Special Life Form

Bulieni watched as Luo Zhiyuan performed the formal apprenticeship ceremony with great solemnity, then said in a lighthearted tone, "Kid Luo, you really took that old charlatan as your master. He's certainly taken the easy route as a teacher, dumping the entire task of instructing you straight onto me. This is going to take up so much of my time, so you'd better be sharp—don't act like a blockhead and take forever to learn!"

Luo Zhiyuan listened, then replied with great seriousness, "Don't worry, Bulieni. I won't bring shame to my master. I will study with the utmost diligence. Besides, didn't you praise my cultivation talent? It should be relatively easy for you to teach me."

"Hmm, that's good. Let's see what kind of good stuff the old charlatan left for you. Bring that auxiliary light brain over; I'll integrate its contents first."

Using his spiritual force to draw the auxiliary light brain toward him, Luo Zhiyuan watched as a ripple emanated from the World Ring on his finger, and the device vanished into it.

After a moment, Bulieni said to Luo Zhiyuan, "Kid Luo, the old charlatan really put in the effort this time. Come, let's go to the center of this world. That's where he left the Evolution Fluid for you. From now on, whenever you break through to the Star Level, Universe Level, Domain Lord Level, or Sector Lord Level, you can absorb this fluid to instantly evolve your body to the peak of your current rank."

"Because only cross-rank breakthroughs involve a genetic evolution leap, while the advancement from the first to the ninth stage within each level is merely a simple accumulation of energy."

"Your master has saved you the time spent on accumulating energy. As for the genetic leaps caused by breakthroughs, that will require your own effort. This way, you can have more time to comprehend laws, study combat secret techniques, and improve your combat power."

Luo Zhiyuan stepped onto his Lightning Shuttle and flew at full speed for a while before reaching the center of the World Ring. Before his eyes lay a lake roughly 500 kilometers in diameter, filled with a milky-white, glowing liquid. Scattered around the lake were several metal crates of various sizes, each marked with different codes.

Bulieni said, "See this lake? This is the Evolution Fluid. Whenever you need to accumulate energy, just soak in it."

"To prevent the energy of the fluid from dissipating, the old charlatan placed a seal on it, but it won't affect your normal use. As for those crates, that's where the rest of his preparations are."

"These things might not be considered precious to the old charlatan, but for a lone wolf like him, finding so many, and such a complete set, must have taken quite a bit of effort."

Luo Zhiyuan curiously examined the lake before him. So this was the Evolution Fluid? The kind that could directly raise one's cultivation? The fluid provided by the Virtual Universe Company to its core members for body evolution was likely not the same substance as this.

Then there was the Manka Star Race, the human race's peak bloodline, whose members reached the Domain Lord Level upon adulthood and also soaked in the "Pool of Life" after their genetic leap to boost their cultivation. It seemed there were many types of such evolution fluids, though all were incredibly precious.

"Take a look. This box contains the larva of the Star-Eating Grass, known as the toughest offensive plant life. Of course, that reputation only applies to plant life available for mass sale. It's significantly more valuable than the Cloud-Touching Vine you prepared. Its method of attack is constriction; it uses its leaves to trap and crush opponents, easily defeating humans of the same level."

"As for this one, it's quite rare. It's a special plant life the old charlatan discovered in a newly found cosmic secret region. These plants call themselves the Xingshuo race. When the old charlatan first found them, the population was only 81, and the strongest among them was only at the Undying Level, not yet having broken through to the Universe Knight Level."

"I don't know if this race has flourished or gone extinct after all this time. In any case, I couldn't find any information on them in your human Virtual Universe. It's possible we don't have the clearance to access such classified data."

"This is a Planet Level Xingshuo larva. After the old charlatan snatched it, he used soul and time secret techniques to seal it, allowing it to survive to this day."

"The genetic level of a Xingshuo is about 1,000 times that of an ordinary human, and it possesses a very special innate secret technique—Teleportation. This talent allows a Xingshuo, even as a Planet Level larva, to teleport up to 10,000 kilometers. As their cultivation increases, the distance grows even further. It's practically the illegitimate child of the Space Laws!"

"Teleportation?!" Luo Zhiyuan exclaimed in surprise. He had never imagined such a miraculous plant life existed. One had to know that in the universe, ordinary life forms could only grasp the ability to teleport after reaching the Sector Lord Level and achieving a very high level of comprehension of the Space Laws.

Of course, at that stage, one could teleport about one light-year in a single jump, but he had never heard of any life form capable of teleportation without such high comprehension of Space Laws, nor was it mentioned in the original story.

"Oh? You even know about Teleportation? You certainly know quite a bit. Well, now you understand how heaven-defying this special life form is, right?"

"You could absolutely use this as one of your clones. Plant life forms are naturally massive and have high genetic levels. Once you break through to the Undying Level in the future, this clone's divine body will contain immense divine power. Its innate abilities are also heaven-defying, and it will surely comprehend the Space Laws quickly. It will definitely be one of your trump cards for killing enemies and saving your life before you reach the Undying Level!"

"It might even be helpful for your path of comprehending the Space-Time Laws before you become a Universe Master, provided you don't follow your master's path of fusing laws!"

Luo Zhiyuan's eyes gleamed with intensity. He stared at the box containing the Xingshuo, almost drooling. After a sudden jolt of realization, he said to Bulieni, "This is great! This is perfect. It's much stronger than the Mosha Clan clone I had originally planned."

"Teleportation... this is just too powerful! I just don't know if I can successfully gestate it as a clone, given that its genetic level is so high. I'll try it out in a bit. Keep telling me about the other treasures!"

"Hmph, look at that gleam in your eyes. There are over a dozen more special life forms here, along with treasures to raise your genetic level."

"Here, this is a Shadow Race larva. The population of this race is larger than the Xingshuo, numbering in the hundreds, so their genetic level isn't as high—only 100 times that of an ordinary human. However, as energy-based life forms, they are immune to any soul-based secret attacks."

"The old charlatan said the Shadow Race are the darlings of the Light Laws. Their innate secret techniques are quite peculiar. As far as he knows, they can hide their bodies within the shadows cast by light, concealing their presence and aura. They can also control an opponent's shadow to affect their physical body, rendering them immobile. It's likely a secret technique that fuses the Light, Space, and Time laws."

"He specifically mentioned that he foresaw one of your future clones being this Shadow Race. But this race was wiped out hundreds of thousands of epochs before you were born, so he knew this was the only way he could get you such a clone. He went to great lengths to find it."

"You have to understand, there was no convenient Virtual Universe for your human race back then, and he didn't have many friends, so he had to search for it slowly on his own."

"Finally, in a very remote cosmic secret region, the old charlatan discovered this special life form. However, this secret region was located within the territory of the Crystal Race. The Shadow Race were vassals to the Crystal Race."

"The Crystal Race is a peak race, just like your human race. They are extremely united and highly protective of their vassal races. Your master had to engage in a massive battle with the Crystal Race just to snatch this Planet Level Shadow Race larva for you."

"Therefore, the old charlatan warns you: when you roam the universe in the future, if you don't have sufficient strength, try not to expose your Shadow Race clone in front of the Crystal Race. Otherwise, they might guess you are his successor and launch a hunt for you."

"The reason is simple, heh heh! Your master killed a Universe Master of the Crystal Race back then. That is a deep, deep grudge!"

Luo Zhiyuan gasped, unable to believe his ears! His master had actually killed a Universe Master for his sake! What kind of status did a Universe Master hold? They were the pillars of an entire race!

They were usually high and mighty, either responsible for managing the development of their entire race or deterring and suppressing other powerful races. For many powerful races, a Universe Master was their greatest military force. Those stronger than a Universe Master were the Greatest Beings of the Universe!

Luo Zhiyuan remembered that in the original story, before Luo Feng entered the Universe Ocean, there were only a dozen or so Greatest Beings in the entire Primal Universe, and the number of Universe Masters was only around a thousand—that was for the entire Primal Universe! And the human race, before Luo Feng, only had 18 Universe Masters!

One could imagine what a deep, irreconcilable hatred it was for the Crystal Race to lose a Universe Master.

Bulieni said with a hint of schadenfreude, "Well? Are you scared? You haven't even done anything yet, and you've already forged a deep blood feud with one of the peak races in the universe, the Crystal Race. Care to give an acceptance speech? Haha."

Pulled back to reality by Bulieni's teasing, Luo Zhiyuan said with a wry smile, "Bulieni, your ability to pick up new things is impressive. You even know how to use such trendy slang?"

"That's a must! As an old antique who has been out of touch for a long time, I must keep up with the latest trends to teach you properly. Otherwise, what would we do if we had a generation gap?" Bulieni's voice sounded very smug.

Luo Zhiyuan stopped joking and mused, "Master fought the Crystal Race for my sake, so I will naturally accept this grudge. I feel no pressure."

"I'll just be careful not to be reckless in front of the Crystal Race while I'm still weak. Besides, the Crystal Race should be very far from my human race, so we shouldn't encounter them often. Even if we do meet, I'll just fight them. Strong individuals only grow through battle. I will not be afraid!"

Bulieni said with satisfaction, "Not bad. You already possess the conviction of a strong individual. That is good."

"Strong individuals only progress through constant battle, and they all possess a heart that does not fear challenges."

"Consider the Crystal Race your whetstone for the future. When you grow up, you will be able to face this challenge head-on."

Nodding, Luo Zhiyuan felt a surge of soaring ambition in his heart. He said to Bulieni, "With such great physical conditions in this life, and having received my master's favor—him preparing so many treasures to ensure my smooth growth—if I were still timid and hesitant, I would truly be wasting this lifetime's fortune!"

"Bulieni, get ready to become famous across the universe with me!"

PS: I saw a comment from a brother, which reminded me to remind everyone: those who haven't invested yet might want to consider it. In a few days, the investment returns might decrease :P Goodnight, everyone~