"Confession"

After asking the immortal mentor Moke for advice, Lin Yuan walked toward the Teaching Tower exit, recalling what his mentor had said.

"Hey, Lin Yuan!"

The chubby Cohen stood at the entrance to the Teaching Tower and called out to Lin Yuan as he approached.

"Lin Yuan, tell me honestly: are you talented at comprehending the Law of Fire Origin too?"

Lin Yuan was taken aback, wondering how even Cohen had found out.

"I tried talking to you during class just now, but you didn't hear a thing. You were completely absorbed in the mentor's demonstration and explanation. And you said you were only there to ask a question?"

Lin Yuan felt helpless. He really hadn't heard Cohen calling him. He wondered if any of the other students in the classroom had noticed how engrossed he had been.

That was fine. Lin Yuan didn't plan to deliberately hide it. He decided to explain everything to his teacher in a moment and ask for his advice.

Lin Yuan thought for a moment, then answered the chubby boy:

"I do have a little talent, but not much. I've only just barely gotten started. It's mainly because Mentor Moke explained everything so well."

"But why weren't you paying attention to the demonstration? You had time to get distracted and chat with me? You're not working very hard at cultivation."

"I..."

The chubby boy was left speechless. He hadn't expected Lin Yuan to turn the tables on him.

"All right, I can't talk with you any longer today. I need to go see my teacher right now."

With that, Lin Yuan left.

Watching Lin Yuan's retreating figure, the chubby boy couldn't help feeling that his "good brother" was a little mysterious.

After leaving the Teaching Tower, Lin Yuan headed straight for his teacher Marquis Yuankun's palace.

Inside the palace, in front of the main hall doors.

"Your disciple pays his respects, Teacher."

Lin Yuan bowed outside the door.

"Come in."

The doors to the main hall opened automatically, and Lin Yuan stepped inside.

Marquis Yuankun sat in the seat of honor, watching Lin Yuan enter.

"Have you chosen the Secret Techniques that suit you?"

Marquis Yuankun asked Lin Yuan with a faint smile.

"Teacher, your disciple has chosen."

"They are the axe-type Secret Technique Thousand Mountain Secret Code and the movement-type Secret Technique Ten Thousand Shadow Steps."

Lin Yuan replied respectfully.

"Then I'll buy them for you. But after this, you'll have to work hard on your own to obtain any cultivation techniques you want."

Marquis Yuankun sent part of his consciousness into the Virtual Universe and prepared to make the purchase at the Holy Land Mall.

"Teacher, the Thousand Mountain Secret Code has seven volumes. Your disciple only needs the first few, so there's no need to buy the whole set. I won't need the later volumes for now."

At this, Marquis Yuankun looked displeased.

"What, are you trying to save your teacher money? A mere few thousand Hunyuan—is your teacher unable to afford that?"

Earth-yellow Flowing Light swirled in Marquis Yuankun's eyes.

"Besides, I've already promised this to you. How could I buy only a few volumes?"

Lin Yuan immediately lowered his head.

"Your disciple didn't think it through."

"All right, I've bought them for you. The Secret Techniques will be delivered straight to your residence tomorrow."

"Your disciple thanks you for the Secret Techniques, Teacher!"

Marquis Yuankun's expression returned to normal.

"Your disciple has another matter he'd like to discuss with you, Teacher."

"Oh? What is it?"

Lin Yuan looked a little awkward. He considered how to bring it up, then finally said:

"Teacher, I went to Mentor Moke's open lecture on the Law of Fire Origin to ask him about axe-type Secret Techniques afterward."

"During the lecture, I listened to Mentor Moke explain the essence of the Law of Fire Origin, and suddenly had a realization. I sensed a hint of its mysteries..."

As he listened to Lin Yuan's account, Marquis Yuankun's eyes gradually widened.

"By the end of the lecture, I found myself becoming more and more interested in the Law of Fire Origin. I also seem to be more talented in it than in the Law of Gold Origin. So..."

Marquis Yuankun shifted uneasily and asked Lin Yuan:

"You're talented in the Law of Fire Origin too? Even more so than in the Law of Gold Origin?"

"How does it compare to the Law of Earth Origin?"

"Naturally, it's a little worse..."

Lin Yuan replied without batting an eye.

"Hmm... So what are you thinking now? How do you plan to arrange your cultivation in the future?"

Marquis Yuankun said with a complicated expression:

"Trying to comprehend three lower Origin Laws at once would waste too much time. I won't allow you to do that."

"Teacher, I won't try to comprehend three lower Origin Laws at once. I've decided to set aside the Law of Gold Origin for now and focus mainly on the Laws of Earth and Fire Origin. As for the Law of Space Origin, my progress has been rather slow, so I won't force it for now."

"Your disciple isn't sure whether this is the right choice, so I'd like to hear your advice, Teacher."

Lin Yuan spoke respectfully.

"Hmm, there's nothing wrong with your thinking. If you comprehend two lower Origin Laws deeply enough, you can still achieve a good ranking in the Warrior Battle."

"It's right not to force your comprehension of the Law of Space Origin for now. Once you make it into the Core Layer of the Great Axe Arena and get the chance to enter Chaos City, you can find out there whether the path of the Law of Space Origin is right for you."

Marquis Yuankun said with satisfaction. Lin Yuan's answer pleased him; his youngest disciple hadn't grown overly arrogant.

"All right, we've discussed everything. Is there anything you'd like me to teach you about cultivation?"

"Teacher, I'd like you to demonstrate and explain the 108 mysteries of the Law of Earth Origin."

As soon as Marquis Yuankun heard that it was the Law of Earth Origin, he stood up and walked over to Lin Yuan, feeling that this was more like it.

Marquis Yuankun raised a hand, and a small rocky planet appeared, spinning in midair.

"Watch closely. This is the simplest mystery of the Law of Earth Origin. Look..."

One day later.

"This is the last of the simple mysteries of the Law of Earth Origin. That's enough for today. Go back and study it carefully."

"Once you've grasped these mysteries, compare them one by one with the moves in your Secret Techniques and learn how to apply them. Only then will you be able to master them fully."

Marquis Yuankun stopped his demonstration and sat back down.

"Thank you for your efforts, Teacher. Your disciple will take his leave."

Lin Yuan left his teacher's palace and returned to his residence. Along the way, he continued thinking about the demonstrations his teacher had given.

When Lin Yuan returned to his manor and entered, the old steward hurried over to greet him.

Lin Yuan nodded in acknowledgment and headed straight for the cultivation room.

In the cultivation room, Lin Yuan held the Dark Yellow Strange Stone as the images of the demonstrations repeatedly surfaced in his mind.

"I see!"

The 5% comprehension of the Law of Earth Origin that Lin Yuan had received as a system reward included several complete mysteries. Some of them were exactly the ones his teacher had demonstrated.

Lin Yuan understood those mysteries more deeply now.

"Beep. Master, you have a new message."

The Smart Optical Brain's cheerful voice rang out in Lin Yuan's mind, interrupting his cultivation.

Lin Yuan checked the message. The Secret Techniques his teacher had bought for him had arrived.

Filled with anticipation, Lin Yuan headed toward the entrance to the manor.