As his consciousness returned to reality, Qin Zhao remained seated cross-legged in the core region of King Lanchen's Cultivation Plane. The surrounding aura of the Law of Earth and Law of Space made him feel incredibly close to home and at peace. The bloodshed and clamor of the qualifiers seemed like a distant memory, and his mind quickly settled.
"Teacher." Qin Zhao opened his eyes and saw that King Lanchen had appeared nearby at some point, watching him calmly.
"How do you feel?" King Lanchen walked over slowly, his tone even.
"I gained quite a bit," Qin Zhao replied honestly. "I'm more adept at using the Black Stone Prison in actual combat, and I've gained some new insights into the life-related branch of the Law of Earth Origin. As for the Law of Space, my Hundred Line Flow movement technique has improved, but I'm still a long way from breaking through the bottleneck to the Ten Thousand Line Flow level."
King Lanchen nodded slightly, quite satisfied that Qin Zhao had a clear understanding of his own condition.
"The qualifiers are over for you. The three years of the Arena Battle and Samsara Battle are a precious period for reflection and improvement. Your goal shouldn't be limited to making it through the finals. You should strive to compete against the top geniuses in the entire universe—and perhaps... reach for the highest honor."
Qin Zhao's gaze sharpened, and he nodded firmly. "This disciple understands."
"Good." King Lanchen stopped and looked at Qin Zhao, his gaze deep. "Since that's your ambition, there are some choices concerning your future that you'll need to consider in advance. Especially when it comes to your Law of Space... Do you know that there's more than one path leading to the depths of the Origin Law?"
Qin Zhao's heart stirred. He knew his teacher was about to discuss the key point, and respectfully said, "Please enlighten me, Teacher."
"Law Comprehension is as vast as the sea." King Lanchen spoke slowly. "The usual path is to observe the surface and understand how to apply it. It's like copying a painting: first learning its form, then capturing its spirit, and progressing step by step. This method brings quick progress in the early stages. With your talent, you could advance by leaps and bounds at the Star Level, Universe Level, and even Domain Lord level. But the further you go, especially when you try to comprehend the entire Origin Law of Space, the more you'll find the road ahead shrouded in mist, with each bottleneck more formidable than the last. Countless astonishing talents have spent their entire lives trapped at the Undying level, unable to make any further progress. That's the limit this path imposes."
Qin Zhao listened quietly to his teacher's explanation. He knew what King Lanchen said was true; in fact, he knew even more about it than his teacher did. In the Swallowed Star World, Undying beings were common, but those who reached the Venerable level were exceedingly rare. That alone showed how difficult the path was.
"But there's another path..." King Lanchen's tone grew solemn. "It's even more difficult, but also more thorough. Rather than copying the painting, you analyze every brushstroke that makes it up, understanding its most fundamental mysteries. This is the Path of Analyzing Law Essence!"
"Analyzing Law Essence?" A flash of light crossed Qin Zhao's eyes. He knew of this path, of course. It was a broad road leading to the summit—but one filled with treacherous obstacles.
"Correct," King Lanchen affirmed. "This path demands that you completely analyze and master the most basic units and core operating principles of a Law. Your progress at first will be excruciatingly slow. You may spend as long as someone else takes to comprehend a tenth of a Law, yet still fail to uncover even a fraction of its essence. But once you've fully analyzed the basic essence of a Law, the insights that follow will come easily, like water flowing into its natural course. Not only will your foundation become unimaginably solid, but breaking through bottlenecks will also become far easier. Those who complete this path can look forward to becoming a King, so long as they don't die along the way—and may even have a chance to glimpse the realm of the Venerable!"
King Lanchen looked at Qin Zhao, his voice heavy. "There are two paths. The first is easy to begin but difficult later on; the second is extremely difficult to begin, but relatively smooth later. Which you choose will determine the limits of your future achievements."
Qin Zhao didn't hesitate for a moment. "This disciple is willing to take the Path of Analyzing Law Essence!"
He had the system to assist him, along with a will stronger than most. Naturally, he would choose the path with the greatest potential. Besides, by using a lower level to comprehend a higher-level Law, he would continually improve his comprehension in subtle ways. Once his level broke through, that improvement would erupt all at once! In other words, the further Qin Zhao progressed, the easier it would become for him to comprehend the Origin Law of Space!
A hint of approval flashed in King Lanchen's eyes, but his expression remained serious. "Don't make this decision lightly. The path of analyzing essence is unimaginably difficult. It's not for anyone lacking great perseverance, great wisdom, and great fortune. Many who considered themselves geniuses chose this path, only to waste their lives and accomplish nothing. I need you to prove through your actions that you're capable of seeing it through."
"I've already sent you a saber technique called Nine Dust in the Virtual Universe. You should receive it soon. It's not a powerful secret technique that directly enhances your combat strength, but a foundational manual that guides you in analyzing the essence of the Law of Space."
"Nine Dust?"
Qin Zhao was a little surprised. He had never heard of this secret technique called Nine Dust.
"That's right! Nine Dust!" King Lanchen explained. "Its creator, King Nine Dust, was an unparalleled genius. He entered the Virtual Universe Company's core ranks by taking first place in the Genius Tournament, and after tens of thousands of years of arduous cultivation, he created Nine Dust, a top-tier foundational secret technique. The moment he became Undying, he was granted the title of Marquis Nine Dust! Sadly, fate was cruel to this genius. Not long after becoming a King, King Nine Dust perished completely in a Cosmic Secret Realm."
"Even though King Nine Dust has fallen, that doesn't change the fact that Nine Dust ranks first among foundational secret techniques! Just think: this secret technique ranks first even in the secret technique archives of a great power like the Virtual Universe Company. That alone shows how ingenious it is!"
"Nine Dust? According to the original story, the best foundational secret technique for analyzing the essence of the Law of Space should be Drifting Blood, shouldn't it? If Drifting Blood doesn't exist yet, then Lian Luo hasn't risen to prominence!" Qin Zhao mused. "The current timeline must be before Lian Luo's era!"
Meanwhile, King Lanchen continued explaining Nine Dust to Qin Zhao. "Nine Dust contains 108 sets of saber techniques. They aren't meant for fighting your enemies; each corresponds to one of the 108 most basic mysteries of the Origin Law of Space! Each set guides you toward understanding and mastering one Space Essence!"
"I'm giving you three years, until the finals of the Peak Genius Battle begin. Your task is to comprehend the first saber technique in Nine Dust!"
"If, within three years, you can use your own comprehension to show that you have a clear understanding and some degree of control over the first Space Essence—you don't need to master it completely—then you'll have proven that you possess the potential and perseverance to follow the path of analyzing essence. I'll support you in continuing down that road and find you even more profound manuals for analyzing Space Essence."
"If you can't..." King Lanchen's tone was calm, but left no room for doubt. "Then it will prove this path is too difficult for you. At that point, you'll need to change course and follow the traditional path of Law Comprehension, so you don't waste your talent and time."
King Lanchen had great confidence in his disciple's talent for the Origin Law of Space, and didn't want Qin Zhao to waste too much time.
Three years in the Original Universe was enough to reveal a great deal. Besides, King Lanchen was only asking Qin Zhao to show that he had a clear understanding and some degree of control over the first Space Essence. He wasn't demanding that Qin Zhao master the first saber technique of Nine Dust within those three years in the Original Universe.
"Three years to gain an initial understanding of the first saber technique in Nine Dust, and show that you clearly understand the first Space Essence!" King Lanchen looked at Qin Zhao. "Can you do it?"
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