The Fruit Matures, The Inner World!

The peak of the mountain.

Qian Yu sat there for a hundred years.

This nameless planet had no name, located in the most desolate star system at the edge of the Cui Lang Starfield, too insignificant to even be marked on star charts.

The star was dim, the planet barren.

No intelligent race would choose to settle here.

Even space pirates couldn't be bothered to visit.

And that was exactly what Qian Yu wanted.

A hundred years—on the cosmic scale, merely a snap of the fingers.

But for this dead planet, it was enough to change many things. The mountain remained the same peak, but the boulder where Qian Yu sat cross-legged was now covered in a thick layer of moss and lichen.

These tenacious low-level lifeforms had quietly grown over the century, wrapping his entire body in a blanket of green.

Weeds sprouted from the stone crevices beside him, grew wildly, withered, turned into nutrients, and then new weeds sprouted again.

A hundred years of cycles had piled up layer upon layer of decay and rebirth around him, a sediment of rot and renewal intertwined.

From a distance, he no longer looked like a living being, but like an ancient statue fused into the mountain.

Inside the space of the Primordial Dao Tree.

Qian Yu's consciousness sat quietly in the void, surrounded by mysterious ripples of law.

This was his spiritual world, his place of enlightenment. For a hundred years, his consciousness had never left this place. His external body was merely a shell; here was his true battlefield.

He opened his eyes.

A flash of light flickered in his gaze, as if stars swirled in the depths of his pupils.

He looked up.

The Primordial Dao Tree still stood silently in this mysterious space, but compared to a hundred years ago, it had completely transformed—ten thousand kilometers!

No, to be precise, ninety-seven thousand kilometers!

Its trunk was as thick as a star; its canopy stretched across millions of kilometers, countless branches hanging down, each leaf flowing with intricate patterns of law.

The entire colossal tree stood rooted in the void, like a pillar supporting the whole universe.

Qian Yu gazed at the giant tree, emotions surging within him.

From a few thousand meters at the start to nearly a hundred thousand kilometers now, the Primordial Dao Tree's growth rate was truly astonishing.

But it was understandable.

After all, this was a World Tree.

One leaf, one world—that saying wasn't just for show.

A true World Tree could bear an entire world on each leaf.

If its size were too small, how could it bear that weight?

A hundred years had changed not only the Primordial Dao Tree, but also himself.

Cosmic Level Nine, peak.

A century of bitter cultivation, countless resources piled on, and the subtle feedback from the Primordial Dao Tree had finally pushed him to this step.

Only a single step away from Domain Lord.

Beyond that...

Qian Yu raised his right hand and gently clenched his five fingers.

The space around him twisted slightly—the fluctuation of space law.

Over the century, his comprehension of space law had also advanced by leaps and bounds.

Though he hadn't crossed the Heavenly Bridge to accurately assess his level, he could feel that his understanding of space law had definitely surpassed the average Realm Lord.

After all, the insight-boosting power of the Primordial Dao Tree was simply too heaven-defying.

But...

Qian Yu shook his head slightly.

He was still some distance from truly mastering the three profound mysteries of space law—Instant Movement, Space Seal, and Space Annihilation.

Of course, that was under normal circumstances.

If he used Space-Time Control...

Space-Time Control was an innate secret technique, unrelated to law comprehension.

Within its range, he could achieve pseudo-Instant Movement, pseudo-Space Seal, and pseudo-Space Annihilation, much like a Venerable-level World Tree using Space-Time Control to achieve effects nearly on par with a Cosmic Lord.

That was the power granted by the technique, not his own.

But it was enough.

Qian Yu withdrew his thoughts, his gaze shifting upward to settle on a certain spot within the canopy of the Primordial Dao Tree.

There, a crystalline fruit hung silently in place.

Compared to a hundred years ago, this fruit had undergone earth-shattering changes, growing from the size of a fist back then to nearly the size of a basketball now.

Although the volume of the Primordial Dao Tree itself was constantly increasing, this fruit's growth had not kept pace proportionally.

It was ripe.

After a century of gestation, this day had finally arrived.

An indescribable anticipation surged within Qian Yu's heart.

Last time, the blooming flower bud had granted him the Space-Time Control talent technique and a hundredfold genetic level.

This time, what would this fruit, nurtured for a hundred years, bring him?

He gently stirred his will.

The crystalline fruit on the Primordial Dao Tree detached from its branch and drifted downward, slowly floating toward Qian Yu.

It moved very slowly, as if crossing an endless expanse of time and space.

With every inch of distance it traveled, mysterious ripples of law spread from the fruit, stirring concentric rings in the void.

Qian Yu did not dodge.

He hovered there motionless, allowing the fruit to draw closer and closer, until finally, it touched his consciousness.

Hum—

In that instant, Qian Yu's mind jolted violently!

The fruit seemed to transform into liquid light, merging directly into his body! The light was warm and gentle, yet it contained unimaginable energy and laws, like a surging river of law, madly flooding into every limb and bone!

Qian Yu's pupils sharply contracted.

The next moment, he clearly sensed—

Deep within his body, a space that had never existed before was being forcibly opened!

Boom!!!

It was like the creation of heaven and earth!

A chaotic space exploded deep within him, chaotic energy churning in all directions as countless intricate threads of law intertwined and tangled within!

That space kept expanding, kept swelling, devouring everything around it!

10 kilometers!

100 kilometers!

1,000 kilometers!

10,000 kilometers!

The speed was too fast!

Meanwhile, outside.

On that nameless planet, Qian Yu's body, which had sat cross-legged for a hundred years, suddenly erupted with a terrifying suction force!

Boom!!!

Centered on him, the cosmic energy within tens of thousands of kilometers was instantly drained!

Not enough!

Farther away, countless energies, as if pulled by an invisible hand, surged madly toward this barren planet!

Even the light of the star seemed to dim for an instant—because its energy was being frantically extracted as well!

On the planet's surface, the moss and weeds that had once covered Qian Yu's entire body turned to dust in an instant under this terrifying suction!

The boulder beneath him began to crack, and the entire mountain trembled!

But this was still not enough!

Far from enough!

The energy required to open an inner world was astronomical!

Just then—

The Primordial Dao Tree moved.

The colossal tree, nearly 100,000 kilometers tall, trembled slightly, and a torrent of energy so pure it was unimaginable poured madly into Qian Yu's body through its mysterious connection with him!

This energy was so immense that it could easily burst a Cosmic Level being!

Yet, under the ravenous expansion of the inner world, it was barely sufficient!

Qian Yu's consciousness hovered within the Primordial Dao Tree space, feeling that torrent of energy flood in, feeling the inner world's relentless expansion!

100,000 kilometers!

200,000 kilometers!

500,000 kilometers!

1,000,000 kilometers!

Still expanding!

1,500,000 kilometers!

3,000,000 kilometers!

5,000,000 kilometers!

7,000,000 kilometers!

9,000,000 kilometers!

When the length, width, and height of the inner world simultaneously reached nine million kilometers, the expansion finally slowed to a halt.