Yu Xiaoxian could see his old man's confusion.
He let out a sigh and could only explain, "Dad, omniscience and omnipotence come in levels too. Suppose you construct a world starting from energy levels.
"Every wisp of energy, every particle, and every atom in the entire world is within your control. The past and future of the entire world are within your grasp. In this world created by you, you know whatever you want to know and can do whatever you want to do. Would that count as omniscience and omnipotence?"
"Within the scope of that world, it would indeed be 'omniscient,' and indeed 'omnipotent,'" Yu Xian said after a moment's thought, nodding.
Yu Xiaoxian said, "That's Level 1 omniscience and omnipotence. It's limited to having full control over all information and capabilities within that single world."
"In that case, do all Mighty Ones have the chance to become Level 1 omniscient and omnipotent beings?" Yu Xian pinched Yu Xiaoxian's chubby little cheek, extrapolating from the logic.
Yu Xiaoxian nodded. "If it's a powerful Mighty One, pretty much."
"What about Level 2 omniscience and omnipotence?" Yu Xian asked curiously.
Yu Xiaoxian replied, "Level 2 omniscience and omnipotence... is probably grasping all the information of numerous worlds, including their past and future, from birth to death."
"And Level 3?" Yu Xian pressed.
Yu Xiaoxian looked blank. "Don't know. I haven't learned up to that yet."
"Fair enough. Then what level is a Unity Returner?" Yu Xian patted Yu Xiaoxian's head. Finding the texture quite pleasant, he stroked it while asking.
Yu Xiaoxian let out a sigh of relief and replied, "I know this one! A Unity Returner is Level 9 omnipotence—that is, near-infinite omnipotence."
"Near-infinite omnipotence... so not entirely omnipotent?" Yu Xian said thoughtfully.
Yu Xiaoxian nodded. "Yeah. Only a Transcender is Level 10 omnipotent—infinite omniscience and infinite omnipotence. Unity Returners, Origin Returners, and Perfect Ones are all only Level 9 omnipotent. Their infinity relies on the infinity of the Tree Universe. Once they leave the Tree Universe and enter another infinite universe, their power falls short by a tiny bit. Even though it's just a tiny, tiny, tiny bit, it's still short that little bit."
"And because of that difference, since Quan Juehua isn't in the Tree Universe, you're out of options?" Yu Xian realized.
Yu Xiaoxian whispered, "It's not that I'm out of options; it's just really troublesome."
Outside the Tree Universe lay the space Between Being and Non-Being, brimming with infinite 'being' and infinite 'non-being,' which generated infinite interference.
When infinity clashed against infinity, even Transcenders found it a hassle, let alone a baby Unity Returner like him.
"Alright then, let's shelve the matter of Quan Juehua for now." Yu Xian could tell Yu Xiaoxian was reluctant, so he didn't push him.
In truth, Yu Xian was already delighted to meet his future child, and just as glad that Zhenwo Changjing's situation had been resolved so cleanly.
Had it not been for Yu Xiaoxian, dealing with Zhenwo Changle would not have been nearly so easy.
If things had gone wrong, Zhenwo Changjing might very well have perished in the conflict. After all, she and Zhenwo Changle had already been fused into a single entity, sharing the same origin, making them exceedingly tricky to separate.
"What are you father and son whispering about? Come on, baby, have some pudding." Nora walked over and sat down, holding pudding to feed Yu Xiaoxian.
After Yu Xiaoxian took a bite, Yu Xian slyly swooped in and stole a spoonful, earning a glare from Nora. She immediately scooped Yu Xiaoxian into her arms and took over feeding him herself.
It was quite a pity she couldn't nurse him.
But at least she could feed Yu Xiaoxian other treats.
"The demonic fall incident is more or less wrapped up. Where are we heading next?" Yu Xian looked at the others and asked.
Zhang Shou swallowed a piece of meat and grinned. "Wherever the wind takes us, of course."
"Preferably somewhere we can increase our strength," Gong Qian said as she ate her noodles.
Chi Feihong chuckled. "Increase strength? Then head to the Zhen Realm! Whether you work a job or clear stages, you can get stronger."
"That makes sense. Gong Qian, why not go keep Shuishui company? She's all alone in the Zhen Realm, so pitiful," Niman chimed in with a smile.
Yu Xian corrected her, "Shuishui isn't alone. Fang Qinghao has been hanging out with her lately. A lazy bum and a socially anxious recluse—they make quite an amusing pair."
He possessed immense authority over the Zhen Realm; with a single thought, he could know everything happening there.
"Speaking of which, I haven't seen Xiao Sensen in a long time. Where did it run off to?" Nora asked, suddenly remembering the puppet.
Yu Xian looked at Little Nora, who answered, "Xiao Sensen actually came back a few days ago! You guys just didn't see it. Muse can vouch for that!"
"Indeed," Muse, who had been standing to the side all along, nodded.
Yu Xian asked, "Little Nora, what has Xiao Sensen been up to lately?"
"It said it wants to restore the glory of Miraculous Item Crafters and bring joy to more people, so it went looking for kindhearted folks to make miraculous items for them," Little Nora explained.
Yu Xian nodded with a smile. "Didn't expect it to be so motivated."
He had never interfered with Xiao Sensen's comings and goings. After all, he had more items of his own than he could ever use; he had no need for Xiao Sensen to add icing to the cake.
Besides, Xiao Sensen actually preferred playing with the pure-hearted Little Nora and spent most of its time aboard the Aska with her.
Worth mentioning was Yu Xian's favorite summoned beast, the Mengmeng Fortune Cat.
In fact, the little cat was constantly with Little Nora now, either sunbathing in the sunroom or perching on her head like an ornament.
Since it wasn't the type of cat that liked to meow, it had a presence, but never drew much attention.
As for the Dimwitted Puppy and the other summoned beasts, they mostly stayed in the Primordial God World or were dispatched on missions by Yu Xian. Only the Death Emperor would occasionally appear at Yu Xian's side to report.
As the conversation drifted, everyone began talking about old acquaintances and sharing news about them.
For instance, Qingniao was still in touch with Gong Qian, but she had grown decrepit with age. If Earth had not integrated with Crescent Bay, allowing access to numerous longevity-extending products, she probably would have passed away long ago.
Even so, while she was still alive, she was frail and aged, with no telling how many years she had left.
Then there were former colleagues from Qilin. Most had either died or aged, retired or gone into seclusion.
Nora turned to Zhang Shou and asked curiously, "Zhang Shou, are you still in touch with Chen Ling?"
"'I would buy osmanthus blooms to carry wine along, but it is no longer like the wanderings of our youth...'"
Zhang Shou suddenly let out a long sigh, downed his cup of wine in a single gulp, and finally replied, "Chen Ling died of old age. She's been gone for over two hundred years."
Nora was shocked. "How could that be? You... didn't intervene?"
"She didn't want to see me," Zhang Shou said with a wry smile.
In truth, after becoming a Mighty One, he had made a special trip to see Chen Ling. Seeing who he had become, she had been thoroughly astonished and stunned. Furthermore, by that time, Chen Ling was already a grandmother to several children.
In the end, certain things would dissipate entirely under the unrelenting flow of time.
Chapter 653