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Chapter 232: Stepping into the Eighth Stage
Chapter 232: Stepping into the Eighth Stage (End of Chapter)
In this moment, a vast mental will was converging within Lin Yuan's body.
He felt that everything he was currently seeing was as insubstantial as a bubble, easily popped with a mere touch.
Rustle, rustle.
As Lin Yuan became lucid, his consciousness began to sink once more.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the vastness of the cosmic starry sky.
A powerful alien presence pursued him from behind, and it was clear that Lin Yuan was being hunted by this alien race.
"Hahahaha! So what if you're a peerless genius of the human civilization? You will still die!" The alien chasing him laughed maniacally.
"I'm being hunted?" Lin Yuan frowned, his instinct prompting him to continue running for his life.
The next moment, an immense mental will converged within him once more.
Lin Yuan instantly understood his situation.
"Mere heart demons," Lin Yuan said, halting his escape. The illusions around him began to crumble once more.
The essence of the Heart Demon Tribulation was the heart demons themselves. During the Heart Demon Tribulation, an Evolver would experience scenes that they least wanted to face, or perhaps, scenes that they most desired.
For example, Lin Yuan's greatest fear was being snuffed out by an alien race before he could reach his full potential.
Normally, if one's mental will was not up to par, it would be easy to become lost in these layers upon layers of illusions, signifying failure in overcoming the Heart Demon Tribulation.
However, a strong mental will would enable an Evolver to quickly regain their senses or realize that everything around them was illusory and fictitious.
If one could overcome these heart demons, their chances of success would naturally increase greatly.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Yuan shattered hundreds of heart demon illusions.
The scene shifted.
In the distance, a Zerg mothership comparable in size to a galaxy appeared.
Countless Zerg warriors of the seventh, eighth, and even ninth stages, created by the mothership, surged forth.
"Is that a Zerg Queen?" Lin Yuan's heart skipped a beat.
Zerg Queens were the counterparts of peak existences in human civilization.
A single Zerg Queen could continuously produce a large number of seventh, eighth, and ninth-stage Zerg warriors.
In one-on-one combat, these Zerg warriors were definitely not a match for human Evolvers of the same stage.
But their strength lay in their numbers—an infinite, boundless army. Even an ordinary eighth-stage Zerg warrior would give Red Qiong Star Master pause.
This was why, in the war between human civilization and the Zerg, the humans held no advantage, and even suffered a disadvantage, on the lower- to mid-tier battlefields.
It was only in the battles between the peak existences that the Zerg Queens were suppressed by the peak existences of the human civilization.
For the Zerg Queens could not create Zerg warriors of that level.
"It's too fake for a Zerg Queen to take action against me personally," Lin Yuan shook his head. Even without a powerful mental will, he felt that this scene was somewhat absurd. The Queens were existences that could rival the peak beings, capable of going head-to-head with them.
Even a human Evolver who was the unparalleled genius of an era would not warrant the personal attention of a Queen—their status and position were simply too lofty.
Rumble, rumble.
Accompanied by the convergence of a vast mental will, Lin Yuan crushed this heart demon illusion.
At the pinnacle of a majestic and towering Evolution Tower, Lin Yuan sat with his legs crossed. At this moment, his aura was profound, like the cosmos itself, and everywhere his gaze fell was within his domain.
"Great peak being, under your leadership, human civilization has become an unprecedented force in the universe, with peak races like the Zerg submitting to us," an elder below him said loudly, his voice filled with reverence.
"Becoming a peak being, leading human civilization to the pinnacle—this is what every human Evolver aspires to achieve."
At this moment, Lin Yuan was receiving the veneration of countless humans, looking down from on high like a god.
"What a pity. It's all fake," Lin Yuan sighed, and the scenes all around him began to collapse, along with the invincible power within his body.
On the mountaintop, Lin Yuan quietly opened his eyes.
"The Heart Demon Tribulation is over."
Lin Yuan's gaze was profound, as if he had broken free from some kind of shackle, and his entire being seemed to be undergoing a spiritual transformation.
"My current realm has already reached the eighth stage."
There were three prerequisites to becoming an eighth-stage Evolver: overcoming the Heart Demon Tribulation, possessing an inner world, and having a perfectly cultivated body and soul.
If one could not overcome the Heart Demon Tribulation, they would forever remain at the peak of the seventh stage, even if their inner world, body, and soul met the requirements.
Because their realm could not be elevated.
Only by overcoming the Heart Demon Tribulation could one smoothly advance to the eighth stage in terms of realm.
Next, if one's inner world was established and their body and soul reached perfection, they could formally step into the eighth stage.
"It's time to end this journey," Lin Yuan said, glancing at the remaining stay duration.
Five years were left.
The countless heart demon illusions that Lin Yuan had experienced during the Heart Demon Tribulation had only taken an instant in the real world.
There was no need to spend the remaining five years of his journey here.
Lin Yuan opened his eyes.
The sound of rustling leaves filled the air as a large amount of Red Spirit Liquid appeared before him.
Years ago, Lin Yuan had already begun preparing for his advancement to the eighth stage, and the Red Spirit Liquid had naturally played its part.
"Breakthrough," Lin Yuan murmured, closing his eyes.
A thunderous rumble reverberated as his inner world began to expand wildly once more.
The originally modest inner world, spanning only thirteen thousand miles in radius, abruptly ballooned to a massive twenty-five thousand miles.
Surprisingly, the expansion of his inner world caused little disturbance.
Previously, when Lin Yuan had expanded his inner world from a mere ten-something miles to a radius of twelve thousand miles, the thousand-fold increase had been too much for him to perfectly control, hence his request for Red Qiong Star Master's help in concealing it.
However, now that he was expanding from thirteen thousand miles to twenty-five thousand miles, despite the increase being even greater, the base was already so much stronger.
Lin Yuan was fully capable of containing the expansion himself.
Within his inner world, a majestic palace of crimson red stood tall.
Red Qiong Star Master was instructing the Great Peak Master, imparting some secret techniques and backup plans as the latter prepared to leave for the star domain after his breakthrough to the eighth stage.
"Teacher, rest assured, I will be cautious," the Great Peak Master nodded, understanding that Red Qiong Star Master was concerned for his well-being.
"I wonder who among my disciples will be the next to break through to the eighth stage?" Red Qiong Star Master sighed, a hint of curiosity and pride in his voice.
"Second Senior Brother? Third Senior Brother? Or perhaps Little Junior Brother?"
The Great Peak Master ventured a guess, testing his theory.
Currently, among Red Qiong Star Master's disciples, only these three had reached the seventh stage.
"Which one do you think it is?" Red Qiong Star Master asked with keen interest.
"In terms of talent, Little Junior Brother is undoubtedly the strongest. However, to step into the eighth stage, one's mental will is crucial. This requires a long accumulation of experiences, and in that regard, Second Senior Brother is almost there. Once he breaks through to the King level, he should be able to attempt to create his inner world and then challenge the eighth stage," the Great Peak Master analyzed calmly.
It wasn't that he was underestimating Little Junior Brother, but the enhancement of one's mental will index did require a significant amount of time. After all, Little Junior Brother was still very young, not even a hundred years old yet.
"You're right," Red Qiong Star Master agreed, thoughtfully considering the Great Peak Master's words before nodding.
"But..."
Red Qiong Star Master trailed off, as if he had sensed something.
A look of astonishment spread across his face as he turned towards a particular direction.
"Someone has broken through to the eighth stage?"
The Great Peak Master also sensed the disturbance, his eyes widening as he followed the source of the breakthrough.
While Lin Yuan could conceal the commotion caused by the expansion of his inner world, the advancement from the seventh stage to the eighth involved fluctuations in the fundamental rules of the universe, making it impossible to hide.
"Little Junior Brother?"
The Great Peak Master's eyes widened further. The source of the breakthrough was located at the Thirteenth Peak, and the only one there with the capability to reach the eighth stage was Little Junior Brother.
As for the seventh-stage guards? If any of them were about to break through to the eighth stage, they would have certainly reported it to the Star Master beforehand.
"Holy..."
The First Senior Brother was stunned, his mouth agape. He had just been discussing with their teacher about the next ordinary eighth-stage disciple, and now Little Junior Brother had broken through to the eighth stage?
Wait, that wasn't the main point.
The astonishing part was Little Junior Brother's age. Hadn't he just reached the seventh stage not long ago, and now he was already at the eighth?
"This disciple of mine..."
Red Qiong Star Master, too, was deep in thought. He didn't agree with the Great Peak Master's prediction that the next eighth-stage disciple would be the Second Peak Master.
Unlike the Great Peak Master, Red Qiong Star Master was aware of Lin Yuan's cultivation progress and the fact that his inner world was already close to the peak of the eighth stage.
With such a vast inner world, even if Lin Yuan did nothing, his physical body, soul, and mental will would gradually grow stronger.
Until he approached the peak of the eighth stage.
Here, the peak of the eighth stage referred to the pinnacle of physical and soul development, while the cultivator's realm might still be at the seventh stage.
But in Red Qiong Star Master's opinion, even if Lin Yuan managed to reach the eighth stage, it would be decades or even centuries in the future, wouldn't it?
Yet, here he was, having achieved it already.
At the same time.
The commotion caused by Lin Yuan's breakthrough to the eighth stage began to reverberate throughout the entire Red Qiong Master Star.
Not long ago, when the First Senior Brother had broken through to the eighth stage, Lin Yuan, despite being far away, had sensed it due to the unavoidable fluctuations in the fundamental rules when advancing from the seventh to the eighth stage.
In the blink of an eye.
Countless sixth-stage and seventh-stage Evolvers on the Red Qiong Master Star were stirred into a frenzy.
"Another Peak Master has reached the eighth stage?"
"The Great Peak Master just became an eighth-stage not long ago, and now another Peak Master is following in his footsteps?"
"Our Red Qiong Star Domain is truly blessed with an abundance of powerful individuals lately."
Countless Evolvers on the Red Qiong Master Star were left dumbfounded by the rapid emergence of strong cultivators.
"That's odd. I met with the Second Peak Master and Third Peak Master not long ago, and they mentioned they would be leaving for a trip soon. They shouldn't be on the Master Star right now," one of them spoke up, confusion evident in his voice.
"Does that mean that among the Peak Masters currently on the Master Star, only the Thirteenth Peak Master is at the seventh stage?"
"Could it be that the Thirteenth Peak Master is the one who broke through to the eighth stage?"
However, the Second and Third Peak Masters were currently away from the Master Star, leaving the Thirteenth Peak Master as the only one with the prerequisites to break through to the eighth stage.
Perhaps some of the seventh-stage King-level guards also had the conditions to break through, but if they were to attempt such a feat, they would be sent to a specialized breakthrough planet by the Star Master. They would never be allowed to undergo the process on the Master Star.
After much consideration, the Thirteenth Peak Master was the only one who fit the bill.
"I've already been in contact with the Second and Third Peak Masters, and they're indeed not on the Master Star at the moment," said one of the seventh-stage King-level Evolvers.
As soon as these words left his mouth, a wave of shock and excitement rippled through the group.
It meant that the Evolver who was currently ascending to the eighth stage could only be the Thirteenth Peak Master.
"Unless it's one of the other Peak Masters, who are only at the sixth stage?" someone mused.
"The breakthrough is going smoothly," came a report.
"He has completely entered the eighth-stage realm now."
The seventh-stage Evolvers carefully sensed the process, knowing that there were several potential pitfalls to such an ascension. For example, failing to overcome the Heart Demon Tribulation or being unable to create an inner world within oneself.
Any of these failures would result in the breakthrough signs abruptly stopping.
However, the ascension they were witnessing seemed to be proceeding without a hitch, as smooth as a flowing river, without even a moment's pause.
"If it really is the Thirteenth Peak Master entering the eighth stage, then his potential is truly terrifying," one of them commented.
"Even if he can't break through to the ninth stage in the future, he'll still be an undefeated eighth stage, like the Star Master," another added.
The more discerning seventh-stage Evolvers realized that the Thirteenth Peak Master's lower limit would be comparable to the Star Master's undefeated eighth stage.
As for his upper limit, that was anyone's guess.
Perhaps he would reach the ninth or even the tenth stage.
As countless Evolvers on the Master Star discussed this development, news of the Red Qiong lineage gaining another eighth-stage Evolver began to spread like a hurricane in all directions.
The fact that this new eighth-stage Evolver was likely the youngest Thirteenth Peak Master sparked frenzied speculation.
In the distant Milky Way Galaxy...
On the surface of a star, an elderly man with black hair appeared.
"Your Highness, Your Highness," the black-haired elder called out.
Nearly ten years ago, the Holy Son of the Milky Way Galaxy had made a daring decision to venture deep into the heart of a star to cultivate, risking his life in the process.
Only by doing so could he fully squeeze out his potential and ascend to the seventh stage as quickly as possible, catching up to the Red Qiong lineage's Thirteenth Peak Master.
Proud and arrogant, the Holy Son of the Milky Way had been struck twice by the Thirteenth Peak Master, leaving him deeply frustrated.
At the black-haired elder's call, a fiery red crystal flew out from the depths of the star.
The crystal hovered in front of the elder, beginning to melt, and from within it, the Holy Son of the Milky Way stepped out.
"What is it now?" he asked, his brow furrowed.
"Didn't I say that unless it's a matter of life and death, you are not to disturb me?"
The Holy Son was clearly displeased at being summoned from his seclusion. He had intended to remain in isolation for two hundred years.
But now, not even a decade had passed, and he was being interrupted. It was most unsatisfactory.
"Your Highness, good news, extremely good news," the black-haired elder said, a smile spreading across his face. He quickly relayed the information about the fragment of a supremely powerful being from beyond their world, and how it could be studied to gain insights into the path of supreme evolution.
"The body of a supreme being?" The Holy Son's eyes lit up with a fiery gleam.
"As long as we can understand the evolution path, there's a chance to become a supreme being ourselves?"
"I don't expect to comprehend the entire evolution path from that fragment," the Holy Son said, his eyes gleaming with determination. "But if I can unravel even a millionth of its mysteries, breaking through to the seventh stage shouldn't be a problem."
The prospect of studying the body of a supreme being filled him with excitement.
According to his estimations, by venturing deep into the star and risking his life, he might be able to reach the seventh stage in two hundred years.
But by studying the fragment, he might achieve the same goal in just a hundred years.
In that time, how far would the Thirteenth Peak Master progress in the seventh stage? With this, he had more hope of catching up.
Once he reached the seventh stage, the Holy Son thought, he would be on the same grand level as the Thirteenth Peak Master. With his 'Nine Yang Divine Vein' physique, he wouldn't fall too far behind.
Just as the Holy Son was filled with anticipation and was about to request access to study the fragment, the black-haired elder's face twitched, and he stole a cautious glance at the ambitious young man.
"Your Highness," the elder said in a low voice, his eyes flicking toward the Holy Son, "there's some bad news."
"Bad news?" The Holy Son glanced at the elder, his tone dismissive. "What bad news?"
(End of Chapter)
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