Breakthrough! Three Laws in One Month! The Years Stele! Surging Ahead!

The next day, Huang Tian met his guard commander, Dong Liansha. He was a bald young man clad in white robes, possessing a calm temperament and gentle eyes that imparted the soothing feeling of a spring breeze. "Your Highness," Dong Liansha greeted with a faint smile and a respectful nod. Huang Tian nodded in return. "I will be troubling you often in the days ahead." "Guarding Your Highness is my honor." Dong Liansha spoke very amiably, then smiled again. "I have sent a video to Your Highness. You may take a look." Raising an eyebrow, Huang Tian sank his consciousness into the Virtual Universe. Sure enough, he saw a video sent over by Dong Liansha. Opening it, he was immediately greeted by footage of the execution of the Divine Light Empire's emperor, the Fifth Prince Mo Jia, and the personnel of the Paradise Corporation. "To seek private gain, this Paradise Corporation slaughtered tens of trillions of innocent humans, committing monstrous crimes. Nearly sixty million individuals associated with it have all been executed," Dong Liansha explained. "Following their execution, the Supreme Virtual Corporation dispatched personnel to help those captive native civilizations integrate into the interstellar community and step into the sea of stars. However, since Your Highness's home planet was never truly kept in captivity, and because your opinion needed to be sought, no one has been dispatched there for the time being." Huang Tian pondered for a moment. "There is no rush. Let us wait a year or two." Right now, humanity on New Star had just emerged from the catastrophe of the mutant fierce beasts, a time when countless things awaited rebuilding. On top of that, many people had yet to master the spiritual energy (source energy) guidance technique, not a single Planetary-rank martial artist had emerged yet, and world order remained in turmoil. Under such circumstances, stepping rashly into the starry sea was unsuitable. "Understood," Dong Liansha replied. Huang Tian expressed his thanks, then began asking Dong Liansha about matters of cultivation. As guard commander, the latter also partly fulfilled the role of a teacher. Dong Liansha spoke eloquently: "Your Highness must know that there are ten Laws in this world: Space, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—the latter five being the lower Laws of Space; and Time, Wind, Lightning, and Light—the latter three being the lower Laws of Time. To comprehend a Law, the very first step is to comprehend a domain, and then use that domain as a springboard to comprehend a wisp of the Law, stepping across the Law's threshold. Next is gaining the Law's acknowledgment. And finally, fully comprehending any single lower Law to attain Eternal rank! Take me, for instance: I achieved Eternal rank by fully comprehending the Law of Fire. If I wish to take another step forward, I must comprehend the higher Law of Fire, which is the Law of Space. If I can comprehend it fully, I can become a Space Supreme! And if an Eternal God fully comprehends the Law of Time, they are known as a Time Supreme. However, overall, Space Supremes are numerous while Time Supremes are few, and the difference in their strength is negligible, so people generally do not distinguish between them, collectively honoring them simply as Supremes—" Huang Tian chimed in with a question: "If a World Lord fully comprehends the Law of Space or the Law of Time, would they break through to Eternal rank or Supreme?" A World Lord fully comprehends a lower Law to become an Eternal. An Eternal fully comprehends a higher Law to become a Supreme. Could one skip a grade in between? Dong Liansha was instantly stunned. Truth be told, he had genuinely never considered this question. From ancient times to the present, no matter how extraordinarily talented someone was, everyone conscientiously followed the path of World Lord, Eternal, and Supreme. He had never heard of anyone jumping straight from World Lord to Supreme. "Ahem, Your Highness, I truly cannot answer this question," Dong Liansha said rather sheepishly. "Logically speaking, though, it should be possible. A breakthrough in cultivation relies on Law comprehension; once comprehension reaches perfection, the realm breaks through naturally." At this point, he paused. "However, to this day, I have never heard of any World Lord attaining Supreme in a single step. Perhaps someone has attempted it, but they undoubtedly failed; otherwise, it would have been well known long ago. Moreover, how difficult is it to fully comprehend the Laws of Space and Time? A World Lord has a lifespan of ten million years. In such a short time, comprehending even a single lower Law is difficult, let alone a higher Law. If anyone tried, I fear they would reach the end of their lifespan without ever breaking through." He looked at Huang Tian, terrified that Huang Tian might harbor such notions, and earnestly advised: "Your Highness's talent is peerless, but there is no need to take such a risk. The path trodden by all before you is the safest." Huang Tian neither agreed nor disagreed, merely nodding in reply. "I understand." Yet inwardly, he pondered: *I once brought together the Five Elements and Yin-Yang to synthesize the Yuanji Dao Fruit. Although the laws of the Illusory Realm and the True Realm differ somewhat, for me, comprehending the Laws of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth in this realm is relatively effortless. And once the Five Elements are mastered, the Law of Space naturally will not be difficult. Only the Law of Time and its three lower Laws might be slightly trickier. But only slightly. After all, Yin and Yang inherently contain Time; the mutual progression of Yin and Yang is Time itself. Day is Yang, night is Yin; sprouting and flourishing is Yang, gathering and storing is Yin; morning vitality is Yang, dusk decrepitude is Yin; rising is Yang, declining is Yin... All in all, fully comprehending the ten Laws is not difficult for me.* These thoughts completed, Huang Tian conversed with Dong Liansha a bit longer before parting ways. Returning to his room, he ingested a vial of Evolution Source Liquid to cultivate, while quietly calming his mind to contemplate the Laws of this realm. Dong Liansha, for his part, picked a palace at random on the floating island to reside in and dedicated himself to cultivation as well. In the blink of an eye, ten days passed. "Hmm?!" Dong Liansha was suddenly jolted awake by a strange aura. Gazing across the open sky toward the manor dozens of kilometers away where Huang Tian resided, astonishment filled his eyes. "Is that... stepping across the threshold of the Law of Earth?" From what he knew, Huang Tian had already crossed the thresholds of three Laws—Metal, Water, and Fire. Adding another made four! "Hiss... A mere Stellar rank, crossing the thresholds of four Laws..." He clicked his tongue in disbelief. Generally speaking, no matter how genius a Stellar-rank martial artist was, rarely did any comprehend more than two Laws. First, the difficulty was exorbitantly high; second, two Laws were more than enough—after all, advancing to Eternal rank required fully comprehending only a single lower Law! Before becoming an Eternal God, there was no need to delve into so many Laws simply because lifespan was finite. If one grew greedy and sought everything, only to reach their lifespan's limit without mastering a single Law, wouldn't they be utterly finished? It was far better to consider other Laws after attaining Eternal rank; with infinite lifespan then, one would have all the time in the world to do whatever they wished. *Still, His Highness possesses extraordinary talent, and his current lifespan is relatively long. He can certainly afford to experiment. If he hits a wall one day, it won't be too late to turn back and specialize in one or two Laws.* Dong Liansha pondered silently, soon setting the thought aside and resuming his cultivation. In the snap of a finger, another ten days flew by. Another strange ripple stirred. Dong Liansha was so startled he could not even sit still. Leaping to his feet, he shot into the sky and stared toward Huang Tian's residence, his eyes wide. "Ten days again, and he has crossed the threshold of the Law of Wood?! "Ten days—what a fleeting span of time! How could he comprehend a new Law so quickly? This is already the second time!" His breathing grew ragged as he suddenly recalled something. *Just when did His Highness Huang Tian embark upon the path of cultivation?* He had never been to New Star in person, but he had read the confessions of Fan Ya, Miao Sha, and the others, learning that they had discovered New Star only a month ago and terraformed it to make its source energy abundant. Previously, Dong Liansha had subconsciously assumed that Huang Tian was already a martial artist of considerable strength before Fan Ya and the others arrived. After all, New Star merely had sparse source energy, not a complete absence of it. It was entirely possible Huang Tian had achieved some cultivation results earlier, merely keeping himself hidden and undiscovered... Viewed now, Huang Tian very likely embarked on the path of cultivation only after Fan Ya and the others terraformed New Star! In other words, from the start of his cultivation to sweeping the Saint Martial Arena invincible, he had taken a mere single month! "No wonder... No wonder an existence as great as Sovereign Chuheng accepted His Highness, a mere Stellar rank, as a personal disciple! In one month, he comprehended three Laws—that averages one every ten days! "And now, he comprehends another every ten days..." His breathing grew increasingly ragged, a single thought pounding through his mind: *Is he even human?!!* Having lived for over eighty million years, he had seen no small number of geniuses, but no one—absolutely no one—could cross the threshold of a new Law within ten days! Forget ten days; even ten or a hundred years would be impossible! Huang Tian's display completely exceeded his imagination and psychological tolerance... "Incredible... Simply incredible..." After standing dazed for a long time, wild joy suddenly surged in his heart. *His Highness's talent is unprecedented throughout eternity! If he does not perish in an accident, he will surely become a Supreme, and even Sovereign might not be out of reach... A Sovereign!* Right now, he was Huang Tian's guard commander. Once Huang Tian rose to prominence, a casual pointer or a small reward would provide him with endless benefits! *Could I... could I actually have a chance to become a Supreme as well?* The moment this thought struck him, he could not help but tremble with excitement. Only after quite a while did he barely regain control of his emotions. Flying back to his palace, he muttered to himself, "Don't be impatient, don't overthink it..." After repeating this for several minutes, he finally steadied himself, exhaling slowly as he forced himself into a meditative state of cultivation... In a flash, another ten days drifted by. On this day, two distinct auras emanated simultaneously, awakening Dong Liansha. "His Highness... he has broken through to the Star Vortex realm!" Dong Liansha's eyes went wide. "And he crossed the threshold of the Law of Space!" The former was not surprising. Every genius in the Yuanchu Secret Realm had already crossed a Law's threshold, meaning they could advance by leaps and bounds all the way to World Lord. The reason they were in no hurry was that they wanted to linger longer in the Star Vortex and Domain Master realms, exhausting every possible resource available to strengthen their foundation. Furthermore, members of the Yuanchu Secret Realm were subject to the survival of the fittest. Members of the same realm engaged in tournaments held every century or millennium; losers would be kicked out of the Yuanchu Secret Realm and demoted to the Taixuan Secret Realm. This was another reason they delayed their promotion: once they broke through, they would have to face the old monsters who had been laying low and biding their time, whom they could neither catch up with nor defeat in a short period... Thus, regarding Huang Tian's breakthrough, Dong Liansha was not surprised at all. What truly thrilled him was that Huang Tian had comprehended a wisp of the Law of Space in a mere ten days! *What terrifying talent! In our human race—no, across the myriad races of the entire universe—is there anyone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with His Highness?* While Dong Liansha marveled to himself, the newly ascended Huang Tian stood up tall and tapped a finger in midair, bringing up the familiar light screen. "Now that I've broken through to the Star Vortex rank, I can apply to purchase fourth-rank Evolution Source Liquid free of charge." He ordered ten units of Evolution Source Liquid in the "Free Resource Area," but the moment he placed the order, a line of text popped up on the light screen: "Unavailable for purchase by non-Star-Vortex-rank personnel. If you have already broken through, please complete verification first." Huang Tian tapped "Verify." In the next second, the light screen rippled, casting a faint blue light that swept over him. *Beep. Star Vortex rank verified. Identity profile successfully updated and uploaded. You may place your order again.* Huang Tian submitted the order once more. This time the operation succeeded, and the light screen displayed: "Order completed. Ten units of fourth-rank Evolution Source Liquid will be delivered within two hours." Having ordered the resource he needed most, he exited the system. Just then, a voice rang in his ear. "Huang Tian!" "Teacher!" Huang Tian recognized it instantly, his expression turning solemn. "Come see me." As the words fell, the space around Huang Tian suddenly warped. In the next second, his vision blurred, and he found himself standing in a vast wilderness. Dressed in plain robes, Sovereign Chuheng sat cross-legged on a boulder, his wooden staff resting against the stone, looking quite relaxed. "Greetings, Teacher!" Huang Tian bowed in respect. Sovereign Chuheng nodded slightly, looking at Huang Tian with a rather complex expression. He admitted frankly, "You have been in the Yuanchu Secret Realm for only a single month, yet you have comprehended another three Laws. Even with my prior assessment of your talent, this still exceeds my expectations... "Do you intend to comprehend all ten Laws and advance them side by side?" "That is indeed my plan," Huang Tian answered. Sovereign Chuheng remained silent for a moment. "If you focus on Space and its lower Laws, you are almost guaranteed to become a Space Supreme in the future. It would not be too late to delve into Time then." "This disciple has heard that once one attains Eternal rank through a particular Law, it creates an enormous impediment to comprehending other Laws. That is why I plan to advance them side by side," Huang Tian replied. "That is true," Sovereign Chuheng nodded. "Moreover, if you wish to attain Sovereign in the future, you must fully comprehend both the Law of Space and the Law of Time. If you truly can cultivate them simultaneously, that would indeed be a tremendous blessing." Seizing the moment, Huang Tian inquired, "Teacher, this disciple knows that becoming a Supreme requires comprehending either Space or Time—one of the two higher Laws—at the Eternal realm. But what if one fully comprehends it while still a World Lord? Can they advance directly to Supreme?" Like Dong Liansha, Sovereign Chuheng was momentarily taken aback. Then he chuckled wryly. "Your ambitions are grand indeed. However, I can confirm that if a World Lord truly comprehends a higher Law, they can become a Supreme on the spot. That is a rule of the universe." "Thank you for dispelling my confusion, Teacher!" Huang Tian said, inwardly delighted. Seeing how moved he was, Sovereign Chuheng could not help but smile. "If anyone else wanted to reach heaven in a single bound, I would certainly dissuade them. But for you, I know not whether I should dissuade you or not... Very well, since your mind is set, I shall say no more. Just tell me what you need and what difficulties you face." Huang Tian spoke straightforwardly: "This disciple lacks nothing in particular. However, if there are treasures that could assist my comprehension of the Laws, that would be ideal—" Hearing this, Sovereign Chuheng pondered for several breaths. With a gentle toss of his right hand, a palm-sized stele etched with intricate secret runes flew out. "This is an exotic treasure I obtained from a certain secret realm. I call it the Years Stele. The secret runes engraved upon it contain the profundities of Time and its lower Laws. Study it diligently, and you will surely gain much from it." "Thank you, Teacher!" Delighted, Huang Tian caught the stele. A casual glance showed him that the secret runes upon it were profoundly subtle. "What need is there for thanks between master and disciple?" Sovereign Chuheng waved his sleeve dismissively, then added, "Do you have any other requests?" "No more," Huang Tian shook his head. He truly needed nothing else. With Evolution Source Liquid and this stele in hand, he could surge forward at full throttle all the way!