https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-224-The-Silent-Red-Kun-Star-Master/12531875/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-226-Ordinary-Members-of-the-Magic-Jade-Tower/12531881/
Chapter 225: A Desperate Plight
Chapter 225: A Desperate Plight (End of Trial)
Chi Qiu's heart was heavy with conflicting emotions. He should have been overjoyed that his top disciple had reached the Eighth Stage, the first among his disciples to do so.
After all, this was his first Eighth Stage disciple.
But comparisons were inevitable.
Upon reaching the Eighth Stage, his disciple's inner world spanned a mere 230 li in size.
This was nothing compared to Lin Yuan's inner world, which already spanned over 100,000 li, and Lin Yuan had not even reached the Eighth Stage yet. Once he did, his inner world would undergo a massive expansion.
The gap between the two would only widen.
Chi Qiu sighed inwardly as he looked at his disciple's joyful face.
Ignorance truly was bliss.
"Alright," Chi Qiu said. "Don't get too complacent. The path ahead is not an easy one. From now on, you will need to collect various cosmic treasures and contemplate more rules to perfect your inner world."
As someone who had walked this path before and achieved invincibility at the Eighth Stage, Chi Qiu was more than qualified to give such advice.
Even among those at the Eighth Stage, there were vast differences in power. For instance, it was hardly more difficult for Chi Qiu to slay a typical Eighth Stage powerhouse than it was to chop vegetables.
On many medium-sized alien battlefields, Chi Qiu's true body would appear, blocking out the sky and covering the sun. With a mere inhalation, countless alien powerhouses would be devoured.
Another example was the invincible Hei Yuan, Qingyu, from a million years ago. With just a soul attack, he had pierced through all of Evolutionist Ouyin's defenses, even nearly shattering an Eighth Stage soul-defense treasure.
Despite this, Ouyin still could not escape death.
"Understood," the peak master replied, his heart pounding as he quickly composed himself.
Indeed, for the entire human civilization and the myriad races of the universe, reaching the Eighth Stage merely granted one the qualifications to stand on the stage.
"That's good," Chi Qiu nodded slightly.
Although the peak master couldn't compare to Lin Yuan, he still hoped that his disciple would go further on the path of evolution.
"Which star domain do you plan to preside over?" Chi Qiu asked, looking at the peak master.
"Which star domain to preside over?" Lin Yuan and the other star masters below looked up at the senior disciple upon hearing this.
In the Human Civilization Alliance, those below the Eighth Stage were actually protected and sheltered.
They had no compulsory tasks or orders, and even if they volunteered to go to the alien battlefields, it was entirely their own decision.
As long as they didn't cause trouble or break the laws of human civilization, they could live comfortably.
This seemed ordinary, but in reality, among the other alien races in the universe, the weak were enslaved and driven, with no freedom to speak of, let alone comfort.
However, all of this only applied to those below the Eighth Stage.
Once an evolutionist reached the Eighth Stage, they had to fulfill obligations to human civilization.
Specifically, they had to choose a star domain and preside over it as a star master for 500 years.
After 500 years, an Eighth Stage evolutionist could choose to continue presiding or step down.
In simple terms, evolutionists below the Eighth Stage were protected, but once they reached the Eighth Stage, they became the protectors of other citizens.
"Teacher, I haven't decided yet," the peak master replied.
Before attempting the breakthrough to the Eighth Stage, the peak master wasn't even sure if he could make it. If he had died during the Heart Devil Tribulation, there would have been no point in overthinking it.
"It's fine, take your time," Chi Qiu said. He had only asked casually, as it was indeed the obligation of Eighth Stage evolutionists to preside over a star domain, but there was no immediate rush to do so. They had some time to prepare.
After Chi Qiu's reminder, Lin Yuan and the others took their leave.
First Summit, Chi Qiu's lineage of thirteen peak masters gathered here.
"By the way, senior disciple, while you were in seclusion, breaking through to the Eighth Stage, the strongest humans retrieved a body of an Outsider from a large battlefield," the third senior disciple said, filling him in on the recent events, emphasizing the part about the Outsider's body.
"I'm aware of this," the senior disciple nodded. He had access to this information by simply connecting his consciousness to the virtual world.
The contemplation of the Outsider's body was not a secret within human civilization, and most Sixth and Seventh Stage evolutionists were aware of it.
The top evolutionists didn't try to hide it because this body would eventually be made available to most human evolutionists.
The same went for the other peak races that had obtained portions of the body; they would also make it available to their members. The peak races were all competing to find the sole path to the ultimate evolution.
"Teacher told me that the evolutionary path contained within that body is quite bizarre. In the past few years, those who have contemplated and found the evolutionary path have not had smooth cultivations," the third senior disciple continued.
"That's why I plan to not contemplate that body," the senior disciple shook his head.
Whether or not to contemplate the Outsider's body was entirely up to the evolutionist, but with such a rare opportunity presented by the top evolutionists, it was uncommon for anyone to refuse.
The senior disciple knew his own situation best. Having just broken through to the Eighth Stage, he needed ample time to stabilize his realm.
At this time, contemplating a mysterious body was completely unnecessary.
For the senior disciple, stabilizing his realm was the top priority. By the time his realm was stable, many talented evolutionists would have already begun their contemplations, and competing with them would be futile.
Thus, the senior disciple chose to give up.
"Good decision," Lin Yuan thought, nodding inwardly.
With his heaven-defying comprehension, he had been constantly contemplating the various evolutionary paths within the Outsider's body, and he had come to realize that almost all of the paths he had understood had some kind of flaw or another.
The senior disciple's decision to refrain from involving himself was a wise one, as he would at least not be affected by that bizarre body.
Virtual World.
Lin Yuan remained seated at the peak of the mountain.
At this moment, the peaks of this virtual world were still filled with evolutionists.
However, almost ninety-nine percent of them had been replaced, and most of the evolutionists here were newcomers.
Lin Yuan observed the Outsider's body beneath the canopy, his consciousness constantly suppressed, while simultaneously contemplating the evolutionary paths contained within the body.
"I've comprehended two thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven evolutionary paths so far, and I've analyzed and comprehended them all, integrating them into myself," Lin Yuan said inwardly.
"But compared to the countless evolutionary paths within this body, it's like a drop in the ocean."
Lin Yuan was astonished. It was true that high-level evolutionists cultivated multiple evolutionary paths, but this Outsider had cultivated far too many!
"Moreover, these evolutionary paths are quite sinister," Lin Yuan thought to himself, especially with the mental willpower pressing down on him, urging him to quickly choose an evolutionary path to cultivate.
"It doesn't matter since I don't plan on cultivating them, just comprehending them. I won't be affected," Lin Yuan calmed his thoughts.
It was like a prescription—no one knew what effects the concocted medicine would have.
To find out, one had to drink the medicine, but Lin Yuan had no intention of doing so. He was merely studying the prescription, so there was no cause for concern.
Chapter 225: A Desperate Plight (Part 2)
Not far from Lin Yuan, Gao Wufeng was also seated with his legs crossed, his eyes closed in meditation. Cultivating the evolutionary paths within the Outsider's body while simultaneously observing the body beneath the canopy granted an incredible boost to the speed of his cultivation.
However, at that moment, Gao Wufeng's consciousness began to quietly sink into oblivion.
"Where am I?" Gao Wufeng opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping warily across his surroundings.
But there was no response, only a featureless white expanse in every direction.
Initially, Gao Wufeng was cautious and did not act rashly.
But as time passed—a hundred years, two hundred years, a thousand years, ten thousand years—Gao Wufeng's expression began to twist with madness. In this blank white space, there were no fluctuations of rules, no way to cultivate. All he could do was watch as time slipped by.
After twenty thousand years, Gao Wufeng completely lost control, his sanity shattered. He lashed out wildly in all directions.
Although many evolvers would spend decades or even centuries in seclusion, they would be immersed in their cultivation, experiencing the fluctuations of rules, comprehending the Dao of the world, and losing themselves in the process.
But in the blank white space where Gao Wufeng found himself, there were no such rule fluctuations, and he could not even enter a state of suspended animation. All he could do was watch time pass.
That he had endured for twenty thousand years was a testament to the strength of Gao Wufeng's mental fortitude. Most other evolvers would have gone insane within ten thousand years.
After fifty thousand years had passed, Gao Wufeng asked himself, "Where am I? Who am I? I am Gao Wufeng. I am from Human Civilization, but what of the other humans? I remember my teacher..."
"Yes, the trial... I remember I was comprehending that Outsider's body. But how did I end up here?"
Gao Wufeng's consciousness grew agitated.
After a hundred thousand years, Gao Wufeng looked up once more, still seeing nothing but whiteness.
Then, his eyes dimmed.
His consciousness began to fade, an act of self-destruction as he lost the will to live.
In the outside world, the time that had passed for Gao Wufeng in that blank white space was but a few breaths.
Gao Wufeng's body began to crumble, his consciousness erasing itself.
"Brother Gao?" Lin Yuan immediately sensed the change and stopped observing the Outsider's body, turning to look at Gao Wufeng.
The two of them were not far apart, so Lin Yuan was the first to notice something was wrong.
"Did he fail his cultivation? Was he unable to pull through this time?" Lin Yuan sighed. Gao Wufeng had forcefully endured his previous Heart Devil Tribulation, and his cultivation had soared as a result.
But now, it seemed he had encountered a similar trial and had been unable to withstand it.
Over the past few years, Lin Yuan had seen this happen many times. Some evolvers would be cultivating, and then their physical bodies would suddenly crumble, their consciousness erased.
"I wonder if it affected his true body in the outside world?" Lin Yuan wondered. If it was only Gao Wufeng's body in the virtual world that had crumbled, it wouldn't be too big of a problem as long as his real body and soul in the physical world were unharmed.
An hour later, Zuo Qiuguang approached.
"Brother Gao nearly unleashed a slaughter in the Nine Swords Star Domain. If the Nine Swords Star Master hadn't intervened in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable," Zuo Qiuguang said directly. She had a good relationship with Gao Wufeng and often kept in touch with him, so she had gone to check on the Nine Swords Star Domain as soon as she heard about the incident.
"Brother Gao's consciousness seems to have been affected. Fortunately, the Nine Swords Star Master suppressed it in time, and with the help of some universe-class healing treasures for the soul, he should be fine going forward," Zuo Qiuguang continued, her tone carrying a hint of fear.
Just yesterday, Gao Wufeng had been exchanging insights with her, appearing completely normal. But today, he had gone insane. If the Nine Swords Star Master hadn't stopped him, the consequences would have been dire.
Zuo Qiuguang looked up at the Outsider's body beneath the canopy. "This body..."
She had initially thought that it was a great opportunity, a chance for her to become a supreme being.
But as time passed, Zuo Qiuguang had witnessed first-hand as one genius after another walked down a path of no return. Many of these talented evolvers were no less skilled than her, yet they had still failed to persevere.
"There's something terribly wrong with this body. It's definitely not as simple as just comprehending evolutionary paths," Zuo Qiuguang murmured. "I don't think I can continue either, Thirteenth Peak Master. Sometimes I'm envious of you. Since you didn't cultivate any of the evolutionary paths you comprehended, you can choose to stop now without any issues."
Once an evolver began cultivating one of the evolutionary paths within the Outsider's body, there was no turning back. As long as they continued to observe the Outsider's body in this virtual world, their bodies would automatically cultivate the chosen evolutionary path.
"You can't continue either?" Lin Yuan asked, looking at Zuo Qiuguang.
"I haven't gone insane yet, but the more I cultivate, the more I find myself falling into illusions. Sometimes, I don't even realize what's happening," Zuo Qiuguang explained.
Initially, she hadn't thought much of it, but after seeing what had happened to Gao Wufeng, she was worried that she might end up the same way.
"Then it's best that you stop," Lin Yuan nodded. Based on Zuo Qiuguang's description, if she continued cultivating, the consequences might be no better than Gao Wufeng's.
"It's quite amusing," Zuo Qiuguang said with a sigh. "Originally, among the three of us, Brother Gao and I were the ambitious ones, determined to obtain that supreme evolutionary path. But now, both of us have withdrawn, and it's you, Thirteenth Peak Master, who has endured until now."
After a pause, Zuo Qiuguang's figure disappeared as she left the virtual world.
(End of Chapter)
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