Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 669: Spacetime, The Fundamentals Of Creation (2)

Boom! The inheritance ended here.

Wu Yuan remained seated in lotus position on the jade platform. Even as the power of the inheritance faded, the wondrous scenes he had just witnessed still echoed in his mind.

Space and Time! This was the first time Wu Yuan had perceived the profundities of these two Greater Laws so clearly and intensely, and it was also his first encounter with the Law of Time.

In terms of effectiveness, it was ten or even a hundred times better than the pure Law of Space inheritance from the Dao Temple.

Moreover, around Wu Yuan's body, faint, mysterious fluctuations appeared, blurring his silhouette slightly, as if the flow of time itself was experiencing subtle changes.

He remained immersed in this state, contemplating.

This scene left Star Moon, who stood watching him, utterly dumbfounded.

My goodness! Fluctuations of Time? Am I seeing things? Star Moon muttered to herself, her large eyes wide as saucers.

I've served nearly a million masters, but this is the first time I've seen someone invoke Time fluctuations on their first comprehension attempt. As expected of a Dao Master Imprint bearer.

Mm. It must be because the heavens were moved by my efforts, and finally sent down a peerless genius.

Wu~ Master Ming Jian will definitely become a Legacy Imprint bearer. I'm finally about to escape this sea of suffering.

...

Wu Yuan's qi refiner self received a spacetime inheritance for the first time and immersed himself in cultivation.

Meanwhile, far away in the Creation Divine Hall within the mysterious Immutable Land, 365 enormous Essence Diagrams surrounded Wu Yuan's body refiner self, and an azure tower loomed high above.

These Essence Diagrams...I can comprehend some profundities from different diagrams, and I've already imitated around eight-tenths of their spiritual resonance and artistic conception. But I still feel something is missing. Wu Yuan's body refiner self pondered deeply.

Nearly a hundred years had gone by since he began the test.

At first, his progress was extremely fast, and he cleared level seven of the Creation Tower in just ten years, but that was due to his deep accumulation of insights into the Law of Life.

The further he progressed, the slower it got, and he even reached a bottleneck. Wu Yuan felt this was normal, as the Essence Great Daos were extremely difficult to comprehend.

Suddenly, as if struck by divine inspiration, streams of mysterious fluctuations surged into his mind. These were Dao fluctuations he had never felt before.

Hmm? Wu Yuan's gaze once again turned towards the Creation Essence Diagrams. The countless thunder beasts in the diagrams, which were already vividly depicted, now gave him the illusion of truly coming to life.

Birth, interacting with this world in a haze...

Sleeping, lying down, freely roaming the wilderness...

Detecting prey, lurking, ambushing, enjoying food...

Mating, gestating, reproducing... aging, death. Wu Yuan's body refiner self was completely immersed in contemplation.

In the past, he had contemplated the Essence Diagrams one by one and vaguely sensed that these diagrams were subtly connected as a whole. However, sensing and truly understanding were two entirely different concepts.

One could only grasp a Dao by comprehending it. It wasn't until just now, with that fleeting spark of insight and the Dao fluctuations that surged into his mind, that Wu Yuan truly understood what was missing. It had taken a hundred years of arduous contemplation and re-examination of the 365 Essence Diagrams.

Time! Have I comprehended a trace of the profundities of Time? No, it's not my body refiner self, it's likely my qi refiner self. Wu Yuan's body refiner self instantly understood.

In the Inner Region of the Thunder Marsh World, the 365 Essence Diagrams were divided into five sections. At that time, Wu Yuan didn't understand why, but now he suddenly realized that these represented the five stages of a thunder beast's life. When the five stages were connected, it formed the complete life of a thunder beast.

A single Thunder Beast Diagram, no matter how vivid or lifelike, is still not a real living being. Imbuing time into the Law of Life, giving years to life, that is the true nature of Creation Essence. Wu Yuan immediately grasped the fundamental nature of Creation.

The Law of Life was the foundation, and when infused with aspects of the Law of Time, the Law of Thunder, and the Law of Fire, it became the complete Creation Essence.

Or perhaps, the Law of Thunder and the Law of Fire might not even be necessary, they're just auxiliaries. Wu Yuan realized. It's Time, Time is fundamental. Without the fundamentals, how can one speak of creating life?

To hear of the Dao in the morning is to die content at nightfall. A hundred years of comprehension and accumulation of insights culminated into the epiphany Wu Yuan received after sensing the Time fluctuations.

Is my qi refiner self attempting to cultivate both Space and Time?

I wonder, if I truly embark on the Great Dao of Creation Essence, combining it with Space and Time, will it help my qi refiner self's comprehension? Wu Yuan's body refiner self pondered, before completely immersing himself in it.

The epiphany was just the beginning. Time was like a thread, but connecting the 365 Creation Essence Diagrams was still a distant process.

But at least, Wu Yuan's body refiner self now saw hope of clearing level nine of the Creation Tower.

Three hundred years left.

...

On the Spacetime Island, Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self was unaware of the changes happening to the body refiner self.

After all, comprehending the Creation Essence Dao was not an overnight endeavor. Sudden epiphanies did not represent a qualitative leap in progress.

A long while passed in the hall of Wu Yuan's qi refiner self.

Truly marvelous. Wu Yuan mused to himself, opening his eyes which brimmed with awe. No wonder countless peerless geniuses from various factions spare no effort to venture to the Spacetime Dao Realm, all for the sake of receiving spacetime inheritances.

What he’d gained from this simulation exceeded a century of hard work contemplating the Law of Space on his own, helping him unravel countless perplexities he had faced in the past.

Seventh-level Domain stage of Space, no, given a bit more time, I might swiftly reach the eighth or even the ninth level. Wu Yuan marveled inwardly.

Of course, Wu Yuan, who frequently received inheritances from the Dao Temple, clearly understood that the remarkable effect was also a result of hundreds of years of arduous cultivation.

It was akin to a teacher explaining a problem. You understand when you hear it, err when you attempt it, and blank out during the test! [1]

Inheritances are like teachers explaining problems. He reflected.

Only by building a solid foundation, repeatedly grappling with the various Dao comprehension complexities until progress seems impossible, and then receiving an inheritance, can one achieve the best results.

Just as Zhuo Haiyue said, it's best to space two inheritances a century apart.

Wu Yuan wasn't in a hurry. He planned to cultivate for a long time on the Spacetime Island. Having already received the opportunity for twenty inheritances, he could take it slow.

However, the most crucial aspect of the spacetime inheritances is that they allow me to sense a thread of the Law of Time's fluctuations. Wu Yuan gently closed his eyes.

He could now perceive the subtle, mysterious fluctuations present in all things around him, which were normally imperceptible. Having detected a trace of them, coupled with his Apotheosis Yuan Soul, Wu Yuan was able to discern them with great clarity.

These fluctuations were like the strings of a harp. If the force wasn't great enough, they couldn't be stirred; if it was sufficient, they could be plucked. The force could originate from oneself. It could also stem from Dao comprehension.

Is it like how those with immense power can forcibly shatter laws and step into higher spatial dimensions? How even the mighty Astral Monarchs and Sovereigns can perceive the existence of Time fluctuations and even interfere with them, despite not comprehending the Law of Time? Wu Yuan pondered. Slowing, accelerating, or even halting Time fluctuations?

And if one's power reaches an inconceivable level, could they perhaps make Time fluctuations flow backward?

The reversal of time was a question that instinctively occurred to any being who contemplated the Law of Time.

...

As the years passed, most Taiyuan Divine Court cultivators from the latest batch began to receive their first spacetime inheritance before undertaking spacetime missions one after another.

Some succeeded. Many others failed.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuan cultivated steadily, neither rushing nor dawdling.

Occasionally, he would exchange insights with other powerhouses from the divine court headquarters in the immortal voidrealm, and he even met with Zhuo Haiyue once. During their conversation, he learned that she had already completed one Sovereign-level mission and was in the midst of her second.

"Consecutive Sovereign-level missions? Don't be too reckless," Wu Yuan advised. "Though the fall of a mana body isn't fatal, it can occasionally lead to major trouble."

"I understand, but without a little risk, how can I, with my mere Sovereign Imprint, hope to catch up to you?" Zhuo Haiyue said with a smile.

Wu Yuan shook his head and chuckled, ceasing his attempts to dissuade her.

...

In the blink of an eye, nearly a century had passed.

In a hall on the Spacetime Island.

Hum~ Waves of Dao fluctuations completely enveloped Wu Yuan, who sat in lotus position atop a jade platform. His aura and form were ethereal, appearing as though he no longer resided in this space.

Space True Intent? Standing at a distance, Star Moon grew increasingly astonished. Just how talented is my master? When he first arrived, he was only at the sixth or seventh-level Domain stage of Space.

In a mere century, he had broken through numerous bottlenecks and grasped Space True Intent? Such cultivation speed was simply unheard of.

Whoosh! The fluctuations in the hall subsided and everything returned to normal.

After so long, I've finally grasped Space True Intent. A hint of joy glimmered in Wu Yuan's eyes.

It might seem that his progress in the Law of Space was much slower compared to the Law of Life. But in truth, it was already terrifyingly fast.

With Space True Intent mastered, even without employing the Law of Life, I now possess sufficient strength. Wu Yuan mused inwardly.

Over the past century, whether in mana cultivation, mana body creation, or mastery of arcane arts, he had long since reached the pinnacle.

Yet, why hadn't he undertaken any spacetime missions? It was because Wu Yuan had always kept his master's words in mind: his qi refiner self should avoid employing the Law of Life as much as possible. This way, he could better conceal the connection between his identities.

"Star Moon," Wu Yuan suddenly spoke.

"Master," Star Moon flew over as a streak of light.

"Help me apply for a spacetime mission."

"What level?" Star Moon inquired.

"Sovereign level."

1. Feng Xian (the author) is a little too spot on with his analogies ☜