The Secret Technique "Time Realm"

Hearing Lu Yan'an's impassioned words, Lord Shen's expression softened, a rare sight. He didn't comment on what Lu Yan'an had said, though. Instead, he turned to explain the secret technique "Time Realm."

"Time Realm is the signature secret technique of the Immortal Expert Marquis of Time. In the past, Marquis of Time relied on this technique to escape from even an Invincible King! It's considered one of the strongest Immortal Level techniques for staying alive!" Lord Shen began.

Invincible Kings were renowned even on the Outer Region Battlefield, a place known as a meat grinder. Each one was a pillar of their respective race. The fact that Marquis of Time had survived in the presence of such an existence was proof enough of how extraordinary this secret technique was.

The gap between a Marquis and an Invincible King was as vast as the gap between an ordinary person and someone at Star Level. An Invincible King could crush ants beneath their fingers, killing multiple Marquis Immortals in an instant! Even a Marquis who had condensed an Undying Body couldn't withstand a single move.

"One slight drawback is that this technique demands far too much of its practitioners. They need to comprehend the Law of Light and Time Law while they're still weak. Heh, but for a talented martial artist like you, who's just getting started, that won't be a problem. Even if you can't reach Entry Level in the first layer, 'Radiance,' simply comprehending the laws will already be a huge gain!"

As he listened to Lord Shen, Lu Yan'an nodded repeatedly. Having entered the first stage of mental cultivation—"a mind clear as a mirror"—he had long since cast off his former arrogance. His thoughts were now frighteningly pure: become stronger. And the secret technique he was about to cultivate was one path to that goal. After all, secret techniques were closely linked to law comprehension and complemented it. He didn't expect to master the technique, but he was determined to make progress along the way!

According to Lord Shen, "Time Realm" had four layers:

The first layer, Radiance, required comprehending the Origin Law of Light and the Time Law.

The second layer, Fleeting Years, required combining and applying the Origin Law of Light and the Time Law.

The third layer, Time, required recognition by the Origin Law of Light and comprehension of Time Stasis.

The fourth layer, Years, required recognition by the Law of Time.

Recognition by an Origin Law meant that, before becoming an Immortal—usually while at World Lord Level—a powerful being had to comprehend at least sixty percent of a particular law. Once they reached that threshold, the Universe Origin Law would descend, and a mark of the corresponding color would appear between the brows of the one recognized by the law!

That mark wasn't just for show. It allowed its bearer to communicate directly with the Origin Place of the Universe and comprehend the corresponding law! Why was a World Lord's comprehension so incredibly efficient? Only at World Lord Level could one's consciousness enter the Origin Place of the Universe for the first time, where the Origin of Laws was kept. When consciousness descended into the Origin Place of the Universe, it came as close as possible to the Origin of Laws. That proximity made it possible to sense them with the greatest clarity.

Once a World Lord broke through to Immortal Level, their energy underwent another transformation. Their World Energy became the far more powerful Immortal Energy, but they could no longer send their consciousness into the Origin Place. Their cultivation speed and efficiency dropped drastically as well.

Moreover, when an Immortal Expert broke through, the Universe Origin Law helped transform their body into a higher-level Divine Body. At that point, an Immortal's body was filled almost entirely with the power of the law they had broken through with. This severely interfered with comprehending any other Origin Law! So anyone with even a little ambition for their path to power would generally wait until they had gained recognition from a higher law before attempting a breakthrough.

If Lu Yan'an couldn't gain recognition from the Law of Time before becoming an Immortal, he would essentially have no way to perfect this secret technique! But that was still a long way off. With his current, pitiful Planetary Level strength, even reaching Entry Level in the first layer of Time Realm was unlikely. Without some comprehension of the Origin Law of Light and the Time Law, the barrier to cultivation was as high as the heavens!

But as it happened, Lu Yan'an's special ability was the Dark Radiance Body, a "favored child of the Origin Law of Light." Comprehending the Law of Light came more easily to him by nature. And with the first layer of his Domain already mastered, he had reached the minimum requirement to vaguely sense the Universe Origin's fluctuations through the ripples stirred up by his Light Domain!

To put it in perspective, if a typical Star Level cultivator comprehended the Law of Light at an efficiency of 1, someone who used a Domain to comprehend it would have an efficiency of 10. Lu Yan'an's efficiency was now 100! That was a hundred times the comprehension efficiency of a typical Star Level cultivator—and this was after his Planetary Level cultivation had dragged him down!

After Lord Shen sent Lu Yan'an off to comprehend the Law of Light, it took him only half a year to sense a trace of the Origin Law of Light at the hotel where he was staying on Qiu Long Planet. He had matched Feng Yunruo's record of comprehending an Origin Law at Planetary Level! Even after achieving this, Lu Yan'an didn't slack off in the slightest. Until he mastered the secret technique, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.

Half a year later.

Inside the Killing Space.

Lu Yan'an was locked in a head-on fight with a white-robed martial artist. His opponent's level and law comprehension were almost equal to his own. For a time, the two of them were locked in a stalemate! At one point, as if by unspoken agreement, they broke apart and rapidly retreated at the same time. As the white-robed martial artist fell back, he drew a long blade from behind his back. Then he planted one foot lightly on the ground to push off and charged toward Lu Yan'an.

Lu Yan'an was still in midair, struggling to regain his balance. When he saw this, his heart sank. But he kept his composure, concentrating all his strength into one punch in a desperate attempt to turn the tide! The power of the laws around him began to ripple, and the tension on the battlefield grew ever more intense. Yet as the white-robed martial artist drew closer, time seemed to stretch longer and longer in Lu Yan'an's eyes. The next instant, it was as if he'd understood something! The power of the Law of Light around him vanished, replaced by a new, obscure and sluggish attribute. It was the power of the Time Law!

Half a year after comprehending a trace of the Origin Law of Light, he had also successfully entered the Time Law during a simulated battle. He had one foot in the first layer of the secret technique "Time Realm": "Radiance."

Now, as Lu Yan'an fought on the field, his previous disadvantage had vanished completely! No matter how fast the white-robed martial artist moved or how strong he was, he still couldn't land a real hit on Lu Yan'an! That was the power of the Time Law. What Lu Yan'an had comprehended was part of the heaven-defying secret technique "Time Stasis"—Time Slow. Within a foot of Lu Yan'an, the white-robed martial artist moved like a snail and posed practically no threat. If Lu Yan'an wanted to, he could end the fight at any moment!

The terrifying power of an upper law was plain to see!

But in the very next instant, more than ten similar white-robed martial artists suddenly appeared on the field, all attacking Lu Yan'an at once.

Lord Shen, who had been watching quietly from the sidelines, had noticed Lu Yan'an's breakthrough. To keep him from getting too full of himself, he had deliberately increased the pressure.

On the field, more than ten white-robed martial artists surrounded Lu Yan'an. A dazzling array of attacks rained down on him. Even Lu Yan'an, having just broken through, struggled to handle the onslaught.

After enduring two attacks head-on, he forced himself to summon his strength. The power of the Time Law around him drew inward, and in an instant, he broke through the encirclement. Then he proceeded to beat the ten-odd white-robed martial artists in every way imaginable. The scene was downright brutal...

When the battle ended, the place was a mess. Lu Yan'an sat on the ground, gasping for breath, his forehead beaded with sweat. All around him lay bodies sprawled in disarray.

This was the result of Lu Yan'an's breakthrough, and it meant that the first layer of the secret technique "Time Realm," "Radiance," held no more secrets for him. With a little practice, he would be able to use this first-layer technique while still at Planetary Level.

With the boost from this secret technique, his combat strength could also reach the limits of Planetary Level. Only then would Lu Yan'an have the confidence to say he was truly invincible at Planetary Level—even if his opponent was Feng Yunruo!