Epiphany! The Ancient Jade Reappears

Late at night, inside the room belonging to Lin Yi.

He was not cultivating.

Blue Star is located in a ruin belt where Source Energy is thin; it has no history of utilizing Source Energy, and it is even less likely to possess any manuals for cultivating it.

To cultivate "rationally," he could only wait for the assessment to begin, obtain the basic guidance method from a Spirit Shine Crystal, and then use a Source Energy Crystal Core to practice efficiently.

But not being able to cultivate did not mean he was unable to strengthen himself.

He intended to take advantage of this window of time—before the Divine Spirit Avatar arrived, before Blue Star was covered by its Divine Kingdom Projection, and before everything could be traced back—to seize the opportunity to improve his physical fitness.

After all, there were so many high school students with good physiques that he wouldn't stand out by being one more.

Lin Yi lay quietly on his bed and closed his eyes.

His powerful Soul Origin, like an invisible, precise probe, scanned this young body in minute detail.

The distribution of muscle fibers, the density of his bones, the conduction efficiency of his neural network... all data was presented clearly in his consciousness.

Based on his profound understanding of life-form evolution from his past life, an optimized and highly efficient "nourishing" plan was rapidly deduced and formed in his mind.

The Summer Night outside the window remained sultry, and the cicadas chirped tirelessly.

Yet, Lin Yi's breathing had become long and possessed a special rhythm.

Every inhalation seemed to mobilize those stray energy factors in the air, which were so sparse they were almost non-existent.

In this energy desert of Blue Star, their effect was a drop in the bucket, yet they could naturally and gradually nourish every single cell.

Every exhalation was accompanied by the quiet expulsion of metabolic waste from within his body.

Lin Yi controlled his muscles, performing subtle tremors and stretches imperceptible to the naked eye, like the most brilliant master of internal arts, gently and thoroughly stimulating the potential of his body.

After conditioning and exercising according to his self-created breathing technique for over two hours, only when a heavy sense of fatigue washed over his body did he rise to wash up simply and prepare to rest.

The moonlight outside the window shone through the sheer curtains, casting mottled light and shadows on the floor.

Although his body was exhausted, Lin Yi's soul remained as clear as day.

While closing his eyes to regulate his breath and alleviate his physical fatigue, he began to sort through the gains of the day.

"The matter of the Qitian Battle Armor has been settled, and next is..."

Just as he had barely begun to organize his thoughts, a strange pulling force suddenly emanated from the depths of his soul.

Lin Yi opened his eyes abruptly, only to discover that he was no longer lying on his familiar bed.

Surrounding him was a boundless, chaotic space; there was no solid ground beneath his feet, yet he could stand firmly.

The most bizarre thing was that this space was filled with extremely faint purple mist, flowing slowly like a diluted nebula.

"This is..."

Lin Yi looked around vigilantly, guarding himself in his heart.

Just then, a faint light suddenly ignited in the center of the space!

As the light gradually became clear, it finally revealed a floating jade pendant.

It was the very same Ancient Jade that had turned to dust in his palm during the day!

The Ancient Jade was now intact, its entire body flowing with mysterious purple-gold patterns. Those patterns were not static; instead, they squirmed slowly like living creatures, at times forming profound runes, at times transforming into the trajectories of stars.

Lin Yi's heart shook violently. He could clearly feel that the thin purple mist in the space was slowly seeping out, thread by thread, from the surface of the Ancient Jade.

"So you didn't disappear..."

Lin Yi murmured in his heart, and he drifted forward subconsciously.

However, when he approached the Ancient Jade to within about three feet, he was struck as if by lightning.

A flash of lightning-like enlightenment was imprinted into his consciousness.

In the dark, he came to know information related to this space.

This space was a special dimension formed by the Ancient Jade within his Soul Origin.

The purple mist was "Spiritual Enlightenment Qi" converted by the Ancient Jade from the primordial energy of the universe. He could actively absorb it and, depending on the amount of Spiritual Enlightenment Qi absorbed, gain a state of "epiphany" for varying durations.

In the state of epiphany, his comprehension would skyrocket geometrically; whether it was comprehending techniques, deducing combat skills, or solving difficult problems, he could reach an ultimate realm bordering on "communion between heaven and man."

"Increasing comprehension... epiphany..."

Lin Yi's Soul Origin could not even control a slight tremor.

As someone who had experienced the three great realm breakthroughs of Star Dust, Star Core, and Star Vortex, how could he not understand the value of an "epiphany"?

How many powerhouses had been stuck at bottlenecks for thousands or tens of thousands of years, only to die in despair? Was it a lack of resources? Was it a lack of willpower?

It was neither.

It was simply the lack of that fleeting flash of inspiration.

And this Ancient Jade could actually artificially create this state that was impossible to seek!

"This is simply..."

After daydreaming for a while, Lin Yi finally calmed down.

Currently, he only knew the function of this Purple Qi; its specific effects still required experimentation.

Moreover, the Purple Qi within this Ancient Jade space was extremely sparse. If it took an incredibly long time to replenish after a single use, it might turn out to be a useless trinket.

To grasp the efficacy and cost of this Spiritual Enlightenment Qi more precisely, Lin Yi decided to conduct a small experiment.

He first observed his surroundings for a moment, then locked onto his target.

"You'll do."

He focused his attention intensely, condensing his Soul Power into an invisible, precise "finger," and cautiously reached toward the thinnest wisp of purple mist drifting at the edge of the space.

That wisp of mist twisted slightly as if it possessed life, carrying an indescribable, profound Aura.

Lin Yi touched it extremely gently with his soul "fingertip," then, with a shift of his intent, his Soul Origin opened like a slightly ajar door, slowly drawing that isolated wisp of Purple Qi into itself.

Boom!

The moment the Purple Qi merged, Lin Yi's consciousness felt as if it had been thrown into the core of a supernova explosion.

This was not an impact of energy, but a torrent of information, a lightning strike of thought.

He felt time stretch infinitely, while his Thought Speed skyrocketed geometrically. A vague source energy formula from his past memories became instantly clear, and the derivation process and its mapping to cosmic laws appeared as transparent as crystal.

A minor doubt that had troubled him in his past life—regarding the use of cosmic rules to reinforce source energy and thereby improve structural stability—emerged as clearly and simply as 1+1=2 in this state of mental overclocking.

However, this state of insight into the universe, where his mind felt godlike, lasted for only a fleeting instant.

Almost as soon as the thought arose and the conclusion appeared, that vast, boundless sense of clarity receded like a tide, and his consciousness returned to the normal speed of his soul space.

Lin Yi's soul body fluctuated violently, carrying a hint of lingering regret, but his eyes were startlingly bright.

"One second... just one second..."

He had precisely grasped the duration of that state; it was exactly one second.

One wisp of Purple Qi could be exchanged for one second of epiphany.

Immediately afterward, he cast his perception toward the Ancient Jade.

At the spot where he had taken that wisp of Purple Qi, the space seemed to have slightly sunken.

He focused his attention on observing the rate at which the Ancient Jade itself generated Purple Qi.

He saw the patterns on the surface of the Ancient Jade flowing, slowly seeping out new Purple Qi.

Lin Yi kept time silently in his heart.

After half an hour, he calculated the conclusion based on the amount of newly generated Purple Qi.

"One day!"

It would take a full day for that consumed wisp of Purple Qi to be completely replenished.

This conclusion made Lin Yi's heart sink at first, but then a more intense flame ignited within him.

One second was a drop in the bucket for Star Vortex level problems or profound inheritances, but as long as he patiently accumulated it over a period of time, it could absolutely play a massive role.

Because the lifespan of a Star Vortex level cultivator was as long as 100,000 years!

Having obtained the information he wanted, Lin Yi used his intent to contact and activate the Ancient Jade, following the information that had been imprinted into his consciousness earlier.

As an irresistible repulsive force surged, Lin Yi suddenly opened his eyes on his bed.

Immediately, he scanned and checked his body repeatedly, first confirming there were no abnormalities, then entering and exiting the Ancient Jade space twice more.

In the end, he verified one thing: the Ancient Jade space did not require his entire consciousness to enter; as long as he split off a sliver of intent, the effect was the same.

Furthermore, when using the Purple Qi within the Ancient Jade space with a split sliver of intent, there was still no change whatsoever from his body to his Soul Origin.

Only when the concerns in his heart were eliminated did the corners of Lin Yi's mouth curl into a smile.

"One wisp of Purple Qi, one second of epiphany. One day of time, to produce one wisp."

He lay on the bed, not turning on the lights, staring at the ceiling in the darkness, thinking to himself:

"I originally only wanted to fake being a genius to get a high score in the assessment, secure a higher starting point for myself and Blue Star, and get more cultivation resources. Now it seems... who could say I'm faking it?"