The Path of Eternal Origin, Cifey's Gift

After a moment of reflection, Lin Yi began to seriously consider his next steps.

Breaking through to the Eternal Source Realm is only the first step. There are still more than three thousand Epoch to go before the Constant Guard assessment, which is neither a long nor a short time.

If used properly, his abilities could be further enhanced, which would greatly increase his chances of passing the assessment.

However, improving one's strength often means spending money.

Although he now possesses nearly four million Eternal Cosmos Crystal, which sounds quite wealthy, the owl feather given to him by Wen Yong is a life-saving item. Such items are rare and hard to come by; selling them is easy, but buying them back depends on luck. He must not touch them unless absolutely necessary.

After deducting the cost of Xiaoyu, the only funds truly available are less than 2.5 million Eternal Cosmos Crystal.

Two and a half million Eternal Cosmos Crystal seems like a pretty good sum.

But upon closer inspection, Lin Yi realized that he needed to spend money on everything.

There are no weapons, no armor, no Eternal Source Realm treasures, no cultivation techniques, no combat manuals, no auxiliary secret arts, no spaceships, nothing at all.

He's currently a blank slate at the Eternal Source Realm.

Lin Yi silently estimated in his mind that the 2.5 million Eternal Cosmos Crystal he could use were simply not enough.

He sighed inwardly. You only realize how little money you have when you need it. You may have changed your perspective and social class, but the fact that you don't have enough money seems to be an eternal truth.

"Sigh, let's take it slow."

Lin Yi shook his head, then calmed his mind and took the opportunity to sort out the key directions for the next period of time. Suddenly, he sensed a talisman flickering slightly in his Divine Kingdom.

It was the very one Wen Xu had left him for communication.

Lin Yi took out the talisman and gently touched its surface with his fingertip.

A warm, cyan light emanated from the talisman, and Wen Xu's cheerful voice immediately rang out in the cultivation room.

"Brother Lin Yi, I told Wen Twenty-Nine to let me know when you've finished dealing with your visitors."

Wen Twenty-Nine just sent a message saying that the guests who came to offer their congratulations these past few days have mostly finished, and things have calmed down for you now. Since you have some free time, how about we get together for a small gathering? Fourth Sister and the others have been waiting for you to be free so they can personally deliver their congratulatory gifts to you."

After hearing this, Lin Yi smiled.

The main reason is that we haven't gotten together in a long time, and it's definitely not because of any so-called gifts.

He thought for a moment, then replied to the talisman, "Okay, when?"

The reply from the other end of the talisman came almost instantly, "Now is fine, everyone should be free. Come to my place, you know where I live."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi put away the talisman, stood up, straightened his robes, and then pushed open the door of the cultivation room and walked outside.

He had visited Wen Xu's residence once; it was also located on the Wen Family's main crystal cluster, not too far from the Eastern Courtyard.

He walked along the winding stream among the crystal clusters for only a short while before he saw the courtyard where Wen Xu lived in the distance.

The courtyard wall was covered with dense layers of star vines, and the pale blue flower buds trembled slightly in the energy halo, like countless tiny stars embedded among the vines.

The courtyard gate was wide open.

As soon as Lin Yi reached the door, Wen Xu came out from inside the courtyard to greet him.

"Come on, everyone's here," he said, putting his arm around Lin Yi's shoulder and leading him inside.

The two walked through the flower hall in the front yard, turned a corner through a moon gate, and suddenly the view opened up before them.

Wen Xu's gathering place was set on the terrace behind the courtyard. The terrace was built against a huge crystal cliff, half of which was suspended in the air, with a stream of crystal cluster energy flowing slowly below.

A large table was set up in the center of the terrace, laden with various delicacies and drinks. Several people sat around the table, chatting in small groups.

Lin Yi glanced around and saw that they were all familiar faces: Wen Qianqing, Wen Qianluo, and Wen Qianlan. However, Maika was not there.

Wen Qianqing was still wearing an elegant light purple dress, and was talking quietly with Wen Qianluo beside her.

Wen Qianluo was not holding a sword in her arms today. Instead, she placed her hands together on the table and listened to Wen Qianqing speak with her head slightly tilted to the side.

Xiao Shiliu sat next to Wen Qianqi, resting her chin on one hand while idly fiddling with a small energy ornament in front of her with the other.

Upon seeing Lin Yi enter, all of them turned their gazes towards him simultaneously.

Wen Qianqi spoke first, teasingly saying, "Oh, the main character has arrived."

She stood up from her seat, put one hand on her hip, and looked Lin Yi up and down. "Not bad. In just a few days, the fluctuations of the laws on your body have been completely contained."

Lin Yi smiled. "There's no way around it, I was eager to get here for a drink, so I had to hurry."

Haha, there's plenty to go around today!

Wen Xu laughed and gestured for Lin Yi to sit down. He then sat down in the seat next to Lin Yi and poured him a glass of wine.

The wine was pale gold in color, with fine bubbles rising slightly. As the bubbles burst, it emitted subtle fluctuations of the laws of nature, clearly indicating that it was not an ordinary product.

After everyone was seated, Wen Xu raised his wine glass and said loudly, "Come on, let's drink to Brother Lin Yi's breakthrough to the Eternal Source Realm!"

Everyone raised their glasses, the golden liquid shimmering with tiny specks of light within the energy aura.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, the conversation gradually shifted from congratulations to more serious matters concerning cultivation.

Lin Yi put down his wine glass and scanned the faces of everyone present.

Apart from Xiao Shiliu, everyone present had been cultivating in the Eternal Source Realm for a long time. They grew up in the Wen Family and received the most systematic cultivation guidance. They had seen far more of the world and encountered far more pitfalls than he had. This was the best opportunity to ask for his guidance, so he naturally couldn't miss it.

"Everyone," Lin Yi said after a moment's thought, "I've just broken through to the Eternal Source Realm, and there are still many things I'm confused about. I'd like to ask you all, what are some things I need to pay special attention to during cultivation at the Eternal Source Realm?"

In the Chaos Cosmic Sea, almost all valuable knowledge requires payment, especially high-end knowledge related to the Eternal Source Realm. Don't even think about getting it for free. Previously, Lin Yi had been focusing his energy on breaking through to the Eternal Source Realm, and had only heard some common rumors about the cultivation path after the Eternal Source Realm.

He couldn't be sure whether these rumors were accurate.

Although he was going to exchange some relevant books with the Imperial Army later to make up for his lack of knowledge in this area, since they were having a small gathering anyway, it was a good choice to get a general understanding beforehand.

Upon hearing this, everyone present exchanged glances.

Wen Xu spoke first, "If there's any major risk, it's the same as cultivating the Chaos Rules: getting lost. You should have felt how vast and unfathomable the Chaos Law when you broke through to the Eternal Source Realm. Breaking through is just opening a door; once you truly step into the Eternal Source Realm, you'll find that behind that door lies a boundless ocean."

"Without a sufficiently strong will to guard one's mind, it is easy to completely lose one's way in the process of comprehending the Chaos Law. Once lost, the fragments of consciousness will be completely assimilated by the Chaos Law, becoming a wave in the vast ocean of laws, and thus perishing."

At this point, the atmosphere on the terrace suddenly became heavy, and the people present seemed to recall some unpleasant memories.

Wen Xu coughed lightly and slowly added, "The risk of getting lost is the greatest killer in the cultivation of the Eternal Source Realm Eternal Source Realm. From the initial stage to the intermediate stage, from the intermediate stage to the advanced stage, and from the advanced stage to the perfection, each stage is a life-or-death test. This is because during the breakthrough process, one needs to integrate their consciousness more deeply into the Chaos Law, and the deeper one goes, the greater the risk of getting lost."

He paused, then continued, "That's precisely why those auxiliary cultivation treasures that can awaken a cultivator's consciousness on the verge of losing their way are even more expensive and sought after than those that aid in enlightenment."

Wen Qianqing said softly, "These words sound discouraging, but they are true. At our level, cultivation is no longer a simple accumulation; every breakthrough could be a one-way trip. Therefore, treasures that can prevent getting lost when attempting a breakthrough are equivalent to a life-saving opportunity, and they are always fiercely sought after whenever they appear."

Even Wen Qianluo, who was standing to the side, spoke up, remarking, "Every step is a challenge, every step is fraught with danger. Don't force it if you're not confident; forcing it will only lead to death."

Lin Yi listened silently, without much worry.

After all, his method is slightly different from others. He uses Spiritual Enlightenment Qi to comprehend things, and he has never felt the danger of getting lost during the Chaos Rules cultivation stage. So there should be no such hidden danger in the law stage either.

The only pity was that after he entered the Eternal Source Realm, he immediately checked the Purple Mist Space and found that apart from the daily output of Spiritual Enlightenment Qi increasing from one hundred strands to ten thousand strands, there seemed to be no other changes.

To be honest, he was somewhat disappointed because this increase in production was of little use to him.

However, upon reflection, the core function of the Purple Mist Space— Enlightenment—is still intact, and he has no fear of losing his way, making him far more fortunate than other cultivators.

What more could you want?

Lin Yi gathered these thoughts and nodded to everyone, saying, "Thank you all for your guidance. I'll remember these things."

Just then, Little Sixteen, who had been mostly silent, suddenly spoke up, "Actually, there's another benefit of the Eternal Source Realm that hasn't been mentioned yet: the soul is eternal. As long as one isn't lost in the laws, the Soul Origin won't be erased by the river of time. As long as Dao Lord- level expert intervenes, no matter how long one has been dead, theoretically, one can be resurrected."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wen Qianqi, who was sitting next to her, sneered, "Yes, it is possible to be resurrected. But the prerequisite is that Dao Lord- level expert is willing to help you. How many Dao Lord- level experts are there in the entire Seventh Constant Domain? What difference does it make whether the soul is eternal or not?"

Seeing the atmosphere getting a bit awkward, Wen Xu quickly chuckled and tried to smooth things over, "You can't say that. It's still hope. What if Brother Lin Yi is favored by some Dao Lord someday? Wouldn't that be like having an extra life? Of course, it's just a thought. If you really want to pin your hopes on resurrection, you might as well focus on cultivating and not die."

At this point, Wen Xu seemed to suddenly remember something, and put down his wine glass. "By the way, speaking of resurrection, I once heard a rumor. It is said that the Emperor can even resurrect cultivators who have gone astray in their cultivation."

"Emperor?"

Lin Yi asked in surprise.

He knew that the souls of those at the Eternal Source Realm were eternal, but he had never heard of the Emperor being able to resurrect lost cultivators.

"Hmm." Wen Xu nodded and said, "I heard it from an elder in the clan by chance. He said that when the Emperor was alive, no matter what the reason for the death of anyone below the Dao Lord, the Emperor had a way to revive them."

Wen Qianqing was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I've heard this rumor too. However, after the Emperor disappeared, this ability became a complete legend. Now, even someone as powerful as a Dao Lord can at most revive those who haven't fallen from the Eternal Source Realm."

"So," Wen Qianqi picked up her wine glass again, her tone returning to its usual barbed edge, "What does it matter if the rumors are true or false? The Emperor is gone now anyway."

This was a straightforward statement, and indeed true, so the group dropped the subject.

After drinking and chatting for a while, Wen Xu turned to Lin Yi and asked, "By the way, Brother Lin Yi, have you finished your cultivation technique?"

"Cultivation technique?" Lin Yi put down his wine cup, pondered for a moment, and then said frankly, "I plan to choose the <Nine Source Eternal Pact Art>."

After he finished speaking, the terrace fell silent for a moment.

Wen Xu's hand, holding a wine glass, hovered in mid-air. Wen Qianqi was resting her chin on her hand, leaning against the table. Upon hearing this, she raised an eyebrow. Even Wen Qianluo looked at Lin Yi with surprise.

"The Nine Source Eternal Pact Art?"

Wen Xu placed his wine glass on the table, surprised, and said, "Brother Lin Yi, are you serious? Although this technique was created by the Emperor and is related to the <Nine Seal Cosmos Art>, and I've heard that mastering the Nine Seals does indeed offer some benefits... but the problem is..."

19

"Leaving aside how absurdly difficult this technique is to cultivate, just look at the Chaos Beast essence blood required for its cultivation—where are we going to find that now?"

"That's right," Wen Qianqing echoed. "The mainstream method for condensing the Chaos Source Seal Pact nowadays uses Chaos Treasures that are compatible with one's own secret techniques to assist in the condensation. Not only is it safe and reliable, but the channels for obtaining various treasures are also relatively mature. As for the path of beast essence blood... since the First Constant Domain was annihilated, the Imperial Chaos Beast Institute no longer exists. Those Chaos Beasts that were once raised in the academy and ranked on the beast list have either become extinct or can only be encountered in the deepest part of the Chaos Cosmic Sea. Not only does it involve taking great risks, but it also requires a lot of luck. Even if you are lucky enough to obtain the essence blood of one or two ranked beasts, what about the subsequent seals? Are you going to use those ordinary ones?"

Lin Yi listened and smiled bitterly to himself.

Based on what he knew about the Eternal Source Realm, the four words mentioned most often were "Chaos Source Seal Pact).

Compared to the True Source Realm, the biggest difference in the Eternal Source Realm is not merely the leap from Chaos Rules to Chaos Law; that is only the foundation.

What truly allows Eternal Source Realm experts to stand above True Source Realm experts are three deeper qualitative changes.

First, there's the so-called eternal soul, but that's actually a bit of a gimmick.

A more realistic approach involves two main aspects.

First, there's a change in the attack methods.

The Chaos Power of the True Source Realm is relatively dispersed, and its external attacks attenuate extremely quickly in the Chaos Cosmic Sea environment. Therefore, most battles in the True Source Realm are mainly close combat, attaching the power of Chaos Rules to weapons in pursuit of efficiency that can kill with a single blow.

However, upon reaching the Eternal Source Realm, the Chaos Power, after being woven and reinforced by the framework of laws, has been condensed to the point where it can maintain long-distance transmission in a chaotic environment without significant attenuation. With the added blessing of the Chaos Law, ranged attacks have become the mainstream choice, except for those who prefer melee combat.

The second major aspect is the Chaos Source Seal Pact.

The so-called Chaos Source Seal Pact is essentially a process of deeply nurturing one's own secret techniques in the Chaos Source Sea, ultimately condensing them into a law talisman.

This talisman is connected to the origin of the secret technique. Once condensed, when a practitioner casts the corresponding secret technique, the talisman will resonate on its own, amplifying the power of the secret technique.

This amplification has two uses: one is continuous amplification, where the rune is active and each time the corresponding arcane spell is cast, it will receive an amplification, resulting in a stable and lasting increase in power.

The other type is a one-time burst, where the power of the secret technique will be enhanced to a level far exceeding the normal level, but the cost is that the talisman will fall into dormancy and need to be nurtured and formed again.

Different secret methods and different ways of nurturing result in vastly different powers of the final Mixed Chaos Source Seal Pact.

However, as far as Lin Yi knew, over the endless years of the Chaos Cosmic Sea, cultivators at the Eternal Source Realm had roughly divided the Chaos Source Seal Pact into five grades based on the amplification multiplier after the explosion.

A 1 to 3 times increase is the most common type of Chaos Source Seal Pact; a 4 to 6 times increase is called a high-quality Chaos Source Seal Pact; a 7 to 9 times increase is a top-quality Chaos Source Seal Pact; and a 10 to 12 times increase can be called a sacred Chaos Source Seal Pact.

As for those exceeding twelve times, those are the legendary divine-grade Chaos Source Seal Pact.

From the moment a cultivator enters the Eternal Source Realm, they can nurture their first Chaos Source Seal Pact within the Chaos Source Sea.

As your understanding of the laws reaches 10%, you can begin nurturing the second path; 20%, the third path; and so on, until your understanding of the laws reaches 80%, at which point you can begin nurturing the ninth path.

As for those who have a comprehension level of over 90% of the laws, that is the final stage of the Eternal Source Realm.

He attempted to fuse the nine seals, reaching perfection, making final preparations for breaking through to the Constant Source Realm.

The Nine Source Eternal Pact Art is Pact Condensation technique created by the Emperor. Like the Nine Seal Cosmos Art, it is extremely famous. It can directly extract the innate secret techniques of those powerful beasts from their essence blood and convert them into Chaos Source Seal Pact, which are extremely powerful.

Lin Yi had actually heard about those shortcomings before.

However, his desire to practice the Nine Source Eternal Pact Art was not solely driven by its power; he valued an effect that came with the technique when extracting the innate secret method from the essence blood.

While it is forming the seal, it will also acquire some of the talents of those chaotic beasts in their understanding of the laws.

This acquisition is extremely minor, merely a side effect of stripping away innate secret techniques, and is said to be only about one-twentieth of the most ordinary Eternal Source Realm's comprehension of innate talent.

But a feature that others don't really value is the main reason why Lin Yi chose it.

That's one-twentieth of a normal Eternal Source Realm talent, and with each additional seal, the effect stacks!

He currently only possesses the Soul Comprehension Talent of the True Source Realm.

Furthermore, as far as he knew, there were no more True Source Soul Crystal that could be mass-produced if one wanted to further enhance their soul comprehension.

From now on, he can only pin his hopes on extremely rare and special treasures.

However, these treasures are all items at least at the Constant Source Realm or above. Slightly improving soul comprehension is just a side function, so each one is extremely expensive. They basically only appear occasionally at major top auctions, and each time they are fiercely contested by various forces. They are simply beyond his means to buy.

Therefore, in Lin Yi's view, even if he couldn't find the Chaos Beasts on the Beast Ranking and had to use the blood essence of those slightly inferior Beasts as a substitute, he still had to practice this technique.

However, Lin Yi couldn't say these reasons directly, so he could only smile and say, "The only drawback of the <Nine Source Eternal Pact Art> is that its essence blood is hard to obtain. For example, it doesn't require you to practice nine secret techniques yourself; you only need to get the right essence blood. This is a significant advantage for a newcomer like me who has just broken through to the Eternal Source Realm. After all, those high-grade Eternal Source Realm secret techniques cost millions of Eternal Cosmos Crystal, plus the accompanying treasures, which I can't afford."

Furthermore, its potential is extremely high. Regardless of the type of essence blood, the <Nine Source Eternal Pact Art> can dismantle it. Theoretically, all nine seals can be stacked to the divine grade; there is no upper limit.

"As for the difficulty of cultivation... I am confident."

After listening, Wen Xu remained silent for a long while, then let out a long sigh.

"Alright." He gave a wry smile. "Since you've thought it through so thoroughly, then this decision must have been made after careful consideration. Cultivation is a very personal matter. Now that you've decided, then practice diligently. If we come across any suitable blood essence, we'll keep an eye out for it for you."

Wen Qianqi nodded, indicating her approval of the decision.

Wen Qianqing said gently, "Since Brother Lin Yi has made up his mind, we hope that you can condense your first talisman as soon as possible."

Lin Yi was about to thank her, Wen Qianqi suddenly spoke up, "Oh, by the way."

She took out a palm-sized brocade box, placed it on the table, and casually pushed it towards Lin Yi. "I almost forgot, this is my congratulatory gift from last time."

"And there's mine too." Wen Qianqing stood up with a smile, took out two brocade boxes, one for herself and the other placed separately on the table, pushing it forward. "This was given to me by my third sister."

Lin Yi didn't feign politeness and thanked him before accepting the boxes one by one and storing them into his Divine Kingdom.

The group chatted for a while longer, and the topic gradually expanded from the choice of cultivation techniques to some recent news in the Silent Left Giant City, as well as some exciting battles in the Ring Arena recently.

After a few rounds of drinks, it was time for the gathering to end.

Lin Yi was the first to stand up and bowed slightly to everyone. "Everyone, thank you for clearing up my doubts today. I still need to go to the Imperial Army's base to exchange for some items, so I won't delay any longer."

Wen Xu also stood up. "Alright, business is more important. Contact me anytime if you need any help."

Wen Xu escorted him to the courtyard gate, and the two exchanged a few more brief farewells.

Lin Yi did not return to the Eastern Courtyard, but instead released his own levitation shuttle from the nearest docking platform.

This airship was a gift from the Rui Family when he was still in Mist Sea City. Although its style and performance were not as good as Wen Xu's top-of-the-line vehicle made of crystal clusters, it was still barely adequate.

After he released the airship, the hatch slid open automatically. He stepped inside and instructed the ship's AI, "Go to the Imperial Army's base in Silent Giant City."

The destination coordinates had already been entered into the system during previous trips.

The air shuttle smoothly took off from the docking platform and quickly merged into the busy airspace above the Silent Giant City.

Lin Yi leaned back in his seat, watching the light outside the window rush past him.

He immersed his consciousness into the hundred-year-old badge, and a faint dark red halo flashed inside the badge, clearly revealing the remaining military merits in his consciousness.

3.23 billion.

This number made him nod slightly.

Of that, 1.23 billion was the reward he accumulated from hunting Black Silence Beast with his clones.

The remaining two hundred billion was the military merit reward for breaking through to the Eternal Source Realm. Lin Yi checked the records and found that it was Wen Qianfei who approved it for him.

With this extra military merit, Lin Yi felt much more confident, and he began to browse the exchange list for the Eternal Source Realm level.

The Imperial Army provides significantly fewer cultivation manuals at the Eternal Source Realm level than at the True Source Realm, and the list is much more concise.

However, everything that the Imperial Army includes in the Eternal Source Realm exchange list is of exceptional quality.

Lin Yi's gaze swept quickly across the list of cultivation techniques, and he soon locked onto his target.

<Nine Source Eternal Pact Art>.

Exchange Price: 100 million military merits.

He paused on that line of text for a moment, a complex emotion welling up inside him.

Just like the Nine Seal Cosmos Art, it's practically a free gift, like giving you a dragon-slaying technique for free. Whether you can learn it, know how to use it, or dare to use it all depends on your own intentions.

Lin Yi marked the <Nine Source Eternal Pact Art> as his exchange target, then continued scrolling down and found the second type of item he needed.

<Chaos Law Analysis - Volume 1> and <Chaos Law Analysis - Volume 2>.

This is the standard manual for the Eternal Source Realm designated by the Imperial Army. Although the name sounds a bit rustic, it actually covers all the basic laws and knowledge from the initial to the advanced stages of the Eternal Source Realm.

The first volume mainly explains the basic structure of the Chaos Law, the methods for identifying the patterns of the laws, and the interaction mechanism between the laws and the Chaos Source Sea. The second volume delves into the application techniques of the laws, the optimization of the conversion efficiency of the power of the laws, and the core points to pay attention to when breaking through the bottlenecks at each stage.

The two textbooks together are worth 1.5 billion military merits.

1.5 billion military achievements.

It is fifteen times more expensive than the "Nine Source Eternal Pact Art".

But Lin Yi knew very well that the military never set arbitrary prices; everything was absolutely worth the money.

He continued flipping through the auxiliary texts for a while, and finally selected three: <Analysis of Common Misconceptions in the Cultivation of Laws in the Eternal Source Realm>, <A Guide to the Efficient Conversion of Law Power>, and <A Complete Guide to Chaotic Beasts>, which explains the techniques of collecting and preserving the essence and blood of Complete Guide to Chaos Beasts.

The four items together cost nearly two billion, which was just enough to use up the two billion military merits he received as a breakthrough reward. After thinking about it, Lin Yi decided to leave the remaining twelve billion military merits untouched for the time being.

After confirming the exchange request, Lin Yi withdrew his consciousness from the badge.

The air shuttle flew along the route for a while, and the view outside the window gradually became more open.

The towering crystal clusters and well-arranged commercial areas gradually thinned out, replaced by a giant complex of buildings shrouded in a pale blue energy shield.

From a distance, the shield has a standard hexagonal honeycomb structure, with a law mark emitting a soft white light embedded at the node of each honeycomb.

As the airship's navigation system approached the shield, an extremely thin beam of pale blue light shot out from a mark on the edge of the shield, lightly sweeping across the airship's hull.

Lin Yi's 100-point badge glowed slightly, and the military registration information inside automatically completed the identity verification.

A gentle female voice sounded in the cockpit, "Identity confirmed. Rank: Centurion. Current cultivation level detected: Eternal Source Realm. Reassigning access permissions to you, please wait."

Soon, the same gentle female voice sounded again, "Access control adjusted. Centurion Lin Yi, your actual cultivation level has exceeded the standard corresponding to your current military rank. According to Article 71, Section 3 of the Imperial Army Regulations, your garrison access control has been temporarily upgraded to the commander level before the official rank adjustment. We wish you all the best."

Lin Yi nodded slightly, not surprised.

These are common sense within the Imperial Army system; he had learned about them in the Imperial Army regulations and classics when he studied in the True Source Realm.

After gaining access, the air shuttle passed through the shield and continued flying into the base along the route automatically planned by the navigation system.

After entering the shield, the true appearance of the base gradually unfolded before his eyes.

At regular intervals along both sides of the airway, there is a suspended surveillance tower. At the top of each tower is a law mark identical to that of the shield nodes. These marks scan each aircraft in the airway at a fixed frequency.

Further away, in the cluster of buildings, several enormous energy towers were operating at full power, and the space around the towers was distorted and rippled with visible force due to the convergence of high-intensity energy.

Further away, Lin Yi spotted a giant warship anchored deep within the base.

The warship was considerably larger than the Blackrock-class Mothership, with a flat, trident-shaped hull and covered entirely in dark black armor plates.

Dark red patterns flow along the edges of each hexagonal unit of the armor plate, intertwining to form a giant network covering the entire warship's surface.

Even from this distance, Lin Yi could feel the terrifying oppressive aura emanating from the warship.

That was the "Black Annihilation-class" mothership he had seen in the Imperial Army's files; its firepower was a level higher than that of the Black Rock Mothership.

The air shuttle flew through the channel for a while longer before finally landing smoothly on a small, independent docking platform.

As soon as Lin Yi stepped out of the cabin, he saw a young officer in a dark blue military uniform walking quickly towards him.

The officer looked to be no more than twenty years old.

Of course, in the Chaos Cosmic Sea, appearance can never be used as a basis for judging age. Lin Yi noticed that his cultivation level was at the high level of the True Source Realm, and there was a gold-edged badge on the collar of his military uniform, indicating that he was a special operations officer in charge of reception and guidance within the garrison.

The young officer stopped three steps away from Lin Yi, gave a crisp, crisp salute, and thumped his right fist across his chest. "Welcome to the Silent Garrison. Your exchanged items are ready. Please follow me."

Lin Yi returned the salute and followed the young officer toward the outside of the mooring platform.

As the two passed through the security checkpoint at the edge of the berth area, Lin Yi noticed that the walls on both sides of the checkpoint were covered with a dense array of law detectors.

At the end of the passage was a gate made of translucent energy crystal walls, with pale golden patterns flowing across its surface.

The young officer stopped in front of the gate, took out a small pass token, and waved it at the gate.

A blue halo flashed across the surface of the talisman, and pale golden law patterns peeled away layer by layer from the center of the gate to both sides, with the energy crystal walls silently sliding into the walls on both sides.

Beyond the gate was a long, curved corridor.

As the young officer walked towards us, he turned to the side and explained, "According to regulations, the items you've exchanged need to be handed over in a secure vault inside the base. The vault is just ahead; you'll reach it after crossing this corridor."

Lin Yi nodded and followed the officer along the corridor.

At the end of the corridor was a small transfer hall. In the center of the hall was a circular reception desk suspended in mid-air. Behind the reception desk stood a middle-aged military officer. His uniform was the same style as the young officer who had led the way, but the badge on his collar was light gold.

The young officer stepped forward, pounded his chest with his right fist, and saluted. "Centurion Lin has come to collect the exchanged supplies. The serial number has already been sent to your terminal."

The middle-aged sergeant nodded slightly, quickly tapped a few times on the light screen in front of him, then looked up at Lin Yi with a smile, "Centurion Lin, the supplies you exchanged are ready. However, there's something I need to inform you. Because you hold commander-level access privileges, your supply distribution process differs from that of regular centurions. Regular centurions' exchanged supplies are sorted by the special operations team and distributed directly in the warehouse lobby. Commanders and above, on the other hand, have their exchanged supplies delivered separately in a dedicated handover room to ensure the privacy of the supplies during the handover process."

As he spoke, he raised his right hand and gestured for them to enter through the closed, arched door on the east side of the hall. "The third handover room in the East District is ready for you. Please follow me."

Lin Yi's heart stirred slightly.

When he exchanged supplies on the mothership in Mist Sea City, he always queued at the public window in the supply area, just like other sergeants.

Upon arriving at Silent Garrison, due to the temporary upgrade of his command-level authority, even receiving items required a separate handover room.

He silently sighed to himself, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply nodded to the middle-aged sergeant and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

A middle-aged sergeant emerged from behind the reception desk and led Lin Yi to the third hatch on the east side. He gently pressed the sensor on the side of the door, then stepped back and said, "All the supplies you've exchanged are ready in the handover room. The shielding outside the handover room will remain active throughout the process, ensuring you won't be disturbed. After you've completed the inventory and confirmation inside the handover room, simply exit through the exit ahead. There are clear signs indicating the exit direction; follow them to return to the main passageway."

He paused, then took out a small, light blue talisman from his waist and handed it to Lin Yi: "This temporary access talisman will allow you to enter directly through the commander-level passage the next time you come to the base, without having to go through the ordinary level security check. Of course, this is only a temporary measure. Once your rank is officially adjusted, the system will automatically and permanently bind the commander-level access permission to your badge."

Lin Yi took the talisman and nodded to the officer. "Thank you."

The middle-aged sergeant smiled slightly, saluted Lin Yi, and then turned and returned to the transfer hall along the corridor he had come from.

Lin Yi stored the talisman into his Divine Kingdom and gently pressed the sensor area on the side of the door. The arched hatch slid open silently.

The handover room wasn't large, but it was exquisitely decorated.

The walls and dome are made of the same finely polished dark silver alloy material, with extremely fine energy flow patterns faintly visible on the surface, which are the physical carriers of the multiple shielding restrictions inside the junction room.

At the very center is a handover platform carved from a single piece of dark blue crystal.

A standard silver-white crystal box sat quietly on the table.

Lin Yi ran his finger lightly along the edge of the box lid.

The seal was automatically released, and the lid silently popped open a crack.

He opened the box, revealing that the interior was divided into five independent miniature spaces, each containing a translucent information crystal with a tiny light pattern projected onto its surface.

The pale gold crystal on the far left is marked with the words "Nine Source Eternal Pact Art".

The two dark silver crystals next to it are <Chaos Law Analysis - Volume 1> and <Chaos Law Analysis- Volume 2>.

On the far right are three slightly smaller, light blue crystals, labeled in order: <Analysis of Common Misconceptions in the Cultivation of Laws in the Eternal Source Realm>, <Guide to the Efficient Conversion of Law Power>, and <Complete Guide to Chaos Beasts>.

Lin Yi picked up the crystals one by one, pressed them to his forehead, and quickly scanned the contents to confirm that each crystal corresponded to the supplies he had exchanged.

After completing the inventory, he closed the crystal box again and stored it, along with the crystals inside, into his Divine Kingdom.

The hatch marked "Exit" at the back of the handover room slid open silently as he approached.

Outside the door was a passageway that was slightly narrower than the corridor we had come through.

Just as the middle-aged sergeant had said, there were clear signs pointing the way at the end of the passage.

Following the signs for only a short while, he returned to the transfer hall with the suspended circular reception desk.

The young officer was already waiting at the entrance of the hall. When he saw Lin Yi come out, he immediately went to greet him and escorted him back to the berthing platform.

After leaving the Imperial Army's base, Lin Yi did not rush back to the Wen Family, but instead set the destination of the Floating Shuttle to the central business district of Silent Giant City.

He wandered around most of the city before finally finding something he was fairly satisfied with in a rather old-fashioned-looking merchant guild.

Several sets of exquisite souvenirs in different styles but at similar prices, each costing around five thousand Eternal Cosmos Crystal.

He's been receiving so many gifts lately that he's feeling quite embarrassed, so he decided to buy some things to take back with him this time.

He had a rough idea of what Wen Xu and his friends liked. Although these things weren't as valuable as the congratulatory gifts, he was poor, so it was still a token of his goodwill.

After all the gifts were packed properly, Lin Yi set off to return to the Wen Family.

After the levitation shuttle came to a stop at the berth in the Eastern Courtyard, Lin Yi returned directly to the villa, then went into the cultivation room and took out all the gift boxes from the Divine Kingdom.

First, there's the crimson brocade box.

Inside lay a deep red crystal core, its surface covered with countless fine flame-like patterns that slowly swirled. This was the Fiery Crystal Core; Wen Qianqi never hid anything she gave away, and it cost around 150,000 Eternal Cosmos Crystal.

He smiled, closed the lid, and then picked up Wen Qianqing's brocade box.

The fourth young lady Wen Qianqing, presented a bottle of crystal-clear, silvery-white liquid. The liquid inside moved on its own without any wind, and its surface occasionally rippled in rings like star trails.

This is called Star Trail Source Liquid, and it's also quite valuable.

When Wen Qianluo opened the brocade box, inside was a completely transparent jade pendant.

The patterns of laws inside the jade pendant are extremely fine, almost invisible under light, but as long as a wisp of divine sense probes into it, one can feel a chilling cold.

The gift from the youngest member of the family, the sixteenth young lady Wen Qianlan, surprised Lin Yi quite a bit.

The light green box contained a Purple Void Yuan Fruit, a medicinal herb that could be used to refine rare pills to strengthen the barrier of the Chaos Source Sea.

Although it couldn't compare to the generosity of her older siblings, given her status as a high-level True Source Realm cultivator and her accumulated wealth, over 50,000 Eternal Cosmos Crystal was already quite substantial.

He put away the four people's belongings one by one, and finally his gaze fell on the brocade box that Wen Qianqing had handed over to him.

This box is exactly the same style as Wen Qianqing's own, except that there is a very thin light blue line on the corner of the lid, which is the personal seal that Commander Wen Qianfei usually uses.

Speaking of which, it's impossible not to be curious about what kind of congratulatory gift Miss Wen, who is both his boss and his recommender, would send.

Lin Yi placed the brocade box on the table and gently flicked the edge of the lid with his finger.

The moment the lid was lifted, an extremely powerful aura suddenly surged out from the box.

The aura was extremely domineering; Lin Yi could even feel the Chaos Source Sea within his body tremble slightly under its pressure.

Lin Yi stared at the contents of the box, momentarily stunned.

The bottom of the box was covered with a layer of unknown silver velvet, and a drop of blood floated quietly in the center of the velvet.

The drop of blood was sapphire blue, about the size of a thumb, with countless extremely beautiful patterns flowing across its surface.

Each Dao Patterns pulsates slowly with a strange rhythm.

He recognized it.

This is a drop of the essence blood of a chaotic beast.