The Choice of Path

The Black-robed Envoy led the group into the City Lord's Mansion, arriving at a dreamlike corridor that exuded a mysterious aura.

On both walls of the corridor hung fifty-two massive, enigmatic paintings, each one ten meters wide and ten meters tall, with names inscribed beside them.

These paintings were not only grand in scale, nearly occupying the full height of the walls, but their mysterious brushstrokes and vibrant colors intertwined to create a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere that transcended reality.

Each painting contained a unique aura and artistic conception. Some depicted the mysteries of celestial movements, others showcased the terrifying scene of a towering axe cleaving through space, while still others skillfully blended natural scenery like raindrops with mysterious creatures, making viewers feel as if they could hear ancient calls when gazing upon them.

"Each of you may only choose one Chaos Tablet to observe and comprehend."

The Black-robed Envoy turned and looked at them as he spoke.

"Here on the corridor walls hang fifty-two rubbings, each corresponding to a Chaos Tablet."

"Take a look at these paintings first. Though they cannot convey the full aura of the Chaos Tablets, they can give you a faint sense of it. Based on these fifty-two paintings, decide which Chaos Tablet to choose."

"Make it quick!"

"You have half an hour to view these paintings and then decide which Chaos Tablet you wish to study."

"A word of advice: each of these fifty-two Chaos Tablets contains a path to the pinnacle. Don't overthink it—just choose the one that suits you."

Feng Hui knew that these fifty-two Chaos Tablets varied in profundity, each corresponding to one of the fifty-two Heavenly Bridges.

Among them, the "Giant Axe Heavenly Bridge" had thirty-two levels, the highest, while the "Cosmic Heavenly Bridge" ranked second with thirty levels. As for the "Nine Universe Heavenly Bridge" that Luo Feng had chosen in the original story, it had twenty-seven levels, placing it among the top five.

The lowest among the fifty-two Heavenly Bridges had twenty-one levels.

The number of levels on a Heavenly Bridge reflected, to some extent, the profundity of its corresponding Chaos Tablet.

In truth, discussing the number of levels was meaningless, because passing the twenty-first level would already make one a Universe Venerable!

Before becoming a Universe Venerable, debating which Chaos Tablet was more profound was pointless.

If one couldn't even reach the level of Universe Venerable, it didn't matter which Chaos Tablet they chose.

After giving his instructions, the Black-robed Envoy walked straight out and stood at the far end of the corridor.

The thousand geniuses scattered, hurrying to examine the rubbings on the walls and sense the auras they emitted.

Though these paintings only conveyed a tiny fraction of the corresponding Chaos Tablet's aura, they still captivated these young geniuses, leaving them entranced.

Feng Hui also chose a painting to observe.

This painting depicted a mysterious mountain. At its base, the soil was fertile, vegetation lush, and life teeming. This vibrant green was not only a testament to the Earth Law nourishing all things but also a manifestation of balance and harmony under the Space Law.

As his gaze moved upward, the mountain's outline grew steep and peculiar. Midway up, winding cracks extended from the peak to the base, like the veins of the earth or the appearance of spatial rifts. Within these cracks, occasional flashes of strange light flickered, as if the Earth Law and Space Law were intertwining and colliding.

It was only when his intelligent assistant reminded him that Feng Hui snapped out of it. He glanced at the name on the painting—Yanshan Chaos Tablet.

Then he continued viewing the other paintings.

The corridor was silent. The choice of Chaos Tablet determined one's future path, so all the geniuses were cautious.

"Alright, half an hour is up. Tell me which Chaos Tablet you choose, and I'll record it," the Black-robed Envoy called out.

"I choose the Dragon Walk Chaos Tablet."

"I choose the Giant Axe Chaos Tablet."

The Black-robed Envoy walked from the far end of the corridor inward, asking each genius their choice. Feng Hui, standing among the crowd at the back, frowned as his gaze swept over the fifty-two paintings.

To be honest, out of these fifty-two paintings, a full thirty-one gave him a strong feeling and easily drew him in, especially the Matriarch Chaos Tablet, which contained the Wood Law and Space Law.

"The one most suited to me?"

Many of these Chaos Tablets began with various fundamental laws.

Some started with lower-level fundamental laws like Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Lightning, Light, or Wind, while others began directly with the Space Fundamental Law or Time Fundamental Law.

For example, the Yanshan Chaos Tablet started with the Earth Fundamental Law, and the Nine Universe Chaos Tablet started with the Space Fundamental Law.

If he hadn't entered the Initial Universe, Feng Hui would definitely have chosen the Matriarch Chaos Tablet, which expounded on the Wood Law and Space Law.

After all, Feng Hui had previously comprehended the Wood Fundamental Law and Space Fundamental Law, making this Chaos Tablet a perfect fit.

At the same time, whether it was the law talent of Feng Hui's original body in the Original Universe or that of the Eastern Emperor Holy Land Universe clone, both leaned toward the Wood Law and Space Law.

Under these circumstances, choosing either the Matriarch Chaos Tablet, which introduced Space Law through Wood Law, or the Nine Universe Chaos Tablet, which started directly with Space Law, seemed extremely advantageous.

However, during his passage through the cosmic channel from the Original Universe to the Initial Universe, thanks to the jade pendant's reaction to the chaotic flow of time, not only had his affinity for the Time Law greatly increased, but his comprehension of the Time Law had directly surpassed his previous understanding of the Space Law.

At the same time, Feng Hui understood that to become an exalted Universe Master, the most mainstream path was to cultivate both time and space, mastering both simultaneously.

As for cultivating fused laws and breaking through via the Beast God path, it was too difficult. Currently, the entire human race had no Universe Master who had broken through via the Beast God path.

Since he already possessed exceptional talent for comprehending both the Time Law and Space Law thanks to his previous fortune, he might as well directly embark on the path of cultivating both time and space—the grand road straight to Universe Master!

Under these circumstances, his choice was only one—

The Cosmic Chaos Stele, which cultivated both time and space, pointed directly toward Universe Master, and simultaneously expounded on the Time Fundamental Law and Space Fundamental Law!

The Black-robed Envoy had already recorded over four hundred people and had reached Feng Hui's side. He looked up at Feng Hui.

"Which one do you choose?" the Black-robed Envoy asked.

"I choose the Cosmic Chaos Stele." Feng Hui said seriously.

"Oh?" The Black-robed Envoy glanced at Feng Hui with some surprise.

The Cosmic Chaos Stele expounded on the fundamental laws of the universe in both time and space simultaneously. Among the fifty-two Chaos Steles, its depth of profundity was second only to the Giant Axe Chaos Stele, ranking second!

Yet it was also the most complex and the most difficult to study among the fifty-two Chaos Steles!

Cultivating both time and space simultaneously was incredibly difficult. Even beings at the Universe Venerable level found it hard to master both time and space at once.

Thus, among the geniuses recruited in past Genius Battles, almost no one chose this Chaos Stele.

But the path was one's own choice, and he didn't feel he could say much. He nodded, the screen on his arm instantly recording the selection, then continued to record the choices of those behind him.

Soon, the Black-robed Envoy finished recording.

As expected, among this batch of one thousand geniuses, only Feng Hui chose the most difficult Cosmic Chaos Stele.

Even the top genius of the Genius Battle, the ape-man Guge, had chosen the Nine Universe Chaos Tablet, which expounded on the fundamental laws of space.

Many geniuses with considerable backgrounds, who knew in advance the difficulty of the Cosmic Chaos Stele, secretly sneered at Feng Hui.

Someone from the Doomsday Secret Realm, daring to choose the most complex and hardest Cosmic Chaos Stele?

Truly knowing neither the height of the heavens nor the depth of the earth. It probably wouldn't be long before he was left far behind by them.

A heart loftier than the sky, yet unable to gauge his own measure. Nothing but a fool without self-awareness.

Some young geniuses secretly showed their disdain.

Feng Hui, however, paid no mind to it at all.

Cultivation was a personal matter—why care too much about others' opinions?

How could a sparrow know the ambition of a swan?