Yuan was clever. He knew that he and Purple Crystal were currently sharing a delicate understanding, and that it was always best to hold on to some degree of control.
He stopped thinking about it, afraid Purple Crystal might read his memories again, and instead asked, "In your opinion, what's so special about my father and me that we could see you at the Apprentice Rank?"
Purple Crystal's helpless voice echoed in his Consciousness Sea. "It should be because you and your father really are exceptionally talented. Even at the Apprentice Rank, you had keen perception."
"I also relied on some mysterious revelation to guide me into your father's Consciousness Sea when he was still a boy. That way, I could absorb more of that strange, unknown energy."
Yuan raised another key question. "So you tried so hard to hide yourself because your presence would weaken your host's talent, right?"
Yuan deftly steered Purple Crystal toward seeing him and his father as victims, so he could retain some control over the conversation as it ventured into the unknown.
What kind of being was Purple Crystal? It seemed to have sensed Yuan's intentions.
But without calling him out directly, it continued, "You're not wrong, but whenever I leave, I give my former host some opportunities so he can reach the level his natural talent should have allowed him to attain!"
"Then why did my father..."
Purple Crystal cut him off at once. "Even without me, your father would have been lucky to reach the Flying Star Rank. Whether he could have made it through the 'Warrior Trial' was anyone's guess!"
Before Yuan could ask another question, Purple Crystal continued, "I know what you're going to ask. Your talent really is much higher than your father's, but that's assuming you're lucky. The Sky Rank—or Universe Rank—is your limit."
"Without me, would you have passed the trial of the Spirit Condensation Method and comprehended the Light Artistic Conception? Dream on!"
Yuan gritted his teeth. "So should I be thanking you?"
Purple Crystal seized on his words. "If you insist, I suppose I'll just have to accept your thanks!"
Yuan: "..."
Purple Crystal sighed. "Forget how we got here and look at the result. Have you lost anything?"
Yuan: "..."
"Sure, you're still being hunted, but you've also comprehended the Light Artistic Conception. What that means is clear from what you've already been through!"
Yuan said uncertainly, "A-a demigod?"
"More than that! Don't sell yourself short! There are shortcuts to becoming a god!"
"Since the birth of the universe, becoming a god has grown harder with the passage of time. If you and I had been born in the universe's earliest days, you could have become an Immortal God as easily as eating or drinking!"
"In the distant future, even among countless, countless lives, it may be hard for a single Immortal God to emerge. You're lucky to live in this era!"
Yuan was shaken once again... Immortal Gods, said to be undying and imperishable!
His voice trembled. "What shortcut?"
Purple Crystal scoffed. "When you can survive on Dongyuan Planet for a long time, I'll tell you. There's no point in telling you now. It would only worry you!"
Yuan didn't press the matter. Instead, he asked about something else, trying to calm his turbulent emotions. "Then my father..."
Purple Crystal helplessly cut him off again. "If you want to hear about him, I can tell you all about your father's past. I could go on for three days and three nights!"
Yuan said helplessly, "Never mind. Another time. My current problems are more pressing!"
Purple Crystal suddenly stopped chattering, as if relieved, and fell silent for a rare moment.
"Purple Crystal? Then why are you telling me all this now?"
Purple Crystal laughed heartily. "Yuan, I knew I was right about you. No matter what you go through, you never lose sight of who you are. You've always been so steadfast!"
Yuan wasn't sure why Purple Crystal had suddenly praised him. For once, he didn't try to be modest, and waited in silence for an answer.
When Yuan didn't respond, Purple Crystal continued as usual. "There are many reasons. Recently, I've sensed an opportunity to become an Immortal God. I might as well work with a host first, so I can break through in a relatively safe environment."
"Don't think you're the only one I can choose! When you first discovered me and searched for information about me online, I was dormant and couldn't do anything!"
"Otherwise, I would have stopped you back then! It's just that now I really have no choice!"
Yuan felt awkward. "So that's why those people behind the scenes found out about you?"
"Not just that. The forces behind the scenes also needed time to establish themselves among the Tuka Tribe. If they hadn't, the two of us would have been finished long before I woke up!"
"They deliberately established themselves among the Tuka Tribe?"
"Yes. Those beings went to a lot of trouble to capture me without alerting me. Too bad they badly underestimated me!"
Yuan said worriedly, "Then aren't my parents in danger?"
Purple Crystal scoffed. "You think too highly of the organization created by those so-called masterminds. And you're underestimating the demigods of your Isis Race!"
"The matter involves two Sky Rank—or Universe Rank—Light-Deriving Snakes. Your Isis Race's demigods will investigate the whole affair thoroughly!"
"The organization behind the scenes is bound to be wiped out. Your parents will probably even be placed under protection while they wait for you to show up and see what's special about you!"
"Your Isis Race will probably learn some things about me, too!"
Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. We need to find a way to get back and let them know we're safe as soon as possible."
For now, forget about letting them know you're safe. Unless you want the Isis Race's demigods to capture you and cut you open. Don't worry. Once we get back to the Isis Race, I'll find a way to tell them!
Yuan asked, "You'll help me become strong, and I'll provide you with a safe environment. Is that it?"
"That's right! If I fail to break through, then when you take control of the Isis Race, you'll have to protect me when I choose a host!"
Yuan nodded. "That's a fair deal, but how am I supposed to trust you?"
Purple Crystal suddenly grew arrogant. "Hahahaha... You don't have to trust me, because you have no choice right now!! Hahahaha..."
Yuan: "..."
After digesting their earlier conversation, Yuan had to accept reality. He discussed with Purple Crystal how to use the resources at hand to aid his cultivation.
Purple Crystal also told Tuya, Yuan's intelligent assistant, how to crack the password lock on the D9-class Spaceship inside the Space Ring.
Tuya tried it and found that it really worked, though it would take some time. It was an unexpected bonus.
It wasn't until their long conversation ended that Yuan noticed the sky was already growing light. With Purple Crystal's guidance, he began modifying the energy circulation pathways of the Die Feng Sword Art.
He adapted it for a human of the Isis Race like himself. In less than half an hour, he mastered the first three forms of the first level of the Die Feng Sword Art, achieving a 1.3-fold force output!
Yuan could already imagine the looks on Shenghui, Sijian, and the others' faces when they heard he had modified the Die Feng Sword Art manual and mastered the art...
If Yuan had simply absorbed cosmic energy, both his martial arts and Spirit Reader cultivation could have reached the ninth level of the Earth Rank within five Dongyuan years.
But under Purple Crystal's guidance, Yuan selected several treasures from the Space Ring to aid his cultivation, reducing that time to just one year and three months.
His foundation would also be much firmer, avoiding an even greater bottleneck when he tried to break through to the Flying Star Rank!
Purple Crystal did have a way to help Yuan reach the Sky Rank—or Universe Rank—quickly with the resources at hand. The price was that he would never be able to break through to a higher realm.
Yuan refused without hesitation. Now that he had a chance to reach that legendary level, only a fool would make that choice...
As expected, Shenghui, Sijian, and the others were stunned when they heard the news that day. Ignoring Yuan's modest protests, they dragged him over to teach the young people in their village.
Just one day earlier, people from the "Starship Humans" village had been carefully instructing Yuan!
Too embarrassed to refuse, Yuan could only ask Purple Crystal to feed him advice. Purple Crystal mocked him in his mind, but in the end, it still helped.
When it came down to it, survival was the top priority for the "Starship Humans," and improving their combat strength was what mattered most. They had lost many of the precious lessons in how to guide the younger generation's cultivation.
Purple Crystal only shared some basic knowledge, yet it proved immensely helpful to the "Starship Humans" youths!
Shenghui and Sijian marveled that they hadn't realized how far Yuan's knowledge and insights into Earth Rank cultivation had surpassed their own, despite the two of them being at the Sky Rank!
Yuan's "terrifying comprehension" made Shenghui and Sijian treat him as an equal. Everyone else in the village began calling him "Mr. Stone"!
Yuan was embarrassed, but since it was something he could do to repay the "Starship Humans," he could only swallow his embarrassment and accept it!
"Good morning, Mr. Stone!" "Have you eaten yet, Mr. Stone?"...
Every time a villager called him Mr. Stone, Purple Crystal let out a strange cry in his Consciousness Sea: "Aha!"...
Yuan was so embarrassed that he hurriedly fled, while the villagers looked on in confusion, thinking he was simply too modest and wasn't used to being called "sir."
Eventually, Yuan became numb to it, and only then did Purple Crystal fall silent, having lost interest...
On the wasteland thousands of kilometers from the "Starship Humans" village, a lone Iron-Backed Hyena Rat slammed into a boulder in front of it.
The dazed hyena rat was mostly unharmed, but the transparent container it carried on its back shattered on impact.
From the container's fragments, a massive cloud of white mist suddenly rose, spanning more than ten meters. It didn't rise any higher or disperse, but simply hovered in the air.
The Iron-Backed Hyena Rat felt afraid when it saw the enormous cloud of white mist before it, but it still gritted its teeth and approached.
It tossed another object it carried—a humanlike palm—into the mist.
The palm floated inside the mist, quickly dissolving and vanishing. A small part of the mist turned deep blue.
Then the deep blue spread rapidly and gradually faded. The entire cloud slowly turned white again, and it grew imperceptibly larger!
Seeing this, the Iron-Backed Hyena Rat turned and immediately fled in a chosen direction. The enormous cloud of white mist seemed to have gained a mind of its own and swiftly pursued it.
Sensing the white mist chasing it, the Iron-Backed Hyena Rat let out a wail and tried to stop.
But after some unknown struggle, it soon leaped up and continued running. It went in the same direction as before, without deviating in the slightest!
Before you continue