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Chapter 235: The Gift of the Overlords
Chapter 235: The Gift of the Overlords (Please Subscribe)
"An Overlord wants to see me?"
Lin Yuan's mind stirred with excitement. The Overlords were the pillars of human civilization, standing at the very peak of power.
Aside from the three goddesses who oversaw everything, it was these nine Overlords that allowed human civilization to sweep across the stars and conquer countless tribes.
Without the Overlords, humanity would never have been able to stand against the endless hordes of the Bug Tribe.
"Yes, the Overlord who wishes to meet you is named Xia Qin," replied the Goddess of Wisdom.
"Overlord Xia Qin," Lin Yuan murmured.
His mind raced as he thought about this third Overlord of human civilization. The Evolution Tower that he presided over was located in the northeastern region of human territory, facing two peak tribes alone.
"How will I meet him?" Lin Yuan asked.
"You will meet in the virtual world," the Goddess of Wisdom replied solemnly, her voice cold.
"Understood," Lin Yuan nodded.
He had expected that an Overlord would want to meet him eventually. As his strength continued to improve, it would naturally attract the attention of these mighty beings.
Those below the eighth stage, at the sixth or seventh stage, were not of concern to the Overlords. But Lin Yuan, having reached the eighth stage at such a young age, was now considered a top-tier force in human civilization.
"How will the meeting take place?" Lin Yuan inquired.
"Meeting in the virtual world will suffice," the Goddess of Wisdom replied, her voice grave and detached.
"Alright," Lin Yuan agreed, his curiosity piqued.
The attention of an Overlord was something Lin Yuan had anticipated as his strength progressed. Reaching the eighth stage at such a young age—in his thirties, to be precise—was bound to attract interest from the pinnacle of human civilization. Even if he had somehow escaped their notice until now, achieving invincibility at the eighth stage and ascending to the ninth would undoubtedly bring him to their attention.
In a mysterious virtual world, Lin Yuan's figure appeared as he looked around.
In the distance stood a majestic man, a towering figure three meters tall. To Lin Yuan, he seemed infinitely more imposing—the combined might of countless stars couldn't compare to this Overlord.
"An Overlord," Lin Yuan whispered, awe-struck as he studied the man. He felt his soul tremble as he beheld what seemed to be the vast expanse of the universe and the endless rules of its origin in motion.
"Space rules? Time rules? No, it's the spacetime rule that results from the fusion of space and time rules! And there's also the life rule, the karmic rule... there are too many to count!"
Lin Yuan tried to comprehend with his heaven-defying insight, but his efforts yielded little.
The gap between them was simply too vast. Lin Yuan's ability to understand the myriad evolutionary paths contained within the severed corpse was due to the fact that it had completely perished, and an Overlord had paid a price to forcibly reveal those secrets.
Additionally, the virtual world served as a buffer, allowing sixth and seventh-stage human evolvers to attempt comprehension. Without these precautions, Lin Yuan suspected that any sixth or seventh-stage evolvers who laid eyes on the corpse would instantly go insane.
Now, as he tried to understand Overlord Xia Qin, it was like trying to directly comprehend the origin of the universe and its stars—a daunting task that would take a significant amount of time to bear fruit.
"An interesting little fellow," Overlord Xia Qin remarked, giving Lin Yuan an appraising look.
"It is an honor to meet you, Overlord," Lin Yuan replied respectfully.
"It's terrifying," Lin Yuan thought, "but also fascinating. So, different rules can be fused together?" From Overlord Xia Qin, Lin Yuan glimpsed the path to the ninth stage and even beyond.
To progress from the eighth stage to the ninth, an evolver not only needed a sufficiently advanced inner world but also had to fuse rules.
Red Kun, the Star Master, had been stuck at this hurdle, struggling to perfectly fuse the space rule with the fire rule.
But in Overlord Xia Qin, Lin Yuan sensed the harmonious fusion of countless rules, even the fundamental rules of time and space unified as the spacetime rule.
"You have excellent talent. Knowing the second method of comprehending that corpse suggests you're also aware of the existence of the Magic Jade Tower, and you likely possess an opportunity from beyond the boundaries of this world," Overlord Xia Qin said casually.
"Yes," Lin Yuan replied promptly.
However, his heart skipped a beat at the mention of the Magic Jade Tower. He had always believed that he was the only one who knew about it, but it seemed that the Overlords of human civilization might have been aware of it all along.
As for the 'opportunity from beyond the boundaries of this world' that Overlord Xia Qin mentioned, while it wasn't entirely accurate, the Myriad Worlds Gate probably fell into that category.
"Those old bugs in the Bug Tribe somehow got wind that a corpse of an Overlord from the Magic Jade Tower was about to drift into their reach," Overlord Xia Qin continued.
"The Magic Jade Tower is an ancient force. Their tower master has been missing for who knows how many years, and most of their members have also disappeared," he added with a hint of emotion.
Lin Yuan listened intently, feeling the immense pressure from the Overlord. From Xia Qin's tone, it seemed that this so-called 'opportunity from beyond the boundaries' wasn't something he considered all that impressive.
Of course, Lin Yuan was certain that the Overlord was unaware of the existence of the Myriad Worlds Gate.
Thus far, the only existence Lin Yuan had encountered that could rival the Overlord before him was the majestic Myriad Worlds Gate hidden deep within his mind.
But even that gate was merely a minuscule projection of the true Myriad Worlds Gate, which, in terms of its level, surpassed even the Overlords.
"And then there's your mental will," Overlord Xia Qin continued, his gaze still fixed on Lin Yuan. As he studied him, a ripple in the flow of time began to occur.
"If I'm not mistaken, the amount of time your mental will has experienced should be different from that of your physical body and soul, right?" Overlord Xia Qin asked with a smile.
As an entity who had completely mastered the time rule, Overlord Xia Qin needed only a brief observation to detect the discrepancy in the passage of time on Lin Yuan's body.
"The amount of time my mental will has experienced?" Lin Yuan was taken aback.
He had traveled back in time seven times, so the actual amount of time he had experienced should have been over a millennium. However, this was something he had never shared with anyone, not even Red Kun, the Star Master.
Lin Yuan's expression shifted slightly.
"Hahaha, don't be nervous, young one. It's not uncommon for the mental will to have experienced more time than the physical body and soul. There are many talents and abilities that can achieve this, such as Eternal Dream of the Ancient Times and the Time House," Overlord Xia Qin explained with a shake of his head.
As an Overlord, he could travel against the current of time, allowing him to slow down or speed up its passage.
What might seem like an instant to the outside world could be experienced as countless millennia by the Overlord, or vice versa.
Additionally, there were many talents and abilities related to time that could achieve similar effects.
"Eternal Dream of the Ancient Times... Time House," Lin Yuan whispered to himself, relieved to hear the Overlord's explanation. Although he didn't fully understand the specifics, he surmised that it had something to do with the flow of time.
It made sense. For an Overlord, manipulating time was not a difficult task. They could even resurrect the dead, so accelerating or decelerating the flow of time was well within their capabilities.
Of course, altering the flow of time was an ability reserved only for Overlords or those who had mastered the complete time rule, placing it among the most elite powers and opportunities.
"From the flow of time around your mental will, I estimate your age to be around two thousand years," Overlord Xia Qin said, his eyes never leaving Lin Yuan.
"Overlord," Lin Yuan acknowledged, not knowing how to respond to this revelation.
“You need not have such thoughts,” Overlord Xia Qin said. “If one lives long enough, they will eventually reach the eighth stage. Our human civilization should have more eighth-stage powerhouses, but they just haven't lived long enough.”
“Additionally, the Goddess of Wisdom mentioned that you are the founder of a new evolutionary path, one with immense potential.”
“Given that you've only cultivated for around two millennia in terms of your mental will's age and have already achieved so much, your talent ranks among the top ten or even top twenty in the history of human civilization.”
Overlord Xia Qin offered a reassuring smile as he spoke.
If Lin Yuan's mental will had aged at the same rate as his physical body and soul, only being thirty-something years old, then Overlord Xia Qin would have suspected that Lin Yuan had some other extraordinary background.
Reaching the eighth stage at that age and opening up such a promising evolutionary path would have been utterly impossible otherwise.
Even for a pinnacle existence like an Overlord, it would be absurd.
“Top ten or even top twenty talent in the history of human civilization…”
Lin Yuan blinked, taken aback by the incredible evaluation. In the over two million years of human civilization, countless prodigies and monsters had appeared, including the nine Overlords themselves.
To be ranked among the top ten or twenty meant that Lin Yuan was in the first echelon right below the Overlords.
Hearing Overlord Xia Qin's evaluation of him, Lin Yuan couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, but he quickly regained his composure.
Talent meant nothing if it couldn't be transformed into strength.
In the over two million years of the Star Sea Calendar, there had been many cultivators with the potential to become Overlords, but in the end, there were only nine Overlords in human civilization.
“Mastering abilities like the Eternal Dream of Ancient Times indeed gives you a huge advantage in the early stages of cultivation, but that's all it is. At the seventh and eighth stages, such abilities are no longer as crucial,” Overlord Xia Qin explained.
The Eternal Dream of Ancient Times allowed one to experience countless years within their dreams, and for an Overlord, achieving this was a simple matter.
Even if Lin Yuan had used a similar ability to experience around two thousand years, the fact that he had reached his current level still spoke volumes about his extraordinary talent.
That was why Overlord Xia Qin ranked him among the top talents in the history of human civilization.
“I understand,” Lin Yuan said softly.
In reality, the Myriad Worlds Gate's ability to traverse worlds was far more valuable than the Eternal Dream of Ancient Times.
By traveling to different worlds, one could absorb the essence of their cultivation systems and gain insights into the fluctuations of various rules in different dimensions.
This was far more precious than merely accelerating the flow of time.
Overlord Xia Qin had deduced that the flow of time around Lin Yuan's mental will was unusual, but he had not detected the existence of the Myriad Worlds Gate.
“With your talent and aptitude, you won't face too many obstacles in your cultivation at the eighth stage. However, you must carefully consider the fusion of rules,” Overlord Xia Qin advised.
“When I say rule fusion, I'm not talking about the fusion of ordinary rules, but the fusion of pillar rules with other rules.”
“You must carefully choose which rule you want to fuse with a pillar rule.”
Overlord Xia Qin offered this reminder with a serious expression.
“Thank you for your guidance, Overlord,” Lin Yuan nodded. The so-called pillar rules referred to fundamental rules like space rules, time rules, and life rules.
“Since you've already reached the eighth stage, you'll soon be heading to the fringe star domains to preside over them for five hundred years, right?” Overlord Xia Qin asked, looking at Lin Yuan.
“Yes,” Lin Yuan nodded.
“But I haven't decided which star domain yet,” Lin Yuan added.
“The fringe star domains are fraught with dangers. I shall give you a treasure,” Overlord Xia Qin said.
“Don't refuse. Do you think you're strong enough? Do you have a clone technique, or do you think someone like me will step in to resurrect you if you die?” Overlord Xia Qin shook his head as he looked at Lin Yuan.
“Clone techniques aren't foolproof, and resurrection has its limitations too. For example, if your memory is polluted, no matter how many clones you have, you will still die. Even if you're resurrected, as long as the pollution remains in your memory, you will die again,” Overlord Xia Qin explained.
“Memory pollution…”
Lin Yuan's expression turned solemn. This method had even stricter conditions than curse-killing techniques, and with Lin Yuan's current strength, even a tenth-stage powerhouse would find it difficult to tamper with his memories.
“I shall bestow upon you a treasure called the Spirit-Calming Pearl. Even if an Overlord tries to tamper with your memory or uses other means against you, you will be able to withstand it for an instant,” Overlord Xia Qin said.
“At that moment, immediately self-destruct, and I will resurrect you,” he continued calmly.
“It can withstand an Overlord's attack for an instant?”
Lin Yuan was astonished. Overlords were formidable beings, and their attack methods were unpredictable. Before meeting Overlord Xia Qin, if a powerful being from another race had wanted to kill Lin Yuan, it wouldn't have been too difficult.
They could even achieve a permanent kill, making resurrection impossible.
However, Overlords valued their reputation, and Lin Yuan's current public image was that of an eighth-stage cultivator under a hundred years old, not worth an Overlord's attention.
But if his true identity as the founder of the Martial Arts evolutionary path were exposed, then things might be different.
“Remember,” Overlord Xia Qin continued, his expression solemn, “once the Spirit-Calming Pearl is activated, you must immediately self-destruct without hesitation. Do not delay.”
As long as Lin Yuan's memory wasn't polluted or affected by other means, Overlord Xia Qin could resurrect him without any lasting damage.
However, if his memory were polluted, it would be like the Heart Demon Tribulation, and even an Overlord might not be able to remove all traces of it. Resurrection would be futile in such a case.
“I understand,” Lin Yuan said in a low voice.
Overlord Xia Qin was considering the extreme situations Lin Yuan might face, such as an attack from an Overlord. Normally, Overlords wouldn't bother with such matters.
If an Overlord from another race tried to kill a human genius, then the Overlords of human civilization would retaliate by killing a genius from that race.
In that case, no one would be safe.
Unless an Overlord from another race saw the potential for Lin Yuan to become an Overlord himself, they wouldn't bother paying attention to him.
There had been a few eighth-stage cultivators under a hundred years old in the history of human civilization, but most of them hadn't come close to reaching the Overlord realm.
Overlord Xia Qin knew that Lin Yuan was the founder of the Martial Arts evolutionary path, and despite the lack of a clear path forward, Lin Yuan had still managed to reach his current level. This showed that he had the potential to become an Overlord.
However, the other races' Overlords were unaware of this fact.
In all of human civilization, only the three goddesses and the nine Overlords knew that Lin Yuan was the founder of the Martial Arts evolutionary path.
“I will have someone deliver the Spirit-Calming Pearl to you as soon as possible,” Overlord Xia Qin said, waving his hand dismissively as he prepared to send Lin Yuan away from this virtual world.
After Lin Yuan disappeared, Overlord Xia Qin's smile faded.
“I hope you can grow up safely,” he murmured, his eyes fixed on the spot where Lin Yuan had last stood, a glimmer of anticipation in his gaze.
(End of Chapter)
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