A Millennium of Hard Training, One Step from the Finish Line

Wen Qianfei nodded slightly, a smile appearing on her face, "I will arrange for him to be sent to Silent Giant City."

"Alright." Wen Xiao turned to Lin Yi, "The assessment for the Constant Guard is by no means easy. Six thousand seven Epoch is neither a long nor a short time. But this is enough time for you to prepare. I hope you can pass the test and become a member of the Constant Guard."

As the words fell, the pale golden phantom disintegrated from the ground up like dust blown away by the wind, turning into countless points of light that vanished into the air of the command room.

The command room fell silent again.

Wen Qianfei turned around, her gaze falling on Li: "The distance between Silent Giant City Mist Sea Giant City is far, and the Fierce Blood Assault Ship cannot leave its defense zone to take Lin Yi there. Li Baichang, you can return now."

Li immediately bowed and said, "Yes, Commander."

Wen Qianfei turned her gaze to Lin Yi: "It wouldn't be proper for other Imperial Army warships to send you to Silent Left Giant City. Therefore, I've decided to let you use my private spaceship to travel to Silent Giant City."

Private spaceship?

Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat.

The military commander's private vehicle must be no ordinary object.

Wen Qianfei continued, "I will retain your military status. The Constant Guard examination is by no means easy, and the pass rate has always been extremely low."

If you don't pass the test, you can come back.

This was clearly a way out for him, and he naturally couldn't refuse such a kind offer.

"Thank you, Commander." Lin Yi bowed solemnly.

Then, he voiced an idea that had just come to mind.

"My lord, I have another request."

"Explain."

Lin Yi composed himself and slowly said, "I wish to leave the Time Seal Clone in the Seventy-First Fleet to continue participating in combat."

Wen Qianfei raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't speak. She simply gestured for him to continue.

Lin Yi said, "There are still nearly seven thousand Epoch until the Constant Guard assessment. During this time, my main Main Body will go to Silent Giant City to prepare for battle, while my clone will return to the Black Rock Mothership with Captain Li to continue participating in Frontline combat."

His thinking wasn't complicated.

Everyone knows the name "Lin Three Favors".

If he suddenly disappeared from the Mist Sea City Imperial Army, the news would likely spread quickly and inevitably arouse speculation from all sides.

Currently, his clone is still active on the Black Rock Mothership of the Seventy-First Fleet. As long as the members of the Sixteenth Fleet don't spread rumors, it will take a long time for others to figure out his exact situation.

Of course, there's also the most important point.

Military achievements.

Now, with his advanced True Origin realm and seven Cosmic Universe Seal, the strength of a single clone is stronger than the previous combination of his Main Body and clones.

Although he has accumulated a considerable amount of military merits, he is still far from having enough to exchange for a complete True Source Soul Crystal.

The assessment will begin after 6,700 Epoch.

This means he has nearly seven thousand Epoch to go.

As long as his clone continues fighting on the Frontline the Black Mist Sea, his current strength will obviously allow him to accumulate military merits at an even faster pace.

It's not impossible to accumulate enough military merit over seven thousand Epoch.

Once he obtains the complete True Source Soul Crystal, and pushes his soul comprehension to the initial stage of the True Source Realm, coupled with the blessing of Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, his cultivation speed will once again experience a qualitative leap.

At that time, the chances of participating in the Constant Guard assessment will be much higher.

Wen Qianfei's heart stirred slightly after hearing Lin Yi's request.

She hadn't really thought about military merit.

As a direct descendant of the Wen Family, she never had to worry about resources growing up.

Military merits and Eternal Cosmos Crystal were just numbers to her, so Wen Qianfei didn't think about them too deeply.

She simply felt that even if Lin Yi was going to participate in the assessment, he would still be worried about the Sixteenth Squad.

Wen Qianfei nodded inwardly, "Since you have this intention, then so be it, Li Baichang."

Li immediately stepped forward. "Your subordinate is here."

"Lin Yi's clone will return to the Black Rock Mothership with you."

"Yes!"

Wen Qianfei then looked at Lin Yi: "Since I recommended you and you are my subordinate, you will stay at my Wen Family for now after you arrive. Someone will notify you when the assessment begins. Don't worry about the trivial matters; my Mechanical Servants will take care of them for you. You only need to do one thing."

As she spoke, her gaze turned serious. "Cultivate diligently and secure a spot in the assessment."

"Understood," Lin Yi replied solemnly.

Wen Qianfei said no more. With a flick of her right hand, a figure appeared instantly.

It was a humanoid machine made entirely of dark silver metal, its surface covered with intricate energy patterns.

Its eyes were two pale blue crystals, emitting a soft light at that moment.

Wen Qianfei instructed him, "Take Lin Yi to my private spaceship, then pilot the spaceship back to Silent Giant City."

"Yes, Master."

"Go ahead." Wen Qianfei waved her hand.

Lin Yi and Li bowed simultaneously, then turned and walked out.

The door to the command room slid open silently behind them and then slowly closed after the two people walked out.

Li let out a long breath, turned to look at Lin Yi, his eyes filled with emotion.

"Lin Yi," he said, "The military commander truly values you."

Lin Yi nodded without saying anything.

Li didn't say anything more.

The two walked side by side along the passage, their combat boots making a rhythmic, soft sound as they stepped on the metal floor.

Lin Yi didn't stop until he walked out of the command area.

"Captain," he said, turning to the silver-armored Mechanical Servants who had been quietly following behind him.

"Please wait a moment," Lin Yi said to the Mechanical Servants.

The silver- Mechanical Servants nodded slightly in response.

Lin Yi took a few steps forward, then summoned his Time Seal Clone.

"Captain, I'm entrusting this clone to you."

Li grinned. "Don't worry. With your current strength, I estimate you can't even beat your clone. With the two of us here, the squad won't be in any trouble. As for you, I feel that the Constant Guard is a more suitable path for you. Although the Constant Guard assessment will definitely be very difficult, I think you can definitely do it."

Lin Yi nodded. "I will."

The two exchanged a glance, needing no further words.

Li turned around and led his Time Seal Clone in another direction, which led to the berthing area of Fierce Blood Assault Ship.

Lin Yi watched them walk away, then turned around and looked at the silver-armored Mechanical Servants.

"Thank you for your trouble," Lin Yi said to the Mechanical Servants.

"Please follow me." The silver- Mechanical Servants turned around and led the way.

Lin Yi followed behind the Mechanical Servants, walking forward along the passage.

The journey from the area where the military command center is located to the private spacecraft's docking area is not short.

However, the Mechanical Servants clearly had a thorough understanding of the internal structure of this Yong Yao- class fortress ship.

It chose neither the shortest nor the widest route, but the one with the fewest people.

Along the way, we encountered almost no other people.

As Lin Yi walked, he looked around at his surroundings.

The internal structure of the Yong Yao- class fortress ship is completely different from that of the Black Rock Mothership.

Although the Black Rock Mothership has a vast interior space, its layout is compact and the passageways are narrow, exuding the pragmatic feel of a military product.

The interior of the Yong Yao- class fortress ships is more spacious, with wider passageways and more exquisite decorations.

Although it still maintains a military style, the details have become more refined.

Occasionally, other blood-armored warriors or even black-armored centurions would pass by in the distance. Upon seeing the silver-armored Mechanical Servants, they would salute from afar, and no one would approach to question them.

Too.

Although it is just a Mechanical Servants, it represents the military commander himself.

The two walked like this for quite a while, and then the passage ahead suddenly opened up.

A huge dome appeared overhead.

The dome was hemispherical, with complex Chaos Law flowing across its surface.

Directly beneath the dome, a spaceship was docked.

Lin Yi's gaze fell on the spaceship.

The spaceship wasn't particularly large, only about the size of the Fierce Blood Assault Ship, but every inch of its lines exuded a strange elegance and a sense of power.

The spaceship is a deep blue color, and its surface is made up of countless tiny crystals.

The crystals were layered like dragon scales, and the edges of each crystal shimmered with a faint blue fluorescence.

As the fluorescent light shifted, it formed intricate patterns, like the breath of some living creature, or like stars twinkling in the night sky.

At the bow, a fist-sized, dark blue crystal core is embedded in the center of the hull.

Inside the crystal core, liquid energy was slowly rotating. Each rotation caused the surrounding chaotic energy to vibrate slightly, forming a very faint energy ripple in front of the bow.

There is a narrow golden stripe on each side of the ship, which extends from the bow to the stern like two golden wings.

At the stern, three enormous tail fins spread out in a fan shape.

Each tail fin is composed of dozens of extremely thin crystals stacked together, with a deep blue energy flowing between the crystal layers. The tip of the tail fin is slightly upturned, like the wings of some elegant raptor.

"This is the master's private spaceship, the Blue Feather," the silver- Mechanical Servants's voice sounded from behind.

Lin Yi noticed that the spaceship's hatch had opened automatically upon their arrival.

It was an oval-shaped opening located on the lower side of the hull.

"Commander Lin, please."

Mechanical Servants spoke, he led the way to the cabin door.

Lin Yi followed behind it, passing through the hatch and entering the spaceship.

The first thing that catches the eye is a narrow passageway.

The walls on both sides of the passage are a soft white-gold color, with no decoration on the surface, but the luster of the material itself is pleasing to the eye.

The Mechanical Servants stopped in the passage and turned around.

"Chief Lin," it began, "You are free to use all the public areas and cultivation facilities inside the spaceship. However, although the master has not explicitly forbidden it, it is recommended that you do not enter the master's private cabin. It is best to respect the privacy of a cultivator."

Lin Yi nodded. "I understand."

The Mechanical Servants nodded slightly, then pointed to a door at the end of the passage. "That's the cultivation room. You can go in seclusion there to cultivate."

Lin Yi looked in the direction it was pointing.

The door was pale gold, with simple geometric patterns engraved on it, giving it a very understated look.

"The spaceship has an independent energy circulation system that can provide the high-purity chaotic energy needed for cultivation. If you need specific cultivation resources, you can also tell me; the spaceship has a spare stockpile," the Mechanical Servants continued. "In addition, the rest area is on the next floor. If you need to eat, you can also let me know. Of course, with your current level, you shouldn't need to eat frequently."

Lin Yi smiled and said, "Thank you."

T

The Mechanical Servants nodded, then turned and walked in another direction. "I'm going to the cockpit to start the ship. You can cultivate in seclusion in the training room, or rest in the observation deck. After takeoff, we should arrive at Silent Giant City in approximately one thousand Epoch."

The first Epoch.

Lin Yi silently repeated the time in his mind.

It wasn't a long time, but it wasn't short either; it was enough for him to push his abilities to several more levels.

He watched the Mechanical Servants walk away, then turned and walked toward the pale gold door.

The door slid open automatically as it sensed his approach, revealing the space inside.

The training room wasn't large, but it was arranged in a very orderly manner.

At the very center is a circular cultivation platform, which is cut from a single piece of some kind of dark blue crystal, and its surface is engraved with fine law patterns.

There was a small tea table next to it, on which sat a pot of unidentified plant with pale blue flowers.

Lin Yi's gaze swept over these details one by one, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

Commander Wen Qianfei is known in the military for her iron-fisted decisiveness and swift and efficient actions. She never utters a word of nonsense. However, this is the scene inside her private spaceship.

Clearly, he uses this spaceship frequently, which is why he has arranged the training room in such a casual and comfortable manner.

Lin Yi withdrew these thoughts and stopped thinking about them.

At that moment, the spaceship shuddered slightly.

He could feel the ship beneath his feet slowly rising.

The berthing area of Yong Yao- class fortress ship is located below the hull. The spaceship needs to rise to a certain height before it can leave the berth.

The tremors subsided quickly.

Lin Yi opened his eyes and looked out through the porthole of the cultivation room.

The massive silhouette of the Yong Yao- class fortress ship rapidly shrank behind them, soon transforming into a dark golden dot before disappearing from sight.

Lin Yi withdrew his gaze and sorted out his thoughts.

His Rule Comprehension needs to be further advanced. He needs to overcome each threshold from the eighth to the ninth level of the True Source Realm, and even to the perfect level.

The eighth and ninth Cosmic Universe Seal need to be condensed.

Only when all nine seals are completed can the legendary Nine Seals United be unleashed, allowing one to touch upon the power of that trace of the Chaos Law.

There are also True Source Soul Crystal.

The improvement brought by that defective product was far from enough; the complete version of the True Source Soul Crystal was his real goal.

Once obtained, his soul comprehension will be pushed to the level of the initial stage of the True Source Realm. At that time, with the added blessing of Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, his chances of passing the Constant Guard assessment will greatly increase.

In addition, military merits need to be accumulated continuously.

Fortunately, his Time Seal Clone will stay here and do these things for him.

Lin Yi went over these things in his mind, and then stopped thinking about them.

Then, the Spiritual Enlightenment Qi within the Purple Mist Space suddenly ignited.

Time flies.

Sailing silently in the endless void of the Chaos Cosmic Sea, the hexagonal crystals on the surface of the ship shimmered with a faint blue light, like a shooting star streaking across the ink-deep Cosmic Sea.

Inside the Blue Feather spaceship, the energy supply system of the training room always operated at its highest power, continuously injecting pure chaotic energy into the quiet cabin.

Lin Yi sat cross-legged in the center of the cultivation platform, his eyes closed, his body enveloped in thick, water-like chaotic energy.

More than a thousand Epoch passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, the voice of the silver-armored Mechanical Servants came from outside the cabin door of the training room.

"Lin Baichang, the spaceship is about to arrive at Silent Left Giant City. I've come to inform you in advance."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi opened his eyes and sighed silently in his heart.

It's difficult, extremely difficult.

During the voyage, he first spent over eighty Epoch breaking through to the eighth level of the True Source Realm.

During that time, he seemed to have turned into a statue.

The Chaos Rules, like countless delicate yet distinct silver-gray threads, intertwined deep within his consciousness, forming an increasingly dense...

An ever-expanding network.

Each breakthrough at a node, each thread connecting the dots, expands the reach of this network outwards.

With the Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, his soul, like a dry sponge, greedily absorbed the mysteries of the Chaos Rules.

Those insights that ordinary cultivators need to ponder for thousands or tens of thousands of Epoch are nothing more than thin sheets of paper in his eyes, easily pierced with a single poke.

He achieved a leap of ten points from 60% to 70% in just over eighty Epoch.

If this speed were to spread to the outside world, it would be enough to leave countless True Source Realm cultivators dumbfounded.

But for Lin Yi now, it's just a matter of following the established routine.

His perfected soul comprehension at the Cosmic Source Realm, coupled with the terrifying boost from Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, allowed him to comprehend the Chaos Rules as if standing on the shoulders of giants, overlooking the earth.

Those once vague clues are now crystal clear; those bottlenecks that once required repeated contemplation are now easily cleared with a gentle push.

After the breakthrough, he spent nearly 20,000 standard years expanding the Chaos Source Sea.

The training rooms on the Blue Feather are also equipped with a complete energy supply system.

A soft, pale blue light flowed along the cabin walls, continuously injecting purified chaotic energy into the cultivation platform.

Once the barrier of the Source Sea was completely stabilized, Lin Yi did not pause for a moment and immediately immersed himself in comprehending the eighth Cosmic Universe Seal.

For his eighth seal, he chose the Cosmic Universe Seal of water.

Watermark, mainly flexible.

Unlike the earth seal's heaviness, the Gold Seal's Sharpness, and the fire seal's violence, the core of the water Cosmic Universe Seal lies in its inclusiveness and permeability.

The seal structure is centered on layers of ripple-like waves. Once fully formed, it can endow the Cosmic Universe Seal system with a harmonizing ability similar to "water nourishing all things," making the coordinated operation between various Cosmic Universe Seal more harmonious and smooth.

The addition of the Fire Mark brings a berserk attack bonus, but it also makes the entire Mark system more volatile.

The watermark can neutralize this restlessness, making the energy flow of the Cosmic Universe Seal more stable.

Condensing the illusory seal, refining the seal, and stabilizing the mark.

From beginning to end, it only took him eight Epoch.

Next is the ninth level of the True Source Realm.

It took him 110 Epoch to go from 70% to 80%.

The further you progress in Rule Comprehension chaos, the more difficult it becomes.

But in the face of Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, these difficulties merely changed the pace from "rapid" to "still very fast".

Breakthrough, expand the Source Sea, and solidify the realm.

He performed each step meticulously.

The ninth seal, the Cosmic Universe Seal, is made of wood.

Wood represents growth, connection, and vitality, sharing commonalities with life, yet possessing its own unique characteristics.

Thanks to his solid prior accumulation and profound understanding of life, he was able to condense the wooden seal faster than expected, and the Wooden Cosmic Universe Seal was completed in just twenty Epoch.

At this point, all nine Cosmic Universe Seal have been successfully formed!

According to the <Nine Seal Cosmos Art>, once all nine seals are condensed, one can attempt to combine the nine seals into one and touch a trace of the power of the Chaos Law, making one invincible in the True Source Realm.

Lin Yi did not rush things. He first spent time allowing the nine marks to be completely stabilized deep within his soul, so that the energy connection between them could reach a perfect balance.

Only after the Nine Seals system was completely stabilized did he begin to try to promote the mysterious process of "unifying the Nine Seals".

This is a step that requires an extremely high level of control over the rules, and it is necessary to coordinate nine different Origin Law to achieve a unified resonance at the level of Chaos Rules.

With his Spiritual Enlightenment Qi burning relentlessly, he successfully fused and resonated with the nine Cosmic Universe Seal deep within his soul in less than fifty Epoch.

The synergy of the Nine Seals system, in turn, greatly enhanced his understanding of the Chaos Rules.

He seized the opportunity and began his attempt to break through to the tenth level of the True Source Realm.

With the added benefit of his insights from the nine Cosmic Universe Seal, he spent 190 Epoch pushing the Chaos Rules to 90%.

True Source Realm, Level 10.

Next comes the step from 90% to 100%, which is the final step in achieving the True Source Realm in the usual sense.

The final ten points of progress took him three hundred and ten Epoch.

The moment the Rule Comprehension reached 100%, the entire network of rules emitted a deep rumble.

The net completely covered his entire core of soul, leaving no gaps.

From then on, the Chaos Rules held no secrets for him.

He has reached the peak of the True Source Realm, and is only one step away from the Eternal Source Realm.

This step is the Chaos Law.

After perfecting the Chaos Rules, Lin Yi did not pause at all and immediately began to comprehend the Chaos Law.

But he soon discovered...

It's difficult, extremely difficult.

He knew the difficulty of the Chaos Law would inevitably increase dramatically, but he didn't expect it to increase by so much.

He originally estimated that based on his speed of comprehending the Chaos Rules, it would be enough for him to reach the Eternal Source Realm in six thousand Epoch.

In fact, not only did he think so, but the military leader also predicted so, and he didn't think it would be difficult for him to break through to the Eternal Source Realm.

However, it is clear that even with the support of Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, a person at the peak of the Cosmic Source Realm still finds it too difficult to comprehend the Chaos Law.

Lin Yi sighed inwardly. This kind of thing was unexpected, but it wasn't exactly unexpected either.

Because the Chaos Law and the Chaos Rules are completely different things.

If the Chaos Rules are the foundational building blocks of the Chaos Cosmic Sea, then the Chaos Law are the blueprint and structure for assembling these blocks into a magnificent building—the "rules above the rules."

It determines how rules operate, how rules interact with each other, and under what conditions rules become invalid or transform.

If the Chaos Rules are a dictionary, then the Chaos Law are the articles written in that dictionary.

The same words, arranged in different ways, can convey vastly different meanings.

The process of comprehending the Chaos Law is to use the Chaos Rules you have already mastered as a "key" to pry open those higher-level core threads.

Every insight requires an extremely precise control over the rules; every step forward requires finding the right path among countless possible combinations.

Spiritual Enlightenment Qi burned fiercely deep within his soul.

Even so, his progress was still incredibly slow.

From the beginning of his comprehension of the Chaos Law, to the first capture of that true thread of the law, and then to the solidification of it deep within his soul to form an imprint, the entire process took him more than two hundred Epoch.

Comprehension of the Chaos Law: 0.01%.

It took more than two hundred Epoch to advance this insignificant step.

Of course, strictly speaking, this progress cannot actually be described as slow.

According to Lin Yi's own calculations, with his current soul comprehension and the Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, he should be able to rely on Spiritual Enlightenment Qi to forcefully grasp 1% of the Chaos Law and officially step into the threshold of the Eternal Source Realm within about Epoch.

The Thirty Thousandth Epoch.

For cultivators in the Chaos Cosmic Sea, the speed at which they progress from the Perfected True Source Realm to the Eternal Source Realm is nothing short of monstrous.

Countless cultivators have spent their entire lives stuck at the True Source Realm Perfection stage, never even managing to touch the threshold of the Chaos Law.

An endless lifespan is not always a good thing; for those cultivators who live too long but cannot make any further progress, it can be like a curse.

Many cultivators get stuck at a certain threshold, unable to take another step forward. When they get tired of living, they will make a desperate attempt to forcefully break through to a higher realm.

The vast majority of them ended in failure, their Soul Origin lost in the endless Chaos Law, and they perished.

Yet he was able to accomplish this within 30,000 Epoch, a feat that would drive countless people mad with envy.

But the problem is...

not enough.

That's far from enough.

The assessment for the Constant Guard will begin in over five thousand Epoch.

The basic cultivation requirement for the Constant Guard is the Eternal Source Realm.

He couldn't wait 30,000 Epoch.

He couldn't even wait 10,000 Epoch, let alone Epoch.

The assessment is just around the corner. If I can't break through to the Eternal Source Realm before the assessment, I won't even be qualified to participate.

Although the military commander said that he could come back if he failed the test, that was definitely not the outcome he wanted.

Thirty thousand Epoch is too long.

Therefore, Lin Yi plans to save enough money as soon as possible to buy the genuine True Source Soul Crystal and further enhance his soul comprehension.

"I wonder how many military merits the clone has accumulated..."

Lin Yi silently planned to find an opportunity to go to the Imperial Army's garrison to synchronize his military merit data after arriving in Silent Giant City.

Now, more than a thousand Epoch have passed, and the clone should have experienced countless battles on the Frontline the Black Mist Sea. Its military merits should be much more substantial than before.

But it's clearly still not enough.

Five hundred thousand Eternal Cosmos Crystal is not a small amount.

Even if all military merits were converted into Eternal Cosmos Crystal, it would still be far from enough.

"It seems I'll have to think of another way once we get to Silent Giant City..." Lin Yi made a decision in his heart.