Chapter 550: A Simple Period of Seclusion

Chapter 550: A Simple Period of Seclusion

In just ten months, the 'Startear Fragment World' had undergone a complete transformation.

Technologically advanced structures soared into the sky, and the virtual world network was fully established.

Everything went smoothly during this period.

At the same time, trade within human civilization was re-established, and there were even channels for trade with the ancient and chaotic Guming Continent.

The countless human citizens in the new homeland felt that aside from not being able to see the stars, their lives were no different from those in the universe.

Perhaps even better and more comfortable.

"Is this the house assigned to me? It's so spacious, and it's given to me for free?"

"In the new homeland, the government allocates housing, jobs, and provides for medical and educational needs. This is amazing!"

"Yeah, I thought that migrating to another homeland would mean a rough and tough life."

The citizens who settled in the Startear 'Fragment World' adapted quickly, mainly because the welfare benefits not only didn't decrease but improved.

More crucially—

"My son was born with an evolutionary talent; he will become an Evolver in the future."

"My daughter too."

"All of yours? My grandson has excellent evolutionary talents as well."

The Startear 'Fragment World' was permeated with gentle Startear Power, which had a profoundly beneficial effect on nurturing life.

This included, but was not limited to, enhancing newborns' potential in various aspects and extending their lifespan.

In the vast universe, countless citizens would give birth to a single Evolver, but in this 'Fragment World,' almost every newborn had some degree of evolutionary talent.

The emergence of a large number of basic Evolvers would increase the probability of giving birth to mid-tier and high-tier Evolvers, creating a positive cycle that would accelerate the development of human civilization far beyond that in the universe.

In the newly established stronghold of human civilization, Lin Yuan was discussing with the nine Paramount Beings how to deal with the alien races that had completely surrendered to human civilization.

Under the Great Cosmic Shattering, many aliens who were not chosen and absorbed into the body universe by their Twelfth-Tier beings chose to sell themselves to human civilization, hoping to survive.

"What should we do with these aliens, with whom we've fought for so many years?"

The Virtual God Paramount Being spoke first.

"I say we sell these aliens," said the ancient and powerful being, Gu Li. He had no fondness for these aliens, and if it weren't for Lin Yuan, he wouldn't have lifted a finger to save them. "After all, they're just a bunch of beings below the Twelfth Tier. Even if we sell them to those traffickers, they won't be worth much."

"Why not cultivate them and have them join the forces of human civilization?" suggested the Paramount Being, Yu Die. "We are still weak in this Chaotic Void, and we need to gather all our strength for development."

The peak races of the universe had been able to fight human civilization for so many years, so they must have had something going for them.

Moreover, since they were already familiar with each other, it would be convenient to make use of them.

"That's fine, but we should restrict the resources allocated for their development. I don't want to see these aliens rising from the ashes in the future."

"Rise from the ashes? With Galaxy here, what ashes are they going to rise from?"

"True."

"Even so, we should still impose restrictions."

The nine Paramount Beings quickly agreed on a decision: to provide those aliens with limited resources to help them develop and ultimately contribute to the advancement of human civilization.

The various peak races had their unique advantages.

For example, the Insectoid race, the fiercest alien enemy of human civilization, could produce countless insectoid warriors through their queen insects. These insectoids could be used as cannon fodder when exploring dangerous areas.

As for sending intelligent machines to explore? In many perilous areas of the Chaotic Void, intelligent machines would be affected and malfunction.

Of course, human civilization's cultivation efforts were limited only to the younger generation of aliens. The older and more powerful alien beings were still kept under strict control.

"Galaxy, what do you plan to do with the Twelfth-Tier aliens?"

Xuanyuan, the Paramount Being, looked at Lin Yuan with curiosity.

"About them..."

Lin Yuan smiled slightly, "They've already been planted with restrictions. We'll deal with them later."

Bringing out those Twelfth-Tier aliens was a casual act by Lin Yuan. Even if he hadn't brought them out, the Cosmic Origin Consciousness would have gone all out to stop him.

Additionally, by keeping these Twelfth-Tier aliens close, Lin Yuan also prevented them from divulging information about him.

Lin Yuan's rate of growth in the universe was so extraordinary that even in the Chaotic Void, it was considered unimaginable.

These Twelfth-Tier aliens knew a lot, and letting them go could create a potential leak of information.

"By the way, there's one more thing."

Xuanyuan, the Paramount Being, smiled, "I heard from you, Galaxy, that on the ancient and chaotic Guming Continent, there's a place that specializes in buying and selling Twelfth-Tier evolutionary paths?"

"Yes."

Lin Yuan nodded.

When he first arrived on the ancient and chaotic Guming Continent, he learned about this. The Myriad Dao Pavilion offered Twelfth-Tier evolutionary paths for sale, guaranteeing that the path would not lead to an Ultimate existence and that there would be no blockages along the way.

The background of the Myriad Dao Pavilion was unfathomably deep. The pavilion on the Guming Continent was just one branch, and its influence extended across countless chaotic continents.

"We plan to purchase some Twelfth-Tier evolutionary paths."

Xuanyuan and the other eight Paramount Beings shared their intentions.

"You want to purchase Twelfth-Tier evolutionary paths?"

Lin Yuan guessed their reason.

Countless Evolvers from human civilization had entered the Chaotic Void and gradually transferred their life essences to the mainstream of the Chaotic Void's temporal river.

With the environmental cap raised, many Eleventh-Tier perfect stage Evolvers were planning to make the ultimate leap and attempt to enter the Twelfth Tier.

In reality, the difficulty of breaking through to the Twelfth Tier in the Chaotic Void was lower than in the universe.

Within the temporal river of the Chaotic Void, there wasn't much backlash against those who dared to challenge the ultimate stage of life, greatly increasing the chances of success.

It was precisely because of this that the nine paramount beings of human civilization had considered this option.

Up until now, there was only one type of Twelfth-Tier evolutionary path in the stockpile of human civilization, and this path was extremely difficult to cultivate. It was necessary to prepare more options for the future.

"I understand."

Lin Yuan nodded, keeping this matter in mind.

"When the time comes, Galaxy, you can help us make the purchase, and the expenses will be covered by the treasury of human civilization."

Xuanyuan, the Paramount Being, spoke with authority.

As for why they didn't go to make the purchase themselves?

The nine paramount beings didn't possess the same discerning eye and realm as Lin Yuan, and they lacked the ability to discern the true strengths and weaknesses of a Twelfth-Tier evolutionary path.

That was why they entrusted Lin Yuan with this task.

Rather than choosing the wrong path themselves and regretting it later, it was better to leave the decision to Lin Yuan.

"This matter is not urgent. You can do it whenever you have the time, Galaxy." Xuanyuan's tone was relaxed as he continued, "Even in the Chaotic Void, the pursuit of the ultimate stage is a significant endeavor. It's only natural to wait for thousands or even tens of thousands of years."

In the deepest part of the Startear 'Fragment World,' Lin Yuan sat with his legs crossed.

This 'Fragment World' was first and foremost Lin Yuan's abode, and secondly, it was the new homeland of human civilization. Naturally, Lin Yuan possessed the highest level of authority here.

"The Martial Dao Evolutionary Path."

Lin Yuan examined himself and even reflected on the path he had walked thus far.

Currently, the Martial Dao Evolutionary Path had been forged up to the Twelfth Tier: the Path of Initiation. As for the Path of Dominion? It was still being perfected and had yet to be fully realized.

However, the reason for Lin Yuan's seclusion this time was not to continue refining the Path of Dominion but to expand the 'width' of the Martial Dao Evolutionary Path.

To be precise, he intended to create several branching paths for the Martial Dao.

These branches were each individual Twelfth-Tier paths, yet they all stemmed from the foundation of the Martial Dao and extended in different directions.

"The Grand Dao has countless paths, and even the same Grand Dao is not set in stone. It can branch out in many directions, and one can still reach the end."

Lin Yuan's thoughts raced as insights about the Martial Dao continuously emerged in his mind.

The idea of creating new branches for the Martial Dao had been in Lin Yuan's mind ever since he entered the Twelfth Tier.

It was just that he hadn't had the time to act on it until now.

Under the pressure of the Universal Great Destruction, everything Lin Yuan had done in the past few hundred years had been aimed at directly enhancing his foundation and combat power.

As for branching out the Martial Dao? It wouldn't have an immediate effect on the Martial Dao or Lin Yuan himself in the short term.

Hence, it wasn't on Lin Yuan's list of priorities.

Now that a new homeland for human civilization had been secured, and everything was proceeding smoothly,

Lin Yuan could finally take a brief respite and consider this matter.

Expanding the Martial Dao might not have a significant impact in the short term,

but if one were to lengthen the timeline, the influence would be profound and impossible to ignore.

Even if one were to walk down a different branch and reach the Twelfth Tier, the essence would still be rooted in the Martial Dao Evolutionary Path.

Lin Yuan would benefit from having more Twelfth-Tier cultivators following the path he stood upon, and it would be easier for him to resist the heart demons that came with attempting to reach the ultimate stage.

This 'anchor' effect was not limited to just the pursuit of the ultimate stage.

Perhaps one day, Lin Yuan's true body and incarnations would perish, and even his source world self would fall.

His consciousness would sink into endless darkness, and he would be mired in death, but even then, this calling could still reach him.

It would help Lin Yuan lock onto an 'anchor' and forcibly return him from the brink.

The more cultivators there were on the Martial Dao Evolutionary Path, and the more powerful cultivators there were, the stronger this calling would be, and the harder it would be to resist, even transcending the bounds of time and space.

"The Martial Dao that I've forged already has numerous branches."

Lin Yuan sat with his legs crossed, his mind brimming with insights.

Ever since the second tier of the Martial Dao, the path had begun to diverge.

Lin Yuan had chosen the Yin-Yang Tai Chi as the core of his Martial Dao,

while other Martial Dao cultivators could select other cores for their own paths.

For example, a Martial Dao cultivator skilled in the power of metal could use metal as the foundation of their Martial Dao,

and eventually, upon reaching the fifth tier, they would evolve a Metal Primordial Spirit and come to comprehend the rules of metal.

Following this pattern, from the second tier onwards, the Martial Dao could encompass all things, and numerous paths could be traversed within its cultivation system.

From the second tier to the eleventh tier of the Martial Dao, cultivators would have already chosen their area of expertise and then progressed along the path forged by Lin Yuan.

"I used Yin-Yang Tai Chi as the foundation to reach the Twelfth Tier of the Martial Dao. Other Martial Dao cultivators can certainly use the paths they've chosen as their foundation to reach their own Twelfth Tier."

Lin Yuan's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

In this way, the potential of the Martial Dao would be unimaginably vast, and in theory, it could give rise to countless branches and an infinite number of Twelfth-Tier Martial Dao cultivators.

"Let's start by creating the simplest branch of the Five Elements of the Martial Dao." Lin Yuan began to gradually comprehend the intricacies.

First was the element of metal, sharp and piercing, capable of tearing through everything.

This branch of the Martial Dao was somewhat extreme, but it was more than sufficient to reach the Twelfth Tier.

【Your insight is heaven-defying. You have re-comprehended the Martial Dao Evolutionary Path and perfected the Metal Martial Dao.】

【Your insight is heaven-defying. You have re-comprehended the Martial Dao Evolutionary Path and perfected the Wood Martial Dao.】

【Your insight is heaven-defying. You have re-comprehended the Martial Dao Evolutionary Path and perfected the Water Martial Dao.】

Lin Yuan focused most of his attention on these matters, and the process of refining and creating these branches of the Martial Dao had a profound impact on him as well. As the founder of the Martial Dao, even without walking down these specific paths, he could effortlessly master them.

"If I were to perfect a branch of the Martial Way using the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, its potential would surely be immense." Lin Yuan mused.

The cycle of the five elements was nearly flawless, encompassing both creation and destruction. However, to comprehend all five elements by the second tier and master their respective powers was an incredibly daunting task. To then condense a Five Elements Primordial Spirit by the fifth tier would be exceptionally challenging.

In the universe, Lin Yuan even doubted if such a genius existed, but in the Chaotic Void, where exotic bloodlines ran rampant and countless monstrous talents thrived, there was a glimmer of hope that someone could tread this path.

A Martial Way practitioner who reached the twelfth tier by mastering the Five Elements would possess a formidable might, potentially rivaling even the peak of the Initiation Realm upon their very first step into that realm.

Of course, this path was exceedingly difficult. It required not only comprehending the five elements by the second tier but also cultivating the Five Elements Primordial Spirit and grasping the rules governing them.

Lin Yuan meticulously refined the Five Elements Martial Way branch, unconcerned about any future threats that practitioners of this path might pose to him.

Firstly, with his innate talent and starting cultivation at the same level, he believed that no other life form could surpass him. Moreover, how could latecomers even begin to compare? By the time they took one step, Lin Yuan would have already taken ten or a hundred, leaving them far behind. And Lin Yuan's foundation of battle prowess wasn't solely limited to the Martial Way.

Even if there were Martial Way practitioners who broke the ironclad rule and also walked the path of Yin-Yang Taiji, they would still be crushed by Lin Yuan within the same realm.

How could they compare when their internal universes and the depth of their cultivation were so disparate? Lin Yuan's internal universe at the Initiation Realm could rival that of a Chaos Honored One, and he possessed countless rule insights, secret arts, and more.

There was simply no contest.

More crucially, as the founder of the Martial Way and the trailblazer of this grand path, Lin Yuan inherently possessed an indescribable and unstoppable 'dominant' power over those who followed in his footsteps.

It was akin to a mouse encountering a cat, inherently suppressed and overpowered.

For example, the Five Elements Martial Way, in terms of potential, was only slightly inferior to the Yin-Yang Taiji due to the seamless cycle of the five elements.

However, if all other external conditions were equal—realm, internal world, rule insights, secret techniques, and so on—a Martial Way practitioner of the Five Elements would still be overwhelmed by Lin Yuan.

The reason for this suppression was that, in front of Lin Yuan, a Martial Way practitioner's strength would be inherently constrained and unable to be fully unleashed.

If their power levels were equal, or even if his opponent was stronger, as long as their foundation was the Martial Way with its innumerable branches, they would still be utterly suppressed by Lin Yuan, left with no room to resist.

"Space Martial Way."

Lin Yuan began to establish a corresponding branch of the Martial Way with space as its foundation.

Compared to the previous Martial Way branches he had effortlessly forged, he encountered a bottleneck when it came to perfecting the Space Martial Way.

"If I were to establish a branch of the Martial Way with space as its foundation?"

Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, deep in thought.

"Space is too vast and too insubstantial."

Lin Yuan pondered silently, and there was another point he hadn't mentioned—the difficulty was simply too high.

To establish space as the foundation meant that one would need to master the power of space by the second tier of the Martial Way.

A second-tier Martial Way practitioner had yet to fully develop and master their physical body and flesh. Asking them to comprehend and master the power of space was akin to an impossible task. Furthermore, by the fifth tier, one would need to condense a Space Primordial Spirit, which required an even deeper understanding of space to control and manipulate it effectively.

"I'll put the Space Martial Way aside for now; there's no need to perfect and establish this branch."

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly, mainly because the threshold for this particular branch was too high.

For a life form to master the power of space by the second tier, their bloodline would need to be a pure strain of space. Such beings were incredibly rare and scarce.

In simpler terms, the Space Martial Way lacked widespread applicability and was far more complex than the basic Metal Martial Way or Water Martial Way.

"Time Martial Way?" Lin Yuan continued to experiment.

Compared to the Space Martial Way, the difficulty of the Time Martial Way surged exponentially, and Lin Yuan had no intention of perfecting this branch.

Instead, he was using this branch as a means to delve deeper into the fundamental essence of the Martial Way.

"Space Martial Way... Time Martial Way... Then how about a Space-Time Martial Way?"

Lin Yuan's interest was piqued as he began to intertwine time and space.

A branch of the Martial Way founded on space-time held immense potential, but the mere act of entering this path was almost impossible.

"Space-time."

Lin Yuan contemplated the feasibility of the Space-Time Martial Way and how to utilize space-time. His thoughts suddenly shifted from the Martial Way itself to the concept of space-time.

Instantly.

Countless accumulated insights into space-time erupted within him.

Insights gained over millennia in the main universe,

Clear observations of space-time fluctuations within the source world,

And the boundless space-time of the Chaotic Void that he had experienced after entering it.

【Your insight is heaven-defying. You have touched upon many things and achieved an eightfold insight into space-time.】

In that moment, the vast space-time of the Chaotic Void gradually became clear before Lin Yuan's eyes. As he looked down, the vast expanse of the ancient and chaotic Guming Continent lay before him.

His gaze even reached towards the deepest part of the continent,

Where a chaotic figure was cultivating in seclusion.

"Is that the Ancient Chaos Honored One?"

Lin Yuan's expression turned pensive as he immediately averted his gaze, not wanting to attract the Ancient Honored One's attention.

With the Ancient Chaos Honored One's perception, continuing to observe would likely lead to discovery.

"What a pleasant surprise."

A smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face.

"I didn't expect that by closing myself off to perfect and establish branches of the Martial Way, I would end up comprehending the eightfold insight into space-time."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end