The Mountain Master's Gaze

Lin Yan's mind raced at this moment, and even with his mental processing speed, he was somewhat hesitant and unable to solve the situation he was facing.

Why did that metal plate only appear now?

And why are they here?

Although he only saw it once, and Lin Yan didn't dare to use his mental power to investigate, it was enough for him to make such a judgment.

This is a fragment of the Heavenly Soul Crystal that records the first level of the "Nine Tribulations Scripture"!

After all, given Lin Yan's current strength and the fact that his Superhuman Bloodline grants him "Superhuman Vision," it would be easy for him to clearly see the cell nucleus within a cell with his naked eye.

Even if you can't see anything special about this Black Metal Plate, you can still make some basic judgments about its material.

He had a general understanding of the many magical substances recorded in the Virtual Universe Network. Even when searching for books about "pharmacists" in the Mu Xing Universe Country Knowledge Repository, he also glanced at the information involving some metals and other strange substances.

His authority is comparable to that of True Yan King and King Tian Yu, and with this Knowledge Repository, he can naturally access a vast amount of information.

But... he couldn't recognize what material it was, which already explained the problem.

"Over the years, I have had Ilina control the Worker Bee Zerg to carry out extremely advanced modifications to the Earth. Now, even if an ordinary Feng Wang Immortal God Self-destruct, the impact would be extremely limited."

Lin Yan thought to himself, "During this process, no fragments of the Heavenly Soul Crystal containing the 'Nine Tribulations Scripture' were found, but now they have suddenly appeared. This is definitely not a coincidence!"

In the original storyline, even without Lin Yan, Earth underwent some modifications during the time Luo Feng spent at the Virtual Universe Company, entirely funded and implemented by the Luo Family.

During the process of transforming the Earth, due to the large-scale transformation, the land was dug deep and mountain passages were opened, which led to the discovery of some relics and artifacts on Earth. These relics and artifacts were not of high value overall, except for one item that even the Luo Family at the time could not figure out.

It was just a broken metal plate.

Based on the excavation and survey of the surrounding soil, the broken metal plate is at least 600 million years old underground, but there is no sign of decay.

Even High Temperature comparable to the interior of the sun couldn't harm it in the slightest. The Luo Family judged it to be at least F-Grade Metal in hardness, yet it didn't belong to any F-Grade Metal that could be found within the Virtual Universe Company.

Lin Yan, who was well aware of the original plot, naturally understood its true origin.

The Earth lineage was guided and nurtured by the powerful Alien Race being "Mountain Master." This powerful being, Reincarnation of a God King, did this for the sake of the "Lie Yuan Art," to cultivate a race with special souls that would be easier to break through.

Earth lineage, with a pure soul, naturally astonishing.

Moreover, the physical weaknesses of the Earth lineage can be compensated for by this heaven-defying technique, the "Nine Tribulations Scripture".

This Nine Tribulations Scripture can continuously boost and improve a cultivator's physical genes, reaching a maximum of 10081 times their original value.

How incredibly defying the heavens!

It is even resisted by the Laws of Cosmic Operation. Once it is taught, the Laws of Cosmic Operation can directly erase the secret techniques from the memories of other cultivators.

Only by relying on this special treasure, the "Heavenly Soul Crystal," and recording this secret technique within it, can it be passed down.

The Heavenly Soul Crystal's inherent power can transmit this secret technique's memory to the cultivator without being erased by the Laws of Cosmic Operation... but this is only a one-time opportunity.

As long as the cultivator is alive... then the Heavenly Soul Crystal cannot be passed on to a second cultivator, unless the first cultivator perishes.

Up to now.

There were only two candidates from the Earth lineage, one from the "Mountain Sea Realm" era and the other from the "Origin Star" era. Both of them perished in the final test of life and death.

After the Heavenly Soul Crystal regained its power, it waited for the third candidate from the Earth lineage.

Only those who cultivate the "Nine Tribulations Scripture" are qualified to recognize the Ultimate Supreme Treasure "Star Tower" as their master.

Once the process of recognizing a master in the Star Tower begins, no one can stop it.

The loser dies, and the winner will become the leader of the Earth lineage, the third disciple of this powerful Reincarnation of a God King.

Although the Heavenly Soul Crystal fragments had been on Earth all along, they couldn't "touch" the metal plate at all when swept with psychic power, as if the metal plate were air.

If detection instruments are used, it is impossible to detect the information or penetrate the system.

Lin Yan had never seen it in the system's opportunities before, and at the time he guessed that the arrangement of the Heavenly Soul Crystal could not have been random, but rather a deliberate one.

It means more than just raising the Gene Level; most importantly, the "Mountain Master" behind it represents a true path to heaven!

What is the concept of Reincarnation of a God King?

That is Great Existence that can be considered top-tier even on the Origin Continent!

Without such a figure to guide him in the original work, it would have been extremely difficult for Luo Feng to embark on that path of defying the heavens.

Lin Yan had mixed feelings about this treasure, so he simply stopped thinking about it altogether.

When the Worker Bee Zerg finished terraforming the Earth, they had never seen this metal plate. He was both puzzled as to where the metal plate had gone and secretly relieved.

Lin Yan once thought it was because of Luo Feng's protagonist luck, and that he had already discovered the metal plate before Luo Feng left Earth.

But now—

It appeared before them so suddenly.

Luo Feng spoke up, temporarily interrupting Lin Yan's thoughts.

He said with a smile, "If Hong and Thunder God could see the Earth as it is now, they would be very happy."

Listening to Luo Feng's words, Lin Yan had a faint smile on his face, "They may need thousands of years to cultivate at the Cosmic level. When they find out about this, Earth will probably be a very different place."

As he spoke, a different thought popped into his mind.

If the Yun Mo Star Inheritance and the Golden Horn Beast were the foundation of Luo Feng's existence, it was with them that Luo Feng transformed from an Earth native into a peerless genius of the human race in the universe.

If Luo Feng had not obtained the treasure of the Yun Mo Star Master and had not received guidance from Babata, he would have naturally died gloriously when he encountered the "Golden Horn Beast." Even if he hadn't, the achievements of the three of them would obviously have been greatly limited, and the probability of them even becoming Cosmic level beings would have been very low.

Lin Yan had faced such a choice before.

At that time, he did not hesitate at all. He never thought of intercepting the Yun Mo Star Inheritance, nor did he think of directly killing or Soul Seizure Golden Horn Beast. He also did his best to help Luo Feng.

Lin Yan always felt that he was not a selfish person, but had more trustworthy and reliable qualities.

But for a moment, he hesitated.

He tilted his head back, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

The sky was covered with gray, overcast clouds, but they did not bring any sense of oppression. Fine rain fell like threads, drifting into the lake, into the bamboo forest, and onto two oil-paper umbrellas.

He silently recited it in his heart.

"He... is watching us."

"That Jin Zhi God King is watching us."

The fact that the Worker Bee Zerg did not find the metal plate suggests that there is a hidden hand controlling everything, and things are not going smoothly as they should.

However, the metal plate did not appear when Lin Yan was on Earth for decades, nor did it appear when Luo Feng was alone.

But just then, as Lin Yan and Luo Feng walked side by side... this metal plate appeared.

This is not a coincidence.

Lin Yan gradually approached the truth... "He didn't really expect me to be a candidate, but he didn't refuse either."

"That Jin Zhi God King did not make a choice; he was simply waiting for the final outcome."

Lin Yan knew—

With just a gentle reach, he could pick up the metal plate and Luo Feng's destiny would be set in motion, leading him into the unknown fog.

He himself will follow the trajectory of the original story, and on his path to becoming stronger, he will receive crucial help from a former god-king.

The Cosmic Sea.

Deep within the Chaos Qi flow, in the perilous "North Hua Snowmist Domain"...

A solitary palace, surrounded by endless air currents, floats in the air, emitting bursts of blue light. Within the palace, one can vaguely see the figures of servants, each of whom is Universe Venerable.

This is the true residence of the "Mountain Master," and the dangerous North Hua Snowmist Domain also represents the Mountain Master.

Of the nearly one hundred forces in the Cosmic Sea, none dared to provoke this Mountain Master.

Everyone knows... the Mountain Master is not to be trifled with.

The main hall.

On the throne sat a towering old man over 90,000 kilometers tall, while below the main hall, a powerful human "Snake-Man" with a snake tail and human body waited.

The towering old man gazed into the boundless void outside the hall, seemingly seeing the azure planet in the vast starry sky through the endless distance.

The snake-man expert bowed and said, "Master, there is something I do not understand."

"Speak," the imposing old man's voice boomed.

The snake-man expert respectfully said, "The best candidate for the third Earth lineage is undoubtedly the human genius Lin Yan. The Star Tower's recognition of its master is extremely difficult. If anyone has a chance of success, his chances are undoubtedly the greatest."

"Moreover... according to my observation, Lin Yan should have already discovered the special features of Earth, and on the one hand, he was able to dispel the suspicions of the human race's powerful members in advance, and on the other hand, he was able to secretly make arrangements to promote the rapid development of Earth lineage."

"It is clear that he is also the most suitable candidate to become the leader of the Earth lineage."

"With such a short period of cultivation, he has already made such a great name among the human race. In terms of talent and opportunities, he can be described as unprecedented in history."

"If one can become the master's disciple, surpassing me and my second junior brother in the future would be extremely easy, and it would not be impossible for one to even reach the level of the Universe's Strongest."

The snake-man expert asked with great confusion, "Why is the teacher hesitating?"

His doubts were not unfounded.

This powerful snake-man was named "Pu Ti," and he was the first servant that the Mountain Master had taken in.

However, over countless years, with the guidance and help of the Mountain Master, he became the Lord of the Universe... Because he had followed him the longest and possessed great strength, the Mountain Master took him under his wing as his eldest disciple.

In fact, this Pu Ti is a powerful member of the human race known as the "Snake People Tribe".

He simply didn't want to reveal his full strength, which would implicate the existence of the Mountain Master. Therefore, he usually kept a low profile, only allowing one clone to remain among the human race for a long time. He also allowed the clone to display the Peak Battle power of Universe Venerable, slightly weaker than the Universe Lord in the race, and to use the pseudonym "Tipu".

If it's true that Puti only deserves to be the eldest disciple because of the old friendship with the Mountain Master... Pu Ti knows all too well that the Yan Shen Clan and the Earth lineage are the core that the Mountain Master has truly cultivated with countless efforts.

The leader of the Yan Shen Clan is the second disciple of the Mountain Master.

The future leader of the Earth lineage will become the third disciple of the Mountain Master!

The Yan Shen Clan, just like those on Earth, were originally conceived and nurtured by the Mountain Master within Human territory, and possess extremely high physical talents.

This leader of the Yan Shen Clan was the most powerful figure that Mountain Master had rigorously selected from among the Yan Shen Clan, and he became Mountain Master's second disciple.

Now that he is the master of the universe and possesses the Supreme Treasure crafted by the Mountain Master, he is not afraid of the Peak Existence among humans. Unwilling to be inferior to others, he directly led his clan away from humanity, calling themselves the "Yan Shen Clan" and becoming a powerful clan in the universe.

Following the instructions of Master Mountain Master, Pu Ti has been selecting candidates for the leadership of the Earth lineage, waiting for a candidate who can be recognized as the master by the Star Tower to appear.

How could such an important item as the Heavenly Soul Crystal be simply buried underground, waiting for someone destined to find it?

Even if it takes hundreds of millions of years, it might not be discovered even once. In fact, it all depends on Pu Ti's selection.

The Heavenly Soul Crystal possesses incredible power. Anyone who is of Earth lineage and can withstand the test of that illusion can obtain this secret technique from the Heavenly Soul Crystal.

Being able to withstand the trials of the illusion is fundamental, and this in itself is extremely difficult. Over millions of years, very few people have met the requirements.

In Pu Ti's eyes, the first two candidates from the Earth lineage were already extremely outstanding. When they failed, Pu Ti even wanted to give up.

I just felt that I would continue to fail like this until one day in the future, the teacher changed his mind and stopped insisting that the "Star Tower" recognize its master.

This is so difficult!

The Star Tower is one of the most powerful Supreme Treasure in the universe. Even the human race does not possess Supreme Treasure of this level, and the requirements for recognizing a master are extremely stringent!

The stronger the soul of the candidate, the more terrifying the recognition of the master. Long ago, the Mountain Master searched for tens of thousands of strong people in the universe, from World Master, immortals, Universe Venerable and so on, to test them... All of these tens of thousands of strong people who were selected perished.

After experimentation, the final conclusion was reached... World Master and Immortals still have the possibility of recognizing a master, but Universe Venerable have not even the slightest possibility.

The greatest test of acknowledging God is one's heart and will!

Only after learning of Lin Yan's existence did Pu Ti truly see hope for success!

Lin Yan's reputation among the human race was so great that almost everyone believed he was destined to become one of the Universe Overlord, and naturally, they had also heard of Pu Ti's clone, "Tipu".

Upon learning that Lin Yan's origins... were from the Milky Way Galaxy, Pu Ti was overjoyed.

Even though he couldn't find any connection between him and Earth, and his authority didn't allow him to investigate too much of Lin Yan's information, Pu Ti firmly believed that Lin Yan's origins couldn't be some so-called Canglan Star, but rather the Earth lineage nurtured by his teacher!

Therefore, he personally descended to Earth!

He learned everything.

They even saw an amazing scene from more than 300 years ago through time reversal.

As the sun rose over the Wilderness Area, a faint light filled the earth, and time seemed to stand still. Above the Wilderness Area, a huge vortex was spinning, and a faint pillar of light enveloped Lin Yan.

Witnessing this scene alone caused the Lord of the Universe, Pu Ti, to lose 3% of his divine body, leaving him utterly shocked!

It should be noted that if the Lord of the Universe were not resurrected, simply Reverse Space-Time would not have required any expenditure of divine power, yet he had expended such astonishing divine power at that time!

Pu Ti, lacking experience, reported the entire matter to the Mountain Master, and the final answer he received was...

That was the arrival of the Primal Universe Will!

This was completely different from breaking through to immortality and the descent of the Origin Law, which shocked Pu Ti immensely.

Much later, Pu Ti confirmed that at that moment, the Primal Universe Will descended and bestowed upon Lin Yan's human race the first and Strongest Bloodline in the universe capable of reproduction!

Talent, opportunity, will, and even the favor of the Primal Universe Will— after meeting Lin Yan, Pu Ti could not think of a second candidate to lead the Earth lineage.

If someone could truly make the Star Tower recognize its master, Pu Ti believed that person must be Lin Yan.

But--

The Mountain Master hesitated.

He neither supported nor rejected it, and today, this is the scene that has unfolded.

Given that the Heavenly Soul Crystal was discovered almost simultaneously, whoever ultimately obtains the inheritance of the Nine Tribulations Scripture will become the third candidate for the Earth lineage!

Luo Feng, another qualified candidate, is another genius from Earth lineage discovered by Pu Ti. Virtual Universe Company Original Secret Realm Member and Soul Seizure the Golden Horn Beast. He is quite promising, but he is far inferior to Lin Yan.

This was something Pu Ti found incomprehensible.

As the Universe's Strongest, Peak Existence capable of forging Ultimate Supreme Treasure, Lin Yan is nothing more than an ant to his teacher. Even if his teacher says "not good" or "does not meet his expectations, "Lin Yan naturally does not qualify to be a candidate.

But where does this feeling of "hesitation" come from?

The previous two candidates, until their failure and downfall, did not deserve the teacher's slightest concern. But this time, the teacher took the initiative to intervene. What is the reason behind this?

The main hall.

The old man, who was over 90,000 kilometers tall and whose body was faintly glowing black, sat cross-legged on the throne. He had two crystal-clear horns on his forehead and looked down at the snake-man powerhouse. His gaze was like sunlight, shining into Pu Ti's heart.

His voice was powerful. "Everyone faces many choices in life."

"Sometimes, the value of choice transcends talent, will, treasures, and so on, thus giving life infinite possibilities."

"This is not hesitation, but because my choice is to give them the opportunity to choose, so that at least at this moment, they are treated fairly."

"The two races I have nurtured are destined to have leaders. No matter who it is in the end, I hope that he can successfully walk the path of life and death of recognizing the master of the Star Tower and become my third disciple as the leader of the Earth lineage."

The sound was deafening, penetrating straight to the soul.

The voice of this powerful being from Alien Race seemed to possess endless magic, compelling people to believe him without their consent.

"Yes, teacher," Pu Ti knelt down and replied respectfully.