Here, It Was Actually the Swallowed Star World? At Least I Had a Cheat!

Inside a secluded cultivation chamber in the Civilization Temple.

Yu Duan had just broken through, but he didn't hurry to leave seclusion.

"Do Heavenly Saints have an inner space? Master Zhen Li never seemed to mention one."

Yu Duan held the silver box containing the Method of Ascending to Sainthood in his right hand. In the next instant, the box vanished from his grasp and appeared inside his inner space.

Within Yu Duan's body, besides the White Star Core Inner Pellet that had formed when he broke through to the Heavenly Saint realm, there was also a pale golden core located between his brows.

Inside the pale golden core was a space about ten meters in diameter.

Of course, what surprised Yu Duan most was the translucent scroll inside that space.

A line of ancient-looking characters, imbued with a peculiar quality, appeared on the scroll.

Yu Duan had never seen these characters before, yet just by looking at the line, he naturally understood what it meant.

"The Book of Causality. Turning effect into cause."

[Dawn Artistic Conception] Light-type artistic conception, comprehension depth: minor mastery. Can advance an artistic conception to Unity of Heaven and Man level; repayment: watch the sunrise 100 times.

[Dawn Blade] Self-created martial art, level: Artistic Conception Level. Can advance sword technique comprehension to Unity of Heaven and Man level; repayment: perform a full-power sword strike 1 million times.

[Leap of Rosy Clouds] Self-created martial art, level: Artistic Conception Level. Can advance movement technique comprehension to Unity of Heaven and Man level; repayment: travel 1 million kilometers at full speed using the movement technique.

[Daybreak Force] Self-created Force Application Technique, level: 7-fold force. Can advance to 8-fold force; repayment: use the highest level of force 8,000 times.

"This... turning effect into cause—cultivating on credit?" Yu Duan's mouth twitched as he suppressed his surging emotions.

At the Civilization Temple, when Yu Duan emerged from the secluded chamber, he saw three figures.

Besides Master Zhen Li, who had always been stationed at the Civilization Temple, the other two were Shen Jian, the strongest Spirit Refining Path practitioner in the Light Source World, and Kun Zhu, the true number one expert in the Light Source World.

Though Master Zhen Li had been the first Heavenly Saint in the Light Source World, he wasn't the strongest.

Both Shen Jian and Kun Zhu had risen to prominence thanks to Master Zhen Li's guidance, but they had surpassed their mentor and were even more powerful than he was.

"Master Zhen Li, Senior Kun Zhu, Senior Shen Jian. I've lived up to your expectations."

Yu Duan clasped his hands. His youthful figure stood straight as a spear, and the aura of a Heavenly Saint swept outward.

Brilliant white Origin Force radiance blossomed from Yu Duan in all directions, illuminating everything around him in snowy white.

Looking at Yu Duan, who was still a young man, the three Heavenly Saints all smiled.

"Hahaha! Good, good, good! Congratulations on ascending to sainthood, Yu Duan!" Kun Zhu slapped Yu Duan on the shoulder with his fan-sized hand and laughed heartily.

Shen Jian's gentle gaze settled on Yu Duan. He smiled and gave a slight nod. "Now that you've reached the Planetary Level, there's no need to call us seniors. We can treat each other as equals."

Yu Duan had once been the youngest Body Refining Path practitioner on Light Source Planet to reach the peak of the ninth level. Hailed as the person closest to becoming a Heavenly Saint, he had known the three seniors for a long time.

"Planetary Level?"

Yu Duan keenly picked up on the key point and hurriedly asked the three of them, "Is that the true name for the Heavenly Saint realm?"

Kun Zhu didn't answer directly. Instead, he looked at Master Zhen Li and inclined his head slightly. "Master, please explain."

Master Zhen Li nodded solemnly, then looked at Yu Duan. "Yu Duan, two years ago, you also entered the ancient ruins from sixty million years ago. In that era, Heavenly Saints were called Sky Level experts."

"However, that's only what people on our planet call them. In the vast universe, our Light Source Planet is nothing."

"Fifty-one years ago, I accidentally entered the ruins of an extraterrestrial civilization. There, I not only obtained the secret method for becoming a Heavenly Saint but also gained a basic understanding of the universe. That's how I ushered in the new era."

"The Heavenly Saint realm is the Planetary Level. It's merely the most basic requirement for registering a legal identity in the universe."

"Below the Planetary Level, those at the ninth level of Body Refining or Spirit Refining are collectively called Apprentices. Body Refining Path practitioners are called Fighters, while Spirit Refining practitioners are called Spirit Readers!"

"Above the Planetary Level are the Star Level and Universe Level, and even the legendary Domain Lord Level experts, whose power is beyond anything we can match."

"Our Light Source Planet lies within the territory of a powerful cosmic civilization called the Crimson Empire."

"Within the star systems ruled by the Crimson Empire are more than a million inhabited planets like our Light Source Planet."

"And the Lord of the Kingdom of the Crimson Empire is a great Domain Lord Level expert. A single strike from him could annihilate every life on Light Source Planet, scorch the heavens, boil the seas, and destroy everything."

Seeing the disbelief on Yu Duan's face, the three Planetary Level experts said nothing more, giving him time to adjust.

After all, when they'd first learned the truth about the universe, they too had experienced a similar collapse of their worldview.

In reality, Yu Duan wasn't shocked by the universe's vastness or power.

"Fighters! Spirit Readers! Planetary, Star, Universe, Domain Lord! This fucking... Swallowed Star!"

The more Yu Duan heard, the more familiar it sounded. By the time Master Zhen Li finished, he was absolutely certain he had transmigrated into the Swallowed Star World.

At the thought of the dark forest law hidden beneath the splendor of the Cosmic Humans civilization, Yu Duan felt completely numb.

Someone like a Light Source Person only reached the first level of the Apprentice Level as an adult. Among the Cosmic Humans, that meant their bloodline had only barely escaped being among the very lowest.

If the cosmic civilizations ever discovered Light Source Planet, its people would either end up as a slave race or be treated as lowly lifeforms polluting an inhabited planet and wiped out.

"Thank goodness I didn't rashly ask about the golden core. Otherwise, I would've exposed my secret."

Yu Duan's consciousness sank into the pale golden core inside him. It was translucent, with a faint glow flowing through it.

"My golden core is probably something like the Golden Horned Beast's Original Core. As long as the core isn't damaged, I won't die."

"With Light Source Planet's bloodline level, it's impossible for anyone to have an Original Core. It's probably a 'bonus' from my cheat."

Seeing Yu Duan fall silent, Master Zhen Li hesitated for a moment before speaking again. His aged voice was somewhat hoarse. "Yu Duan, as one of the few Planetary Level members of our people, there's something you need to know."

As Planetary Level lifeforms, they had lifespans of a thousand years. Generally, they retained the appearance of youth or middle age until they rapidly aged during the final two years before their time was up.

If someone had already aged before breaking through to the Planetary Level, their bodily functions could return to their peak after the breakthrough, but their appearance wouldn't grow young again. They would remain old-looking, as was the case with Master Zhen Li.

"You were born in the new era, and you've taken astronomy classes. You should know about the astronomical phenomena of supernova and nova explosions."

"Unfortunately, Light Source Planet lies within the area affected by a nova explosion."

Simply put, a nova explosion was similar to a supernova explosion, but far less powerful.

The biggest difference between the two was that a nova wasn't a one-time event. Instead, it erupted once every set interval.

Master Zhen Li tapped the crystal bracer on his right arm. A pale blue holographic star chart appeared, accompanied by the cold voice of the Auxiliary Intelligence.

"Target: Death Omen Star. Crimson Empire official designation: Binary Star System No. 3415. Distance from Light Source Planet: 6.1 light-years."

"This binary star system experiences a nova explosion once every sixty million years, capable of destroying all indigenous civilizations within a fifteen-light-year radius."

"Unless there is an A1-Class Celestial Energy Shield, all lifeforms below the Planetary Level on Light Source Planet will perish."

"An A1-Class Energy Shield can withstand a full-power attack from a first-level Planetary Level expert."

"According to the knowledge database, the next Death Star explosion will occur in approximately 9.4 cosmic years. Converted to Light Source Planet's time units, that is 4.416 years."

Light Source Planet's years, months, and days differed from the universe's standard time units. After all, planets rotated and orbited at different speeds.

In the original story, Earth's years, months, and days matched the universe's time units. Most likely, that was because Earth was an artificial planet, so its orbital system and everything else followed the standard model used by cosmic civilizations.

"That's way too much information..." Yu Duan couldn't help complaining.

Master Zhen Li sighed, then turned to Yu Duan and the other two Planetary Level experts. His tone was grave and solemn. "This is a calamity that could wipe out our entire race. As the strongest members of our people, we are the civilization's last hope and shield."