Continued Breakthroughs to Highgods

Linley's joining had been just a minor episode for the Federation as it stood.

For most people in the Federation, a mere Lowgod joining was hardly worth their attention.

But Linley soon displayed a talent that left everyone astonished.

He quickly caught up with those who had come before him, achieving considerable success in various research projects. Even more incredibly, he broke through to become a Highgod at a staggering pace, nearly making Adkins's eyes pop out of his head.

The name Linley soon became one of the most prominent in the Federation, standing alongside Adkins and Pusiluo. Many even thought he had surpassed them both.

In the Federation's one-hundred-millionth year, Adkins broke through to become a Highgod after beginning to fuse a fourth profound mystery, making him the Federation's first true Highgod.

Then, a hundred thousand years later, unwilling to fall behind, Pusiluo broke through to become a Highgod after fusing four profound mysteries, making him the Federation's second.

But Linley was the one who amazed everyone most. Though he was the last to break through, he had already fused five profound mysteries when he became a Highgod. He still had no clue how to approach the sixth, but his strength was enough to make even Pusiluo feel hard-pressed.

At that moment, Adkins and Pusiluo both felt as if they'd wasted their entire lives.

Back then, they hadn't seen anything special in Linley. Yet somehow, he'd seemed to cheat his way through one breakthrough after another.

He was much younger than either Pusiluo or Adkins, yet he'd quickly surpassed them both.

They couldn't help but marvel at how incredibly sharp Lord Huosi's eye had been.

Yulan Plane, Federation Building, high above the ground.

"Take this!"

With a great axe in hand, Pusiluo transformed into a war god and charged at Linley with overwhelming force.

In an instant, flames engulfed Pusiluo's body. Their heat was enough to burn a god to ashes.

Across from him, however, Linley remained utterly calm.

"How many times have I told you not to just charge straight in?"

Linley smiled helplessly and raised both hands without hurry.

The next moment, two enormous fire dragons appeared out of thin air. They coiled around Linley, transforming into azure flames that shot straight into the clouds.

"Damn it, that move again! Break!"

Pusiluo cursed under his breath, then raised his battle axe and swung at the flames.

But the azure fire seemed almost alive. It slipped nimbly past Pusiluo's attack, then wrapped around his arms.

"Then try this!"

Pusiluo gritted his teeth and poured divine power into his battle axe. A terrifying burst of energy erupted, breaking him free.

Linley merely smiled and raised his right hand. A massive shield formed in an instant. The violent collision tore through space, yet Linley himself emerged completely unharmed.

"I'm done, I'm done. You're a freak."

Pusiluo put away his weapon and shook his head vigorously.

"Be grateful. At least you can still fight him for a while."

Adkins, who had been watching, curled his lip and replied testily.

Adkins had now completely accepted Linley's superiority. In the past, he'd always considered himself a genius.

In the early days, he'd been the strongest of the Saint Realm experts under Lord Huosi. Later, quite a few gods had joined, but they were all ancient fellows who'd lived for who knew how many years. He wasn't afraid of them.

Even when Pusiluo, whose talent was just as astounding, later joined Lord Huosi's ranks, Pusiluo's strength still had a lot to do with his Volcano Giant bloodline.

By comparison, Adkins had always been confident in his own comprehension.

Even now, Pusiluo had fused more profound mysteries than he had, but Adkins hadn't taken it too seriously.

First, he'd spent far too much time on research, while Pusiluo was a brute who had no interest in it and had produced almost nothing of scientific value.

So it was entirely to be expected that he'd fallen a little behind.

Second, he'd upgraded his battle armor many times over the years. When fighting Pusiluo, he at least had the advantage of speed and could keep him at bay for a while.

Although his armor was only a copy and couldn't compare to Lord Huosi's, it at least let him put up a fight against Pusiluo.

But Linley was another matter entirely. Adkins was completely helpless against him. The man had clearly spent the least time cultivating, yet his mastery of the profound mysteries was the greatest.

What was more, Linley had kept up with his research while cultivating. He'd contributed to both the Space Turbulence Big Dipper Satellite System and the Interstellar Warship System, which Lord Huosi had focused on in recent years. Even Adkins, who considered himself Lord Huosi's foremost scientist, had nothing to say.

Even if Adkins gave it everything he had, he couldn't beat Linley. He wouldn't even have a chance to escape.

"Are you three sparring again?"

As the three chatted, Huosi stepped out of the void.

"My lord, how could I spar with them? I can only referee."

Adkins could only reply with an awkward smile.

He'd sparred with them before, too. Eventually, he'd given up for good.

When fighting Pusiluo, he could dodge and keep him occupied for a while. He couldn't win, but at least he wouldn't lose too badly.

As for Linley, Adkins had no desire to get beaten up. Not even though Linley was a very amiable person.

"That's right, my lord. Linley's terrifying. I have to say, your eye for talent is truly incredible. You picked him out of a crowd in an instant."

Pusiluo chimed in, his voice full of envy.

As a powerful Volcano Giant, he hadn't managed it yet, but he was confident that one day he'd fuse five profound mysteries.

Linley, however, might even fuse them all and reach the legendary Paragon.

Hearing the two of them, Linley's mouth twitched. He looked helpless and could only say, "My lord, Pusiluo's attacks are too one-dimensional. I've told him that countless times, but he just won't change."

If changing were that easy, I'd have become a Paragon long ago, Pusiluo thought. They both cultivated the fire laws, but Linley's understanding and use of them were far superior to his.

Pusiluo sparred with Linley partly to take the opportunity to observe and learn.

But after so many bouts, he still felt as if he were in a fog. It seemed like he understood, but then again, it seemed like he didn't.

They clearly cultivated the same law and had fused the same profound mysteries, yet he just couldn't understand how Linley applied them. That was what frustrated him most.

"Knowing what's wrong with one's cultivation doesn't mean one can change it just like that. Pusiluo is not you, after all."

Huosi glanced at Pusiluo and added his own comment.

Pusiluo's talent wasn't bad. Even Adkins's talent was nothing to scoff at. It was just that nothing was worse than making comparisons.

With Pusiluo's talent, fusing five profound mysteries was probably his limit. Becoming a Paragon was absolutely impossible.

Across countless planes, there were fewer than thirty who might be considered Paragons.

Among them were some who weren't Paragons, such as Beirut, Aiken, and Linley. There might also be Divine Clones of Chief Sovereigns. The true Paragons averaged no more than two per law.

Even Linley still had no clue how to become a Paragon, and the final step might be very, very far away.

"My lord, did you come here for something?"

Linley didn't want to continue the topic, so he asked directly.

Over the years, he'd gradually surpassed Adkins and Pusiluo in strength, and he couldn't help feeling a little proud.

But in front of Huosi, he still remained respectful. For one thing, Huosi was his benefactor, the one who had given him a new life, and deserved his respect.

For another, Huosi's strength felt unfathomable. Linley had no confidence that he could win.

Over the years, he'd sparred with Huosi many times and had never won once.

Of course, when he'd fought Huosi, he'd been a Midgod. The last time had been before he broke through to become a Highgod.

But even then, as a Midgod who had fused five profound mysteries, he'd been at the Seven-Star Fiend level.

And yet Huosi's power had felt incomprehensible. Even now, Linley still felt that he couldn't defeat him.

Huosi himself wasn't sure exactly what level his strength was at now.

But one thing was certain: he wasn't afraid of an ordinary Asura.

As he conquered more and more planes and acquired more resources, and as basic science advanced, Huosi had modified his battle armor again and again. He'd improved every single component at the nanoscale with new technology.

With the armor's boost, his physical body still hadn't reached the level of a Sovereign Artifact, but it wasn't far off.

As for soul defense, he at least felt that he had nothing to fear except a Paragon's soul attack.

The various offensive methods built into the armor were more than enough to contend with an Asura.

If he refined a Highgod Spark next, Huosi felt he could become the strongest beneath the Paragons.

A Highgod who'd refined a divine spark being called the strongest beneath the Paragons sounded ridiculous.

Yet that was the confidence Huosi now possessed. As long as Linley didn't become a Paragon, he wasn't worried about being surpassed.

But he had no idea how to reach the level of a Paragon or attain the Paragon's willpower. Paragons were favored by the heavens, granted willpower by their innate talent.

Willpower was the most powerful ability in the Coiling Dragon Universe. A Paragon's willpower elevated them to an entirely different level from an ordinary Asura.

A Paragon's willpower was to a Paragon what a Divine Domain was to a Lowgod. Even a super divine beast that was only one step away from becoming a Paragon still couldn't defeat one.

Raystine was a super divine beast who had fused five profound mysteries. Even with a Sovereign Artifact and the boost of a Sovereign's Might, he'd still been completely helpless against Bayer and Magnus.

Paragons truly had the highest level of cultivation in the Coiling Dragon Universe. Sovereigns relied on willpower and Sovereign Sparks; their own cultivation was actually not that high.

When Linley had been injured by Magnus, Beibei had asked whether they could get a Chief Sovereign to help. Raystine had answered at once that Chief Sovereigns were powerful because of their willpower, and that if one considered only their mastery of the profound mysteries, they might not even measure up to a Paragon.