Coming One After Another, A Fortune of a Million

Upon hearing this, Wen Xu and Maika's smiles froze for a moment.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the same meaning in each other's eyes.

You idiot, we agreed it wouldn't exceed 100,000!

Maika looked at Wen Xu, his eyes conveying a clear message: How did you surpass them too?

Wen Xu glared back without hesitation: We're in the same boat.

Wen Qianqi, who was standing behind them and had been leaning against the courtyard wall with her arms crossed, burst out laughing when she saw the expressions on their faces.

Wen Xu set a limit of 100,000 for his siblings, Maika readily accepted.

And the result?

Wen Xu himself gave away 150,000 to 160,000 Yufu Jade Marrow, Maika was even more outrageous, giving away miscellaneous items totaling nearly 200,000 yuan.

Wen Qianqi found it increasingly amusing, but she knew it wasn't the right occasion to expose him, so she suppressed her laughter and stepped forward, deliberately nudging Wen Xu with her shoulder as she squeezed between the two.

Then she walked straight to Lin Yi, a crimson jade box floating in her palm, with a tiny flame pattern embedded in the lid.

"Take this," Wen Qianqi pushed the jade box towards Lin Yi, "This is my congratulatory gift."

Lin Yi instinctively declined, but Wen Qianqi didn't give him a chance to speak.

"Don't push, that's the rule."

With one hand on her hip and a matter-of-fact expression, she said, "In this Silent Giant City, anyone who's even slightly familiar with someone is expected to offer a congratulatory gift when someone breaks through to a higher realm. Let alone you, even an ordinary Eternal Source Realm cultivator would receive a congratulatory gift from acquaintances. If you don't accept it, and others do, what kind of impression will it make if those of us closest to you don't give anything?"

Wen Qianqi spoke, she turned her head and glanced at Wen Xu.

Wen Xu immediately understood, gave Maika a look that said he'd settle the score with her later, and quickly smiled and chimed in, "Qianqi is right. Brother Lin Yi, don't refuse. In a couple of days, Fourth Sister, Ninth Sister, and Little Sixteen will definitely send their own. If we don't even show our appreciation, people will think we don't consider you a friend."

Maika, slightly flustered, avoided Wen Xu's gaze and smiled as he handed the dark blue brocade box back to Lin Yi. "That's exactly right. You're now at the Eternal Source Realm, and your status in the Silent Giant City and even the entire Left Silent Cosmos Domain is different. It's common for friends to exchange gifts; if you don't accept it, it would seem like you're being distant."

The three of them took turns offering the gifts, and Lin Yi, unable to refuse, finally smiled wryly and put away all three gift boxes.

Seeing that Lin Yi accepted the gift, the three of them relaxed.

Wen Xu clapped his hands and suggested, "Brother Lin Yi's breakthrough today is a joyous occasion and should be celebrated properly. However, you've just broken through, and you must have a lot of things to do. How about we get together after you've finished your busy schedule?"

Lin Yi had no objection.

After chatting for a few more minutes and agreeing on a time, the three of them said their goodbyes and left.

The courtyard fell silent again.

Lin Yi turned around and went back to the small building, then went down the stairs to the training room on the first basement floor.

He sat cross-legged in the center of the cultivation platform, and with a wave of his hand, four gift boxes of different shapes flew out from his Divine Kingdom and floated in front of him one by one.

The first one is the Dark Gold Crystal Box that Wen Ke presented on behalf of the Wen Family.

The second light blue box belonged to Wen Xu, the third dark blue brocade box belonged to Maika, and the fourth crimson box was given to him by Wen Qianqi. Lin Yi first picked up Wen Xu's light blue crystal box and opened the seal on the lid.

This time, Wen Xu gave away three Lanhua Crystal Marrow, which are used to quickly restore the Chaos Power.

Lin Yi knew about this item. When used by someone at the initial stage of the Eternal Source Realm, it could replenish all Chaos Power within a few breaths. The three of them together were worth approximately 250,000 Eternal Cosmos Crystal.

Maika's dark blue brocade box contained a complete set of auxiliary resources specifically for the initial stage of the Eternal Source Realm cultivation: two crystal cores for assisting in understanding laws, plus a rare ore for strengthening the Source Sea Barrier of the Eternal Source Realm. All three items were of the same grade, totaling nearly 300,000 Eternal Cosmos Crystal.

Lin Yi put down the two boxes and then picked up Wen Qianqi's crimson jade box.

Upon opening it, he found a completely crimson ore inside. Its powerful energy even caused the energy patterns in his cultivation room to light up slightly. Lin Yi recognized it as Abyssflame Flowing Ore, a high-end material for crafting treasures, worth approximately 150,000 Eternal Cosmos Crystal.

"These scions of wealthy families are truly extravagant..."

Lin Yi put away the three people's belongings, silently sighed to himself, and then his gaze fell on the last Dark Gold Crystal Box.

He was curious; if the disciples of aristocratic families were so lavish in their actions, what about the aristocratic families themselves?

As Lin Yi pondered this, he raised his hand and pointed.

The box lid slowly opened.

A powerful aura of law immediately emanated from it.

Lin Yi's pupils contracted slightly as he looked at the items in the box.

There was only one thing inside.

It was a dark golden feather, with countless fine and intricate patterns of laws flowing across its surface.

Lin Yi recognized the item; it was the primordial feather of the Chaos Beast Jisu Owl the Eternal Source Realm Completion. It had two uses: one was as a high-end refining material to craft Eternal Source Realm treasures.

Alternatively, it can be activated directly, unleashing a powerful attack comparable to a Eternal Source Realm Completion, or instantly breaking through restrictions and seals below the Eternal Source Realm Completion level, allowing for an instant escape.

To put it simply, this is a treasure that can be used for both offense and defense.

Treasures of this caliber cannot be bought with money alone; they only occasionally appear at auctions, and the selling price is at least one million Eternal Cosmos Crystal, sometimes even higher.

"Is this the foundation of an aristocratic family? A casual congratulatory gift costs a million Eternal Cosmos Crystal..."

Lin Yi took a deep breath and silently closed the box.

He would be polite to Wen Xu and others, but he had no intention of being polite at all to the congratulatory gifts presented by Wen Yong on behalf of the Wen Family.

The reason is simple: regardless of what he thinks in his heart, in the eyes of the outside world, he has long been labeled as a member of the Wen Family family faction. The reason why the Wen Family is so generous is probably because they treat him as one of their own.

Therefore, Lin Yi simply closed the four gift boxes and stored them into his Divine Kingdom within his body.

Just as he was about to withdraw his consciousness, his gaze suddenly fell upon a dark silver crystal box in a corner of the Divine Kingdom.

It was given to him by He Hongcan, the manager of the He Family Arena, on the day he left the arena. At the time, He Hongcan said it was a small token of appreciation from the arena.

At that time, all he could think about was buying True Source Soul Crystal. He casually accepted one and put it into his Divine Kingdom, and then never thought to open it to take a look.

Lin Yi casually took out the box and gently flicked the edge of the lid with his index finger.

The lid popped open, revealing a miniature space inside where two hundred thousand Eternal Cosmos Crystal were neatly stacked.

Lin Yi stared at the neatly arranged crystals for a moment, then paused in surprise.

Although 200,000 Eternal Judgment Crystal may not seem like much now, it's important to remember that back then he was only at the True Source Realm, so 200,000 Eternal Judgment Crystal was considered a substantial gift.

"The He Family is quite interesting..."

Lin Yi was well aware that the He Family was showing goodwill in advance because they were optimistic about his future. But having such thoughts was easy; being willing to spend real money was not. The He Family had indeed done quite a job making the arena, a business that skirted the edge of the rules, very successful.

Thinking of this, Lin Yi shook his head, pulled himself out of his thoughts, and closed the dark silver crystal box again, putting it away as well.

There was one more thing he felt he should do as soon as possible.

The news of breaking through to the Eternal Source Realm must be told to Li.

Since being pulled from the Black Mist Sea, Li has always been one of the people he respects most, and the benefactor he most wants to repay.

Whether it was turning back to rescue them, complete strangers, in the Black Mist Sea, or taking care of and supporting them on the mothership, or the times Li risked his life to protect him while fighting side by side on the Frontline over the years, Lin Yi clearly remembered everything Li had done for him.

It was precisely because he kept it in mind that he had to tell Li about his breakthrough to the Eternal Source Realm as soon as possible.

It would be disrespectful to let others find out about your breakthrough through other channels later.

Thinking of this, Lin Yi's heart stirred slightly.

At this time, the Sixteenth Fleet was undergoing a period of rest and recuperation.

Far inside the training room of the Fierce Blood Assault Ship, Time Seal Clone slowly got up, pushed open the hatch of the training room, and then turned two corners along the internal corridor of the Fierce Blood Assault Ship before stopping in front of the captain's training room.

He reached out and pressed the sensor on the side of the door. A sharp voice came from inside, "Come in."

The hatch slid open silently, and Li Zheng sat cross-legged on the cultivation platform in the center of the cultivation room.

He wasn't wearing his armor today, only a dark gray casual outfit. When he saw Lin Yi's clone enter, he smiled and asked, "What's up? Why did you go to all this trouble? You could have just used telepathy."

Lin Yi's clone didn't keep them in suspense and went straight to the point. "Captain, my Main Body has already broken through to the Eternal Source Realm."

Li remained silent for a moment.

Then he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

His mind raced through Lin Yi's breakthroughs over the years.

When he first rescued him, he was just a little guy at the Cosmic Source Realm.

Later, he broke through to the True Source Realm, then the middle and high levels of the True Source Realm, and now, he is at the Eternal Source Realm.

Although he had long known that Lin Yi would definitely break through before him, and Commander Lainiadun had long determined that Lin Yi was a rare slow-burning genius, Li still felt somewhat dazed when the day actually arrived.

It's not that I'm jealous, it's just... this is too fast!

However, these thoughts only lasted for a moment.

He was very happy for Lin Yi Lin Yi he was able to break through to the Eternal Source Realm.

Therefore, Li quickly suppressed the complicated emotions in his heart and said with a smile, "It's much faster than I expected, this is great news!"

As he spoke, he stood up from the cultivation platform, then focused his consciousness into his inner Divine Kingdom. After searching for a while, he raised his hand, took out a crystal box, and handed it to Lin Yi.

Seeing this, Lin Yi quickly reached out and pressed down on his arm. "What are you doing? I'm telling you this news, not here to collect your gifts."

He knew very well that Li and Wen Xu were different from those scions of prominent families.

Wen Xu can casually give away treasures worth tens or hundreds of thousands of Eternal Cosmos Crystal because he himself is at the Eternal Source Realm and has the behemoth Wen Family family backing him up.

Li was merely a squadron captain in the Imperial Army, living off military merits and salary. He often helped his subordinates out of his own pocket, and his cultivation expenses were also substantial. How much wealth could he possibly have accumulated?

Therefore, Lin Yi firmly declined.

But Li's attitude was even more resolute.

"Such a joyous occasion, how can I, as his brother, not show my support?"

"Take it."

Li shoved the box into Lin Yi's hand.

"Captain..." Lin Yi was about to speak when Li interrupted him.

"Alright, stop dawdling. I know what you're trying to say; if you don't accept it, you're disrespecting me."

Having said all that, Lin Yi had no choice but to accept it.

Then, he said seriously, "Captain, I'm in a hurry to tell you this news because I want to tell you something else. I hope you won't rush to break through to the Eternal Source Realm. Wait for me to return."

Li was stunned for a moment.

"I wanted to bring you something back." Lin Yi looked at Li and said slowly, "Source Fusion Crystal Marrow."

Li was taken aback.

He had certainly heard of the name Source Fusion Crystal Marrow.

For cultivators who have been at the peak of the True Source Realm for many years and are making final preparations to break through to the Eternal Source Realm, no one is unaware of this thing.

It can provide an additional framework of laws at the most critical stage of breaking through to the Eternal Source Realm, that is, the step of reconstructing the Chaos Source Sea with the Chaos Law, thus reducing the risks during the breakthrough.

Although it can only increase the breakthrough probability by less than 10%, for someone at the peak of the True Source Realm, that 10% could be the difference between life and death.

Because if the breakthrough from the True Source Realm to the Eternal Source Realm fails, the Soul Origin will be completely torn apart by the rampaging Chaos Law.

That was utter annihilation, which even resurrection could not reverse.

Li had seen more than once those cultivators who had lingered at the True Source Realm Perfection for far too long, and finally decided to take a gamble.

Some of them succeeded, thus entering a completely new realm.

However, many more Soul Origin were torn to pieces by the violent power of the laws, dissipating into the thick and turbulent River of Time in the Chaos Cosmic Sea.

Now Lin Yi is telling him that he's going to bring him back a piece of Source Fusion Crystal Marrow.

Li fell silent.

He wanted to say that this thing was too precious, worth more than 700,000 Eternal Cosmos Crystal.

He meant to say that you've just broken through to the Eternal Source Realm, and you'll need money for all aspects of your cultivation from now on. It's not worth it to spend so much money on a treasure that can only increase the probability by less than 10%.

He wanted to say that over the years, he had gotten used to seeing off his old comrades who couldn't cross this threshold, used to packing up their belongings and sending them back to the places they designated, and used to sitting alone in the captain's cabin during breaks in battle, staring blankly at the empty bulkheads for a while.

He wasn't afraid of death; what he feared was using Lin Yi's treasure and still failing in the end, which would render all his heartfelt efforts futile.

But he didn't say a single word of these words.

Because he saw perseverance in Lin Yi's eyes.

So, Li simply nodded in the end.

"Good."

His voice was a few decibels lower than usual, carrying a suppressed emotion, "I'll wait for you to come back."

A smile finally appeared on Lin Yi's face.

Li sighed inwardly, suppressing his surging emotions for the time being, and then said, "It would be best to report the breakthrough to the commander and the military leader as well."

Lin Yi nodded. "That's natural."

Li's reminder was correct; breaking through to the Eternal Source Realm was no small matter, and both logically and emotionally, he should report to Commander Lainiadun and Commander Wen Qianfei.

This is not only a basic respect for his superiors, but also an explanation to all those who had helped him in the past.

Li gave instructions to Zero Three and requested an audience with the commander, which was quickly answered.

A moment later, the two stopped in front of Commander Lainiadun's command room.

Li raised his hand and pressed the sensor on the side of the door, then announced loudly, "Captain Li of the Sixteenth Squad, along with Centurion Lin Yi, requests an audience with the Commander."

Lainiadun's voice came from inside the door. "Come in."

Inside the command center, the crimson crystal core on the dome flickered slowly at a fixed frequency, enveloping the entire command center in a dark red halo.

Lainiadun sat in the main seat, with several light screens floating in front of him, displaying a dense array of real-time defense data from various squads.

He glanced up at the two of them, then lightly swiped his finger across the screen, temporarily setting the data aside.

"What's wrong? It's rare to see you two come together. Is there some good news?"

Lainiadun's gaze swept back and forth between Li and Lin Yi.

Li didn't answer, but just glanced at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi stepped forward, pounded his chest with his right fist, leaned forward slightly, and gave a standard Imperial Army.

"Commander, my Main Body has successfully broken through to the Eternal Source Realm in the Silent Left Giant City a few days ago."

The command center fell silent.

Lainiadun leaned back in his chair, staring at the young man's clone before him. He remained silent for a long while before a smile slowly spread across his face.

The smile started at the corners of his mouth and gradually spread.

He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in the command room a couple of times.

"Good, good! Three thousand Epoch," Lainiadun said with a smile, "From the high-level True Source Realm to the Eternal Source Realm, good, very good."

Lin Yi was about to say something when Lainiadun raised his hand to stop him.

"Alright, I won't say any more sentimental things. Now that you've reached the Eternal Source Realm, according to the rules, I should give you a gift."

As he spoke, he reached out and took out a dark red metal box.

The box appeared to be cast from some kind of extremely heavy alloy, with no decorations on its surface except for a faint insignia of the Imperial Army embedded in the center of the lid.

Unlike Li, Lin Yi felt that Lainiadun, as Eternal Source Realm, should have some savings, so he didn't refuse his old leader's congratulatory gift and accepted it directly, then bowed. "Thank you, Commander."

Lainiadun waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to be polite, then turned to the crimson crystal core on the dome of the command room and instructed, "Contact Commander Wen Qianfei for me."

The blood-red crystal core of the dome suddenly lit up, and an extremely thin beam of dark red light shot out from the core.

The wait wasn't long.

Before long, a phantom figure clad in dark blue armor slowly appeared.

After Wen Qianfei's illusory image materialized, her gaze immediately fell on Lin Yi, and she smiled as she spoke, "Congratulations, Lin Yi."

Lin Yi was taken aback.

He had prepared a speech, intending to first report his breakthrough and then thank the military commander for his cultivation and recommendation.

But Wen Qianfei's first words were "Congratulations," which means she already knew.

The only explanation is that someone in the Wen Family broke through to a higher level and immediately sent the news to this third young lady.

He thought about it again and it wasn't surprising. He himself was the one Wen Qianfei had sent over, so naturally the Wen Family family would inform her immediately.

These thoughts flashed through Lin Yi's mind.

Now that Wen Qianfei knew, Lin Yi skipped the earlier formalities, bowed first, and then respectfully said, "My breakthrough was a stroke of luck, entirely thanks to the cultivation of the Military Lord."

Wen Qianfei chuckled softly upon hearing this, "You don't need to be modest. Breaking through to the Eternal Source Realm is the result of your own efforts; no one else's cultivation can replace it."

She paused, then said with a hint of teasing, "Besides, I've heard about your invincible exploits in the Silent Ring Arena."

Lin Yi gave an awkward laugh. Opinions on navigating the arena were subjective, and he didn't know how to respond.

Wen Qianfei didn't seem to be waiting for his reply and continued, "Indeed, I should congratulate you in person on your breakthrough to the Eternal Source Realm. However, Mist Sea City is far from Silent Giant City, and I've given you my spaceship, so I can't get there in a while. I've already asked my fourth sister to deliver the congratulatory gift, and it should arrive in the next couple of days."

Lin Yi quickly replied, "Your Excellency's kindness is too much; I dare not accept it..."

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He hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "I am unworthy of such a title."

Wen Qianfei shook her head upon hearing this. "Keep it. You're someone I recommended. If I don't offer a gift now that you've broken through to the Eternal Source Realm, it will only cause unnecessary speculation."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. You've already broken through to the Eternal Source Realm, so you should be reassigned according to the rules. However, I think you won't be able to stay in the military for much longer, so I'll stop making changes. The Constant Guard is where your true stage lies."

She paused briefly, then looked at Lin Yi and said slowly, "I look forward to hearing the news next that you have become a member of the Constant Guard."

"Your subordinate will do his best."

Lin Yi said solemnly.

Wen Qianfei nodded slightly.

Having said what she needed to say, she said no more, and her illusory figure slowly faded away.

A moment of silence fell over the command center.

Lainiadun glanced at Lin Yi, then at Li, and waved his hand. "Alright, you guys go back. The Sixteenth Squad is still resting; the order to rotate shifts will be coming soon."

Lin Yi and Li stood up at the same time, pounded their chests with their right fists in a salute, and then turned and walked towards the cabin door.

After walking for a while, Li finally spoke, "What are your plans regarding the Huo Family?"

Lin Yi didn't stop walking, but replied calmly, "No rush. The most important thing right now is the Constant Guard assessment. After I pass the assessment and officially obtain the Constant Guard status, I'll settle accounts with them later."

Li nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The Wen Family, East Garden Annex.

In the training room on the basement floor, Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes.

Having resolved a matter that had been weighing on his mind for a long time, he was in a much better mood.

He was just about to sort out his recent affairs when the pale blue rune on the wall suddenly lit up.

Wen Zhi's voice rang out. "Wen Twenty-Nine is outside the courtyard, hoping to pay his respects."

Wen Twenty-Nine?

Lin Yi had a pretty good impression of this familiar steward, so he casually straightened his clothes and walked out of the cultivation room.

The courtyard gate opened, Wen Twenty-Nine stood outside with his hands at his sides.

Upon seeing Lin Yi personally open the door, he quickly bowed and gave a salute.

"Lord Lin Yi, Elder Ke instructed me to assist you with any congratulatory arrangements that may follow. Since you advanced to the Eternal Source Realm, many people will likely come to offer their congratulations. Some will be from the Wen Family family itself, while others may have come specifically after hearing the news. You may not recognize everyone, and forgetting their names could be awkward. Having me here to introduce them will prevent any breach of etiquette between the two sides."

After listening, Lin Yi was impressed by Wen Yong in handling matters.

He nodded and stepped aside to make way. "Manager Wen, you're too kind. Please come in. Thank you for your help these past few days."

"I dare not accept such praise."

Wen Twenty-Nine bowed slightly and followed Lin Yi through the courtyard, entering the living room on the first floor of the villa.

Several servants then brought in some tableware for guests, quickly arranged it on the reception table, and then silently withdrew.

The scenes that followed over the next few days gave Lin Yi a more direct understanding of the significance of the three words "Eternal Source Realm".

As Wen Twenty-Nine had said, people began to come to offer their congratulations.

The first to arrive were several direct descendants of the Wen Family family who lived on the main crystal cluster; Lin Yi could at least recognize their names.

Other guests from the East Garden Annex arrived one after another.

These guests from the Eternal Source Realm were not familiar with Lin Yi, but since it was such a coincidence, and they heard that someone had broken through to the Eternal Source Realm and was a genius at that, they came over to congratulate him and present him with a gift.

Further on are the Eternal Source Realm of the Wen Family family branch and some other forces that are on good terms with the Wen Family.

Just as Wen Twenty-Nine said, Lin Yi indeed didn't recognize most of them.

If it weren't for Wen Twenty-Nine introducing everyone, the intricate family relationships and titles alone would have been enough to give him a headache. "This is Wen Ze from the seventh branch of the Wen Family, a mid-level Eternal Source Realm cultivator, responsible for managing the outer mining affairs within the clan."

"This is Steward Chen from the Resounding Sky Pavilion. Resounding Sky Pavilion and the Wen Family have been on good terms for generations. They came to offer their congratulations upon hearing of your breakthrough, sir."

"This is the head of the Yanxi Family's external affairs department..."

The gifts brought by the Eternal Source Realm who came to offer their congratulations were not particularly valuable, as they were just ordinary social gifts. Of course, this "not valuable" was relative to the gifts given by Wen Xu and his group, and the basic value was between 20,000 and 50,000 Eternal Cosmos Crystal.

Lin Yi took it all in stride.

He had no relation to these people, so it was already quite kind of them to come and offer their congratulations.

Each group of people arrived, and he would politely exchange a few pleasantries with them. After they put down their gifts and exchanged a few words of greeting, they would take their leave. With Wen Twenty-Nine's assistance, he handled everything step by step, and it wasn't too tiring.

After several days, the number of people coming to offer their congratulations gradually decreased.

After seeing the guests off in the living room, Lin Yi sat back in his large chair, let out a long sigh, and then immersed his mind in his inner Divine Kingdom.

Although these days of welcoming and seeing off guests were exhausting, he felt it was all worthwhile.

He silently calculated that, including the gifts from Wen Ke, Wen Xu and others, the total value of the congratulatory gifts and presents he had received so far had quietly surpassed the 3.5 million Eternal Cosmos Crystal mark and was heading straight for 4 million.

Nearly four million Eternal Cosmos Crystal.

This amount is by no means a small sum, even in the Silent Giant City.

Many cultivators at the initial stage of the Eternal Source Realm might not even be able to reach this amount in terms of their total wealth.

The distance between his True Source Realm Perfection and Eternal Source Realm was only one hurdle, yet his wealth skyrocketed from a meager existence to this level.

Before achieving his breakthrough, he had to carefully accumulate Eternal Cosmos Crystal.

And now? Less than ten days after breaking through to the Eternal Source Realm, he has already received nearly three million in congratulatory gifts alone.

Lin Yi leaned back in his seat and remained silent for a long time, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

Indeed, the world you see changes depending on where you stand.

People with different levels of understanding and social standing acquire wealth at vastly different speeds.

The most precious resources, the finest treasures, and the most hidden opportunities have always been geared towards cultivators at higher levels.

The world never reserves scarce opportunities for those still struggling at the bottom; it only continuously bestows its richest gifts upon those who have already risen up.

"If this is already the state of the Eternal Source Realm, then what about the Constant Source Realm?"

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Therefore, we still need to become stronger!

Lin Yi thought to himself.