Referee and Player

As Lin Yi approached, the Dao Lord Xi Mo nodded slightly and said, "It seems I've arrived relatively early. I'll take you to the area where the Dao Lord of our Seventh Constant Domain reside. There are some Dao Lord you may rarely see, so this is a good opportunity to get acquainted. Also, since this is your first time here, observe more and speak less. Some Dao Lord don't have the same good temper as me."

"Thank you for your guidance, Dao Lord. I've taken it to heart." Lin Yi nodded quickly.

"Let's go," said the Dao Lord Xi Mo, taking the lead and walking forward.

Lin Yi quickly followed, looking around at the legendary Dao Origin Hall as they walked.

The venue was even more solemn and grand than he had imagined before entering.

The ground beneath his feet was a bluish-gray stone he had never seen before.

The stone was warm and smooth like jade, yet it also had a heavy, metallic luster, as if it had accumulated countless Universal Epoch of time. With each step you took, you could feel a faint, cool breeze.

The four walls rise high, reaching into the deep, almost unfathomable dome, where countless profound and mysterious patterns flow and flicker like a galaxy.

In the very center of the venue was an enormous, blue stone conference table.

The stone table was extremely ancient and heavy, like a mountain left over from ancient times, sitting there steadily, as if it had been there since time immemorial.

On the tabletop, faint lines could be seen, echoing the inscriptions on the dome. Lin Yi could even vaguely sense a faint yet omnipresent power flowing slowly along those lines.

Lin Yi's gaze fell on the stone table, and a sense of emotion welled up in his heart.

This very table determined the fate of countless beings in the Chaos Cosmic Sea.

And today, he is also qualified to sit at this table.

The Dao Lord Xi Mo led Lin Yi directly to the left side of the stone table.

There, a row of black high-backed seats stood quietly.

The chair was made entirely of some unknown dark crystal, with a high backrest carved with intricate and ancient patterns, exuding a solemn and dignified aura.

Each seat was spaced at just the right distance, subtly conveying a sense of restrained distance befitting someone in a superior position.

At this moment, two Dao Lords had already taken their seats in the left-hand area.

One of them was none other than Dao Lord Han Yu.

He remained the same, the dark gold threads on his deep blue robe now slowly shifting, as if a collapsing sea of stars was forever flowing across his robe.

When Han Yu Dao Lord Xi Mo bringing Lin Yi over, he smiled slightly and greeted them, "Dawn Nightmare, Lin Yi, you've arrived."

Beside Dao Lord Han Yu, another Dao Lord with a cold expression also nodded slightly.

This person was tall and imposing; even sitting in the stone chair, he resembled a black tower about to leap out of its seat.

His skin was glossy and jet black, with dark golden natural lines running down from the side of his neck and disappearing into his collar. His very short, stiff, snow-white hair stood upright, like Frost that had never melted for millennia covering a scorching black stone.

His left eye was crimson red like a furnace, while his right eye was an extremely deep blue. The two colors, one hot and one cold, coexisted on his angular face without appearing abrupt at all. Instead, they gave him an aura of overwhelming power.

The Dao Lord Xi Mo was clearly very familiar with the two Dao Lords. She smiled slightly and said, "Han Yu, Darkrend, you've arrived early."

The Dao Lord Darkfierce first addressed Xi Mo, saying, "Xi Mo, long time no see."

Then the focus shifted to Lin Yi, and a faint smile appeared on his previously expressionless face.

Lin Yi.

He spoke, his tone revealing a hint of kindness that seemed out of place with his cold and aloof appearance.

"Although we've never met before, I've often heard my old buddy Yi Ta Carlos mention these Epoch. He says he has two little brats who have been serving you since they were young."

Yi Ta Carlos.

Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat.

He naturally remembered the patriarch of the Carlos Family.

Back in Mist Sea City, he had forged a good relationship with the Carlos Family. Yi Ta Carlos was generous, and Xiluo...

The two Carlos family members, Xiluo, had followed him for a long time, all the way from Mist Sea City to where they are now. They used to serve as mounts for his clones with great enthusiasm. Lin Yi has always regarded them as his own people.

As for why the Dark Dao Lord suddenly brought this up, he knew the reason. Yi Ta Carlos had previously served as the Dao Lord Darkfierce's mount, so they could both be considered dragon knights.

Therefore, Lin Yi first bowed slightly, "Greetings, Han Yu Dao Lord Han Yu and Dao Lord Darkrend." Then, he looked at Darkrend Dao Lord Lie and said with a smile, "Indeed. Xiluo and Xiluo of the Carlos Family have been under my command for a long time. Currently, they are still on the Frontline the Black Mist Sea, resisting the Black Silence Beast. After this meeting, I will have to ask the Dao Lord for some advice on cultivating the Dark Nether Armored Dragon."

"Of course, of course."

Upon hearing this, the Dao Lord Darkrend smiled broadly and waved his hand, "It's their good fortune that those two brats can follow you. Come find me whenever you have time, and we can have a good chat."

Lin Yi exchanged a few more pleasantries with the two Dao Lord before continuing forward at the signal of the Dao Lord Xi Mo.

They took a few more steps forward.

"This is where the Dao Lord of your Constant Guard usually sit. Please sit here."

The Dao Lord Xi Mo pointed to a seat and said to Lin Yi.

Lin Yi sat down as instructed.

The Dao Lord Xi Mo sat down to the side, then casually gestured to both sides, saying, "These are the seats for our Constant Island. Next to your Constant Guard are the Dao Lord of the Seventh Constant Domain Imperial Army."

Lin Yi nodded, having a general idea of the layout of the venue.

The Constant Guard, Constant Island, the Imperial Army, and the Constant Domain Office each occupy their own territory, clearly distinct, yet all belonging to the Seventh Constant Domain.

He looked up and glanced around.

The Dao Lord who entered one after another had different temperaments, some sharp, some calm, and some fiery. They were in twos and threes, some talking in hushed tones, and some closing their eyes to rest. Each of them naturally exuded an unfathomable aura.

"This is truly eye-opening," Lin Yi thought to himself.

This hall now houses more than half of the Path Source Realm from the entire Cosmic Sea. When they are still, they are like dormant volcanoes, and each of their auras is enough to make the so-called grand scenes outside seem like child's play.

"This is the most elite group of people in the entire Chaos Cosmic Sea."

Lin Yi thought to himself.

He stopped looking around and simply sat quietly in his seat.

The Dao Origin Hall meeting was not a place for showing off; he only intended to be an observer today.

Observe more, listen more, and speak less.

Before long, the number of people on the stone chairs throughout the hall began to increase rapidly, and other Dao Lord also arrived one after another.

Just then, a familiar figure sat down next to Lin Yi.

Lin Yi turned his head and saw that Dao Lord Lan Chen had already sat down beside him.

Unlike his usual composure at the Constant Guard Headquarters, Dao Lord Lan Chen's expression was noticeably more solemn today.

He nodded to Lin Yi first, "How does it feel to attend the Dao Origin Conference for the first time?"

"I've learned something new," Lin Yi said truthfully.

"Haha, you're quite frank." Dao Lord Lan Chen chuckled, lightly patting the armrest of his chair, and then said, "Let me give you a brief overview of this meeting. The Dao Origin Hall's plenary meetings are not held casually. Each one requires recordings from all Four Constant Domains as evidence. After the meeting concludes, all speeches and votes will be stored in the Dao Origin Hall's central repository."

"This Dao Origin Conference has a total of 159 members. Among them, 156 are at the Path Source Realm, and 3 are not."

Lin Yi was slightly taken aback.

There are only 3 people who are not at the Path Source Realm?

Doesn't that mean there are only two people besides him?

Dao Lord Lan Chen clearly saw Lin Yi's confusion and continued, "Of these three who are not at the Path Source Realm, one is you."

"The other two are Constant Lord in the Sixth Constant Domain Imperial Army. He has over a hundred strands of Dao Resonance and his cultivation has reached the Perfection of the Constant Source Realm, so he can step into the Path Source Realm at any time. However, it is said that he has almost two hundred strands of Dao Resonance and wants to break through after passing the Fifth Stage of the Constant Source Summit, so he has been holding back."

"As for the last one, he is a Constant Source Realm inscription master from the Constant Domain Office of the Ninth Constant Domain. His Dao Resonance is only a little over a hundred, but he has a deep understanding of Dao Origin Inscriptions. He has repaired many Ancient Dao Origin Inscriptions, making a great contribution to the entire Cosmic Sea. Everyone agrees that if he hadn't been distracted by Dao Origin Inscriptions, he would have become Dao Lord long ago."

Lin Yi listened quietly.

The Imperial Army Constant Lord had been holding back his breakthrough in order to pass the Perfection of the Constant Source Realm Fifth Stage was alright, since he himself had already passed the Fifth Stage.

However, this Constant Lord was able to reach the Perfection of the Constant Source Realm and was about to break through to the Dao Lord, but he still suppressed his realm and refused to break through, just to accumulate more Dao Resonance to pass the Fifth Stage. His ambition is quite remarkable.

But that inscription master from the Ninth Constant Domain...

"The Dao Origin Inscriptions..."

Lin Yi silently repeated these four words in his heart.

Some time ago, relying on his soul comprehension which had reached the Constant Source Realm Completion, he had been itching to try to study the legendary Dao Origin Inscriptions.

But the result was a huge blow to him.

Without burning his Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, he was completely clueless when facing the Dao Origin Inscriptions, having only mastered nine out of ten.

That Dao Origin Inscriptions was not even on the same level as the Origin Law Inscriptions Law Inscriptions, which he was proficient in.

The Law Inscriptions are like diverting water and building canals on the river surface; the Origin Law Inscriptions are like changing the undercurrents at the bottom of the river; but the Dao Origin Inscriptions seems to be about changing the course of the entire river and even the entire world.

Their level of profundity is worlds apart.

Even though he burned his Spiritual Enlightenment Qi to forcefully study it, he still found it extremely difficult and obscure due to his low level of cultivation, and his progress was slow.

So he simply stopped and put the Dao Origin Inscriptions aside.

He planned to return to this research after breaking through to the Dao Lord.

After all, once you reach that level, studying the Dao Origin Inscriptions will naturally be much more efficient.

But now he heard that there was actually a Constant Lord who could study the Dao Origin Inscriptions very deeply, and had even repaired many Ancient Dao Origin Inscriptions.

"Impressive... this is a true genius!"

Lin Yi sighed inwardly.

He asked himself, his comprehension was already at its peak among the Constant Lord, yet even he could only look on in awe at the Dao Origin Inscriptions.

The fact that the inscription master of the Ninth Constant Domain was able to establish himself in this way and even gain the recognition of all the Dao Lord is truly admirable.

Just as Dao Lord Lan Chen was giving Lin Yi a general overview of some secret information about the Dao Lord of various Constant Domain that wasn't in the public records, the Dao Lord in the venue had already taken their seats one after another.

The entire venue gradually quieted down.

Those Dao Lord who had been whispering among themselves all fell silent and sat up straight.

Only the very head seat remained empty.

Lin Yi's gaze involuntarily drifted towards the empty seat.

He knew who that position was reserved for.

Soon.

A simply dressed woman slowly walked over.

The woman had a refined and elegant appearance, wore a very simple robe, and had eyes like two black jade beads reflected in autumn water.

She didn't exude any fierce aura or overwhelming pressure; in fact, her movements were slow, as if she were taking a stroll in her own backyard.

She quietly walked from one side of the venue to the head seat and slowly sat down.

Yet it was this very person who plunged the entire Dao Origin Hall into a deathly silence in that instant.

Lin Yi's breath hitched slightly.

He knew that this was the owner of the Path Treasure of the Dao Origin Hall, the Lord of the Constant Domain Office of the Ninth Constant Domain, and the strongest person in the Chaos Tribunal Sea.

Dao Lord Yuan Xin.

After Dao Lord Yuan Xin took his seat, he did not say anything more.

"Now that we're here, let's begin."

The voice was not loud, even somewhat faint.

Lin Yi immediately held his breath and focused.

He knew that the real show was about to begin.

Sure enough, a Dao Lord stood up beside Dao Lord Yuan Xin.

This person was dressed in dark blue ancient-style armor, the plates of which gleamed with a dark metallic sheen. He first bowed to Dao Lord Yuan Xin, then nodded slightly to the Daoist Dao Lord around him, before speaking in a loud voice.

"Gentlemen."

"The first item on the agenda."

"Given the current situation, the core members, after discussion, believe that an Enlightenment List should be created. For those on the list at the Constant Source Realm, the Dao Origin Hall will provide them with a large amount of resources in advance to help them break through to the Dao Lord."

"The goal is to increase the number of Dao Lord by a dozen or so in the short term."

He paused here, clearly wanting the assembled Dao Lord to process this information.

No one spoke for a moment, but many Dao Lords had already frowned.

A dozen or so Dao Lord! That's an incredibly terrifying number.

Most importantly, the phrase "advance allocation of a large amount of resources" implies an unimaginable and enormous investment. To help someone break through to the Dao Lord, the resources used must be at the Path Source Realm level, which will undoubtedly affect the interests of some Dao Lord.

"There are six recommendation slots for core members," the middle-aged Dao Lord continued, "And three recommendation slots for ordinary members."

"I hope everyone will do their part in vetting them," he said slowly. "If any of the recommended Constant Source Realm ultimately advance to Dao Lord, the Dao Origin Hall will also offer a substantial reward."

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

Lin Yi could even feel a lot of light passing over him, only to quickly retract.

He didn't move, remaining seated quietly.

But his heart wasn't as calm as it appeared.

"From what I hear..."

"... I also have the right to recommend someone?" Lin Yi's mind raced.

The middle-aged Dao Lord explained it clearly: ordinary members have three recommendation slots.

Since he was sitting in the Dao Origin Conference, he was naturally considered an ordinary member.

"This..

Lin Yi also knew why so many subtle glances had been directed his way.

After all, theoretically, he could recommend himself for the list, thus securing the reward for recommending a member to become Dao Lord.

Thinking about this, Lin Yi was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"What's so special about this? I'm acting as both referee and player?"