Years of Hardship, Unseen

Time flows like water, swiftly passing by.

Unnoticed, twenty years had passed in the Eastern Emperor Holy Land Universe.

In the Primordial Universe, over six years had also gone by.

The time flow rate of the Eastern Emperor Holy Land Universe was the same as the Primordial Universe, both having a 1:3.28 difference compared to the Primordial Universe.

The differing time flows between the two locations where his bodies resided actually gave Feng Hui a deeper understanding of the Time Origin Law.

In the Eastern Emperor Holy Land Universe, over the past twenty years, Feng Hui's Dongdi Clan clone had grown and progressed under the guidance of Teacher Wala and Teacher Thunder Eye.

Teacher Wala specialized in the Law of Space, while Teacher Thunder Eye specialized in the Law of Time. With their strength, teaching Feng Hui was more than sufficient.

In Chaos City of the Primordial Universe, over these six years, Feng Hui's human clone had initially often gone outside the city to hunt Chaos Beasts. At first, the Chaos True Spirit continuously transformed his soul, and the clarity of his law insights also steadily improved.

But it was like taking medicine—take too much and you build a resistance. The further along he went, the weaker the effect became.

As his soul transformation continued to advance, the efficacy of the Chaos True Spirit sharply declined. Soon, this improvement became almost imperceptible.

After that, Feng Hui's human clone sat cross-legged on the rooftop of his residence, combining the externally manifested laws of the universe's origin in the sky, and devoted himself to intense cultivation.

Of course, because the human clone benefited from the creation of the jade pendant in his sea of consciousness, his talent in the Time Law skyrocketed, far surpassing the Dongdi Clan clone.

Meanwhile, the Dongdi Clan clone's talent in the Space Law also far exceeded that of the human clone.

Thus, it was the human clone in the Primordial Universe that focused on cultivating the Time Law, while the Dongdi Clan clone in the Eastern Emperor Holy Land Universe focused on the Space Law.

Back then, Luo Feng had embarked on the path of law essence under the guidance of True Evolution King, relying initially only on the Drifting Blood secret technique he had practiced.

Drifting Blood, which corresponded to the first three diagrams of the Chaos Tablet, cost only 800 points. But the first three volumes of Principles of Space-Time, which also corresponded to the first three diagrams, cost a hundred thousand points. Naturally, the effects were worlds apart.

Feng Hui, however, had already obtained Principles of Space-Time and the even superior Cosmic Scripture early on.

With such uniquely advantageous conditions, wouldn't it be a waste not to walk the path of law essence?

Thus, the human clone studied the "Time" chapter of Cosmic Scripture and the "Time" section of Principles of Space-Time, while the Dongdi Clan clone studied the "Space" chapter of Cosmic Scripture and the "Space" section of Principles of Space-Time.

Working on both fronts, their progress in the Laws of Time and Space advanced rapidly, and their path of law essence steadily moved forward.

In the six years of the Primordial Universe, Chaos City had undergone no change.

To the ancient Chaos City, which had existed for an immeasurably long time, a mere six years was but a snap of the fingers.

Many cultivators in the city had not moved an inch in six years.

Eight months after arriving in Chaos City, Guge of the Primordial Secret Realm successfully passed the first level of the Heavenly Bridge.

From the end of the first year to the second year, several people from the Taichu Secret Realm began passing the first level.

By the end of the second year in Chaos City, and into the third year, many geniuses from the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm and the Doomsday Secret Realm began passing the first level of the Heavenly Bridge in large numbers.

Of this batch of 1,000 geniuses, nearly a hundred had died hunting Chaos Beasts—close to a tenth had fallen.

But for the geniuses who had come to Chaos City in previous sessions, this was already considered a low death toll. Normally, it wasn't unusual for one or two-tenths to die.

Chaos City was a sacred training ground for the human race of the universe.

Sending young geniuses to take risks and fight Chaos Beasts was clearly also a way to temper the new generation.

Flowers raised in a greenhouse ultimately had limited prospects. Although the 30 years in Chaos City were relatively safe, giving the young a slight sense of crisis was a good thing, beneficial for the growth of the younger generation.

As for the geniuses who died hunting Chaos Beasts—dead was dead.

After leaving Chaos City, their death rate would be even higher, until most of them fell.

Those who ultimately survived were the true geniuses the Virtual Universe Company wanted, and only they could become strong.

Of the remaining nine hundred-plus geniuses, aside from Feng Hui, the latest to pass the first level of the Heavenly Bridge was at the end of the fourth year after arriving in Chaos City.

By the end of the sixth year in Chaos City, the ape-man Guge once again passed the second level of the Heavenly Bridge.

That day.

"Rumble..."

A beautifully crafted, art-like disc-shaped spaceship flew in from afar, slowly coming to a halt above Chaos City.

"Swoosh"

A handsome youth, like an elf, flew out of the spaceship and stood in the air above Chaos City.

His eyes were like the deep night sky, shimmering with crystalline starlight, as if they could see through all things in the world. His long brows were like swords, slanting into his temples, adding a touch of heroic spirit. His nose bridge was straight, his lip line distinct, outlining a resolute profile.

He gently spread his hands, and an invisible force seemed to surge at his fingertips. The wind around him answered his call, howling as it arrived, then dancing around his fingers at his will. A powerful aura, without any deliberate release, caused the sky itself to shift.

He was a subordinate of Ice Universe Venerable—Wind King.

An Immortal God at the pinnacle of King level, holding an extremely high status even within the Virtual Universe Company.

Wind King, under the orders of Ice Universe Venerable, had come to observe this batch of young geniuses in person.

He paid special attention to Guge and Feng Hui.

With Wind King's strength, standing in the distance and observing quietly, none of these young geniuses could detect him.

"Guge, hmm, worthy of being the top of this batch. His foundation is very solid, very steady. By the end of the 30 years in Chaos City, he'll at least reach the third level, possibly even the fourth. If he can maintain his strengths, his future will be boundless."

Wind King quietly observed the newcomers one by one, making judgments in his heart, preparing to report back to Ice Universe Venerable later.

"So this is Feng Hui?" Wind King walked along an alley in Chaos City, looking at a training residence not far away. On its rooftop, a young man in black with short hair sat motionless, eyes closed.

Wind King rubbed his chin and frowned. "What's going on with this Feng Hui... He performed quite well when he first arrived in Chaos City, even getting help from the Venerable."

"By all logic, he should have cleared the first layer long ago."

"But six years have passed. Everyone else has already cleared the first layer of the Heavenly Bridge—Guge even cleared the second layer—yet he just sits on that rooftop in bitter cultivation, never once attempting the Heavenly Bridge."

"Could his comprehension have gone down the wrong path?" Wind King thought to himself.

In the universe, when experts comprehend the fundamental laws of the universe, their insights sometimes take a wrong route. More often than not, they don't even realize they've gone astray until many years later.

Going down the wrong path in comprehension... is very common among experts of all races across the vast cosmos.

There's no fear of taking a wrong path.

What's feared is taking a wrong path without knowing it.

If you realize you've gone astray and adjust your direction in time, there's no harm done.

But if you go astray without realizing it, the time and effort wasted become immeasurable.

"These 30 years in Chaos City are the most critical foundation-building years for you batch of young geniuses."

"If you waste them, it'll be hard to make up for it later."

"Kid, I wish you good luck."

Wind King sighed a few words, then turned and left.

The Venerable had helped this kid named Feng Hui on a whim before.

But if, even with the Venerable's gift of the Principles of Space-Time, he still went down the wrong path comprehending the Cosmic Chaos Stele...

Then it meant he wasn't a true genius, wasn't suited for the Cosmic Chaos Stele, and didn't deserve the Venerable's favor.

Wind King had seen plenty of little fellows like this—once geniuses, later lost among the masses.

Wind King stopped thinking about it.

Though he was keeping an eye on Feng Hui, that was on the Venerable's orders. The Venerable hadn't asked him to do anything more, and it wasn't worth his while to fuss over Feng Hui. Feng Hui didn't deserve that effort now.