The Enlightenment Stones and the Death of an Old Friend

"Master Lei Lunna."

As the least senior junior, Lin Yi was the first to speak.

As soon as Lei Lunna entered, he laughed upon hearing this, "Commander Lin Yi, you're too kind. What master? I just put in a little more effort. As for your Commander, I often heard the Dao Lord mention it in the Ninth Constant Domain. Passing five trials at the First Rank of the Constant Source Realm, such talent has even been praised by the Prefecture Lord himself."

Lin Yi's heart stirred slightly, but he merely smiled and said, "Master, you flatter me. In terms of the Dao Origin Inscriptions, the entire Cosmic Sea relies on you. My achievements in cultivation are truly insignificant."

After listening, Lei Lunna simply shook his head, his smile unchanged, but he didn't continue with the pleasantries.

Dao Origin Inscriptions was his proudest achievement, and he deserved the praise. Moreover, he could sense that Lin Yi's words were sincere and not just empty politeness, which made him feel even more favorably toward Lin Yi.

Lin Yi didn't say anything more, after all, Wan was still waiting in front of him.

He bowed slightly to Lei Lunna, then turned back to the pale blue phantom. "Lord Wan, please continue processing the Enlightenment List for me."

The pale blue phantom swirled gently around itself, its light mist swirling. "Deputy Commander Lin Yi, your nominee has been approved. Please activate Main Body Dao Resonance; the Dao Origin Ring will transmit the data back."

Lin Yi nodded.

With a slight shift in his consciousness, his Main Body, located in the quiet chamber of the Silent Constant Great City, slowly rose, and five hundred and twenty-five strands of Dao Resonance simultaneously surged forth from the depths of his Soul Origin.

At the same time, the gray gem in the center of the Dao Origin Ring on his right hand suddenly lit up, transmitting the aura of the five hundred and twenty-five strands of Dao Resonance back to the Dao Origin Hall.

Dao Origin Hall, Wan's voice rang out.

Verification complete.

"Deputy Commander Lin Yi, your Dao Resonance count is 525 strands. According to the Enlightenment List rules, this qualifies you as Transcendent Tier. You are entitled to 2,625,000 Enlightenment Points. Do you confirm?"

"Confirmed." Lin Yi nodded.

Beside him, a barely perceptible glint of something unusual flickered across Lei Lunna's usually impassive face.

Five hundred and twenty-five strands.

This number was significantly higher than what he had previously heard.

He had always thought that although Lin Yi had passed the Fifth Stage, his Dao Resonance should only be around two hundred strands, at most a little over three hundred strands. After all, the guardian of the Fifth Stage only required two hundred strands, and being able to pass by the limit was already a genius among geniuses.

Unexpectedly, it exceeded five hundred strands of Dao Resonance.

"As expected of the First Heavenly Prodigy in the current Cosmic Sea, as the Lord of the Palace said." Lei Lunna sighed silently in his heart.

He believed that if it weren't for the Lord of the Prefecture's invitation, and his genuine interest in and enjoyment of studying ancient inscriptions, he would have become Dao Lord long ago.

Therefore, deep down, Lei Lunna had never really taken the other Constant Lord seriously.

But Lin Yi is different.

The young man before them cultivated at a speed like a sword piercing the sky, and his comprehension of cultivation was astonishing.

Lin Yi, however, failed to notice the complex thoughts Lei Lunna around him.

He continued, "Lady Wan, I would like to request the exchange of three Enlightenment Stones."

Wan nodded slightly. "Three Enlightenment Stone, totaling 1.5 million Enlightenment Points deducted. Confirm?"

"Confirm."

"Deducted. Are there any other redemptions available?"

"Give me another copy of the Thread-Drawing Scroll, and twenty Dao-Insight Spirit Arrows." Lin Yi paused, then added, "That'll do for now."

"One Thread-Drawing Scroll, 20,000 Enlightenment Points; twenty Dao-Insight Spirit Arrows, totaling 16,000 Enlightenment Points, have been deducted from your account."

Excluding the remaining 1,100,090 Enlightenment Points.

Wan's voice was calm and even, not at all like she was talking about an astronomical figure that could cause a bloodbath in the Constant Lord circle.

Lin Yi himself didn't think anything of it.

The Thread-Drawing Scroll was icing on the cake for him; the effect of the Dao-Insight Spirit Arrow was negligible for him now, but even a little bit helps.

Anyway, the Enlightenment Points won't generate any insights on their own if left lying around.

It's a pity that the Enlightenment Stone can only be exchanged for three, otherwise he really wanted to hoard a few more.

As for the various protective treasures, they were useless to him.

Using Spiritual Enlightenment Qi for enlightenment has never resulted in any danger.

The remaining enhancement-type treasures will interfere with the effects of the Enlightenment Stone, so they should be exchanged and used separately after the Enlightenment Stone are used up.

Having exchanged his items, Lin Yi saw no need to stay any longer.

He bowed slightly to Chao Wan, then turned to nod to Lei Lunna before preparing to leave the Dao Origin Hall.

But just as the thought crossed his mind, Lei Lunna spoke up.

"Commander Lin Yi," he said with a smile, "Please wait a moment."

Lin Yi paused, then turned to the side.

Lei Lunna took a few steps closer. "I've heard some rumors that Commander Lin Yi has also conducted in-depth research on ancient inscriptions. It's said that the Ancient Law Inscriptions in the Eternal Source Ring were recorded and compiled by the Commander himself."

Lin Yi smiled upon hearing this, "I only have a superficial understanding, I can't compare to a master. I have some knowledge of Ancient Law Inscriptions, and even Origin Law Inscriptions, but the Dao Origin Inscriptions is still a complete mystery to me."

His words were somewhat self-deprecating, but they were also sincere.

Those intricate Dao Origin Inscriptions were like the entire Chaos Cosmic Sea being crammed into a tiny talisman. He pondered them several times, but his progress was so slow that he was almost embarrassed to mention it.

Upon hearing this, Lei Lunna was not disappointed at all; instead, her smile deepened.

"Commander Lin Yi, there's no need to belittle yourself. I only started studying the Dao Origin Inscriptions at the request of the Lord of the Prefecture."

This dedication led to an obsession that continues to this day. With your talent, as long as you're willing to dedicate the time to research, mastering the Dao Origin Inscriptions is only a matter of time."

He paused slightly, then his tone became serious. "If you don't mind, you can come and discuss things with me whenever you have time. I do have some small insights into Dao Origin Inscriptions, but I don't know if they'll catch Commander Lin Yi's eye."

Lin Yi quickly replied, "Master, you are too modest. I would be more than happy to have the opportunity to learn from you."

He added, "Don't talk about discussion, I should be the one asking for your guidance."

"Then it's settled," Lei Lunna said with a smile.

Lin Yi bowed respectfully to him. "Definitely."

After all, among powerful individuals at this level, those willing to share their insights with others are extremely rare.

Moreover, the Dao Origin Inscriptions is a field that involves one's own core insights; ordinary people are too busy keeping it to themselves to actively seek out others for discussion.

Of course, Lin Yi also knew that this was because his own talent and potential had caught the eye of Lei Lunna.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Lin Yi took his leave.

As the clone dissipated, Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes in the quiet room. He first raised his right hand, which held the Dao Origin Ring, and examined the ring face. The gray gemstone had returned to calm and showed no abnormalities.

"Next, we just have to wait for the delivery to arrive."

Lin Yi made a mental calculation.

According to the rules, the treasures redeemed from the list will be delivered directly by the Constant Domain Office of their respective Constant Domain.

Silent Constant Great City is the capital of the Seventh Constant Domain, so it shouldn't take long for the goods to arrive.

Sure enough, not long after, Yan's voice rang in his mind.

"Deputy Commander, a Constant Lord of Constant Domain Office requests an audience. The supplies allocated by the Dao Origin Hall have been delivered."

"Bring him in," Lin Yi said.

He got up and left the quiet room, going to the outer hall.

Before long, the hall door opened, and a tall, slender figure walked in, guided by Yan.

That was a female Constant Lord.

She was very tall, a head taller than Lin Yi.

Her skin was a very light grayish-blue, covered with fine and regular hexagonal patterns that stretched from the back of her neck to her ears, as if she were naturally wearing the most form-fitting armor.

Her eyes were also very interesting. Each eye had two overlapping pupils, with the inner circle being dark red and the outer circle being a light blue that was close to moon white. When both pupils moved at the same time, it was as if four stars were staring at the same place.

"Greetings, Commander Lin Yi." She entered and gave a slight bow. "Qi Xuan, on orders from the Constant Domain Office, has come to deliver supplies allocated by the Dao Origin Hall."

Lin Yi nodded, indicating that she didn't need to be so polite.

Qi Xuan straightened up, raised her right palm, and gently waved it in the air.

A pale blue light emanated from her palm and condensed into a translucent crystal tray in front of her.

The tray was only about a foot square, but it contained three Enlightenment Stones, a scroll of Thread-Drawing Scroll, and a storage crystal bead that emitted a pale blue glow.

Lin Yi's gaze fell on the three Enlightenment Stones.

The three stones were dark red to almost black, each about the size of a fist, and their surfaces were covered with fine cracks as thin as hair.

Within each crack lay countless tiny specks of light, like stars frozen in stone, flickering at an extremely slow pace, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, as if containing some kind of breathing power.

Lin Yi only needed to sense it briefly to perceive an extremely pure Dao Resonance aura emanating from those points of light.

A thought struck him, but he didn't rush to take it.

"Thank you for your trouble, Constant Lord Qi Xuan." Lin Yi smiled at Qi Xuan first.

Then he reached out and took everything on the tray into his Divine Kingdom.

Seeing that Lin Yi had accepted the gifts, Qi Xuan took her leave.

Lin Yi watched Qi Xuan leave, then took a deep breath and turned back to his cultivation room.

He sat cross-legged and first took out the storage crystal bead containing twenty portions of Dao-Insight Spirit Arrowheads.

The crystal bead shattered, and twenty beams of azure light surged out from it, lining up in front of him.

Within each ray of light was a crystal shaped like a broken arrowhead, entirely blue-green, about the length of a little finger, with a very faint halo flowing across its surface.

Lin Yi didn't hesitate and pointed.

Twenty layers of Dao Resonance landscape images appeared around him, merging into his Soul Origin layer by layer. In just a moment, all the azure light disappeared. Lin Yi felt a very faint, nurturing feeling deep within his soul. It wasn't strong, but it was long-lasting and stable.

"It's better than nothing," Lin Yi muttered to himself.

Then, he carefully took out the first Enlightenment Stone.

He held the dark red stone in his palm, and the tiny points of light within the cracks suddenly lit up simultaneously, as if sensing his Dao Resonance.

With a thought, the Enlightenment Stone in Lin Yi's palm suddenly exploded, transforming into a dense, blood-red mist.

The light and mist churned in mid-air for a moment, then, like rivers flowing into the sea, it surged into Lin Yi's brow.

Lin Yi grunted.

The feeling was extremely strange, as if an extremely hot magma was slowly flowing along the veins of his Soul Origin, and wherever it passed, the originally stable Dao Resonance began to become active.

Amidst this extreme strangeness, he attempted to touch the luminous mist with his Soul Power.

Those wisps of Dao Resonance mixed in with the light mist were forcibly extracted and scattered by an extremely strong pulling force, and then re-condensed from Lin Yi's own Dao Resonance.

"No wonder one is worth 500,000 Enlightenment Points," Lin Yi thought to himself. "You get what you pay for, that's the principle."

Then, Lin Yi directly ignited his Spiritual Enlightenment Qi.

Time flies by like flowing water.

During Lin Yi's seclusion, three major policies were implemented one after another, like three thunderbolts striking the sky of the Seventh Constant Domain and even the entire Chaos Cosmic Sea at the same time.

First is the Enlightenment List.

The entire Constant Domain) community of Constant Lord) was in an uproar.

Those Constant Lord usually lived in seclusion and cultivated their own paths all made their appearance.

Who should take the position and who shouldn't immediately became the focus of contention among the various factions.

Some families, knowing they lack connections, resorted to emotional appeals, cultivating relationships and offering lavish gifts in hopes of getting their own Constant Lord admitted.

This is only what's on the surface.

Behind the scenes, those Constant Lords who had already been confirmed to have obtained the list of qualified individuals became highly sought-after by everyone.

Fortunately, Lin Yi's spot was looked after by three Dao Lords, and since he was in seclusion at headquarters for many years, those disturbances never managed to reach him.

The subsequent issuance of the full mobilization order caused an uproar throughout the entire Constant Domain.

Countless practitioners were included in the rotation system.

Those cultivators who had spent countless Universal Epoch hiding behind the high walls of the giant city and had never been on the battlefield were forcibly incorporated into various combat orders and sent to the Frontline in batches.

They gathered from all directions and were then transported to various corners of the Black Mist Sea Frontline.

Meanwhile, the massive circular floating islands surrounding the Silent Constant Great City also began to move silently.

Those colossal objects from the Imperial Era, whose existence had been imbued with countless Universal Epoch, slowly adjusted their positions and then headed one after another towards the Black Mist Sea.

The sight of over 150 floating island fortresses setting out simultaneously was something even Dao Lord had never witnessed before.

After those fortresses left, a large area around the Silent Constant Great City was suddenly empty.

From afar, the Silent Constant Great City, a colossal city isolated in the very center of the Chaos Energy Tide Belt, appeared rather desolate.

The luxurious cars, large passenger ships, and giant cargo ships that used to shuttle back and forth are now mostly gone, replaced by heavy transport ships, supply ships, hospital ships, and rows of fully armed warships of all kinds.

Even the city's commercial districts have become much more deserted.

Many shops had already closed, with only a lonely sign hanging at the entrance.

The shop owner has gone to the Frontline, and the business is temporarily closed.

"Our stock has been cleared out. See you next time!"

When Lin Yi came out to handle official business of the Constant Guard during his seclusion, he would also go out for a stroll.

He didn't like this feeling.

But I know I can't change it.

During his seclusion, he went on five more emergency support missions.

Furthermore, something he had anticipated happened during this time.

Aurelia broke through to the Eternal Source Realm.

After her soul comprehension was enhanced by the Violet-Azure Light Crystal, her cultivation made great progress.

In addition, the resources Lin Yi had prepared for her were already in place, and with the full mobilization order being issued, Aurelia took the initiative to go to the Black Mist Sea with the first batch of rotating cultivators.

Lin Yi did not stop him.

He didn't try to get any special treatment for Ellie, and Ellie wouldn't want him to do that either.

Because Ellie is the kind of person who, once she receives the light, will naturally move forward.

All he could do was provide Ellie with equipment and treasures, and offer her final protection.

In case he sacrifices himself, he can be resurrected and brought back after he advances to the Dao Lord.

During this time, he received several messages related to Aurelia.

Some say she killed many Black Silence Beast while with the army at a certain front line.

Some say that because of her outstanding performance, she was temporarily assigned to an elite squad of more than a dozen people at the Eternal Source Realm.

Overall, it looks pretty good.

Also.

Despite having Xuanji send a batch of equipment and treasures to his old friends in the Origin Universe, including one-time defensive and offensive treasures, some people still died in battle.

It's Edith.