novelraw Chapter 140: Leave the Most Dangerous Place to Me
Chapter 140: Leave the Most Dangerous Place to Me
"The Power of Ultimate Yang."
Su Yuan walked up to the city wall and looked down at the bustling Vermilion Bird Street below.
"In the end, it's just a virtual world."
The Shattered Void World was virtually indistinguishable from reality. Even the numerous Cosmic Forces of the vast Cosmic Starry Sky had been simulated and replicated within it.
However, after advancing to the mid-stage of the Starry Sky Lifeform realm, Su Yuan still discovered differences between the Shattered Void World and reality.
Namely, this game world possessed neither the Power of Ultimate Yang nor the Power of Ultimate Yin.
In reality, Su Yuan could use the Power of Extreme Yin and the Power of Extreme Yang to faintly sense the vast, boundless forces of Ultimate Yang and Ultimate Yin covering every layer of the Cosmic Starry Sky.
But in the Shattered Void World? It felt entirely empty. There were only various ordinary Cosmic Forces permeating the air. Near-law, orderly powers like Ultimate Yang and Ultimate Yin simply did not exist.
It was as if the world only had an outward appearance without the underlying essence.
'That makes sense. What kind of existence are the powers of Ultimate Yang and Ultimate Yin? They are fundamental laws, the very fabric of Order. It is practically impossible to replicate them.'Su Yuan thought to himself.
Even those cosmic saints who had fully comprehended Ultimate Yang and Ultimate Yin could at most construct those forces within their own internal worlds. To transfer them into a game world for trillions of players to comprehend?
The price would be too astronomical. It would be no different from creating a genuine, living universe.
Su Yuan had long known through the gray mirror that he could not comprehend the forces of Ultimate Yang and Ultimate Yin within the Shattered Void World.
Originally, the very purpose of the Shattered Void World was to propel the evolution of Planetary Lifeforms, Initial-Realm Starry Sky Lifeforms, and Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeforms.
Everything inside this world was only useful to Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeforms and below.
As for Post-Realm Starry Sky Lifeforms? Or even Stellar Life Forms? Their life evolution could no longer be driven by the Shattered Void World.
Moreover, to maintain the balance of the game environment, Post-Realm Starry Sky Lifeforms were subjected to heavy restrictions upon descending into the game. They could not even make a move.
The same applied to Stellar Life Forms; they were entirely prohibited from taking action within the world.
'Although I am only a Level 20 Life Form who just entered the mid-stage, I have already fully comprehended the Power of Extreme Yin and the Power of Extreme Yang. Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang are two mutually generating and mutually restricting Cosmic Forces capable of forming a stable Yin-Yang Cycle...'
Su Yuan's thoughts drifted.
For a Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeform to break through to a Post-Realm Starry Sky Lifeform, apart from accumulating enough energy to reach the absolute limit of a Level 29 Life Form, there was another crucial requirement.
More importantly, they needed to construct a stable cycle of Cosmic Force.
In a sense, Su Yuan had already achieved the latter. The cycle formed by the Power of Extreme Yang and the Power of Extreme Yin was incredibly stable, standing as one of the perfect cycles comparable to the metal, wood, water, fire, and earth Five Elements Power cycle.
'However, a cycle built purely on Yin and Yang, no matter how remarkably stable, is still too thin and fragile,'
Su Yuan thought to himself.
This was also the answer provided by the gray mirror. If he wanted to step into the post-stage of the Starry Sky Lifeform realm in the most flawless state and eventually charge into the domain of Stellar Life Forms...
He would need the Five Elements Power as an auxiliary foundation in addition to the forces of Yin and Yang.
Using Yin and Yang as the core foundation and the Five Elements as support to construct the Great Cycle of Yin-Yang and Five Elements—this was the perfect cycle most suited for Su Yuan.
This Great Cycle of Yin-Yang and Five Elements would also play an immensely important role in Su Yuan's future breakthrough to a Stellar Life Form and the opening of his internal world.
'The Five Elements Power...'
Su Yuan pondered inwardly. The Five Elements Power consisted of five distinct Cosmic Forces: the powers of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
In terms of comprehension difficulty, any single element of the Five Elements Power was far easier than the Power of Extreme Yang or the Power of Extreme Yin.
But the sheer quantity of them was overwhelming.
Fully comprehending five different Cosmic Forces was no different from scaling the heavens for the vast majority of Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeforms.
Not every Starry Sky Lifeform possessed the ability to rapidly and fully comprehend a Cosmic Force.
Some Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeforms, after fully comprehending the Metal Element Power and Wood Element Power, would find their progress in comprehending the remaining three elements agonizingly slow.
Because of this, even knowing that the Five Elements Power could form a stable and perfect cycle, very few Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeforms chose the path of fully comprehending all five Cosmic Forces.
The difficulty was just too monumental. The absolute maximum Lifespan of a Starry Sky Lifeform was only three hundred thousand years, and a Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeform typically lived between one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand years.
To fully comprehend five Cosmic Forces in such a short time? The choice of the vast majority of Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeforms was to fully comprehend one or two elements, and then pivot to other, more easily understandable Cosmic Forces outside the Five Elements.
That way, even if they could not form a perfect Cosmic Force cycle, they could at least strive to break through to the post-stage before their Lifespan ran out.
'For me, comprehending the Five Elements Power is not a difficult task,'
Su Yuan thought silently.
As a Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeform practicing the Six Dimensions Cultivation Method, Su Yuan's comprehension dimension had undergone multiple qualitative leaps during his life evolution. It was already on par with the top-tier geniuses in the universe.
Coupled with the gray mirror providing the perfect method tailored exactly for him.
And the Overwhelming Perspective he gained from fully comprehending Extreme Yang and Extreme Yin, completely grasping the Five Elements Power would only take a few months to half a year at most.
'My cultivation plan for the Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeform phase remains roughly the same—leveling up once every two months. Going from Level 20 to Level 29 will take a little over a year.'
Su Yuan calculated inwardly.
Following the cultivation plan formulated by the gray mirror, Su Yuan did not need to take any detours or wrong turns. Every single second, he was moving in the absolutely correct direction, making his cultivation speed fast to the point of being Beyond Comprehension.
Even if he encountered unavoidable bottlenecks or constraints, they would be resolved long before he needed to break through. For instance, comprehending the seven Cosmic Forces of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements...
Before reaching the absolute limit of a Level 29 Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeform, Su Yuan was destined to have fully comprehended all of them, ensuring not a single second of his cultivation speed would be delayed.
"Guest Elder Wu."
Half a day later, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master arrived at Vermilion Bird Street and naturally sought out Su Yuan.
According to the observations made by the Post-Realm Starry Sky Lifeform stationed outside the Capital City, the aura of the Super Grade-1 ancestor hidden deep within the Imperial Palace had shown a retracting trend over the past few days.
This was a clear sign of entering a state of deep cultivation.
Though Post-Realm Starry Sky Lifeforms could not take action within the Shattered Void World, they could observe. And the insights gleaned from the perspective of a Post-Realm Starry Sky Lifeform far exceeded those of a Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeform.
To invite this Post-Realm Starry Sky Lifeform to stay stationed outside the Capital City for an extended period, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master had paid quite a hefty price.
Upon receiving this news, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master immediately visited the ambush locations of the various Guest Elders, intending to give a final morale boost.
After all, this operation would determine whether he could cross into the post-stage and elevate his status within his family.
He could not afford to be anything less than extremely cautious.
"Pavilion Master."
Su Yuan greeted the Azure Wave Pavilion Master with a faint smile.
"Hmm?"
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master had originally planned to give Su Yuan a few instructions, but the moment he laid eyes on Su Yuan, his expression shifted subtly.
"You broke through? Have you stepped into the Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeform realm?"
the Azure Wave Pavilion Master immediately inquired.
It was exceedingly difficult for an outsider to discern exactly to what extent a Starry Sky Lifeform had comprehended a Cosmic Force.
Unless that Starry Sky Lifeform attacked with full strength, actively displaying the techniques of their comprehended Cosmic Force.
However, if a Starry Sky Lifeform fully comprehended a certain Cosmic Force, they would naturally attract and draw upon that Cosmic Force, even if they did absolutely nothing and simply stood there.
This was a natural instinct born from thoroughly comprehending a Cosmic Force.
Unless deliberately concealed, it was obvious. But Su Yuan currently had no need to hide his progress.
"It was just a stroke of luck."
Su Yuan smiled softly.
"Guest Elder Wu, you are far too humble," the Azure Wave Pavilion Master rolled his eyes. Fully comprehending a Cosmic Force from zero to a hundred percent—how could that possibly be just luck?
"I still underestimated you, Guest Elder Wu." The Azure Wave Pavilion Master gave Su Yuan a deep, meaningful look.
In less than a year, Su Yuan had gone from just entering the Starry Sky Lifeform realm to fully comprehending a Cosmic Force. He might have already crossed into the realm of a Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeform.
Such a terrifying cultivation speed, even if it couldn't compare to those monstrous anomalies who directly bypassed the Initial-Realm and skyrocketed into the mid-stage...
Was still well worthy of being called a top-tier genius of the Universal Human Empire.
And a top-tier genius like this undoubtedly had a massive faction backing them.
Without a powerful faction paving the way and providing support, it was impossible for even a top-tier genius to cultivate at such breakneck speeds.
"Since you have broken through, Guest Elder Wu, you are now equivalent to a First-Rank expert. Naturally, your compensation for taking action cannot be calculated at the rate of a Second-Rank Guest Elder."
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master pondered for a moment before offering, "How about this: I will compensate you with five additional Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals. Here is the Library Token."
With a flip of his right hand, a token engraved with the number 'Five' appeared in the Azure Wave Pavilion Master's palm.
"Thank you, Pavilion Master."
Su Yuan replied instantly.
Although he had known through the gray mirror long ago that the Pavilion Master would gift him five more Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals upon discovering his breakthrough.
When it actually happened right in front of him, he naturally felt pleased.
Five Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals were equivalent to five hundred million Azure Surge Coins.
"It is what you deserve,"
the Azure Wave Pavilion Master said. His primary reason for offering Su Yuan such generous treatment and care was to forge a strong relationship. After all, with Su Yuan's cultivation speed...
His eventual advancement to a Post-Realm Starry Sky Lifeform was practically guaranteed, and he even had a tremendous chance of reaching the Stellar Life Form realm.
"What does the Pavilion Master need me to do?"
Su Yuan asked.
Having freely accepted five Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals, Su Yuan wasn't an ungrateful wretch. He naturally intended to do something in return for the Pavilion Master.
"You've just fully comprehended a Cosmic Force. Your primary focus right now should be your own cultivation. You don't need to do anything extra for me,"
the Azure Wave Pavilion Master replied.
His patronage of Su Yuan was an investment in their future relationship. As for the present? Even if Su Yuan had broken through and entered the realm of a First-Rank Master, the operation plans were already firmly set. The addition of one First-Rank Master wouldn't make a monumental difference.
Furthermore, in the Azure Wave Pavilion Master's eyes, Su Yuan had only just achieved a preliminary full comprehension of a Cosmic Force. In reality, he might not have even truly crossed into the Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeform realm yet, meaning his Mental Will hadn't undergone a qualitative transformation. His actual combat strength was likely lower than a standard First-Rank Master.
"That's fine too."
Su Yuan nodded, then suddenly added, "Pavilion Master, once the operation begins and you successfully secure the Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual, try to retreat in the direction of Vermilion Bird Avenue when fleeing the Imperial Palace. I can hold off the pursuers for you."
According to the operation plan, numerous Second-Rank Masters would attack the Imperial Palace from all directions. Taking advantage of the ensuing chaos, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master would sneak in alongside a few First-Rank Masters.
However, the location where the Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual was kept was heavily restricted ground within the Imperial Palace. The Azure Wave Pavilion Master and his First-Rank experts might be able to sneak into the palace grounds...
But seizing that Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual would inevitably require a bloody slaughter.
Given the Imperial Palace's formidable defensive forces, even if the Azure Wave Pavilion Master successfully obtained the Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual, he would be relentlessly hunted by pursuers.
At that critical juncture, holding off the pursuers to ensure a successful retreat was of paramount importance.
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master had explicitly dispatched several Second-Rank Guest Elders to ambush along Azure Dragon Street, Black Tortoise Street, Vermilion Bird Street, and White Tiger Street specifically for the purpose of intercepting those pursuers.
These four major streets connected to the four city gates of the Capital City.
And at the four major city gates, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master had laid out further interception measures.
"Alright."
Hearing this, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master gave a slight nod.
Originally, the experts stationed to intercept enemies along the four major streets were all Second-Rank Guest Elders.
Now that Su Yuan had broken through, even if his combat prowess was slightly below a standard First-Rank Master, it still far surpassed the other Second-Rank Guest Elders by a massive margin.
If he had the luxury to choose his retreat direction, he would definitely choose Vermilion Bird Street.
However, the Imperial Palace was fraught with hidden dangers. The Azure Wave Pavilion Master wasn't completely sure where he would end up when making his escape. He could only prioritize retreating toward Vermilion Bird Street as much as possible.
"Mhm."
Su Yuan nodded slightly.
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master might not know which direction he would ultimately flee from the Imperial Palace.
But Su Yuan knew, which was precisely why he offered this reminder.
And under Su Yuan's prompt, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master's future shifted. He would now actively choose to retreat toward Su Yuan's location on Vermilion Bird Street.
Afterward, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master chatted with Su Yuan for a few more moments before standing up to leave.
Su Yuan's breakthrough certainly shocked the Azure Wave Pavilion Master, but the most pressing matter at hand was still the operation to infiltrate the Imperial Palace.
Watching the Azure Wave Pavilion Master's departing figure,
Su Yuan summoned Saber Devil Qin Mo. Handing him the Library Token, he instructed Qin Mo to head to the Azure Wave Pavilion's Library Pavilion to exchange for five Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals.
These five Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals would correspond to the five major attributes: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. They would vastly accelerate Su Yuan's comprehension of the Five Elements Power.
Half an hour later.
Saber Devil Qin Mo returned, carrying the five Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals.
"Excellent."
Su Yuan laid the five Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals out in front of him.
Immediately, he began his comprehension, starting with the Five Elements Metal.
'The Five Elements Metal... tough, resilient, and immortal...'
It took Su Yuan a mere hour to completely comprehend the first Superior-grade Martial Arts Manual.
Then came the second, and the third...
Five hours later.
He had finished reading through all five Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals.
The speed at which Su Yuan comprehended these five Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals far surpassed his previous pace with the Yin and Yang attribute manuals.
The reason for this was twofold: Su Yuan had already fully comprehended Yin and Yang. Thus, when he set his mind to comprehending the Five Elements, his Overwhelming Perspective naturally made the process far easier.
Furthermore, the Five Elements Power was inherently easier to comprehend than the forces of Yin and Yang.
Finally, these five martial arts manuals suited Su Yuan perfectly. The Library Pavilion of the Azure Wave Pavilion held as many as one or two hundred Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals, with over seventy of them belonging to the Five Elements attributes.
Why did Su Yuan specifically choose these five? It was precisely because comprehending these five manuals was more relaxed and effortless for him, while simultaneously granting the greatest enhancement to his comprehension of the Five Elements Power.
Initial-Realm Starry Sky Lifeforms needed to comprehend Cosmic Forces. And when it came to comprehending Cosmic Forces, personal talent was important, but external resources were equally vital.
Taking the Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals of the Shattered Void World as an example: as long as there were enough Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals of the Five Elements attributes, even the most slow-witted Initial-Realm Starry Sky Lifeform could, in theory, comprehend the Five Elements Power.
They could then construct the Five Elements cycle and step into the Mid-stage Starry Sky Lifeform phase.
However, the cost of doing so was too steep. It would require hundreds of Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals dedicated to the Five Elements attributes.
And hundreds of Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals were equivalent to tens of billions of Azure Surge Coins—an astronomical, completely unaffordable price for any Initial-Realm Starry Sky Lifeform.