Growth Eternal Artifact Armor

Yaxi looked at the pile of treasures shimmering with alluring light in Lin Yi's hands and let out a soft breath.

"Impressive! I heard you came out seriously injured, Moonlight Venerable personally saw you off, so I guessed you had gone there again. I just didn't expect you to actually succeed."

Lin Yi smiled and moved the treasure floating in his palm forward.

"It was a stroke of luck. To escape and retrieve the items under those circumstances, luck played a large part."

"This is your share, don't be shy," Lin Yi said solemnly. "If it weren't for your help at the end, I would have been slapped out of the secret realm by that tree spirit long ago. This is what you deserve, and it's what we agreed on beforehand."

Yaxi gave Lin Yi a deep look, then smiled and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

As she spoke, she gestured with her hand, taking the items into her storage space.

Her decision to help Lin Yi at the last moment in the secret realm was certainly motivated by a sense of duty to her ally, but deep down, she also harbored a rational calculation. "If he succeeds, given his strength and character, he will certainly not treat me unfairly."

This is simply an unspoken way of doing things among top talents.

Now that the results have far exceeded expectations, Yaxi naturally won't be coy or refuse, as that would seem hypocritical.

After putting away the treasures, Yaxi continued, "You've probably heard about the Secret Realm One, haven't you?"

"Hmm." Lin Yi's expression turned serious. "It seems the interior of the secret realm will be the new battlefield."

"It seems everyone's judgment is consistent." Yaxi nodded slightly. "Similar information has also come from my clan; resource allocation has been initiated. Only those at the god level are allowed to enter... Those of us who are considered quasi-gods will inevitably become priority targets for elimination."

"That's why we need to hurry," Lin Yi said in a deep voice. "The stronger we are, the more we have to survive and compete inside."

The two exchanged brief views on the entry requirements for the Secret Realm One, possible competition modes, and short-term plans after returning to their respective clans.

After exchanging a few more words about the cultivation facilities that might still be open to the Spirit Race, Yaxi took her leave.

Although her injuries are stable, she still needs further treatment, and she has just received a large sum of resources, so she needs time to plan how to use them.

"Keep in touch," Yaxi said finally, her figure slowly becoming ethereal, as if merging into the air, and disappearing from the lounge.

The following day, the Qinglin arrived on time.

The pale green life energy enveloped Lin Yi once again. This time, Lin Yi focused even more intently on experiencing every detail of the pure power of law flowing through his body.

Qinglin's technique remained exquisite, not merely repairing damage, but more like guiding Lin Yi's own life force for optimal reorganization and sublimation.

After the treatment, Lin Yi did not immediately let Qinglin leave. Instead, he respectfully asked, "Qinglin, my injuries are almost fully healed. Thank you for your meticulous treatment over the past few days. However, I have one more request."

"Please speak," Qinglin said.

"I also have some knowledge of the Life Law," Lin Yi said. "This treatment has been incredibly beneficial, allowing me to witness the profound application of the Life Law in the field of healing. I wonder if there are any suitable cultivation sites near this Healing Hall, or on Sacred Tree Star, that would be ideal for comprehending the Life Law? I'd like to try and refine my skills further before leaving the Spirit Race."

Upon hearing this, Qinglin pondered for a moment and then said, "As one of the sacred lands of the Spirit Race, Sacred Tree Star naturally has treasure troves suitable for comprehending the Life Law. Not far from the Healing Hall, there is a Living Echo Valley, where the rhythms of the Life Law accumulated over the years permeate the air, which is very helpful for consolidating one's foundation and experiencing the nourishing properties of the laws."

"Furthermore, the Ancient Tree Courtyard in the southeast direction was built in imitation of part of the environment of our clan's Sacred Tree. It also provides a good boost to your understanding of the Life Law and is closer to the way of natural growth. It may be helpful for your understanding of the laws contained in the Sacred Source Fruit and Sacred Source Crystals."

Lin Yi memorized these place names and sincerely thanked him, "Thank you for your guidance, Qinglin!"

"No need to be polite." Qinglin smiled. "It's good that you have this intention. The Life Law are profound and extensive, applicable to combat, cultivation, and..."

This will be greatly beneficial to you. Alright, that concludes today's treatment. The hidden dangers in your body have been eliminated, so I don't need to come back tomorrow. You only need to rest for about ten days to fully recover."

"Thank you again." Lin Yi stood up and bowed.

After Qinglin left, Lin Yi immediately asked Xuanji to check the specific information, entry requirements, and reservation status of these locations.

Fifteen days later, he recovered to 100% and officially left the Healing Hall.

On the very day he recovered, an official notification from the Spirit Race was sent to all the non- Spirit Race prodigies who remained there.

The notice was clear: Given that the "Secret Realm One" was about to open, all races needed to recall their prodigies for final preparations. The Spirit Race would provide all prodigies from other races with a five-year grace period. During these five years, the prodigies could remain on Sacred Tree Star and utilize the environment and resources provided by the Spirit Race for their final push. After the five-year period, the Spirit Race would make unified arrangements to escort all the prodigies back to their respective races.

"Five years..." Lin Yi pondered this timeframe.

It's not long, but it's enough to do a lot of things.

His first task was to deal with the "miscellaneous items" he had brought out from the Sacred Tree Secret Realm.

The wooden cores, special sap, and tough vine materials collected after killing the Tree Spirits of the World Derivation level, although individually not particularly valuable to him at present, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of gold battle merits, are abundant in quantity.

Lin Yi didn't waste time looking for private channels to sell them; he directly submitted a list of all the materials that needed to be processed through the Spirit Race's official battle merit recycling system.

The Spirit Race's assessment efficiency is extremely high.

A day later, a detailed assessment report and quotation were sent back.

"A total of 23,147,500 golden battle merits," Xuanji reported.

More than 23 million!

Lin Yi was certain.

This is a huge sum of money.

Adding to his remaining nearly 10 million gold battle merits, his total disposable battle merits now amount to 33 million.

With a huge sum of money in hand, Lin Yi didn't hesitate at all and immediately started a new round of spending.

The goal is clear: to fully enhance one's understanding of the Life Law.

"Xuanji, apply for Ancient Tree Courtyard, usage period: three years." Lin Yi issued the first instruction.

Qinglin's recommendation makes a lot of sense. The environment of the Ancient Tree Courtyard is closer to the Sacred Tree Secret Realm, which may better help him digest the harvest of Sacred Source Fruit and Sacred Source Crystals and transform it into a real increase in his comprehension.

"Application submitted, under review... Approved. Requires payment of 10 million battle merits." Xuanji replied.

More than three million a year, ten million in three years—this price would sting for an ordinary god-level being, but Lin Yi didn't even blink.

"Payment."

"Payment successful. Access granted; you can proceed at any time."

"Next, sift through the Golden Battle Merit Treasury for all treasures that can aid in comprehending the Life Law. Requirements: significant effects, preferably with a single use or an effective period of more than two years, and priority should be given to items that can create synergistic benefits with the Ancient Tree Courtyard environment I will be using," Lin Yi continued to instruct.

The light screen unfolds, revealing a list of dozens of precious treasures.

Lin Yi quickly filtered the options and, based on the effect analysis report provided by Xuanji, soon narrowed it down to two items.

[Life Source-Rune Crystal]: A strange crystal collected from the core of an ancient life star, naturally engraved with some of the basic source runes of the Life Law. After refining, these source runes can be briefly reflected in the soul, greatly enhancing the understanding and resonance with the basic structure of the Life Law. The effective period is approximately 2.5 standard years. Exchange requires 5 million battle merits.

[Dew of All Living Things]: Dew collected from the "Spring of Life and Death," a cosmic wonder, contains extremely pure and vibrant life essence. After consumption, it can greatly stimulate the user's own life potential and affinity for the Life Law, and maintain this active state for a relatively long time, aiding in enlightenment. The effective period is approximately 3 standard years. Requires 4.5 million battle merits to exchange.

The two combined amount to 9.5 million battle merits.

"The treasures that grant insights into the Life Law are much cheaper than those that grant insights into the Law of Spacetime..." Lin Yi sighed for a moment, then decisively said, "Exchange for the Life Source-Rune Crystal and the Dew of All Living Things and Death."

With these two treasures, combined with the approximately three-fold increase in basic comprehension environment provided by the Ancient Tree Courtyard, and further enhanced by the Sacred Source Crystals... he was confident that he could push his comprehension of the Life Law to a new level within the next three years!

"Exchange application submitted... Payment authorization completed... The treasure will be transferred from the Spirit Race Divine Kingdom to your residence within ten standard days." Xuanji confirmed.

In a short period of time, 20 million battle merits were spent like water, but he felt no heartache, only anticipation for the upcoming closed-door cultivation.

After arranging his personal cultivation resources, Lin Yi used Xuanji to invite the members of the Star Source Society to a small gathering, which was to be held in a reception room next to his private rest room.

That evening, Edith, Green Leaf, Hui Yao, Valerie, Liu Yun, and other members of the Star Source Society arrived one after another.

There wasn't much small talk at the gathering. Lin Yi mainly provided a batch of Purified Source Essence to the prodigies who needed it, based on the proportion of the deposited amount. After all, these past five years have been a period of rapid improvement, and many prodigies have an urgent need for improvement.

After the gathering ended, everyone dispersed, making the most of their remaining time to engage in cultivation.

The next morning, as dawn was breaking.

"Xuanji, prepare the flying vehicle to go to the Sacred Forge," Lin Yi instructed.

He also had a very important matter to deal with: the "Eternal Artifact Embryo with Growth Potential" that had been promised to be tailor-made for him when he won the Genius Battle championship.

This is the perfect opportunity to complete the initial communication and plan formulation for the artifact embryo.

"Yes, Master. It's reserved for you," Xuanji replied.

Lin Yi straightened his clothes, his mind replaying his reflections on his own fighting style and law inclinations over the years, as well as the suggestions he received from Xuan Yan and his senior brother regarding the customization of divine artifacts.

Fifteen minutes later, a small aircraft emitting a faint Silverblue glow silently glided onto the landing pad.

This is the "Spiritwind Shuttle," a unique feature of the Spirit Race, renowned for its extreme speed, stability, and stealth.

Lin Yi boarded the Spiritwind Shuttle, and the hatch closed.

The Spiritwind Shuttle took off lightly, accelerated rapidly, and transformed into a streak of light that was difficult to see with the naked eye, heading towards the Sacred Forge on the Sacred Tree Star, which was shrouded in layers of law barriers.

Soon, the Spiritwind Shuttle arrived at its destination.

Pale golden runes flowed across the surface of the Sacred Forge, slowly shifting as if alive, emanating an ancient and powerful aura. Lin Yi stood before the magnificent gate of the Sacred Forge, gazing at the building woven from a special metal and unknown energy, patiently waiting.

Soon, a middle-aged male Spirit Race dressed in a silver robe walked out of the door.

He wore the emblem of the Sacred Forge on his chest, a sword forged in a furnace, its surface shimmering with seven stars.

"Welcome to the Sacred Forge, Lord Lin Yi. I am your receptionist, Eric."

Lin Yi nodded. "Yes, I've made an appointment today to consult about the forging of defensive artifacts."

Eric smiled and said, "Please follow me. Master smith Astra is already waiting for you."

Lin Yi followed Eric into the Sacred Forge.

After passing through several areas, they arrived at a relatively quiet foundry.

The door here is made of a translucent crystal, and behind the door, a tall figure can be vaguely seen standing in front of a furnace that emits a soft white light.

"Master Astra, Lin Yi has arrived," Eric said respectfully from outside the door.

The crystal door slid open silently, and a tall, muscular yet well-proportioned figure turned around.

This master foundry had bronze-colored skin and slightly protruding foreheads on either side, resembling two small horns.

His eyes were pure molten gold. After glancing at Lin Yi briefly, he nodded, gesturing for Lin Yi to enter the forging room.

The layout inside the foundry was very simple. Apart from the white furnace in the center, various forging tools and material samples were placed around it.

"Sit." Astra gestured to a chair carved from black rock beside her, then sat down in a forged chair. "What kind of treasure do you want? Have you decided?"

"It's confirmed," Lin Yi said. "My offensive capabilities are sufficient, but my defense is lacking. I'm worried about encountering a fatal blow that I won't have time to react to, so I want a piece of armor-like treasure."

Astra's molten gold eyes gleamed with contemplation. "Interesting. With your control over the laws of space and time, you should have extremely strong escape abilities. I thought you would want an offensive treasure."

"Even the fastest escape requires reaction time," Lin Yi said calmly. "If the attack is so fast that there's no chance to react, even the strongest escape ability is useless."

A hint of appreciation flashed in Astra's eyes. "A wise understanding. Many cultivators perish not because their attacks are not strong enough, but because they are ambushed and severely injured."

He stood up, walked to the wall, and gently ran his fingers over a suit of fiery red armor. "This is the armor I forged for an Eternal Divinity who is skilled in the laws of fire."

He then pointed to another piece of silver-white armor. "This is the Frostcore Guard, which has a strong defensive amplification effect against water and Frost laws."

Lin Yi carefully examined these works; each one was a masterpiece, radiating an energy fluctuation that made his heart flutter.

"But none of these are suitable for you." Astra changed the subject. "These are defensive treasures specifically crafted for certain laws. Although their defensive power is strong, their applicability is limited. As a potential master of spacetime, a seed of a sovereign, and destined to master multiple laws in the future, a defensive treasure specializing in a single law would actually become a limitation."

Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat. "Master, do you mean..."

99

Astra walked back to the furnace and gently pressed her palm against its surface.

White flames instantly rose from the furnace, revealing a complex three-dimensional structure within them.

"This is the embryonic form of an Eternal Artifact," Astra explained. "It's not a complete Eternal Artifact, but a basic framework. You can think of it as an empty container. As you master more laws, you can infuse it with treasures that correspond to those laws, allowing the armor to continuously evolve."

Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat. "So, the armor can become stronger as the number of laws I master increases?"

"Exactly," Astra nodded. "Each time you master a new law, you can evolve the armor. Theoretically, once you have mastered all nine laws, the armor will have undergone nine evolutions, reaching its final form. If all conditions are met—top-tier materials, perfect evolution... the final form's defensive power will barely touch the threshold of Venerable Lord Rank treasure."

Venerable Lord Rank!

Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat.

A treasure of the Venerable Lord Rank —that's a supreme treasure that only Venerable Lord level experts can afford!

"However," Astra's tone turned serious, "This requires extremely demanding conditions; each and every material needed for evolution is incredibly precious."

"Master, the materials needed for evolution..." Lin Yi asked tentatively.

Astra took a crystal-clear memory crystal from the workbench beside the furnace, then casually wiped it with her hand, infusing it with information. "This is a list, detailing the names and characteristics of the treasures available for each law, as well as their approximate difficulty level in obtaining them."

Lin Yi took the crystal and probed it with his divine sense. Instantly, a massive amount of information flooded into his mind.

Space Law Fusion Treasure:

Void Crystal (Top Grade) - Found deep within spatial rifts from the very beginning of the universe.

Boundary Stone (Advanced) - Core remnants formed after the collapse of a small world.

Space source crystal (intermediate) - a product of highly condensed space energy.

Time Law Fusion Treasure:

Time Sand (Top Grade) - Strange grains of sand occasionally washed away from the edge of the river of time.

Leaf of Time (Advanced) - The leaf of an ancient plant that grows in areas with abnormal time flow.

Dust of Time (Intermediate) - Dust that naturally condenses in areas rich in the laws of time.

Metal-type Law Fusion Treasure:

Immortal Refined Gold (Top Grade) - A metallic essence forged in the Star Core over tens of thousands of Epoch.

Law of Gold (Advanced) - A metallic ore containing the essence of the gold-based laws.

The list outlines the three levels of treasures corresponding to the nine laws Lin Yi cultivates, ranging from top-level to intermediate-level, totaling twenty-seven types.

Lin Yi glanced through the list and found that even mid-level treasures required a large amount of battle merits or clan honors to exchange for, not to mention the top-level materials, some of which he had never even heard of.

"These materials... I'm afraid I won't be able to gather them all in a short time," Lin Yi said honestly.

Astra was not surprised at all. "Of course. But there's no need to rush. Evolving the armor is just a long-term goal. The rough prototype only needs a hundred years to be made into armor. Even without anything being incorporated, the material alone can reach the defensive standard of a high-level god-grade armor."

"Therefore, I suggest you gradually collect higher-level treasures as your strength increases. Remember, it's best to use treasures of the same level for evolution to ensure the stability and potential of the armor's evolution. If you use a mid-level treasure the first time but a top-level treasure the second time, it may cause structural imbalance."

"Thank you for the reminder, Master. I agree to this plan," Lin Yi said solemnly. "Please forge the embryo of this evolving armor for me."

Astra smiled slightly, "Very good. Among divine-grade materials, only the very best ones can be called eternal. I will naturally take charge of the embryo's forging myself."

"One hundred standard years later, the embryo will be complete, and I will notify you. At that time, you will need to come in person to complete the final binding ceremony. Now, you can begin preparing the evolution materials."

Lin Yi bowed deeply in gratitude. "Thank you, Master."

After leaving the Sacred Forge, Lin Yi felt both excited and heavy-hearted.

What excites me is that I'm about to possess a growth-type armor with unlimited potential; what weighs heavily on me is the long list of materials, which feels like a mountain pressing down on my mind.

"Let's take it one step at a time," Lin Yi thought to himself. "First, I need to improve my strength to qualify for more materials."

Fifteen days later, the Life Source-Rune Crystal and the Dew of All Living Things that Lin Yi had exchanged were delivered on time through the Spirit Race's Divine Kingdom Teleportation System.

Without the slightest delay, he took the two treasures and, most importantly, the ten standard portions of Sacred Source Crystals, and went directly to the advanced meditation room in the "Ancient Tree Courtyard" that he had reserved.

The Ancient Tree Courtyard is located in Core Zone of Sacred Tree Star that is shrouded in a special barrier. Its environment is completely modeled after the internal ecology of the ancient Sacred Tree of the Spirit Race.

The towering ancient trees, gnarled and intertwined, exude a tangible, verdant Life Law, and the energy permeating the air contains a unique rhythm of life.

Cultivating the Life Law here is at least several times more efficient than outside.

Lin Yi sat cross-legged in the center of the meditation room and first took out the Dew of All Living Things.

It was a jade bottle that appeared to be carved from a single piece of jade, filled with a translucent liquid.

He uncorked the bottle, tilted his head back, and drank the dew in one gulp.

A cool yet vibrant energy instantly swept over my entire body.

Lin Yi felt as if his soul was being immersed in the purest Spring of life, and his perception and affinity for the Life Law around him were rising at an incredible speed.

Without pausing, he immediately took out the Life Source-Rune Crystal.

This is an irregularly shaped, light green crystal, with countless complex and mysterious patterns of laws naturally engraved on its surface.

Lin Yi cupped the crystal in his hands and immersed his divine sense into it.

Instantly, those complex source patterns of law seemed to come alive, flowing out from the crystal and directly reflecting into the depths of his soul.

His understanding of the most essential structure of the Life Law is analyzed and presented with unprecedented clarity and depth.

Finally, with a thought, Lin Yi summoned the Sacred Source Crystals, which floated beside him. The cyan-gold energy within it, resembling liquid light, began to be slowly and continuously drawn out, merging into the already rich Life Law environment of the Ancient Tree Courtyard, and perfectly superimposing with the effects of the Dew of All Living Things and the Life Source-Rune Crystal.

In that instant, Lin Yi felt as if he were in the "Source Sea" of the Life Law.

The Ancient Tree Courtyard provided an excellent basic environment and resonance with the laws, the Dew of All Living Things enhanced his own perception and affinity to the extreme, the Life Source-Rune Crystal revealed the underlying structure and mysteries of the laws to him, and the five-fold boost of specialized insights provided by the Sacred Source Crystals was a "multiplier" that pushed all these effects to their peak.

Lin Yi slowly closed his eyes, drawing upon the "Spiritual Enlightenment Qi" stored within the Purple Mist Space.

The purple aura permeated his comprehension process, acting as a top-tier catalyst, causing a qualitative leap in his Thought Speed, comprehension ability, and efficiency in integrating and deducing various laws and information.

The Spiritual Enlightenment Qi stack perfectly with those of all other treasures, without any conflict or attenuation, which is its most precious quality.

Cultivation knows no time.

Lin Yi was completely immersed in the vast world of the Life Law.

The level of understanding of the Life Law is steadily increasing.

twenty two%...

45%

0.58%.

Lin Yi was like the most precise instrument, efficiently and steadily absorbing and digesting the nutrients from all directions.

In addition to the continuous long-term support provided by the Sacred Source Crystals, the effects of the Dew of All Living Things and the Life Source-Rune Crystal reached their peak one after the other, and then slowly diminished over time.

However, Lin Yi's foundation of understanding has been solidified to an extremely high level.

Time passed day by day.

On this day, the three-year usage period of the Ancient Tree Courtyard ended, and Lin Yi slowly awoke from his deep cultivation.

He opened his eyes, a deep emerald light swirling within them, and the life force emanating from his body was harmonious and restrained, almost blending into the environment of the Ancient Tree Courtyard.

"Comprehension of the Life Law..." Lin Yi sensed carefully, and a clear number appeared in his mind, "77%."

It has increased from 21% to 77%!

If word got out, this speed would be enough to shock any powerful cultivator who practices the Life Law.

"That's not enough. Ideally, I should be able to fully master the Life Law within these five years," Lin Yi thought to himself.

His reason for this idea was simple: the cultivation grounds for the Life Law on Sacred Tree Star were numerous and highly effective. Once he returned to the Human Race territory, such convenient conditions would no longer be available.

"Only three Sacred Source Crystals have been used so far. Based on the speed of comprehension, fully mastering the Life Law will only require a maximum of five more. Therefore, we'll have about six more left over..."

"My current problem is that I don't have enough battle merits. If I want to fully master the Life Law before entering the secret realm, I might consider selling a few Sacred Source Crystals."

As for the trading partner, Lin Yi immediately had someone in mind.

Lin Yi stood up and left the Ancient Tree Courtyard, instructing in his mind, "Xuanji, call back the Flying Shuttle for me, and also contact Edith."