Future Plans

When Luo Zhiyuan heard Bulieni say he was going to plan out his cultivation path, he couldn't help getting excited. "Bulieni, I want to follow the path of a Spirit Reader Illusionist. Are there any Combat Secret Techniques or anything like that that would suit me?"

"You're only at the Planetary Level. What are you talking about an Illusionist path for? Your physical talent is so good that you should develop in every area.

"You should know that to break through to the Immortal Level, you need perfect control over your body. Your body and Spiritual Force are both essential.

"So you need to develop as both a Martial Artist and a Spirit Reader. That's very important for your body, and it won't be a problem at all. You just need to spend a little more time on it." Bulieni told Luo Zhiyuan nonchalantly.

But Luo Zhiyuan didn't quite understand. He had already spent some time practicing an Illusionist's combat methods, and he had even tried creating two unique secret techniques himself. Shouldn't he focus on the Illusionist path?

Was there some reason he didn't know about, because he lacked experience? He needed to ask and find out.

Luo Zhiyuan asked in confusion, "Bulieni, I've already created two unique Soul Secret Techniques myself, and my Spiritual Force cultivation is much higher than my physical cultivation. Shouldn't I play to my strengths and focus on one path?" He then briefly explained Neural Illusion.

Bulieni gave a derisive snort. "You call that Neural Illusion of yours a secret technique? I can't believe your previous idiot of an Intelligent Life didn't stop you from wasting your time.

"Those two techniques of yours, the ones that target the brain—fine, I'll generously call them combat tricks. They're completely meaningless against lifeforms at the Domain Lord Level.

"At the Domain Lord Level, the brain isn't a vital spot anymore. You wouldn't even die if you lost your head. So what use are they?"

Luo Zhiyuan protested, unconvinced. "I didn't create those two techniques to kill enemies directly. They're meant to interfere with my opponents so I can use other methods to finish them off."

"Haha, interfere?" Bulieni laughed at him. "You really are a combat idiot! It looks like you've never actually fought someone at your own level."

Then Bulieni's voice turned serious as he said to Luo Zhiyuan, "Come on, let me explain why your methods won't work. Tell me, do you know how fast combat between Martial Artists or Spirit Readers gets?"

Luo Zhiyuan first said that he did, then hesitated. "Uh, I've sparred with one of my family's guards, a Planetary Level Nine Spirit Reader, and it didn't seem that fast."

"Your family's guard? You mean a slave, right? How would they dare pose a real threat to you?" Bulieni gave a derisive snort and continued, "I'll tell you. In a real fight to the death, a Martial Artist will try to get as close to you as possible as quickly as they can, then launch a fierce attack.

"A Spirit Reader will use a Telekinetic Weapon to attack you from a distance right away. You should know that Telekinetic Weapons move many times faster than your body. Once you find a good opportunity to attack, if you can't kill your opponent immediately, then you'd better be ready to get killed instead!"

So that was how it worked? Luo Zhiyuan froze for a moment. He had absorbed quite a bit of combat experience and developed his own Soul Secret Techniques, and he'd been rather pleased with himself, thinking he was a combat genius.

But Bulieni had brought him back down to earth with one simple analysis. He was still a complete beginner at combat.

That was true. Aside from fighting a few apprentice-level monsters and scumbags on Earth, he had only sparred with the Luo Family's guards. But the guards couldn't spar with him as if they were trying to kill him. That was why he had thought he had such a great advantage. He had never even paid attention to his opponents' movement speed, since they weren't on the same level.

Luo Zhiyuan's mood sank. He said quietly, "So the secret techniques I was so proud of are completely useless. But I really do like the Illusionist path, and I feel like it suits me."

Bulieni stopped criticizing him and reassured him instead. "Your foundations are too weak right now, and you haven't seen enough of the world. It's too early for you to create your own secret techniques.

"Your top priority right now is to reach the World Lord Level as quickly as possible. The most important thing about becoming Immortal is comprehending the Laws of the Universe, and the World Lord stage is the fastest period for doing that. You can even comprehend the Laws better then than at the Immortal God stage.

"So creating secret techniques before that would be extremely inefficient. One reason is that it would waste time. The other is that you haven't seen enough. Even if you created a secret technique, it would be mediocre at best.

"Before reaching the World Lord Level, your best choice is to focus wholeheartedly on cultivating as quickly as possible, then learn and master a few Combat Secret Techniques created by others. That way, you'll have ways to fight and protect yourself, and you'll broaden your own horizons.

"Only when you feel that other people's Combat Secret Techniques can no longer bring out your full potential should you create your own. Then, the secret techniques you create will be able to bring out your strength to the greatest extent. Of course, there's one condition: you need to have enough secret techniques to study first.

"The most common combat methods in the universe belong to Martial Artists, followed by Spirit Reader Controllers. Illusionist combat methods are relatively rare, and they're hard to get your hands on.

"In terms of efficiency, the Illusionist path isn't suitable for the early stages. Of course, being an Illusionist is a powerful path of cultivation. If you truly develop it, you'll be absolutely terrifying.

"My advice is to follow the usual steps in your early cultivation. When you really need to create your own unique techniques, then consider which path suits you best. If you still want to lean toward the Illusionist path then, you'll have to put in plenty of effort.

"But even if you choose the Illusionist path, you can't give up on physical cultivation. Illusionists are limited in how much of their strength they can bring to bear against lifeforms that aren't vulnerable to Soul Secret Techniques, or against powerful foes with strong wills.

"As a strong warrior, you can't afford to have any obvious weaknesses, or your enemies will easily take advantage of them. So either your body must be strong enough, or you'll need to supplement your training with the Controller's methods. That's another reason you should develop in every area early on."

After listening to Bulieni's detailed explanation, Luo Zhiyuan realized he had been getting ahead of himself. But one thing Luo Zhiyuan had carried over from his previous life was that he was willing to listen to advice.

When he didn't understand something, he listened to someone who did. Bulieni had made his point clearly, so he would just follow Bulieni's plan. Still, there were some things that made him different from others, and he needed to ask Bulieni for advice about those as well.

"Bulieni, you know there's something unusual about me. I still have some secrets you don't know about, and I'd like you to help me figure out what to do."

"Oh? No problem. Tell me. I spent a long time wandering around the universe with Old Mystic, so I've got a pretty good eye for things."

"Okay. This body of mine was born with a few mutations, so the Primal Universe granted me three Innate Secret Techniques..."

At the mention of Innate Secret Techniques, Bulieni shouted and interrupted him. "What?! You're a human, and you have Innate Secret Techniques? Tell me what they are!"

Luo Zhiyuan was helpless. Bulieni seemed impatient. "I was just about to tell you, wasn't I? My first Innate Secret Technique is Flowing Time. It can speed up the flow of time around me, and I usually use it to cultivate faster.

"The second is External Incarnation. It lets me create incarnations and clones, so I think it's a life-saving technique.

"The third is Soul Fusion Technique. It can forcibly fuse an enemy's soul with mine, strengthening my will and combat experience. That's exactly why I'm inclined toward the Illusionist path.

"Help me figure out how to make use of these three Innate Secret Techniques. Also, my External Incarnation can create five clones. What should I use? We'll need to discuss that carefully."

Bulieni fell silent for a while, evidently absorbing what Luo Zhiyuan had told him. Then he spoke. "Kid, you're practically the Primal Universe's favorite. All three of your Innate Secret Techniques are excellent. One helps with cultivation, one keeps you alive, and one helps you fight. I'm starting to envy you!

"Your physical talent was already excellent, and with these Innate Secret Techniques on top of it, once you grow strong, you'll definitely stand among the universe's most powerful figures! Hmm, you haven't used your clone technique yet, have you?"

"No. I don't know what to choose, especially since I'm only at the Planetary Level."

"Good. Your first clone is very important, so you need to choose one that will help you the most. There's no rush. We can take our time and think it through."

Bulieni paused to gather his thoughts, then asked Luo Zhiyuan, "Tell me what options you have in mind."

Luo Zhiyuan thought for a moment before answering, "I have some scales from a Star Level Golden Horned Behemoth. I'll be able to use them once I break through to the Star Level. I don't have any other materials."

Bulieni sounded a little disappointed. "A Golden Horned Behemoth? It's an acceptable choice, at least. It's not easy to find one.

"Setting Special Lifeforms aside, it's still one of the universe's top bloodlines. Its bloodline is about as powerful as that of your current body. Although it's a lifeform of the metal element, it also has some affinity for space, so it's better at comprehending the Law of Space than ordinary lifeforms.

"Oh, let me tell you a secret. I doubt many people know this now. The so-called Starry Sky Behemoth race was descended from the eight Natural Beast Gods of old.

"Back then, when Old Mystic foresaw that something was about to happen, he joined forces with those old fellows. They said they should leave behind some descendants to stir up trouble, so their descendants wouldn't forget them.

"Among them, Wood Beast God Isis was the most enthusiastic about the idea, because his innate gift was creating life. He had already created countless lifeforms and races back then.

"So he was the one who combined the eight of them's innate traits and bloodlines with different strange beasts, creating the Starry Sky Behemoth race that came later. Haha.

"Of course, when they first created the Starry Sky Behemoths, the strange beasts they used had varying levels of talent, so their bloodlines weren't all the same.

"Some had the twelve top bloodlines and could reach the World Lord Level upon adulthood. Others had the next-best bloodlines and could reach the Domain Lord Level as adults. The lowest-level ones could reach the Universe Level when they grew up.

"They even joined forces to raise a strange beast as their leader. If that little fellow hasn't fallen by now, it might have become the strongest being in the universe. You didn't know that secret, did you?"

Luo Zhiyuan actually knew part of the story. The original work had mentioned that the Starry Sky Behemoths were descendants of the Beast Gods, but he hadn't known their Progenitor had been raised by the eight Natural Beast Gods working together. That also explained why there were so many Beast God Statues in the Starry Sky Behemoth Progenitor's Beast God Realm.

Bulieni saw that Luo Zhiyuan didn't look very surprised, so he didn't say anything more. Instead, he asked, "Do you have any other plans for your clones?"

So Luo Zhiyuan told Bulieni some of the ideas he had for his clones, including the Mosha Clan, the Sea of Jiuyou, and the World Tree. He also mentioned that he wanted to enter humanity's Core Layer and get access to more information, which might help him find more suitable materials for his clones.

Bulieni mulled it over and said, "Your ideas are all pretty good. I haven't heard of the Mosha Clan or the World Tree, so they must be newer races. I know that little Jiuyou, though. I never heard that he had a son.

"Back then, we only knew he had the strength of a Universe Overlord and needed some protection from the Ancestral God Sect. I didn't know he'd become a top Universe Master by now, too. The information in your head is extraordinary!

"But the Sea of Jiuyou is too far away from you. You don't have the ability to get your hands on a piece of its body yet, so forget about it for now. You can think about that after you reach the World Lord Level."

Luo Zhiyuan didn't know what to say. The Lord of Jiuyou had been just a little fellow, too? It seemed he would have to get used to chatting with someone from the ancient past. Otherwise, sooner or later, something Bulieni said would scare him to death.

Bulieni didn't care whether Luo Zhiyuan was used to it or not. He continued, "And you said you wanted to enter humanity's Core Layer, right? Then don't rush to create a clone. Once you've actually entered humanity's Core Layer, you'll be able to learn more secrets. Maybe you'll find the most suitable materials for your clones then.

"By the way, you mentioned the Virtual Universe, didn't you? Tell me how to use it. I'll go there and look around. Maybe I'll find something surprising. After all, I was sealed for countless eras, so there must be a lot of news I don't know about. I'll go look into it.

"You should eat that lousy Azure Fruit and break through to Planetary Level Nine. I'll go catch up on things first."

Luo Zhiyuan told Bulieni how to log in to the Virtual Universe and gave him an account, so Bulieni could look up information himself. He also composed himself, put the World Ring on his right thumb, and prepared to return to Earth.

The moment he put on the World Ring, it vanished from sight. He could no longer see or touch it, as if it didn't exist. But as soon as Luo Zhiyuan stirred his Spiritual Force, he connected to the space inside the ring.

In an instant, a space larger than Luo Zhiyuan could have imagined appeared before him. It felt boundless. Bulieni chuckled and said, "Kid, this is the highest-grade World Ring. It has a space one hundred million kilometers in length, width, and height. Throw away that lousy storage wristband of yours.

"And the space inside is a real world. You could even put people in here. Pretty nice, huh?

"But Old Mystic just tossed things in here haphazardly back then. I'll find what you need when the time comes. For now, I'm going to look around the Virtual Universe. I've found it fascinating, and I'm almost hooked. Haha!"

Luo Zhiyuan stared intently at this vast world within the ring, at a loss for words. Well, he'd just have to get used to it.

Still, he wasn't going to throw away his wristband. It was his first piece of storage equipment, after all. He might as well keep it as a memento.

Luo Zhiyuan stopped inspecting the ring. After thinking about how to explain things to Luo Feng and Babata, he had L-1 take him back to Earth.

When he returned to Earth this time, Luo Zhiyuan didn't hide L-1 anymore. He flew straight to the Luo Family castle and landed inside. He had contacted the castle's intelligent system ahead of time, so no one was alerted by the ship's arrival.

But the other members of the Luo Family were curious and came over. As soon as Luo Zhiyuan stepped out of the ship, they gathered around him to ask what had happened.

Before returning to Earth from Venus, Luo Zhiyuan had dismissed the incarnation he'd left in the Luo Family's cultivation room. So when he came out now, his family only asked about the ship. He told them he had discovered a crashed spaceship underwater a few days earlier and had now repaired it and flown it back.

After fooling his family and spending some time enjoying their company, Luo Zhiyuan returned to his room and connected to the Virtual Universe. He had some things he wanted to discuss with Luo Feng.

Luo Zhiyuan logged into the Virtual Universe and set his arrival point somewhere else on Black Dragon Island, rather than near Luo Feng and the others.

This time, the figure beside Luo Zhiyuan wasn't Babata's virtual image, but Bulieni's. It was his first time seeing Bulieni's appearance, and he couldn't help looking him over.

Bulieni's virtual image looked like a tiny, ordinary young man from Earth. Other than his completely white eyes, there was nothing unusual about him. It was quite different from what Luo Zhiyuan had expected.

Bulieni shot him a sidelong glance. "What, you don't like that I chose the appearance of your species? Doesn't it make me seem friendlier? Besides, I'm not going to make myself look weird. That'd be boring."

What could Luo Zhiyuan say? Fine, Bulieni could do as he pleased. But he would need Bulieni's help when he talked to Luo Feng in a moment, so he said, "Bulieni, you destroyed my Auxiliary Optical Computer earlier. I need to explain it to my dad. Remember to help me come up with a convincing story."

"What's the big deal? You don't need to explain. Fine, I'll cover for you. By the way, kid, it's best not to mention Old Mystic's name in the Virtual Universe. Better safe than sorry. Otherwise, you might get yourself into some serious trouble." Bulieni's expression was grave.

Luo Zhiyuan understood and quickly thanked Bulieni for the warning. Then he started contacting Luo Feng and Babata through the Virtual Universe.

Since Luo Zhiyuan had logged into the Virtual Universe with his new identity, Babata automatically sent him a verification question, asking him what his favorite fruit was. They could only talk if he answered correctly.

Luo Zhiyuan thought for a moment. He remembered that in the original work, Babata was always chewing on an apple, so he entered "apple." He'd actually guessed right.

Soon, Babata sent him a message. "Hey, stranger, how did you know I love apples? That fruit shouldn't be common, should it?"

That was true. Apples were a fruit from Earth, so they probably weren't very common in the universe. It seemed Babata had never intended to talk to strangers in the first place. What a mischievous little rascal.

Luo Zhiyuan quickly said, "Babata, it's me, Zhiyuan. I need to talk to you and Dad about something. Where are you right now?"

"What? You're Little Zhiyuan? I was looking for you, actually. Why did you destroy my auxiliary Intelligent Life earlier? Did something happen?"

"Just tell me where you are first. I'll come over, and we can talk face-to-face."

"All right, we're at XXXX. Hurry over."

Luo Zhiyuan followed the coordinates straight there. When he arrived, he saw not only Luo Feng but also Hong and Thunder God. The damage to the auxiliary Intelligent Life had clearly worried them.

On his way over, Luo Zhiyuan had already told Bulieni who Luo Feng, Hong, Thunder God, and Babata were. So after meeting them, Bulieni simply nodded without saying anything else.

Babata, however, was different. The moment he saw the unfamiliar Intelligent Life sitting on Luo Zhiyuan's shoulder, he started shouting, "Little Zhiyuan, who's that? Why is he with you? And where's my auxiliary Intelligent Life?"

Luo Zhiyuan hurriedly introduced them. "Babata, Uncle Hong, Uncle Thunder God, Dad, this is Bulieni. He's an Intelligent Life and the companion of an ancient senior.

"When I was fighting a King-level monster at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, I exposed a spaceship. Afterward, I had the family's robots repair it.

"Inside the ship was a senior who had fallen in ancient times. I obtained that senior's relics and Bulieni's recognition, so I stopped using Babata's auxiliary Intelligent Life. As for that senior's name, I can't say it here. I'll tell you in person later."

Bulieni gave Babata a sidelong glare and drawled, "What's wrong, little fellow? That lousy auxiliary Intelligent Life you made was stupid and clumsy. It annoyed me, so I destroyed it. Got a problem with that?"

The moment Bulieni glared at him, Babata felt as if he'd been crushed by an overwhelming force. The pressure was even more terrifying than that of the being who had killed Hu Yanbo back then. Babata immediately shook his head, trembling and too frightened to speak.

Luo Feng, Hong, and Thunder God exchanged glances. They all knew Babata was fearless and loved causing trouble, yet one glare from Bulieni had left him too terrified to speak. That showed just how terrifying Bulieni was. It seemed Little Zhiyuan had stumbled upon an incredible opportunity this time.

Luo Feng's heart stirred. Could this be a turning point for Earth? The senior might have powerful methods that could help Earth survive the Nolan Mountain family's invasion.

But would it be inappropriate to ask for that on their first meeting? Still, Earth was truly in danger. After thinking it over, Luo Feng decided to ask. Bulieni had already accepted Zhiyuan as his master, so surely he wouldn't want to see his home suffer.

Luo Zhiyuan hadn't expected Bulieni to be able to suppress Babata so thoroughly. That saved him a lot of trouble explaining everything. Otherwise, Babata's relentless questioning would have made things difficult.

It seemed this ancient Intelligent Life Bulieni was no ordinary Intelligent Life, even without a body!