After drinking a cup of diluted Black Jade Venom, Lin Yuan immediately felt the poison seep into his body. Waves of pain coursed through him, and even his soul was stung by the poison.
The poison wasn't lethal, but it made Lin Yuan feel incomparably miserable.
Beads of sweat rolled down Lin Yuan's forehead.
Lin Yuan endured the pain, settling into meditation. Rather than using the first layer of Myriad Hearts Undying to resist the poison's effects on his soul, he relied solely on his willpower to fight it.
About an hour later, Lin Yuan gradually grew accustomed to the pain caused by the poison. He divided off part of his consciousness to cultivate the second layer of the secret art Myriad Hearts Undying, "Ten Directions Guarding the Heart."
The pain caused by the poison lasted for three days before finally subsiding.
Lin Yuan opened his eyes and let out a long breath. He circulated his origin force, evaporating the sweat covering his body.
"This black jade venom is terrifying. Even diluted countless times, just one cup nearly made me pass out." Remembering the pain he had just endured, Lin Yuan shuddered.
"Good thing the results are impressive. Under the poison's stimulation, I've started to grasp the basics of the second layer of Myriad Hearts Undying." Lin Yuan was pleased with how well the black jade venom aided his cultivation.
Lin Yuan's soul had already been improved by the purple fire ape wine. Combined with his insights into the Myriad Hearts Undying secret art, his willpower had reached the peak of the domain lord level, and he was close to a breakthrough.
Lin Yuan could feel that after cultivating a few more times with the diluted black jade venom, he would definitely break through.
But the instructions clearly stated that it was best not to use black jade venom for cultivation consecutively. There had to be some time between uses, or it might actually damage the soul.
Lin Yuan wasn't in a hurry.
Lin Yuan had been immersed in comprehending various laws, so he hadn't attended Mentor Moke's classes at all. He also hadn't visited his teacher, Marquis Yuankun, in three years.
"I should go see my teacher first." Lin Yuan immediately set off for his teacher's palace.
In the main hall of Marquis Yuankun's palace.
"This disciple pays his respects to you, Teacher." Lin Yuan bowed to the imposing figure seated above the hall.
"Lin Yuan, rise."
Marquis Yuankun's voice was authoritative.
"How has your cultivation been these past three years? Have you made progress?"
"Reporting to you, Teacher: I'm currently comprehending twenty-seven of the more difficult mysteries of the Origin Law of Earth. I'm also cultivating the third move of the Thousand Peaks Secret Manual, Wave Splitter. There are a few parts I still don't understand. Please enlighten me, Teacher," Lin Yuan replied.
"Hmm. I may not be proficient in axe techniques, but I can tell at a glance how well you apply the laws," Marquis Yuankun said. "Show me the move."
Lin Yuan took out the Thousand Peaks Axe. Energy from the Origin Law of Earth covered its blade, mixed with fluctuations from the Origin Law of Space. He swung the axe, unleashing a shock wave that slashed forward. But before it had gone far, it dissipated.
"You've comprehended enough of the Origin Law of Earth and the Law of Space for this move, but you haven't grasped how to combine them. Watch closely."
After saying this, Marquis Yuankun casually flicked a finger, sending out a shock wave many times larger than the one Lin Yuan had just released.
"Boom!"
The shock wave shot forward at incredible speed and struck the hall's wall.
The wall, made of some unknown material, remained unharmed.
"Do you see? It's not enough to simply have the right insights. You also need to..."
Marquis Yuankun began carefully demonstrating and explaining the technique to Lin Yuan.
A day later, Marquis Yuankun finished his explanation.
"Lin Yuan, the Holy Land's ranking tournament will be held in a few years. When you first arrived, I expected you to make the top ten. But things are different now—your talent exceeds what I anticipated."
Marquis Yuankun paused, then continued:
"Among the Holy Land's universe-level students, there are several direct disciples of undying beings. Other than Brian, the one ranked first, I don't want you to lose to anyone else. Can you do it?"
Marquis Yuankun was actually very fond of showing off his disciples to his friends.
When Marquis Yuankun's second disciple had broken through to become a Marquis-level undying being, Marquis Yuankun had spent the next several dozen eras talking about him whenever he met his friends.
"I'll do it, Teacher. I won't let you down," Lin Yuan said.
"You may go."
Lin Yuan bowed respectfully and left the hall.
Marquis Yuankun watched Lin Yuan's back, thinking:
"This youngest disciple of mine is certainly talented, but there must be more to it. Perhaps he had some fortuitous encounter. Never mind—everyone has their own secrets."
Over the past three years, Lin Yuan had repeatedly entered various law towers to cultivate. Marquis Yuankun knew about it, of course, but hadn't asked him about it.
In fact, ever since learning that Lin Yuan wasn't just talented in the Origin Law of Earth but could also comprehend the Origin Laws of Earth and Fire, Marquis Yuankun had sensed that his disciple was different.
Marquis Yuankun would never pry into his disciple's secrets. The greater his disciple's potential and the stronger he became, the happier Marquis Yuankun was.
Ten days later, Lin Yuan went to the lecture tower.
It had been three years since Lin Yuan last attended Mentor Moke's open classes on the Origin Law of Fire.
As soon as he entered the classroom, Lin Yuan spotted the chubby Cohen.
The chubby boy saw Lin Yuan coming and immediately hurried over.
"Lin Yuan, why haven't you come to Mentor Moke's classes in three years? I tried contacting you in the virtual universe, but you never answered." The chubby boy sounded a little resentful.
"I hit a bottleneck while cultivating a secret art. I went into seclusion for three years to break through it."
Lin Yuan answered casually. In truth, he had blocked out all outside disturbances for those three years.
"Hey, brother, are you really confident about the betting match at the ranking tournament? Barry's teacher is also a Marquis-level undying being, and his strength is..."
The chubby boy was still speaking when Mentor Moke appeared in the classroom, and he immediately fell silent.
Mentor Moke looked around at the students, paused for a moment when his gaze fell on Lin Yuan, then began the lesson.
Mentor Moke was still explaining and demonstrating the twenty-seven more difficult mysteries of the Origin Law of Fire.
Lin Yuan had already comprehended nearly all of these mysteries, but watching the mentor's demonstrations still gave him some new insights.
After class, as before, Lin Yuan asked Mentor Moke privately about his questions concerning the Origin Law of Fire.
Mentor Moke didn't mind that Lin Yuan hadn't attended his open classes. He took Lin Yuan to a cultivation chamber in the lecture tower.
"Mentor, I have some questions about axe techniques," Lin Yuan said.
"What questions? Show me the technique at full power," Mentor Moke replied calmly.
Lin Yuan took out the Burning Universe Flame Desolation Axe.
Mentor Moke wasn't surprised to see Lin Yuan take out the Burning Universe Flame Desolation Axe.
"Mentor, please take a look."
Lin Yuan raised the red giant axe in his hand. Flames flared through the surrounding space, and the Origin Law of Fire filled every part of it. But the fiery space lasted only a second or two before dissipating on its own.
"This is... the third level of the Burning Universe Flame Desolation Axe, Burning the Void?"
Mentor Moke looked a little surprised.
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