A little over ten days passed. Luo Zhiyuan remained completely immersed, his body and soul utterly relaxed. The Evolution Fluid continually built up his Spiritual Force and bodily energy, and his body underwent a genetic leap into the Star Level without him even noticing. He only woke when Bulieni called to him through his consciousness.
"Wake up, kid. It's been ten days already, and you've reached Stellar Level Six. If you sleep for a few more days, you'll be at the Stellar Level peak. If you accidentally go beyond the Stellar Level, don't blame me!"
Luo Zhiyuan jolted out of his trance and sat bolt upright. He didn't feel the slightest discomfort. It was as if those ten days had passed in the blink of an eye; he wasn't even groggy. He felt perfectly clearheaded.
Luo Zhiyuan climbed out of the Evolution Fluid and stood beside the enormous lake. Confused, he asked, "Bulieni, have ten days really passed? I don't feel like any time has gone by. It feels like I'd only just lain down, and then you were calling me!"
"Haha! That's because your soul used to be too weak. The Evolution Fluid Old Mystic prepared for you isn't some ordinary energy-enhancing fluid.
"It's a substance he calls 'Secret Realm Spirit Marrow,' born at the core of a miniature universe's secret realm. As it increases your bodily energy, this Secret Realm Spirit Marrow can also strengthen your soul.
"You should know that chances to strengthen the soul are extremely rare. Ordinary lifeforms only experience some soul evolution during the stages when their life genes undergo a leap. They don't undergo a major transformation that greatly increases their soul strength until they break through to Immortal Level.
"Other than that, there are no opportunities to increase soul strength directly. You can only improve it through long years of accumulation and arduous cultivation.
"That's why substances that can strengthen the soul are priceless treasures, traded only among the top powerhouses. I doubt anyone below the Universe Venerable level could even get their hands on one."
Hearing Bulieni say that treasures capable of strengthening the soul were so precious, Luo Zhiyuan looked at the vast lake before him, about five hundred kilometers across. He swallowed and asked stiffly, "Bulieni, how much would all this Secret Realm Spirit Marrow my teacher prepared for me be worth?"
"Hard to say. I couldn't find anything similar in your human race's Virtual Universe. If I had to put a number on it, each gram would be worth at least one Hunyuan. It's a rare treasure, after all.
"Take you, for example. Before you entered the Evolution Fluid, your soul strength and consciousness strength were only just at Stellar Level Nine. And now?
"Your soul strength and consciousness strength have reached Universe Level Seven, and your Mental Power Amplitude should have increased to 55. I estimate that by the time you've soaked in it up to Stellar Level Nine, your soul strength and consciousness strength should reach Universe Level Nine."
At Bulieni's words, Luo Zhiyuan finally understood: for someone like his teacher, the Light Beast God, a Universe Master, measuring wealth in Hunyuan was completely inappropriate. The unit was far too small!
A gram of Secret Realm Spirit Marrow was worth one Hunyuan, and a ton was worth a million!
Luo Zhiyuan had soaked in Secret Realm Spirit Marrow, so he knew it was much denser than water, with a density closer to mercury. This vast lake, five hundred kilometers across, must contain at least tens of billions of tons!
He'd thought that the more than fifty billion Hunyuan his teacher had given him would count for a small part of his teacher's fortune. Only now did he understand what "pocket money" really meant.
This lake of Secret Realm Spirit Marrow alone was worth far more than a few hundred billion Hunyuan, to say nothing of the other treasures, Special Lifeforms, and Combat Secret Techniques. Their value was beyond measure!
A sudden realization came to Luo Zhiyuan. He felt his mind and horizons expand all at once; he was no longer the provincial Earthling he'd been before, with so little experience of the world.
The world before him was dazzling and varied, and stretched as far as the eye could see. His teacher had bestowed such generous gifts on him, and he knew the major events that would shape the future of the Swallowed Star world. In this life, he had unique advantages from the start, along with abundant resources. As long as he kept moving forward with unwavering determination, he would carve out a path all his own—and make the entire universe know his name!
Without even realizing it, a mere jolt from the sight of such wealth had brought a tremendous change and progress to his state of mind.
His consciousness hadn't grown, but his will was rapidly evolving without his awareness. Before long, it reached the strength of an ordinary Peak Realm Lord Level powerhouse!
Will and consciousness were two different things. Consciousness depended on the strength of one's Spiritual Force, while will was shaped solely by one's personal convictions. Consciousness was the general of mental power, while will was the commander of consciousness. A powerful will and consciousness could let a lifeform unleash ten or even a hundred times more power through the soul.
The enormous wealth had jolted Luo Zhiyuan out of the limits of his former perspective.
He'd known that Universe Masters were incredibly powerful, but he'd never had a clear understanding of just how powerful. The idea had been vague because they were so far beyond his reach that he had nothing to compare them with and no way to measure their strength.
Now, a simple comparison of wealth had given him a glimpse of the heights a Universe Master could reach.
Even a comparison involving only a tiny fraction of that wealth had given him a clear direction. He firmly believed that as long as he kept moving forward without stopping, he would achieve far more than becoming a Universe Master. That was merely one stage he had to pass through!
With that conviction, Luo Zhiyuan's state of mind underwent a major transformation. According to the three great stages of self-cultivation, he had entered the third stage: Infinite Heart, a heart that embraced all things.
This wasn't particularly abrupt, really. He had advantages that other lifeforms didn't. First, Luo Zhiyuan, who knew the original work well, understood that one's state of mind was crucial to strengthening will and consciousness.
For top powerhouses, there were all kinds of ways to improve both body and soul. But will and consciousness came from the depths of a lifeform's heart. Treasures and secret techniques could barely improve them, and the gap only became more pronounced in the later stages.
Because Earth had been artificially altered, the lifeforms born there found it easier to improve their will and consciousness. That was why he had always trained his state of mind, whether consciously or not.
The reason his will had improved so greatly this time was that his state of mind had changed, and his convictions had become utterly clear and firm.
He wanted to explore this vast, boundless world. He wanted to become a being who surpassed Universe Masters, an infinitely powerful powerhouse who could venture across the entire Primal Universe, the Universe Ocean, and even the Origin Continent that had only been briefly mentioned in the original work and that he'd imagined in his previous life. This gave him the foundation for an Infinite Heart.
And so, naturally, Luo Zhiyuan entered the third stage of cultivating the mind.
After Bulieni heard Luo Zhiyuan ask how much the Secret Realm Spirit Marrow was worth, he got no reply for a long time. Afraid that the sheer wealth had muddled the boy's mind, he hurriedly asked, "What's wrong, kid? You've been quiet for ages. Don't tell me you're scared witless!
"Your teacher is one of the Natural Beast Gods, a powerhouse in the universe. This much isn't anything to him!
"Keep your eyes on the bigger picture. These are all just external aids to your cultivation, and you're the one who gets to decide how to use them. Don't let them beguile you or let wealth control you. That would be putting the cart before the horse!"
Luo Zhiyuan took a deep breath and came back to himself. With a confident smile, he said, "Heh, how could I let these external things beguile me and cloud my mind? I just made a firm resolution. With the advantages I have, I'll become one of the top powerhouses in the universe.
"I'll make sure nothing in this universe can hold me back. I'll become even stronger than my teacher!
"Bulieni, someday I'll get you a body. Then the two of us can roam this vast universe wherever we want, and explore the Universe Ocean to our hearts' content. All I have to do is keep cultivating, keep getting stronger, and forge a path of invincibility that's mine alone!"
Luo Zhiyuan's sudden burst of ambition startled Bulieni, but he quickly noticed one detail: the kid had let slip something he shouldn't have known again. "Hmph. Kid, looks like you know quite a bit.
"Neither I nor Old Mystic ever mentioned the Universe Ocean, yet you know about it. I'm getting more and more curious about where you came from!
"As for getting me a body, we'll talk about that later. There's no rush."
"Haha, Bulieni, what's wrong with me knowing a little more? It means we'll be able to roam the universe sooner. Don't you want that?
"As for where I came from, the Origin Will of the Original Universe won't let me tell you, so there's nothing I can do. I'll think of a way to explain it later, but I can't do it right now.
"By the way, ten days have passed. How's your work organizing my teacher's secret techniques? Are you done?"
Seeing Luo Zhiyuan change the subject, Bulieni stopped pressing him and replied, "I've finished organizing the secret techniques. I'm putting together a cultivation plan for you now, and it'll take about another day.
"I called you because your father, Luo Feng, sent you a message. He said Earth is safe for now, so you don't need to worry.
"Also, didn't you say you wanted to attend the Virtual Universe Company auction? It starts today, in two hours."
Hearing Luo Feng say that Earth was safe for now, Luo Zhiyuan knew they'd dealt with the crisis of the Universe Adventurers invading Earth. It seemed that advancing Luo Feng to the Star Level ahead of time hadn't caused any adverse effects, so Luo Zhiyuan was relieved.
As for the mid-level auction, it was being held in Xuanyi Universe Kingdom, which hadn't appeared in the original work? Luo Zhiyuan was very interested, so he definitely couldn't miss it.
"Good. Let's get ready, then head to the auction. Our spacecraft is terrible, and a mid-level auction should give us a chance to get a better one. For now, you can use a spacecraft as your vessel."
Hearing that Luo Zhiyuan really was thinking of finding him a body, Bulieni said happily, "Sounds good. It's better than nothing. Being stuck in the ring all the time feels stifling. A change of scenery should be a lot better. Haha, it's settled, then. I want to pick out a pretty spacecraft!"
"No problem. Mid-level auctions are mostly attended by Immortal Level powerhouses, so we should be able to find a pretty spacecraft. The pocket money my teacher gave me is more than enough to buy one. Haha!"
After that, Luo Zhiyuan put on the second-tier Force Battle Suit, which transformed into close-fitting underclothes. He put on his outer clothes, had Bulieni send him out of the World Ring, and waited in the spacecraft's cabin for the auction to begin.
P.S. Some brothers have said I've been writing less these past few days. I can't help it, brothers—I'm back at work! I can't stay home like I could before. Please understand!
Also, I'll be volunteering in the community this weekend, so I won't have time to write during the day. Sorry about that!
But don't stop collecting and voting!
Thank you, everyone!
Before you continue