On the nine thrones, nine Strongest Ones gazed at Lin Yuan, their expressions unusually filled with astonishment.
Has he comprehended the rules of space-time fusion? Has Lin Yuan really grasped the rules of space-time fusion? With Lin Yuan's demonstrated talent, he had already comprehended the time rules at rank nine.
Strongest Ones like Xia Qin and the others did not doubt Lin Yuan's ability to comprehend the rules of space-time fusion.
For most rank eleven evolvers, spending billions of years wouldn't be enough to achieve space-time fusion. But to Lin Yuan, the strongest human genius, it seemed to be a minor bottleneck.
The Strongest Ones had high hopes for Lin Yuan, expecting him to break through to the ultimate level and stand alongside them, becoming a pillar of human civilization.
But none of the nine Strongest Ones had expected Lin Yuan to grasp the rules of space-time fusion so quickly.
It was too fast.
So fast that even the Strongest Ones hadn't anticipated it.
When Lin Yuan comprehended the time rules, Strongest Xia Qin had given him a push, bringing him to the "shore" of the river of time to observe its entirety.
Now that he's comprehended the rules of space-time fusion, did he achieve it all on his own?
And how long had it been since Lin Yuan had stepped into rank ten? Even though over ten thousand years had passed in the two-dimensional world...
But in that lower-dimensional world, there were no rule fluctuations whatsoever, making it impossible to comprehend space-time rules.
"You really comprehended the rules of space-time fusion?" Strongest Void God was somewhat surprised, unable to resist asking.
Time and space were the two highest foundational rules, and Void God, being adept at space, also had a significant understanding of time.
"Just lucky."
Lin Yuan's thoughts stirred slightly, drawing upon the fusion of space-time power.
Compared to the explosive growth of his physical body and soul, understanding the rules at a deeper level was difficult to detect unless deliberately displayed.
"It really is space-time fusion."
With just a glance, the nine Strongest Ones confirmed that Lin Yuan had fully mastered the rules of space-time fusion.
"You..."
Strongest Xia Qin felt somewhat helpless. He had originally intended to give Lin Yuan some guidance on comprehending the rules of space-time fusion, but now it seemed entirely unnecessary.
"Since you've already comprehended the rules of space-time fusion, there's indeed no need to observe the river of time anymore."
Strongest Yu Die said slowly.
Observing the river of time's entirety only had a pushing effect for those who had comprehended the time rules or space-time fusion rules.
As for anything beyond that? The effect was not as significant as imagined. After comprehending the rules of space-time fusion, future cultivation would depend on oneself, with external help being very limited.
"At your current life level, comprehending the rules of space-time fusion is indeed rare, but you must not become complacent. To reach the peak, comprehending the space-time fusion rules is only the beginning. You need to continually deepen your understanding, raising it to the second, third, and even fifth levels."
For a moment, Strongest Xia Qin didn't know what to say and could only offer a conventional reminder.
To reach the ultimate, the prerequisite was to comprehend the space-time fusion rules to the fifth level. And from the first to the fifth level, the time and effort required were incalculable.
Strongest Xia Qin's words caused subtle changes in the thoughts of the other eight Strongest Ones.
He comprehended the space-time fusion rules at rank ten, yet still must not be complacent? Then what did that make them? None of the nine Strongest Ones, including Xia Qin, had comprehended the space-time fusion rules at rank ten.
"Understood." Lin Yuan nodded in agreement.
What Strongest Xia Qin said was correct. Comprehending the rules of space-time fusion was just the beginning; the real challenges lay in the bottlenecks from the second to the fifth levels.
Many ancient star gods, who had lived for countless ages, were stuck at this level.
But what the nine Strongest Ones didn't know was that Lin Yuan had access to the insights of numerous strong ones from other races regarding space-time fusion. For Lin Yuan, reaching the fifth level of these rules wouldn't be difficult, and it wouldn't take much time either, only a gradual process.
Lin Yuan's real goal was the sixth level of space-time fusion rules, as only the twelfth-rank ultimate domain could truly challenge him.
"It seems there's no need for you to visit the 'shore' again."
"But the two-dimensional world has merit. What kind of reward would you like?"
Strongest Gu Li inquired.
The human civilization's treasure trove contained numerous rare items, including some of twelve-star level.
"I'll leave it to the Strongest Ones to decide."
Lin Yuan responded immediately.
He didn't know what to choose, but as the Strongest Ones were ultimate beings, they certainly wouldn't let him suffer a loss.
"Leave it to us?"
Strongest Gu Li exchanged a glance with the other eight Strongest Ones.
Lin Yuan realized that the nine Strongest Ones were probably communicating privately.
After a brief moment...
Strongest Xia Qin spoke, his expression slightly solemn: "Although you're currently only at rank ten, it's time to consider breaking through to the ultimate level. This rare treasure should be suitable for you."
With a wave of his right hand, a hazy universe appeared before Xia Qin, and soon the hazy universe began to shrink infinitely, transforming into a pearl that flew toward Lin Yuan.
Whoosh! The pearl floated slowly, and Lin Yuan's face changed slightly. It felt as if a vast universe was in front of him.
"Is this a miniature universe? No, it's even more real than a miniature universe..." Of all the rare treasures Lin Yuan had encountered, only miniature universes were similar to this pearl.
But only similar. While a miniature universe had a complete set of space-time rules, it was still a dead object. However, the pearl in front of him seemed alive.
"This rare treasure is called the 'Source of the Universe.' It can assist in transforming your inner world into an inner universe."
Strongest Xia Qin explained the pearl's purpose.
"Assist in transforming my inner world into an inner universe?" Lin Yuan took a deep breath.
To break through to the ultimate level, the inner world must evolve into an inner universe. But the leap from world to universe? The magnitude of that leap was akin to going from one to a million, ten million, or even a hundred million.
This pearl, which could assist in transforming the inner world into an inner universe, was a priceless treasure, valuable enough to drive even rank eleven peak ancient gods in the depths of the universe into madness.
"This... this is too valuable." Lin Yuan, though in possession of numerous twelve-star rare treasures and weapons, knew they were still external objects.
Only by stepping into the twelfth rank would true power come from within.
"It's not a matter of value." Strongest Xia Qin shook his head and said, "Take it."
"Yes."
Lin Yuan immediately accepted the 'Source of the Universe.'
"Alright."
"Let Yu Die take you back."
Strongest Xia Qin said, looking at Lin Yuan.
This third important base of human civilization was surrounded by a space-time labyrinth that Lin Yuan couldn't navigate on his own.
Once Lin Yuan had left...
The nine Strongest Ones exchanged looks again.
"Xia Qin, how exactly did you discover this little guy?"
"His talent is terrifying. He comprehended the space-time fusion rules at rank ten"
"To be honest, I feel like if I went into seclusion again, that little guy might become ultimate by the time I came out."
The Strongest Ones conversed in low tones, with traces of awe in their voices.
Outside the Milky Way's main star.
Lin Yuan's Yang Spirit silently appeared.
"Back?"
Lin Yuan glanced around, deep in thought, "I can sense that the coordinates of the third important base lie in the deep layers of space, similar to the Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm, but not as completely concealed."
"Forget it."
"No point in thinking about it."
Lin Yuan's figure vanished, reappearing in the Star Lord's Hall.
Whoosh.
The Source of the Universe flew out.
It floated in front of Lin Yuan's true self.
The Source of the Universe could assist in transforming his inner world into an inner universe, so it was naturally prioritized for his true self.
As for his Yin and Yang Spirits, as long as Lin Yuan could step into the ultimate rank, they too would transform, and their inner worlds would likewise evolve into inner universes.
"The Source of the Universe?"
Lin Yuan carefully examined the pearl before him.
In the presence of the Strongest Ones, Lin Yuan hadn't been able to fully observe it.
But now, there was no longer a need to hold back.
"According to Strongest Xia Qin, the method to use the Source of the Universe is simply to bring it into the inner world and let the world's power come into contact with it."
Lin Yuan immediately began the process.
With a thought...
Lin Yuan's will descended into his inner world, accompanied by the Source of the Universe.
"My inner world?"
Lin Yuan quickly surveyed the scene. His vast inner world was dominated by a towering ancient tree, tens of thousands of meters high, swaying gently, emitting a unique aura that stabilized everything within.
This was the World Tree.
As an eleven-star supreme treasure, the World Tree had the effect of stabilizing the inner world.
In a way, the World Tree could also contribute to the transformation of the inner world into an inner universe, but its contribution was too small to be noticeable.
"In a few hundred years, my World Tree should bear fruit." Lin Yuan examined it for a while. Normally, a World Tree would take millions or even tens of millions of years from planting to fruition.
But Lin Yuan's inner world was so powerful that in just two hundred years, the World Tree had completed a growth cycle that should have taken millions or tens of millions of years.
"Let's begin."
Lin Yuan focused his thoughts and began manipulating the world's power to come into contact with the Source of the Universe.
Buzz.
The moment the world's power touched the Source of the Universe, images flooded Lin Yuan's mind. They were scenes from the very beginning of the universe.
Boom.
The fist-sized Source of the Universe suddenly exploded, turning into countless specks of dust that once again formed a scene of a cosmic starry sky, gradually merging into Lin Yuan's inner world.
"Hmm?"
As the creator of his inner world, Lin Yuan immediately sensed the changes within.
His vast inner world suddenly became deep and ancient, as if it had experienced endless ages, from the birth of the universe to the present.
"This... this is time foundation?"
Lin Yuan was shocked. The size of the inner world and the number of spatial layers represented only the spatial foundation.
But now, Lin Yuan clearly felt that the time foundation of his inner world had changed, becoming significantly stronger, as if it had existed for countless eons.
Transforming the inner world into an inner universe required not only a spatial foundation but also a time foundation.
Lin Yuan's inner world, in terms of spatial foundation, couldn't even compare to rank eleven strong ones, but in terms of time foundation? It had been rather ordinary, and this might have become a fatal flaw when breaking through to the ultimate level.
But now, after the Source of the Universe had merged with him, Lin Yuan's inner world's time foundation had also been strengthened, and time and space had become one.
"The Strongest Ones must have noticed that I haven't trained long enough and that my time foundation is lacking, so they gave me this Source of the Universe."
Lin Yuan felt deeply grateful. The Source of the Universe had greatly helped him.
"With my current spatial depth and time length, when I attempt to break through to rank eleven and undergo another infusion of primordial chaos, I might be able to elevate my inner world to the level of an inner universe."
Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Strongest Xia Qin had given him the Source of the Universe to compensate for his lack of time foundation. But what the Strongest Ones didn't know was that Lin Yuan's inner world's spatial foundation was already terrifyingly strong.
And right now, Lin Yuan's inner world wasn't even at its limit yet. The space-time fusion rule was only at the first level. Once he reached the fifth level, his inner world would become even more complete.
Mysterious Emperor's Secret Realm.
Lin Yuan's Yang Spirit sat cross-legged.
Before him lay various rare treasures, including twelve-star treasures and weapons.
"Those treasures and weapons that are of no use to me can be refined back into primordial power or I can use them as resources to cultivate the 'Mysterious Emperor's Body.'"
Lin Yuan thought silently to himself.
While Strongest Weapons were powerful, not every one of them was suited for Lin Yuan.
When it came to compatibility, no weapon could surpass the Essence Gold.
This weapon, forged from primordial fine gold, had been nurtured by Lin Yuan and was a perfect fit for him.
The only drawback was that compared to other Strongest Weapons, the Essence Gold was slightly lower in rank, but the difference wasn't significant.
Lin Yuan had mastered primordial power, allowing him to reduce all things to their most basic, purest form. In time, he could continue to nourish the Essence Gold until it became a Strongest Weapon.
Of course, this could only be accomplished when Lin Yuan reached rank eleven. After all, twelve-star treasures were extraordinary; they couldn't simply be refined at will.
Milky Way's main star.
After observing the changes in his inner world for a while...
Lin Yuan once again retrieved a rule comprehension light orb and immersed himself in his cultivation.
Aside from regularly comprehending rules, Lin Yuan was also slowly perfecting the tenth rank of his martial path.
"The key to the tenth rank of the martial path lies in the physical body, the soul, and the will of the heart. Returning to the source — only with a strong foundation can greater potential be realized."
Lin Yuan continued to observe the bodies and souls of various special life forms in the depths of the cosmic starry sky.
Normally, special life forms were extremely rare, and some unique ones were so singular that only one existed in the vast universe. Their bodies were extraordinary, their souls profound, and their innate abilities were mysteries even to the Strongest Ones.
But with the four light orbs given to him by the half-meter-tall old man, Lin Yuan could clearly perceive everything about these special life forms. This provided tremendous insights for perfecting the tenth rank of his martial path.
It was important to understand that each of these unique special life forms was favored by the universe. Everything about them was a gift from the universe, closely aligned with the Dao.
By studying the bodies and souls of these special life forms, Lin Yuan was paving a path of evolution with infinite potential.
There was no risk of hitting a dead end or an impasse.
It was like standing at the height of the universe and creating a path of evolution.
In the virtual world.
Lin Yuan casually sat with Vice Tower Master Nalan.
In addition to his regular cultivation, Lin Yuan would also enter the virtual world to relax. However, he only allocated a small part of his consciousness, so it didn't interrupt his main cultivation and comprehension of the Dao.
"This time, with the conclusion of the two-dimensional world, those alien strong ones have suffered greatly, especially the Divine King, who even lost his most compatible Strongest Weapon."
Vice Tower Master Nalan spoke with some schadenfreude. Although his clone had also died of old age in the two-dimensional world, suffering a root-level loss, human civilization had compensated him to a certain extent.
The eleven rare treasures Lin Yuan had returned to the Strongest Ones included some that were distributed among human evolvers.
After all, many human evolvers had contributed to the search for these rare treasures, and human civilization would not treat them unfairly.
"Indeed, quite unfortunate."
Lin Yuan nodded. Originally, the Divine King had been the strongest below the Strongest Ones, but now, he had lost his most compatible Strongest Weapon.
Whether in the Starry Sky Alliance, human civilization, or the Insect Race Alliance, there were numerous Strongest Weapons.
But for beings below the Strongest Ones, finding a Strongest Weapon that was suitable for them was as difficult as climbing to the heavens.
After losing that Strongest Weapon, even if the Starry Sky Alliance bestowed another Strongest Weapon, the Divine King would never return to his peak combat power.
Furthermore, his clone had died in the two-dimensional world, resulting in a permanent loss of part of his heart and will.
The impact of this loss on his strength was equally significant.
With these two factors combined...
Although the Divine King wouldn't fall into mediocrity, he could no longer compare to beings like the 'Mother of the Tree World.'
Even his timeline for breaking through to the ultimate level would be infinitely delayed, and in the end, the likelihood of him becoming ultimate would be significantly reduced.
In addition to the Divine King, many other special life forms and alien strong ones had suffered great losses, at least on a fundamental level, losing part of their heart and will.
Unlike the physical body, which could be enhanced through rare treasures, the strength of the heart and will was much harder to increase. The time and effort required were unimaginable. For the most powerful beings, a permanent loss of this kind was a devastating blow.
"Heh, what about the alien strong ones? Even unique special life forms — didn't they still get trounced by our Lord Blood Rain?"
"The strong ones of all races competed in that two-dimensional world, but only Lord Blood Rain emerged as the final victor."
Vice Tower Master Nalan smiled.
Although human civilization had not yet officially announced Lord Blood Rain's safe return from the two-dimensional world, human evolvers had speculated that he had likely survived.
The alien strong ones also had similar suspicions, but they could only speculate.
As a pinnacle race with nine Strongest Ones holding the fort, even if the alien races suffered enormous losses, they wouldn't dare do anything against human civilization.
Time passed slowly.
In the blink of an eye, two and a half years had passed.
Milky Way's main star.
Lin Yuan sat quietly.
"What is the body? What is the soul?" (I want to know too... sadly I don't have Unrivaled Insight :c )
Thoughts and ideas flowed through Lin Yuan's mind.
The mysteries of the bodies and talents of the strong ones from all races gathered in Lin Yuan's heart, becoming the foundation of the tenth rank of his martial path.
Who knows how long had passed...
Lin Yuan slowly opened his eyes, a smile forming on his face. "The tenth rank of the martial path is complete."
...
20 chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
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