Summoned by the Dao Lord

Outside the manor, Lin Yi stood patiently in front of the deep purple protective light shield.

He didn't have to wait long; ripples spread across the surface of the light shield, and a soft female voice echoed in his mind, "Constant Lord Eric has granted your request to visit. Please proceed along the main road; the Constant Lord is waiting for you in the reception room."

As soon as the words were spoken, a portal silently opened in the deep purple protective shield.

Lin Yi stepped inside and walked along the stone path lined with unknown purple-leaved trees on both sides towards the depths of the manor.

He had walked this road before, so it wasn't unfamiliar to him.

Passing through the grove of purple leaves that exudes a faint fragrance, the dark blue crystal pavilion stands quietly in the center of the courtyard.

The main gate of the pavilion was wide open.

Lin Yi strode in without stopping.

Although 30,000 Epoch had passed, the furnishings in the reception room were exactly the same as when he last visited.

The crystal walls are simple to the point of being unadorned; a few chairs are carved from a single piece of dark blue crystal; and the crystal on the dome emits a soft white light.

In this simple setting, Eric Vandro Constant Lord already seated in the main seat.

Lin Yi stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Lin Yi greets Constant Lord Eric."

Eric nodded slightly. "No need for formalities. Lin Yi, you're very good."

A hint of surprise flashed through Lin Yi's mind upon hearing this.

Has Constant Lord Eric found out?

The thought only flashed through Lin Yi's mind for a moment before he felt relieved.

Indeed, that fragment of the Law Inscriptions was given to him by Eric. With the abilities of a Constant Source Realm Mid-Rank expert, it was perfectly normal for him to leave some monitoring methods on that fragment to keep track of the repair progress at any time.

Perhaps the moment Eric stepped into the manor, he had already sensed the completed repairs through the restrictions on the fragments, or perhaps even earlier, the instant he finished the repairs, Eric already knew everything. Since the Constant Lord already knew, it saved him the trouble of explaining.

Without further thought, Lin Yi directly retrieved the dark purple crystal box Lieutenant General his Divine Kingdom.

He stepped forward and solemnly handed the crystal box to Eric with both hands.

Eric nodded slightly, reached out and took the crystal box, stored it within his Divine Kingdom, and then waved his hand.

"Go on, next time choose a task that suits you."

Go then?

Choose a task that suits you?

Lin Yi was stunned.

What's the meaning?

He stood there, momentarily stunned.

So what's my opinion?

What was the result of the task?

This is a high-level trial mission!

It's clearly stated in the task list that the Points for completing this task is between 60,000 and 85,000 points.

There's a difference of 25,000 Points between 60,000 and 85,000, which is equivalent to the entire reward of a decent mid-level quest.

Moreover, he spent 100,000 Eternal Cosmos Crystal to buy the book "Detailed Explanation of Law Inscriptions" and another 500 Points to buy Eric's course crystals. The effort and resources he invested were not a small amount.

If I only get the passing grade of 60,000 Points, that would be a huge loss.

Lin Yi couldn't help but spare a sliver of his attention to reach for the Constant Island Emblem on his chest.

The mission interface inside the emblem remained silent, the mission status still showing "accepted," with neither completion nor evaluation displayed, as if the inscription fragment he had just submitted had never existed.

Lin Yi sensed something was wrong; he felt like he had misunderstood something.

Or perhaps, Constant Lord Eric in front of him seems to have misunderstood something.

"Constant Lord."

Lin Yi couldn't help but speak up. Although it was somewhat offensive, he couldn't just leave without explanation.

"Um?"

"Um... my task evaluation..."

Eric paused for a moment upon hearing this.

Task evaluation?

wrong.

etc.

Eric noticed that although the young man in golden armor was somewhat stunned by what he had just said, there was no trace of frustration or shame on his face after the mission failed. Instead, he looked confused, as if he did not understand why Eric had asked such a question.

Could it be...?

Eric's heart skipped a beat.

A thought that even he himself found absurd suddenly surfaced from the depths of his consciousness, and he couldn't suppress it no matter what.

He stopped thinking about it and focused his attention on the crystal box that he had just put away in his Divine Kingdom, then opened the lid.

The missing piece in the lower right corner, which occupied about 15% of the area, was now completely covered by the complete network of Law Inscriptions.

He doesn't need to look closely; he can make a judgment with just a glance.

This fragment of the Law Inscriptions has been successfully restored.

And it's a perfect repair.

Eric stared at the inscription and fell silent.

Is that all?

This Lin Yi... isn't here to ask me to abandon the mission?

Are they here to complete a task for me?

But it hasn't been that long!

Eric remembered clearly that Lin Yi had obtained the inscription fragment from him for less than 30,000 Epoch at most.

How is that possible?

unless..

A thought suddenly flashed through Eric's mind.

Unless Lin Yi's mastery of Law Inscriptions had already reached a considerably high level before accepting the mission.

Perhaps he was a cultivator proficient in inscriptions, who spent a long time studying Law Inscriptions after entering the Eternal Source Realm, laying an extremely solid foundation, which is why he was able to complete the repair at an astonishing speed after accepting the mission.

If he spent a lot of time studying inscriptions, then his progress in comprehending the laws would be relatively slow, which explains why he is only at the third level of the Eternal Source Realm.

Yes, that should be it.

Eric nodded to himself, finding the deduction reasonable.

This Lin Yi is most likely a passionate enthusiast of inscription studies. He devoted a lot of energy to learning inscriptions when he was in the early stage of the Eternal Source Realm, accumulating a solid foundation in inscriptions. That's why he was able to complete the repairs so quickly after accepting the mission.

As he thought this, he looked at Lin Yi again, about to speak, but then stopped.

wrong.

This is... the fourth tier of the Eternal Source Realm?

He hadn't paid much attention before, but upon closer inspection, he immediately noticed something amiss.

Eternal Source Realm, fourth level.

It's not third-order.

Eric remembered clearly that when Lin Yi last came to see him, he was only at the third level of the Eternal Source Realm.

At that time, he secretly thought to himself that although this young man was Constant Guard, his cultivation level was indeed a bit low.

But now, less than 30,000 Epoch have passed, and this kid has broken through to the fourth rank without saying a word?

That's wrong.

Eric slowly exhaled, then looked at the young man in golden armor with a completely different gaze than before.

His previous deductions were all wrong.

A cultivator who has spent a great deal of time studying the Law Inscriptions, resulting in a stagnation in their cultivation of laws, could never break through another small realm in less than 30,000 Epoch.

The principles of spiritual practice do not lie.

The comprehension of the Chaos Law requires a massive investment of time and energy at every step. The leap from the third to the fourth level of the Eternal Source Realm may seem like a small step, but it is actually a leap from the initial to the intermediate level, and it is by no means something that can be easily accomplished in just 30,000 to 40,000 Epoch.

The fact that Lin Yi was able to break through during this period shows that his talent in cultivating the laws is far greater than he had expected.

Is he both a genius of inscription and a genius of cultivation?

Eric suddenly realized that he had been judging this young man with the mindset of a typical genius, but reality had repeatedly proven him wrong.

"How long have you been cultivating?"

Eric immediately asked the crucial question.

After all, Lin Yi was just an exchange student, and his registration information was very simple. Eric didn't know much about Lin Yi either.

Of course, Eric could have found out if he wanted to investigate, but there was no need for that; the person in question was right in front of him, so he simply asked.

Lin Yi's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this question.

He could roughly guess why Eric had suddenly asked that question.

When he stepped into the reception room, Eric had only offered a casual compliment, his attitude polite but somewhat perfunctory, clearly indicating that he had never thought Eric could complete the repair task.

But Eric's attitude changed abruptly after he asked about the mission evaluation.

The person asking this question now is probably trying to confirm something.

Lin Yi had no intention of hiding anything.

His own cultivation time is not a shameful secret. If someone were to investigate, Constant Island could easily retrieve his resume in the Imperial Army and the Constant Guard system.

Rather than making Eric go through the trouble of investigating himself, it's better to just say it openly.

"Reporting to Constant Lord," Lin Yi said frankly, "More than seventy thousand Epoch."

17

More than 70,000 Epoch...

Eric fell silent.

This time span is even shorter than the time some Dao Lord spend in the initial stage of the Eternal Source Realm.

Although cultivation speed doesn't represent everything.

On the path of cultivation, there are countless examples of people who make rapid progress in the early stages but then get stuck at a certain point and can no longer advance.

Some geniuses made great strides in the True Source Realm and Eternal Source Realm, leading everyone to believe that another Constant Lord was about to be born. However, when they tried to break through to the Constant Source Realm, they were stuck by countless Universal Epoch and could only stop at the peak of the Eternal Source Realm Completion for the rest of their lives.

But that's only part of it.

At least, the fact that such a genius is not stuck at a certain point shows that his talent is exceptional.

The fact that Lin Yi reached the fourth level of the Eternal Source Realm in just over 70,000 Epoch undoubtedly demonstrates that his talent is enough to place him among the top tier of the entire Seventh Constant Domain.

Even in a place like Inner Island of Constant Island, where geniuses gather, this is still the case.

Eric took a deep breath, suppressing these surging thoughts for the time being.

He paused for a moment, then asked the next question.

"I see you've already broken through to the fourth rank. You couldn't possibly be comprehending the laws while repairing the runes, could you? So, you're proficient in creating clones? And clones can't cultivate realms... Did you have your clone repair these runes?"

Lin Yi nodded.

"Yes. The Main Body has been cultivating and comprehending the laws, while the entire inscription repair process was completed by the clone."

really.

Eric nodded slightly.

This answer did not surprise him.

Given Lin Yi's demonstrated talent for cultivation, his Main Body certainly wouldn't waste precious time on inscription repair.

Moreover, which cultivator in the Eternal Source Realm, given the opportunity, wouldn't delegate those time-consuming and laborious tasks that don't require their Main Body's personal attention to their clones?

This is basic common sense in the spiritual practice community.

However, the fact that the clone could complete the repairs indicates that the Main Body's mastery of inscription techniques has reached a considerable level. After all, the Main Body also possesses the knowledge and skills of the clone.

Since the topic of inscription studies had come up, Eric naturally followed up with more questions.

How long have you been studying inscription-related knowledge? What specific topics have you covered?

Lin Yi thought back for a moment.

"I learned two things. One was a book I bought on the market called 'Detailed Explanation of Law Inscriptions,' which I used to build a foundation. The other was that I spent 500 Points to buy your course crystal from the Constant Island redemption list."

He paused, then added, "That's all. After buying it, I spent over three thousand Epoch studying it carefully, and then I started repairing it."

"Oh?" Eric suddenly laughed. "You even took my lessons? You only spent so little time; you're quite talented indeed."

He looked Lin Yi up and down.

His talent for cultivation is exceptional.

The talent for Law Inscriptions is also exceptional.

It is extremely rare for two talents to be combined in one person.

I don't know how strong they are, but to become Constant Guard, they must be quite capable. I just don't know how many red-tier characters they have. If that's the case... then we could try restarting that mission.

Thinking of this, Eric smiled and said, "This is enough to lay the foundation. Standing here and talking makes me seem impolite. Come, sit down."

He gestured with his hand, pointing to the dark blue crystal chair behind Lin Yi.

Lin Yi sat down as instructed.

Eric raised his right hand and gently waved it in the air.

Two crystal glasses appeared out of thin air on the table between the two of them.

The liquid in the cup has a strange texture. At first glance, it looks like deep purple lightning moving erratically within the transparent cup wall. Upon closer inspection, it resembles the most frigid frost on the far north ice plains slowly flowing. These two completely different forms alternate and change within the cup, each transformation emitting a very subtle energy fluctuation.

"This is a specialty from my hometown, please try it."

Eric said, taking a small sip from his glass.

Lin Yi curiously picked up the cup and brought the peculiar liquid to his lips.

The moment the liquid entered his mouth, he felt an extreme chill, as if his entire soul was enveloped by an invisible frost, and every pore from head to toe was frozen and suddenly contracted.

But then, the coolness transformed into a gentle warmth, like a warm thunderbolt silently exploding deep within the soul. Gentle yet powerful ripples of energy spread from the center of that thunderbolt to every corner of the body.

Lin Yi was surprised to find that the extremely subtle soul fatigue he had accumulated during his nearly 30,000 Epoch of seclusion, and the subtle stagnation that inevitably accumulated in the corners of his consciousness when he was deeply comprehending the laws, were all swept away by this sip of drink.

This feeling is like a mirror covered in a thin layer of dust being carefully wiped clean by a gentle hand, becoming clear and spotless once again.

"Thank you, Constant Lord."

Lin Yi put down the cup and sincerely thanked him.

Eric smiled, said nothing polite, simply placed the cup on the table, and looked at Lin Yi seriously.

"I rate your mission as a complete success."

Lin Yi was overjoyed.

"Perfectly completed" is the highest evaluation for an advanced trial mission, meaning he will receive the full 85,000 Points.

He was about to express his gratitude when Eric waved his hand, interrupting him.

"Don't thank me yet," Eric said. "Lin Yi, I wonder how many reds you've earned now?"

Lin Yi was slightly taken aback. Although he didn't know why Eric asked this, it wasn't a secret, so he frankly replied, "Currently, there are three red seals. The fourth seal hasn't been formed yet."

Three Reds.

The fourth one hasn't condensed yet.

Eric nodded slightly.

Given Lin Yi's demonstrated talent, it would be normal for him to have at least two divine-grade seals, and now that he has three divine-grade seals, that would be even better.

In this way, their combat strength is sufficient.

Thinking this through, Eric silently instructed in his mind, "Send a message to the Deputy Island Master of Xi Mo, saying that I have discovered a promising talent named Lin Yi. He has already reached the fourth level of the Eternal Source Realm in less than 80,000 Epoch of cultivation, and all three Chaos Seal Pact he has condensed are of divine quality. More importantly, he has only studied Law Inscriptions for a little over 3,000 Epoch, yet he was able to complete the repair of the incomplete Law Inscriptions within 30,000 Epoch."

"He perfectly meets the requirements for restarting the Eternal Source Ring Ruins mission; however, he is an exchange student of the Constant Guard. We request the decision of the Xi Mo Island Master."

The purple light that had been quietly hovering beside him flickered slightly.

"Yes, Master."

Soon after the message was sent, the voice of the purple light resounded in his mind again.

"Master, Vice Island Master Dawn Nightmare has replied."

How so?

The purple light paused for a moment, then repeated the words of the Deputy Island Master of Xi Mo verbatim.

"Heh, the Constant Guard have come up with a good idea."

Eric raised an eyebrow slightly.

That tone...

Then, the purple light continued to repeat itself.

"Fine, bring the person here."

As expected, since it involves the Eternal Source Ring Ruins, the Deputy Island Master of the Xi Mo Island must personally go and see it.

Eric put away his cup and looked at Lin Yi, saying, "Lin Yi, your talent is very suitable for a mission."

Task?

Lin Yi's expression shifted slightly, but he didn't interrupt, waiting for Eric to continue.

"Just now," Eric continued, "I have reported your situation to the Deputy Island Lord of Xi Mo."

He paused for a moment, as if considering his words or giving Lin Yi time to process the information.

"The deputy island lord asked me to take you there."

Deputy Island Master of Xi Mo.

Lin Yi was immediately startled.

Deputy Island Lord! Dao Lord Level!

That was an existence who had mastered the Dao of Chaos and stood at the very top of the entire Seventh Constant Domain.

And now, this very person has specifically requested to see him.

Lin Yi instinctively wanted to ask, "Can I refuse?"

Whether it's a task or not is secondary, because exchange students are different from regular students. Exchange students don't have a minimum requirement for completing tasks, which means that, theoretically, they can refuse to accept any task they don't want to do.

Therefore, even someone as powerful as the Dao Lord seems willing to abide by the rules of Constant Island. It appears that summoning him was merely to discuss the mission, rather than to forcibly assign it to him.

His real reluctance to confront the Dao Lord stemmed from his concern that the Dao Lord might see through the Purple Mist Space.

The Purple Mist Space was hidden deep within his soul, and it had been his greatest secret and strongest trump card since the Origin Universe era. No amount of investigation had ever discovered its existence.

But the Dao Lord.

That is a supreme being who has mastered the Dao of Chaos, and is on a completely different level of life than the Constant Source Realm.

Who knows how deep the Dao Lord's eyes can see?

However, Lin Yi remained relatively calm.

He Constant Union Seal Pact.

That unique life-saving trump card, extracted from the essence blood of the Eternal Dark Constant Fusion Beast, formed a cocoon of light during the teleportation process that even the Dao Lord could only watch helplessly.

Although it can only be used once, it's enough as a last resort.

If things really don't go well, we can just run away.

Of course, that's a last resort, used only as a last resort.

Moreover, being summoned by the Dao Lord is not necessarily a bad thing.

Eric just said, "Your talent is well-suited for a mission," which implies that the Deputy Island Lord of Xi Mo has taken a liking to his abilities and wants him to carry out a specific task.

Now that the Dao Lord has summoned him, which prodigy would be unwilling? Refusing would only seem strange. In any case, as his strength grows, he'll inevitably have to face the Dao Lord sooner or later. And the Purple Mist Space's functions are so extraordinary, it might even have been left behind by Emperor, so it's highly unlikely there will be any problems...

Now that the Deputy Island Master of Xi Mo has specifically requested to see him, it's highly likely that he's here because of his talent, rather than because he has some shady secret.

Enough, we'll deal with whatever comes our way.

These thoughts flashed through Lin Yi's mind.

Then, Lin Yi stood up from his seat and bowed slightly.

"It is an honor for Lin Yi to be summoned by the Deputy Island Lord of Xi Mo."

Eric was quite satisfied with Lin Yi's reaction.

If it were an ordinary genius in the Eternal Source Realm, they would be at least momentarily flustered upon suddenly hearing that they had been summoned by the Dao Lord.

But Lin Yi, aside from a slight moment of surprise at the beginning, quickly regained his composure and became calm and collected.

The Constant Guard ' eye for talent is indeed first-rate.

"Okay." Eric slowly stood up, then raised his hand and made a slight pressing motion.

Lin Yi felt a sudden surge of energy from the laws surrounding him, and the crystal ground beneath his feet receded like flowing water.

Immediately afterwards, a soft, deep purple light emanated from Eric's palm, enveloping both of them simultaneously.

When Lin Yi could see the scene before him again, they were no longer in the manor.

Beneath our feet is an extremely wide crystal walkway suspended in mid-air.

Beyond the edges of the covered bridge lies a bottomless void, where countless pale purple energy torrents can be faintly seen, surging slowly like underground rivers.

Directly in front of the covered bridge, three tall towers rise from the ground.

Lin Yi considered himself a worldly person, having visited the capitals of several cosmic domains.

But the three towering towers before him evoked a deep-seated sense of awe in him.

The three towers were arranged in a triangular shape. The towers were made of a deep purple crystal that he had never seen before. The texture of the crystal was somewhere between metal and crystal, and its surface was shrouded in a very faint mist.

Lin Yi only stared at the mist for a moment before feeling a stinging pain in his soul.

He quickly looked away, knowing that this was not something he should be looking at any longer.

"These three towers," Eric's voice came from the side, "Are the most vital points of Constant Island. The tallest one in the middle belongs to the Island Lord, the one on the left belongs to Deputy Island Lord Xi Mo, and the one on the right belongs to Deputy Island Lord Dan Yin."

He said, stepping towards the tall tower on the left. "Follow me."

Lin Yi composed himself, lowered his eyes, and quickly followed behind Eric.

The crystal bridge beneath their feet automatically closed and merged back into the void on either side just as they were about to step onto the plaza in front of the tower.

Where there should have been a door at the base of the tower, there was no door, only a swirling vortex of pale golden light.

Eric walked without stopping in front of the vortex of light, stepping directly into it. His figure was swallowed up the moment he touched the vortex, without causing a ripple.

Lin Yi took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Then, his entire body was instantly enveloped in a warm golden cocoon of light. The surrounding scenery blurred abruptly under the protection of the cocoon, and then suddenly became clear again.

When the cocoon of light dissipated, Lin Yi found himself standing in a completely different space.

This is an extremely spacious hall, octagonal in shape, surrounded by a layer of almost transparent light membrane.

Through that light-reflecting membrane, you can see a panoramic view of Constant Island.

At the top of the main hall, a woman sat languidly on a large chair carved from a single piece of pale purple crystal.

She wore a light purple robe, her face was extremely beautiful, and her deep purple eyes flowed with starlight like a sea of stars, mysterious and profound.

"Greetings, Lord of Xi Mo Island," Eric bowed first, then said, "Lin Yi has been brought."