Under the blessing of the Law of Heaven Opening, the energy of the Innate Spirit Spring grew ever purer. Lin Yue continuously drew it into his dantian. The silver-white vortex spun faster and faster, its density reaching the utmost limit. He was just one step away from the bottleneck of Mid-Early True Immortal. But at the critical moment of breakthrough, the vortex suddenly stalled. No matter how he guided the energy, he couldn't break through that invisible "barrier." Instead, the excess energy brought waves of pain through his meridians.
"What's going on?" Lin Yue's heart tightened. He hurriedly stopped absorbing energy and looked within his dantian. He found what seemed to be a faint "membrane" covering the vortex's surface. Woven from the Laws of Space, Life, and Heaven Opening, it was the bottleneck caused by the uneven fusion of the three laws. The Law of Space was too fluid, the Law of Life too gentle, and the Law of Heaven Opening too rigid. They constrained one another and couldn't form a unified force for breakthrough.
He tried adjusting the proportions of the laws. He increased the Law of Space, hoping its fluidity would let him break through the barrier, but failed for lack of rigid support. Increasing the Law of Heaven Opening only made the membrane stronger with its rigid energy. Increasing the Law of Life did nothing; its gentle energy couldn't shake the barrier at all. After several attempts, not only had he failed to break through the bottleneck, but the Law Triangle had also fallen into slight disarray, and the vortex in his dantian had grown unstable.
"Do I have to give up?" Lin Yue felt somewhat dejected. He looked at the abundant energy in the Innate Spirit Spring and thought of Senior Pangu's expectations. He was unwilling to stop here. Reconsidering the problem, he realized its core lay in "Law Fusion," not "energy intensity." Only when the three laws truly worked together could they break through the bottleneck.
As he pondered, Pangu's voice came from nearby. "When the laws are unbalanced, Dao Rhyme must guide them."
Lin Yue looked up. Senior Pangu stood before him, holding a fragment etched with golden patterns. About the size of his palm, it shimmered with the traces of the Law of Heaven Opening. It was a Dao Rhyme Fragment, containing the core order of World Creation.
"Senior, what is that?" Lin Yue asked curiously.
Pangu handed him the fragment and said calmly, "A Dao Rhyme Fragment. It can harmonize the laws."
The moment Lin Yue took the fragment, he felt a stream of pure Order Energy flow into his body through his fingertips. The Dao Rhyme within the fragment acted like an adhesive, quickly blending into the Law Triangle. The three laws, which had previously constrained one another, instantly fell into harmony. The fluidity of the Law of Space provided the Law of Heaven Opening with a "path"; the rigidity of the Law of Heaven Opening gave the Law of Life "support"; and the gentleness of the Law of Life offered the Law of Space a "buffer." Together, they formed a unified "force for breakthrough" that surged toward the bottleneck.
"That's it!" Delighted, Lin Yue hurriedly guided the force toward the barrier in his dantian. This time, the barrier was no longer unyielding. Under the combined force of the three laws, cracks appeared in it like those in glass. He seized the chance to absorb more energy from the Innate Spirit Spring. It rushed like a surging river, pouring through the cracks and beyond the barrier.
Hum!
With a faint tremor, Lin Yue successfully advanced to Mid-Early True Immortal! The silver-white vortex in his dantian instantly turned pale gold and doubled in size. The Law Triangle radiated dazzling light, and the fusion of the three laws reached a new level. His Spatial Perception extended to two hundred and fifty zhang, his teleportation range reached one hundred zhang, and the range of his Space Vitality Domain also expanded to two hundred and fifty zhang. Within the domain, the Vitality Cycle worked in tandem with the Law of Water, quickly healing injuries to himself and his companions.
He opened his eyes and bowed deeply to Pangu. "Thank you, Senior! Without your Dao Rhyme Fragment, I'd probably still be stuck at the bottleneck."
Pangu gave a slight nod without saying much. He turned toward the Innate Spirit Spring, dipped a fingertip into its water, and flicked it gently. The water turned into a streak of golden light and merged with the world. The nascent world, which had still seemed somewhat unstable, instantly grew much more solid, and the points of starlight in the sky shone brighter.
Watching Senior Pangu's retreating figure, Lin Yue felt deeply grateful. He knew that Senior Pangu had not only helped him break through his bottleneck but was also quietly stabilizing the new world, creating a better environment for all living beings. He gripped the Dao Rhyme Fragment in his hand and decided to fuse it into the core of his Spatial Domain. The Dao Rhyme of the Law of Heaven Opening within the fragment could further harmonize the three laws and make the domain's functions even more complete.
In the days that followed, Lin Yue cultivated peacefully beside the Innate Spirit Spring. After fusing the Dao Rhyme Fragment into his domain, his Space Vitality Domain could not only attack and defend as one and sustain its self-healing indefinitely, but also form a Heaven Opening Order Field that weakened enemies' command over the laws and amplified his own. The Chaos Little Light Orb also absorbed the fragment's energy. When it struck a target, it could unleash Order Restraint, temporarily preventing enemies from wielding the laws and greatly improving its usefulness.
During this time, he occasionally left the spring to explore the new world. He discovered that besides the Innate Spirit Spring, many Innate Spirit Treasures and Law Fragments were scattered throughout the world. They were all products of World Creation and greatly beneficial to cultivation. He carefully collected these treasures while avoiding the territories of early Innate Gods like Jumang and Ru Shou. These gods were powerful and wary of "outsiders," and his current strength wasn't enough to contend with them.
One day, as Lin Yue was consolidating his cultivation beside the spring, he suddenly sensed a familiar red aura approaching. It was Su Qingyan! His heart leaped with joy. He hadn't expected to meet this "old rival" in the new world. He immediately extended his Spatial Perception and flew toward the source of the aura.
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