Lord.
Since Strongest One Xia Qin had him spar with the Milky Way Star Lord, during the spar, his opponent could only be the Milky Way Star Lord.
No matter how unbelievable it was, Deputy Tower Master Nalan could not question the Strongest One.
"Milky Way Star Lord..." Deputy Tower Master Nalan looked at Lin Yuan, his gaze complex.
After spending over ten minutes in the Time Prison, Deputy Tower Master Nalan had fully witnessed Lin Yuan's methods in the realm of time rules.
They absolutely surpassed his own. Even if he hadn't fully comprehended the time rules, he had at least understood all the time rule models summarized by human civilization.
This Milky Way Star Lord, with only ninth-rank strength, had already surpassed him, a veteran A-grade tenth-rank, in the realm of time rules.
Deputy Tower Master Nalan glanced at the Strongest One and suddenly realized that Strongest One Xia Qin hadn't arranged the spar to temper the Milky Way Star Lord.
Instead, he had used Nalan as a test subject to gauge the Milky Way Star Lord's standing in the realm of time rules.
"Thank you for letting me win," Lin Yuan cupped his hands and smiled.
He had no idea that Deputy Tower Master Nalan hadn't even comprehended the time rule models. In Lin Yuan's mind, Nalan had a 'very strong' filter.
And because Deputy Tower Master Nalan had repeatedly urged him to go all out before the match, Lin Yuan hadn't given him any chance to resist, directly suppressing him with the Time Prison.
"Milky Way Star Lord, to have such a deep understanding of time rules at the ninth rank, I am completely convinced of my defeat." Deputy Tower Master Nalan sighed.
He understood that with Lin Yuan's rapid growth, the gap between them in time rules would only widen in the future.
"Alright."
"Nalan, you may leave now."
On his throne, Strongest One Xia Qin spoke, glancing at Deputy Tower Master Nalan.
"Yes."
Deputy Tower Master Nalan immediately bowed and disappeared from the spot.
Having been defeated by this junior Lin Yuan, even though he could face the difference in their abilities, Deputy Tower Master Nalan still felt a bit embarrassed to stay any longer.
After Nalan left, only Lin Yuan and Strongest One Xia Qin remained.
"Strongest One," Lin Yuan slightly bowed.
"You monster," Strongest One Xia Qin shook his head slightly.
Lin Yuan's comprehension of time rules was nothing to him.
But it depends on who we're talking about. In the case of an eleventh-rank lifeform, it would be considered normal; half of the eleventh-rank evolvers of human civilization had comprehended all time rule models.
However, for a tenth-rank lifeform, it was extremely rare, as Deputy Tower Master Nalan, an A-grade tenth-rank, had not achieved it.
But for a ninth-rank lifeform? Strongest One Xia Qin had never heard of such a case, especially when Lin Yuan's understanding of time rules wasn't just limited to comprehending all the time models.
"Monster?"
Lin Yuan blinked. To be called a monster by a Strongest One could be considered an 'honor,' right?
"Strongest One, you asked me to come here after I comprehended the time rule models. Is there some secret behind this?" Lin Yuan directly voiced his doubts.
There was no need to be coy with a Strongest One; if he wanted to know something, he should just ask.
"Indeed, there is a secret," Strongest One Xia Qin nodded.
If Lin Yuan had not comprehended all the time models, or if he was still far from fully understanding time rules after comprehending all the models, Strongest One Xia Qin wouldn't have said anything more.
But at this moment, Lin Yuan's performance had given Strongest One Xia Qin hope—
The hope that Lin Yuan could comprehend time rules at the ninth rank.
"You should know that the earlier you comprehend time rules and allow your inner world to become 'independent,' the greater the benefits."
Strongest One Xia Qin began.
"Yes."
"I am aware of this."
Lin Yuan nodded.
In the history of human civilization, there had occasionally been geniuses who comprehended time rules at the tenth rank.
This was how Lin Yuan knew that comprehending time rules at the tenth rank, before advancing to the eleventh rank, brought significantly greater benefits, and that the inner world would undergo a transformation.
As for comprehending time rules at the ninth rank? There were no historical cases in human civilization, but that didn't stop Lin Yuan from speculating.
If comprehending time rules at the tenth rank could allow for an additional transformation of the inner world when advancing to the eleventh rank, then comprehending them at the ninth rank would mean an additional two transformations upon advancing to the tenth and eleventh ranks, right?
"But do you know what specific benefits there are? Why does the inner world undergo a transformation?"
Strongest One Xia Qin smiled and asked.
"I don't know," Lin Yuan shook his head.
He only knew that there were benefits, but not what they were specifically.
The information he had seen didn't detail it, likely because it was a classified secret of human civilization.
Even with eighth-level citizen access, he couldn't view it all.
"This requires an explanation of the differences when a tenth-rank evolver makes a major breakthrough to the eleventh rank, depending on whether their inner world is 'independent' or not."
Strongest One Xia Qin paused for a moment before continuing:
"If a tenth-rank evolver has not comprehended time rules, their inner world lacks the pillar of time and must rely on the main universe, effectively becoming a subsidiary world of the main universe."
"When a subsidiary world undergoes a major breakthrough, it communicates with the origin ocean of the main universe. At that time, the main universe will actively open the entrance to the origin ocean, pouring in a large amount of origin power to help the inner world grow rapidly."
"But if the inner world has already become 'independent,' with both time and space pillars, it can be considered an 'independent' world."
"Even if this 'independent' world is insignificant compared to the main universe, it is still an 'independent' world, theoretically on the same level as the main universe."
"It has its own separate pillars of time and space."
"Therefore, when such an 'independent' world undergoes a major breakthrough, it no longer receives the origin power of the main universe but rather the origin power of the chaotic void."
Strongest One Xia Qin looked at Lin Yuan.
"I see," Lin Yuan's expression showed that he was deep in thought.
The chaotic void is undoubtedly far vaster than the universe, and its origin power is naturally more precious.
If ranked from high to low, it would certainly be chaotic void > universe > subsidiary world.
Once a subsidiary world becomes independent in terms of time and space, it would be on par with the universe, jointly receiving the gifts of the chaotic void.
Typically, most strong individuals can only receive the gifts of the chaotic void when advancing to the eleventh rank and beyond.
Because comprehending time rules generally happens at this level.
Receiving the gifts and transformations that are usually only available to those advancing to the ultimate level, but doing so at the tenth rank, how significant would the benefit be?
Moreover, if Lin Yuan comprehended time rules at the ninth rank, he would receive the gifts of the chaotic void at the ninth rank.
"The origin power infused by the chaotic void will greatly stabilize the inner world and enhance its essence, pushing it toward the transformation into an inner universe."
"Of course, even if you comprehend time rules and make your inner world independent, when you break through to the eleventh rank, due to your own level and strength, you won't be able to fully transform your inner world into an inner universe in one go."
"But the foundation will be there, and when you eventually break through to the ultimate level, the difficulty in the inner world's transformation will be significantly reduced."
Strongest One Xia Qin explained slowly.
This essentially spreads out the pressure of future breakthroughs to the ultimate level, increasing the chances of advancing to the twelfth rank.
So far, Lin Yuan had only heard of two methods to increase the probability of advancing to the ultimate level.
One was to spread one's own evolutionary path.
The other was to comprehend chaotic rules.
As for the fusion of time and space rules? That's just the prerequisite for advancing to the ultimate level.
Without achieving time-space fusion, one couldn't even reach the threshold for the ultimate level.
"Strongest One Xia Qin, I may not necessarily be able to comprehend time rules at the ninth rank," Lin Yuan thought for a moment before speaking.
Even with Unrivaled Insight and treasures like the microcosm for reference, Lin Yuan was only somewhat confident in his ability to comprehend time rules at the ninth rank.
As for certainty? He didn't have much.
Lin Yuan had even prepared himself to comprehend time rules at the tenth rank.
It should be noted that comprehending time rules is even more difficult than advancing to the eleventh rank.
Many eleventh-rank evolvers have not comprehended time rules.
Lin Yuan dared not guarantee that he could do so at the ninth rank.
If he failed, wouldn't he be slapping himself in the face?
"I know you're not certain of comprehending them," Strongest One Xia Qin wasn't surprised at all.
Unless they are innate time beings, who could guarantee they could comprehend time rules?
"That's why I asked you to find me after comprehending all the time rule models. Besides gauging your general understanding of time rules, I also wanted to give you a push."
Strongest One Xia Qin smiled as he looked at Lin Yuan.
"A push?" Lin Yuan was taken aback.
Comprehending time rules is an extremely personal matter.
Everyone's understanding of time rules is different, and it cannot be forcibly taught.
Even a wondrous object like a microcosm could only reduce the difficulty of comprehending time rules.
As for pushing someone forward? Lin Yuan had never considered that possibility.
The various treasures and techniques left behind by the Devil Jade Tower Master and His Majesty the Mysterious Sovereign had never mentioned pushing someone to comprehend time rules.
"Yes."
"Next, I'm going to take you to see something..."
Strongest One Xia Qin's tone was calm as he continued:
"The full view of the River of Time."
...
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