That little mouth of hers is just like it's been dipped in poison

The naive and charming expression made Li Yilin chuckle softly.

Gui Su stood to the side and introduced, "Cloud Sea Planet is different from ordinary planets; its greatest peculiarity lies in the clouds above our heads."

He pointed toward the thick, seemingly endless layer of clouds in the void and continued, "The clouds of Cloud Sea Planet are actually a phenomenon created by the combination of cosmic origin energy and the unique environment here—the closer you are to the clouds, the denser it becomes."

Legend has it that when Cloud Sea Planet was first discovered by the human race of the universe, the cosmic origin energy deep within the clouds was hundreds or thousands of times denser than it is today. One could even see tiny particles condensed from the cosmic origin energy; it was truly a treasure trove for cultivation.

Unfortunately, countless epochs have passed, and the cosmic origin energy has been largely consumed. While the concentration is far from what it once was, it is still several times denser than that of an ordinary planet.

"Ten thousand meters is the altitude we have tested as the most suitable for building floating cities. Any higher, and the hurricanes and freezing cold within the clouds would make the energy in the air abnormally violent, making it unsuitable for cultivation or sensing the fluctuations of cosmic origin energy; too low, and it would affect the living space of the clansmen in the cities on the ground," Gui Jiao concluded.

"With such a treasure trove, it's no wonder Brother Gui Jiao's strength is so formidable!" Li Yilin laughed. With a place that could almost be called a cultivation paradise, even if one's talent were lacking, one could eventually grind their way to the Universe Level.

After all, for those at the Universe Level and below, there are no strict requirements for Domain Laws; it is merely a matter of accumulating energy.

Even the most mediocre Universe Level is stronger than a Star Level. Of course, this only applies to ordinary people; if one is a genius, that is a different calculation.

Gui Jiao smiled without a word.

Being one of the sixteen great families of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, they naturally possessed corresponding trump cards.

The Cloud Sea Family's planet was only kept in the public eye because of its unique nature; in the shadows, they actually held quite a few hidden cards.

This was a survival skill that all the great families understood without needing to speak of it.

Gui Jiao's banquet lasted for a full month. During this month, Li Yilin stayed in Gui Jiao's floating castle, discussing the Dao with him, never stepping out of the castle even once.

Strength is not built behind closed doors. Discussing the insights of laws with an existence of the same level—even if the direction of the insights is not entirely identical—leads to the same destination. Not to mention that both Gui Jiao and Li Yilin were comprehending the subordinate laws of the Time Law, so they naturally shared a common language.

Although Li Yilin had not practiced once during this month, the aura around him grew increasingly profound, and his comprehension of the Lightning Law improved by leaps and bounds.

If his depth of comprehension regarding the Lightning Law was only 10% before, then after this session, it had increased by a full 1%.

1% may seem small, but laws are inherently obscure and difficult to understand. Wanting to gain insight is as difficult as ascending to heaven; there is no such thing as ease. Even for the gifted, wanting to make even the slightest improvement requires filling the gap with a vast amount of time.

While Gui Jiao and Li Yilin sat in the castle discussing the Dao, Si Yao, having no one to restrain her, was like a kite released from its string, wandering all over Cloud Sea Planet.

Over the past five years, Li Yilin had been indulgent and doting toward her, giving her whatever she wanted and never reprimanding her. Unconsciously, this had allowed her to develop a somewhat stubborn, arrogant, and haughty temperament.

She was young, only twenty years old by any count. For some races with higher bloodline levels, she was not even an adult; calling her a child would not be an exaggeration. Yet, at such a tender age, she was already at the Planetary Level and had even comprehended a domain. To call her a genius would be an understatement.

With so many "bugs" combined, how could Si Yao understand humility or restraint? And so, she caught the eye of someone—

World Lord Xunzhen!

World Lord Xunzhen was the founder of the Cloud Sea Family, having lived for who knows how many epochs; he was the pillar of the Cloud Sea Family. It could be said that the vast majority of the Cloud Sea Family members were his descendants.

Such a remarkable existence had been trapped at the World Lord level for hundreds of epochs, unable to see any hope of breaking through.

Fortunately, a World Lord's lifespan is 1,000 epochs, and World Lord Xunzhen had lived for less than six hundred; he still had nearly half his lifespan left. He was not anxious about his inability to break through; instead, he settled down to cultivate his descendants and develop the family's influence, all to consolidate the family's status in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, or perhaps even take it a step further.

As the descendant in whom he placed the most hope, Gui Jiao naturally knew that when he first displayed his talent, he was taken under his wing and carefully cultivated as a disciple.

As the descendant and disciple in whom he placed the most hope, even if he did not deliberately inquire about the people around him, news would quickly reach his ears.

Li Yilin, a Universe Level Giant Axe Warrior—he was very pleased that he could become a close friend of his disciple.

After all, a Universe Level Giant Axe Warrior, as long as they did not fall, had a near 100% chance of breaking through to become a World Lord, and even becoming an Immortal was not impossible.

Being able to befriend such a person with infinite potential, and even having him acknowledge the status of a friend—the benefits represented by this were simply too great.

At first, he couldn't help but pay attention to Li Yilin. After all, as an old fox who had lived for hundreds of epochs, he thought much more deeply than the average person. He almost immediately began thinking about how to make Li Yilin feel favorably toward Gui Jiao or the Cloud Sea Family, or how to make him closer to the Cloud Sea Family—

A whole host of ideas stopped the moment he discovered the existence of Si Yao.

My goodness, what kind of peerless little cutie is this?

On a bustling street in Cloud Sea City, Si Yao stood in the air three meters above the ground. Beneath her feet, two ragged youths huddled together, looking at the scene nearby in terror.

Opposite Si Yao stood a person with two antennae on his head, topped with two flashy butterfly bows. He wore a purple robe with large pink flowers embroidered on the hem. The layered floral hem fluttered with his movements, blooming like a giant moth desperately trying to show off its "style" to others!

"Stinky girl, I'm teaching two ungrateful wretches a lesson; what are you sticking your nose in for?" Jialu stood with his hands on his hips, looking at Si Yao, who was glaring at him, with a malicious expression.

"If you want to teach people a lesson, fine, but why are you dragging the nearby shopkeepers into it?" Si Yao lifted her chin slightly, looking arrogant.

"The stall you overturned had something I had my eye on. I had just paid for it when you kicked it flying and smashed it on the ground." She snorted, crossing her arms and squinting, "Pay up."

"Pfft." As if amused by her words, Jialu looked her up and down. "Little girl, do you know who I am?"

"It doesn't matter who you are, pay me back." Si Yao rolled her eyes.

That was one hundred Black Dragon Coins.

Angered by her attitude, Jialu wiped the smile from his face. "Some trashy goods, what could they be worth? I wouldn't even bother to pick them up if they fell on the ground. Only a little brat like you, who I've never seen before and probably came from some indigenous planet to Cloud Sea Planet, would treat them like treasure."

Si Yao had never suffered such indignity, and she was instantly enraged. "You! Not only are you refusing to pay, but you're also insulting me in a roundabout way?"

"Do you believe I'll whip you?" She pulled out a two-meter-long soft whip, swung it with force, and looked at him with icy eyes.

"Apologize, and pay up!"

She still remembered what her teacher had said: don't go around provoking people on Cloud Sea Planet. If it weren't for her teacher's instructions, her whip would have already lashed across his mouth the moment this foul-mouthed person uttered his first word.

Spewing filth—he was asking for death!

Jialu narrowed his eyes, not taking her threat seriously in the slightest. "You're a Planetary Level, what gives you the confidence to speak to me like that?"

"Exactly." One of the people behind him, clearly his bodyguard, chimed in, "My young master is a Star Level 3 fighter. To reach Star Level 1 before the age of a thousand—who else has such talent?"

"Wow!"

The crowd provided the appropriate feedback of surprise after the guard finished speaking, and for a moment, the sound of gasps filled the air.

But in reality, no one was truly shocked by Jialu's talent or strength.

As the home base of the Cloud Sea Family, how many people living on Cloud Sea Planet could be considered simple?

Star Level and Planetary Level individuals were as common as the rain that fell everywhere on the planet; they were completely unremarkable.

So why did everyone hold Jialu in such high regard, to the point that no one dared to offend him?

It was all because he was a direct descendant of the Cloud Sea Family—not a collateral branch, but a true, direct heir.

The current head of the Cloud Sea Family was Jialu's great-great-great-great-grandfather. Jialu's father, his grandfather, his great-grandfather, and even his great-great-grandfather—they were all direct descendants, without a single collateral son among them.

This status was even more legitimate than that of Gui Jiao, who was currently at the height of his power within the Cloud Sea Family. Of course, none of that was the main point; the point was that Jialu's father was a Universe Level fighter, highly valued by the family head.

For a family that held sway in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire thanks to a World Lord, a Universe Level fighter was already a pillar of strength that no one would easily abandon or offend.

Not to mention that he was an only son—the only son of a Universe Level fighter.

The succession of special and dazzling identities he possessed meant that very few people on Cloud Sea Planet dared to provoke him.

"A thousand years old?" Hearing this, Si Yao couldn't help but frown, unable to stop herself from sizing him up. Her eyes held—

Disdain?

Disdain?

Jialu simply couldn't believe his eyes.

He had broken through to Star Level at such a young age—that was Star Level, not Planetary Level!

As someone whose strength was a level lower than his, what right did she have to show disdain?

He refused to accept that the thing he was most proud of was considered worthless in the eyes of others.

His nostrils flared as Jialu let out a sharp breath. Before his mocking words could escape, Si Yao's voice, dripping with contempt, reached him.

"Is being only Star Level at such an advanced age something to be proud of?" Si Yao's words were like venom, piercing deep into Jialu's proud heart and causing him to deflate instantly like a punctured balloon.

"I reached Planetary Level at twenty, and I haven't even started bragging yet."