External Changes

Outside, inside the main hall.

This is a specially designed rest hall by the Spirit Race's "Sacred Forge," prepared specifically for the prodigies returning from the Supreme Sacred Tree Secret Realm.

Edith, Green Leaf, Hui Yao, Liu Yun, Valerie and more than a dozen other prodigies sat in a circle, while the rest of the prodigies were scattered in twos and threes throughout the hall.

Although they were expelled from the secret realm by its rules some time earlier than Lin Yi, they were not in a hurry to leave.

Such occasions are extremely rare.

Having just emerged from a highly competitive secret realm, their tense nerves have relaxed. As the most outstanding members of the Pan-Spirit Alliance, the absence of competition among them makes it the perfect time to exchange experiences, verify findings, and expand their networks.

Whispers filled the hall, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

But at this moment, the focus of the conversation was on someone who hadn't yet appeared: Lin Yi.

The news spread a couple of days ago.

Paslan, Xikan, and Yaxi, three Star Domain level prodigies, were almost simultaneously seriously injured and were sent out by the protective talisman, causing quite a stir at the time.

They were immediately taken away for treatment, which alarmed everyone in the main hall, and various speculations arose.

Only today, with the three men's conditions stabilizing somewhat, has confirmed information leaked out from those around them.

They were attacked by the same god-level tree spirit in the upper part of the secret realm!

The tree spirit directly unleashed its Divine Kingdom Projection, almost overwhelming the opponent.

The three were almost powerless to resist and were slapped out of the secret realm one by one.

Most importantly, they weren't the only three attacked.

There is a fourth person, Lin Yi.

According to Yaxi, Lin Yi was also nearby at the time, but he broke through the Divine Kingdom Projection of the god-level tree spirit and successfully escaped.

This news shocked the geniuses in the hall even more than the fact that the three were seriously injured.

"Breaking through the Divine Kingdom Projection —that's god-level!" Kenkes scratched his rainbow-colored hair. "Boss, isn't this strength a bit outrageous? Star Domain level expert going head-to-head with a god?"

"It's not a direct confrontation, it's an escape." Edith put down her cup and corrected, "Breaking through a crack and directly crushing Divine Kingdom are two different things. But even so, it's enough to show that his control over the laws of spacetime has reached an astonishing level. Generally speaking, let alone Star Domain level, even a World Derivation level being trapped in Divine Kingdom Projection would be suppressed instantly."

These words caused everyone present to fall silent for a moment.

"Before he went in, his Time Law was 100% perfect, and his Space Law was estimated to be over 80%," Valerie calculated softly. "When he entered, his Source Energy Realm was at the Star Vortex level, but with the resources of the Sacred Tree Secret Realm and his speed in hunting tree spirits, he has now at least reached the Star Domain level of perfection. However, it's unclear how many more internal star domains he can condense."

"At least twenty or more." Edith had a clear understanding of the accumulation speed after the breakthrough. "The key is that he still has thirty days left, so his gains will definitely be substantial."

The group couldn't help but exchange glances.

Are you envious?

Of course.

But more than anything, I'm convinced.

He was the one who led them to survive in dire straits and turn the tide against two races in the Myriad Secret Realm; he was the undisputed First Heavenly Prodigy of our time.

His strength, however, led everyone to take it for granted.

Just as everyone was speculating about just how terrifying Lin Yi's gains would be, their thoughts were in turmoil.

Buzz!

Just then, Edith sensed an urgent vibration from the soul-bound Intelligent Life "Star Radiance".

Almost simultaneously, other prodigies in the hall, regardless of race, experienced similar slight fluctuations in their smart devices or soul-connected communicators.

Edith's brows furrowed instantly.

This type of globally synchronized information push is typically only used for the highest-level official announcements from the Pan-Spirit Alliance.

The Sacred Tree Secret Realm has just ended, what urgent notice could there be?

Without hesitation, she connected with the Star Radiance with a slight thought.

"Master, the Pan-Spirit Alliance Battlefield System has issued All-Domain Emergency Notice, priority: highest. The content has been forcibly pushed to all registered combat personnel." Star Radiance's voice rang directly in her consciousness.

At the same time, a pale golden light screen, visible only to her, unfolded at the edge of her field of vision, displaying simple yet profoundly moving text.

[Order from the Pan-Spirit Alliance Supreme Command]

[In light of the newly discovered high-level secret realm codenamed "Secret Realm One," and after consultation with the Abyss Race and the Devouring Race, all three parties have unanimously agreed that: effective from the date of this announcement, the state of total war is temporarily suspended, with the ceasefire period tentatively set for one hundred standard Epoch.]

[During this period, all military operations by the three parties ceased, and the conflict zone was frozen.]

[Developing the Secret Realm One is currently the top priority. Entry levels for the Secret Realm Star Core level to God-level. Detailed entry requirements, exploration rules, and contribution exchange system will be announced soon.]

[All eligible combat personnel shall immediately enter a state of combat readiness. Resource allocation by all factions and clans must be prioritized for exploration of the secret realm.]

The content is concise, yet every word is like a thunderclap.

Edith's blue pupils suddenly contracted.

Her first thought was that she had misread it.

Ceasefire?

One Hundredth Epoch?

A common agreement among the three supreme races?

What a joke!

Just a moment ago, they were discussing the old grudges of Lin Yi being tricked by the Abyss and Erosion Clan in the secret realm, and how fierce the battle was in the Star Sea outside.

This all-out war has only lasted a few thousand years. Sovereigns have fallen, gods have fallen like rain, and countless star systems have been reduced to scorched earth. Blood feuds have long been formed. How could it possibly end so easily?

Just a few days ago, fierce fighting was taking place on the Frontline, with daily battle reports of which key points had been breached and which deity had fallen.

The Abyss Race and the Devouring Race went to great lengths to suppress the birth of the Spirit Race's second Supreme Being, their blood feud already forged. How could they possibly put aside their differences so easily because of the discovery of a secret realm?

Even if the Spirit Race wanted to stop, how could the Abyss Race and the Devouring Race, who had just started the war, agree?

They were eager to take advantage of the fact that the newly ascended Supreme Spirit Race needed time to consolidate his realm, to continue applying pressure and expand their gains.

Or is it for a secret realm?

What kind of secret realm could have such significance?

Could it possibly make all three parties, blinded by rage, lay down their weapons at the same time?

It doesn't make any sense logically!

But the golden authentication rune of the Pan-Spirit Alliance Supreme Command at the source of the information, and the way the push notification instantly covered everyone's devices, clearly told her that it was real.

Officially certified, published across all platforms, it cannot be faked.

Edith raised her head, her gaze quickly sweeping across the hall.

As expected, there was an uproar.

The whispers turned into undisguised exclamations and murmurs.

"A pause in the war? One hundred Epoch?!"

"Secret Realm One? That's an evaluation."

"They can enter everything from Star Core to gods? That's an incredibly wide range!"

"A tripartite agreement? When did the Abyss Race and the Devouring Race become so easy to talk to?"

"Something terrible has happened! Something absolutely terrible has happened!"

Those present were all elites from various races, with a clear understanding of the cosmic situation; they were all too aware of the implications behind this notification.

The fact that the three most powerful races could temporarily suspend a full-scale cosmic war suggests that the situation is far more complex than they could have imagined.

If it really is because of a secret realm, then this secret realm is probably beyond the scope of "strategic level".

Edith's heart pounded; a strong sense of unease and urgency gripped her.

This matter was clearly far beyond her comprehension, and even beyond the understanding of all the geniuses present.

She needed to figure out the situation immediately.

"Excuse me, everyone." Edith suddenly stood up.

Green Leaf and the others immediately focused their attention on her.

If anyone present was most likely to know the inside story, it would undoubtedly be Edith, who comes from one of the oldest families of the Spirit Race and is the first in line to Heir the family fortune.

Edith nodded slightly to Green Leaf, Hui Yao, and the others, then turned and quickly walked towards the private meditation room on the side of the main hall.

Her silver-white combat boots struck the ground with a crisp, rapid sound, revealing the turmoil in her heart.

Upon entering the quiet room, the door closed silently, isolating us from all external disturbances.

Edith took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

Then, she closed her eyes, her consciousness sinking into the Virtual Network.

"Immediately connect to the Virtual Network and request an audience with the clan leader," she quickly issued the order.

"Command confirmed. Permission verification in progress. Verification passed. Connection establishment in progress. Priority queue search for the other party. Confirmed as the first-priority Heir emergency channel. Request forwarded."

"Waiting for a response."

As the most talented direct descendant of the Starfall Family in this generation, she possesses many privileges, one of which is that in emergency situations, she can bypass the usual procedures and directly request to visit the family patriarch.

After a brief authorization verification, her consciousness was guided to a vast starry sky.

Beneath my feet flows a long river of starlight, and above me swirling nebulae of laws.

Ahead, a tall, blurry figure stood with his hands behind his back, his back to her. He was shrouded in a hazy halo, making it impossible to discern his exact features, but the natural majesty he exuded made Edith's soul tremble slightly.

"Chieftain." Edith bowed respectfully.

The figure slowly turned around, the halo dissipated slightly, revealing the face of a middle-aged man with deep features and eyes that seemed to contain two swirling star vortexes. It was Atla Lanxing, the current patriarch of the Starfall Family and a powerful expert at the Venerable Lord Rank.

"Edith," Chief Atla's voice was calm, devoid of emotion, "You're in such a hurry to see me because of that notice, aren't you?"

"Yes," Edith admitted directly, knowing there was no need to beat around the bush with the clan leader. "Clan leader, what exactly is going on? What kind of Secret Realm One? Why could it bring about a truce among the three parties? This is too abnormal."

Chief Atla looked at her, his eyes deep, and after a moment of silence, slowly said, "Yes, this is too unusual. I never expected it to happen so early."

Edith's heart skipped a beat. "Ahead of schedule? Chieftain, what's ahead of schedule?"

Chief Atla did not answer her question, but simply shook his head. "The secrets involved in this matter are beyond your current level to know. You only need to know that the importance of the Secret Realm One far surpasses any secret realm you have entered before, including the Myriad Secret Realm and the Supreme Sacred Tree Secret Realm."

Edith was even more shaken.

More important than Myriad Secret Realm and the Supreme Sacred Tree Secret Realm? What exactly is it?

Chief Atla continued, "Although your chances are slim, even if there's only a sliver of an opportunity, you must seize it with all your might. From now on, the clan's resources will be prioritized for you; you need to make full preparations to enter the Secret Realm One. Remember, this is not advice, it's an order."

Edith immediately bowed. "Yes."

She sensed the gravity in the clan chief's tone.

The preferential treatment from her family resources means that she will receive far more cultivation materials and secret techniques than usual, and may even have some of the family's resources utilized.

But at the same time, the words "the hope is slim" weighed heavily on her heart like a boulder.

Even the clan leader said so, so the competition in this secret realm will probably be more brutal than you can imagine.

"Go," Chief Atla waved his hand. "Once the specific admission requirements and rules are announced, the family will develop a detailed plan for you. Until then, focus on increasing your strength as much as possible."

"Yes." Edith bowed again, and her consciousness exited the virtual space.

She opened her eyes, her emerald pupils flashing intensely before finally regaining their composure after a long while.

The clan chief's words contained a wealth of information, yet they were shrouded in a thick fog.

She knew something big was about to happen, that her family would fully support her, and that the road ahead was fraught with peril and hope was slim.

But what exactly is "Secret Realm One"?

How was a ceasefire forced among the three parties?

She still knew nothing.

This feeling of knowing a storm is coming, yet not being able to see its core, made her very uncomfortable.

Edith stood up, straightened her clothes and expression, pushed open the door to the quiet room, and walked out.

Swish!

In the hall, almost everyone's eyes instantly focused on her again.

Green Leaf, Hui Yao, and the others immediately surrounded her; if anyone could get any inside information, it would undoubtedly be Edith.

Edith's gaze swept over the familiar and unfamiliar faces, and she gently shook her head.

"I inquired with the clan chief," her voice rang out clearly in the quiet hall, "But this matter clearly involves higher secrets, beyond my comprehension and beyond the knowledge of our current level."

She saw disappointment flash in some people's eyes, but more so understanding and solemnity.

The fact that even Edith couldn't get any information out of her indicates that the level of secrecy surrounding the matter was frighteningly high.

"The chieftain only told me that this secret realm is related to the future foundation of the race, its importance surpassing anything before. He told us to prepare with all our might," Edith added. "Furthermore, the war is truly suspended. For the next hundred Epoch, our focus will shift entirely to exploring this secret realm."

The main hall was completely silent.

Its importance surpasses that of any previous secret realm.

Fully prepare

The war has paused, and the focus has shifted.

These fragments of information, pieced together, outline a vague yet incredibly vast picture.

Everyone could sense that a major event that could reshape the landscape of the cosmos was about to unfold.

And they happened to stand at the starting point of the era's tide.

"We can only take it one step at a time," Edith said finally.

She didn't know what was inside Secret Realm One, or even what "not much hope" specifically meant.

But she knew very well that with family resources being allocated to her and her future hanging in the balance, she could not back down, nor did she have the right to back down.

The crowd gradually turned their attention away and began to whisper among themselves, the topic now completely shifting to the announcement that had just been made.

Guess the rules of the secret realm, the potential risks, and the preparations needed.

Edith sat down again, her gaze fixed on the dome of the hall, as if she could see through the building to the endless, distant starry sky.

Given Lin Yi Yi's personality and strength, he'll probably improve himself even more frantically after learning this news.

The Secret Realm One. It will surely be even more lively inside then.

She closed her eyes and began contacting Star Radiance to retrieve her existing resource list, while simultaneously pondering how to increase her understanding of the laws of time from 71% to an even higher level in the shortest possible time.

Inside the main hall, the discussion gradually intensified, with everyone secretly making plans for the unknown Secret Realm One.

--

Within the Sacred Tree Secret Realm.

Lin Yi was completely unaware of the dramatic changes happening outside. He was immersed in the cycle of hunting and becoming stronger, looking forward to the final moment.

Thirty days passed quickly.

Inside a secluded cave filled with countless glowing mosses and hanging vines, Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes.

A glint flashed in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, his gaze returning to its deep intensity.

Within the void of the Source Sea within his body, thirty-one miniature star fields were arranged in an orderly fashion, radiating powerful source energy fluctuations.

Within each star field, the number of stellar vortices has reached the limit that current comprehension of the laws can support, with Star Radiance twinkling and energy flowing endlessly.

Thirty-one internal star domains!

The reason it's thirty-one instead of twenty-nine is because he devoured a large number of Sacred Source Fruit over the past sixty days.

These Sacred Source Fruit not only provided a massive amount of pure source energy, but more importantly, the trace of the Life Law origin they contained was efficiently absorbed and transformed by Lin Yi.

Based on his precise grasp of the levels of laws deep within his soul, his current level of understanding of the Life Law has reached 21.7%.

Each 10% increase in understanding of the laws can support the condensation of an additional star domain within the body.

His comprehension of the Life Law exceeds 20%, which means that in addition to the two superior laws of time and space, he can obtain two additional slots in the star domains within his body.

Therefore, with the combined effect of abundant resources and strong control, he successfully pushed the number of star domains to thirty-one, reaching a stage of saturation in his current state.

Besides his cultivation level, his storage space also contained a small pile of World Derivation level Sacred Source Fruit, as well as the remains of World Derivation level Tree Spirit Cores of varying sizes, and even a few Sacred Source Crystals.

Besides these, he also collected some rare treasures unique to the secret realm. Although they were not as precious as the Sacred Source Fruit and Sacred Source Crystals, they were still materials of the World Derivation level and were equally valuable.

These are the results of the "hard work" of the past thirty days.

"That's about it."

Lin Yi murmured to himself, his voice echoing in the silent cave.

The power of the thirty-one star domains surged within him, bringing an unprecedented sense of fulfillment and control.

Although it still falls short in energy level compared to the "World Power" of a true World Derivation level expert after its qualitative transformation, its terrifying "quantity" and the "quality" of the dual laws of space and time mean that even a Perfected World Derivation level can be easily killed with its power.

Of course, this is on the premise that tree spirits are weaklings that only have quantity but no quality, and are all produced by the unique conditions of the secret realm.

In the outside world, those who can cultivate to the perfection of the Transformation Realm are not easy to deal with.

Thinking of the Tree Spirit at the Perfected Realm, Lin Yi's eyes instantly sharpened.

It's time.

The thirty days of dormancy and improvement were not only for accumulating strength, but also for waiting for this final moment.

Lin Yi slowly stood up. His azure battle suit was spotless, and it shimmered with a metallic sheen as he moved.

The power of spacetime flowed quietly around him, creating a subtle resonance and repulsion with the omnipresent Life Law energy in the secret realm, forming a natural concealment field.

The Veil of Delusion is activated.

Lin Yi's figure became blurred, and his aura completely disappeared, as if he had merged into the surrounding pale green light mist and the faint glow of the moss.

He seemed to fly out of the cave silently, heading towards the direction he remembered—the platform that had once been attacked by a god-level tree spirit and contained Sacred Source Fruit trees and Sacred Source Crystals.

This time, he was more careful.

Soul perception spreads out in a net-like pattern from him, like the finest tentacles.

Instead of conducting a large-scale scan, he closely followed the energy flow of the environment, sensing the most subtle abnormal fluctuations.

At the same time, his perception of space and time was elevated to the extreme; no discordant spatial fold or subtle change in the flow of time could escape his notice.

Lin Yi continued upwards, traversing between giant aerial roots and branches that resembled a prehistoric mountain range.

The surrounding energy concentration was getting higher and higher, and the pale green energy mist almost condensed into a liquid state, but Lin Yi's speed did not slow down much.

The vast energy provided by the thirty-one star systems was enough to support him in maintaining the Veil of Delusion and high-intensity perception for a long time.

The power of spacetime cleverly formed a flowing membrane around him, offsetting most of the environmental pressure and allowing him to move at high speed silently.

Lin Yi avoided several areas with strong energy reactions, where the tree spirits were at least at the late stage of the Derivation Realm, and one even faintly showed signs of perfection.

These all indicate that there is at least one Sacred Source Fruit.

But now that the time allotted for staying in the secret realm is running out, it's not the time to cause any unforeseen problems.

After about two standard intervals, Lin Yi's speed gradually slowed down.

The surrounding scenery began to overlap with fragments of memory.

Those jagged, bizarre crystal protrusions, and the unique energy and aroma of the Sacred Source Fruit in the air, which was more concentrated than elsewhere.

It's getting closer.

Lin Yi contracted his soul perception to its limit, extending it only very slowly and cautiously into the cone-shaped area in front of him.

Any large-scale sensory scan could raise alarms as it approaches a target; it must proceed silently, like water seeping into a sponge.

Finally, after passing through a curtain of thick, glowing moss, the familiar platform once again came into his field of vision.

The platform remains spacious, with the lush Sacred Source Fruit in the center, dotted with golden-green fruits.

Beside it, the enormous Sacred Source Crystals still stood, its interior flowing with a cyan-gold liquid light, like a beating heart, radiating an extremely alluring fluctuation of laws.

The treasure remains.

But Lin Yi didn't pay much attention to these things.

His senses focused on the figure standing like an ancient Rock beside the Sacred Source Fruit grove.

Its entire body is purplish-brown, with deep, abyssal wood grain. Although it stands quietly, it naturally exudes a majestic and imposing aura, as solid as a mountain.

Its surface faintly glows, an outward manifestation of the fusion of highly condensed Life Law and the power of the world.

The energy fluctuations were obscure and profound, far surpassing the late stage of the Evolution Realm, carrying a sense of perfect harmony.

The realm of evolution is complete!

The original tree spirit that had reached the pinnacle of its evolutionary realm was indeed still alive.