You're different; I'll give you five thousand years

The atmosphere in the conference hall froze instantly.

All eyes instantly focused on the black-haired Human Race at the end of the oval table.

At this moment, Lin Yi, who was the focus of everyone's attention, smiled inwardly.

He originally planned to be a passive observer at this first core meeting, listening quietly and quickly familiarizing himself with the process and the attitudes of all parties.

It seems that I won't be able to become one now.

Although his senior brother Prison Suppressor had warned Lord Ellis beforehand that he was assertive and spoke directly, and that some of his words might be "unpleasant to hear," Lin Yi had no intention of backing down because of it.

He met those eyes that seemed to contain a vortex of time and space, raised an eyebrow slightly, and calmly said:

"The meeting notification and seating arrangements were issued by the base system. After receiving the notification, I took my seat as instructed. So, Ellis, do you find anything wrong with this arrangement?"

Upon hearing this, the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Prison Suppressor frowned but remained silent, while Sijia's gaze sharpened, as if deep in thought.

As for the other deities, most of them looked surprised. They did not expect that this newcomer would encounter a direct questioning from the strongest person in the base on his first visit to the meeting, and there was even a hint of confrontation between them.

Seeing Lin Yi's attitude, a strange light flashed in Ellis's cold eyes. He stared at Lin Yi for two seconds, then smirked and let out a short chuckle.

"Ha ha."

The laughter wasn't warm, but it dispelled the previous chilling tension that had almost frozen the air.

"This is what the new generation's First Heavenly Prodigy of the Pan-Spirit Alliance should be like."

Ellis spoke slowly, the scrutiny in her eyes fading somewhat, replaced by an expression as if she had seen something that met her expectations.

Then, he glanced around the oval table, his voice regaining its calm yet imposing quality. "Previously, I didn't care that Tabo arranged the seating for the Origin Treasure Deities who arrived after the base was built according to their order of arrival. Because in my opinion..."

His gaze swept over the assembled deities, his tone carrying an undisguised indifference, "You're all pretty much the same. While your strength may differ, your essence is the same. Where you sit is irrelevant."

This was a rather blunt statement, but most of the gods present, including several members of the Spirit Race race, only showed a hint of helplessness on their faces, and no one uttered a rebuttal.

The vast difference in their power and status gave Ellis the right to say such things.

After making a few sarcastic remarks, Ellis's gaze returned to Lin Yi. "But Lin Yi, you're different."

As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Lin Yi's response or any other reaction, he simply raised his hand and waved it in a faint gesture.

A faint yet exquisitely subtle force of spacetime instantly permeated the entire hall, like an invisible stream of water, gently but irresistibly enveloping every deity present, including Lin Yi.

Lin Yi immediately sensed the nature of this power.

It wasn't an attack; it was more like a precise teleportation.

Almost at the same time, Lin Yi noticed that the other Origin Treasure Deities present, facing this spacetime power that enveloped the entire area, had different expressions, but most of them just showed a wry smile and naturally relaxed their own law defenses without putting up any resistance.

Clearly, they were already used to Ellis's "do-it-yourself" style and tacitly approved of his dominance in certain "non-essential" matters.

In a flash, Lin Yi understood Ellis's intentions.

"While I don't care about such formalities as seating arrangements," Lin Yi thought to himself, "Since Lord Ellis has taken the initiative to show goodwill and expressed a certain degree of importance, there's really no need to offend him over such a trivial matter. Besides, judging from the reactions of the others, they seem to be used to his style."

Having figured this out, Lin Yi also suppressed his own natural resistance to the laws of spacetime, allowing that exquisite power to act on him.

The next instant, spacetime fluctuated slightly.

Lin Yi's figure blurred for a moment, and when it became clear again, he was already in the Central District the oval table, to the left of Ellis's seat.

Meanwhile, the figures of the deities who were originally sitting in that area also flickered with a faint light, each shifting their positions one position backward.

With the seating arrangement changed, the faint spatial and temporal energy that had permeated the hall quietly dissipated.

Ellis looked at Lin Yi, who was now sitting to her left, and a satisfied smile appeared on her usually icy face.

"That looks much better. By the way, Lin Yi, there's something you should know."

The hall fell silent. Everyone knew that Ellis was indifferent to many things, so the matter he brought up must be significant.

"It shouldn't be long before I've grasped the basics of the Time Origin Law." Ellis's voice was calm, as if she were talking about something trivial. "At that time, I'll leave the 47th floor and head to the 48th. You'll be in charge of this Frost Eternal Base from now on."

Upon hearing this, the faces of all the Origin Treasure Deities revealed undisguised shock, followed by complex emotions in their eyes.

There was envy, awe, and a deep sense of helplessness.

"Such an important matter. How come you never mentioned it before? You only told Lin Yi now that you've met him?" Many veteran gods had similar thoughts.

They've been at the Frost Eternal Base for so long, yet they've never heard them explicitly mention the specific progress of their own understanding of the Origin Law.

Now, to announce so directly to a newcomer they've just met that they're about to break through and leave—this differential treatment is truly disheartening.

Lin Yi was also taken aback.

Introductory Origin Law!

This isn't something you can achieve by just knowing a little bit about the Origin Law or having a vague understanding. You must master at Major General 1% of a particular Origin Law and be able to initially mobilize and invoke Origin Law power before you can be considered to have formally entered the field.

Otherwise, it's like looking at a landscape through glass—you can see it, but you can't touch it, and you can't truly utilize its power.

Once one masters a certain Origin Law, it means possessing the most crucial foundation for breaking through to the Venerable Lord Rank. Even if one does not immediately choose to break through, their combat power will far surpass that of ordinary high-level gods at their peak, and they can be called "quasi-Supreme Lords".

I never imagined Ellis would go this far!

"I just don't know how many standard years this 'not long' actually requires," Lin Yi thought to himself, then a solemn expression appeared on his face as he offered his congratulations, "I didn't expect Ellis to be about to enter the realm of Time Origin Law. Congratulations in advance!"

Ellis waved her hand, her smile widening slightly, and laughed, "Haha, no need for flattery. The future is yours. I've only gotten this far by living a few more Epoch. Remember, the 47th floor is not a place we should linger. The real stage is higher up."

He raised his finger and pointed upwards, as if it could penetrate the base's many barriers and reach into the depths of the starry sky.

"The 48th floor, or even the 49th floor. That's the realm where the most powerful deities reside. I look forward to meeting you there soon."

48th floor, 49th floor?

Lin Yi met Ellis's gaze and could feel the certainty and expectation in her words. He took a deep breath and nodded solemnly. "I will, Your Excellency Ellis."

At the same time, he thought to himself, "Unexpectedly, with Ellis's talent and background, and the fact that he is about to enter the realm of Time Origin Law, his highest goal seems to be only level 49. He didn't mention level 50 at all."

However, upon further reflection, this seems perfectly normal.

Based on the cryptic information he received from the Xuan Yan, and his own speculation about the rules of the Origin Universe Tower, the 50th floor likely corresponds to the combat power threshold of the "Venerable Lord Rank".

Once one breaks through to the Venerable Lord Rank, they will be rejected by the rules of the secret realm and will be unable to enter again. Therefore, in order to enter the 50th floor, in addition to accumulating a massive amount of Points, one must also possess terrifying combat power comparable to an ordinary Venerable Lord Rank with a "god-level" body!

The difficulty of this is self-evident.

The profound statement made by the Xuan Yan back then, "You will naturally know when you reach the 50th floor," suggests that the secrets hidden behind those 50 floors are likely far more weighty than one can imagine.

Just as Lin Yi's mind raced, Ellis had already withdrawn her gaze, as if the expectant conversation she had just had was merely a casual remark.

He leaned back slightly, his gaze sweeping across the room. "Alright, enough of the small talk. This core meeting will now begin."

As Ellis announced, "The meeting is now in session," the atmosphere in the decision-making hall immediately became serious, quickly shifting from the subtle fluctuations caused by Ellis's words and actions to a pragmatic and efficient deliberation.

The meeting was not lengthy or tedious.

The holders of the Source Treasures discussed the matter with great efficiency, mainly focusing on the core issues previously determined: the key mission directions for the next stage, the priority ranking of Resource Star fields, the monitoring and early warning of known enemy squad activity areas, the fine-tuning of the base defense rotation schedule, and the solicitation of preliminary exploration missions for several newly discovered but risk-unknown "suspicious" areas.

Although Ellis is assertive, he is not autocratic in specific discussions. Most of the time, he simply guides the process, listens to the opinions of all parties, and only gives a brief indication or makes a final decision at key junctures or when there are significant differences of opinion.

As a newcomer, Lin Yi listened quietly throughout, combining the information he had heard from Prison Suppressor with the information he had gathered earlier, and quickly pieced together a jigsaw puzzle about the current situation of the 47th floor, the distribution of various forces, the mission mode, and the operating rules of the Frost Eternal Base.

In the latter half of the meeting, a Origin Treasure Deities from the Machine Race rose and, in his characteristically precise and steady tone, reported the latest reconnaissance intelligence, "According to information relayed by the reconnaissance team three days ago, a medium-sized conflict occurred between the Abyss-Devouring Race allied forces and the alien races at the edge of the Dark Dust Sea, approximately 800 standard position years northwest of the base. The total number of participating gods is estimated to be between 300 and 400, with both sides suffering some losses. Specific casualties and gains are unknown."

Upon hearing this news, a look of solemnity flashed in the eyes of the deities in the hall.

Medium-scale conflicts like this are not common on the 47th floor. They usually involve various forces testing each other before rehearsing for a large-scale conflict.

Hearing this, Ellis, seated at the head of the table, scoffed, "It's just another big fight. What a waste of time."

As he spoke, he leaned back slightly, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest. His gaze swept across the room, finally lingering on Lin Yi for a moment before he sneered, "Before I leave here and head to the 48th floor, I'll definitely find an opportunity to give them a good beating and teach them a lesson they won't forget."

At this point, Ellis changed the subject and looked at Lin Yi, "Lin Yi, your approach on the 45th floor was clean and efficient, very good."

Then, as if remembering something, he said, "Right, you've just arrived at the base. As usual, you have a 500-standard-year buffer period. But 500 standard years might be enough for ordinary gods, but it's probably far from enough for you. How about this, your buffer period will be extended to 5,000 standard years."

These words caused a slight ripple in the hall once again.

Regardless of what others thought, Ellis continued speaking to Lin Yi, "With these five thousand standard years, given your talent, sufficient resources, and proper guidance, whether you choose to focus on the Time Origin Law or Space Origin Law, you should be able to grasp some basics."

"The Origin Law, if you can comprehend even a trace of it, even 0.001%, your perspective on the world will undergo a qualitative change. At that point, although you still won't be able to directly mobilize the power of the Origin Law for attack or defense, your control and utilization of the Origin Treasure in your possession will undoubtedly be greatly enhanced."

Lin Yi met Ellis's gaze, his mind racing.

Five thousand standard years? This far exceeded his expectations.

He had originally planned to use this "safe period" after arriving to thoroughly understand the three Time Origin Law Secret Manuals he had exchanged, and try to break through to the Time Origin Law, to see just how high the threshold of this realm, which was hailed as being above the level of gods, really was.

While I don't have a huge amount of Points right now, it's enough for the time being, and there's no urgent pressure to go out and risk my life to earn Points.

He naturally understood that the stronger one's capabilities, the more efficient one's future explorations would be, and the greater the rewards would be.

"Ellis, Your Excellency Ellis." Lin Yi did not refuse and expressed his gratitude solemnly.

Ellis simply waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to say more, and then announced the next segment of the meeting.

The second half of the meeting proceeded smoothly and soon came to an end.

Once all the established topics had been discussed, Ellis looked around and, seeing that no one had anything to add, decisively announced, "This meeting is adjourned. Meeting adjourned."

As soon as the words were spoken, the deities around the oval table rose to their feet.

Most of the gods simply nodded slightly in the direction of Ellis, then walked out of the hall in twos and threes, talking quietly.

Lin Yi also prepared to leave with the others.

Just then, a voice sounded beside him, "Lord Lin Yi, please wait a moment."

Lin Yi turned his head and found that the speaker was the Machine Race's source treasure holder who had previously reported the latest intelligence on the periphery, as well as the base's director and the owner of Hub 7, Bota.

He is one of the representatives of the Machine Race within the base, and a key figure responsible for intelligence gathering and tactical analysis. He is highly experienced and his strength is among the best of the top ranks.

Bota walked up to Lin Yi and smiled, "Regarding the seating arrangement for your first time attending the conference, Lin Yi, it was arranged according to convention. It was not because of any special opinion or arrangement on your part, so please don't misunderstand."

Lin Yi understood instantly.

This is the effect of Ellis's previous remarks, such as "You are different," "That is not where you should sit," and her direct statement that Lin Yi would "take charge of the base" in the future.

As the representative of the Machine Race at the base and a member of the core decision-making body, Bota came to explain in person, clearly not wanting Lin Yi to harbor any resentment because of this seating arrangement that followed old practices.

After all, it wouldn't have been a big deal if Ellis hadn't intervened. But once Ellis got involved, the nature of the matter changed. It's better to make amends and explain now than to be targeted later.

Having grasped the crux of the matter, Lin Yi smiled gently and waved his hand, "Bota, you are overthinking it. Rules are rules. I'm new here, so it's only right that I follow the rules. Lord Ellis's extra consideration is another matter. I understand, there's no need to worry about it."

Seeing Lin Yi's understanding nature, Bota's smile widened, and he nodded. "It's good that you understand."

The misunderstanding was cleared up, and the atmosphere became relaxed.

Just as Lin Yi was about to take his leave, a thought suddenly struck him.

The one before them was Origin Treasure Deities of the Machine Race, whose race was absolutely second to none in the Pan-Spirit Alliance when it came to the research of Intelligent Life. Xuanji was worried about not having the most authoritative and efficient solution for Xuanji upgrade plan.

Thinking of this, Lin Yi paused. "Bota, I have a question I'd like to ask. My Intelligent Life assistant is currently at the World Derivation level. I plan to upgrade it to the High God level. From the perspective of the Machine Race, what upgrade path is most suitable? What materials would I need to exchange for?"

"You're too kind, Lin Yi."

Bota was clearly pleased that Lin Yi was asking him about this matter. He immediately raised his hand and made a virtual gesture in the air, conjuring a cluster of information.

"This is a suggested list and exchange guide for our Machine Race's 'Higher God-Level Enhancement Plan.' It details the core logic unit models, soul framework compatible materials, law adaptability expansion protocols, and security permission upgrade keys required for breaking through from the World Derivation level to the God Level, and then steadily advancing to the Higher God Level. All listed items can be found in the exchange space of the Origin Universe Tower."

"Your Excellency simply needs to follow the steps in the checklist to exchange for the materials and perform the fusion upgrade. This plan has undergone thorough data verification in terms of stability, potential activation, and future scalability."

Upon receiving the information, Lin Yi quickly realized that the list was extremely detailed and professional, far exceeding his previous rough estimate. He solemnly said, "Bota, Your Excellency Bota! This list has been of great help to me."

"I'm glad I could help you." Bota nodded slightly. "If you encounter any technical problems during the upgrade process, please feel free to contact me. We Machine Race have some experience in the field of Intelligent Life."

The two chatted for a while, and after leaving the decision-making hall, Lin Yi noticed that Prison Suppressor and Sijia, the two Human Race treasure holders, were standing not far away, seemingly waiting for him. He greeted Bota and then walked over.

"Senior Brother, Lord Sijia."

Sijia smiled and nodded to Lin Yi: "How was your first time attending the conference, Your Excellency Ellis? Hmm, your style is quite unique, but you heard what he said—he has high expectations for you."

Lin Yi smiled wryly, "The pressure is considerable. However, Lord Ellis's extension of my grace period to five thousand standard years is a pleasant surprise. But..."

He looked at the two of them and said with a hint of apology, "In that case, some base affairs or tasks that I might have been able to start taking on five hundred standard years from now will probably have to wait a little longer."

Prison Suppressor laughed and patted Lin Yi on the shoulder, "What's there to apologize for? Ellis is right, five thousand standard years is more suitable for you. Strength is fundamental; the stronger you are, the greater the role you can play in the future. As for the affairs here at the base, Sijia and I can handle them for now. Just focus on your cultivation."

Sijia said gently, "Prison Suppressor is right. You should focus on improving yourself and touching the Origin Law as soon as possible. This is the greatest guarantee for our Human Race's interests on the 47th floor. Don't worry about other trivial matters."

Feeling the support and understanding from his senior brother and fellow clansmen, Lin Yi felt a surge of warmth in his heart and once again expressed his sincere gratitude.

After parting ways with his two senior brothers, Lin Yi summoned the Flying Shuttle again, returned to the trading hall, and entered the quiet room once more.

While continuing to list the remaining treasures for sale, he devoted all his attention to deeply comprehending the three secret manuals of the Time Origin Law.

Time flies when you're focused.

During this period, Frost Eternal Base held two more routine core meetings, Lin Yi attended on time each time, but still adhered to the principle of "listening more and talking less," mainly to understand the latest Dynamic.

Meanwhile, some of the goods he had listed in the trading hall were sold, bringing back a total of about two billion Points of various treasures.

The reason for selling only this number is that after the wave of purchases introduced by Beilinluo, the gods in the base who needed high-level divine-grade equipment have basically already consumed it, and the market is temporarily saturated.

And so, he continued his arduous practice while setting up a stall in the quiet room, and more than three hundred standard years passed.

On this day, Lin Yi, who was sitting cross-legged in the quiet room, slowly opened his eyes.

"I have finally finished studying all three classic texts."

He muttered to himself, his tone carrying a hint of relief and a touch of eagerness.

He had fully understood and digested the contents of these three secret texts, making them part of his own knowledge system.

"It's time to give it a try." A strong urge welled up in Lin Yi's heart.

He ended the listing for sale in the quiet room, got up and left.

After returning to his residence at the base, Lin Yi activated all protective and isolation measures, but he did not immediately retrieve the "Time Source Law Vein Diagram" worth 21 billion Points, nor did he activate his Spiritual Enlightenment Qi.

He planned to rely on his improved comprehension and the knowledge he gained from the secret manual to first attempt a comprehension exercise without the aid of any external forces.

He closed his eyes, his mind completely calmed down, and his soul consciousness contracted inward. Following the guidance in the <Trace of Time>, he began to try to use the perfect laws of time as an anchor and bridge to extend and explore his soul perception towards a deeper, more essential level, which seemed to transcend the simple scope of laws.

Time passed little by little.

One standard day, one hundred standard days, one standard year

Ten standard years passed quickly.

Ji Yi's brows gradually frowned from the initial calm, and finally formed a deep "Chuan" character.

no.

Absolutely not!

He had clearly understood the contents of the three secret manuals perfectly, theoretically knew what to do, knew roughly what the Time Origin Law was, and knew the path to impact it and the obstacles he might encounter.

But when he actually tried to touch, to perceive, and to establish a connection with the legendary Time Origin Law, he found himself facing an endless, eternally frozen dark void.

The perfect laws of time, in the face of this void, are like a delicate but powerless little boat, utterly unable to break through that invisible barrier.

His soul consciousness tried countless times to extend and explore, but each time it was as if it had hit an endless wall, and it was ruthlessly bounced back, unable to even stir up a ripple.

Lin Yi was aware of his own state. His eyes indicated he understood, while his hands (his mind) suggested he was being difficult.

"God-level comprehension... is it still too much to ask of Origin Law?" He sighed softly and shook his head.

He finally understood firsthand why countless high-ranking gods, even after countless Epoch of arduous cultivation, could never cross that threshold.

This is not merely a matter of accumulation and resources, but a fundamental chasm at the level of life itself.

Without genuine talent, or some external force sufficient to break through this barrier, success is almost impossible relying solely on conventional insights.

Fortunately, he didn't only have conventional methods.

Lin Yi took a deep breath, quickly suppressing the sense of defeat in his heart, and his eyes became firm again.

Fortunately, I still have real talent.

His thoughts sank into the deepest part of his soul, to that vast ocean of purple mist.

"The Spiritual Enlightenment Qi."

"Combustion!"

Boom!

Purple flames suddenly shot up!

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